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dontshootmespence · 6 years

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Supernatural AU: Episode 1 - Born to Fire

Part 1

I’m a big fan of books when I don’t have to pour over hours and hours of lore. Emerson and Shakespeare are two of my favorites. Actually, Emerson once said “the only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” Tell that to whatever cosmic entity fucked up the lives of my brothers and me. We keep deciding and ‘they’ keep knocking us off the path we ride.

Ask Sam and he’d tell you he’d make his own destiny. No one was in control but him. Ask Dean and he’d tell you destiny was bullshit.

Me on the other hand? I had to believe my brothers and I, our family, was destined for this. Whatever this even is. Otherwise I’d have no other way to justify the years of unrelenting anguish. Losing Mom. Losing Dad. Heaven. Hell. Torture. Separation. Loneliness. Guilt. So much fucking guilt. If it was destiny, it was palatable – at least for me, but without the drive of destiny behind all this…I would’ve put a bullet in my brain long ago. Boy do I wish we could go back to the good ol’ days. You know, your typical vampires, ghouls, ghosts and werewolves?

Then again, life has never been typical for us and our childhoods were lost before we’d even hit double digits. Again, if this wasn’t destiny, if this was all just happening and we have no say in anything at all, I’ll eat the butt of a gun.

I know the kind of person I want to be, but something about all this seems a little too out of my control.

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November 1981

“Should we say goodnight to Sammy?” Mary asked with her fingers clasped lightly around Bobbie’s hand. The young girl pulled away and carefully but quickly climbed into the crib to place a kiss on her littlest brother’s head. He’d only been here for six months, but everyone, even the neighbors they barely spoke with could see that the five-year-old girl would already do anything for him. She was a little mother-in-training. That wasn’t to say that Dean wouldn’t do the same. He was hovering around the littlest Winchester almost as much as Mary and his older sister.

With his mother’s help, Dean leaned into the mahogany crib and pecked the top of his baby brother’s head. “Goodnight, Sammy. Love you.”

Although it took another hour, promises to take them to the park in the morning and three bedtime stories, which Bobbie and Dean fought about of course, Mary finally got her eldest two to sleep. With the kids down for the night, she was able to go sleep herself (thankfully, so necessary), waking up just hours later to the white noise from the TV downstairs mixed with the rustling of Sam’s baby monitor. How had parents survived before baby monitors?

“John?” Mary was in bed alone again. He never had been able to sleep well. It was a perfect night, cool but not cold, no wind whatsoever – only the slight rumbling of thunder far off in the distance. A little abnormal for a November night actually. There was no reason he shouldn’t have been able to sleep, but that’s how he’d always been.

As she slipped out of the bedroom, sleep still heavy in her eyes she saw a flicker of light. At the end of the hallway, the light was flaring on and off. This house wasn’t all that old and they’d just recently replaced the light bulbs so she found it a bit odd. Some poking and prodding turned the light steady, but before she could go and find John, she got distracted by a sound coming from Sam’s room.

When she opened the door, she saw her worst fear realized.

------

Downstairs, John awoke to an ear-piercing scream in the direction of Sam’s room, but when he went to find his wife, she was nowhere to be found. “Hey, buddy,” he said softly, touching the top of the peaceful infant’s head. For a moment, he looked around for Mary before turning his attention back to his third, and final (definitely final, he was getting too old for this) child.

A small drop thudded onto the crib beside Sam’s head. It was liquid of some kind and was seeping into the sheets. Seriously? Was there already a leak in this roof?

“What?” John asked aloud as his finger dragged across the drop and the copper smell began to fill his nostrils. A pit formed in his stomach as he looked up to see Mary pinned to the ceiling, a gash across her stomach and blood staining her flowing, white nightgown. “Mary!”

Before he could process anything, fire began to bloom around her body; she was petrified in place but was all too aware of what was happening to her. He could see it in her eyes - the fear, the uncertainty, the guilt. Why guilt? An inherited family trait it seemed. Quickly, he turned toward the crib and grabbed Sam, running down the hallway to get his other two children to safety.

“Daddy!” Bobbie called. The little girl had bolted upright the second her mother had screamed. Dean followed closely behind, bewildered by the frightened look plastering his father’s face. His father was never scared. “Daddy, what’s wrong?”

Without a second thought, John shoved the six-month old into Bobbie’s arms. “Take your brothers outside as fast as you can. Don’t look back. Now, Bobbie!”

She bolted down the stairs, gripping tightly onto her baby brother while glancing back over and over again to ensure Dean was still there. Her father was trusting her. She had to make sure the boys were safe. That was her job. “Bobbie, Mom and Dad?” Dean asked focusing his gaze on the steps as they moved toward the door and out into the cool November night. In his short little lifetime, he’d never seen his father or his sister more scared.

He stopped in his tracks for a second and searched for either of their parents before Bobbie grabbed him by the collar of his pajama shirt and dragged him outside. “I don’t know, but we have to go!” It was the moment her innocence was lost and she was forced to grow up before her time.

Once outside, Bobbie and Dean stopped again and stared up at the house, jarred forward when John came running up behind them. “Move!”

It was just in time. The force of the explosion propelled the family toward the front of the lawn. It was probably for the best that the children didn’t see the horror unfold. They could remember what the house looked like, what their mother…

John however looked back in horror. His wife. His home. Both gone.

“Where’s Mommy?” Dean asked. His eyes were resting on Sam who was still resting somewhat peacefully in his sister’s arms.

“She’s dead,” Bobbie said softly, taking John off guard, before she burst into tears. “Mommy’s gone!” As a neighbor emerged from next door, Bobbie ripped the cross necklace off her collarbone, threw it on the cement and ran to him. She couldn’t look at her father; he’d told her that God would watch over them and keep them safe. God was nowhere around their house. He wasn’t real. He couldn’t be. The God her parents had described wouldn’t have let this happen.

Three-year-old Dean had no idea what Bobbie really meant. Mom would be back in a while. He just knew it. “Where did Mommy go? Why did she leave?”

“I don’t know, Dean,” John said, his hand shaking as he held it to his mouth. “I…I don’t know.”

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Present Day – 2002

“Don’t you dare sit your vamp gut covered ass in my beautiful Baby,” Dean yelled, his voice carrying through the grove of trees as Bobbie made her way toward the decades-old Impala. It was a thing of beauty, passed down to Dean, the car-lover of the three of them, but they were still no closer to finding John and after taking out a small nest of vampires on the California-Nevada border, they desperately needed a shower and a few hours sleep before heading out to get Sam at Stanford…hopefully. They really did need the extra pair of eyes.

Turning back, Bobbie sing-songed. “Oh looooook! I’m sitting down in the car! I’m covered in vamp guts. Oh, no, Baby’s gonna get so dirty.” Teasing Dean about the car was so much fun. It was astounding how much he loved this car and how he expected it to stay clean and safe and pretty given their line of work. As Dean stared her down, she flashed the cheesiest smile at him pointing at the dimples she’d never seemed to be able to lose.

In mock anger, Dean threw the car door open, silently apologizing to his one true love when the door bounced back and hit him in the ass. “I should kill you for defiling my Baby… Ass.”

“Bitch. I’d like to see you try.”

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Hours after checking into their crappy motel, the two elder Winchesters checked out, showered and as well rested as they were ever going to be. “You look like hell,” Dean said sarcastically as they got into the car. The beds were like cardboard and there was a couple next door that really needed to keep that shit at home. No sleep was had.

“Aww. You’re one of the sweetest little brothers anyone could ask for,” she replied, her tight –lipped smile causing Dean to snort. “I slept like shit.” She was surprised he’d actually slept, given the noise next door, but then it occurred to her that there were a few extra bottles of beer on the nightstand this morning. Apparently, he’d knocked himself out.

