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whump-me · 8 months

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Conquest, Chapter 7: A Taste of Courage

Chapter 7 of Conquest, a novel-length fantasy whump story about a timid royal clerk captured by the disgraced prince who needs their help to rule their newly conquered country. This series is best read in order. Masterpost here.

Contains: fantasy setting, nonbinary whumpee, male whumper, fearful whumpee, defiant whumpee, royal whumper, whumper POV, whumpee on display for a crowd, degradation

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Kezul

The assembled Wolves crowed and slapped their thighs. Their disappointment at being denied their chance to play bloody games with Mir vanished in an instant as they watched the drama playing out in the front of them. Kezul had intended the question to be for Mir alone, but of course it was impossible not to have an audience in a room with acoustics like this one. The concerts must have been incredible, but apparently the people of Danelor hadn’t cared overly much about keeping secrets.

From the look of the Wolves, and the sound of their laughter, Kezul’s plans for making Mir serve as their entertainment no longer mattered. This was all the entertainment they needed. And Kezul would have been fooling himself if he didn’t admit that most of their laughter was at his expense.

They would never have dared to laugh at Vorhullin the Unmaker like this. Then again, they would never have gotten the chance. Mir’s head would have been rolling across the floor before they had a chance to finish voicing their refusal. That would have served as entertainment of a different sort. Kezul could give them that, of course. He could make them cheer in delight at a bloody spectacle, instead of letting them look at him like he was the entertainment here. But that would mean depriving himself of a resource he still had no idea how to replace.

“I haven’t shown you a fraction of what I can do to you,” Kezul hissed in Mir’s ear—but of course he knew every whisper traveled at least halfway across the room. “I’ve shown you far more mercy than you deserve. I brought you out of the courtyard. I gave you a job scrubbing the floors, and asked you to play music. How many prisoners do you think would kill for work as easy as that, lives as easy as that? I can easily show you what you’re missing. Reconsider your answer.”

Mir trembled harder. Kezul didn’t know how they kept their footing while shaking like that. But they shook their head again—and stared into Kezul’s eyes while they did, which made a burning seed of rage grow in Kezul’s knotted guts.

“I won’t give you my people’s souls when you’ve already taken everything else,” Mir said. Although their voice was quiet, Kezul had no doubt that it reached his Wolves’ ears as well as his own. Especially once they let out cheers of voyeuristic delight.

“I won’t help you mock the people you… you slaughtered,” Mir continued. “It’s bad enough that I cleaned their blood off the floors for you.” They swallowed. “I may be your prisoner, but I do not belong to you. And neither does Danelor.”

Laughter echoed off the walls until the air was thick with it. One Wolf jokingly suggested that the two of them should get out weapons and fight for the evening’s entertainment. A few more offered to place their bets on Mir.

Kezul’s pulse throbbed in the sides of his head. He forced himself to look away from the sea of Wolves and focus only on Mir. The sight of the prisoner clarified his tangled feelings into a single sharp pinpoint of fury.

“You know I could kill you right now,” he said. “I could do it so quickly you wouldn’t know what had happened. Or I could do it slowly enough to make you wish I had left you in the courtyard with my Wolves. And everyone in this room would cheer to see it.”

“I know.” Mir’s voice was barely above a whisper, but their eyes met Kezul’s in what had to be a challenge.

Kezul grabbed Mir’s braid and yanked it sharply upward until Mir let out a strangled whimper of pain and finally lowered their head. He held Mir’s head there as he spoke. “Do you expect me to believe that doesn’t scare you?”

Mir didn’t answer. They didn’t have to. Their trembling was answer enough.

“Our exalted ruler,” came a mocking voice from the back of the room. “After his reputation on the battlefield, should we be surprised that he can’t win a fight against a single defeated prisoner? His father should name him Kezul the Defeated.”

Kezul could stop himself from looking at the Wolves, but there was nothing he could do to block out their voices. He couldn’t even see who had spoken, so he couldn’t make an example of the speaker. Not that it would do anything but prove himself to be fragile and easily wounded by mocking words.

Fury and shame mingled in his blood until he could no longer tell which was which. They burned in his veins and prickled at the underside of his skin. He thought he might catch fire here and now, and send the whole place up like a blazing torch.

Truth be told, the world would probably be better for it. Only a few days in this place, and already it had proved to be nothing but one headache after another. If he burned the place down, his father would owe him a debt of gratitude. He probably would be grateful, at least if Kezul went up in flames along with all the rest.

“Get on your knees,” he ordered Mir, his voice a low and furious rumble.

Mir’s braid twitched in Kezul’s hand as Mir trembled harder against his grip. But they pulled their shoulders back in a gesture of quiet but unmistakable defiance. And then—the final insult—they looked up through their eyelashes, with their head still forcibly lowered, and met Kezul’s eyes again.

Kezul let go of Mir’s braid. He slammed his fist into Mir’s jaw, and kicked viciously at the side of their knee at the same moment. Mir sprawled across the floor. They stared up at Kezul, their eyes wide with sudden animal terror.

Kezul grabbed hold of Mir’s upper arms and pulled them to their knees. Before they could think about getting back on their feet and demonstrating their defiance one more time, Kezul drew the sword at his side and rested the edge under Mir’s throat. The blade forced Mir’s head up so their eyes met again, but Kezul didn’t mind, because this time, Mir’s eyes were wet with terror.

As they should be.

“You don’t want to die,” said Kezul. “You would rather run and hide than face death on your own terms. You would do anything to hold on to your miserable life for a few more seconds. Otherwise, you would have defended your queen when it mattered.”

A shudder ran through Mir. They didn’t say a word.

“You debased yourself once already to save your own skin,” said Kezul. “So do it again. Beg me for your life, prisoner. And make it amusing. If you won’t entertain us by playing us a song, you’ll do it this way.”

Mir kept on shivering, but they didn’t speak. Had Kezul terrified them so badly they couldn’t remember how to form words?

Or were they still holding on to this futile defiance, this stubborn spite? Had they found their courage too late to die like a human instead of a panicked animal, but just in time to ensure the Wolves in the room got their fill of laughter at Kezul’s expense?

Kezul the Defeated. If Mir handed him his second defeat here, he would never live the title down. And this time, it wasn’t him against an enemy army five times the size of his, but him against one coward of a prisoner.

He pressed the blade harder into Mir’s skin, hard enough to draw a thin line of blood. Mir let out a noise that started as a hiss and ended as a whimper. Red dripped down their neck to stain their collar.

“You can start with please,” said Kezul, baring his teeth.

When Mir paused to draw in a breath, Kezul knew he was in trouble. His gut churned as if he were standing on a high ledge and staring down into the abyss below.

“If you want to kill me, then do it.” Mir’s eyes were still animal-wild. Their voice nothing like the one they had used to deliver their calm, quiet speech in the throne room about their role in the palace. Their words had, if anything, grown more scholarly and archaic. “Take my blood, if you want it so badly, because you won’t get anything else from me. Not my music. Not my pen. Not my hands to scrub away the blood you spilled—not anymore.” They burst into high, thin laughter that didn’t sound the least bit saying. “Take the life you went to all this trouble to save, if it’s so worthless to you. Go on! Do it!”

Laughter shook their quivering frame as they pushed themselves up from their knees. Their neck pressed against the blade. Kezul didn’t know whether they intended to slit their own throat on it, or if their mind was so badly scrambled that they had forgotten about the blade entirely in their haste to stand. Either way, a fresh line of blood dribbled across the metal before Kezul could yank it back.

Mir swayed on unsteady legs, like a drunk walking the steep mountain paths home in the moonlight. Their eyes held no trace of rational thought. The coward had gotten a taste of courage, and they had found it intoxicating. They had the look of a tame animal escaping for the first time and going mad with freedom. It would have been the kindest thing for all concerned to put an arrow between their eyes. Like his father’s guards had done to the royal pet wolf that had gotten its first taste of blood and stalked the palace searching for more.

The Wolves, of course, found this endlessly entertaining. Kezul hadn’t heard these kinds of cheers since Szorrol’s coming of age. If only he could tell himself they were cheering for him.

“So there’s a warrior in the mouse after all!” one Wolf called.

“More of a warrior in him than in the Unmaker’s son.”

“Give the prisoner the crown,” a loud and sneering voice suggested. “He’s more the Unmaker’s son than the other one is.”

