#ilitw fic

[aces-and-angels]

Lovely humans- the time has come for ILW to get its well deserved beach filler episode! I've been posting sneak peeks for a bit and I'm so happy that I can finally share the finished product with yall~

I would love to hear your thoughts (or concerns- there may be a few bugs/hiccups lol). This is a purely self-indulgent project that was fun to make and hopefully fun to read as well 🖤 and as always, a big thank you to @itlivesproject for creating such a wonderful story to begin with

Please read content warnings before proceeding to read the entire story

Content warnings: this story takes place two years post-finale, following my Mixed Route with Rowan (F!MC) x Abel and contains NSFW material. Any ‘dirty thirty’ scenes are optional to read and can be skipped entirely/fade to black. That being said, Abel x Rowan are depicted to be in an established, long-distance relationship, and certain dialogue/references are made based on that.   

[linkysmommy]

WIP Wednesday

heyyy @aces-and-angels thanks for the WIP Wednesday tag 😘 as you said time doesn't matter so posting wip wednesday at 2 AM on a saturday morning because why not. I have a few lil snippets so I'll be putting them under the read more

WIP 1 - RETIREMENT HOME

AU where instead of aging to death, Matthias just ages a lot and loses his ability to function and Lincoln has to take care of him.

Matthias sits in a rocking chair in front of the TV. He doesn’t look up as Lincoln enters. The little hair he has is thin and wispy, and his skin is wrinkled and fragile. He wears a thin bathrobe that Lincoln’s sure won’t do enough to ward off the cold. He’ll have to make sure he changes into something warmer.

“Hey, Dad,” Lincoln says, shutting the door quietly behind him. Matthias’s gaze wanders away from the small TV in his room and lands on Lincoln. His eyes are empty and uncomprehending. He looks at Lincoln for a long moment before returning to look at the TV.

Lincoln crosses the room and takes the chair beside Matthias.

“How are you feeling today?” he asks, his voice gentle and careful.

Matthias doesn’t respond. He usually doesn’t. Lincoln is used to it, though usually he has Angel here with him to support him when it gets too difficult.

Lincoln holds out a bag of fresh peaches. “I brought these for you. They’re from the fruit stand you love.”

Matthias’s eyes drift to the peaches. Lincoln expects he’ll just look away, but then—

“My wife used to bring these for me,” Matthias says. His voice is weak and soft from so little use, and his words slur together without his teeth, but Lincoln understands every word.

“You—you remember her?” Lincoln attempts to hide his surprise, but he can’t help but gape.

Matthias slowly turns to look at him, and his lips turn upward in a vague smile.

“Of course I remember her,” he says in that soft, airy voice. “Silvia. She gave me everything I could ever want. Love, home, family, my son.”

Lincoln blinks at him. “Your… your son?”

“Yes. Lincoln… oh, he was a good boy.” Matthias’s eyes seem to clear as he looks at Lincoln. “You remind me of him, you know.”

WIP 2 - NOAH X MC

sorry sorry I just unearthed this from the depths of my google docs and i love it... i wrote this in 2020, before ilw was ever even conceived!

Cold.

I’m so, so cold.

Like ice… like fear… like death.

“Jaz. Jaz! Can you hear me?” The voice is distant, but familiar. Like something out of a dream that I know I recognize but can’t quite place. “Please, say something. Please…”

My eyes open, filling with blinding light. I flinch them shut again, and then something jostles my body.

“Jaz!” It’s the same voice from before. So familiar. How do I know that voice? “You opened your eyes—are you all right?”

I force my eyes open once more, and though it’s bright, I keep them open. A hazy figure leans over me. I stare at it as my vision comes into focus—and then I recognize him. The messy brown hair peeking out from beneath a beanie, the angular chin, the straight nose.

Noah.

I want to move my hand to touch him, but my body won’t respond. So I try to say his name instead.

“Nnnh…”

Noah leans closer, his eyes wide with concern. “What was that?”

“N…” My mouth feels foreign, like it belongs to someone else. “No… ah…”

His face melts with relief and he grips my hand tighter. “Yes. I’m here, Jaz. I’m always right here.”

I blink up at him. I don’t remember what happened, don’t remember why I’m here. All I can recall is the darkness, the loneliness, the cold… and him. Noah Marshall. I can’t remember what he did or what he said, but I somehow know that he was always there beside me.

A shiver runs through me and my teeth start to chatter. Noah seems to notice, because he pulls off his jacket and places it over me. 

“I’ve got you,” he says. “You’ll be okay.”

“Wh… where…?” My teeth are still chattering uncontrollably.

“We’re in the woods, Jaz,” he says softly. “I found a way to bring you back.”

Back? Where was I before? But I’m just too confused and cold and exhausted to ask. 

Noah scoops me up in his arm, his touch gentle as a feather. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”

There are so many things I want to say, so many questions I want to ask. But protected in Noah’s arms, comforted by the soft swaying as he carries me, my eyes droop shut and I fall asleep.

WIP 3 - ALERAK PROPAGANDA

I co-write with my sister and she calls the shots in this particular book. I started shipping two characters and wrote this propaganda for her to see my vision... who knows if she listened 🙄 For context, Alerin is a prince and Jezrak is the ambassador from a hostile foreign nation teehee.

“So…” Jezrak said, casting a glance in Alerin’s direction. “Just you and me again, huh? Just like the good old days.”

Alerin’s eyes flicked to Jezrak, his expression clearly saying “drop it”—but the moment he saw Jezrak’s appreciative gaze raking over his body, Alerin’s resolve faltered. Jezrak bit his lower lip, eyes glinting with desire, and Alerin’s heart started to pound.

He glanced up at the camera in the corner of the elevator. He wondered if the camera was actually recording anything. He wondered how often people checked its footage. He considered the worst that could really happen if someone actually saw compromising footage.

Then a pair of hands grabbed Alerin by the collar and pushed him into the corner beneath the camera. Before he could even comprehend what was happening, Jezrak’s mouth was on his, insistent and hungry and full of desire. All thoughts of cameras and being discovered dissolved as Alerin held Jezrak, kissing him back. He tangled his hands in Jezrak’s hair—his long, silky hair that drove Alerin crazy—and pressed their bodies more tightly together. Jezrak’s hands were everywhere, running up and down Alerin’s entire body, tickling the inside of his thigh. Alerin groaned as Jezrak’s mouth slipped from his mouth to his jaw, then to his neck, then—

The elevator stopped and there was a pleasant ding. Jezrak jumped away from Alerin, smoothing out his pants and running a hand through his mussed hair. Alerin barely had time to try to regain himself before the elevator doors opened to reveal the last person he wanted to see: Darvus. 

The king was flanked on either side by bodyguards as he swept into the elevator. Alerin’s heart was pounding so loudly in his ears he almost worried his father would be able to hear it and piece together what had just happened.

“Ah, Alerin. Just who I wanted to see,” Darvus said with a curt nod. It was as if Jezrak wasn't even there. “I hear the date with Ms. Werthins went well. That’s good to hear.”

Alerin didn’t know if he could trust himself to speak. His mouth felt dry, and his mind was spinning with adrenaline. “Uh, yes,” he managed to say.

Darvus peered up at Alerin, and seemed to take in his appearance for the first time. He grunted in disgust. “Fix your hair. You look like a homeless boy who just woke up from sleeping in a ditch.”

Alerin ran a distracted hand through his hair as his eyes flicked over Darvus’s shoulder to Jezrak. The memory of Jezrak’s tongue against his skin was so fresh he could practically feel it still, and his body craved for more. But at the moment, Jezrak’s expression was stoic, impassive. As if his tongue hadn’t just been locked in Alerin’s mouth. When the elevator dinged again, Darvus placed a hand on Alerin’s shoulder. “Come with me, I want to discuss the announcement with you,” he said.

Alerin barely resisted as he followed his father out of the elevator. But as he left, he glanced over his shoulder, caught Jezrak’s eye, and gave his earlobe a discreet tug. Then, before Jezrak could do anything else, Alerin turned forward again and darted after his father, his face hot. Though he couldn’t see it, he could practically feel Jezrak’s smirk watching him as he disappeared down the hall.

 Alerin knew he shouldn’t be doing this. He had a plan, and maintaining a secret romantic entanglement with the ambassador from a hostile foreign nation was the kind of scandal that could destroy his plan before it even began. But the truth of the matter was, Alerin wasn’t strong enough to resist.

And after today, he was fairly certain Jezrak wasn’t, either.