“Same nightmare?”

She spoke softly, almost drowned out by the roar of Baby’s engine and the gravel under her wheels. “Yea, both of them though.”

One was of the night their mother died. That much Dean knew. However, Bobbie had never shared the other with him and he knew better than to ask. She was open with him, almost to a fault and his annoyance. If she didn’t want to talk about it, there was a reason why and he didn’t want to press it. Plus, she was scary when she was pissy.

For nearly 40 miles, they sat in silence. It was hard to forget the things they went through –at least entirely. Actually, to forget it entirely was impossible, but zoning out on the open road ahead of them or the skyline of whatever city they happened to be passing through helped them to drown out the incessant noise in their heads for awhile. It was obvious to both that the other was thinking about something - something not all together pleasant – but it was Dean who broke the silence. This is why he blasted music. Silence left too much room for running thoughts, but after a mission or a case or whatever you wanted to call it Bobbie insisted on some quiet. “Why us?”

There couldn’t be a bigger question. It was always in the back of their minds but only after large swathes of silence did one of them ask the all-important inquiry. The silence took away the filter on their brains for some reason. “I don’t know, but I say it’s fate.”

“You believe in fate and destiny and all that crap?” Dean asked in surprise, shoving a slightly melted candy bar into his mouth. Bobbie was so grounded in reality, so good at getting the job done each and every time that it seemed out of the realm of reason for her to believe in something so indefinable as destiny.

Shrugging, she faced her brother, who was of course driving the car because god forbid anyone else put their hands on Baby’s wheel. She could’ve commented on the chocolate he was getting on the wheel, speaking of defiling, but she didn’t have the energy for it. “I have to Dean. If I don’t, my head gets more fucked up than it already is. If what happened to us plays some part in some bigger plan, then I can make sense of it.”

“How? How does Mom dying in the middle of the night engulfed in flames and plastered to the ceiling make sense?”

She started kneading the side of her head with her knuckle, feeling another migraine coming on. “It doesn’t, but if what happened back then leads to something else, then my brain has a course to follow. A stupid course, a totally not fair course, but there’s a path. It’s fixed in that way in my head, so in my own way I can make sense of it. If I can’t make sense of it, then I put a bullet in my brain.”

Dean nearly slammed the brakes as they came to the red light. Oops. She did tend to say things she shouldn’t, overshare if you will, when she was in pain and tired. The cranky ramblings of a deranged hunter are what she tended to call it. “You’ve…?” He asked shakily, unable to keep his voice steady. She was his rock; the thought that she’d wanted to check out even just once made him anxious.

“Thought about blowing my brains out?” She asked. “With what we’ve gone through and what we do is that really a surprise to you?”

He cocked an eyebrow as he thought about it. It was understandable. They’d been through more bullshit in less than 30 years than most did in their entire lives, but in his mind, he’d just drink and whore himself to death eventually. Or go out in a bloody battle. One or the other. Probably one after the other. “I guess not.” In an instant everything Dean thought he knew about his sister was turned on its head. “So why us. If we were destined for this, which I think is bullshit by the way, why us?”

Nearly every second of every day had been spent trying to figure that out. “I don’t know, but the Winchesters were born to fire, Dean. I’m sure of it.“

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A/N: I hope you like Bobbie as much as I already love her. There’s so much more in store. If you want to be added to the taglist, go here and like the post.

@remember-me-forever-silent-angel @gaylemonshark @marveldivergentouatdctvfangirl @lalirang @averagekansan @addsomesalt @stusbunker @sebba-hiddles @fanfictionrecommendations-com @hoppy519 @thatwrestlingfan91 @extremeobsessions101 @spence-imagines @bettercallsabs @whaaatthefuuuuck @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @your-imagination-runs-wild @cryinglots @steggy01 @gigilame @sedulous-mind @a-unique-girls-heaven @just-antiyou @rmmalta @original-criminal-fanfics @ties-n-suits @veroinnumera @eurusholmmes

#supernatural au #supernatural fanfic #supernatural fanfiction #dean winchester #sam winchester #bobbie deanna winchester #dontshootmespence #born to fire #s1ep1

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hannahindie · 6 years

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Signs

Characters: Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Jack Kline, Castiel Word Count: 4,089 Warnings: Destiel, language, some angst, but then no angst! So there you go. A/N: So, I have newly embraced the idea of Destiel, and I had actually posted this on a side blog that was going to be where that stuff went until both @pinknerdpanda and I decided that was silly. She was the sweet angel that beta’d this for me, and I’m super proud of how it turned out. It’s an interesting concept that I wish would have really happened...but then again, I suppose I’m a little biased. lol Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

I will only be tagging those that have specifically shown interest in Destiel things. If you’d like to be added, then please let me know.

“I am the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition.”

It had been awhile since those words echoed in Dean’s mind, but lately, it was the one thing that kept coming back to him in the dark, the memory of electric eyes and shadowy wings spread across the abandoned hangar still vivid despite the long passage of time.

But that's all he had left, wasn't it? Memories...of Cas, of his mom. Both of them gone, taken away from him by Lucifer. As if they hadn't lost enough because of him, he lost his mom and his best friend in the blink of an eye. What they had left was a broken family and a kid that didn't know up from down, left from right.

It had been weeks since Cas had fallen, the sand marred by the tattered remains of his wings, and Dean couldn't understand why this was different. He always blamed himself, always felt a deep anguish for things that were inevitably his fault, but Cas’ death had torn something from him and, though he was almost ashamed to admit this, it was far worse than losing Mary. The only time he'd felt remotely like he currently was was when he'd left Lisa and Ben behind, and even that paled in comparison. The image of the angel blade piercing Cas’ chest, the slow crumple as he fell, the bright blue light that shot from him as his grace flickered out...it was like someone had reached into his chest and ripped out his heart.

He attributed it to Cas being his best friend, the closest person to him other than Sam. Hell, Cas had saved him, literally pulling him out of the fire. Dean had done what Dean had always done in these kinds of situations; he'd hit on every waitress, bartender, and witness that he could, and slept with half as many as he would have liked. It wasn't a great way to deal with things, but it usually worked as a temporary distraction. This time, however, it only seemed to make it worse. Sam kept asking him what was wrong, but how could he answer a question he didn't know the answer to? So instead, he stayed grouchy and irritable, and threatened to kill the nephilim every chance he got.

That was, until this morning. He had been sleeping; not well, chasing nightmares he couldn't quite grasp, but he'd finally fallen into a fitful sleep. Suddenly, he was awakened by a sudden fire, a flame running up his arm and coalescing in his tricep, and he sat up as he grasped at the burning flesh, a strangled scream caught in his throat.

“Dean?! What's wrong?” The light clicked on abruptly and Dean squinted at the sudden brightness.

“Jesus, Sam, it’s fine. It was just a dream.” His hand lingered over the spot, his fingers slipping under his sleeve and finding rough skin where it once was smooth. “Go back to sleep.” Dean reached over and clicked the light back off and waited as Sam rolled over and pulled the blankets over himself. He quickly fell back into a deep slumber and Dean shifted, hanging his legs over the edge of the bed as he ran a hand over his face. Though the initial excruciating burn was gone, he could feel a tingle just below the surface, a reminder that whatever he'd thought he'd dreamed was real. He quietly stood and walked to the bathroom, checking to make sure Jack was also still asleep as he walked into the darkened room. He shut the door behind him with a muted click before flipping on the light. A bedraggled mess looked back at him; hair sticking up every which way, a five day beard that was slowly obscuring his face, and tired eyes that could use at least eight more hours of sleep.