Kezul was going to lose them. He felt it in his bones, like the floor had tilted under him, tipping him precariously toward the void. His hold on them had been precarious to begin with. Yes, they had prostrated themselves that his feet, but underneath, they all knew his reputation. They had all been waiting to see what kind of ruler he would be.

If they thought he couldn’t keep control of a single prisoner—this prisoner, no less—they would never take orders from him again. And then, whether he managed to learn how to rule this place or not, he stood no chance of passing his father’s test. If his Wolves were kind, one of them would slit his throat while he slept. If not, he would remain alive to watch his last chance to prove himself crumble out from under his feet. He would witness his second defeat, and it would be as slow as it was cruel. And there would be no coming back from this one.

In that moment, the thing that made the fury rise up his neck and into his head until his vision turned red wasn’t Mir’s useless, spiteful defiance. Nor was it the impossible task his father had set him. No, it was the food. Those foul-smelling bowls of beans that sat on the floor as his Wolves waited for his permission to eat. After this, there would only be a few unappetizing scraps of food left in the palace, aside from the dwindling rations they had brought with them. Possibly the last scraps of food for miles.

At Gyoras’s urging, he had allowed them to waste it like this. They wanted their victory feast, even though they themselves had won no victory. They wanted the display of power and wealth, even though they didn’t have the latter and Kezul wasn’t so sure about the former. They were wondering why he was denying them their celebration, Gyoras had said. They were wondering if it signaled a doubt in his ability to maintain their rule.

So he had given it to them. He had chosen future starvation over the risk that they would slip from his grasp, because he suspected food would be easier to replace than respect. And it had been for nothing. The food was lost, and so was the respect.

This would never have happened if he hadn’t wasted his time with the prisoner in the first place. He should have just sent them back to the Wolves who wanted to play with them. Then they would never have had the chance to defy him like this, to undermine him like this. And it would have been a chance to throw his Wolves a bone. How was he to have expected such a weak, sniveling creature to discover a reservoir of strength at such an inopportune moment?

Perhaps it was his own temper that had done it. Mir wasn’t the only one who had acted out of spite. It was Kezul’s anger at Mir’s initial refusal that had made him set them to scrubbing the floors, and drag them in front of the Wolves to perform. Maybe he had cost himself his chance to keep control of his Wolves. Maybe his father was right, and he didn’t deserve to rule.

No. His hands tightened into fists. No, this wasn’t his doing. He had offered Mir a good deal, far better than they had any right to expect. They had been about to die, slowly and without dignity, for the entertainment of his Wolves. Mir should have fallen at his feet in gratitude. But no, they had stared into Kezul’s eyes as they had explained why exactly they owed him nothing and would give him nothing. As if Kezul didn’t hold their very life in his hands.

Mir had snatched away his chance to pass this test. He had done it twice over now—first when they had refused to put their knowledge to work for him, and second when they had set Kezul’s wolves against him. Such a tiny thing, that single word of refusal—and one with such massive consequences.

But Kezul would not be the only one to bear those consequences. He would make sure of it.

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Tagged: @suspicious-whumping-egg @halloiambored @whump-in-the-closet @whump-cravings @gala1981 @sunshiline-writes @annablogsposts @whither-wander-whump @seaweed-is-cool @bloodinkandashes @sonder35

#whump #whump writing #whump story #whump novel #my writing #my writing: Conquest #fantasy whump #royal whump #nonbinary whumpee

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bee-barnes-author · 5 months

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Dead Darlings Tag

Tagged by @tabswrites

Tagging: @coffeewritesfiction @vivrune @violeaes @tombstuck @ellierenae @milkhoney531 @amandacanwrite @leahkentwriter @pheita @following-the-drum @sirensatyr and an open tag for anyone else!

Rules: Share a part of your writing you love that got cut for the greater good. It doesn't matter if it's a line or a paragraph. It doesn't matter if you might work it back in. If it's not currently in a WIP and you want to share, please do.

Deleted excerpt from 'The Beast in the Glass House' (it's a long one!)

Elijah doesn’t take it well when I tell him I’ll be staying behind this moon cycle, leaving him in charge of the pack while I’m here. “Seriously? You won’t be there? Well, what the hell are you doing instead?”

“I’m attending a Halloween party with Freya and her friends.” I say, cool toned and firm in my phrasing. My little brother can’t talk me out of this one. I’m confident in my position. This is the right path for me.

Elijah gapes at me like I’ve spontaneously sprouted a second head on my shoulders. “How are you going to do that? It’s the first night.”

“I’ll be fine. We’ll leave the party before the moon is even an issue for me.” I wave his concerns off. “Haven’t I proven my control?”

His lips twitch like he has a thousand words to say, but after a moment he finally lands on, “Do you want me here as backup?”

I shake my head. “No, I need you to lead the pack run.”

He pushes back, not satisfied by my answer. “Klaus can do it. I think you need me here as backup.”

“Look, Elijah, I appreciate that you’re trying to protect me, but what you’re actually doing is undermining me. I said I’ll be fine without you.”

My final refusal seems to push his temper over the edge. “But what if you’re not fine?! What if you’re just getting sicker and sicker like dad did?!” He stomps his foot at me like a child and for a long, horrible second I think I’m going to slap him.

But I control myself. I won’t lash out like that. “ENOUGH! Elijah! I am your Alpha and you will obey me!”

“I’m worried about you, jackass!” Elijah roars back, not quite matching my volume. He makes the wise choice not to get in my face. We both know how a fist fight between us would end.

“Don’t you think I’m terrified, too?! You stupid fuck! That’s why I have to do this! If our bond can settle completely, and she knows the truth about us, then everything can go back to normal! But this is a very delicate process. So you need to back. Off.” I emphasize my final words, putting pressure on the pack bond we share. This is an order, and he knows it.

He knows it, and he fucking hates that I’ve done it. Elijah purses his lips, clearly biting back more vicious anger. “Fine.” He snarls, snatching his coat and stomping to the front door. “Fine. Don’t fucking listen to me. Jesus, fuck.” He’s not gentle when shutting the door behind him. He slams it so hard that the door frame vibrates violently, and the pictures on the wall rattle, threatening to slip off their mounts.

Elijah thinks I’m nothing more than a beast, whose cage is actually a house made of glass. He treats me like I’ll explode at any second, goring everyone around me with crystalline shards in the process. Tonight, I will prove to him beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am in control. I won’t have him undermining me with the rest of the wolves. No pack can survive if the Alpha’s Second attempts mutiny.

On the counter, next to where Elijah stood moments ago, is a cluster of purple herbs tied together with twine. Every full moon cycle, Elijah makes tea with this and that helps to delay his transformation for as long as possible. He’s stoned out of his gourd by the time he finishes his second cup, and he says it tastes like eating a fruitarian's shit, but it’s worth it because it works. And, as furious as he is with my choice to stay behind this cycle, he still chose to leave behind a bundle of his precious herbs for me.

I pick the herbs up like they’re more fragile than eggshell china. Like they’ll crumble in my grip if I clutch it too tight. I don’t know the scientific name for them, but the long purple stems grow lush, purple petals, and even the pollen that dusts the feet of the bees is a rich purple. They’re fairly rare on this side of the world. Elijah has the only greenhouse that grows them on the west coast, as far as I know. Lucius had disagreed with using them, so out of respect, Elijah kept the plants on my property and transported small batches to the cabin each moon.

My brother is a good man. I need to remember that. He’s just scared for me, and while, as I said to his face, I’m scared as well, I can’t let that stop me from doing what I need to do. For the good of myself and for the good of the pack. He’ll see that once we’re on the other side of this mess.

For today, I push away the strife. It’s eight a.m, and I’m due to be at your front door in two hours. It’s your tradition to take Halloween day off of work and celebrate in as many ways as you can. You’ve invited me to spend the day leading up to the party with you. Of course, I accepted immediately. What sort of fool would I have to be to decline the opportunity to spend more time with you?

