#bonnie needed to be isolated for this all to happen

[melmedardasworld]

The way the writers retconned Silas being the creator of the immortality spell failed hilariously.

Clearly, she was the better witch of the two, using traditional magic btw to steal her spell for him and Amara.

Hell, witch!Silas even used the Solar boundary spell she taught him to trap her and Sefan in the cabin.

Only thing I can attribute to him is him teaching Bonnie Expression, but I wonder if he’s actually used it himself (because it is the most powerful form of witchraft using only your will) during his time or if someone else he knew.

[xo-cod]

141 + reader

hc's when you five share the barracks together/just in general <3 (ooc, rushed my bad lmao, can be read platonically/romantically, reader is v close to them!!) kinda long oops 😩 might do a part 2 idk

nsfw version 🩷

there's a whole lot of testosterone and musk in the air when you're sharing living spaces with 4 men ‼️

all four men compete with each other to get your attention, even if it's unknowingly

whole lotta pouting when you're spending time with more man than the other, you're a great companion ;) and the army is lonely. they all need equal love and attention

speaking of, if you're smelling like one of them the other will immediately bundle you in his arms to put his scent on you instead and to cancel out the other (alpha behaviour 😵‍💫)

whole lotta flirting from each of them. they're all very intelligent soldiers, they know exactly what to say to get you going 😙

all of them adore the height difference with you. you get teased about it relentlessly (out of love obvi)

i don't think they're particularly messy men but ghost and gaz are the most cleanest, they like having their things in order and knowing where everything is

price is next because he's slumped with being captain so you'll see a lot of his paperwork around with coffee mugs from pulling all nighters

soap is more organised mess. it might look messy to you but he knows exactly where everything is

you, soap and gaz definitely have rap battles late at night. it starts of quiet but you'll usually hear price shouting at you three from his bedroom to stfu. ghost threatens to pull a grenade if you don't be quiet

assuming you're naturally a good cook, they'd all be so appreciative :") especially on bad days, your cooking reminds each of them of home (or lack of)

face masks! gaz would 100% be down to do them with you, soap would follow next because if gaz is doing it then he too???

ghost would roll his eyes, continuing polishing his guns with a rag "you ain't putting that muck on my face"

price would just look at you, shaking his head "got too much to do, sweetness"

but you're quite the convincer and all four men are on the floor of your bedroom, gossiping about the last mission with their preferred colour of face mask across their faces

assuming you're the only woman, they get very protective when you're hurt. soldiers get hurt from time to time but its different when it's you

"you alright, bonnie?" soap's gentle voice comes through your room as he hands you a warm mug of your fave drink

gaz had you wrapped in a big fluffy blanket, gently stroking your back

"who was it?" ghost's voice is firm, wanting to know who dared injured the youngest member of their team

"already got a handle on 'em" price follows, looking at the computer. whatever enemy dared to raise their hands on wished they'd be six feet under after all four men are done with them

you're the one each man needs when they're having a particularly bad day which are usually far in few between but sometimes it happens

gaz and soap are the types to seek you out, their faces settled in a troubled frown before they place their arms around you. no questions just yet, they just want to feel skin to skin for now. keeping them grounded before they can explain what happened. they're not looking for a fixer, just someone who'll listen

ghost and price are the type to isolate themselves for a while until it's night and then you'll find them gently knocking on your bedroom door and slipping inside, between your covers. their grip is strong, burying their faces deep into your neck whilst trying to wrap his arms as much as he can. these two won't talk much either, just looking to be held and stroked to calm down

ghost and soap are the type to show affection through lingering touches while gaz and price show affections through their words.

but speaking of hugs, each of them have their own special way they like to embrace

ghost thinks he's being slick but you realise just how touchstarved he really is, he gives hugs with his arms around your shoulders bringing you in to his chest. mostly because he's tall and broad but he likes how he can manhandle you from this position and smelling your scent <3

soap's the type to tackle you in a playful hug, maybe a spin to get a laugh out of you before he gently strokes your skin for a few seconds, a gentle kiss to your temple <3

price likes to hug from behind, resting his chin on your head while he looks at what you're doing. depending on you, his big arms are either wrapped on your waist or your shoulders <3

gaz gives side hugs because he likes linking his arm around your hips and he likes how you fit snugly into his body. and this way he can lean his head against yours and can bring you in closer with his other arm <3

all four can immediately smell you before you come in because they adore whatever perfume/spray you have

each of them would absolutely melt into pieces if you joined them/kept them company in what they were doing

and if they catch you in a towel after having a shower, best believe they're quickly walking back around to where they came from to help alleviate the growing... tent in their pants

lowkey kinda pervy 🫣 (never in a harmful way)

each of them have their strong points and would 100% train you in becoming stronger

even if you're a well established soldier, they all worry for your safety

price would teach you sniper techniques, ghost teaches you combat, gaz teaches you how to sharpen your aim and soap teaches you about explosives and how to construct/dismantle each of them

they take the training very seriously with you

a ton of cursing when their fave team loses lmaoo

if you're avid tea drinker, join the gaz/ghost/price club. if you're not, join the hater club with soap <3

ghost/gaz/soap will playfully fight with you, careful not to use their full strength and not to harm you. but it's so cute to them when you're struggling a little under them.

but when price scolds them in doing so, "i'm just helping in case there's an attack!"

if you're arguing against one of them, another will come to your defence. unless you're arguing all four then it's the silent treatment from you 🤭

all four of them melt when you call them by their real name instead of their callsign :")

ghost usually comes to you when his balaclava is broken and he'll keep you company as your fingers work their magic to the fabric, gently leaning against you as you speak to him

price will let you shape up his beard after you begging to do so and he grows to enjoy those tender moments

soap definitely calls for your help to shape up his mohawk, he trusts your hand to eye coordination above anyone elses

ghost will playfully ruffle your hair whenever you both pass each other

price gives you a gentle squeeze on the shoulder

gaz gives you a soft stroke on your arm or back whenever he's passing by

soap will gently tap his head against yours, not too hard to cause pain but just enough to know that he's there

but above all, the barracks you five share is definitely a safe space for each of them the second they come through the door <333

[twilightprince101]

I see a lot of AU's for In Stars and Time revolving around the idea of "what if X character was looping instead of Siffrin" and they are all wonderful. I adore the sight of seeing how exactly they slowly but surely break down over the course of months, maybe even years of repeating the same day and seeing how they contextualize the game's events from their perspective.

But there's one piece of all of these AU's that I wish was included a bit more: their feelings at the very, very start in regards to communication with others.

When Siffrin is told that he can tell his party about the time loop at any time, he immediately dismisses the idea because that is who he is as a person. Extremely caring for others, barely caring for himself. This is arguably the catalyst for the entire story (yes, even compared to WHY the loops started at all).

But how exactly do the other characters deal with that information around the start? How do they initially start the timeloop when told "there's nothing stopping you from asking for help?"

For example: Mirabelle. She already has a LOT on her plate since she's struggling with being "The Chosen." But I feel that being put in the time loop like this would actually be a relief for her. She is quite literally chosen by some sort of deity to try as many times as she wants. She's thankful because she really was chosen by the Change God (hahaha). So maybe at the start she would be more confident, talk with everyone and explain the full situation at the clock tower. "Yes, we did die against the King, but everything is back to how it was. If we work harder, we can make it!" But she would do that, every single time. The same conversation. And she's too wrapped up in that routine that she just focuses on reassuring everyone that things will be okay and saying the exact same words. Mirabelle's catalyst is similar to Siffrin's in that they both care for their friends, but while Siffrin helps fix everyone's problems, Mirabelle helps comfort everyone emotionally and doesn't focus on herself.

Then there's Odile. I feel she would treat the matter objectively, almost like a standard time loop protagonist. The first thing she does is tell everyone about it, finding some way to prove it ("Bonnie got X ingredients, Isabeau never made a wish at the favor tree, etc."). But after a certain point, going through all of those extra steps becomes draining. So she instead focuses on saying the right words which will get everyone else to do certain actions. "If I ask what fruits Boniface is bringing tomorrow then they'll keep that in the front of their mind, which will cause them to eat the pineapple early, eliminating the risk that Siffrin will die of their allergy." But throughout it all, she never factors her own feelings as to why the time loops are happening. That is Odile's catalyst: she is too logical and doesn't acknowledge feelings as part of the equation.

Perhaps later on in the timeloop they would do different things entirely, stop talking to others all together. But this is specifically about everyone's catalyst at the very start, their own version of "Why would you need help? You're in the position to help everyone here." It would likely take longer to happen than Siffrin's, the emotionally repressed gremlin, but the end result would still be the same. It's about self-isolation after all.

I just think it's a fun thing to think about.

[so-long-soldier-writes]

The Agreement

kai parker x reader | requested by @chocolatepalacecloudhoagie back when i asked for fluffy prompts bc i was having a hard month

summary: helping kai adjust to a normal life has its ups and downs, but he, of course, always wins in the end.

tags: domesticity, adjusting to normal life, lots of comfort & cuddling, gemini coven lore, minor indirect mention of abortion where kai's being a dick, but he's mostly soft in this fic, bartender!kai, mentions of alcohol, minor bar fight, minor mention of assault, accidental murder, protective!kai, protective!damon, bonnie is kinda mean in this one, damon secretly wants to be friends with kai, angst & fluff ish

word count: ~9.9k

a/n: this is so cheesy and somewhat choppy but bare with me 😅

You, Damon, and Bonnie have made a deal. Neither will kill Kai, as long as you can help the witch settle into a new life in Mystic Falls. Those are the terms made, and boy, are they hard to get. 

“You can’t fix him, Y/N. He’s beyond fucked up,” Bonnie scoffs, “and I don’t want to be partly responsible if I were to make some crazy deal with you that goes wrong.”

“I just want him to try and have a normal life, Bon. He spent twenty years in an abusive household and another twenty years in isolation. He has no idea what normalcy is.”

“By the sound of that, he’s too far gone for you to even try.”

“Just give me a chance to work with him!”

“I don’t even like you being with him! He’s going to hurt you, and I don’t want that to happen to you.”

“I haven’t given him a reason to hurt me, Bon.”

“He doesn’t need a reason. He just does things.”

“Well, in that case, I’ve given him a reason not to hurt me. I’m the only one willing to try and help him adjust.”

“Y/N-”

“I see the point you’re making, Y/N,” Damon interrupts his best friend, “but are you really going to put all this work in for him? Seriously?”

“Yes! I don’t get why you guys are so against this. I’m helping you out; I’m giving you one less person to worry about that could raise hell in this town.”

“He already has-”

“Bonnie, please.”

“It would be easier to just kill him.”

“Bonnie!”

“Look at him! He’s plotting right now! No one is quiet for that long unless they’re plotting something.”

You sigh and turn to follow her gaze. Kai is sitting on a barstool, in the room of the boarding house that’s surrounded by windows, watching snow fall. 

“He’s just observing!”

“Sure he is.”

“And he’s probably trying to tune out this conversation, too. I’d be, if people were talking about me, and two of them wanted to kill me.”

Bonnie gives you a hard glare. 

“Four months,” Damon says suddenly.

“What?”

“You have four months to get him settled.”

“Don’t give me a deadline. It took you longer than four months to stop killing people when you got back to town. And the only reason you did is because Elena finally fell for you. But then every time she dumps you, you kill people again.”

“Thanks for the summary.”

“My point is, I might need longer than four months. I can start with the killing stuff first, teach him he can’t do that, but getting him on his feet might be some work.”

“Easy. Pull the chair out, he’ll figure it out.”

“Damon-”

“I know what you meant. Fine. Six months max. If he’s still (A) killing people, (B) in my house every time I come down for a cup of coffee, or (C) a complete and utter basket-case, by that time, then he’s,” Damon makes the gesture of a throat being slit, “done. No more killing, no more kidnapping, no more terrorizing. Got it?”

“Fine.” You roll your eyes at his insistent face. “Got it.”

“In return, I, nor Bonnie, will kill him unless you take longer or he goes off the rails.”

“You guys do you know you can’t kill him, right? If he dies, so does Jo, so does Liv. Alaric will never speak to you ever again.”

Damon hesitates, but Bonnie already seemed to have an answer to that prepared. “Don’t think I won’t toss him back into 1994, or make a new prison world entirely, if I need to.”

“Bonnie-”

“But if you think you have him under control, you don’t need to worry about that now, do you?”

You sigh, then look over to Kai. He’s still turned towards the window, but you don’t doubt he’s listening. “No, I don’t.” You straighten your posture. “And you won’t need to worry about him, either.”

“Alright, Ms. Confident,” Damon mocks, “guess we have a deal. You have six months to get that weasel somehow adjusted to real life, and we won’t kill him, or throw him in a prison world.”

“Nor will you antagonize him for fun, Damon, which I know you like to do.”

“I do not-”

“Mason Lockwood. John Gilbert. T-”

“Alright! Fine. Bonnie and I will stay out of your way while you work on your little project.”

“I’m going to prove to you he can be good. Just mind your own business while I do it.”

“Fine.”

“Deal?”

“Deal.”

Two minutes later, you gather Kai and hurry out the door.

“Did you hear all that?”

“Yeah. I’m on thin fucking ice.”

“Mhm.” You then grab his arm before he can slip on real ice right outside the boarding house. 

The pair gave you a rather strict set of rules to follow, and Kai’s surprised you didn’t give up on him just hearing the terms. He makes sure to thank you on your way to the Grill, where you’re headed for coffee. He hopes he sounds genuine, but still tends to struggle with that stuff sometimes. You, being the loving person you are, give him a smile and a kiss to the cheek in return. You then walk hand-in-hand to the restaurant, where you plan to carefully explain a few places you’ll help him start. 

Two coffees and a lava cake later, you catch his attention. 

“So, this is a bad example.”

“What do you mean?” He looks up at you, chocolate syrup dripping from the side of his lip. 

You reach out to wipe it off, then lick it off your own finger. Kai then wipes off the rest with his napkin, the little that you missed. He smiles at your lack of hesitancy to reach out to him. 

“It’s like, five o’clock-ish, and our dinner shouldn’t be dessert-”

“This is your influence. I fed myself properly when I was locked up.”

“Oh really?” You ask with a sarcastic tone.

“Yeah, actually, I did. And in fact, the first time I met you, you were in this very same seat, with Caroline, eating a lava cake.”

You narrow your eyes at him. “Fine.”