--

tagging @aallotarenunelma, @laylaisthename, @immemorialmarketeer, to share WIPs if you want! also i apologize if you were already tagged 😭 (i tried to not tag ppl i knew were already tagged)

[gutsfics]

does It Lives Beneath say exactly how many years it takes place after ILITW, or does it just a vague "a few years later" type deal?

[it-lives-in-westchester]

I think my most unpopular opinion as an ILITW fan is that I really don't care for AUs where Jane never died and everyone lives. It has never intrigued me and fics that play with that idea don't interest me at all.

am I alone on this or not?

[saibug1022]

Val's Resurrection (Part One)

Word Count: 2,311

Lucas Thomas x M!MC (Valen)

Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

A/N: Okay this is different than my other Choices fic. Number one, this one isn't really ambiguous, you can't really put your MCs in this, it's really fully my characters and headcanons, with Val as my ILITW MC and Karter as my ILW MC. Number two, this is an It Lives In the Woods fanfic, but also a fic for It Lives Within by the @itlivesproject. This isn't even really speculation of what's gonna happen, just my own ideas, but I freaking love that game and I'm living for each release and the interactions between ghost ILITW MC and the other ILITW characters make me lose my mind so now you have this. I don't think it'll do too well but I love it so, enjoy!

Terra, audi me. Aqua, audi me. Ignis, audi me. Caeli, audi me. Virtus, audi me. Spiritus, audi me. Redde quod datum est, ei maledictum frange!

The words echoed, both in Val’s head and off the walls around him. He didn’t know what they meant…should he? Sometimes he’d get confused by what people said, the words just floating through whatever it was that made up his mind. But he never knew which things he should or shouldn’t know. These things, he was pretty sure he shouldn’t know, but he just couldn’t be sure anymore. He was lucky he remembered the words at all. 

He opened his eyes slowly, a little unsettled but also unsurprised to find himself in the cavern beneath those all-too-familiar ruins. Val found himself here fairly often, on the days where his thoughts weren’t quite coherent and he just wandered the forest. Was that what happened? He hated that he couldn’t remember but he could feel the memory dangling right there, taunting him. It was a familiar feeling. Though he wasn’t usually bothered by it except that it hurt his friends when he couldn’t remember. This time it bothered him. At least his thoughts were having a good day, nice and solid and coherent.

Val went to float up through the ceiling of the cavern and back to the cabin only to find he barely moved. Since when was he…heavy? He had to put in effort to move himself upwards even a little bit, which caused a sharp pain through his head and on some faded instinct he brought his hand to his head and groaned, letting his fingers dishevel the purple locks, ignoring the ones he could feel fall onto his forehead.

Wait.

Hair.

He had hair.

He scrambled to grab the strands and held them in front of his face. He could feel them. They were a little greasy, a bit damp, but soft, the same shocking light purple as he’d dyed them for senior year. But his thoughts moved on in a split second because his hand. He dropped his hair and looked at his hands, turning them over and running his fingers over them like he’d never seen them before. 

A little pale but tanner than they were for years. A small scar on the outside of his right wrist that was the result of an incident involving Dan and a letter opener. Scars on his knuckles, both old and all too fresh. Blood too, but dried, probably from resplitting his knuckles. Nails jagged and bitten, with only the barest remnants of black nail polish on them. His hands looked like shit but God they were hands. Flesh and scars and veins and warmth, not shadow or smoke. 

How was this, how was this possible? Was this some sort of dream? He didn’t sleep, nor dream. Memories were never this clear and he didn’t remember anything about the memory. 

Come on, Val, think! It’s like a quiz, you’re good at Noah’s quizzes! What were you doing?

He remembered Noah, and Connor. They had a cabin, they hunted monsters. And Val helped, he kept them safe. Ava visited a lot, she had superpowers now. Lucas did too, and Dan! So did Andy and Stacy and Lily! Jocelyn came and Val didn’t like her but she was helping keep them safe and now she was his friend. Abel too. Then, then new people. Karter, Amalia, Lincoln. They helped, they saved they town, and they were trying to do something else…save Val? Right! His friends had been trying to save him and then the new people started helping! 

Karter, he was strong, Val could feel it. He remembered a blue green light, and then the latin. He remembered Noah determined, Lucas hopeful, all of them working together and passionate about something. Saving Val? But how could they save him? He was confused a lot, yeah, but he wasn’t really there to save. He didn’t even have a…a body…

Holy shit.

His hands, his hair. 

He felt pain, he felt his hair. He could feel the stone under him.

He felt heavy.

He didn’t float up a little bit like he thought. 

He sat up.

His chest was rising and falling, not in the sense of shifting shadow or displaced smoke. It was like he…like he was…

Like he was breathing.

His hands flew to his chest and he tried to take a deep breath. And he did. He took a breath! He fucking breathed!

Val heard water dripping and turned toward it, crawling to the nearest puddle and leaning over it as much as he could without falling in it. His reflection.

His face.

He saw his face.

Val let out a noise between a sob and a laugh as he brought his hands up to feel his face and watched his reflection do the same. He traced his sharp cheekbones, the dark circles and bags under his eyes, the freckles on his nose, his cracked and split lips, the dried blood on the side of his face from the cut on his forehead. It wasn’t bleeding anymore, he got it from hitting his head on the rocks when Jane threw him. He looked like absolute shit.

He’d never been happier to see his reflection.

Tears streamed down his cheeks and he didn’t even bother trying to stop them. He could feel them land on his dress pants, still in that suit from Homecoming. 

And the best part of this? It wasn’t his body, or being able to feel again, or being alive again. 

It was that he could remember.

He could remember Homecoming, not just that it was why he was wearing this suit. Not just the pain that night, either. 

Val remembered stressing between two suits and texting with Stacy to get her opinion. She picked the gold one he settled on, but he was the one that remembered the yellow flowers in the garden and put it in his pocket. It wasn’t there anymore, lost in the night’s events, but he remembered putting it there. He remembered Lucas asking him to dinner, he remembered Lucas teasing him for just getting pasta and laughing at the face he made tasting Lucas’s fancy french thing. He remembered kissing Lucas at the table and dancing with him. He remembered them crowding together to take a picture in the limo. He remembered Andy getting elected homecoming king. 

And that wasn’t all he remembered!

The years as the shadow were still blurry and vague, like the memories themselves were confused, but everything before that he remembered as if no time had passed at all. It was like he’d gone back in time to that night but this time he woke up.

So they must have done some sort of ritual to bring him back? Val remembered them trying a bunch of spells and artifacts and exercises but nothing they did worked. But this time it was different. He forced himself to think back, using the same memory techniques him and Noah worked on. With his mind intact they worked better than ever before.

They saved Westchester from…something. Val didn’t remember that part because as a shadow he hadnt particularly cared. But everyone stayed, crowding in Connor’s living room with books and papers. A bunch of them slept on the floor too. No one left for days. They came out to visit Val sometimes and him and Noah still did his exercises every day, but no one left the cabin except the visitors. A bunch of witches came and went, a couple people from Pine Springs, Harper visited a lot. There were even those two in red leather jackets with crossbows. But Val’s friends didn’t leave.

Until finally they all left and Ava said they wanted to try one more. But she told Val this one was different and could be scary and could hurt him because this ritual they worked together to make and Karter was going to use his powers. They weren’t sure what that could do to Val. But everyone looked so scared but also excited. Val tried to think for a bit and people started getting sad and Val didn’t want to make his friends sad! So he did it! 

Everyone stood around him outside another circle of things and said those words that he was now sure were latin. It got dark and quiet and then Karter came over to him and took Val’s hand. His eyes started to glow, brighter and brighter and Val got scared but before he could do anything the light turned so bright he couldn’t see anything else. Everyone said the last words and then…Val was here.

They did a ritual.

And it fucking WORKED!

No one took his place or anything he was ALIVE again!

His hand moved to his chest and he held his breath. He ignored the sounds of the woods and the caves, the feelings, all of it and focused on the sound and feeling beneath his hand.

BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP.

His heart was beating. God his HEART was BEATING.

He was alive.

He was alive.

He was alive, he was alive, he was alive, he was alive, he was alive, he was alive.

He was alive.

Val was alive.

He laughed again, and he sobbed and he held his hand to his chest, clinging to the feeling of his heart beat, his pulse in his head. Everything hurt and he loved it. Everything was all too much, there were too many feelings and thoughts he couldn’t feel or think for years. He was overwhelmed but it was the best thing he’d ever felt because damn it  he could fucking feel it!