His eyes traveled down to his arm, and he squinted at the slightly puckered, pink skin peeking out from below his sleeve. There's no way. The thought echoed in his mind, a denial that he knew he couldn't keep up. And then another thought, the first thing he'd ever heard Cas say.

“I am the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition.”

His hand moved on its own, gripping the soft edge of his t-shirt sleeve, and pulled. He stared wide eyed at the mark that, just a few moments before, hadn't been there. The mark that hadn't been there for almost a decade, the one that had disappeared over the years of death and resurrection.

The hand print that had saved him from a millennia of pain and torture, and the undoing of his very self. Cas’ hand, burned into him like a brand, a reminder of who he was and what was expected of him. There it was, plain as day, and there was absolutely no explanation for it.

He looked back up in the mirror, the exhaustion replaced by confusion and, if he was being honest, a little fear.

“What the hell?”

The car was silent other than the low rumble of the engine and the quiet rock music Dean had put on for background noise. Sam had spent the majority of the afternoon scrolling through his phone, and Jack had sat in the back, quietly flipping through a magazine Sam had grabbed for him at the last gas station. Dean rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension that had settled deep into his muscles while he ignored the dull ache in his upper arm.

“You okay?” He glanced over to see Sam staring at him, his brow furrowed in concern.

“Yea, why?”

“You seem...tense.”

Dean rolled his eyes, “This is kind of a tense time, Sam. Mom is gone, probably dead, Cas is dead, we’re stuck with…” he looked up in the rearview to see Jack looking at him and sighed. “We’re not exactly living the dream.” His eyes returned to the road, and he tried to ignore his brother’s concerned gaze.

“What about last night?”

“What about it? I had a bad dream, it woke me up. I think we both are well versed in those.”

“I heard you talking to yourself.” Jack’s voice chimed in from the backseat, and Dean glared at him through the rear view.

“You didn't hear shit. You were asleep.”

“I don't really need sleep-”

“I said, you didn't hear shit.” Dean fell silent again and once again the only sounds in the car were the deep rumble of the engine and the low din of Metallica pulsing through the speakers.

Dean tried to ignore the pulsing in his arm, an insistent beat like a drum, set to its own rhythm.

What the hell was going on?

Dean sighed, the breeze cool against his face as he sat in the sun, his legs stretched out lazily in front of him. The worn handle of the fishing rod fit easily against his palm, almost as if it had spent countless hours resting in the same spot. The lake he was sitting in front of was a pristine blue, surrounded by mountains and green trees as far as the eye could see.

It was perfect.

Despite the seemingly calm perfection, he had a nagging thought in the back of his mind, the familiarity of the scene egging it on. But what was it? A tug on his line distracted him from the question, his hand automatically shifting from the handle to the reel, and slowly began turning.

"Dean." The low, gravelly voice startled him out of his idyllic moment, and he turned to see Cas standing next to him, looking out over the lake but standing close enough that they could touch if Dean just put his hand out. Instead, he returned his gaze to the water, and began slowly reeling in his line. "What are you doing here?" "You should ask yourself that. It is your dream." Dean rolled his eyes, "Yea, but I was perfectly content just fishing. I didn't want to see my dead best friend, alright? Not my idea of a dream.” He cast out his line again, and watched as it clung to the surface of the water before breaking the tension and sinking into the darkness.

“It is important that we talk, Dean.”

“How important can it be to talk to a dead guy? What else can we possibly talk about other than the fact that you’re gone, and Sam and I are on our own?”

“You have been on your own before.”

Dean gripped the rod tighter, his knuckles turning white as he forced himself to stay calm. “Just because I’ve been on my own doesn’t mean…” He took a deep breath, then continued, “It’s not the same, Cas. I...we...were on our own. And then we weren’t, okay? A person gets used to it, and it’s not like we have much family left. I’m tired of losing people.”

“I do not think you are as alone as it seems. It is only a matter of time before you will see.”

Dean looked up at Cas, his eyes even more blue than he remembered as he looked down at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He was surprised Cas could even hear his question, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Wait for the sign.” Cas dropped his hand on Dean’s shoulder, and Dean’s chest tightened at the touch. He closed his eyes as he reached up, his fingers just grazing Cas’. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he moved his hand upwards, his palm covering rough knuckles.

Suddenly, his arm was on fire again, an intense burn that moved from his fingertips all the way to his shoulder, stopping just below where Cas’ hand was resting.

“Wait for the sign.”

Dean sat up with a jerk, and hastily wiped away the tear that was still rolling down his cheek. The dream was already fading into a mostly forgotten memory, except for a pair of exceptionally blue eyes standing out in the darkness. He heard someone clearing their throat and looked up to see Sam staring at him. “What?” he asked roughly, throwing back the blanket and shuffling to the bathroom before the younger Winchester could answer. He avoided looking in the mirror; he knew whatever he saw there would be rough; no need to dwell on it.

“What was that about?” Sam asked as Dean reappeared from the bathroom, and despite his obvious effort to mask it, Dean could hear the concern in his voice.

“It was just a dream.”

“A dream about Cas isn’t ‘just a dream’,” he air quoted annoyingly.

Dean sat down on the edge of his bed, reaching for the jeans that were hanging on the end of it, “How’d you know it was about Cas?”

“You repeating his name over and over again kind of gave it away.” He paused, then tilted his head as he caught a glimpse of Dean’s arm as the sleeve shifted. “What happened to your arm?”

Dean grabbed his shirt from the chair and pulled it on, “Nothin’. Bruise from the last hunt, nothing to be concerned about.”

Sam left his spot at the small kitchenette table and walked over to the bed, “Lemme see it.”

Dean glared at him as he pulled on one of his boots, “Why would I do that? It’s not a big deal, I already told you it was a bruise from the last hunt. Let it go, Elsa.”

“Come on, let me see.” Sam went to grab his arm and Dean dodged it as he pushed him away.

“Back the hell up, man. I said it was nothing.” Although a majority of the burning was gone, it was still tender to the touch, and it took everything Dean had not to grimace as the flannel rubbed against the mark. Sam looked at him for a moment as if contemplating his next move, then suddenly moved towards Dean, one hand going for the edge of shirt, the other coming down on where he thought the mark was.

Sam’s aim, despite not knowing exactly what he was looking for, was true, and he landed directly on the hand print. Pain shot down Dean’s arm and back up, and he shoved Sam as hard as he could away from him. Sam hit the ground with a resounding thud, and he looked up at Dean from the floor in surprise.

“Goddammit Sam, that hurt!”

“I barely touched you! What the hell was that?!”

“He has a brand.” Both Winchesters spun around to see Jack sitting quietly on the couch, watching the television with the sound all the way down.

“The fuck did you say?” Dean growled, taking a step toward the nephilim.

“I said, you have a brand. It's Cas’ handprint.”

“Is he right, Dean? Is it?”

Dean ripped his flannel off and threw it angrily to the side, then grabbed his shirt sleeve and yanked it upwards, displaying the newly burned mark.

“Fine, yes, are you happy?!”

“I don't know that happy is the word I would use. Confused, yes. Happy, I'm not really sure. When the hell did that show up?” Sam pulled himself out of the floor and resumed his place at the table.

“I dunno, couple nights ago. I just...woke up and it was there.” Sam narrowed his eyes, “Why didn't you tell me?”

“Why the hell did I need to? Cas is gone, Sam, he's gone. This changes nothing, and,” he threw a hateful glare towards Jack, “we have bigger concerns on our hands.”

Sam rolled his eyes, “Did it ever occur to you that this might mean Cas isn't...gone gone? That maybe it's some sort of sign that he's still here, somewhere?”