#tag game #dead darling tag #writeblr tag games #writing #writeblr #writing community #writers on tumblr #the beast in the glass house #deleted content #novelist #writers #chapter excerpt #creative writing #writings #excerpts #I FORGOT TO FINISH TAGGING PPL T.T #horror fiction

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book-buni · 22 days

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I’ve sort of thought about it and I think the reason why I like certain fantasy series over others isn’t necessarily whether there’s romance or not, it’s how fully fleshed out multiple characters are. that’s why I enjoy Six of Crows, Rule of Wolves, and the chapters from different perspectives like in Darker Shades of Magic which help further broaden your knowledge of how each character is like. what they value and etc and how they change throughout the series. it’s why other fantasy series to me have been so mediocre - not because I didn’t enjoy reading them in the moment but because they just solely focused on a few characters or had the idea of fleshing the characters out but just missed the mark. it’s why after I made it about halfway through in A Curse So Dark and Lonely, I had to force myself to finish the first book (and haven’t picked the series back up). even though the main character was the ideal main girl who despite her disability had so much fire and fighting spirit, the story itself was just lacking. potential that wasn’t fully utilised to the fullest extent. someone said the romance between the main girl and guy felt forced, and I honestly agree. maybe some people won’t agree. but just some thoughts of my own. I just had to say this even if it’s not fully coherent.

For the longest time I thought that I didn’t like romance in fantasy because it solely focused on the main couple. Now it’s still similar to that, but I think I don’t enjoy the romance because it focuses on the couple, it’s because even before or after they get together the side characters are forgotten about. they weren’t even given much thought in the beginning - just plot devices so the two main leads will get together and aren’t important enough to be labeled further than the main character’s “best friend” or something along those lines.

definitely rambled but have a great day :)

#thoughts #blogging #bookblr #books #books and reading #six of crows #rule of wolves #a darker shade of magic #a curse so dark and lonely #book thoughts #book buni

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hhoneyglasss · 10 months

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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐈 — 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰

☼ 𝙽𝙾𝚃𝙴𝚂 ☼

LMAOAOAOA it's been like. nearly a month since the last chapter. mY BADDDD

also i got to use one of my favorite words in this one—reconnaissance. it's a good day y'all

꩜ 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝 ꩜

2.2k

꩜ 𝚊𝚘𝟹 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚔 ꩜

linky

꩜ 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 ꩜

existential terror & dread, incoming/looming threat that poses extreme danger to characters.

꩜ 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 ꩜

linky

𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘳 𝘷 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 !!! 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 !!!

When I woke up the following morning, too much light poured in from the entrance of the den. I sat up in a huff, worried that I’d be late for training when my mother stepped in front of me.

“Training is canceled today, Tarak,” she said, “I let you sleep in. You seemed like you needed it.”

“What?” I asked, my breathing heavy from my wave of panic, “Training? Canceled? Why?”

“I’m not sure. Your father and the other Ruling House members didn’t specify.”

I looked behind her at her and my father’s shared nest. His side looked untouched.

“Did he come home last night?”

She looked away. “No.”

I didn’t respond and turned towards the exit of the den. “I’m going to find Juno. Maybe she knows more.”

“Alright,” she said, “Be careful.”

I ran out of the den but stopped when I didn’t feel the warmth of sunlight through my fur. I looked up at the sky–it was completely overcast, not a single shred of blue visible through the thick sheet of clouds blocking the Sun. Everything was smothered in a pale, gray overtone, and the warm breeze that blew by was heavy, feverish. The air was thick and humid, making it difficult to breathe as I walked through the plaza.

It was never overcast.

For as long as I’d been alive, never once had I looked up in the sky and not been able to see the Sun. Even a mere cloud was rare, but overcast? Unheard of.

I walked slowly, made nervous by the silence that passed through the plaza. Gone were the playful yips of pups and barks of strict guards—instead, all that was left was the wind. Suffocating wind.

I caught the scent of another wolf from my right and turned to see them leaving the Ruling House den. It was my father’s second-in-command, or Kahn’sôja, Sabik. She appeared to be heading towards the exit from the plaza, her gait quick, yet steady.

But when I trotted after her and called out to her, she didn’t respond. She kept walking, head straightened forward, focused on whatever path she was following.

Strange, I thought and followed after her when she disappeared behind the outline of another den.

While tracking her scent, I felt the unease trickle into my core. What could be wrong? I thought, trying to think of the possibilities, Daemons and demons haven’t been a problem, nor have sunbound vampires… What could have the Ruling House so distressed that we can’t even talk to them? Who could it be?

My thoughts were interrupted when I picked up the scent of other wolves mixing with Sabik’s. Ahead, I saw she was now speaking to two new wolves—one of them was Mahsati, another Ruling House member, and the other was…

Juno.

Her voice was muffled and echoey from afar, but I could hear the anger in it. She stomped her paw against the ground when she finished, looking between them both, her eyes searching for answers.

I trotted closer to hear Mahsati’s response. “This matter doesn’t concern you, Juno. If I had answers you should be aware of, I would provide them.”

“No, it does concern me and you do have answers,” she said, her voice laced with a growl, “When I first came over here, you wouldn’t even talk to me. You ignored me, ignored my questions, ignored my request for answers! We deserve answers, Mahsati-kahn!”

Sabik spoke next and I saw her, Mahsati, and Juno’s ears twitch. They knew I was here.

She said to Juno, “Go back to your family’s den. The matters being discussed here do not pertain to you or any other wolf not a member of the Ruling House.”

Juno looked around them to see me and jerked her head in my direction. “Fine! If they don’t pertain to me, some ‘random’ wolf, then maybe they’ll pertain to the Kahn’méja’s child.”

I walked to stand next to her—Sabik glared down at me. “I thought ignoring you was enough of a hint, Tarak-mé, but it appears not.”

I lifted my head to look at her. “My apologies, Sabik-sôja, but what do you expect me to do when the Ruling House mysteriously cancels training? Then, you and Mahsati-kahn refuse to answer Juno and me? None of it makes any sense and no one is offering an explanation.”

I looked up. “Have you seen the sky today? It’s gray, Sabik-sôja. The Sun’s blocked from any wolf’s view—it’s frightening. Fear is in the air. You can smell it.

“All we want is an explanation. We’re afraid—everybody’s afraid.”

Both Mahsati and Sabik took a deep breath, glanced at one another, then looked back at us. Sabik spoke first.

“The Kahn’méja is supposed to make a formal announcement tonight at dusk. He, along with all Ruling House members, will explain what’s happening.”

Her gaze was softer when she asked, “Does that help you both at all?”

I nodded. Juno thanked her.

Mahsati said, his voice less stern and scathing now, “Let the other wolves know and spread the word–we want to make sure every wolf is there to listen.”

“We will,” I promised, “Thank you again, Sabik-sôja. Mahsati-kahn.”

Juno and I bowed before leaving to return to the village plaza. I could feel the waves of dread emanating from her core, albeit less intense than they were before.

She didn’t look at me when she broke the silence. “I hope everything’s gonna be okay, Tarak. This has all got me really freaked out.”

“I get it,” I replied, “It’ll be fine, though. Especially after my father talks tonight, I’m sure it’s not a big deal.”

I barely believed my own words—Juno could tell. “I don’t know,” she murmured as she looked up at the sky, “We can’t even see the Sun.”

She looked back down, her head hanging low. “We can always see the Sun.”

I saw that her right paw began to tremble while we were walking—something she always did when she was nervous. I laid my tail over it. “Maybe it’s just having an off day,” I joked and lightly bumped her side.

Her quiet laughter echoed in my head, but the amused sparkle didn’t glint in her eyes like it usually did. I pulled her closer with my tail and brushed my fur against hers.

She leaned into me. “The warmth coming from you might just rival the Sun. Are you coming down with something or what?”

I chuckled. “Maybe that’s why it didn’t want to come out today. I’ve got it beat.”

“Next thing I know, we’ll toss you in the sky and swear the actual Sun’s shining,” she quipped, her tail wrapping around mine, “Try not to blind me, okay?”

“I will,” I said, my head nudging hers, “Promise.”

The hours of the overcast day seemed to drag on into oblivion before dusk finally reached us. Juno and I’s paws were tired from visiting each den in the village and letting them know about tonight’s meeting, and the insistence for more answers had our heads aching.

We both bet that this was how Mahsati and Sabik felt when we wouldn’t leave them alone—we swore to apologize to them later.

All of the wolves had gathered in the center of the plaza, anxious whispers caught in the wind. Juno and I were standing with Marici while my mother and hers, Aruna, were talking, Anatoly huddling under my mother’s legs.

Juno’s right paw had begun to quiver again, a nervous fervor that tap-tap-tapped against the ground. I laid my paw on top of it–it slowed until it finally stopped.

She turned to look up at Marici. “Were you able to find out anything from the other trainers?”