He smirks at his win. 

“So you cook. You need somewhere to do it.”

“Like?”

“An apartment, maybe?”

“I can just move in with you.”

You bite your lip. You love Kai, but you’ve only been dating for three months. Of course, he’s spent days and slept over before, but it might be too early for the ‘moving in together’ stage. “You could,” you start, “or we could find you an apartment close-by. So you can get a little bit of autonomy, figure things out for yourself. Have a place to get away, if you need.”

“I don’t think I’d need to get away from you,” he chuckles. 

“I certainly hope you won’t, but, I don’t know, I think it’ll be good for you to have your own place. Just for a little while.”

“Do you not want to live with me?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying! I’d love to, but it might be just a little too early for that. And I really think you’d benefit from having your own space. I’ll help pay rent for the first few months. Well, unless you want to go to college? Live in a dorm?”

“At Whitmore?”

“Anywhere.”

“But you live here.”

“Yes.”

“And you’re not in college.”

“No.” You’re not sure where he’s taking this.

“I don’t want to be away from you. I don’t even want to live away from you.”

“You live away from me now.”

“That’s different. At least in the boarding house, there’s people.”

“People who have no qualms about killing you, Kai. What’s this actually about?”

“I don’t want to be alone!” He finally admits. A few people look over from the shout, but you wave them off. “I was alone for eighteen years, I can’t take it anymore!”

“Kai, there are other people in apartments, too.”

“But not in the same room! They’re all in locked doors. I’ve seen plenty of shows. Besides, what if the time away makes you not want to be with me anymore?”

“What?!” You ask, genuinely surprised. 

“You’re the only person that cares about me. What if space apart makes you not?”

“Baby, that’s not going to happen. I’m not going to stop loving you just because you move into an apartment.” You lower your voice, recognizing your conversation has an audience of three old men. “We’re apart now,” you repeat, “and I still love you. A couple minutes apart, even less time than our distance now, isn’t going to change that.”

“I still don’t want to be alone, Y/N.”

“Tell you what… we’ll find you one in the same building that I’m in, maybe even the same floor. We’ll be two minutes apart at most. You can come find me at any time; I’ll give you a key.” You reach out to take his hand. “When we’re dating for longer, we can talk about moving in together, but for now, I really want you to try living on your own. Please? We have to prove to Damon and Bon that you can, or you know what they’ll do. Do it for me, so I can keep you safe, okay?”

Kai bites his lip. “Okay. Same floor.”

“I think the woman across the hall is moving out anyway.”

He nods. 

“Besides, I don’t want you too far from me, either.” You wink. “Who else is going to cook for me?”

He smiles at your first comment, but at the second, pushes your hand playfully. “See, you admit I can cook.”

“Never said you couldn’t!” You pause. “So that’s a definite ‘no’ on the college thing?”

He nods. “First of all, you wouldn’t be there. Second, I don’t care for the college experience that’s so hyped up in movies. Third, I’ve read thousands of books while being locked up. If I wanted to study one thing really intently, I either already have, or I would’ve.”

“Okay then.” Obviously, his mind is made up. “Sounds good.”

You both eat a few more bites of the cake, then he crinkles his nose. “I know you’re gonna say it sooner or later, so I might as well ask now… are you gonna make me get a job?”

The cynical look on his face makes you want to laugh, but you manage to hold it in. “Yep.”

“Crap.”

“It doesn’t have to be something crazy. Hell, you could work here. Be a bartender or something.”

“Do I have to work with people?”

“I thought you just said you want to be around people?”

“Not stupid people, though. Y’know, like the what-you-call-Karen types that would make me want to wring their neck.”

You chuckle. “Baby, that’s a type of person difficult to avoid. Any job is gonna have its fair share of annoying people. Unless you deliver mail, or something.”

“What’s that require?” 

“Valid driver’s license.”

“I have one of those.”

“Valid?”

“Made it myself, but it got me through airport security.”

You sigh. “Can you drive?”

“Yes. Taught myself.”

“Would you pass a test?”

“I don’t know. But I drove BonBon from Mystic Falls to Portland without killing her.”

“Lower your voice when you say stuff like that!” You warn again, waving off a man. 

Kai seems to ignore you. “Though half of that trip, we did fly…”

“You flew a plane?”

“Had eighteen years to learn!”

“Okay. Let’s get off this topic. You spend so much time in this grill, it might be a good place to start. As long as you show up, do your best, and don’t,” you lower your own voice, “spike people’s drinks for fun-”

“I would never!” He fakes offense.

“-I think you’d be good.”

The boy takes a sip of his coffee. “Fine. Just for you, I’ll try it.”

“Great! I’ll talk to Matt.”

“Ugh.”

“And don’t mention that you killed the manager, because they never found out who did that.”

“Noted.”

“And he’s besties with the Sheriff.”

“Great. You don’t want me to work here for an extra set of eyes on me, do you?”

“No, ‘course not. You’re my sole responsibility, I don’t want Matt involved at all. I just think you’d be a good bartender.”

“Okay.”

“And you like it here, so you might be more comfortable here.”

“What are the odds you could work here, too?”

“I have a job.”

“You could quit it and work here.”

“Kai…”

“Fine. Talk to Matt.”

“Okay.” You stand up to find the other boy. “Stay here.” You kiss his head as you pass him, then head to the bar. 

Kai stares into his coffee while you wait by the bar. He likes the Grill, but doesn’t know about working in it. The customers around him are often annoying, and he doubts his ability to remain patient with them. Still, you made a deal to keep him safe, and if his two little prison world friends are going to uphold their end, the two of you have to keep yours. He sighs, then turns to find you. You’ve caught hold of Matt, but as you seem to explain the situation, he rolls his eyes. Kai bites his lip. He has to make this work, for you, even if he doubts his own ability to fit into the world.

As you turn to look at him, he looks away abruptly. A minute later, you return to your seat. 

“How’d it go?”

“He’s gonna give you a chance… on one condition.”

“Which is?”

“If I’ll work here, too.”

The boy’s eyes light up. “Really? I thought you said I should do it myself.”

“Well then scratch that. It’ll be more fun together anyway.”

Kai smiles before growing serious again. “So apartment, job… anything else to cover?”

You’re quiet for a moment. There’s a lot more to cover, but you’ve just tackled two of the biggest factors when it comes to normalcy, and you don’t want to overload the poor boy. So instead of bringing anything else up, you shrug. “We can tackle it later. For now, let’s finish this cake.”

Grateful, he nods. He knows, not only from Bonnie and Damon, that there’s a lot more expected of him than just housing and working. He’s lucky he has someone that understands that. “Okay.”

“Okay,” you reply back. 

*****

For the next couple nights, Kai stays with you until you can secure a room for him in your apartment complex. Turns out Ms. Mary White had moved out just recently - wanted to find a complex with fewer stairs - and Kai would be able to move in by the end of the week. 

Of course, that process doesn’t come without its own issues. A key piece of information required for renting an apartment is proof of one’s identity. When Kai is asked to present his, he stares blankly at your landlord. 

“Uh, I think my father has it in the attic of my childhood home.”

“Well can you call him?”

“He probably burned it,” Kai mutters.

Your landlord’s eyes quickly widen at the same time yours do. Your boyfriend’s blunt honesty is quite fatal for the situation; your landlord does not need to know about his abusive childhood, nor the crimes Kai had committed over twenty years ago. One Google search could quite possibly open a whole can of worms you aren’t ready to contain. 

In the following two seconds after that, you dial Caroline’s number. 

Luckily, the vampire comes to your aid. She compels the man into forgetting both the conversation, and his need for any proof of identity. She seals his spot in the apartment, and simultaneously, in his new life. 

As Caroline then helps the two of you settle in, Kai catches her attention. 

“Why did you help me?”

The blonde faces him. “Well… for one, Y/N cares about you. If she sees good in you, and the ability to change, to be better, then I trust her. Two, I do owe you for helping my mom. She’s healing, slowly, ever since you siphoned the vampire’s blood out of her system, and I never fully thanked you for that. And third… I know someone like you. Someone who came to Mystic Falls, and wrecked absolute havoc, but for some reason, he had a soft spot for me. I was used in all of the plans they would make to distract or ‘neutralize’ him, and with time, it worked. He got better. He’s an ally now. A friend, even.”

“So Y/N is like you, and he’s kinda like me. You see that happening? You can see me getting better?”

“Klaus did.”

Kai swallows. It means a lot to hear someone other than Y/N have faith in him. “Thank you.”

“All I’m saying is prove them wrong. Damon’s an ass sometimes. And remember, he was the villain too, a while back.”

“I heard some stories from them back in the prison world.”

“Well they probably didn’t even cover half the stuff he did. Trust me, Damon has no room to judge.”

Kai nods. 

“Text me if you guys need help with anything else. Kai, good luck. Treat Y/N well.” With a smile, she’s gone. 

“Klaus,” Kai repeats.

“You’re not half as bad as Klaus,” you inform him, “killing-wise, I mean. That thing is a thousand years old and has killed probably five times more people than his age.”

“She said he got better.”

“He did. Still kills, obviously, but he is a friend to us now.”

He nods again, processing the information without replying. 

You spend the rest of the evening settling him in with the little stuff he has. Most of his belongings are clothes, and whatever else is either from 1994 or stolen somewhere along the way. You have some extra furniture in your apartment, and earlier that day, bought him a comforter. It’s enough to live, and he seems fine with it. Besides, you both know he’ll be in your apartment most of the time, anyway. 

*****

A couple days after that, you start your new jobs at The Grill. You’re only part time, considering you’re already a dedicated employee elsewhere, and Matt’s fine with that as long as you “watch him” at least most of the time. The boy is clearly not excited about the reformed serial killer joining his work team, but at the same time, Matt’s not one to turn down anyone looking for a fresh start. 

At first, he keeps Kai in the back, away from people. A smart move while he still adjusts. He’s mostly tasked with filling drink orders and cleaning up, and only after he’s been working in the restaurant environment for a week is he actually allowed to hand people their orders. So far, he’s incident-free, but you can tell Matt is just waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

His heart almost stops the day he sees Damon enter on a day he has Kai serving drinks.

Matt rushes to the back, trying to find you to take over before the vampire can saunter over to the bar. 

“Bourbon. Neat.” Damon says to no one in particular. 

Kai swallows hard at the sound of the man’s voice, but then stands up to pour him the drink. As he passes the glass to him, Damon’s attention turns from the distant game of billiards to the unidentified bartender. 

“Oh.” He blinks in surprise. “It’s you.”

“Yep, I am working here now.” Kai enunciates every word, still in disbelief that he does. 

“Gotta say I’m shocked. Had any urges to kill anyone yet?”

“No, it’s been mostly tame. There was one lady the other day who was so drunk, she fell out of her chair, but that was more amusing than anything else.”

Damon snorts. Part of him wishes he could have witnessed that, but he’ll be damned if he admits that to Kai. “And her inconsiderate ways didn’t have you tempted to toss a glass at her head? Maybe you are improving.”

Kai bites his tongue. He knows Damon’s just trying to get under his skin, and the bar is too busy for him to react. Besides, one wrong move and the vampire will call off their deal.

Luckily, a heartbeat later, you pop around the corner from the kitchen.

“Hey, how’s it going?”

“Your little pet served a drink.” He takes a sip. “Ten points to Slytherin for getting my order correct.”

“Be nice, Damon. I’ve never seen you attempt to get a job.”

“Why would I need a job? I’m a vampire, if you haven’t forgotten. I don’t need money, and I don’t need to buy food-”

“Because you just eat people? Right. And you do buy food, let me remind you, and drinks, on a daily basis, which requires money. But since your nephew - whom you killed - was rich, you don’t need to work for anything. So no, you don’t need a job, but if you were born into a less rich family, you’d certainly need to, to support your hobbies.”

“Touché.” 

You shrug. “I’m just sayin’.”

Damon glares at you, sips the rest down in one gulp, then spins the glass back to Kai. “Refill.”

Knowing you’ve won, you give your boyfriend a kiss to the cheek as he pours another glass. You’re halfway back to the kitchen when Damon clears his throat,

“I could report you for PDA.”

“Try me.”

He doesn’t. 

That night, you praise your boyfriend for keeping his cool under the unexpected presence of Damon. Truth be told, you hadn’t even considered the man’s frequency at the restaurant when you spoke out for Kai to work there; you only thought about where he’d be most comfortable. Kai admitted he started pushing buttons, but your interference diffused the situation immediately. You give him a kiss, then snuggle into his chest, legs over his as you sit in his lap. Kai grabs you before you can get too comfortable, turning your cuddling into a make-out session. Unlike his shift at the bar earlier, things escalate pretty quickly. 

*****

Weeks pass of coaxing Kai into a normal life. He’s doing well despite the cards handed to him, and you’re sure to tell him how proud you are each night. There have been a few instances where he’s yelled at customers who’ve yelled at him, and then he had to muster up an apology to them. On two occasions, you’ve traded places with him, seeing either Damon or a crowd of college kids approaching the bar. But though he’s had a few mistakes, he’s received compliments, too. 

One woman, a regular, and very picky about her cocktails, told him she’s impressed with his ability, especially given his age, and that he makes some of the best drinks she’s had. She always leaves a good tip, and has made sure to tell the manager what she said to him. 

Kai only gave a dimpled smile and a polite, “thank you,” and decided not to tell her he’s actually in his forties, and had nothing better to do for eighteen years than craft cocktails. 

“See,” you then said to him, “I knew you’d be a good bartender. I didn’t even know you could make cocktails.”

“I couldn’t tell if she was hitting on me by the end of the night,” is all he replies. 

You scrunch your eyebrows, but then widen your eyes at the fifty percent tip. “Yeah, maybe just a little.”

*****

As much progress as he’s made, he’s not done yet. Kai’s had about three months of getting on his feet, and now he has to address a big issue that both of you have been avoiding. On a calm night neither of you had work, you decide it’s now or never to bring it up. 

So, laying across his lap again, you fiddle with the ring on his finger as a show you’re half-watching runs in the background. Tension builds in your shoulders as you try to form a good question. Within minutes, he can tell something’s up with you. 

“What?”

“I have something to say, but you’re not gonna like it.”

“Spill.”

“So… You’ve fought hard against the fate chosen for you by your father. He didn’t think you were capable of leading the coven, so he cast you out. Made you feel like you were less of a person; of a witch, because of the way you were born.”

“Point?”