It took a long time before his sobs quieted long enough for him to pull his thoughts back together. He was alive, the ritual worked! So…where was everybody? All of them had been there when they did the ritual. Hell now that he thought about they weren’t in the cavern when they did it, either. They were in a shady part of the woods, even though it was cloudy, and it was near Connor’s cabin. How did he get here?

Okay, he had to find the others. Make sure they were okay. He had a job now. 

Val arranged his legs under him and clung to the wall as he pulled himself to his feet. Okay. It was walking. He could walk. He knew how to do that. It had only been seven years since he even had legs. He could totally do this. 

He took a few steps along the wall then pushed off of it towards the stairs and proceeded to fall right on his face. That was a nice friendly reminder that his body was the same as it was the night of homecoming, which meant everything fucking hurt.

“You can do this,” Val muttered, the first words he’d spoken. His throat hurt too, his voice was soar and hoarse. Whether it was from years of disuse or all the screaming and yelling he did that night Val wasn’t sure. But it was so damn good to hear his own voice that he just kept talking. “Come on, Valen. It’s just walking. You did it for eighteen years before all this shit. Your legs work perfectly damn fine, so get your ass moving.”

It wasn’t exactly walking, it was more a combination of shuffling and crawling, and there was a lot of cursing and holding on to things, but he made it out of the cavern and through the old ruins, making it to the doorwway. Only he paused, just inside the door.

The clouds must have parted because now it was as sunny as Westchester could get, as if the town had never seen a cloud. And Val paused before he could go out into the sun. He wasn’t even sure why for a few moments. Until he remembered. The light hurt him. 

But he wasn’t the shadow anymore. He could go into the sun again, feel it’s light and it’s warmth, the joy it gave just by existing. It wouldn’t hurt him…right?

Val hesitated, staring at the sunlight. He had to do this. He had to. 

He slowly reached out and closed his eyes, turning away as he braced himself before thrusting his hand out into the light and-

Nothing happened. He opened his eyes and looked out, turning his hand in the light. He wiggled his fingers, watching as the shadows danced. It was warm.

It had been so fucking long since he was warm. 

Val laughed, all other thoughts gone from his mind as he raced out into the sunlit clearing, twirling in the grass. He looked ridiculous in his torn and bloodied suit, looking like he’d fallen down a mountain then gotten in a fight at the bottom, laughing in the sun but he didn’t car at all. Not even when he fell, he just laid there in the grass and watched the clouds, watched the sun and leaves above him. Let himself feel alive again.

But after a few moments he felt something digging into his hip and he reached into his pocket and pulled out the rectangular object.

“No fucking way,” Val muttered as he looked at his phone. The screen was covered in cracks, most of which were from the two weeks before homecoming. He couldn’t believe it was in his pocket. Wait. It hadn’t been dead when he died. What were the chances that…

He hit the button on the side and the screen flickered to life. Val let out an excited laugh. He could find his friends now! Assuming none of them had changed phone numbers or anything. Whatever, it was fine. Val unlocked the phone and hit the first starred contact, Lucas, and held the phone to his ear as he listened to it ring.

[theoriginaltortuga]

Things Unsaid at 2 am

A/N: My first It Lives fic. What happened when Devon woke up the morning of ch. 18, or one version anyway

Pairings: Lucas x Male!MC (Devon) but barely mentioned

The dark surrounded him. It wanted him back. It wanted to trap him in the woods forever. Devon tried to run but he couldn’t move. He tried to scream but he couldn’t get any air. He could feel it envelop him, unraveling him back into shadow. 

He launched himself forward out of heavy blankets. He needed to get away, needed to run–

Warm hands wrapped around his arms, keeping him still. 

“No!” Devon tried to thrash away, but his energy was gone.

“Devon, it’s okay! You’re safe, I promise.” Noah’s voice broke the remnants of the dream, leaving Devon gasping and crashing down from a terror high. 

Noah was the only real thing in the pitch black room. His pale features were the only evidence Devon was out of the dream. His breath and his touch were grounding. It made his skin crawl. 

“Let…go.”

Noah snatched his hands back as though Devon had burned him. “Sorry.”

They sat silently in the dark. Regret tried to fill Devon’s chest, but he didn’t let it. Noah had murdered him. He could deal with some hurt feelings. Devon looked away from him, twisting and untwisting his hands in the itchy flannel sheets.

Devon had been fidgety before he’d died. Always fiddling with his jewelry at school, then his guitar picks or anything else he could get his hands on at home. He wondered if his parents had kept any of his things. His dad had hated his guitar and his posters and his jewelry. Maybe they’d thrown everything out. 

Devon glanced back up at Noah, who was sat in the chair beside the bed, watching the windows, his jaw clenched. Ok, maybe he did feel bad about hurting Noah’s feelings. Murderer or no, Noah was still the guy who’d dedicated weeks, months, or longer trying to bring him back. Didn’t that count for something?

“Could–can you help me up?”

Noah almost shot to his feet. “Sure, yeah. Where do you want to go?”

Devon flailed a hand at the chair. “Switch?”

Noah transferred him over easily, which was odd. He couldn’t have grown that much muscle in…however long Devon had been gone. Maybe being resurrected had shaved off a few pounds. That had to be it. 

Noah sat perched on the edge of the bed. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Not fucking really. “No.”

Noah nodded. “I can get Lucas for you, if you want.” 

Lucas had been gently banished to the couch after almost falling asleep while carrying a bowl of oatmeal the night before. Telling Lucas it wouldn’t help anybody if he crashed on the drive to Dan’s had been the winning argument. Devon didn’t want to undo all his persuasion for nothing. He was fine with Noah there. Really.

“It’s fine.”

Noah nodded again and they lapsed into silence.

 It wasn’t fine. All the tension and awkwardness and shoved down feelings were like torture, actually, but Devon couldn’t wrap his head around his feelings about Noah. 

On one hand, Noah had murdered him. He’d looked Devon in the face and stabbed him. Blood loss plus organ failure made for a quick death, but not a pleasant one and he could remember every second. On the other hand, it was Noah. His dork of a friend who critiqued cooking shows like a judge, wouldn’t take off his stupid beanie for the end of the world, and brought him back from the dead. 

He almost wished Noah was an evil asshole, it’d make hating him easier.

Devon sighed. He was so tired, but sleep would only bring more nightmares. “Can you tell me about Rowan?”

“What about her?” 

Devon shrugged. “Anything. I know her name but not much else.” That wasn’t entirely true, but Noah didn’t need to know that.

Noah relaxed into the bed. “Well, she showed up about a month ago, her and her friend, Amalia…”

Devon let himself get swept away by Noah’s voice. If he could focus on Noah’s life instead of what he’d done, focus on the present instead of the past, maybe he’d be able to ignore the little voices in the back of his mind saying ‘Did you really hate me enough to kill me?’ and ‘Am I back for me? Or am I back for you?’

[anonymous1038]

I’m Not Scared

@ila-appreciationweek day 7

“I’M NOT SCARED! I’M NOT SCARED! I’M NOT SCARED!”

Jane kept shouting the same three words over and over again. It was the only thing on her mind as each and every one of her friends got pulled away into the darkness, as Redfield loomed over her, glowing red with fury.

“I’M NOT SCARED! I’M NOT-“

Redfield screamed at her, grabbing her in his shadowy tendrils, cutting her off. She can hear her friends screaming for her.

“YOU….ARE…..NOT….FRIEND!”

Then, she is flung out of the ruins.

“NO!”

.~.

“NO!”

Jane sat up in her bed, eyes wide with shock as tears began to form. Her hands gripped the blankets tight as she sobbed, that fateful day replaying itself in her mind over and over again.

Redfield had kicked her out, along with a few other friends who didn’t want to be his friend. Ava, Andy, Dan and Lily (She was surprised that Lily of all people stood up to him). Everyone else was unconscious, and were left behind.

Including her brother…and her best friend.

“Noah, Jasper…I’m so sorry…I’m so sorry…”

Jane curled in on herself, crying her heart out. Her mother wasn’t awake right now. It was the middle of the night. She was thankful for that.

Her mother wouldn’t believe her story. In fact…she was even happy that it was her who came back, and not Noah.

Their relationship was never the same again. They got into petty fights everyday, Jane still bitter that her mother cared less about her brother. She couldn’t look at her in the eye anymore.

After the incident, they tried to get back inside, back into the woods, but Redfield intervened every time.

He wouldn’t let them see or save their friends.

The remaining friends all split apart, too traumatised and guilty.

It’s been ten years since then. Jane hasn’t gotten over it. She still believes that the rest of her friends are still alive.