“No,” she answered, “They’re keeping this all under wraps, Ju, but Rasalhague-méja will be out soon. I’m sure everything’s alright.”

“Yes,” I agreed, “Maybe it’s just a Ruling House matter they couldn’t talk about until now, like some new treaty that’s been passed with the vampires, daemons, or demons. It’s happened before.”

Juno met neither of our eyes. “I hope you guys are right.”

Before either of us could respond, the powerful footsteps of the Ruling House pounded against the ground. Juno flicked my tail as she walked away with Marici towards her family, who were under the House of Pisces. I followed my mother and brother to the opposite side of the clearing where my father was talking. A few of our distant relatives joined us.

Sabik called for silence before my father began. “Wolves,” he started, “I and the rest of the Ruling House thank you for your continued patience throughout this uneasy day. We apologize for the distress we have caused you, and all will be explained in due time.”

He paused when irritated growls vibrated from the crowd. “Order, please. … Thank you. … The Ruling House and I have called you here to inform you of a disturbance detected near the far-Southern border before dawn this morning. Training was canceled to ensure no trainers or their wolves traveled farther than the South wall before our guards identified the cause of the disturbance.

“We have identified the disturbance as Shades.”

The reveal caused howls to erupt from all Houses, frightened cries from young wolves sounding as they hid behind their parents. Numerous Ruling House members had to call for silence before my father could be heard over the noise again.

Shades? I thought, perplexed, The trainers always made it sound like they were a creation of legend, a myth–the vengeful dead crawling their way back to life just to take it from others? It sounds like something out of a nightmare.

I turned to my left and made eye contact with Juno.

Her right paw was barely touching the ground with how fast it was shaking.

My father continued. “Five Shades were detected at the Southern border, and the Ruling House has concluded that they traveled from a Northeast direction according to their scent trails. The five spotted were slain and their remains were properly disposed of—however, we remain unsure if this is simply a single occurrence or now a consistent threat.

“Strongholds have been built over the past day on both the Southern border and South wall to ensure maximum security and we require that all wolves do not, by any means, leave their dens through the night unless it is an emergency. This is a safety precaution while we continue to investigate this matter. Training will also be canceled indefinitely.”

He took a deep breath. “Are there any questions?”

I winced when every wolf seemed to shout at him, the sound making my head split. My ears flattened against my skull and I cowered, my eyes narrowed as I glanced up at my father. He remained calm as he requested for one wolf from the House of Aries, to ask their question.

“How do you expect us to be able to sleep tonight when you and the Ruling House have barely figured out the problem? My family is scared, Rasalhague-méja, they’re terrified!” The wolf cried.

“I promise you that we’re doing everything we can and the problem will be solved as soon as possible. You and your family will be safe, the Ruling House and I will make sure of it,” my father replied.

The wolf didn’t seem satisfied with his response as he stalked away.

Another wolf howled over the others, “Simple strongholds will do nothing to keep Shades from attacking us! You might as well give them directions straight to the plaza!”

My father called for Mahsati to respond to the wolf’s statement. “My guards and I have placed illusionary scent trails to lead any possible Shades away from the village. A second battalion of guards will be dispatched later this evening to refresh the trails and strongholds throughout the night.”

The same wolf howled with frustration before disappearing into the crowd.

Dozens more questions were thrown onto the Ruling House—by the end of it, the entire meeting was reduced to chasing tails in circles over and over again.

The Ruling House finally ended the meeting with another promise that we would all remain safe and an order to retreat to our dens for the night. The reconnaissance battalion assigned to the Southern border led by Mahsati left as well.

Before my mother dragged me and Anatoly back to our den, I ran over to Juno.

“I’m going to see you tomorrow, okay?” I said, my eyes meeting hers, “We’ll go to the lake we visited yesterday, and maybe we can swim if the Sun isn’t too scared of me again.”

I felt the amusement illuminate her core—I let out a sigh of relief. “Okay,” she said, “Try to give it a break, will you? I would actually like to see it tomorrow.”

“I will, I swear,” I promised and brushed my head against hers, “Sleep well. Good night, Juno.”

I didn’t head back to my den until I watched her disappear into hers. “‘Night, Tarak! I’ll see you and the Sun tomorrow.”

I felt a chuckle within me, but it disappeared when I looked up at the sky–not a single star was visible beside the cold, unforgiving blanket of gray hanging above me.

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maxineswritingcenter · 1 year

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Passing the Torch - Niklaus Mikaelson x OC - Part 7

It’s corona time once again and I will be simping, this series makes me want to binge vampire diaries again and then originals and then actually finish legacies because I was caught up at one point. And then my routine of watching it during my college art class ended when the lockdowns originally started so... It’s been a really fucked up circle of time. Anyway, all spelling mistakes are my own and I will fix them eventually.

Kenaz has gone by many names, but one must never be spoken. Traveling, on the run, for centuries. But the past is always bound to repeat itself.

Southern France, 1002 AD

Fleeing Mikael’s hunt had brought them across the great sea. The voyage had been unlike anything the Mikaelson family had ever seen. The ship bouncing across the ocean had been a new and terrifying ordeal, especially for the humans in their company. They became demons in the eyes of the passengers and crew. But none of them had yet controlled their thirst for fresh, human blood. They were not even sure if it was possible.

Once arriving in France, they had taken to ambushing prey much like the wolves from their village. Attacking lonely caravans whose curiosity got the best of them. This particular night was different.

After their ghastly feasts, Elijah would pile the bodies of their victims and their belongings on a pyre to burn. Kenaz stuck close Niklaus after eat feeding, thriving off the euphoria that they still felt from blood.

“You are all filthy gluttons.” Finn observed. The eldest Mikaelson son had always followed his mother’s elbow. Being ever so obedient and proper.

Niklaus leaned over a manger, Kenaz came to the other side, wiping blood from his lip with a scrap of cloth. He smiled at her fondly, reaching across to swipe at the corner of her mouth with his thumb before tasting the drop of blood she had missed.

“And you remain ever the dullard.” Kol snarked as usual.

“Such pretty clothes.” Rebekah remarked, feeling the cuff of the dress belonging to the nobel woman dead on the ground. “What a shame they’ll go to waste.”

The gown was beautiful. It was a pale blue, adorned with beads and embroidery. Such luxury in clothing that they had never seen before.

Elijah sighed, “Rebekah, we have discussed this-”

“No, you discussed this, none of us had any say in the matter. We could live as they do. At least, for a time.” Rebekah said, “Think of it, Elijah, we could hide in plain sight, we could live ordinary lives-” Elijah cut her off with a hush, causing them all to listen carefully. A frantic heart beating close by, too close.

Following Elijah’s lead, they all surrounded the caravan that they had attacked. Lifting a large blanket, Elijah revealed a man who had been hiding in the carriage. The man, whose fear was almost radiating off him, attempted to flee into the woods. But his path was cut off by Rebekah and Kol.

“Well, aren’t you a handsome one.’ She remarked.

“He looks like dessert to me.” Kol took a step forward.

“No, wait, wait, wait!” The man pleaded, “I can help you. I-I am a personal servant to the Count De Martel of the very estate you just mentioned. And I was sent to escort these guest to his home for a lengthy stay.” He looked wildly around the group as he spoke, “I know their customs as well as the counts habits. If you mean to pose as the family you have slaughtered here then you need my help to carry out your ruse.”

Rebekah was the first to speak, “Please, can we keep him?”

“Rebekah, no.” Elijah said sternly, “What is our most important rule?”

“Never leave alive someone who sees what we are.”

“Thank you very much. A practice that has served us very well indeed.” Elijah began his descent on the survivor.

“She has a point.” Finn grabbed Elijah’s shoulder before he continued, “He may be of use.”

“Ah, proper family squabble. Haven’t had one this interesting since we all decided we had to bring Niklaus’ little wife.”

Ignoring his brother, Klaus came forward, “Perhaps we should we should put it to a vote. All those in favor of letting him live.” Rebekah and Finn raised their hands.

“Those inclined to gut him.” Kol raised his hand, Elijah followed. All eyes turned to Niklaus and Kenaz.

“Well, Nik, what shall it be?” Kol sneered. Instead of replying, Niklaus looked down at her, giving her a soft smile. He could tell she was nervous, on the fence about the possibility of trusting someone.

“What do you think, wildflower?” He whispered in her ear.