“Against all odds, you came out on top. You broke down the barriers, literally and physically, and became the leader. Now,” you pause, “you gotta lead.”

Kai swallows as if he hadn’t anticipated this aspect of his choices. That, or he never expected to get this far, and therefore, never thought about any way he’d do it. “I am,” he finally says.

“How?” 

“I’m alive, aren’t I?”

“You’re telling me your father never had any specific duties he’d have to perform as leader? No responsibilities? No expectations? Nothing?”

“He had to find a wife and have a set of twins.”

“Kai-”

“I know what you mean,” he sighs. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to lead a coven! What the hell do they do? Do I have to feed them? Give them water?”

“They’re not plants, Kai. Th-”

“I know!” He pauses the TV, but luckily doesn’t try to get off the couch. “But I don’t know how I’m supposed to do that myself. I saw my dad do some of it; he’d go to meetings, and set the standards, and was there to congratulate every stupid baby ever born-”

“Kai,” you warn. 

“Sorry. I just… they hate me. How am I supposed to lead them when they hate me, and frankly, I hate them, too.”

“You’re just gonna have to do your best. Don’t do exactly what your father did, but use his leadership as a guideline - whether that's what to do or what to not do, that’s your choice. Try to co-exist with them, and follow whatever rules are absolutely required.”

He bites his cheek. “Will you help me?”

“Of course.” You kiss the side of his face he’s biting to make him let go. “I told you before, I’m always gonna be here for you. If that includes helping you make decisions in regards to your crazy coven, then so be it.”

*****

You’ve never seen anyone from his coven aside from his immediate family, so seeing more of the group that you’d ever anticipated was terrifying, to say the least. The whole plane trip across the country, you’re both having trouble sitting still. As he consumes mini pretzels at an abnormal rate, your tapping foot is probably peeving the passengers around you. Still, he tries his best to prepare you for what den of lions you’re about to face. 

“So… meetings are usually just comprised of “elders” and their wives, plus anybody else deemed important enough to attend, or anyone who has something important to share. The elders are the decision makers, and now that includes my dad - elderly, and a past leader.” You snort at his choice of word, but then remember Kai’s actual age and realize the man probably is elderly. “So he’ll certainly be there. Jakob’s had it out for me since day one. I’m assuming he’s still alive, and he’ll be filled with piss and vinegar to see me in person. Leon’s fine. He carries the siphon gene and hasn’t had children because of it. His great uncle is rotting in a prison world somewhere, and I only know that from reading the journals from when I was in ‘94. Patrice is… unimportant,” he says, not knowing what else to say about her. 

“Jeez… is anyone in your family actually pleasant?”

“My Aunt Maisie.”

“Oh, so one person.”

He nods. “She’s where Jo got ‘Laughlin’ from. You’d think if she was trying to hide from me, she wouldn’t pick the one name I’d immediately recognize.” He doesn’t say anything else on the matter, but there’s clearly more to it. You don’t push. His childhood isn’t something he wants to relive, and going to this meeting is doing exactly that. Instead, you change the topic.

“So I got us a hotel for the night, and a flight back the next morning. Partly because I know you don’t want to be here, and to be honest, I don’t want to be here, either. And, partly, because when you took off yesterday to prepare for this stupid thing, Matt texted and said Jenny missed your cocktails.”

The comment makes him smile. Even though the grill regular definitely flirts with him most nights, he’s come to enjoy her presence. 

“Though I told him you’d need tomorrow night off, too, because this is going to be mentally draining, on top of the plane trip that crosses several time zones. And maybe Saturday, also.”

“Thank you,” he says genuinely, relieved that you understand him in such a way. He leans over to kiss you five seconds before the plane hits turbulence. 

*****

On top of the four elders Kai mentioned, his father included, six others were also in attendance. Three were present when he was a kid, though Kai deemed them of lesser importance - they’d rarely speak, and usually only vote - and three had been elected sometime post-1994. He knows them from biannual gatherings and special occasions, but had never really spoken to them. And that reason is, of course, because he was rarely allowed out of his room for those occasions. 

When he first enters the room and meets their eyes, small chatter fades to complete silence. Breaths are held as they look the boy up and down. They stare at him, then at you, and a little at your clasped hands. One-by-one, they address him, all by his full name, making his eyes twitch. 

Joshua is the last of the elders to greet the new leader, being the most recent to join the council. He looks down disapprovingly before finally spitting a welcome. 

“Where’s A-” Joshua turns on his heels and walks away before Kai can ask the question.

His sister then stands before him. “Aunt Maisie passed away in ‘99.”

Kai’s throat dries. “Why are you here?”

“I’m carrying the next set of twins, of course I’d be here.”

You squeeze his hand, trying to comfort him. He bites back a reply, but you can feel the anger coursing through his body. 

Nothing important happens in the actual meeting. Jakob, as Kai predicted, shouts most of the time at no one in particular. Everyone knows he’s mad at Joshua, though, and you later learn that he originally wanted to kill the siphon boy at a mere eight years old. This time, Kai squeezes your hand to calm you. 

A couple minutes is spent talking about the future of the coven. Patrice points out that although Jo is pregnant, her husband isn’t the leader. Something in her tone hints that the leader’s girlfriend should be the one to be pregnant and to bear the next set, but she’s instantly overridden by everyone shushing her about not wanting to continue the siphon, nor Kai in particular’s, direct bloodline.

In summary, you and Kai flew all the way to Portland just to be annoyed for three hours. That night, you cuddled him on the hotel bed, massaging your hands through his hair. He put up a strong, confident front to prove his ability to lead, but melted the moment you coaxed him into your arms in the privacy of the room. He’s quiet for a long time, and you’re the one that finally breaks the silence. 

“I’m proud of you.” 

His shoulders relax but tone hardens. “Why?” He wants to believe you, but doubts himself so much that he can’t yet. 

“Because you stood up to them by coming here. You’re making an effort to prove your worth to them. Not like you should have to do that, but they’re a bunch of assholes who think you do. But regardless of that, too, it took a lot of strength to face the people who’ve done nothing but cause you pain. You handled both Jo’s and Jakob’s hostility well.”

He exhales, racing mind beginning to ease. “Thank you for coming with me.”

“Of course. Thank you for braving this step and showing them you’re more than capable to lead.”

“They’ll never think I am.”

“That doesn’t matter. They have no say in it; you’re already doing it.”

“For twenty-two years. Until whatever is germinating in my sister’s womb pops out.” 

You bite your cheek to keep from laughing. His back rests against your chest, though, and there’s no way he didn’t feel at least a chuckle. “Well then that means we have twenty-two years to figure out something else instead.”

“Pennyroyal tea?”

“No!” You say quickly, unsure if he’s joking or not. “I mean more like, I don’t know, whatever that one woman was saying.”

It takes him a moment, but then his eyes narrow. “You want to have twins?”

“Better me than Jo to have the set that will eventually take over. Even if I’m a couple years behind, they’ll have to accept the current leader’s set over his sister’s, right?”

Kai shrugs, having no idea. It sounds true, given what was hinted before the elder was shushed, but he doesn’t know. Regardless of the answer, he sighs. “You wouldn’t want that kind of tie to my coven.”

“I’m dating you, I kinda already have it.”

“Yeah, but that level of ‘in it’ is something you can’t get out of.”

“I’d do it for you.”

He swears his heart stops. You would marry into his coven and produce a set of in-line twins just for him. Kai is still trying to wrap his head around the fact that you’re dating him, not to mention you’d suffer a coven meeting for him, but to also go that far… just because you love him? He can’t process it.

He wonders… maybe, he misheard you. “Did you say-” When he turns to face you, he realizes you’ve fallen asleep. Your hands remain to hold him, though you’re no longer playing with his hair. He watches your breathing for a moment, still bewildered. At some point, though, his racing mind and tired eyes drive him to exhaustion, and he finally falls asleep in your arms. 

*****

Joshua’s presence at your terminal prevented you from never mentioning the conversation, as you were already late to catch your plane. The salt and pepper haired man had a few last, weak words for his son, as he tried to thank him for attending the meeting, but still shame him for winning the merge at the same time. When he made a spiral hand gesture in search of the right thing to say for the fifth time, you snapped your fingers to speed up the process, and finally then did he spit out something half-meaningful. You got on your plane with two minutes to spare and had, for the time being, completely forgotten about your earlier talk. 

*****

You’re nearing the fifth month mark in your agreement with Damon and Bonnie, but to be honest, you aren’t worried about it one bit. They have no reason to punish Kai; he’s done nothing but make good progress since the deal was made.

That is, until one night at The Mystic Grill goes horribly wrong. 

*****

A rather impatient series of knocks has you opening the door with your eyes rolling. 

“What now?” You swing it open, expecting the pizza man. The last time, the man was so terrified of the neighbor’s dog that was barking, he was quick to hand it over and leave, forgetting his tip in the process. “I promise, the dog isn’t getting out. He’s just-”

Instead, Damon stands on the other side. “What dog? I’m not-”

“No.” You try to close it, but he stops it with his foot. 

“Wait, Y/N.”

“What do you want?”

“Can’t just check up on a friend?”

“I still have time to work with Kai. And for your information, he’s doing great. We don’t need your commentary.”

“I’m just curious.” He tries to look past your shoulder into the room. “Where is the little weasel?” Unfortunately, he spots him on the couch and offers a wave. 

“He has his own place down the hall, we’re just having dinner together. Got a problem with it?”

“Kai Parker has his own apartment? Wow!”

“Shut up, Damon. And why are you really here?”

“Jo told Alaric, who told me, that Kai’s been going to coven meetings lately.”

“Yeah. So?”

“Just seeing if it’s true! So what made him go?”

“He’s the leader; he’s taking up the responsibility. Like a leader does.”

He scoffs. “No influence from you?”

“Of course I’m helping him, but I’m not making decisions for him.”

“Really? This apartment, a job at the grill, being there for his family, that’s not you telling him what to do?”

“If didn’t want to do it, he wouldn’t. I don’t know if you know him, but Kai doesn’t do anything unless he wants to. Sure I’m guiding him, but he has the ultimate say in all of these decisions.”

“Yeah, except if he doesn’t follow the rules, we’re gonna kill him.”

“If you can catch him,” you challenge, “because if Kai decides he doesn’t want this life, I’m prepared to run with him.” You watch Damon’s face before continuing. “But the thing is - he does. He does want to fit in, and he does want his life to have meaning, and he doesn’t want to waste it. Contrary to what you all think, he’s really trying to start something here.” Damon stares at you. “So I’d appreciate it if you’d butt out and go away.”

The man clicks his tongue, but then ultimately leaves. “See you later, Y/N.”

“I’m sorry you had to hear that,” you mutter, joining him on the couch.

“You didn’t mention the guy at the bar.”

“Didn’t seem relevant. Damon makes mistakes, too.”

“What if he finds out?”

“I won’t let him hurt you. You’ve been making such good progress; you’ve been a downright angel most of the time. One bar fight in my defense isn’t going to erase all that.”

“Y/N, I killed him. He’s going to send me back to a prison world. I can’t go back there.”

You take his shoulders gently and pull him down into your lap. “He’s not going to hurt you, Kai. I promise. Rest your little head, okay?”

He nods. “And you’re sure you’ll leave with me if it comes to that?”

After the incident, he had a meltdown, fearing for his life, and almost preparing for Bonnie to burst through the door and send him away. You promised that if she were to come for him, you’d abandon this life and run with him, even if that dissolves the terms of your agreement with the pair. You had then admitted, too, that if Kai decides he doesn’t adapt well to domestic life, even without the incident that had occurred, you’re prepared to leave with him. Damon knowing that little contingency plan probably wasn’t the best, but you doubt the man believes you anyway. 

“Of course. I promise.” You assure him. 

*****

At nearly midnight, one week later, you hear a banging across the hall. After a moment, you poke your head out and see Damon at your door.

“The fuck do you want?”

“I thought this was your door?”

“I’m with Kai.”

“Ooh, in his apartment?”

“Did you think I was lying?”

He shrugs. “A little.”

“What do you want, Damon?”

He comes up to you with a piece of paper in his hand. He reads, “obituary of forty-two year old Patrick Johnson. Died in a bar fight last week. Split his head against the countertop. No arrests have been made,” he looks up, “happened at the grill.”

“So?”

“Sound familiar?”

“No arrests have been made.”

“Well I didn’t do it. Stefan didn’t do it. It could’ve only been Enzo, or your little “reformed” sociopath in there, and I think we both know who’s to blame.” You roll your eyes. “It’s easier to just tell the truth, sweetheart.”

“So what if it was? What are you gonna do? You’re not invited in; you can’t touch him.”

“Just tell me what happened, Y/N.” He makes a push against the boundary, but it doesn’t budge. “Look, Bonnie hasn’t seen this yet. Just tell me, and I can make it go away.”

“Why would you do that?”

“The goodness of my heart?” You snort. “Come on, Y/N.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I can go show this to her then,” he points his thumb in the other direction, “because I can promise you who she’ll point the first finger at, and considering Enzo’s been so busy sticking his nose in my brother’s business lately, odds aren’t in your favor.”

You hesitate. “Fine.”

Kai watches from the couch with bated breath. Damon gives him a little wave as he notices him. “Hello, Malachai.” You glare at the man, who then half-apologizes. “Sorry. Explain.”

 “There was a fight one night when we weren't working. Matt wasn’t working either. Kai had nothing to do with starting the fight, but unfortunately, we were sitting right in the middle of it. We got up to leave, but then some man grabbed me and reached down my shirt, and Kai lost his cool.”

“Details, please.”

“He pushed him into the bar but the man kept fighting back. He spit in Kai’s face and made attempts to pull at his clothes. All the while, yelling all this shit about what he wanted to do to me, screaming profanities. Made comments about other women, too, but when he specified that he had been watching me all night and was waiting for Kai to leave, Kai pushed his head down into the countertop. He still fought. After a couple of blows to the counter, we heard a crack. It wasn’t his fault, Damon, don’t hurt him, please.”

The man stares for a moment, then at Kai. “Y’know… I’m surprised you even made it this far. I had no faith in you.”

“Damon-”

“But, I have to say, I’m impressed by your progress. Y/N here wants you to be better, and clearly you love her enough to be better for her.”