She wasn’t going to stop her pursuit until she saved them.

Once Jane managed to level her breathing, she got out of bed and turned on her nightlight, grabbing a few dozen papers lying on her desk and skimming through the notes she made.

All the notes she made on Redfield’s abilities over the years.

.~.

“Jane…what’s really going on?” Connor asked once they were outside the hardware store, where the others were gathering weapons for their confrontation, both of them leaning against the wall as he looked at her, concerned.

Jane takes in a deep breath. “I’m sorry I haven’t been honest, but…the truth is going to sound ridiculous. And…it’s related to what happened with Stacy.”

“Stacy…” Connor’s voice cracked at the mention of her. Jane felt his pain. She wonders how Noah is doing. “…please tell me everything.”

“…okay.”

Jane recounts everything, from childhood, to when she discovered the ruins, to when they decided to come over to Redfield’s ‘house’ and have a sleepover, to the Are You Scared? Game…

By the time she completed her story, Connor’s face was a myriad of emotions. Disbelief, anger, sorrow…

“I understand if you’re mad at me for not telling you about it. I’m just glad I finally got this off my chest.”

Jane waited for a few moments, looking at Connor straight in the eyes. An unreadable expression crosses his face, and then his lips curled into a scowl.

“Take me with you.”

“Wait what?”

“I said what I said. Take me with you. I’m going to get my sister back from that bastard.”

Jane wanted to say no, that it was too dangerous…

…but she understood his pain far better than anyone. Even though he can’t participate in the ritual, at least he’ll be able to help them fight back against Redfield’s minions.

“Okay. Be careful.”

“I will.”

.~.

The group ventures deep into the woods, weapons at the ready.

Ava’s knife, Andy’s crowbar, Lily’s pole saw (Jane still can’t believe she chose that weapon), Connor’s axe, and Jane’s baseball bat.

Jane felt sort of proud seeing them all together like this. Aside from Dan who fell into a coma, everyone banded together in the end and came here for one purpose.

To save their friends.

(Just hang on a little longer, we’re coming for you guys.)

[puredoesnotmeankind]

First chapter of my Noah/MC post-canon fic from this post on my main is nearly done, I wil *try* to post it by before the end of the week.

[choicesficwriterscreations]

It's that time of year again! Thank you to the creators who have shared their Top 5 creations of 2023 according to Tumblr note count. The Creator's Pick Top 5 will be posted this weekend! Links to all fics can be found below the break.

@aallotarenunelma ✒️

So This is Love (BOLAS) - Aerin Valleros x M!elf!MC

Distant Light (BOLAS) - Tyril Starfury x F!elf!MC

Indigo Night (ID) - Cassius Harlow x NB!MC, NB!OC

Répondez, s'il vous plaît! 3 (ILS/ID) - Various Pairings

Sophomore Secret (ILITW) - Dan Pierce x F!MC, M!OC

@angelasscribbles ✒️

A Fervid Fixation (TRR) Ⓜ️ - Drake Walker x MC

In Your Room (TRR) Ⓜ️- Drake Walker x Leo Rys

The Dark Kingdom (TRR) Ⓜ️ - Various Pairings

Dark Elf (TRR) Ⓜ️- Various Pairings

Heir Apparent (TRR) Ⓜ️- Drake Walker x MC, Liam Rys

@baldwinboy5ive 🎨

Blades Coffee Shop AU (BOLAS) - Aerin Valleros x MC

I Will Drag Him Back (BOLAS) - Tyril Starfury & Aerin Valleros

The Spray Bottle (BOLAS) - Imtura, Mal, Aerin

Aerin Instagram (BOLAS) - Aerin Valleros

The Prison Visit (BOLAS) - Aerin Valleros x MC

@cariantha ✒️

Accidental Valentine (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

If Only I Could (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Code Yellow (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

A Kiss on the Hand (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Daddy Distress (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

@inlocusmads ✒️

Intro To Negotiation Science (COP) - Trystan Thorne x F!MC

A Strange & Sudden Companionship (COP) - Trystan Thorne x F!MC

Cross Your Hearts & Set it Ablaze (COP) - Trystan Thorn x F!MC

Partner (Disambiguation) (COP) - Trystan Thorne x F!MC

New York, June 2014 (COP) - Trystan Thorne x F!MC

@jerzwriter ✒️

A Different Fate, Part 1 (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

What Happened in Vegas, Part 4 (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Abundance (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

The Perfect Gift (OH) - Tobias Carrick x F!MC

Take Me Out (COP) - Trystan Thorne x F!MC

@ladylamrian ✒️

Welcome to the World of Night (NB) - Nightbound MC

Bound by Fate (NB) - Nik Ryder x F!MC

A Meeting in Wyoming (NB) - Nik Ryder x F!MC

Wedding Proposal (NB) - Nik Ryder x F!MC

OC Headcanons (NB)

@liaromancewriter ✒️

Every Day (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Summer Romance (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Beautiful Stranger (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Sleeping Beauty (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Something to Talk About (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

@noesapphic ✒️

The Other Woman (D&D) - Roselyn Sinclaire, Ernest Sinclaire, Duke Richards

A Glimpse of Us (TRR/TRM) - Liam Rys & MC, Fabian Rys & MC

Barcelona | Prince Hamid (D&D) - Prince Hamid x MC

Worthy (TRR) Hana Lee x MC

The Cursed Heiress, Ch. 17 (D&D) - Mr. Sinclaire x F!OC

@peonierose ✒️

Losing Game - Part 1 (OH) - Bryce Lahela x F!OC

Nightbound AU vs. Hänsel & Gretel, Part 3 (NB) - OCs

Nightbound AU vs. Hänsel & Gretel, Part 2 (NB) - Nik Rider, F!MC, OCs

Once, Part 2 (TNA/OH) - Sam Dalton x F!MC

Hau’oli la Heleui (OH) - Bryce Lahela, F!OC, Keiki Lahela

@storyofmychoices ✒️

Go On, Feel It! (BOLAS) - Mal Volari x F!MC

Our Future Doctor (OH) - Bryce Lahela x F!OC

No Kissing! (COP) - Trystan Thorne x F!MC

Dance With Me (OH) - Bryce Lahela x F!MC

A Theif in the Gardens (BOLAS) - Mal Volari x F!MC

@tessa-liam ✒️

Memories (TRR) - Liam Rys x F!OC

The Sacrifice (TRR) - Liam Rys x F!OC

Regrets (TRR) - Liam Rys x F!OC

Old Habits Die Hard (TRR) - Liam Rys x F!OC

Turning the Page, Prologue (TRR) - Liam Rys x F!OC

@trappedinfanfiction ✒️

Brunette (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Crossroads (OH) Ⓜ️ - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

A New Neighbor (COP) - Trystan Thorne x F!MC

Midnight Talks (OH) - F!MC, Sienna Trinh

What's in a Name? (COP) - Trystan Thorne

@zealouscanonindeer ✒️

Together (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Company (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Locked In (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

20 Questions (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Long Overdue (OH) Ⓜ️- Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

[choicesjanuary2024]

MASTERLIST || WELCOME || PROMPTS || RULES || HOST

Listed in alphabetical order by artist name. If I missed adding one on this list, or missed reblogging, please let me know.

@aallotarenunelma

Chronicles of a Crimson Summer 11 (ID Fic & Edit, Cas x MC)

Songs that describe my pairings (ID & It Lives Songs)

@dutifullynuttywitch

Starlit night (WtD Fic, Troy x MC)

@inlocusmads

chosen family (CoP Fic, Trystan)

hello, goodbye ~ jimmy rose (CoP Fic, Jimmy)

laplace’s angel (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

meeting at a crosswalk (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

slam poetry (MAH Fic, Stevie x MC)

@jerzwriter

A Different Fate - Final Chapter (OPH Fic, Ethan x MC)

A Little Mess (OPH Edit, Tobias x MC)

A New Perspective (OPH Fic, Tobias x MC)

A Tipsy Winter Tale (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Clucking Amazing (OPH Edit, Ethan x MC)

Different Destinations (OPH Fic, Tobias x MC)

If the hat fits… (CoP Fic & Art Commission, Trystan x MC)

It Always Starts Somewhere…. (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Pen-sive (OPH Fic, Ethan x MC)

Pietro & Azul (OPH Fic, Tobias x MC)

Stress Reduction (OPH Fic, Tobias x MC)

The Morning (WtD Fic, Eli x MC)

Trystan’s 2023 Holiday Recap (CoP Edit, Trystan x MC)