“What kind of sign? A reminder that we failed yet again? Sign, my ass.” Dean tried to ignore the obvious use of the word, images from his dream resurfacing as he tried to ignore it. He didn’t need any signs; his best friend was gone.

“Not a sign of failure, more like a sign of your…” Sam trailed off, afraid of pointing out the thing they’d all pretty much been ignoring.

“My what, Sam?”

Sam sighed, “Your connection to Cas. We both know it’s much stronger between the two of you than Cas and I. You guys...you have a bond.”

“What does that mean…bond?”

Dean glared at Jack but remained silent, shifting his gaze to Sam.

“It's just that Cas saved Dean, and he's always...I mean, he cares very much about-”

“Alright, that's enough of that. I'm leaving.” Dean grabbed the keys from the table and stormed towards the door.

“Where are you going?”

He threw the door open, then turned back to Sam, “For a drive. Don't wait up.” He slammed the door shut, then went straight to the Impala. He needed air, a chance to think. Sam had no idea what he was talking about...did he?

Dean pulled into the overgrown field and put the car into park, his mind racing with thoughts of Cas and his dream, what Sam had said, and the now constantly aching hand print on his shoulder. He got out and slammed the door shut, pacing back and forth as he mumbled to himself.

“Bond...he doesn't have a damn clue what he's talking about. He's my best friend, obviously there's a...a bond.” He stopped walking and sat on the hood of the Impala and leaned back, his hands behind his head as he stared up into the sky. He hadn't prayed for awhile, not since Cas had been killed, and he didn't really see what good it would do now.

He sighed; it couldn't hurt either. “Cas...if you've got your ears on, I...we could really use you down here. Everything's gone to hell, I don't know what to do with Jack...and I don't understand why your handprint is back. Sam says it's because of our bond, but that sounds like bullshit. We’re family, of course there's a bond.” He reached up and put his hand over the print, matching his fingers with Cas’, and sighed. The warmth flooded from it, moving from his fingertips all the way up to his shoulder, then downward, until it buried itself deep within his gut.

It was a familiar feeling, one he'd felt hundreds of times when he'd go home with whatever piece of ass he could get his hands on. Crass, and not exactly the same, but it was as close as he could get to describing the sudden tightening in his stomach. For a moment, it almost felt like the fingers he'd aligned with his own were shifting, filling in the empty spaces and curling around his hand. His eyes flew open, but just like that, the feeling was gone.

He looked down at his arm, the scar a deeper shade than before, and sighed. He didn't understand any of this; why the mark had returned, this feeling of longing usually only reserved for those that caught his attention at the bar, and the ever present denial of there being something more between the two of them than anyone else.

“Cas...please come back. We need you to come home. I need you to come home.” After a moment of silence, he sat up with a sigh and slid off the hood. “Figures…” he mumbled to himself as he reached for the door handle. Suddenly, the fire in his shoulder returned, and he collapsed into the closed door, nearly biting his tongue to keep in the pained yell. As quick as it began, it stopped. No fading away, no slowly relinquishing tingling like before; just a hard stop, as if he had imagined it.

He reached down, his fingers tracing along the edge of his shirt sleeve before slowly raising it to find smooth, freckled skin. No hand print.

“What the hell?” He swiped his hand across where the print had been just moments before, but not only was it gone, so was the feeling it gave, the feeling that Cas was there. Whatever it was was gone, and Dean felt his stomach drop. Cas was gone. Truly gone. Whatever hope Dean had of Sam being right...well, it had disappeared with it.

Then his phone rang.

Dean had always overlooked traffic laws and speed limits while traveling back roads; in the rare instances that he did get pulled over, he simply would flash a smile and charm his way out of it. Sam was always impressed by it, and though he'd never admit it, a little jealous. But tonight, nothing would stop Dean. He ignored yield signs and stop lights, flew through intersections, blasted through a railroad crossing as the bar came down, and narrowly avoided being caught by a state trooper who, by sheer luck, had already pulled someone else over for weaving back and forth over the center line.

Always the one to use a map rather than GPS, Dean had also broken that rule; his eyes constantly drifted over to look at the phone in Sam’s hand, the estimated time of arrival dropping as he pressed the gas harder.

Seventy five miles.

Fifty miles.

Twenty-five miles.

You have arrived at your destination.

Dean abruptly stopped as he caught sight of the shadowy figure hovering at the phone booth, the shadow from the grimy streetlight obscuring most of the details. He didn't need details; the tight feeling in his gut as he stared at the figure was answer enough. If it hadn't been, the fluttering edge of a trench coat in the sudden breeze certainly was.

“Dean.”

His breath caught at the sound; deep and gravelly, the voice almost didn't go with the owner.

He had arrived at his destination. Although, if he really was honest with himself, he'd arrived as his destination way earlier and had taken his time actually getting there.

He climbed out of the car and walked towards Cas. Jack began to follow and Sam held out an arm to stop him. Jack looked at him in confusion, unsure as to why he couldn't go to his father, the man who was supposed to keep him safe, but obeyed Sam’s silent request to stay put. Dean stopped just short of Cas, his hands still at his sides.

“How?” It came out a whisper, and Cas’ gaze darted over his shoulder towards Jack, then back to Dean.

“I am unsure, though I believe it deals with the child.”

Dean took another step forward, “Where were you?”

Cas shook his head, “I...I do not know. I was somewhere and nowhere. There was darkness...nothingness. It was...disconcerting.”

Another step, then another, until Dean was standing toe to toe with him. Cas’ eyes narrowed, locked with Dean’s, and Dean wondered how he'd missed how blue they were. Without thinking or thought to anyone else standing around, he threw his arms around him and gripped him tightly.

“You can't leave me again. You hear me? You can't leave me like that again,” he whispered fiercely in Cas’ ear, his voice breaking as Cas’ arms found their way around his waist.

“I am sorry, Dean. I did not realize-”

“Don't...don't apologize. Just...don't ever do that again.” He pulled back and stared at Cas, taking in everything he could. It occurred to him that their arms were still around each other and for a moment, he considered moving away. Instead of doing that, however, he leaned his forehead against Cas’ and closed his eyes. The feeling was back; only this time, it was his entire body that felt like it was on fire. Every part that touched Cas tingled, spreading warmth through him until he thought he couldn't take it anymore.

“Dean?”

“Hmm?”

“I would very much like to kiss you. Is that okay?” Dean opened his eyes, and for a moment didn't know how to answer. He took in Cas’ wrinkled brow, furrowed in concern, his messy hair, and crooked tie. Kissing Cas had never really occurred to him, not until he was gone and Dean realized there was more to them than just the angel and the hunter, but now that Cas was back...should they? Cas’ arm began to loosen around his waist and Dean panicked; he had waited too long to answer. So, instead of answering, Dean did the thing he knew he was better at than talking.

He pressed a palm on each of Cas’ cheeks and moved in, his lips pressing gently, almost chastely, against his. They were chapped, just like always, but Dean was surprised to find that they were even softer than most girls he'd been with, warm and plump. His tongue darted out as he decided to push his luck and explore, and not surprisingly, his lips tasted of honey. He jumped a little as Cas’ tongue joined his, but quickly recovered and let his lips part so that Cas could do his own exploring.

Then it was over. Dean took a deep breath and let his hands drop, staring at Cas as if he'd disappear any second. “Whoa.”

Cas gave him a rare smile, “I believe that is a good response. Can I tell you something?”

Dean nodded, “Of course you can.”

“While I was gone...in the empty, as the entity I met there called it, all I wanted was to go home. And after being there for awhile, it felt like millennia, it occurred to me that when I thought of home, I was not thinking of Heaven. I was thinking of you. I held onto that, and though I believe it was Jack’s powers that pulled me physically from that place, I never would have made it out whole without the thought of you.”