“He’s doing it for himself, too, Damon. All he’s ever wanted is to be accepted, and-”

“Save the speech. I admire the progress you’ve made, and I’d honestly hate for all of Y/N’s hard work to go to waste. Now, Bonnie hasn’t seen this yet, and you’ve toned down your menacing almost one hundred percent, and I can agree that this incident isn’t your fault. So, if you promise not to repeat it, and don’t ever speak a word of this to Bonnie-”

“She doesn’t even talk to me anymore.”

“-we don’t have to let her know it happened. I’ll go Liz, clear your name from it. She can put the blame on someone else or claim it was an accident. Just tell me that you won’t let this happen again.”

Now you’re the one staring at Damon, wide-eyed with surprise. “I-I promise.”

Kai nods, agreeing. “I didn’t mean to get in a fight, and I certainly didn’t mean to kill him. I just couldn’t let it go and he wouldn’t stop.”

“I’d do the same if it were Elena. Hell, I’d do it for Y/N, too. What’s one less douchebag in this world?”

The boy half-smiles. “Hey, Damon?”

“What?”

“If Bonnie does find out, or if she has a suspicion, what do we do?”

He shrugs. “Tell her what you told me. He wouldn’t stop. It was an accident. You were protecting Y/N.” Damon looks at you. “I know you two used to be close, so even if she’s mad about it, she’ll understand. I won’t let her do anything in terms of the agreement, I’ll, as Elijah always says,” he says with a smirk, “keep my word. And hey, you might even win brownie points for defending her.”

“Thank you.”

“Just don’t let it happen again. Next time someone starts shit, call me to compel them away, or call Liz.”

“Okay,” you reply.

“Speaking of compulsion,” he adds, “how’d you get this apartment?” 

You’re quiet for a moment, then admit, “Caroline helped.” He laughs. “Don’t tell Bonnie.”

Damon puts his hands up as if to surrender. “Not a peep.”

“She said I remind her of someone named Klaus,” Kai offers. 

“Ah. Yes! Baby Klaus.”

You shake your head, offended. “Not at all!”

“I’m kidding!”

“You’re a jerk.”

“All kidding, sourpuss. Alright, off to Liz.”

“Thank you again.”

“Hm. Be good.”

The death was ruled an accident the next day. 

*****

Six months on the dot, Damon summons you and Bonnie back to the boarding house to rule if Kai can stay, or if Bonnie can boot him back to a prison world. The boy is nervous, despite you promising him he has nothing to fear. If anything, she should be the one anxious, upset she can’t go through with her little plan to trap him again. 

The two of you show up right on time, and to your surprise, Elena’s the one to open the door. 

“Hi,” she smiles. You two haven’t seen much of each other lately. Bonnie’s been adamant about her friends avoiding both you and The Grill, and many of their nights have been spent at the Scull Bar instead. 

“Hi,” you greet her back. Kai gives her a smile, too, but nervousness twitches at the tip of his lips. 

“I’ve been seeing the other Parker so much, it’s refreshing to see a different one,” she references Liv and her salty-ass attitude. “Hey, Damon’s said you make a mean cocktail. Put it to the test?”

Damon’s been keeping a secret eye on Kai and reporting everything back to his girlfriend. She wants to believe he’s changed, Caroline, too, and asks the question as a small way to test it. When he gives her a more confident smile and steps inside the house, she takes it as a good sign. 

You follow them inside. 

“Y/N!” Damon welcomes, arms open wide. He pulls you into an unexpected hug, but then whispers in your ear, “careful, she’s bitter.” The hug suddenly makes sense, and you thank him for the warning before hugging back. “And where’s the little weasel?”

“In the kitchen with Elena. She wanted a cocktail.”

“Ah. I may have told her he’s built up a little fanbase at The Grill. Jenny the Drunk is no longer his biggest tipper.”

“So I’ve heard. All the milfs want my man.”

“Well, he is closer in age to them than you.”

“Shut up.”

“Y/N,” Bonnie’s voice interrupts your banter. She smiles at you from afar, eyes clouded with mixed emotions. 

“Hi,” you reply with a similar tone. Not cold, but not exactly warm, either. “How’ve you been?”

“Okay. Been studying a lot. Been helping Jo with… I’ve been busy.”

You nod. “She’s close.”

“Yeah. You know?”

“She stopped coming to meetings.”

“Meetings…?”

“Coven meetings. They’re in Portland, so we have to fly, and she’d always be there, too.”

“You’ve been going to coven meetings?”

“Kai’s the leader, he kinda has to.”

She gulps, as if not expecting him to be so productive in the six month time span. Before she can say anything else, though, Caroline comes out of nowhere with a bright yellow cocktail and a bendy straw. 

“Mhm! You have to try these, they’re so good! Who’d think Kai could make such a good tropical drink? I wouldn’t until thirty seconds ago.”

You laugh. “Where’d the bendy straw come from?”

She shrugs. “Found them in the cupboard, probably Damon’s secret stash. Bonnie, you want to try?”

“No.”

“Okay.” She retreats back to the kitchen, promising she’ll bring you one. 

“Did he learn that skill at The Grill? Matt taught him?”

“He learned in the prison world. They only had to train him on the more modern drinks.” She doesn’t answer. “He’s really been trying. Not only trying, but doing really well.”

“What about-”

“Guys, come in here! Damon’s summoning you,” Caroline calls. 

You share one more glance and then follow her voice to the kitchen. 

“Decision-making time,” Damon announces, fighting with his tongue to find his straw. 

“Preferably before we get drunk,” his girlfriend agrees. 

Bonnie looks less than thrilled. “This agreement was made between Y/N, Damon, and I, and only the three of us will actually be making the decision.”

Her slight attitude makes the room silent. 

Caroline’s the first to speak up. “That’s fair, I guess.”

“Thank you, Caroline.” The girl looks back down at her drink. She made input to keep the peace, not to argue on the behalf of one side or the other. “Y/N?”

“Hm?”

“You mentioned Kai’s been going to Gemini meetings. Anything else he’s done?”

“Yeah, well, we started with the apartment, then the job. Felt like The Grill would be a good place since he was a regular, and that he’d be comfortable there. With time, I helped him ease into his coven role, and we go to Portland monthly for meetings. Nothing important ever really happens, they all just argue.”

“You mentioned you’ve seen Jo. She’s around eight months now. That hasn’t been a problem?”

“She wasn’t at the last meeting. Her father said he nor Rick wanted her flying. And no, it hasn’t been a problem.”

“He’s not worried about the next set of twins taking over in twenty years?”

“We’ve discussed it, but no, it’s not a problem.”

“What do you mean ‘discussed it’?”

“That’s actually none of your business, Bonnie. The only people who should be concerned with that are those in the Gemini coven, and considering you’re not, you don’t have the right to ask. And, actually, Jo got pregnant and engaged without even consulting her coven, too, so frankly, that business only belongs to Kai and I.” She blinks, not used to being told off so directly. “We’re not concerned about Jo, nor the twins. Besides, that’s over twenty years away, and not worth worrying over right now.”

“Fine. So he’s adapting well?”

“Yes.”

“Bonnie,” Damon starts, “I know we were skeptical, but I think they’ve proven us wrong-”

“One more thing.” You gulp, knowing exactly where she’s headed. “A couple months ago, I read an article where a local bar fight turned deadly. The man’s death was ruled an accident. Do you know anything about that?”

“That was-”

“And don’t you dare lie to me because we both know-”

“I wasn’t going to lie,” you snap back. “If you’d let me talk, I could explain.”

“Oh, so you do know about it? I want to hear it from him,” she nods to Kai. 

Kai’s nervously chewing his lip. When you give him a gentle tilt of your head, he begins to explain. “Okay, yes, that was me. I was defending Y/N. I-”

“We told you no more killing people. The deal’s-”

“Let him explain, Bonnie,” the vampire interrupts.

“You’re defending him?!”

“Just hear him out first.”

Kai looks to Damon, then back at the girl. “The guy got physical with Y/N. He was yelling all this profane shit about her and grabbed at her shirt. When I got in the middle of them, he started hitting at me, and spitting. Every time I tried to shake him off, he’d come back for more. It was a complete accident; I didn’t mean to kill him.”

“So you did kill him.”

“Did you not hear me? I said it was an accident; he was trying to get to Y/N. I wasn’t going to let him touch her.”

“Think about it, Bonnie. If you were there, you would’ve given him a magical headache, and if his brain burst, oh well! The only difference is that Kai didn’t use magic. If anything, it’s better that he didn’t.”

“I’m sorry, I’m still confused. Why are you defending him? And why do you seem to know about this?!”

“I did know about it, okay? And I’m sorry for not telling you, but this is why. He was defending Y/N and I can’t blame him for that. C’mon, Bon. You’ve always been worried about her getting hurt, but he keeps her safe. It’s crazy, even for me to admit, but he does.”

“So you’re okay with him staying? You’re serious?”

“Look, he hasn’t been bothering us. Hasn’t been bothering Jo. This is the only person he’s killed and it was in Y/N’s defense. He makes great cocktails. Let’s just put this whole thing behind us.”

“Bonnie, I’ve missed your friendship these last couple months, and if you give Kai a chance, you’ll see he’s really put in a lot of effort into building a life here.”

She glares at the both of you, then back at him. She even looks to her friends for support. They shrug. “Fine.” She holds up a finger, “but if he falls back into old ways, he’s gone.”

“Thank you, Bon.”

Kai offers his thanks as well, and a second later, you jump at the feeling of his lips on the back of your neck. He apologizes for startling you, but then wraps his arms around your waist. Bonnie watches, both at how unafraid you are of him, and how in love he is with you. She fights the urge to smile, wanting to keep up her cold exterior for a little longer. 

After some time, plans are made to get together for real. There’s a lot of work to be done in rekindling your friendship, but you’re on the path to getting there. As for her negative feelings about Kai, she’s just going to have to see his change for herself. 

*****

That night, you’re curled in bed together when something suddenly harbors in his mind. He hesitates for a moment, unsure if he wants to bring it up; if you even remember it happening, but then curiosity begins to fester in him. 

“Can we talk about something, Y/N?”

“What’s that?”

“I was reminded earlier, when you were talking about Jo to Bonnie… in the hotel room after the first meeting, did you mean it?”

“Mean what?”

“What you said about, like, having twins? That you’d do it for me?”

You backtrack your mind several months to that conversation. It happened a little like this one - you holding him, him being a little weary about the day’s events. Ah. “Yes.”

He perks up. “Yes, you remember it, or yes, you meant it?”

“Both. I do remember that conversation. And yes, I would give you a set of twins if you wanted to keep your bloodline in the leadership.”

“Why?”

“Why?” You repeat his question, glancing at him to see if he’s serious. His face is riddled with confusion - definitely serious. “Because I love you. And they might have doubts about you, but I have faith in your ability to lead, and I believe you’d be a good father, too.”

Now he crinkles his nose. “Why?”

“Well the man who raised you barely did at all. He isolated you, and hurt you, and treated you like crap just because you were born differently. And despite that, and despite a few bumps along the way, you’ve proven you’re capable of deep, gentle love. You prove it to me daily, and you’ve proven patience at your job and with Bonnie, and understanding. You’ve managed to survive despite the circumstances you’ve been given, and all those things are traits I know you would teach a child, because you’d do everything to prevent raising them like your father raised you; to make sure they grow up in a loving environment, like one you should’ve been given. And, you’d teach them how to survive in this coven, because unfortunately, as leader, you’re still tied to them, but you would teach them how to remain strong. And even if we ever happen to have twins and they’d need to merge, you’d still make sure their lives are meaningful before it.”

Kai’s quiet for a while. “If we did that, I wouldn’t want it just for the benefit of the coven. It would be out of my love for you, and if we have a desire to have kids. Not like Jo, where it was an accident, but not like my father, who only needed a leader.”

You kiss his head. “I agree.”

“So you would be okay with that? If we did, at some point?”

“Of course. When the time comes for that, we can talk about it more, but yes.”

“Good, because I’m not ready now.” He relaxes, but then stiffens again. “But wait, Jo… if we’re trying to beat her to this, don’t we need to do it now?”

You choose your next words carefully, unsure if they even hold any meaning. “Well… if I’m understanding it correctly, the leader’s twins would be next in line, regardless if there’s another set in the family. So even if Jo’s are, say, nine or ten, if we have a set, wouldn’t they be next in line?”

“But they don’t want to continue my line because of the siphon gene.”

“Yes, but you’re still the leader, so maybe we can argue that when the time comes. Besides, we can’t do anything about it now. She’s eight months and I’m, obviously, not even in the same playing field.” You rub his arm comfortingly, or at least, hoping it’ll bring him comfort in light of your next few words. “Maybe… okay. First off, I don’t think Jo wants to participate in the merge with her future kids. She’s already tried to escape this family once, I doubt she wants her kids brought back in it. So maybe if we have a set, she’ll just let them take over.”

“But she might merge them just to prevent my line from continuing in leadership.”

“Or, she might welcome kids raised by you and I to lead instead, if we can prove to her we can raise good kids,” you half-joke. He nods. “Because as much animosity as she has towards you, I really don’t think she wants her kids following in coven tradition. Even so, if she does merge hers, we can just follow right up with ours and take it back.” Kai lets out a small chuckle. “But even if hers do take the leadership, I don’t think they’ll try to hurt you. By then, you’ll be settled in, and we’re already far away from your father. Jo trusts me, I think, and we can continue to make peace with her. We’ll be okay. You’ll be safe, I promise. As long as you’re with me-”

“-I’m safe.”

“Exactly.” You kiss him. “And if by somehow there’s a huge falling out and the coven does get violent again,” you shrug, “we’ll just become vampires.”

At first he laughs, but then grows serious as the words hit him. “You’d really do that with me? Transition and live forever just to keep them from killing me?”

“Mhm. I would live a thousand lives as long as I have you with me in all of them.”

[caracalsimp]

Glamrock Bonnie x Reader Headcanons

I KNOW HE'S NOT IN THE GAME BUT YOU GUYS VOTED FOR HIM LAST HC AND I FELT LIKE CREATING FNAF CONTENT AGAIN (WHILE WAITING FOR BE ABLE TO DRAW FNAF STUFF AAAA-)

ENJOY IT

I personally see Bonnie as the take-it-easy one who is always calm and relax, never ever losing his temper, even in the worst situations. Ever since you've been dating him, you never saw him angry, nor upset, and his soothing presence is what made you fall in love with him in the first place.