Twenty-Five (WTD Fic, Troy & MC)

@ladylamrian

A Prince for the Holidays (Blades Fic, Aerin x MC)

His Barbie, Her Ken (Nightbound Fic, Nik x MC)

Loyal to be Royal (Nightbound Fic, Nik x MC, Garrus x MC)

@liaromancewriter

Daddy’s Girl (OPH Fic, Ethan x MC)

Making It Work (OPH Edit, Ethan x MC)

Miami Nights: Before and After (OPH Edit, Ethan x MC)

New Year Wishes (OPH Fic, Ethan x MC)

Whatever It Takes (OPH Edit, Ethan x MC)

@lilyoffandoms

Alex as the Winter Princess (Nightbound Art, MC)

Aerin x Raine (Blades Art, Aerin x MC)

Aerin x Raine (Blades Art, Aerin x MC)

Ash Clark (ILITW Art, OC)

Captain Pandrosion Elara (AtV Art, Sol, Meridian, Kepler, MC)

Casey MacTavish (OPH Art, MC)

Coffee Date(s) (CoP Art, Trystan x MC)

Detective Lilah Rose (CoP Art, MC)

Ethan (OPH Art)

Gabriel Rose (CoP Art)

Imtura Tal Kaelen (Blades)

Inspired by Mal x Daenarya (Blades Art, Mal x OC)

Kajsiab (Alpha Art, MC)

Kieran (TCH Art)

Lancelot x Guinevere Silhouette (Guinevere Art, Lancelot x MC)

Leaf, King of Birds (TCH Art)

Lilah Rose (CoP Art, MC)

Luca O'Rinn (ID MC)

Mal Volari (Blades Art)

Marianna Howard (Desire and Decorum Fanart, OC)

Nia Ellarious (Blades Art)

Nora Rose (CoP Art, MC)

Sabastyan Thorne Case File (CoP Art)

Saini Rusanen (ID Art, MC)

Tatum x Aubrey (FA Art, Tatum x MC)

Together We Win (Blades Art, MC)

Trystan (CoP Art)

Tyril Starfury (Blades Art)

Wallace (Blades Art)

@lovealexhunt

Happy New Year (RCD Fic & Art Commission, Thomas x MC)

Helios - Emma’s Arylu (TE Art, Familiar)

#plantlove (OPH Fic, Bryce x OC)

Post Christmas Bliss (RCD Art Commission, Thomas x MC)

Spread Joy #841 (Blades Edit, Mal)

Tuneless Wonders (TE, Fic & Art Commission)

Valax (Blades Art)

@peonyblossom

Hades of House Nightbloom (Blades Art Commission, MC)

I Wasn’t Built For Iceland (AME Fic, Carson x MC)

We’ll Figure It Out (Untamable Fic, Kit x MC)

@stars-are-within-me

In Her Arms (CoP Fic, Vasili, Juliana)

The Skies (Blades Fic, Imtura, Ventra)

@tess-liam

Turning the Page (TRR Fic, Liam x OC)

@thosehallowedhalls

A 2AM Christmas Tree Farm [1/2] (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Babysitting the Demonic Duo (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Home without - Part One (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Progression (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Tabloids, or a story in 5 headlines (CoP Fic, Trystan x Emma)

[aces-and-angels]

WIP Wednesday

fr this time! ty to @aallotarenunelma for tagging me! apologies for the delayed response- didn't have anything to share (till now)

here is a brief snippet of a blurb i'm working on for abel x m!mc ft. everybody's favorite badass, ✨jocelyn✨

---

A punch straight to the gut. Winded. That was it. Rowan supposed that was the best way to describe getting the air literally knocked out of him. Doubled over, he fell helplessly to his knees while Jocelyn stood above him, aloof as ever. 

“Get up, Burke. We’re not done yet,” she said boredly, as if she were next in line at the bank and not beating the absolute shit out of him.

Rowan let out a pained groan. “Give me a -hah- second. You punch hard.”

“You think those horrors we hunt are gonna go easy on you because you’ve got a weak stomach?”

“I think I can taste my stomach in my mouth,” he grumbled, pushing himself off the mat with strained effort. They’d spent the better half of the afternoon holed up at Westchester’s finest (and only) fitness center. A few locals trickled in here and there, but for the most part, they had the place all to themselves. The pungent, sweaty odor wafting through the room only got worse with time.

All the more reason to leave, Rowan thought. “Can we call it a day already? I don’t have another round in me.” 

Jocelyn’s eyes swept over him, assessing. “I’ll give you a five minute water break.”

“Are you fucking serious?”

“Four,” she warned, crossing her arms. “You wanna take the deal or-”

“Fine, fine-” he cut her off before the hopes of any break disappeared completely. “I’ll go refill my bottle.”

---

i'll pass the torch to @abelflints @inlocusmads and anyone else who sees this and needs an excuse to post that wip 🖤

[lilyoffandoms]

My February Challenge Masterlist

So January is done and I still need things to occupy my time while I’m laid up so onto the next challenge. A Choices February 2024, Choices Pride, and other fandom challenges seemed appropriate since I’ll go back to work right around the 14th so it gives me copious amounts of time to draw lovey dovey (platonic included) art for the season.

Trystan x Emma (CoP)

Based on the fic, The 2AM Christmas Tree Farm, by the extremely talented @thosehallowedhalls. Regrets, wishes granted, new regrets discovered, and best of all the most perfect mix of angst with happy endings.

Aiden x Evie (HSS)

Based on two lovely edits by @cadybear420. I’ve never played any of the HSS books but I’m incredibly tempted to give them a go based on this edit alone! Plus, Evie in a suit? Yes please (can’t wait to see you post that one)!

Kit x Jules (Untamable)

Based on the fic, We’ll Figure It Out, by @peonyblossom. Many of ya know I’m a sucker for cowboys and a select few (really all y’all know) I’m usually a sucker for books the fandom loves to hate. So this pairing was a no brainer for me. Cowboys? Check. Gay? Check. Fluff and picnics? Check. What’s not to love?

Daenarya x Maiele (Blades)

For me and for @storyofmychoices. Thanks for being so wonderful and creating Daenarya!

Imtura x Rán (Blades)

Based on the fic, Swordplay, by @trappedinfanfiction. If I’m a sucker for cowboys yall know I’m even more of a sucker for swordplay with a hot partner. And who wouldn’t want a little help learning that? Especially from Imtura!

Eva x Troy (WtD)

Based on Starlit Night by @dutifullynuttywitch. There is something so magical about friends bringing joy and comfort to each others lives before they become take the leap from friends to lovers. And if that comfort comes in the form of stargazing or even better, Aurora Borealis, sign me up!!

Ash x Skylar (ILITW)

Based on the fic, Répondez, S'il Vous Plaît ! 3, by @aallotarenunelma. Is there anything better than that moment before a first kiss? Well, other than the first kiss itself.

Trystan x Gabriel (CoP)

Dorian x Aerin (Blades)

Based on the fic, I Cannot Bear To Hold You With These Unworthy Hands, by @aria-ashryver. I title this art, Moments Before Disaster 😂 But seriously there is something so wonderful and tender in the moment when all seems right in the world. And for me, that moment is made all the better knowing it will be ripped away hehe (I’m sorry I’m like this).

Sloane Washington (PM)

For @sloanewashingtonappreciationweek day one.

Anna x Nyx (WT - lace)

Requested by @noesapphic for @choicespride Valentine’s event.

Early Morning Bryce

Based on this post.

Bryce x Jensen (OPH - bouquets)

Requested by @mydemonsdrivealimo for @choicespride Valentine’s Event.

Derek Taylor x Charlie Howard

For @tveitertotwrites as part of the @choicesfandomappreciation Secret Pal exchange.

Thomas x Jackie

Requested by @peonyblossom for @choicespride Valentine’s Event.

Mal x Daenarya

A gift for @storyofmychoices from @peonierose for the @choicesfandomappreciation Secret Pal Exchange. Based on this fic.

Tobias x Casey (OPH)

A birthday gift for @jerzwriter. Love ya babe 😘

Tyril x MC (Blades - dancing)

[gutsfics]

Not Gonna Take It Anymore

Fandom: It Lives Anthology / It Lives In The Woods (pre canon) Pairing: Noah Marshall x Devi Casil (M!MC) Rating: Teen Warnings: Minor canon atypical cursing, depiction of bullying Length: 783 words

Summary: It has been six years since Devi has said anything to anyone, and three years since he started getting bullied about it. He figures its high time he change that. Noah realizes something important about his relationship with Devi.