Dean’s mouth dropped open, unprepared for the eloquent and touching speech. “I...I don't know what to say, Cas.”

“You do not need to say anything. You are here, that is enough.” He nodded over Dean’s shoulder, “I believe we should probably discuss this more in depth later, as we have an audience. And also things to take care of.”

Dean looked back in time to see Sam forcibly turn Jack around and pretend that neither of them saw anything. “Yea, let's go,” he chuckled as they walked back to the car.

As he slid into the front seat, he smiled to himself. Next time, he would believe in all the signs.

Destiel Tags: @pinknerdpanda @mrswhozeewhatsis @thing-you-do-with-that-thing @jeweldancerwrites <--I feel like I tagged the wrong person...please tell me if I did. lol

#destiel #supernatural fanfiction #dean winchester #castiel #dean x cas

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flames-bring-a-ton-of-ash · 6 years

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Hey Ash! Can you please recommend me a few good slow burn fics that's like 100k? It doesn't matter which fandom :) thanks!

Okay, so I went through my bookmarks and such all over my laptop, because it actually was reminding me of older slow burns I loved and now I want to re read some of them. A lot of these are well over 100k. When I go for slow burns, I don’t play around lol. I also tend to prefer reading ships with 2 canon characters for slow burns, rather than OC characters, but that’s just a personal preference, so that’s why these are mainly ships. Enjoy!

Forward to a Time Past by Unbridled Brunette (~270k words, Buffy/Spike) This is a time travel slow burn, if you’re into that pairing. It’s AMAZING! Buffy goes back in time to Victorian London, when Spike is the still human, very shy, very virginal William. It’s brilliant. And it was the first fic that had me all in with the idea of an inexperienced man who is “taught” by the woman. It has that Pride & Prejudice vibe, where it’s scandalous to even touch bare hands, let alone make love to someone when unmarried, and I’m such a sucker for that. I remember being upset when I finished this story, because I knew I wouldn’t find a Spike/Buffy slow burn that I loved this much ever again…and I haven’t.

You Know Better by @xteenwolfwritingsx (~77k words, Peter Hale/OC, Teen Wolf) This is hands down the best long Peter fic I have ever read! As I said, I don’t typically go for OC/you characters for longer fics, but this OC was so relatable and well-written, and I remember reading the first chapter of this and having to put my phone down, because I was just like, “Holy shit, I’m gonna become so obsessed with this story”. And I am. I read it twice in two weeks. I haven’t read the newest couple of chapters, purely because I know the author said that it’s going to be finished soon, so I’m waiting until it’s completed so I can go back and read it a third time from the beginning and take it all in, start to finish. The premise is that the OC/you asks Peter to teach her how to fight, so she’s not just the helpless human of the group. And oh boy…Peter as a fighting instructor…god…yea…it’s hot. I was about to scream waiting for them to finally rip each other’s clothes off, and god it was so worth the wait when they did! If you’re at all into Peter, read this!

Your Hands Can Heal, Your Hands Can Bruise by blackestnight10 (~430k words, Daryl Dixon/OC) Sadly, this is not a completed story. And honestly, I don’t remember a lot of details about it, but it was the first long Walking Dead fic I ever read. It’s Daryl with an OC character, and the two things I do remember is that the OC kicked ass and yet was also likeable and intriguing, and that it was a torturous slow burn. I mean, it’s realistic to Daryl, because I don’t see him as someone who jumps in bed with anyone, so the author stayed really in canon with his character. And I stayed up late many a night devouring it.

Spiced Molasses by MonDieu666 (~140k words, Daryl/Beth) - This one is a fantastic AU slow burn. Beth’s parents are assassinated, and she and her two siblings have to be put into protective custody in separate locations. Rick calls in Daryl, the irritable lone ranger agent, to watch Beth. Cue one of my favorite tropes: them stuck unwillingly in a tiny apartment together, at first not liking each other, where they dance around each other until finally giving in to their desires. It’s a fabulous story!

18 Miles Out by MonDieu666 (~190k words, Daryl/Beth) - I’ll admit that I don’t remember a whole lot of details on this one…but I DO remember that I wrote down which chapters the smut is in and kept it handy, because I went back countless times to re read those chapters, since they were so sexy. This author is fabulous for her longer Bethyl fics (she wrote the previous one and this next one, as well).

Damaged Heroes by MonDieu666 (~135k words, Daryl/Beth) - I’m also struggling to remember the details of this one. I think I get this story and 18 Miles Out mixed up a lot, and it’s been years since I read them, but they were both fabulous and worth a read.

I’ll Be Yours for a Song by dynamicsymmetry (~380k words, Daryl/Beth) This is a breathtakingly beautiful AU fic. In the first chapter, Daryl drives down a country road and finds Beth walking, soaking wet, in the rain. He debates on if he should stop and offer her a ride, and when he does, it kick starts a romance that is just…ugh, so good. I will admit that I didn’t get the entire way through it (it’s a pretty long fic) because I kept getting side tracked by other fics, but it’s one that I still, even over a year later, keep open on a Safari tab on my phone, and I want to go back and re read it from the beginning at some point…maybe that’ll be my goal for the beginning of 2018. This author writes Daryl and Beth exactly how I picture they would be together. The hesitation, the fear of falling in love, the hurdles of their age difference (Beth is still in high school at the beginning of it, altho I believe she’s 18). It’s just magical.

Howl by dynamicsymmetry (~383k words and still being written, Daryl/Beth) This is another story that I need to catch up on, because I’ve gotten way behind on it. It’s another AU, this time with Rick and the gang being werewolf shapeshifters, and Beth being…well…I don’t want to spoil the surprise, because that’s part of the mystery, is her discovering who she is and how she stumbles upon werewolf Daryl in the beginning. This fic hit some kinks I didn’t even realize I had…and I’m not ashamed to admit that I still have some fanart saved on my phone based off this fic, of Daryl in werewolf form banging human Beth XD

Eden by obsessmuch (~265k words, Hermione Granger/Lucius Malfoy) Sooo this story is FUCKED UP! I mean seriously, it is not for the faint of heart. I don’t think I’ve ever read a more angst-ridden fic in my entire life…but holy shit, I loved it. This is not a fluffy romantic type of slow burn, ohhh no. This is Lucius at his most vicious. He tortures the fuck outta Hermione in the beginning, and you hate him with a fiery passion, the same way Hermione does. And yet, this Stockholm-Syndrome type obsession starts between them, and forms into a fucked up version of love. Also, the ending…oh my god, I still sometimes sit and think about the ending. If you’re at all intrigued by the idea of a dark as hell fic that’ll chew you up and spit you back out with all the feels, give this one a chance. But don’t say that I didn’t warn you ;)

Chasing the Sun by Loten (490k words, Hermione/Snape) This was my first fandom ship, over a decade ago, and I just started diving back into it a few months ago, so I have a ton of long fics to catch up on. However, Loten currently is, and I think quite likely will always be, my favorite Snamione author. Both this fic and the next one on the list by her are my immediate recommendations for someone wanting to try out this pairing. She dives into the psychology of Snape in a way that is just…perfect. I don’t know how anyone can question them being together as a couple after reading both her long fics. The slow burn in this is slow…reallll slow, but holy fuck is the smut worth the wait. But it makes sense, because it starts out when Hermione is 15 or 16, I think (there’s zero romance or even physical awareness of each other until she’s 17, though, since that’s the Wizarding age of consent). It’s more a journey of their interactions together, and it’s honestly a beautiful story. It sticks to canon in the beginning, then goes off the rails, but in a way that I really enjoyed. It was Snape getting the part in the war and taking down Voldemort that he deserved, in my opinion. Loten also includes Crookshanks in her stories, and I really wish more Snamione authors would do this. The scenes with Crookshanks and Snape added so much humor and fluff to the story, both this one and the next fic.