Kenaz stared at the man intently. While there was no guarantee that he would not betray them, there also wasn’t the guarantee that he would. His fear would strive him to please them, as they were creatures he had never seen before and did not know what them capable of. Then she thought of what it would be like to live as the family they killed. They appeared wealthy, never to have a care in the world besides what they would wear or where they would go. Lavish parties, the beginnings of new lives for all of them. Imagining a life where Niklaus could be a great painter and she could teach school children, to fill a void that could never be filled.

She glanced to each sibling to see their reaction. Finn and Elijah kept neutral faces, Rebekah had pleading eyes, and Kol only smirked.

Kenaz’s answer was only the squeeze of his hand.

Niklaus nodded and turned to the human, “Well, it seems to be your lucky day.”

Covington, 1994

Kay worked in supernaturals bar open to vampires, werewolves, and witches alike, as long as they followed the rules.

1. No fighting

2. No magic

3. No compelling

4. No biting

They were simple rules and yet there was always someone who got kicked out.

Today thought, Kay’s only focus was one patron in particular. He went by Fox, a vampire that seemed to know everything and anyone. He absorbed knowledge like a sponge and that was a very important asset to Kay. He had even been able to track down a few of her previous names but never her first, there had been no written record of the first and it became a game they played.

One moment the bar stool in front of her section of the bar was empty, then when she turned around with a shot of peach schnapps in her hand, Fox appeared. Fox had dark hair with a patch of gray in the front, his tan complection complimented his bright green eyes well. He was alluring and charming, it worked to his advantage to get the information he wanted.

“Kay.” He greeted her with a toothy grin, accepting the shot of liquor and downing it immediately. He slammed the glass down on the bar top, rim down, “Peach. My favorite.”

“Yeah, well, you won’t be getting more it you shatter my shot glasses. You remember what happened last time.” She took the glass, cloth in hand, and nodded towards the bouncer, Darius, a werewolf with a very good memory. Fox gave Darius a nervous wave that was met with the bouncer cracking his knuckles.

“Enough foreplay, zorro.” She said, leaning against the bar, “Tell me what you’ve learned.”

“Come on, you know foreplay is my favorite part.” He winked, “But I suppose since you’re so nice, Kathleen.” From his jean jacket, adorned with metal band patches and buttons, he pulled out a stack of notecards rubber banded together. He sat the cards down, next to the fresh shot she poured him.

“Quite the stack.” She mused, then squinted, “Is that purple sparkly gel pen?” The stack was taken from her line of sight.

“No judging. You gotta use what you can find.” He stuck his tongue out at her playfully and unwrapped the rubber band. “Okay, first things first, there was some drama with the Gemini coven.”

“Oh do tell.”

“Well, the boy from the oldest twin set-”

“The siphon?”

He nodded, “That’s him. He killed four of his siblings looking for the youngest twins so that him and his twin would be in the merge ceremony. And of course, he would win and become the leader, but they put him in a prison world instead.”

Kay paused her cleaning and furrowed her brows at him, “Fox, that’s not drama, that’s tragic.”

“Potato, potato. Moving on, uh still don’t know who Jack the Ripper was, still a mystery.”

“Topical.”

“Oh but I did find one thing you wanted, Miss Kate.” He flipped through his cards and found a stack written in black pen, “I found some info on the Originals. WoOoOoooo~.”

“What did I say about foreplay?”

“Right, sorry, anyway still nothing on Finn. Obviously, there hasn’t been since ever. Are you sure he’s an original because no one knows who he is.”

“Trust me, he’s one of them.”

“Okay, uhhhh nothing on Mikael, nothing on Kol, nothing on Elijah or his Stryx freaks, nothing on pretty Rebekah, but I do have some info on Klaus.” Having not heard, nor said his name in centuries, her ears perked up.

“Continue.”

“Oh, intrigued are we? Well, there’s isn’t much new. He’s still looking for that moonstone, still looking for the doppelgänger, still looking for Katerina Petrova, still looking for that runaway bride of his. Speaking of, I got info on her too.”

“He never had a wife, that’s just some scam that men like you use to gain favor. It’s like looking for Anastasia when she was killed with the rest of her family.”

“I don’t know, Kenaz, I think that there’s some truth to it.” He took his second shot.

She rolled her eyes, “There isn’t any-...” Her words trailed off as the name he called her sank in. Her name. Her real name.

“What did you call me?”

“Ahhh...” He set down the glass on the bar top, a smirk on his treacherous mouth.

“I think those thousand year old ears can hear me just fine, Kenaz. Now, in approximately five minutes, give or take, several of your husband’s strongest are going to come through those doors and take you, kicking and screaming, to Klaus. But, I could call them right now and tell them that I was mistaken on that there pay phone.” He nodded in the direction of the payphone that sat lonely in the darkest corner of the bar. “If you tell me what I want to know.”

“What do you want?” She lowered her voice, the rest of the world coming to a stand still. Her eyes darting from this trickster, to the doors.

“I want to know his big secret, I want to have the nastiest dirt on Niklaus Mikaelson. Because I think it’s time for the little guy to be on top. And I can either get there by giving him you. Or I can get it straight from his missus mouth.” He leaned forward.

Clearly sensing her distress, Darius appeared behind Fox, arms crossed over his broad chest.

“Is there a problem here?” He asked with his impossibly deep voice.

Fox turned to face the bodyguard, a knowing smirk on his face, “Everything’s fine, wouldn’t you say, Ken-” Her hand was thrust through his chest before the last of her name could leave his lips, his blood splattering across Darius’ grimace. Her fist protruded from his chest, his heart beating its last against her palm. It was almost on instinct that she did it, like her body worked out of tandem with her head. One minute, her hand was gripping a vervain wash she kept under the counter for rowdy vampires. And then the next, that same hand was holding his heart.

Kay dropped his heart, Fox’s corpse soon followed it. That’s when the doors burst open, the guards attention brought to the suited vampires who had burst through the door. But instead of finding their target, they found a bar with a dead informat on the floor and a single notecard on the floor.

Mystic Falls, 2010

In the days that followed the confrontation with Alaric, a lot had happened. Including spells, learning that the vampires had never been burned in Fell’s church, that Katherine was never in there, funerals, heart breaks. Nothing Kass hadn’t been through before.

There had been a noticeable difference in how Alaric interacted with her. Nothing outside of board meetings, even then he still avoided eye contact. It was if she was completely invisible to him. But after learning what he told Stefan, that Damon was the one that killed his wife, that caused him to become a vampire hunter, maybe this was for the best, that she leave him alone.

Tonight was the annual Founder’s Day Fundraiser. Where the elite families of Mystic Falls would raise money for the town, or that’s what they said. At the Fundraiser, there would be a bachelor’s auction, where only the most eligible bachelors in Mystic Falls would be raffled off, including Alaric Saltzman.

Jealous wasn’t a word she wanted to use thinking about him being auctioned to the right bidder.

Jealous was a word she would use seeing Alaric with Jenna Sommers though, that hurt.

It’s not like she could expect any more or less. Love was never going to be in the cards for her, especially not with a human. And any vampire that was around her age, and that a shallow, shallow pool, knew her ex and that wasn’t worth it.

Kass sat in the back of the Mystic Grill, nursing a glass of bourbon when Damon appeared. He followed her line of sight to see Alaric talking with Jenna.

“Are you snooping, Miss Kate?” He asked, sitting next to her. Ever since he found out Katherine was never in the church, he had been a wreck, just living but not really alive (ironically enough).

She sighed after taking another sip of the increasingly watery drink, “Kass is just fine, Damon. And I’m not snooping.”

“So you’re not listening in on their conversation?” He watched her shrug and he hummed to himself, “Well, not like he matters much, I’m thinking about getting him fired.”

Kass rolled her eyes, “Fill up the Salvatore spot on the council since you killed Zach? Killing your relatives is such a dreadful habit, don’t you think?”

“Stefan has always been such a little kiss ass, hasn’t he? Always telling on me to you.”

“Better me than your father.” She mused, finishing her glass.

He shrugged, “Yeah, well, I didn’t care if I disappointed old dad.” Before she could ask him to elaborate, Damon had sauntered off to smooze over Carol Lockwood.

All the bachelorettes of Mystic Falls had turned out for the auction for a date with several of the finest (the term was used loosely) men in the city. Carol Lockwood went down the line, asking each man a question about themselves, mostly their occupation. Kass sat at the bar, on her third (or was it her fourth) bourbon.