Bonnie is very attentive to your mood swings and has the magic ability to calm you down almost instantly. Whenever you experience negative emotions, he likes to gently hug you while caressing your hair and even humming a tune for you.

If you're sad, he will get his guitar and play a little song for you until you're done crying and ease your mind. He loves playing the guitar for you, and when he does, his melody always manage to soothe you. He thinks music is one of the best medicine there is.

You're his main inspiration to each and every songs he created ever since he met you. Before singing it in public at Bonnie Bowl on his mini-stage, he likes to sing it to you so he gets your feedback on it.

Whenever he's performing on stage and you're around him, he loves staring at you when he sings and plays the guitar at the same time. Major bonus if this makes you blush and immediately look away from his pink eyes.

Bonnie is not the kind of person who will make decisions. Whenever you guys wants to spend time together, he lets you choose where you want to go. When you ask him what does he want to eat at dinner, he will let you decide which dish you want make, or which kind of food you want to order. Everything suits him, as long as you're happy. You find it cute in some way, but sometimes, you really want him to choose with you.

Bonnie is an extremely good listener. If you need to vent to him about stuff that happened to you, he will carefully listen to you and make sure you let all your negative feelings out until there's nothing else in your mind but clear water.

He likes it when you steal his guitar from him, even if you don't know how to play. If you try to play it, he won't say a thing but will gently reposition your fingers right so you can play proper notes. Bonus point if his metallic touch makes you blush.

[BONUS, TRIGGER WARNING: BONNIE'S DEATH, MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, GRIEF] His sudden disappearance filled your whole soul with anxiety. Bonnie would never disappear like that out of the blue. It doesn't sound like him. You looked and searched far and wide for him but you never found him... until you did. You were the one who found his lifeless metallic body ripped into pieces. Your scream could be heard through the entire Pizza Plex. You hyperventilates and all your anxiety flush your entire mind with panic and denial. You don't want to believe it's him. You don't want to believe that someone was monstrous enough to do that to him. And Fazbear Entertainment won't repair him. You cried so much you didn't have tears anymore. After this incident, nightmare of his dismantled body haunted you every night. You couldn't sleep, you couldn't eat, and every single day you were unbearable with everyone. Each day you had to isolate yourself so you could manage all these traumatic emotions and fighting against those panic attacks as much as you could, trying to remember the times when you could hear is soothing music, trying to remember when he tucked you in his arms while gently running his metallic hand through your hair. Why. Why did it happened to him. You couldn't imagine yourself without him. And yet, he was gone. And wouldn't come back. Just like Freddy you don't even come up to Bonnie Bowl anymore, the weight of grief on your heart being way too heavy. And even though you knew Bonnie wouldn't want you to be sad for him, you couldn't help yourself. You were sad. You needed to cry and let this feelings out. And with time, you managed to cry less and less. Thinking about Bonnie would not make you cry anymore, but would actually ease your mind whenever you try to remember the sound of his voice, the glitter in his bright pink eyes, the feel of his soothing aura. And one night, you decide to go back to Bonnie Bowl, and you could feel his presence. Bonnie's spirit was still there. And now, whenever you feel down, you always come to this area while singing the tune he used to sing to you. It's a different kind of presence, but somehow, he's still here. And that's when you finally moved on from Bonnie's disappearance, making peace again with his spirit, who still wanders around the Pizza Plex regardless.

And that's it! I hope you liked me adding some little drama to my BonniexReader headcanons ♥

[yanderes-galore]

Maybe something with yandere prompts 2, 5 and 9 with toy bonnie please?

Sure! Using my prompts for this as usual. Been awhile since I've written for Toy Bonnie. I struggled on the plot for this one so hopefully it still makes a good story :)

Again, like usual, AU where all bots have the AI like the Glamrocks.

Yandere! Toy Bonnie Prompts 2, 5, 9

"It's an honor for someone such as me to take you in and love you!"

"Manipulation? No, dear, I'm just encouraging you!"

"The wound in your leg serves as a lesson, does it not?"

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Manipulation, Narcissism, Social isolation, Violence, Sabotage, Obsession, Jealousy, Possessive behavior, Forced companionship, Intimidation, Broken bones, Implied kidnapping or death.

When the new Freddy Fazbear's location opened there were new animatronics introduced. The new Toy Series of animatronics were meant to look 'kid-friendly' compared to older models.

They went all out with the new look, too. The newer Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica looked way friendlier than the older models... who were stored away for part use. The newer Foxy didn't last long, unfortunately, and the new Balloon Boy and Puppet animatronic still seemed to creep out children even with attempted changes.

The more interesting part of their AI, in your opinion, was the ability to scan and register employees into their database. Although... while the previous models had this tech, it didn't transfer the best to the Toys.

That was the mechanic's assumption... many complained they stared blankly at adults but were fine with kids.

The staring was occasional and did not happen all the time, but when it did... it was freaky. The animatronics also had a component that could allow the bots to speak to employees in their own instead of the pre-programmed song library. The designer really thought things through... wanting to make the AI as realistic as possible.

Such tech isn't perfect... as you'd soon find out.

Each bot had their own personality. Although you noticed most, if not all the Toy line, has a craving for attention. It made sense... they were meant to be for kids. Kids tend to crave attention, too.

Such a quirk in their AI made the bots cling to and follow employees. The worst bots had to be the new Bonnie and Freddy. Luckily you only ever saw one around you all the time.

For the most part, each bot got along with you. They would greet you and often offer to help. Even Mangle (the broken new Foxy) with its heavily damaged AI made attempts to communicate through static.

Bonnie was the one who often looked to talk to you. Toy Bonnie, a blue rabbit with wide green eyes, was built to play songs with kids. He was always one for the spotlight and thrived on attention.

With the cute exterior and high-pitched voice, Toy Bonnie was a hit with the kids. Even when trying to speak with you... he still attempted to be friendly. You didn't mind the bot deciding you're his favorite.

You could never get used to the staring, unfortunately.

Sometimes it was just during his performances. Those green eyes would never leave you... even if you left the room. They'd always linger where you were.

It's worse when you're with another bot. Perhaps you're setting up a show with Freddy or Chica? Bonnie's staring... as though his programming is glitched.

Yet when checked, things worked fine.

This wasn't an issue you could physically find. No, it's nearly impossible to find a self-aware AI as they hid their traces. Bonnie didn't stare because he was glitching necessarily....

In his eyes, he's jealous.

He's incredibly upset at the fact the others are on such good terms with you...

The rabbit starts dropping hints.

"My guitar needs tuning!

He comes up with excuse after excuse...

"The stage needs cleaning!"

He hopes he takes up all of your time...

"Can you listen to this for me?"

Yet it never seems enough.

"I don't like that you care so much about the others...!"

"I need to, Bonnie. It's my job!"

"They have their own employees... I have you! You're meant to help me and only me! Not them! Your time is much better spent around me! Ditch them...."

"Can't believe they programmed manipulation into you...."

Toy Bonnie's eyes narrow, he hates it when you fight....

"Manipulation? No, dear, I'm just encouraging you!" Toy Bonnie answers, grinning. "It's never good to waste time with unworthy scrap metal."

Sometimes you wish these locations had normal robots. Toy Bonnie's craving for attention makes the bot too obsessive about you... causing fights.

Many fights.

Toy Bonnie hates the idea of sharing... maybe you need to learn a lesson.

A harsh lesson....

Toy Bonnie knew harm towards employees was frowned upon in his programming. In his eyes, though...

This was deserved.

All it took was a planned slip and a painful fall to put you out of commission for a bit. According to gossip Bonnie heard from stage and while wandering party rooms, his little trick damaged your leg. He didn't know the degree... but you weren't coming to work for a bit.

Just in case... Toy Bonnie threatened the others during their scheduled night routine to keep their distance if his other plan didn't work. The night guard certainly got an interesting event to watch on the cameras that night....

You'd think after that you'd leave the others be, right?

Sadly, it seems the rabbit was wrong. You still paid attention to the others and not him when you came back. Still claiming it was your job....

The rabbit didn't want to stand by and be docile anymore like he was supposed to.

"The wound in your leg serves as a lesson, does it not?"

Toy Bonnie taunts you again in a quieter area while you look for something in a storage room. The bot's green eyes look towards your bandaged leg. He scans it... looks like a fracture.

You pause and look towards him. Your eyes hold fear... and anger.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'd think after that little tumble of yours you'd learn who deserves your attention. Especially when the others started ignoring you." Toy Bonnie chides, optics narrowing. You realize what he means....

"I'll have you scrapped...." You warn, teeth gritting. "You broke my damn leg!"

"Knew you were my smart rockstar! Now... perhaps I have to be more direct?"

Toy Bonnie jolts forward, causing you to jump in fear.

"You are my little rockstar... not theirs... mine. I'm the one you should care for... not them. Do you need another lesson, or do you understand?"

The presumably malfunctioning bot steps closer, blocking your exit.

"It's an honor for someone such as me to take you in and love you!"

The bot growls, glitchy twitches making the normally cute appearance of the animatronic unhinged and dangerous. You notice Bonnie position into a pounce... the room's shelves not giving you enough room to move.

"Here's your final lesson, rockstar..." Bonnie chuckles, servos clicking before launching into a dangerous attack. "I can break way more than your leg if you really want!"

Your screaming was cut off quickly, one way or another.

[iknowshocker]

Do you believe kai is redeemable?

hi anon!

the short answer, in case it's all you'd like is: yes, 100%.

i either agree with or understand all of his choices, even the ones that suck. so in a lot of ways, to me, he never needed redemption.

the long answer, if you'd like to know why:

first i think i have to explain my general thoughts on kai as a whole, because some of my personal headcannons differ from others in the fandom.

i've never, not from the moment he showed up a feral little gremlin munching pork rinds in the prison world, considered him to be evil.

Kai lies/disregards things and masks 90% of the time, and yet he's always super open about what was done to him growing up. "they called me ____", "i remember them doing ____", etc. it would be super easy to paint his childhood any way he liked, and yet he doesn't. he knows what happened to him was wrong, and he's going to remind you every chance he gets.

i think he developed sociopathy as a coping mechanism after years of abuse and isolation. i headcannon that they were a homeschool family, which just furthers his lack of social interaction. if he was allowed/forced to help at all, it was doing the manual labor chores while Jo was the one handling anything that involved physical touch.

as an older sibling myself, him being the oldest boy specifically and the complexities around his feelings of wanting to protect them/being jealous/getting robbed of his birthright haunt me.

if you want to get into my true roman empire (those freaking christmas sweater photos) then i don't think he outright hated any of them growing up. sure, they were annoying and loud and sometimes sticky, but they were still his siblings. those feelings of resentment obviously grew stronger the sicker he became, but like, he never hurt anyone until he realized he was being lied to.

so i view the initial murders as a mental break, and i doubt he was in full control of himself at the time. if it was planned out, why didn't he drain someone's magic? killing them the human way is yes, a lot more personal, but it just doesn't make sense to me given his drive for magic based power. you'd think he'd want to go into the merge charged up, you know?

speaking of the og merge: did they expect him to just ... not ask about it and be cool with getting told no? like the fact that no one foresaw him lashing out so violently only proves to me that he wasn't *that* scary growing up. joshua probably had the ascendent prepped and ready to go, and he was just waiting for an outburst bad enough to use it. shame it took that, my guy. i feel we could have handled this whole thing a bit better.

i think kai was probably obsessively dedicated to his magical training leading up to 1994. i take "been practicing my whole life" very seriously, lol. he wanted to prove that he could do it, and prove the coven wrong for doubting him. i imagine him hoarding objects to drain and being super freaking annoyed that even Jo stops letting him borrow what he needs to just do basic work. we find out later that Valerie wore a necklace she could siphon from when she needed magic, and you're telling me no one thought of that in modern day?? enchant the beeper, for gods sake.

despite all that, he ended up being the strongest witch in TVD next to bonnie, and that was with him being mostly self taught. he's stupid good at voiceless magic, which i've always taken to mean he's a very instinctual wielder. he doesn't need the verbal spells, he's strong enough to just will the magic into listening.

"i had a soft spot for one of my sisters" and the repeated use of "sissy" for jo, make me wish we knew more about them as kids and how she let herself be turned against him. they have so much in common and such an obvious twin connection that lasts until the very last moment when he stabs himself and chooses to bleed out right beside her on the floor of the ruined church. Jo (and Bonnie) are the only people that seems to be able to get through to pre-merge kai. then post-merge kai is laser focused on making things up to them. i wish we saw more of him realizing he suddenly had a full range of emotion and what that did to him.

that sweet spot of post merge/pre 1903 prison world is the closest we come to kai's actual personality (imo). he's so shockingly, desperately earnest, while still being darkly funny and a little too aggressive. it's my favorite version of him.

those scenes show us the side of him that so obviously wants to be needed, even if it means hurting himself to be helpful. yes, luke is the reason why the emotions manifest, but luke is also not down for self sacrificing (ironic as hell, given his choice to merge). luke routinely tells the mfg to get fucked, so to say that he's the one making kai risk his life/the coven to help bonnie is just untrue. i think kai is trying to earn a spot in the group, and if they'd given him one, he would have been insanely useful.

like i said i think he masks 90% of the time, and the confidence that he shows is often hiding a huge insecurity over feeling like he's not good/strong/smart enough. there is always going to be a part of him that is still that scared little broken witch locked alone in his room, begging to be let out. i don't know how to view him as "hot bad boy who f*cks" because that's just not how i've ever seen him. don't get me wrong, i love those fics as much as anyone, but it's just not true Kai to me.

look i know some of you are like, hey op go back to when you said you agree with his choices, so here we go:

we know that the parker kids grew up being taught "coven over family", but what does that even look like inside the house? do they love each other but feel conflicted about it? is there constant fighting over who is closest to their parents? is it just anarchy? no matter what you think, it's clear they're all deeply traumatized.

kai has every right to be angry over the og merge, and lashing out makes complete sense. say it with me: murder is not okay BUT what better way to show joshua he's not messing around? if he's used to acting out for attention, what happens if he breaks something that can't be put back together this time? if they've been raised to think that family doesn't matter, why would any of them even care?

it's horrible, flawed logic, but it's there.

look me in the eyes and explain to me why it's okay when Daddy tries to kill you, but when it's your brother suddenly it's this big unforgivable crime, Jo. i'll wait.

