#and then at the end of season two we see the Miss Mystic Falls moment: | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kmze · 5 days

Text

Thoughts on 8x09-8x16 remember how the beginning of the season I said it was the most I enjoyed the show, well this is the opposite because wow this was just depressing! Cade fizzled out once he went top-side (his motives seem confusing) and everything feels rushed trying to get to the finish line. Stefan is the most frustrating to watch because going from EVIL > EMO so fast gave me whiplash and it was all for nothing. One and a half seasons of development gone for what exactly? It's not the worst half season as it's very emotional and a lot of good character moments and of course THE WEDDING is beautiful and perfect when it gets to just be a wedding about two characters with the best love story (IMO!!!) on this show. Bonnie and Caroline got to live (!!!) and Kai showed up to make me laugh one last time. Lots and lots and lots of thoughts and bitching below, thank you to everyone who commented or sent me questions it was nice feeling the nostalgia of the old fandom here!

8x09

Damn it’s been a while since the Salvatores were in suits like this they look good!

I love Caroline’s dress (pink like her robe in 1x19) but her hair looks too flat sometimes. Bonnie looks stunning though I love that green.

Vomit inducing love story is a very accurate description of that trainwreck!

CTFU thinking about how Caroline had to watch that insanity unfold with Ripper Stefan staring at her while trying to psychologically damage Damon. She walked down like fuck crisis mode, she was so desperate she’s dancing with Damon!

HA! Violet's date has Stefan's hero hair! This drama queen!

Love the smooth way Ripper Stefan took Caroline’s hand and dragged her away but FOREVER ROBBED we didn’t get dancing dialogue with them! I can even see that Paul is yapping in the scenery shots. I feel like there was something in the script and it got cut, probably that she wanted that striker, he would have known because she said it to Damon right before he grabbed her hand to dance. I love that he brought it to her too, no ulterior motive he just knew she wanted it.

I love the Caroline and Violet scene.

How many gas leaks does this town have!

That last scene is so pretty, it reminds me of beauty and the beast. Note how Ripper Stefan catches the ring flips it and puts it in his pocket meanwhile he made Damon toss the necklace to prove he didn't care. He even “proposes” the next time he sees her.

8x10

BELVAFORE EPISODE

So glad Bonnie is finally decided to join the main plot again this week.

Caroline pulling an Elena getting Matt to do it for her! I feel like if Candice wasn’t pregnant she would have been this involved in the plot last season.

“Nah” CTFU you know what I’m counting that too, he’s got five proposals! Love that Caroline got the “Hello, Caroline” from the current evil brother.

This is something you don’t notice unless you’re looking for it, but Ripper Stefan hasn’t had a ripper binge since the end of 8x08 and it’s because he started drinking to sublimate (like he instructed Lily in 6x20). Even the beginning of 8x09 he’s not drinking bourbon in the bar but when he gets to Miss Mystic Falls he heads straight for the bar. In my completely biased opinion too it’s also because he’s around Caroline, she just naturally keeps him in control because that’s what she promised him. Damon on the other hand always triggers him, he cannot relax around him.

Awww Liz and Caroline!

Caroline forgiving Damon because he was the only one who mourned Liz not Caroline’s Mom is probably not reason enough for most of us to forgive Damon for what he did but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that’s how Caroline feels and I thought this was a great scene for their relationship. Ultimately I’m glad he was turned human though and she’ll never need to be afraid of him again.

Ripper Stefan is such a maniac! The clause he puts in for whether Matt is going to ring that bell is some Jigsaw level mind games. Why doesn’t Peter just put Matt in a choke hold and tie him up? Idiot family.

Poor Tyler, he really thought Bonnie or anyone would care that Damon killed him. Nope Tyler you needed to be a British white vampire who showed up in S5 for anyone to care about your death it seems.