“Number four, Alaric Saltzman.” Carol nearly mispronounced his name, “Wow. That’s quite a mouthful. What do you do, Alaric?”

When he spoke, he didn’t look anywhere is particular, certainly not in her direction, “I’m a teacher at Mystic Falls high.”

“Oh, beauty and brains, ladies. This one’s a keeper.” Carol got a few oohs and ahhs from the crowd, “What do you teach?”

“History.”

“History. Oh, well give us a fun fact about Mystic Falls, something crazy.”

“Uh, well...” He paused, glancing around the room, his eyes meeting her for the first time.

“Excuse me, Mr. Saltzman.” Kass walked up to him during a time in between classes. He looked up at her from the student who he was talking to.

“Could I have a word with you, please?”

“I really need to be prepping for next class.” He made an excuse.

“Oh, it should only take a minute. You’d really be helping me out.” Her smile was casual but her eyes were pleading.

“Uh yeah, sure.” He added to the student if they had anymore questions to email them to him before leading her inside his room and closing the door. Once all the students had walked away from his door, he fully faced her, in a stiff and defensive stance.

“So, is this were you kill me? A little on the nose doing it in the daylight.”

“I was never going to hurt you, never.”

“A little late for that.” He sneered.

She sighed in frustration, “You weren’t supposed to know. I wasn’t supposed to get close to you. Stefan and Damon were never supposed to even be vampires, meaning they were never supposed to come back here. None of this was supposed to happen.”

“So...” He sighed, “What are you doing here.”

She decided to give him the same story she had given to Stefan and Damon, one that she practiced and knew well to tell it as if it were second nature, “My ancestors are from Mystic Falls, before it was even called that. I come here every once in a while to learn more about where I come from, find more Erikdotters out there. It’s been a fruitless endeavor but, I want to find my own family.”

“What about what you told me? Was it even true? About your ex husband, about your... miscarriage?”

Not meeting his gaze, she nodded, “Yes, that was true. I wouldn’t lie about that.”

Ric crossed his arms over his chest, “Why not? You lied about everything else.”

Rubbing her temples, she looked up at him: “What did you want me to tell you? That I woke up from a incredibly painful miscarriage craving blood? That my husband became a violent and bloodthirsty tyrant so I ran away and continued running for decades if not centuries?” He didn’t answer for what felt like forever, but what he did say hurt her more than anything.

“Is that supposed to make me feel sorry for you? You’re a vampire, a monster.”

“He’s probably saving the best stories for his date.” Carol continued to the next contestant, “And last but not least, Damon Salvatore.” Kass didn’t stay much longer, slipping out the back before hearing anymore. Instead of going home like she should have, she went to the Salvatore house. Stefan had mentioned that Giuseppe had done research on her family and seemed to be coming close to discovering her before the church burning happened.

While looking through the archives in the basement, she heard the front door open and close and from the footsteps she could tell it was Damon. He had always been heavy footed. But shortly after, another set of footsteps. Ones that seemed familiar but she couldn’t quite but a finger on.

“Are you really this stupid?” Damon’s voice was muffled by the floors that separated them, “Guess so.” There was a thud on the ceiling, followed by groans of pain.

“You gonna put down the stake?” Damon asked. “Wow, that’s courage.” Her eyes widened and she rushed upstairs.

“Where’s Isobel?” Alaric’s voice was harsh, “What have you done to my wife?” Once Kass came to the landing, she hid behind a bookcase, prepared to rush in before anything terrible were to happen.

“You want me to tell you I killed her? Would that make you happy? Because I think you know what happened.” Damon said, the two men walking in a circle, glaring each other down. Alaric held a stake in his hand.

“I saw you feeding on her.”

“Yeah, I did, and I wasn’t lying.” Damon smiled, “She was delicious.” Alaric rushed forward to attack, but Damon only casually shoved him back across the room. She knew Damon wouldn’t really hurt him, wouldn’t kill him.

Right?

“Oh, come on, what do you think happened? Not an inkling?” He played on Ric’s anger. “Never considered the possibility? I turned her.”

“Why?”

“She came to me, all pathetic, looking for vampires.” Damon thought back, “There was something about her, something I liked. There was something special.”

“You turned her because you liked her?”

“No, I slept with her because I liked her. I turned her because she begged me to. Yeah. But you knew that, too, didn’t you? Hmm. I guess she wasn’t happy at home. Wasn’t happy with life in general... Wasn’t happy with you.”

“Damon-” It was then she decided she needed to get in between them before something bad happened. But even then she was too late.

What happened next was almost too fast for her own eyes. Alaric had lunged again, but Damon had grabbed his wrists and plunged the wooden stake into his own heart. Coming behind him to push it further and further into his chest.

“Ah, this is a shame. We’re kindred spirits, abandoned by the women we love.” He turned Ric in his arms, to face her, almost amused by the horror on her face.

“Unrequited love sucks.” Damon pulled the stake from Alaric’s chest, listening to his struggle in inhale, “Sounds like I got a lung. Which means I get to sit here and watch you die.” He motioned around his chest with the stake, “That’s where the lungs are, right, Kate? Oh, I mean Kass. I was never good with names.” He dropped Alaric to the floor.

Finally her feet moved from their frozen position on the floor, running to Ric’s side on the floor. Alaric tried to push her away but was in too much pain to really move her.

“Don’t move.” Her voice shook as she held pressure to his wound, “Damon, call an ambulance.” It was the only option for him then. He was bleeding into his lung, would drown in his own blood. She couldn’t remove pressure from the wound for even a moment or else he would die, she couldn’t get to her own phone since she left it downstairs. She couldn’t give him her blood to heal him, not without risking turning him into something he hated.

Damon ignored her, picking up his abandoned whiskey and sitting on one of the leather couches, watching Alaric sputtered and writhe.

“Damon, please-” She looked back to Alaric , “Ric, you’re-” But he was already dead. Eyes wide and blown with fear.

“Alaric.” She rested her head against his chest, praying her ears were wrong when she couldn’t hear his heartbeat, “Ric, come on. No, no, no...” Her eyes ached to shed tears but all of her sadness in that moment was replaced by anger and hurt.

Kass quickly turned around, stood Damon up by the lapel of his leather jacket and slammed him into a wall.

“Why are you like this?” She seethed, “Why must you destroy the things around you?”

“He attacked me first, I was defending myself.”

“You could have disarmed him, compelled him to forget.”

“He pissed me off.” Damon glared back at her. There was a part of her, a part of her that she had buried deep inside of her, that wanted to tear him apart, that wanted to rip his heart out and make him eat it.

A part of her that... A part of her that Niklaus had made.

She dropped his jacket, shoving away from him, glancing to Alaric on the floor, a pool of blood forming on the hardwood.

“I don’t know what happened to make you like this. To turn you from a sweet and caring young man into a monster. So what if Katherine has been alive all this time? Katherine is selfish and cruel and always has been. And you’re just like her.” Kass went back to her position besides Alaric’s corpse, wiping her bloody hands on her pants, not caring about the staining.

Eventually, Stefan arrived, immediately running in when she saw the state of the room.

“What happened? What did you do?” Stefan barked, kneeling down to feel at Alaric’s still pulse. He then met her eyes, the best he could, anyway. He could see that her eyes were open, but he saw far off somewhere in her own mind.

“Dude, what? He attacked me.”

“Damon-”

“Look I don’t need another lecture. All I did was tell him the truth. His wife didn’t want him anymore. It’s not my fault he couldn’t handle it.” He took a long gulp of his drink.

“Like you’ve been handling Katherine?”

“I’m handling it fine.” Damon lied, “Ya know what? Isobel came to me. She found me. And if she’s related to Elena that means she’s related to Katherine. Maybe Katherine sent her to me.” This made Kass turn around to stare at Damon, incredulously. He was still in denial.

“Stop it. You don’t have to keep looking.” Stefan glared.

“Can’t be a coincidence Isobel sought me out.” He shook his head, “Can’t. I’m assuming you’ll take care of this.” Damon stood up and began walking out the door.

“He just can’t move on, can he?” She whispered, “Her hooks are still that deep in a hundred and sixty-four years later.”

Stefan sighed in defeat, sitting down across from her in front of the fireplace, staring down at Ric’s body, “I don’t know what I’m going to tell Elena. He was her closet connection to her birth mother.”