Post Tenebras, Lux by Loten (~310k words, Hermione/Snape) So, where the last fic was how Hermione and Snape would come together while she was still at school and during the war, this fic takes a look at how they would get together 10 years after the war is over. Snape has disappeared, most people think he died in the Shrieking Shack, even tho a body was never found…until Hermione literally runs into him one day, 10 years later, and it kicks start their interactions. Since the war is over in this fic, it is 100% character driven, and focuses solely on the development of the relationship of these two. If you need swash buckling action and a grand, dramatic plot like taking down Voldemort in a fic, this isn’t for you. But I LOVED it. It’s not as slow a burn as Loten’s other fic, but it delves into the post-war traumas and psychology of both Snape and Hermione in a way that had me hooked from the very beginning. It spans years of their relationship, and how they would develop not just from meeting to falling in love (like where most fics then stop) but beyond and throughout their entire lives. And, like Loten’s other fic, it gave Snape the true love and happy ending that I believe he deserves, and it had me grinning like a fool the rest of the day after I finished it.

Pet Project by Caeria (~340k words, Hermione/Snape) This is quite the epic slow burn…I mean, when I say it’s slow, it’s SLOW (literally 95% of it is the slow burn). It had me so captivated, and I loved Hermione’s personal “mission” to try and show Snape that he had someone on his side..without him realizing someone was actually trying to be on his side. They were both so in character, especially while they were at Hogwarts. This is another one where she starts out as a student, but it’s once again not romantic or sexual until she’s at least 17. The part where she makes him magical sheets is a scene that will always stick out in my memory. As is the scene where they sit together on the staircase of Grimmauld Place.

Okay, I’m gonna stop now. Those are the main ones I found when scouring my google sheets, laptop bookmarks, and bookmarks on sites like ao3 and FF.

If anyone reads any of these and wants to discuss them, PLEASE feel free to message me! I LOVE discussing fics, especially slow burn fics that give me all the feels, so that I can squeal with someone else over the feels.

#the walking dead #daryl dixon #bethyl #snamione #severus snape #hermione granger #lucius malfoy #harry potter #peter hale #teen wolf #spike #buffy #spuffy #slow burn #fic recs #ash reads #Anonymous

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isaacathom · 6 years

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like, if i were to basically redo it to just be a fun fantasy romp - id take it back to its original sort of time setting rather than having it be urban fantasy. Finley died in an expedition about 10 years earlier, making Crystal and Akian into orphans. theyve basically been living with the D’Lore’s since then, so Akian and Chase being really fucking close makes complete sense (and was likely why they started living wit the d’lores in the first place). in that last decade, like 5 yearsago or so, SKye joins the family after the whole uhhhhh Sorix/Naten situation. my poor boys. so crystal and skye already know each other. they arent super close, mostly because skye’s a moody lil bitch sometimes, but they know each other and are passing friends. crystal works with the d’lore’s apothecary, since the d’lores are like, biiiiiiiig boys. mayors or some shit. big boys. not a king, tho. well, actually, maybe? that could be interesting. or perhaps like a pricipality sorta deal. ill think about it.

since the d’lores are royalty here, kidnapping Akian and Chase (the crown prince boy and his gf) makes complete sense. theyre a perfect ransom and way tohold the entire city/region hostage. its a crisis. skye and crystal, who are really pissed about it, decide to take proactive action. which brings them into contact with Violet, who runs a small library with her “aunt”, Dawn. Violet helps them find some information about some of the weird shit the two reported seeing before their sibs were kidnapped, and gives them a shit ton of advice on what they could do. because violet is the best.

smth smth happens, they come into contact with Will, who is an expedition man just like Finley, and also the guy with th complex relationship with Skye. the three manage to convince Will to take them along into his second trip into a portal he’s discovered north of the town, because violet thinks it’ll have useful info and then begs to come along to see it. sothe 4 go in. suhbitch, its the heaven realm, and here they meet Skye’s mother, Alexa, who has still been dead for 200 years because, lets be clear, Skye’s dad fucked a ghost. fucking crazy. fantasy is wild. and she helps give them some pointers. maybe suggests they head to Quartai, which is the Big Boy Kingdom. a probably more overtly magical/religious place, more info on Ryaris and shit, stuff like that.

the 4 go there. then im not sure how stuff resolves from there. they probably still end up heading to the southern isles, which is an even more Big Magic place that has all these portals. in between then, violet seems to disappear, following an(other) encounter with Princess Alara, angry wind mage of the hour. which isnt great? but thats because Violet realised something was off about Alara (in a way specific to Violet) and she went out alone after the others went to sleep to find her and demand answers, and then, well, shit escalates.

they finally get to the fire realm and find the castle. before they can sneak inside, Alara catches them and promptly kidnaps Crystal, under the rationale that, well, Crystal is actually quartaian royalty, she’ll be a good ransom as well! :) skye and will (and i guess ash if hes just floating around, i dont Know)get tossed in the jail cell with chase and akian. Violet, who has now assumed the position of Princess fucking uhhhhh she has a name. fuck. T- Tacha??? yea ok whatever. Princess Violet’s out here, trying desperately to avoid the consequences of abandoning the group and trying not to get seen by any of them. but after overhearing her mum and sister interrogating Crystal about shit (and probably revealing Crystal’s heritage at that time, tho idk how id tie that shit in proper) Violet decides to stop being a coward. easily talks her way into the jail, frees everyone, get them all their stuff back, and make arrangements with some sympathetic guards that escort the exhausted Chase and Akian to a portal that will plop them out near-ish to the capital city, where they will be quickly found. bonus points if one of the guards, being a local to the area, offers to then personally escort them to the palace and hand them over. if yes, then violet likely gives him something that is proof of divine intervention (like, a symbol that cannot be manufactured by a human? and that is proof that Ryaris was involved and has returned them, smth like that, idk)

then the three of them work together to free crystal from Alara, who is acting as the primary antagonist. Ryaris is getting cold feet like noones fucking business, which is why she hasnt made a single appearance apart from kidnapping the two at the start. Alara’s filled in the rest, in part because Alara can pass for human (shes more a demigod than a minor goddess, in contrast to Violet), and because Alara was a LOT more into the plan from the start. probably using some info they gathered in Quartai or in theheaven world (it definitely has a name, i dont remember it) to convince Alara that, well, no, Dalace is absolutely fucking lying to you, stop it. which is easier than you would think, because Dalace’s lies were revealed the instant Violet returned home.