Cody was pushing Devi around.

Again.

It had started some time at the beginning of junior high, small things like tripping Devi in the hall between classes and stealing his gym clothes, until it gradually escalated over the years to now, nearly half way through freshman year of high school, openly smacking Devi's lunch tray out of his hands in front of the rest of the freshman student body. Cody shoves Devi for extra measure, and the thick rubber soles of Devi's boots slip on the now dirty floor, but he catches himself from falling.

Devi looks around, trying to get someone's attention, but even the nearest tables seem to be completely oblivious to what's happening.

"What are you gonna do about it, huh? Who are you gonna tell? That's right, fucking nobody!" Cody laughs and shoves Devi again, this time knocking him right into his spilled lunch.

That's it, Devi thought. Enough. He slowly pushes himself up to his feet as Cody swaggers away, cackling. When he tries to speak, the words catch in his throat. It had been nearly six years since he last spoke, after all. He coughs, trying to clear his throat.

Cody freezes, slowly turning back to Devi. "What? You finally got something to say?"

Devi nods, and clears his throat one more time. "Gargle my entire cock and balls."

It wasn't loud.

Devi couldn't be loud even if he wanted to. But even still, the shock of hearing the mute kid speak-- cuss, even-- sent ripples through the cafeteria. Everyone quieted, looking at him and Cody, who's face had flushed a deep, angry red.

And then, a noise broke the silence.

A few tables away, far enough that Devi hadn't seen him but close enough he heard Devi say it, Noah Marshall starts to laugh.

-

If you asked Noah to describe what he was feeling in the moment, he wouldn't be able to. How would you explain it to someone who didn't know? It was like he'd been drowning, for years, and was so used to the feeling that he hadn't realized until he started to breathe again. He hadn't heard Devi talk since Jane's funeral, and it wasn't hard to figure out he wasn't talking at all. So hearing Devi talk, to stand up for himself after being bullied for years.... God, Noah was giddy. He hadn't realized just how much he missed hearing Devi's voice, husky and crackly as it was from years of disuse. It made him ache all over. It was weird, but a good weird, like coming home from a very long trip and curling up in your own bed and drifting right to sleep. How would he describe hearing, for the first time in years, the voice of the boy he loved?

Loved.

Noah's jaw clamped shut, and he was thankful that the chatter had picked back up so no one heard him abruptly stop laughing.

Loved?

Did he... love Devi Casil?

No, of course he didn't. He was fucking pissed at Devi for leaving him when he needed him the most. He surely didn't love him. ....did he?

Noah swallowed, gripping his plastic fork so hard it cracked down the middle.

Was that really what that was he felt toward Devi, love? Not jealousy that his sister had a new friend? Maybe it was both. Maybe he had been jealous of Devi, that Jane had been spending all her time with someone else, someone new, telling him the sort of secrets they used to tell each other. And at the same time, maybe he was jealous of Jane, for getting to have a relationship with Devi as deep as it was. The whole group had been very tight-knit as kids, but there was no denying that Jane and Devi had something none of the others did. They'd held hands when they thought no one was looking, lied in the grass next to each other, heads touching ever so slightly. And, god, that promise Devi made to Jane on their eighth birthday when he gave her that whistle, that no matter what, he'd protect her.

Some fucking promise, Noah thought, sourly. But even as he tried to focus on that deep-seeded anger he'd felt all these years, he couldn't ignore the way his heart pounded in his chest and his palms started to sweat when he thought about Devi.

He took a deep breath.

Six years was long enough, he needed Devi back in his life.

Exhaling slowly, he turned back to where Devi and Cody had been, hoping to catch Devi's eye.

Instead he'd turned just in time to see Devi getting dropped, head first, into a half-full trash can.

[choicesflashfics]

Here is the masterlist of the holiday fics from the Flashifcs Holiday Prompt event. Thank you to everyone who participated and/or shared for others to see!

A Meeting in Wyoming - @ladylamrian (Nightbound; Nik Ryder x F!MC)

Holiday Shopping - @rosepetals1 (Perfect Match; Hayden Young x F!MC)

Christmas Tree Dilemma - @rosepetals1 (Perfect Match; Hayden Young x F!MC)

Turning the Page Chapter 7: Because I Love You - @tessa-liam (The Royal Romance; Liam x F!MC)

Under the Mistletoe - @liaromancewriter (Open Heart; Ethan Ramsey x F!MC)

Dashing Through the Snow - @kristinamae093 (The Royal Romance; Liam x F!OC)

Turning the Page Chapter 8: Home is Where the Heart Is - @tessa-liam (The Royal Romance; Liam x F!MC)

Favors - @cariantha (Open Heart; Ethan Ramsey x F!MC)

Blame It On The Mistletoe - @kristinamae093 (The Royal Romance; Liam x F!OC)

Beneath the Mistletoe - @storyofmychoices (Blades of Light and Shadow; F!MC x OC / Mal Volari x Tyril Starfury / Mal Volari x F!MC / Tyril Starfury x OC)

Holiday Cheer - @storyofmychoices (Open Heart; Bryce Lahela x F!OC / Ethan Ramsey x F!MC / Tobias Carrick x F!MC)

Jouluyö - Christmas Night - @aalltarenunelma (Immortal Desires, ILITW, ILB Crossover; Multiple Pairings)

Impossibly Perfect - @storyofmychoices (Open Heart; Bryce Lahela x F!OC)

You’re All I Need - @liaromancewriter (Open Heart; Ethan Ramsey x F!MC)

Marabelle Chapter 8: A Princess for a Prince - @tessa-liam (The Royal Romance; Liam x F!OC)

Traditions - @bebepac (The Royal Romance; Liam x F!MC)

Peppermint Kisses - @peonierose (Crimes of Passion; Trystan Thorne x F!MC)

Snowed in at the Cabin - @aallotarenunelma (It Lives; Lincoln McQuoid x NB!MC)

Making It Work - @liaromancewriter (Open Heart; Ethan Ramsey x F!MC)

[saibug1022]

The Sun's Final Breath

Word Count: 1352

Lincoln McQuoid and Castor Athantis/Castor Athantis x Abel Flint

A/N: I'm in the It Lives Within Discord server and we were talking about the timekeeper riddle and someone in the server came up with the idea of Lincoln using the watch to save someone from dying and bam, this was created. So. Shoutout, as always, to the @itlivesproject

"CASTOR!!!"

The first thing Lincoln processed from that scream was the pain in it. It was sharp and heart-wrenching, the kind of pain Lincoln had never heard before. But he had felt it before. It was the pain that came with death.

The second thing was that it was Amalia screaming. For some reason, in the middle of this insane battle, Amalia was screaming, screaming in pain.

It was only then Lincoln processed the name she'd cried.

It was like he'd been punched in the gut. All the wind was knocked out of him all at once and he forgot the fight entirely as he turned to try and find the Anchor in question. Before he could something heavy slammed into him and knocked him to the ground but he barely looked at it before throwing it off him and stomping on its skull hard enough that the golden lights in the bone dog's eyes went out immediately. 

When he looked around again he didn't see Castor anywhere on the battlefield. What he did see was Amalia in a desperate and rage-fueled battle with Marianthe. Every move Amalia made was powerful and lethal. One swing of her staff would have killed the blonde except she managed to avoid every strike or deflect it with the dagger in her hand. The dagger they'd given her. The dagger currently soaked in blood. 

Behind them, Lincoln could just see Abel on the ground on his knees. For one horrible moment, Lincoln's blood turned to ice as he realized the blood on that knife could be Abel's. The feeling didn't go away as he got closer and he heard Abel's voice, or when he saw what Abel was hovering over. Not who. What.

"No no no, come on sweetheart," Abel was pleading as he desperately tried to perform CPR. His hands and sweater were soaked with blood but it wasn't his. "Please, no, I can't lose you too, I can't, come back to me."

But Castor's body was still. No matter Abel's best efforts their chest refused to rise. Their fingers didn't twitch. Their eyes didn't blink. Their eyes, God, their eyes. Lincoln didn't love them as Abel did but he could appreciate how beautiful their eyes were. Not just because of the color but because of how much Castor was there. There was so much life, excitement, energy, warmth, and genuine love for the world around them. A world that was horrible to them their entire life but they would still give anything to save.

Even if it left those stunning eyes lifeless. 

Lincoln could tell just from that. There was no bringing them back.

Castor Athantis was dead.

He just stood there frozen. All the fight was gone as he just stared. He couldn't speak or move. It was like the entire battle faded away to just Castor. No. Not Castor. Castor's body. 