Liv makes some of the most realistic decisions in the show to me, including the fact that she sides with Kai. unlike luke, she points out how they have every right to be mad at Jo. after sending Kai away, she abandoned them to an abusive father, (not to mention moved across the country with a new name to make it harder to ever find her!!) leaving them stuck fulfilling a merge that wasn't theirs to begin with. good for you for trying to get your brother on the throne livvie-poo 👏🏼 let him make the hard choices so you can run off with tyler and live in the woods 👏🏼

the parker's also make a lot of comments about how if kai is let out, he'll go full homicidal maniac and kill everyone just for fun. and yet, every murder we see him commit is a means to an end. again, in case you missed it the first time: murder is not okay BUT they act like he's some random spree killer when he's just ?? not ??

every murder/crime he commits has a clear reason, even if a lot of them are small/petty.

the taxi driver: he couldn't pay the fee

the random college kids: he needed to get into the hospital to see Jo

the grill manager: he was hungry, the guy was in his way, and elena was unconscious over his shoulder, lol

the coven murders/stabbing Jo: he needs to hold onto power, and they've given up on him yet again. at this point, let's just burn the whole thing and start over !!

there are so many characters in TVD that actually kill without reason, feeling, or second thought. (including enzo, bon-bon, so jot that down). while i'm not diminishing how violent kai can be, i certainly don't lump him in with characters like klaus or damon.

this is a slightly unpopular opinion especially amongst people that don't ship Bonkai, but i view everything done in the prison world as mutual retaliation. bonnie and kai are fighting. i'm not excusing his behavior anymore than i'm excusing hers, but she quite literally killed him not once but twice.

once they're both out she feels endless hatred towards him as a coping mechanism to give herself something to focus on so she doesn't break, and i wish !! so badly that it was used as a way to bond them. like who better to help her navigate violent magical outbursts then mr "killed half my family in a fit of jealous rage" himself?

we could have seen them grow together, navigating standing up for themselves in healthy ways and encouraging each others strengths, but no.

ill die on the hill that if bonnie knew what kai did on her birthday we wouldn't even be having this conversation, anon. I don't think he expected anyone to actually 100% forgive him, because at the end of the day he also knows he's made some huge mistakes/poor choices. but if specifically Jo or Bonnie had said something like "i see that you are trying" i think it would have been enough for him to stay on that path.

i don't think kai likes being the bad guy, its just another means to an end. if he can't get what he wants (or what he feels he deserves) by asking, he'll take it. and yes, showing off and being scary does give him some sort of thrill - but it's also the only way he can get them to look at him.

listen you don't even understand the things i would give to see him realize the heretics were once siphons. to realize they were geminis and that it's basically a coven gene !! to finally know he's not the only witch to be born like this !!

imagine getting to hear lily tell him there's nothing wrong with him ?? that she's sorry his parents kept the truth from him ?? that he didn't deserve the childhood he had but she's happy to help him now ?? i truly don't know if i could handle it.

kai is so completely desperate to be part of a group that it ends up blinding him and making him vulnerable to attack. i guess i just don't know how to see a character like that and not believe in them.

alright, as you can see, anon, im not great at short answers and i clearly think about him too much. it doesn't help that im currently working on a book series with an MC inspired by him 🙈 the brain rot is real and i fear it may never end. hope you enjoyed this ted talk tho!! thanks for being my first ask ✨

[multishipper-baby]

Been thinking a lot about how victims and killers would feel about each other after everything is done and Fred/dy manages to bring them back. Because I think it'd be really interesting to explore.

Springtrap takes a while until he's comfortable with Chica. He understands why she did what she did, but that doesn't change the fact that she stabbed him in the neck. She's very apologetic, and gives him space, and eventually Spring feels safe enough to be around her without feeling like he needs to run away. They never become friends or anything, however, and prefer not to be alone together if possible.

Toddy is more angry at herself than at Loon, now that she realizes what she planned to do wouldn't have helped at all. Loon apologizes to her about a million times, and she usually apologizes back, for getting him killed. I imagine they'll actually become friends after a while... Something about a Toddy & Loon friendship feels right to me. They just need a few months after the Killing Game to calm their nerves from the whole thing.

For Joy and Golden, it's... Complicated. They understand Cami's reasoning for what she did, but it was still extremely fucked up. Using their family trauma and relationship against each other was straight up sadistic, in a way the other deaths weren't- it's hard to move on from something like that. Cami understands, and gives them space, in the hopes that they'll eventually feel well enough to accept her apology (although she doesn't feel like she deserves the forgiveness, frankly).

Bon and Fox struggle somewhat. Bon is very understanding of the situation now that he has the whole context, and he respects that Fox killed him to save his little sister, but poisoning was still an awful way to go, so it changes by the day. When Bon feels alright, they can hang out and have fun as friends. When Bon is having a bad day and struggling with memories of the killing game, he avoids Fox (and Meg) like the fucking plague. Bonnie, being friends with both of them, has a significant part in keeping their relationship going.

Towntrap forgives Eak immediately- it's not even a question, after he hears Freddy explain what happened. A part of him is still a little scared of his friend, but he tries to ignore it, because he knows Eak was doing very poorly at the time and wasn't really himself. This actually causes more problems, because Eak doesn't feel like he deserves to be forgiven so easily and like he's a danger to Towntrap, causing him to isolate from him (and the rest of his support system). Cami eventually manages to bridge the gap between them and help Eak with his issues, being a killer herself. It takes some work, but they do eventually manage to get their friendship back.

[kiss-my-freckle]

Full Episode Commentary

2x7: Masquerade

Because Isobel got the Gilbert device by going through Elena, it makes sense for Katherine to get the moonstone by going through Elena… so she has Lucy bind them. Why the brothers didn't think of this already is beyond me, but whatever. Matt, Jeremy, and Elena help Jenna into the house. She's recooperating from her compelled self-inflicted stab wound. Jeremy asks Elena what they're gonna do about Katherine. Elena is ready to let it go in her belief that Katherine won't try anything else. Jeremy tells her she's being naive, and it's true. She's naive more often than not because it's typical of these characters to have a dual purpose for their actions. While Elena believes this was all about Stefan, it's just as much about her. She has no idea that Katherine plans to hand her over to Klaus in eachange for her freedom.

Lucy meets with Katherine at the bed and breakfast she's been staying. Everyone is at the boarding house, pulling their plan together to kill Katherine. This is what a family does... it plans to kill Katherine. And if I'm to be completely honest, this family exists because of Damon and Elena. If it were up to Stefan, he'd still be lying to Elena... hiding the fact that he's a vampire. They've got Damon, Stefan, Alaric, Jeremy, Caroline, and now Bonnie in on this plan. Katherine already has all she needs to stop them from killing her, but it was a great plan.

"You wanted me to show you how to kill a vampire." This is similar to what Elena uses on Stefan in season 3. Katherine is keeping secrets even from Lucy. She doesn't want her to know her intention with the moonstone. According to Katherine, Elena has poor taste. Lucy is fantastic in her response. "Except in men."

Bonnie: I know you love Elena and you want to be with her, but it's risky. Too many people could get hurt. Stefan: Look, I want Elena back, yes but it's more than that. What Katherine did to Jenna it crossed the line. She has to be stopped before it happens again.

Bonnie knows exactly what this is about. Stefan tells her Katherine has to be stopped before this thing with Jenna happens again, but it only happened because he was with Elena. He's now manipulating Bonnie. Because Bonnie can isolate Katherine like Emily did with the tomb vampires, the risk to other people is gone, so... Stefan gets his way. Despite getting what he wants, he's completely ignoring the obvious. Elena's aunt nearly died because they were seeing each other and they thought they could get one over on Katherine.

"Just something, I can't talk about it, but I've got to go." It's beyond me why Elena didn't suspect Matt of being compelled, but she states the obvious. There's so much about her and Stefan that'll never work. Like the fact that he's a vampire. It certainly doesn't help that Stefan is extremely dishonest. "No, I need you to stay with Elena. I don't want her to know about this." Stefan continues to keep secrets while Elena prefers being in the thick of it. I like how prepared they are to kill Katherine, having no idea she's tied to Elena. They're gonna be so disappointed.

"This whole masquerade theme was his idea. I don't know what it has to do with helping the homeless but once he made up his mind, he could really be a dick…a jerk. But I loved him and I know you did too. It's natural to feel abandoned. I just don't want you to feel alone."

I love this scene of Tyler and his mother. Katherine walks into the party with Lucy and runs into Matt. She double-checks his compulsion to make sure he's ready to get Tyler to kill him for the sake of triggering his werewolf gene. They skip on over to the Salvatores and double-check to make sure they're ready to kill Katherine. Trust me when I tell you that Damon is more ready to kill Katherine than Stefan is. It's because he's been living his truth that Damon is ready, and because Stefan has been living a lie that he's not. Once Damon is ready to kill someone, he doesn't hesitate. He so much as gives this advice to Jeremy when he has to kill Kol and Liv when she tries to kill Elena.

Matt is getting Tyler drunk just as Katherine compelled him to. They're partying in his father's office with Aimee and Sarah. Jeremy and Bonnie head upstairs to do the spell that will confine Katherine away from the party. Bonnie explains to Jeremy that she's using the spell Emily used to seal the vampires into the tomb. Sigh… I hate the fact that Damon seals Katherine in the tomb. He should've just killed her. That'll be his mistake.

Elena is at home, offering Jenna some pizza while she rests on the couch. She's bothered that Jeremy went to the masquerade ball., and knows well enough to question Alaric about it. "Just let this one go." I love their alternate meanings. They're so good with them. This is the big deal in 3x22. She's gonna let Stefan go, but Klaus gets staked and messes up everything. "I just got a weird vibe." I love how Bonnie can feel Lucy's presence. She walks up to Lucy and asks if she knows her. Lucy lies to her, and I feel this is because she owes Katherine. Stefan catches sight of Katherine, and I love this Head Over Heels soundtrack.

Katherine: Dance with me. Stefan: No. Katherine: Fine, then tell me who I should kill. Him? Hmm, she looks delicious.

This is what becomes of Stefan's compulsion in 3x5. All summer spent carrying on a charade with Klaus.

Katherine demands Stefan bring her the moonstone. "My way or you don't get it." Stefan really thinks he's something. Katherine kills Aimee in the middle of the party because the woman doesn't care.

Elena can't handle being out of the loop. Stefan is gonna get too boring for her. I can already sense it. Stefan tries to call it off, but Damon is more than ready to kill Katherine.

Trust me when I say this has nothing to do with Katherine killing Aimee. Stefan has no problem killing for the sake of protecting Elena. This is about Katherine. He's not ready, so Damon has to ready him. lol… Jeremy tells Bonnie he'd learn how to do a sex spell, then asks her to dance. He's definitely falling for the witch. I could sense it when she did the spell to seal Katherine in the room. Lucy is pissed. She confronts Katherine about Bonnie being a witch. Katherine is such a bitch, but isn't that the point? Elena isn't Katherine, but she can very much act like Katherine. Jeremy walks up to Katherine and talks to her as Elena. When Lucy leaves, he starts talking to her as Katherine.

Katherine: And why are you their little messenger? Jeremy: Because they know I'm not afraid of you.

Jeremy's anger is driving his courage. He's pissed off that Katherine nearly killed Jenna. She asks him if they've sewn John's fingers back on. Elena comes out from behind the bushes to grab Jeremy and asks him what's going on.

Pretty Caroline. She sets her eyes on Matt, who is now flirting with Sarah. They have no idea that Aimee is dead. Caroline is jealous, but she leaves them be. Tyler takes them back to his office. He has no idea that Matt was compelled to trigger his werewolf gene.

Devil and darkness… the red and black is so gorgeous. Katherine falls for the misdirect. Jeremy leads her to believe the brothers are luring her out to the lake. Caroline steps in for the sake of luring her into a room that Bonnie spelled. "Okay, stop with the we, are you guys crazy? You're gonna get yourselves killed." Elena likes being in the middle of it even if she could get herself killed. She needs to accept that her brother and her best friend will continue to be a part of this so long as she does. She's such a damn hypocrite. But Elena has... taken on this motherly role with everyone and I can't stand it. She needs to be the friend, the sister, and the niece. "And how am I supposed to feel if one of you guys gets hurt because of me?"Just as frustrating that she never considers the opposite. How are they to feel if she gets hurt. That's why I'm glad Jeremy pipes in. It's not just her anymore. That's what happens when you invite vampires into your life. But there'd be no show without it, so I suppose. At any rate, Elena is the type of person that would force her friends the pain of losing her rather than face the pain of losing her friends. It's a double-edged sword... someone is gonna hurt one way or the other. It's because of this that I disagree with her plan for the ritual. I'll explain why when I get there.

lol… Caroline got one over on their 500 year old vampire. I love it. That's gotta be a nice ego boost, yeah? "Goodbye, Katherine" becomes "Goodbye, Caroline" when Elena visits her at the tomb. These scenes are so spectacular. Damon got his scene with Katherine in 2x1. Stefan got his scenes with Katherine in 2x4. Now it's both brothers with Katherine. They're getting off on hurting her, having no idea they're also hurting Elena.

They purposefully put Damon in this position… just like Caroline at the carnival. He wants to kill Katherine badly, but this is how much power Elena has over him. "It's times like these I really miss Elena. If she were here, Damon wouldn't be doing any of this." The difference between Elena at the carnival and Elena at the masquerade ball… that's how the necklace helps Damon in the 8th season. She doesn't have to be there to be there. "You think you two are the only ones with a witch on your side? Wrong. And something tells me that my witch is better than your witch." I love it when Katherine speaks too soon. Lucy is gonna drop her ass. Katherine opened her mouth and told them she has a witch, so Jeremy runs back to Bonnie to tell her about it… now Bonnie knows what that weird vibe was. She's going after Lucy like it's nobody's business. I love Bonnie lol.

"The brother who loved me too much and the one that didn't love me enough." This will become the issue for Elena. That's why both Shane and Alaric speak to Elena loving Damon too much. She repeats some of Damon's history because she loves him as he loved Katherine. "And the evil slut vampire who only loved herself." Damon doesn't have a problem with Katherine's sex, he has a problem with sex being her manipulation tactic. He hates the knowing that Katherine used it to manipulate him.