Part of Dalace’s plan to escape from her imprisonment is to have Ryaris (and her daughter, tho that was a later addition) force a whole bunch of humans into constructing and using portals, which would weaken the seal and also give Dalace more power. then she can break out and wreak havoc. her end of the deal is that, once restored to full power and free, she would bring back Evelyn and Violet. Evelyn being Ryaris’ human wife, who died like 5-6 years prior to the start of the story, and which was actually caused by Dalace in order to force Ryaris’ hand. but that conceit was that Violet and Ryaris were both dead. But Violet is here, perfectly fine, and with 0 trace of any magical interference. Violet was been alive the entire time, just out of Ryaris’ sight and in a different place than where Alara ended up going undercover. essentially a stroke of bad luck.

so, yknow. Violet has overheard Ryaris talking to Dalace, and has already found out about the fact that her revival had been promised. so its like, ‘what proof do you have???’ ‘well, im here, arent i?’ ‘:|||||’ if its then additional that, after violet left the party, the other three found out that Dalace doesn’t have the ability to revive, and that revival as a skill would require the death of Losa (light goddess and just general death lady), they can use that too. combine forces. violet uses her knowledge of the agreement, and the others use their acquired knowledge of the limits of magic. bam. maybe even some prior history, like ‘the stories say that Dalace went mad because everything died in her care. if she could revive the dead, surely this wouldnt have been an issue?’ ‘..... fuck youre right’. i mean they almost definitely have to fight her too because Alara’s a bit of a pain in the ass. people probably almost die. hardcore.

everyone chills out, they go convince ryaris to maybe chill. thats very easy because ryaris literally just wanted to settle down with her wife and two children before shit got messy (and i mean, Same). very easy to convince her off the mess train. but, of course, she’s already done a lot of the damage. the ransom for Akian and Chase has been active for like, at LEAST a week, possibly even more, she’s already reaped a solid chunk and started making good on her promise to Dalace. so the damage has been done. Dalace will get out soon. so they decide like, ok, lets fix it. time to go like, punch her in the face.

and then they beat dalace or reseal her or something. im not sure? dalace’s issues with the world are so deeply seated, her anger so much a part of her, that you cant really turn her good again. and to kill her would be nigh impossible and extremely disastrous. so really its like. do we trap her again but More this time, do we force the gods to actually intervene this time instead of acting through Champions? its rough. a godly intervention would only work if the group had been to each of the realms, because then they’d have met or affected each god in some way. but theyve only been to light and fire worlds. any more than that and it just gets like..... convoluted...... it was the original idea but idk. smaller main cast, makes even less sense. going to the worlds of each of their patrons makes SOME sense??? which then means id need to add a trip to the earth world (perhaps this is where they go from the southern isles. since they dont have a fire portal. and then they lose violet in earht world?). which then only leaves out the water and wind worlds. but the wind goddess is explicitly on Ryaris’ side, having freed Ryaris from her own constraints after a Whole Bunch of Shenanigans. so they dont actually need to convince the wind goddess, Xen i think, to support ryaris. Caliyo, the water goddess, is a little harder to finagle. she doesnt really agree with Ryaris for what i hope are Obvious reasons. in theory keeping Ash as a member of the party would potentially fix that, since he’s an active and practicing water magician prior to meeting the cast, and it’d be fair to guess that she might have a hand in that?in the community he’s from. sort of a mini water realm? Caliyo could also possibly be convincedby like, Losa and....Elra? earth lady. to just maybe think about just fucking talking to Dalace, for fucking once. its been fucking millenia,just talk to her and maybe youll convince her to stop being a shit. idk. Dalace is complicated? and a pain in the butt.

like, if Ash remains part of the squad (which does skew the cast 2:3 male, and 1:3 male when Violet leaves, which Pisses me Off) he can act as throughline to Caliyo. i dont see why not. his community is very much magical. buuuttt you could also potentially get around having him be in the party by having the same connection be present in the Southern Isles, which is a separate magical community that hides away from the continent. and if you think about it, how would you hide an island? other than straight up illusions.mist! caliyo is a perfect patron for the southern isles, thus removing Ash from the story as well in a clean 1 2. which also removes the dragons, which is.... a shame, definitely. big fan of them. but it also makes some sense to remove super overt magic stuff, if people are supposed to believe is superstition or extremely rare. a northern tribe that rely on dragons doesnt gel with that. they can still exist, i guess, but as a completely separate entity. though that does then raise the question of how the party of 4 get from Quartai to the southern isles. in SB, they flew there on the backs of some of Ash’ dragons, which also allowed them to cross the fucking sea between the isles and the coast. unless theres a secret way? like, hey, a secret bridge. use the portals to return back to the capital city, tie up some loose ends (employment and ‘WHERE THE /FUCK/ HAVE YOU BEEN?’ sorts of ends) before heading south to the coast and then trying to find the path across. Skye or will would be good for that, though Violet is also a stellar candidate due to the sheer magnitude of her magic. she’s basically a minor deity. its crazy. it depends on like, narrative usefulness? i guess? like, violet was the one who put them on the path to realise the kidnapper was Divine in some way, and put them in contact with Will. Will got them into fucking Heaven Light World, which got them to quartai, where they were able to get more info (or maybe even skip quartai altogether, tho thats smth else to deal with). so at this stage, crystal and skye’s sole contributions have been to kick the whole thing off. at best, skye mightve suggested they go to a smaller library than the Royal one, since, well, theyre already known to the royal one and the librarian likely tells them to stop bothering everyone and go back home (stay safe from kidnappers, etc). so Skye finding the path to the island, with all that light boy goodness, might work? crystals skillset can then come in handy when they travel to earth world, since she’s an earth mage. she can learn magic and possibly even learn about her heritage there. smth smth. depends how long theyre there.

idk. you can probably remove quartai from the mix altogether??? and have them go straight from Light World to heading south of the capital. does sorta remove the quartai buildup though? with the whole ‘youre the descendant of a runaway prince’ thing. since it justified crystal being removed from the group and likely the first person to find out about violet being a god, which can then feed to like. Shit. theres no other reason to separate out crystal and not, say, Skye. crystal and skye hold identical levels of relevance to thespecific kingdom theyre from. theyre commoners. crystal is in slightly higher regard because akian is practically a princess and even before that her family were good friends with the royals (because, yknow, Finley is a runaway prince who sought refuge in a neighbouring kingdom, lol). skye is just like, some guy, even though he lives in the palace too. theyre just commoners in high esteem of the king. so like, if you were going to separate Crystal out from the group for that, you should also take out Skye, which means in practice youre just chucking Will in a dungeon on his own. which just seems rude. the boy has suffered enough.

the idea was that bringing Crystal into Quartai, a place she has never been but that her father had once promised to take her to (which i can set up). and that by placing her in that environment, maybe even engineering a scenario where she is taken to the royal library (which i guess is like, a public library run by the royals? i dont know) and is spotted by Alara, who has been living in Quartai for the last year or so to gather intel. and, by the nature of how it is, theres royal paintings on the wall showing the late queen, Crystal’s grandmother, and theres an immediate visual connection. Crystal looks just like her dad. someone else (or alara, if it works) might even comment on her being new to quartai with a sort of ‘are you sure youve never been to quartai before? you look like you’d fit right in’ and it couldbe assumed as a personality thing. especially if in terms of personality, crystal doesnt appear to mesh with quartaian society at all. and if the line is by a character with no humour. which means Alara would actually be a perfect fit. it would be a genuine question and observation - Crystal looks Quartaian, whatever that means. while in quartai, they find out its connected to the earth goddess Elra, which helps convince them that they should maybe ask Elra for advice, since she seems like a goddess who has a lot of input and would know about goings on. crystal is then revealed to be an earth mage later (either southern isles or in the earth realm itself) which is like an Ooh boy. you could possibly hammer it further home by, if they DO meet Elra, her confusing Crystal for quartaian royalty. either by assuming she’s a specific Queen (her grandmother) or just a general ‘oh, youre a princess of quartai, then?’ ‘w- no?’ ‘oh? my apologies’. though if elra is going to notice any lineage she’s going to recognize the tall white haired youngster with piercing eyes and an overwhelming magical aura is the daughter of the goddess of fire. so. might distract her?i think it would be too on the nose for Elra to straight up call her out.