“Trust me.” She combed her hair out of her face, “Isobel isn’t someone she wants to know. He was right that they’re related. They’re like two sides of the same coin. They only care about themselves.” Reaching down, she combed a piece of Alaric’s hair off his forehead, “Not about the people they destroy in the process.” Stefan nodded, but then his brows furrowed as he stared Ric’s hand.

“Did you see that?” He whispered.

“See what-” Her questioned was cut off by Alaric’s body jerking and him gasping for air.

“What happened? What’s going on?” Alaric looked around as he caught his breath. Stefan and Kass could only stare at him.

“You were just...” Stefan looked him the eyes, “Did Damon turn you?”

“No. I uh went for him, and then he-he stabbed me.”

“No, no, no. You must have vampire blood in your system. Somebody slipped it to you.” He looked up at her, “Did you give him your blood?”

She shook her head, “No, I didn’t want to chance it.”

“No. It’s...” He looked at his hand, “It’s something else.”

“Then how?” Stefan asked.

“I...” Alaric paused, looking down at the crest ring on his finger, a very familiar crest ring. A Gilbert ring.

“Isobel. This ring protected me.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Well...” Kass said, bring both of their attentions to her, “Not entirely.”

I’m not neglecting my other series.... On purpose.

---

Read part eight here!

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#niklaus mikaelson x oc #niklaus mikaelson x reader #klaus x oc #niklaus mikaelson #klaus x reader #vampire diaries fic

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qqueenofhades · 1 year

Note

I saw the spoiler about David and I am MAD ABOUT IT. (I’m not mad about the spoiler, I purposely don’t block spoilers because I need to emotionally prepare myself) but like. I read the same spoiler of Rule of Wolves and got so mad I haven’t even read it yet 💀 WHAT PURPOSE DOES THAT SERVE. MY POOR INNOCENT SON WHO DESERVES NOTHING BUT HAPPINESS AND GENYA. FOR WHY. I’m still gonna watch really soon but I AM SALTY.

I AM ALSO MAD ABOUT IT. It was just as pointless in Rule of Wolves, which I didn't finish because I am ride or die Helnik and, yeah. I simply did not vibe.

Anyway, Justice For David always, as that is one piece of canon that I will also generally ignore. I join you in the Salt, truly.

#dream-thieves #ask #sab spoilers

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kazraza · 8 months

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i haven’t finished rule of wolves yet but i don’t think there’s enough content in king of scars for a full season (esp if they take out nina’s part since presumably she’ll be involved in the ice court heist) so i’m guessing we’ll get one last season to do six of crows, king of scars, and rule of wolves and then netflix will probably cancel the show for good after that because nothing seems to go past a third season

#so we’ll get monster nikolai and shadow summoner alina #ice court heist of course #the darkling will come back obviously so we’ll get elizaveta and her bees #wonder if they’ll turn zoya into a dragon or what #i feel like they have to give alina her role in king of scars since she’s still around to be the main character

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corvidcujo · 9 months

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Number 9

I was tagged by @skyderman (thank you!!) their post is here!

Rules: Answer the questions, then tag 9 people

I’ll go ahead and tag @kimicapucciny @spaced-out-cats @meckman64 @rabbitic @eyesteeth @darkfeather25 @sirjohnbaconvi @annalrk @grimm-snarkk ( no pressure of course! )

I put all my answers under a readmore cause i ended up rambling a lot lol

List three ships:

Crowley/Aziraphale from good omens - I just finished watching the new season so they're on my mind. they have the world’s most agonizing slow-burn romance and I’m here for it.

Yuudai/Tasei from SAKANA - I just. I love these funny fish market guys so much. I’m such a sucker for the grumpy guy x ray of sunshine ship dynamic. Very excited for this comic to start updating again!

Raine/Eda from The Owl House - I love both Raine and Eda as characters so of course I also love them together. AND I am not over the fact that we got a canonical nonbinary character in a children’s cartoon WHO ALSO GETS A COOL MONSTER GIRLFRIEND!

Currently listening to?

I’ve been listening to a lot of The Scary Jokes recently. their new album, Retinal Bloom, is rlly good. I’ve also been listening to Burn Pygmalion again, which might be one of my favorite albums ever?? definitely recommend checking them out if you haven’t heard their music before.

Last movie you watched?

it’s been a minute since I actually sat down to watch a movie so I actually don’t know lol. If I had to guess it was probably the D&D movie! I really loved the mix of cgi and practical effects they used! The unfortunate side effect of watching that movie is that now I want to cosplay all my characters SO BAD. but I don’t have cosplay money rn😔😔😔

What are you currently reading?

I’m slowly making my way through Frankenstein! I actually picked up this copy from a local used bookstore and didn’t realize until later that it’s a Norton Critical edition. So it has the original 1818 text plus a bunch of extra historical context and annotations, which is pretty cool!

I’m also re-reading the first Wolves of the Beyond book, I read the whole series once as a kid and thought it would be fun to revisit. its....okay. Definitely not as well written as I remember but I guess I should have expected that lol

What are you currently watching?

Like I said above, I just finished watching the new Good Omens season a couple of days ago! I do have some criticisms, and I don’t think it rlly compares to the first season or to the book, but I enjoyed it overall and had really fun time watching it!

What are you currently consuming?

currently water, but if i was answering this anytime before 1pm it would have been coffee lol

What are you currently craving?

Very specifically a Freddy’s chicken burger with spicy fry-sauce.

#i actually typed up most of this like. a day after i was tagged #then i got interrupted and it ended up sitting in my drafts for like a week lol

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ryder-the-writer · 1 year

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LAST LINE GAME!

rules: list the last lines of your fave fics you’ve written

i’m a little late to this because i was on a work trip and was absolutely so busy BUT I’M DOING IT NOW, SO YAY!!!

thanks for the tag @fruity-individual xx

i have a lot of finished (or at least decent enough drafts) fics that i just haven’t posted (or fully edited) yet

so without further ado................ TWO OF MY FAVE ENDINGS IVE WRITTEN!

the history of waves -

"The waves were softly lapping up onto the shore and the rain was gently falling down on the cliffside. Sirius had never felt more at peace. [redacted because the last sentence is very spoiler-y]."

dreaming of wolves-

"The sun shone through the trees making a dappled pattern on the ground. Remus looped his arm around Sirius, pulling him close. It was beautiful. And it was theirs."

no clue who’s already done this - no pressure tags: @crushofdoves @spindrifters @achilleslikespeas @greenvlvetcouch and whoever’s reading this! tag me in some writing, i would love to read it xx

#slowly but surely #i’m making my way through all the things i was tagged in while i was gone #i need something to do on the plane #fic: the history of waves #fic: dreaming of wolves #tag games rule

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noirandchocolate · 1 year

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I posted 3,176 times in 2022

271 posts created (9%)

2,905 posts reblogged (91%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@thefloatingstone

@rukafais

@uncannycory

@ordinarytalk

@toldentops

I tagged 2,923 of my posts in 2022

Only 8% of my posts had no tags

#terry pratchett - 317 posts

#discworld - 294 posts

#stardew valley - 181 posts

#gnu terry pratchett - 157 posts

#kidk says stuff - 123 posts

#dracula daily - 118 posts

#dracula - 116 posts

#homestuck - 105 posts

#hollow knight - 98 posts

#undertale - 94 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#yeah i’d been seeing this and thinking ‘but wolves have been in yellowstone for quite a while now…’ and ‘aren’t coyotes native to there?’

My Top Posts in 2022:

We all joke about how silly Terry Pratchett’s character names can be, particularly as regards a certain golden conman, but everyone MUST agree that he was EXTREMELY good at naming witches:

Esmerelda Weatherwax Gytha Ogg Magrat Garlick Perspicacia Tick ”Black” Aliss Demurrage Erzulie Gogol Hilta Goatfounder Desiderata Hollow Gwinifer Blackcap Beryl Dismass Ammeline Hamstring

and the undisputed victor in the Best Name Ever Finals,

Eumenides Treason

1,044 notes - Posted August 25, 2022

Twitter Refugees, these words are for you alone.

Beyond this point you enter the land of Reblogs and Old Memes.

Step across this threshold and obey our laws.

Bear witness to the last and only chronological content feed, the eternal Dashboard.

Tumblrnest.

1,304 notes - Posted October 29, 2022

I just think it’s fun that the Librarian is one of the longest-running characters in the Discworld series, right alongside Rincewind. He was in The Colour of Magic! He appears in so many books, too, in a few of the different book-arcs and even the standalones!