This is their series finale scene. "I wanted that Damon to live…" That's when Damon basically takes off his 145 yo mask. Stefan sees that side of him that he hasn't seen since 1864. "Oh, that Damon died a long time ago." Damon admits this truth several times throughout the show. "Oh, why don't you two stop antagonizing each other?" Damon isn't antagonizing, he's being honest. Stefan simply isn't ready to accept this truth, but he'll have no choice when he's face to face with his brother. "Does Elena enjoy having both of you worship at her alter?" Sounds like jealousy to me. She created two vampires for the sake of having them for an eternity, now they want nothing to do with her.

Katherine: Does Elena enjoy having both of you worship at her alter Stefan: That was really desperate, Katherine. Don't you think that we can see right through you? Katherine: So it doesn't bother you that Damon's in love with your girlfriend? Stefan: Oh, stop it.

Katherine hits Stefan's jealousy. So hilarious.

"Or what? You'll hurt me? Come on, Stefan. Everything that I feel, Elena feels, so go ahead. Or better yet, kiss me, Damon. She'll feel that, too." Pleasure over pain. They're making an insanely huge deal about Damon's kiss, and for good reason. As I said before, Elena falls in love with Damon as Damon fell in love with Katherine. So yes, 1864 Damon is everything that Elena wants. The confidence and years of experience that vampirism allowed Damon. That's why Katherine is hung up on their porch kiss. I guarantee you that Damon never kissed Katherine the way he kissed Katherine while believing she was Elena.

"God, you're hot. When did you get so hot?" I chalk this scene up to the same thing. The confidence and years of experience that vampirism allowed Damon.

"I'll have to remember that for next time. He's not the only wolf in town." The Salvatores should've gotten Caroline to take care of Tyler… like immediately. The beauty about Tyler still being human is that he can be compelled by Caroline. They should've been on it, seriously. They cut to Matt starting a fight. Had Caroline gotten there in time, she could've stopped the whole thing. Then yeah… Klaus would've been screwed for his ritual.

I feel so bad for Tyler. Poor Matt has no idea. And it's insane what Mason gets to watch from the other side. Because Katherine spent the day telling Stefan about her deal with George Lockwood, Damon is out of the loop on the moonstone. This is the side of the story he needed. Just in the knowing that it unlocks something, Damon should've tossed that moonstone back into the well. It's best to view that moonstone like you would Emily's taliman, and look at how Damon kept it safe for 145 years.

"In 1987, you were in Chicago at a concert of all places with that wench, Lexi. Come on, Stefan, don't look so surprised. Of course I checked in on you over the years. You were standing in the front row, dancing all night. You were watching Bon Jovi, and I was watching you."

Damon is having a hard time listening to Katherine talk about how she checked in on Stefan. The more he hears, the more he sees just how foolish he was. Katherine wouldn't send Isobel. She checked on Stefan herself.

Lucy: Look, I don't want to hurt you. Bonnie: I don't want to hurt you.

I love Bonnie. Girl isn't playing. This is a channeling scene, that's why the lights flicker. They're gonna take Lucy out and put Luka in.

"Right away, Miss Katherine." I love Damon's sarcasm. He's so pissed that he's not thinking clearly. He knows that staking Katherine could kill Elena. Stefan does the same thing in season 3. He knows staking Klaus could kill him and Damon, but he gets so pissed lol. Vampires are fun when they're angry. I love Lucy. She disconnects Elena before giving Katherine the moonstone that drops her on her ass, then apologizes to the brothers for her involvement. She's literally giving them the open to kill Katherine because she involved a Bennett witch. Caroline tells Tyler she knows he's a werewolf. This makes him suspect she's a werewolf too.

Bonnie: Please, don't leave! I have so many questions. I don't want to be in the middle either. I hate it. How do I stay out of it? Lucy: Unlike me, you're one of the good ones, Bonnie. The middle of it is exactly where you need to be. You take care, cuz. Don't worry, you'll see me again.

I wish they would've brought Lucy back into the show. Instead, we're stuck with Luka and his father. They never did a birthday for Jeremy. I'm not sure if he started the show at 16, but he's 16 because he offers Bonnie a ride home. This "Brave" soundtrack is perfect for Delena. It coincides with Elena's "Brave New World" with Damon.

"I know you love Elena and you want to be with her, but it's risky." Like I said, Bonnie knew what this was about. That's why he was pissed that Damon made an enemy of Mason. He wanted Damon solely focused on helping him see Elena out in the open rather than in secret.

"But first, I need to wake up and know that the people that I love are safe. I need to feel safe." This becomes Elena's issue in season 3. More to the fact that it wasn't her choice to lie to Klaus. She literally wakes up to train with Alaric because she doesn't feel safe. "Katherine being gone doesn't change anything for you, does it?" That's where this line matters. Katherine being gone doesn't change anything for Elena, but Klaus getting staked does. She's Damon's girlfriend. Elena basically blames her relationship with Stefan for all that's happening right now… which is the difference between seasons. She can actually blame their relationship for what happens to her in season 3. She can't in season 2.

Katherine: Where am I? Damon: Where you should have been all along.

This is Damon's season 5 mistake. It's what allows Katherine to take over Elena's body. Not the first mistake Damon makes, but that's the way life goes.

"I thought you'd have learned your lesson by now, messing with a Bennett witch." lol... yes, Damon loves his witches. "You should have killed me." I say the same thing over and over again. He should've killed her. Who cares if death would've been too kind. She's gonna be the reason Stefan dies in the end, so yes, I consider this another mistake.

"Then I'll protect her while you rot in hell." The series finale is already taking shape. This is the church where the vampires were supposed to burn. Damon doesn't take Katherine's threat seirously because she's screaming to get out of the tomb, who's to say she wouldn't lie to get out of it.

But this is what closure looks like for Damon.

Trevor has someone abduct Elena on her way to the car because Damon didn't take Katherine's threat seriously. Rose is one of my favorite things about season 2. Words can't even begin to describe how much I love her. She's always honest, and once she loses Trevor... she's without agenda. I'm saying that everything out of her mouth is without gain. She's making the Salvatores her new family.

[kmze]

I have been reading & watching some old cast interviews and comic con panels lately.I never really paid attention to offscreen stuff before but is it me or there was always some underlying tension among them?Either they were trolling or they could barely stand each other to be in the same room or maybe I am reading too much into it.I think the one thing that remained constant was PW relentlessly trolling the show and its below-average writing and outlandish plots.So anyway in the process I got to the part where Malarkey slipped that Enzo will be Bonnie's love interest and Dries spewing BS about Bonlaric in the interviews.This is something Plec said she came up with after their scene in 6×21(hard to believe but whatever).Caroline was the only one the writers didn't say absolutely anything about until they probably decided to incorporate candice's pregnancy.One thing that I remember about both Bonnie and Caroline's so-called future relationships is that neither were compelling enough and little to no effort were made for them before the time jump while both SC & DB were left on cliffhanger.In fact both Carenzo and Bonenzo had the same story.Enzo betrayed both.;vervained Caroline & tied her up,hit Bonnie in the head and injected her with something that disabled her magic.And then in the end got his ass handed over to him by both the girls.😎

Anyway,in one interview,julie had even said that Bonnie and Caroline were going to take centre stage but Candice called and said she was pregnant.I'm not exactly sure how Candice's pregnancy could affect Bonnie's narrative unless it was just one of her lame ass excuses which it absolutely was.So what do you think Baroline's story was originally going to be before the time jump?Baroline being lesbians,dating each other and having the time of their lives in some European city?To be honest I would rather watch THAT.I hope someone does a Tell-All Book someday unless they all signed a NDA because too much shit happened that didn't make any lick of sense.

Hey so I actually think the cast are way more fond of each other than they let on, mostly because I don't see how a group of people would do so many of these cons together if they couldn't stand each other. I think Pauls just did a lot of trolling because he knew people thought it was funny. I do however think Kat hates Caroline Dries as she should and I don't think she likes Julie much either which is also completely warranted. The thing about Dries and Kat in what would be Bonnie's LI in S7 is that Dries said she didn't tell Kat but told Malarkey because Kat wasn't ready to hear it yet and like WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN??? Why does she think she had the right to treat her like a child? I'm so glad that bitch basically got fired in S7 and hasn't had success since, it's what she deserves. Bonnie and Enzo had some build-up in S5 too but it was similar to the stuff they had in 6x21 so it just felt like something the writers were putting a pin in for the future if they needed it. I just think the writers had no idea what to do with Enzo in S6 once they decided they didn't need him as the Klaus-lite foil to Stefan and rather wanted to isolate Stefan and Caroline while they built their love story.

I can probably answer the S7 questions better after I rewatch that season (I'm mid-way through S6 now) but I like 7x04 gives a good idea of what the season would have looked like with Candice's pregnancy. I think the SV baby would have been introduced and that would have been the obstacle for Steroline, maybe Stefan would have been stabbed protecting his kid? I also think Valerie might not have had such a big role that season if Candice wasn't pregnant because her screen time really dwindled after she was about 7 months pregnant. Bonnie on the other hand might have been more involved in the heretics plot and maybe that could have been used to develop Bonenzo but I'm sure Dries decided to make Enzo obsessed with Lily because she hates Kat. Like she would rather take a character we just fucking met and give her more stuff than Bonnie because to be blunt Valerie is white and Dries is racist.

[miirshroom]

Shadow of the Erdtree Puzzle Solving Thoughts

Musing over a few ways to do puzzle solving based on location data.

1. The Map. The Suppression Pillar must be at the intersection between the Divine Towers as an anchor point (because why make an emphasis of a thing being at "the centre" if there was no way to agree upon said centre?) - but I've seen images scaling the map and placing it in that location and the landmass doesn't quite fit like a puzzle piece. There's a little too much overlap at Leyndell and a few too-large gaps elsewhere. But doing some mental manipulation it would fit a whole lot better if it was flipped a few times. Flip horizontally swapping the locations of the Liurnia and Isolated towers (keeping the Suppression Pillar fixed!) for a much better fit. Flip again vertically (swap Rykard for Godrick and Radahn for Mohg/Morgott) and it's even better. This basically amounts to rotating the whole map 180 degrees. Think about how the Carian Study Hall needs to be flipped upside down to progress. Think about travelling through the looking glass.

2. Miquella's Crosses. At 6 of the 13 crosses Miquella has left pieces of "flesh". First encounters with NPC's occur at 4 of these otherwise generic locations. The place where Leda is actually first encountered in the world is at the cross where Miquella abandoned his heart, which could imply that each piece of "flesh" represents an organ. The number 7 can be significant - that's the number of chakras of which the heart is included. Could be possible to match all 7 cross-seeking NPC's to the piece of "flesh" that they have affinity for.

3. A Great Rune has broken somewhere. The horizons that trigger this seem to me to be temporally paralleled to the Shattering of the Elden Ring. The event is not gated behind a boss or anything - explore too much in the north direction and this will happen. I triggered it by pushing forwards to the Cathedral where Ymir is at. Descending through shattered earth and finding the amalgamations of the pots at Bonny Village seems paralleled in descending into the Eternal Cities and finding the Frankenstein monster Dragonkin, which were all being investigated by the Carians. And then get to a cathedral with a priestly looking guy who teaches Carian sorceries and is keen on the nature of the Fingers. Which reminds me of how Marika wanted to search the depths of the Golden Order and that's what fundamentalism is. And the Two Fingers and Vassal Beast are the depths of the Golden Order - so Ymir seems to have been involved in that initiative.

[jkrockin]

I'M NOT COPYING ALL THOSE EMOJIS JUST ANSWER AS MANY AS YOU CAN FROM THE MEME

One last round on that fanfiction emoji ask game, featuring all the emojis nobody else specifically asked for! 

😐 What embarrasses you most about your own writing?

Finding a balance between purple prose and prose that’s too pared back is a constant, harrowing struggle. Sometimes I’ll write a thing and feel okay about it in the moment, and then come back to it later and cringe— usually because I’ve swung too purple, because while I am a huge wanker, I also find being a huge wanker really embarrassing? You’d think I’d pick one.

👻 What is one WIP you think you may never pick back up?

Hahahaha, that’s a crowded field. I think at this point my Terror space clone AU where Francis is a technician on an isolated mining outpost on an asteroid and James Fitzjames is an incorrect series clone with a two-year lifespan and they speedrun enemies to lovers to space criminals trying to get access to clone stabilisation technology might be dead in the water, unfortunately. Dead in the vacuum of space? One of those.

✏️ Do you write every day?

Ehhhhhh I try to. Mixed results.

😈 Is there anything you enjoy doing that you think your readers hate?

Fuck, I hope not. I'd say "taking fucking geological ages to update things", but I don't actually enjoy doing that, it just sort of happens.

🌙  What time of day do you prefer to write? Why?

My real golden hours are 4:30 PM in the office when the rest of my team have left but there are enough other people around that I need to look busy, and 2 AM, alone, lit solely by LED lights and ill-advised midnight coffee.

👨‍👧‍👧 Do you tell people in real life that you write fic?

Just, like, on the street? No. In the workplace? Also no. Nerds I have met under nerdy circumstances? Sometimes.

🌝 Who is one character you haven’t yet written for that you would like to?

I haven't actually written any OFMD fic at all, but I think Stede Bonnet and I could have a good time together. (My phone tried to autocorrect that to "Stress Bonney", which is I think what's going to happen if Anne Bonny does turn up in S2.)

💻 Do you do research for your fics? What’s the deepest dive you’ve done?

I read a bunch of shit about hydroponics and algae-based CO² scrubbing that ended up absolutely nowhere in the actual text of the same bright patient stars.

✨ Choose three adjectives to complement your own writing.

Detailed, witty, horny.

🍰 Name one of your fave comfort fics (doesn’t have to be your all time fave).

I have many, many comfort fics, but I recently came back to the thoroughly excellent Algolagnia, by Xela.

👩‍🏭 If one of your fics was going to get you arrested, which one and why?

FANFICTION IS NOT A CRIME!! But probably the Phantom/Raoul noncon gunplay fic.

[ladynightshadc]

Introducing Saaliha Finkelstein . . . Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas

GENERAL

full name:  saaliha finkelstein.

nicknames:  sally, saal.

age: twenty-five.

gender:  cis female.

species:  human.

orientation:  demisexual, panromantic.

date of birth:  february 23.

place of birth:  evermore (supposedly).

occupation:  pharmacist.

FAMILY

parents:  dr. albert finkelstein (alleged father), geeta singh † (mother).

sibilings:  none.