though i could definitely make Crystal not looking local a thing? because she’s not. culturally she is, but both of her parents are full blooded quartaians who fled across the border because Keiran (correctly) anticipated that him marrying a commoner wouldnt go down well. Akian and Crystal both look quartaian. but they also look nothing like Will, who is from another demographic also not native to the kingdom. but his demographic is more prevalent, like there are far larger communities of them. Akian and Crystal just look out of place. Skye technically has a sort of otherworldly quality, but thats partly because his dad fucked a ghost. i cant get over that. but he still looks local enough, because he looks like his mum! and aside from being a ghost of sorts, she was from that kingdom, just 200 years in the past. so theres been drift, and he does look slightly off relative to everyone else, but to an extent you can assume thats just an individual thing. especially since his family is unknown. Akian and Crystal’s parents are known. their apperance is familiar. and that appearance is distinctly foreign. theres no real PROBLEM with that, because theyre good friends with the royal family and have been living in or near them for their whole lives, but its notably. their specific complexion, hair colour, and eye colour? not common ‘round these parts. that sorta thing? could work??? especially if relations with quartai are sorta weird. like..... we’re cool....... but also dont move here? with the exception of Kieran, because the implication is that he’d been a lot friendlier than his mother (and his cousin) and when he comes knocking on the door going ‘listen man i just fled the country can i crash on your couch with my girlfriend for a few days’ the kings like ‘yea dude go ahead. you can explain tomorrow at breakfast. just us’ ‘thanks dude i really appreciate it’. maybe its a quartaian thing. not big fans on these guys. so they just stay in their place and dont leave much. people from this kingdom can come to quartai, sure....... you cant STAY for that long, but you can come visit.......... sure.

which, if quartai is kinda.... i guess just straight up racist??? xenophobic? one or both. if quartai is straight up racist, than crystal’s appearance as a fullblooded quartaian would be quite notable! because its like, oh, youre a local! wait, y- youre NOT a local????? what the fuck do you mean youre not a local????? from - from sp- ok. sure. alright whatever you say lady. move the fuck along then. people see this ragtag group with this one quartaian lady and assume, oh, a local with some friends from out of town. well, if thats the company they want to keep, sure. cause it looks almost correct. it almost makes sense. but then you hear her speak, in a distinctly non-quartaian accent, and its like ‘hold on a sec’ but then she’ll say some words with a quartaian twang, relating to adventure, and you have No idea how to process that. what. its wild. doesnt come across in raw text but, you know.

im sure i can roughly justify going o quartai. theyre a generally more spiritual kingdom, with prominent reverence in a specific goddess who is tied in with the geography and economy (Elra), and the royal family are supposedly her descendants on some level. theyd have more specific information about the gods, the history of their involvement in the world, some shit about Dalace (not in depth, tho, just that she took over at one point and it was a Bad time). it depends how much info they can get from light realm? i mean, they arent REALLY supposed to say much. they arent even really supposed to interact with the living. which does make you go 0>0 at Alexa. hot damn. willing to break big rules for some living dick. legendary.

i mean i feel like its better if they DO go to quartai, because it allows them to encounter Alara, who has basically bribed and conned her way into a position of power through some whack shit and has integrated into the community to get some of the Juicy Information. they can meet her in a safe environment and find that she’s weird, they can learn a bit about shit, crystal being quartaian can be emphasised in a sort of coy way (im a shit writer sooo it probably wouldnt read very coy lol) and there can even be some foreshadowing for Violet’s position as minor fire deity. since thats almost definitely what catches alara’s attention. a tall, light haired individual with burning green eyes and an implaceable aura? fascinating. but when Violet doesn’t catch any of Alara’s references (to like, the gods and shit), Alara assumes she’s mistaken and perhaps she’s just sensing a strange combined aura. its not till later in the earth realm, when they meet as protagonist vs antagonist, that she realizes no, she was right on the money the first time. because at this point in the story, the main cast have actually started using magic, and theyve already found that Violet’s use of magic is effortless. and with their magic unlocked, so to speak, violet’s aura is fucking incredible. none of the others can see it, with the possibly exception of either Will or Skye, depending which way dark/light fall re: seeing shit. but Alara is an incredibly well practiced mage and demigoddess, and she knows how to see it, and violet’s is intense. its unmistakeable. alara isnt 100% sure what if she recognizes the aura, for the simply fact that violet disappeared when they were 9 and alara hadnt learnt to see/feel aura at the time. but she thinks she knows what it means. shes confident that violet is some demigod. which god? unclear. until Violet throws a fireball at her and tells her to fuck off.

the only other possible ways for violet to be a fire demigod and NOT being the daughter of Ryaris, are for her to be the daughter of Xen (goddess of wind) OR be a distant descendant of Ryaris via her mortal parent, who is also her mother, and which might overrule the godly disciple of the godly parent. the latter is nigh impossible because Ryaris has only had two children to her knowledge, unless she blacked out during 200 years exile and accidentally boned down. she’s pretty sure she didnt, though. not that thats a topic that comes up, exactly. but ryaris only has two kids. Alara has no children, and Violet is not the right age to be the daughter of Alara’s sister. she is, however, the approximate age to BE Alara’s sister. so is sheactually, or is it cosmic coincidence that two demigods (the fire/wind twins and someone else) were born around the same time? who knows! alara has no idea. violet doesnt have a damn clue either. ita rough.

uhhh this got very lost VERY fast. uhhh tl;dr return the story to its original full fantasy setting (not urban/modern fantasy). akian is the girlfriend to the prince of a kingdom, with crystal being her sister. skye being in a weird state of being commoner but living with royalty, just like crystal. akian and the prince are kidnapped by Ryaris in order to force the kingdom into an awful ransom agreement whereby they will do a bunch of suspicious shit. crystal and skye believe they saw part of the kidnapping take place, and attempt to get information. after a bunch of the royal staff tell them to stop worrying and go home, they go find a non-royal library run by Dawn and her ‘niece’ Violet, who help them find some info. Violet, being very much in the know, hooks them up with Will, an adventurer and cartographer who is planning a visit to a portal he located north of the city. after a lot of negotiating/arguing, Will agrees to let the three of them come along, and off they go. a whole bunch of shit happens, involving a trip to neighbouring kingdom Quartai, where Crystal is treated strangely in relation to the party and they first meet Alara, posing as a foreign noble who takes an immediate interest in Violet.

more shit, they end up in some hidden magic isles south of the continent, which then leads them to the earth realm, where they seek an audience with the goddess of earth Elra, on how they can get an audience with Ryaris, goddess of fire, and most likely the kidnapper. more shit. alara appears again and they have a brief confrontation. that night, violet disappears. after failing to find her, they resolve to press onwards (leaving fucking missing persons signs all over this foreign land and even informing Elra about it). go to fire realm, get captured by Alara, who separates out Crystal in order to interrogate her about her lineage to confirm a suspicion she has that Crystal is long lost quartaian royalty (si). violet is brought in to help, much to their mutual distress, and then alara kicks violet out for just doing an awful job of forcing crystal to talk.violet then breaks everyone else out of jail, sends Akian and the prince home with some guards she trusts to take them back safely, and then they go rescue Crystal. final showdown with Alara. convince alara that Dalace, goddess of darkness, has been lying out her fucking ass the entire time and cant do anything she promised. alara reluctantly agrees to confront Ryaris about it. Ryaris admits thats all true and that she knew from the start Dalace was a lying piece of shit, but, i mean...... yknow....... your wife dies and you havent seen your daughter in over a decade........ white lies are nice. also alara was the one who got sucked in. its complicated.

then they go ‘aight time to fuck with dalace’ and then i have no idea. probably all the goddesses (who theyve met throughout the story) come and tell dalace to stop being a cunt? roll credits.

#story blogging #echo child #long post #well whoops #thats uhhhhh8 hours of fun #i didnt mean for that to happen but i wasmultitasking and just sorta..... kept plugging away i guess

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