Lincoln didn't notice Marianthe's scream as she died with Amalia's spear in her chest. He didn't notice as the battle ended and the rest of their friends surrounded them. 

Then something like an electric shock went through him, snapping him to attention. He noticed Connor on his knees, shoulders shaking with silent sobs as he gently reached over and pushed up Castor's glasses so he could close their eyes before lovingly putting their glasses back in place. He noticed Amalia collapse on the ground with painful cries wracking her body as she gathered Castor's body into her arms. He saw Abel struggling against Jocelyn who had tears on her face as she tried to restrain him despite his pleas.

"Let me go!" Abel demanded. "I have to help them, I have to-"

Lincoln kneeled next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Abel turned to look at him and the expression of grief tangled with some far-fetched hope was all too familiar on his face. Lincoln hated that he had to be the one to crush it. 

"They're gone, Abel," Lincoln said. It was like the life drained out of Abel too as he just collapsed right there, like a puppet without its strings. Lincoln wrapped his arms around his shoulders and Abel clung to the back of Lincoln's shirt, face buried in his shoulder. He wasn't even crying just…shaking. "It'll be okay. It doesn't feel like it but it will. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere, not this time." 

"Promise?" Abel's voice was smaller than it ever should be.

"I promise."

Abel just nodded as he held onto Lincoln like a drowning man. He still wasn't crying and Lincoln didn't know if that was good or bad. He just sat there and trembled. Lincoln could feel his own tears though, tears he didn't even bother fighting because one of his best friends was a goddamn corpse on the ground, leaving a puddle of blood they were all kneeling in. They'd won the battle but with the blood on their hands, it didn't feel like it. 

"Lincoln," Noah's voice broke as he said his name, and Lincoln looked up. But he didn't meet his eyes. Instead, Noah pointed, down, and when Lincoln looked he saw a blue glow coming from his pocket. He didn't have anything in his pocket. But he reached in and pulled out the pocket watch which was humming and glowing with power right there in his hand. 

"What the hell?" Lincoln muttered. Not sure what else to do he hit the little button at the top and the watch popped open.

Then everything went to hell.

A blinding blue flash lit up the woods, forcing Lincoln to close his eyes or risk some sort of blindness. He could feel the surge of power too. He felt it through his entire body like electricity in his very veins, all from the little pocket watch in his hands. 

The light faded and Lincoln heard voices. But it wasn't the quiet and broken voices of people in grief. It was laughter and teasing, though there was a slight nervousness in the air. 

Lincoln opened his eyes and instead of kneeling on the blood-soaked ground with a broken Abel in his arms, he was standing in the lively kitchen of Connor's cabin. His friends were bustling around, gathering weapons and packing duffel bags.

"Val you can't bring the axe," Noah sighed.

"I don't see why not," Val scoffed and crossed his arms.

"Because the horrors are people, you could kill them," Connor pointed out. "If I thought I could I'd make you leave the bat too."

"No man can get between me and Daisy," Val rolled his eyes.

Lincoln watched the exchange with wide eyes. It was the exact conversation they'd had before leaving for the fight. Word for word, movement for movement. How was this possible? What the hell was happening?!

"Yo, Lincoln," A painfully familiar voice spoke and Lincoln whipped around to see Castor Athantis tilting their head at curiously, their expression clouded with worry. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost, and if you have then you really need to fill us in."

"Castor?" Lincoln just stood there staring like an idiot. This wasn't possible. Everything was exactly the same as that afternoon. The bruises and scratches from the fight were gone, and Castor's blood on his clothes and hands was gone too. The only difference was that he still had the pocket watch open in his hand. 

"Yeah?" Castor smiled. 

"You're okay," Lincoln said dumbly. 

"'Course I'm okay," Castor frowned a little. "Are you?"

Lincoln moved before he thought, pulling Castor into a hug that had their chests pressed together tight enough he could feel their heartbeat. He let his face fall to Castor’s shoulder and he focused on the heartbeat. They were alive.

Somehow, that damn pocket watch let him go back in fucking time. He didn't know why and he didn't know how but he didn't give a shit. He had a second chance. A chance to save his friend. He wouldn't fail them, not again. He was going to protect them or he was going to die fucking trying.

[jocelynwus]

every noah marshall fanfic

under the cut are all the noah marshall fanfics i could find. all respective authors are credited—and massive thanks for their works <3 (and if you'd like me to take it off this list pls lmk!) ps — lmk if i missed some and feel free to tag me in any new fics !

key [editor’s note]  ★ personal fav (BUT THEY ARE ALL GOOD NOAH STANS ARE FR TALENTED) 

a promise by @heartofarcanum

It was no one’s fault really. It was this thing that lived in the woods. This force, this power, corrupting souls left and right. It had ruined lives for centuries, but Jamie wasn’t about to let it ruin Noah’s any further.

★ a seed planted by @galpalaven

In that little bit of time before everything came crashing down, they did make a memory or two. Or, alcohol and high school bullies can make for a nice night, once in a blue moon.

after everything by pinkiegladysgutzman

Noah gives an update on how Connor's doing. Takes place after It Lives Beneath. For everyone who chose Connor because Noah wasn't an option.

as orpheus to eurydice by galpalaven

A story fit for the temples of Ancient Greece and the campfires on the battlefields of Rome, Noah Marshall does the impossible for the only person he's ever truly loved. Noah brings his best friend back from the dead, and lives to tell the tale.

★ brown eyes and cheap whiskey by anonymous :( 

Devon still hates whiskey, and always will. It’s just that.. it’s taste is sweeter, somehow, after it’s passed through Noah’s lips.

★ despair by linkysmommy

Noah experiences the emotional aftermath of MC sacrificing herself to save him and Jane.

everything i couldn’t see before by @hold-me-tight-big-boat

This started as a little drabble based on the soulmate au that the world is black and white until you meet your soulmate then quickly turned into something I could imagine as possibly the introduction for It Lives Book Three. I took the idea that it’d take place in the mountains and kinda ran with it. Seeing as it’s possible for both MCs from book one and two to be dead, there’s also a new MC. 

★ green light by @stayfallentasticc

Noah sees a familiar face in art class; a face he knows all so well. 

head over heels for you by @stunningstans

Takes place during the development of Noah and MC’s relationship. Basically, it’s just fluff.

★ i bet you look good on the dancefloor by @cryinginthebackseat

She rolled her eyes. “You heard me the first time, Marshall. Pretty please? Come on, consider this as our way to celebrate Redfield’s defeat!” Jesus, since when did he celebrate something in general? And now to dance? Amongst the crowd and with her no less? Noah’s head said hard no, he already had a myriad of thoughts in his mind right now, he couldn’t afford getting distracted and when there were feelings in the way, he feared if he couldn’t trust himself to keep his emotion in check. Yet his heart said otherwise. This was Zoey, Noah could never deny her. He would never deny her anything, especially when this could be their last moment on good terms together.

if only by stayfallentasticc

(Written in Noah’s Perspective) Noah finds himself falling for his best friend, but finds himself in denial. How will he react when he confirms MC is dating someone else? 

it lives again by a_sprinkle_of_glitter

last year, dollie sacrificed herself for noah and jane marshall in the hopes of putting an end to the terror in westchester. after a year of nightmares and running from his mistakes, noah has come home. haunted by the memory of his sister and the girl he betrayed (or maybe they're actually haunting him. he doesn't know anymore), he's determined to set things right. he wants to find a way to bring her back, but he'll settle for releasing her from whatever power holds her and giving her rest.

ilitw fic by @it-lives-in-westchester

This is how I personally think MC and Redfield!Noah first meeting went.

★ it lives in the woods by machinehead

[retelling with noah as love interest] 

★ it lives in the woods by @lovelahela

[retelling with noah as presumed li]

it lives everywhere (a collection of it lives au fics) by nitelunne

it lives within us: an it lives retelling by nitelunne 

★ juxtaposed with you  by @moonydaydreams

Lighting never strikes in the same place twice, but a second chance does. Even for someone like Noah Marshall.

late nights by @rainesclan

After an argument between the group, Noah stops by late one night to brainstorm with MC (Kayleigh) about the situation with Redfield.

lighthouse by stayfallentasticc

[dan x noah x mc] Stacy gives Noah the advice to tell Her. He figures he will one day, just not today. Soon after, he finds out - he should’ve. 