PHYSIQUE

faceclaim:  amita suman.

eye color: brown.

hair color:  dark brown.

height: 5′7"

MUSE INSPIRATION

luna lovegood — harry potter.

sarah bailey — the craft.

bonnie bennett — the vampire diaries.

wanda maximoff — marvel.

chloe sherman — run.

willow rosenberg — buffy the vampire slayer.

morticia addams — the addams family.

CHARACTERIZATION

Saaliha is an odd woman, but that's nothing new. She grew up watching the world through windows — more of a ghost than a girl some days. Her father was a paranoid man who'd lost his wife and was dead-set on ensuring the same would never happen to his only daughter. He kept her trapped in his home for twenty years, only letting her ever go as far as the garden on special occasions. Such a strange upbringing left Saaliha torn between feeling like a homebody and longing to escape. The scars that litter her body are reminders of how dangerous it can be when she asks for too much, acting upon reckless desires, but she does her best to cover them up and ignore them. Now that she's gotten a taste of true freedom, she'll never go back.

HEADCANONS

Growing up in such an isolated setting meant that Saaliha's social skills were lacking, to say the least. The few opportunities she had to interact with other children her age, she found herself unable to connect. There was little overlap in her life and their's that she could relate to. Since her escape she's gotten plenty of experience socializing, though there are still some little quirks she can't quite rid herself of.

All of her clothes are either thrifted or pieces she made herself - the latter are usually easy to pick out from the rest for their distinctive patchwork. Growing up, her father only got her new clothing once she'd outgrown the old, so she was forced to sew her own garments if she wanted anything but the drab things he brought home. All she could get her hands on were scraps of fabric from around the house (old curtains and tablecloths, spare bedsheets he wouldn't miss, etc.), but she made it work. What started as a childhood necessity quickly turned into a hobby she genuinely loved. Making her own clothing in a house where everything, even Saaliha herself, belonged to her father, wearing something not given by him felt like a small freedom. A much needed sense of ownership.

She can cook well and often ends up preparing meals for Jack (he can get so focused on his work he forgets to eat if she doesn't remind him!), but prefers baking. It's not uncommon to walk into the kitchen and see a tray of freshly made cookies or muffins. Autumnal flavors/spices are her favorite.

Dr. Finkelstein told her that her mother was a witch, but Saaliha doesn't seem to have inherited any of her power. She does, however, practice what she calls "simple magic." Small-scale practices that many humans partake in such as reading tarot cards and tea leaves or charging crystals under a full moon. The classification of Wiccan would likely fit her best.

When she began looking for a job years ago, her first thought was to do something related to fashion since she'd been making her own clothes for so long. However, it's something very personal to her and she realized that working as a seamstress for others wouldn't feel the same. Getting into the medical field was the next logical solution, since her father had instilled an extensive knowledge of medicine in her. Sometimes she fears that going down this path could lead to her ending up like him, but she genuinely likes what she does. Jack may or may not have helped fudge her resume a bit.

[joshmedin]

The time I was mistaken for a visiting minster

So I was in the hospital today, and a patient said something to me, and we talked. (I stayed in the entryway to her room, not going in.) She told me about her conflicts with one of the nurses, and the guilt that she felt over having to call the techs in so often for help with pain management, and to adjust how she was sitting in her bed (she was a fall risk and wasn't allowed to move around on her own) and how her daughter had been in to see her, up from a small town nearby, and her daughter was very happy that she'd been eating-- chicken broth and Jell-O, but this was a big improvement from what she had been eating. She explained how she'd fallen at her house, and when she falls, she can't get up on her own, and she called for help, and here it was, four days later and she was still in the hospital, to her frustration. She mentioned her arthritis. And also how the doctors had told her that she had pneumonia. She showed me all the bruises on her arms, and told me how they'd had to bring in a special machine to find the veins in her arms so they could get an IV in her. And she told me about how scared she was that she would never be able to just swing her legs over the side of the bed again and get out of it. I told her that she needed to make sure that she kept eating; I wasn't sure what would happen, but she'd never heal if she didn't eat. And some time in there, it came up that she'd mistaken me for a visitation minister. I told her that I was there for another reason, but I was going to be back tomorrow, and I'd say hi. She was clearly uncomfortable, and a bit scared (if not wanting to show it), and wanted someone to talk to. And sometime in there, I had to explain that no, my wife and I were in the hospital visiting the room next to hers. The one my mother is in. I was in the hallway while my wife was talking to mom; she has a bacterial infection, and may be septic, so she's only allowed one visitor at a time, and there are rules that we have to follow to go in at all. So I was waiting outside her room. And maybe talking to a stranger turned out to be easier than worrying. My mother has autoimmune diseases. Not an autoimmune disease, not something as simple and well-known as lupus, but flocks of them-- the rheumatoid arthritis that crippled her older sister, and Sjogren's Syndrome, and obscure ones that only doctors in the Mayo Clinic have even heard of. She's had congestive heart failure, gastric MALT (a form of lymphoma in the stomach), and just had to have all of her teeth removed. She now has a bacterial infection; there could be sepsis. Her memory isn't great, and her husband is a wreck, dealing with this. And I'm keeping it together as best as best I can, somehow. She knows it's medically inadvisable, but that would not stop her from grabbing my hand. She craves touch. She needs contact with people, but feels isolated, now that she can't get around without a walker or a wheelchair. Her hands are so swollen with arthritis, I wonder how much it hurts her to use them. This is the thing about getting older. Everyone else does, too, with all the things that that entails. I guess it's something we all go through, if we're lucky. If we made it this far. If our parents did. If our friends did. But the great truth of life is that it doesn't last forever, and the longer we live, the more we see death around us. The more the people we love die. We're all scared of that. We use indirect language -- James Lacy passed on. The late Doug Atkinson. The fondly remembered Gil Pettigrew. The dearly departed Bonnie Kaufmann. But it's death, and it awaits us all. And it scares me. But we're all going to have to deal with that, sooner or later. I don't know. I'm rambling. But this is the story of how I was mistaken for a visiting minster, anyway. Maybe I should look into that line. I hear it's really rough work, but people need it.

[modgirlyreposts-revamped]

Dark fact about every main character in the Christmas Kids AU

TW for child abuse, extreme violence and mentions of suicide.

William: Don’t know if I can say anything not inherent to him being William aside from the thing about him trying to steal a dead raccoon’s guts as a kid.

Michael: Attempted to, shall we say, follow his siblings’ footsteps around 1985. Survived, obviously, and this was part of when Michael finally began to lean on the people reaching out to him.

Amalie: Ok she’s a minor character but she never got to see her children’s bodies. She was told as little of what happened to them as the general public. Elizabeth was missing, and Cassidy died in an accident. That was all she ever knew her whole life.

Elizabeth: I have no intent to compare the siblings’ trauma, but Elizabeth being isolated from her brothers and abused by William fucked her up bad. She became a compulsive liar and people pleaser, and ended up with BPD. She tended to fawn over those she wanted to love her as a coping mechanism making her even more susceptible to her father’s abuse.

Cassidy: Most likely wouldn’t have lived very long even without the bite. William would’ve decided Cassidy wasn’t “fit” to live sooner or later.

Charlie: While Charlie was a sweet girl who took it upon herself to look out for those who couldn’t look out for themselves, she was never treated with that same kindness. The children who locked her out of the restaurant the day she died were her primary bullies, who she considered some of her best friends.

Susie: She saw her dog get run over. She threw his favorite toy out a bit too far when they were playing on a rainy night, and he chased it into the street. She followed William because she wanted to believe he was still there, and it wasn’t her fault. Her throat was slit, and her face mangled so if her corpse was found it couldn’t be recognized.

Jeremy: William set up a “puzzle game” for him and Gabriel, his best friend and basically his brother. Jeremy, excited by the game, ran straight into the trap. He was stabbed three times before having his throat slit and dying. His face was torn up similarly.

Gabriel: He was stabbed almost fifteen times before he finally died. The one blow he took after death was straight through his face.

Mitzi/Fritz: Her cause of death was similar to Cassidy, though a far less gruesome head trauma. William attempted to kill her the same as the others, but she refused to go down without a fight. She made a huge scene, pounding at the walls, kicking and punching William, and even managed to knock the knife out of his hand and run away. She didn’t get very far, though, before William, panicked and angry at her resistance, reached for her and got his hands around her pigtails. Her head was beaten against a wall until she passed out, at which point William stabbed her to “finish her off”, however the head trauma was actually what killed her.

Henry Emily: The darkest fact of all is that I somehow have not fleshed him out yet.

Jeremy Fitzgerald: Cassidy saw the Freddy masked bully in him, which is why his agony drove Toy Chica to bite him. Whether he’s the Freddy bully or unrelated I’m not sure, but I kind of like the parallel of him being the Freddy bully, I just also like the BC Jeremy so-

Scott Leskowitz (Phone Guy): It took him several hours to die in the Bonnie suit Cassidy stuffed him in. His death and the time it took knowing no one was going to help him was practically like being tortured, his body barely held together from dismemberment, and he’d begun to wonder if he’d ever die by the time it finally happened. He knew about the MCI, and realized as he was dying that he would be killed to keep it under wraps if that was what was needed. If calling him insane and gaslighting him over his schizophrenia saying he made it all up wasn’t enough because he was still alive and still knew, then this was how it was going to fucking end.

Caleb Martz: The vengeful spirits often target him for “rebirthing” Springtrap, making his life a living hell.

Vanessa: She acts as almost a mother figure to Gregory due to their own mother being neglectful and abandoning Gregory as a child. While she did lie to her therapist about her trauma, claiming her trauma matched Jesse’s, she still had a sucky childhood as she was neglected by her mother and learned to shrug off her trauma to cope. Furthermore, she was also taken advantage of by a partner in her teen years, and completely distances herself from it to the point of joking about it and insisting “no, it’s funny” so she doesn’t have to feel the pain.

Gregory: Has somniphobia and extreme fear of vulnerability. He tends to break down when he has to be emotionally vulnerable to others.

Jennifer: Her mother died shortly after her parents’ divorce. It was determined she had gotten drunk and died in a self inflicted car crash. Her dad conditioned her to believe this was her fault. She carries a ton of guilt over all these incidents and traumas that weren’t her fault.

Other random not-dark fact: Vanny and Vanessa are parallels to Caleb and Michael. Michael also serves as a similar figure to Gregory as Charlie did to the missing children, especially Cassidy. (Gregory is an obvious parallel to Cassidy lmao)

For everyone else I was like "oh my god, that's horrible" but for Vanessa I was like "hahaha, I do that :D"

[steely-eyedmissileman]

The Vampire Diaries, Ep. 2x07

Masquerade

boring title. that aside, this episode was the most engrossing episode of the vampire diaries i've seen in a while. my notes are a bit thin on the ground because i was too busy actually watching the fucking episode for once.

caroline knows the difference between elena and katherine. i have a question about this, actually. shouldn't it be really easy for vampires to tell the difference. elena has a heartbeat and she breathes and she has blood running through her veins. katherine doesn't. if you have superhuman senses, shouldn't it be really fucking easy to tell the difference between a vampire and a human. unless vampires aren't that different from humans. in which cas, i'll be disappointed, but i wish someone would fucking tell me!

katherine's going to kill people at the masquerade ball (by people, she means everyone). stefan's going to kill katherine. katherine has an evil bonnie now.

jeremy's going to help kill katherine. ht is here!!!! he has secret arm stakes, which i adore! god, i miss ht. he's not in the show enough anymore.

matt has to go make tyler kill him. elena's not going to the party. ht's not going to the party. he's going to stay home with jenna and make sure elena is okay.

i feel like this plan to kill katherine isn't going to work. why do i feel like this isn't going to work? because i understand the arc of a twenty-two episode season.

we then have a moment that made me laugh so hard i almost hyperventilated and died. i'll let the notes take this one: 'ian somerhalder and paul wesley are two very attractive men how did they make them so un-hot in suits'

i don't want matt to die, and i'm beginning to get worried that he will. why did they do that with jeremy's hair? why are there so many bad covers of 80s songs?

katherine kills a girl in front of stefan in the middle of this party. why is this always happening?

meanwhile, elena is sneaking out to go figure out what's going on, even after ht told her not to. this is not a good idea.

at the party, bonnie and jeremy are bonding. i love a potential friendship between these two, which would be very nice. both of them need more ties to the larger group. both of them are fairly isolated, and they won't be able to evolve as characters without additional connections.

caroline looks fucking beautiful. she has become a much more interesting character since becoming a vampire. caroline successfully tricks katherine into the room, and she gets a wonderful evil laugh moment. she's really come into her own since she was turned, and it's a joy to watch. damon and caroline have a wonderful 'hello katherine' 'goodbye katherine' moment. it's lovely to see these two characters, who are arguably katherine's biggest victims in mystic falls, take back some agency and fight against katherine.

elena has found bonnie and jeremy and she's worried that her friends will get killed because of her. jeremy makes an excellent point: 'it's not just you anymore, elena.' and he's right. a lot of the plot is about elena, but all the other characters have also been harmed. everyone has the right to decide how to handle their own lives and elena is going to have to relinquish her desire for control. then katherine is stabbed, and elena starts bleeding. elena gets hurt when katherine does. to quote my notes, 'this is bad this is real bad.'

there's another witch at the party. bonnie's going to go find her. and do what? we simply don't know.

meanwhile, matt is provoking tyler. caroline enters just in time to save matt. however, the girl who fell down the stairs a couple episodes ago (her name is sarah, my girlfriend has told me) attacks tyler too. he shoves her off him, but she hits her head on the desk and dies. this party has a very high body count. and tyler's a werewolf now.

upstairs, katherine is turning the brothers against each other in the hopes that they'll attack each other. and she thinks it's funny. the spell gets removed, and then no one stabs katherine.

caroline is covering up tyler's situation because she's a good friend and a good person.

bonnie confronts the other witch: 'when i gave you the stone, how did i know i could trust you?' the other witch reveals that she is a bennett cousin. she also tells bonnie to embrace her role in the supernatural. 'unlike me, you're one of the good ones, bonnie. the middle is exactly where you need to be.' i'm hoping that this will help bonnie embrace her role in the narrative and stop the morality policing that she has been doing constantly.

unfortunately, it becomes clear that bonnie and jeremy are going to get together. i fucking hate it.

elena isn't getting back together with stefan because she doesn't feel safe.

damon puts katherine in the tomb, 'where you should have been all along.' death is too good for katherine.

elena gets kidnapped by a masked man.

holy shit, y'all, this was an episode.