But at the same time, I also think it’s hilarious that the Librarian was turned into an orangutan within the timespan the series covers. It happened during The Light Fantastic. And yet by the time of Sourcery and Guards! Guards!, just a few books later, people are just like ‘oh that’s the Librarian.’ It’s not just wizards who accept this as mundane reality, even! The Librarian goes out on the town regularly enough that many regular Ankh-Morpork citizens have already learned the golden rule which is Don’t Call the Librarian a Monkey, not too long after his transformation!

This is so realistic to human nature tbh, and yet still wild to think about.

1,488 notes - Posted August 30, 2022

No one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away—until the clock he wound up winds down, until the wine she made has finished its ferment, until the crop they planted is harvested. The span of someone’s life, they say, is only the core of their actual existence.

--“Reaper Man”

‘Haven’t you ever heard the saying “Man’s not dead while his name is still spoken”?’

--”Going Postal”

People will always remember the songs he never had the chance to sing. And they will be the greatest songs of all. Live your life in a moment. And then live forever. Don’t fade away.

--“Soul Music”

Terry Pratchett 4/28/48-3/12/15-GNU

3,664 notes - Posted March 12, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Me Directing My Extremely Well-Bred Little Cocker Spaniel to Eat a Fly That’s Been Buzzing Around My Office Annoying Me: Right there! Get it!

My Dog: HORFHORGSLURP

My Ancient Ancestors Who Domesticated Wolves: *ghostly cheers*

4,108 notes - Posted January 4, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #PENNY WON MY BLOG THIS YEAR!! GOOD GIRL PENNY YOU EVEN BEAT TERRY PRATCHETT!

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jinxitaj · 1 year

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Hiii I just finished reading your soul eater au and i really like the conflict that you’ve already kinda given Ren and Martyn it’s really interesting.

Does it mean that like if Ren where to be caught that he would be in some serious danger?

Sorry if it’s meant to be obvious I haven’t seen soul eater in a really long time.

First off, AAA THANK YOU SO MUCH!! It makes me so happy to know that you enjoyed my little fic, you have NO idea <3

And yes, that’s the idea! It’s sadly not dived into as much in night the anime / manga since the focus is on the conflict between witches and the DWMA, but according to Free, only werewolf in the series, werewolves also have a unsteady relationship with humans like witches do. It’s not clear if it’s a belief still held by a majority humans in the present day, but Free mentions that werewolves were hunted in the past due to the belief that they were demons taking the form of wolves.

How they actually managed to hunt and kill werewolves is a separate thing to tackle since according to Free as well, werewolves are immortal, but that’s not relevant at the moment.

Free also mentions that a soul like his is still considered unworthy by the rules set by Lord Death. Whether he’s referring to his werewolf status, his magic due to having the magic eye, or both, is unclear. But, keeping the past in mind, I’m choosing to believe it’s because of both.

What exactly would happen if Ren were to be caught, I’ll leave that for you to find out in future updates of the fic. I wouldn’t introduce a conflict without clear stakes in mind, I promise! Regardless, you can probably guess it wouldn’t be anything nice.

Simply, I’m sure Lord Death definitely has his reasons for setting the rules he set. But has he considered,,, that Ren is pubby??

I think he should consider that Ren is simply pubby. He wouldn’t hurt a fly! Too busy being pubby, clearly 💅🏽✨

#pfft i just realized #i infodumped so hard on you im so sorry lmao #simply #you activated my trap card: Soul Eater #Regardless i hope this info helps!!#soul eater au #All Consuming fic #youngwizard26 #ACSEA

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redheadgleek · 2 years

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Books read (July-September)

July: Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal. My last of Chris Colfer’s audiobooks and his first book. Not sure that a journal really was the best format, but I’m going to miss his voice. The Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of DNA’s Double Helix. In honor of the 70 year anniversary coming up, I’ve been reading a lot of books on the discovery of DNA. There was some uncomfortable fixation of Rosalind’s sexuality (much like Brenda Maddox books but she came to a completely different conclusion), and I truly loath James Watson now. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher. Oooh. A short, dark fairy tale. Highly recommend. Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo. The last book published (so far) of the Gishaverse. Definitely not a stand alone novel, but overall, a satisfying end to the series and leaving room for more books. On Rotation by Shirlene Obuobi. There really aren’t that many good fictional books about being a doctor, much less about going through medical school. This really captured the stress and drama of med school. The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrows. Reimagined history, some strong characters (although maybe a wee bit too much of leaning into the maiden, mother, crone archetypes), beautiful story telling. Of Sound Mind: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World by Nina Kraus. Audiobook. Fascinating insights into how our ears and brain receive and perceive sound, and how it influences our language and cognitive development, if a bit redundant at times. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter. Maybe a little bit of a cheat, since it’s a episodic podcast, but it was on goodreads. I rewatched Orphan Black this spring and was eager to listen. Tatiana’s voices were amazing and I loved the new characters (her male voices were the weakest.

August: Heat Wave (The Extraordinaries, #3) by TJ Klune. An excellent conclusion to the trilogy and so much familial love. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. I’m not a big horror person, but I adore T’s writing. A retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher, with some cool biological explanations. A Middle-Earth Traveller: Sketches from Bag End to Mordor by John Howe. I loved his work for the Lord of the Rings movies, so I thought this would be a good introduction to my next audio project. Lovely sketches, some lovely behind the scenes insights. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter (Season 2). This time, Jordan, Kristian, and Evelyn returned to voice their roles. I hope there’s another. A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall. A fun little regency romp involving a trans heroine. Lots of feelings. Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall. The story opens with one of my least favorite tropes: lying outrageously and then getting caught and I almost didn’t finish it, but I’m glad I stuck with it, because it really had all of the charm of the Great British Bake Off in a novel. Husband Material by Alexis Hall. (All of my library books became available at the same time, so I read three of Alexis’s books in a week period). I had been charmed by Boyfriend Material; it wasn’t the best fake dating book that I’ve ever read, but I was invested enough that I looked for the sequel and I liked it even better than the first one. Laugh out loud hysterical, following the plot of Four Weddings and Funeral while still giving it at twist. Looking forward to Father Material. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, read by Andy Serkis. This will be my listening project for the next year probably. Andy Serkis’s voice is amazing – deep and rich in timbre. I haven’t reread this one since early in college, it was much darker than what I remembered. You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar. Terrible stories, presented in a light-hearted, easy to approach manner. I’m planning on introducing it to my family and friends because it’s a really great way to highlight the pervasiveness of racism.

September The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin. I really wanted to like this book as it was written by an emergency medicine doctor about a group of medical school friends. And I didn’t. There were parts that truly resonated, such as when one of the main characters loses a patient, but the drama was so over the top. Ramón and Julieta by Alana Albertson. Just a sweet little Romeo and Juliet retelling. A fluffy, easy to read romance which was just want I was craving. The Antidote for Everything by Kimmery Martin. I checked out all three of her books at the same time, so I was really hopeful that this one would be better. And it was, but it still felt lacking. It also felt like the author was trying too hard to emphasize that “not all Christians” are homophobic, but there was still homophobic and transphobic views (one character was the definition of sassy gay friend) that belied that conclusion. East by Edith Pattou. A reread because I found out that a sequel had been written and it had been literal years. Almost as good as I remembered, an excellent retelling of the fairy tale “East of the Sun West of the Moon. West by Edith Pattou. I’m not sure that East really needed a sequel, but this one was well done and it completed the story. Felix Silver, Teaspoons & Witches by Harry Cook. My god, did this book need better editors. So many sloppy mistakes. So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo. I started reading this 2 years ago and got distracted. A practical book, with some great real-time examples, but I’m not sure that it really made it easier to talk about race with some of my white relatives for example. Doctors and Friends by Kimmery Martin. I almost didn’t read this because I had been so disappointed by her previous books, but I’m so glad that I did because it was the best of the 3. She started writing this book back in 2019, about a pandemic that affected the world, and it was a much deeper, emotional story than the other two (although many of the same characters were in it). George (Melissa’s Story) by Alex Gore. Picked it up as part of Banned Books Week and you guys, I’m just tired of fake outrage. It was cute. The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani. Sequel to Thorn, which I read earlier this year. Thorn was good, but this really developed the world. I’m excited for the 3rd book. I may make it to a 100 books this year. *crosses fingers*

#books #reading

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