★ like happiness by @livesbeneath

she assumes that’s what he’s practicing now; recipes he’s perfected a hundred times over. in this respect, good enough will never be good enough for him. he has more drive than most give him credit for, and without that drive, baby jane’s would be nothing more than a thought scribbled down on a notepad.

lost and found by anonymous

"What do you want from me?!" he shouts. "Why can't I just let you go?" You don't want to let her go, the better part of him says. You know what you have to do.

★ once, twice, forever (although nothing ever lasts that long) by @yawninginf

And while the shadows might still be the same, their inhabitant has changed. And this monster can still recognize the gaze piercing through its darkness. Those eyes… They're familiar. aka: time after that fateful night of homecoming barely passed, until mc (female Devon) returned to find what remained of the one left behind

★ percolating gently by @slothgiirl

au in which jane marshall lives and mc and noah and jane run off to live happily ever after a family of three

pricks and needles by stayfallentasticc

Follows immediately after the end of the latest chapter. MC discovers that Redfield was Jane all along. Will Noah succumb to the darkness that beckons him? Or will MC manage to help him?

★ six feet between by livesbeneath

to be caught trespassing in a cemetery is bad enough without a preceding criminal record. he knows visiting westchester is risky, and that being out in the open isn’t the smartest idea, but he finds it somewhat therapeutic, maybe in a sickening way, to occasionally come full circle after his stops at the ruins. 

★ sharp objects by livesbeneath

noah attempts to avoid bringing feelings to light as the gang marches on redfield a final time.

toss your dirty shoes (in my washing machine heart) by slothgiirl

[connor x mc x noah] mc is planning her wedding to connor and things happen. good things.

★ the end of all things by livesbeneath

it’s three am, and her laugh is in his head. it almost makes him want to live.

the night devon died by @pixelberryjungkook

[drabble]  This is a little account of the night Devon died and took Jane's place (from the perspective of Noah).

the time that came between (+part 2) by linkysmommy

What happened to Noah after Jazmyn Park sacrificed herself and he fled Westchester?

the train ride home is invalid by stayfallenstasticc

[dan x mc x noah] Dan and MC have been dating for quite some time. However, after a football game, Noah decides to tell Dan something important (that he has feelings for MC). 

the road that leads to you by stayfallentasticc

[dan x mc x noah // mainly a dan/mc fit but there are some good noah mc crumbs, such as “Noah’s face brightens, a flash of happiness that Dan hasn’t seen before evident in his face.”] The development of Dan and MC’s relationship; a deeper look into how Dan falls for MC and MC as a whole. The green, red lights and stop signs of their relationship. 

someday by nocturnalknight

Jun confesses. Noah runs. Neither of them can escape their demons, or forget about each other. The span of a years-long yearning.

weekends in westchester by @twyrinehaze

Noah and Devon through 3 different Saturdays, and 3 different years.

what if this storm ends (and i don’t see you) by @zekedorian

set in chapter 14, when the gang is on their way to confront redfield for the final time.

you will never walk alone by @noahpologiste

Right after chapter 8, “Breakdown.”

desperately, desperately by leovaldezismycomfortcharacter

Devon finds it hard to breathe while his friends argue.

friends by @robbiessutcliffe

After Alexei sacrificed himself to take Jane’s place, Noah felt that it was his fault. So a year later, he finds himself going back to the woods. This has been going on for a while, but one day… He's spotted.

forever by @littlebirdofprey

Set before the beginning of It Lives In The Woods during the end of their junior year, Victor wants to reconnect with Noah but doesn't know how.

judas’ kiss by @professor-abeloved

After years of fighting for his life, you finally see him—your best friend, made blood and flesh and bone once more. The reason you've working non-stop for years; the reason your heart beats in anticipation, waiting for the day his own comes to life. The reason the rest of your friends are dead.

of what was everything by littlebirdofprey

Trying anything and everything to help keep Noah as much himself as possible, Victor plays Noah some of his favourite music.

the misfortunes of shadow boy by paperdreams123

Fletcher Blackwood knows that he is still in there, somewhere. And that is all he needs.

the only way is forward by littlebirdofprey

set during ch.19 of It Lives Within. Victor tries to cheer up Noah about food not tasting right since his resurrection

there for you by robbiessutcliffe

Things have been getting harder for Noah at home with everything going on… So who better to go to than his most trusted friend, Alexei?

snowflake kisses by professor-abeloved

Devon's first time in the snow again, was both a familiar memory and a strange dream, realer than anything in the past few months. (It's as if the more things changed, the more they stayed the same.)

run boy run by robbiessutcliffe

This talks about the ending of ILITW, after MC (named Alexei, in this) sacrifices themself.

we lived by dvnlln 

you’re not alone by writerofdoom

Noah attempts to reconcile with the one person he hurt the most.

a collection of fics written by @julia-highstorms

★ home is six feet under by stayfallentasticc

Noah can sense whenever MC (you) is upset. You find solace in the safety in his arms, but you can’t shake off the feeling in the pit of your stomach.

live. die. repeat. by slothgiirl

★ maybe together we can get somewhere by slothgiirl

the gang finds out noah is alive. he and mc have built a life together while no one was paying attention 

★ nothings going to take you from my side by slothgiirl

in which mc deals with the fallout of redfield/jane all while reconnecting with the boy they thought they’d lost forever.

take a deep breath baby by slothgiirl

Noah figures out how to make things right.

the one where mc communes with her ghost boyfriend noah by @slothgiirl

★ the one where noah marshall saves mc by slothgiirl

things you said with too many miles between us by @shreyamistry

through the trees by stayfallentasticc

Noah and MC have drifted apart, will the confrontation leave both sides with answers. 

realizing you’ve fallen in love by shreymistry

Here I bring to you, Ava, Andy, Stacy, Lucas, Lily, Noah, and Dan x MC mini fics!

★ what could have been us by xclipsx

A collection of Noah X MC draft fanfics, I've been keeping ever since the book ended.  whistle me a silent memory There’s so much you wish you could tell them. How much you wished to hear Jane’s laughter one last time. How much you wished to tell Noah just how you felt about him for 12 years. be my endgame Confessing how you feel about your bestfriend turned stranger is kinda hard. Not to mention you're both tired, depressed and awkward around each other. Damn, when can ya'll have a break? “To lay my life for you in a heartbeat. So, what I’m trying to say is that you, Noah Marshall, are my best friend, my most trusted confidant, my rock, my world, my endgame.” ★ rest and peace Relationship established. Kiss Noah Marshall. Fall asleep. In which you stay at home, down with the sickies and Noah tries to be a good best friend but with kisses. [ps. when you're done, listen to this song. thank me later.]

valentine’s day by shreymistry

How you spend Valentine’s Day together. 

again by swansongdive

Tunia Vance didn't believe that the boy wandering around in a red beanie was a murderer. Even as she talks to the ghost of his victim, she doesn't believe it.

★ amen, amen by @littlecrookedheart

[psychological fiction] This takes place 14 years after Jane’s death and roughly 5 years after the events in ILITW. Noah is 22 years old.

another memory by andytomoichi

In the woods, the only thing easier than time to lose track of was memory.

dead and gone by @itspixelberrychoicestime

Being the only one alive, Noah has to face everything he caused. So, what did he do? He ran.

deep run by livon

Sometimes small towns are normal and then sometimes, there are vampires.

ghost pizzas by @skyecrandall

[male mc]  Noah believes that they should try and tame Jane. But will it all go according to plan?

ilitw reunion fic by it-lives-in-westchester

ILITW Gang meets Redfield!Noah again after the events of It Lives Beneath. It's awkward as hell but what did everyone expect 

meet me by the woods by forestfire34720 

“Meet me by the woods. One hour. Tell no one. There’s something you all need to see.” In which Andy, Dan, Stacy, Lucas, Ava, and Lily learn that one friend isn’t quite so unforgivable and another friend may be dead but isn’t lost yet.

the thing about grief by @edeanglory

a look into noah marshall’s grief

lame excuses by somethinginwater

[drabble]  “You use, don’t you?”

★ promises by it-lives-in-westchester

Noah gets caught after attempting to vandalize a house when he was 12, and he has to deal with the consequences idk what else to summarize as it is.

★ seven by anonymous 

He sits alone. Thinking. Thinking far too much. He taps his finger on the table. Sighs. Stares into his coffee, an abyss. One year ago today, seven lives were lost. And he has the blood of all seven on his hands.

untitled? by shreyamistry

Stacy beats Noah the fuCK up! And rest the gang is present. Except for Redfield MC who is in the ruins being sad and lonely and well dead.

anymore i may have missed

⤷ https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Noah%20Marshall/works