Ripper Stefan’s reaction to Damon telling him he forgives him THE BEST! This whole scene is so good and a great explainer as to why this relationship has and always will be off balance. Also he’s complained three times that Damon ruined his life having him work for Cade so someone’s not as content as they act like they are.

Notice how once Caroline started talking and basically told him she knew exactly what point he was trying to make he shut up. He was acting just like he did in early S6 when he had to push her away the most. The change in his face is so apparent to, it's unfortunate a lot of this ended up going nowhere because they were already planning on making Stefan human, Caroline was breaking through his walls way more than she realized.

THE BAMON LETTER! So good! I love that Damon memorized it and I can’t help it but I feel so much more from this scene than I have every Bonenzo scene this season. Because it’s full of callbacks and I actually believe everything he’s saying because I’ve seen it unfold. I know it was never going to happen but the ending of the show being Defan falling for Elena’s two best friends and then compelling away her memories so she could finally live a safe life would have been such a great twist ending!

8x11

EL OH EL Ripper Stefan made it very clear to Caroline Damon was his trigger last episode yet he’s asking where she is to tell Damon everything he’s doing wrong.

“Quality like Caroline Forbes” my thesis statement!

I’m sorry but whatever with these losers who want to be cured of having superpowers. Why doesn’t Enzo just walk into the sun when Bonnie dies if it’s such a big deal. I also don’t get why ANYONE is so eager to become human with the LITERAL DEVIL walking around.

God shut UP Matt!

“Some of us don’t regret it” IN YOUR FACE MATT

Usually I ignore the wormholes these characters drive through to get places (especially last season oy) but y’all acting like it took two hours to get from Virginia to Upstate New York I cannot allow! Bruh GTFO!

Why is Bonnie so uninterested in trying to become a witch again? I cannot help but notice the entire time romantic BE has been going on Bonnie hasn't had her powers and that don't sit right with me (and as soon as he dies she gets them back)!

Caroline really turned that around on Damon in a fantastic way to guilt him into using the cure on Cade. Bravo. HOWEVER! Damon and Caroline were way too slow putting the pieces together in this episode and it felt like the show dumbing people down on purpose for plot. Why would they not ask Cade right away what task Stefan was on and furthermore why would they not warn everyone he's on the loose since he just tried to burn the town to the ground?

“I’m thinking something symbolic maybe find a bathtub to drown her in, full circle kind of thing” THE PETTINESS I FEEL!

This was really the most evil version of Ripper Stefan. IDK if it was the power of working for Cade or it was like Alaric and the serial killer ring and the more times you shut it off the more evil you get. I do think they made him so evil because they wanted to cure him (because he wasn't the intended death they plotted the whole season but let me wait to bitch about that) and it needed to be forced on him. Because this didn’t really flow with how he acted in S6. Of course that’s because he was distracted by NH!Caro and after he got her to let go too he just sat in the passenger’s seat. As opposed to Damon who hasn't been cooperating since they started this mission and has him way on edge. TBH I don't even understand Cade's motives here but maybe that's because this is Katherine's idea (which UGH) because I could DEFINITELY buy that she'd love watching Ripper Stefan murder Elena.

Welp play stupid games win stupid prizes Stefan!

Very cool how Bonnie created her own psychic world there.

8x12

Look as bad as I feel for Bonnie I cannot help but say how fucking stupid is Enzo that he was standing with his back to the door, I mean how did he not hear Ripper Stefan yapping about drowning Elena in a bathtub!

Cade really fizzled once he went top-side, he was way more intimidating and intriguing before they rang the bell IMO. I will never understand why he let two sirens he had for 2,000 years go for the Salvatores only to be like "oh well give me Stefan's soul" after like two months of working for him. I thought Stefan's soul wouldn't be as tastey and he was much more useful being a menace?

The thing about Stefan turning human storyline is it only exists because he wasn't supposed to die in the finale! Brett Matthews filled in the pieces during one of those podcasts that the death was switched after they planned out the whole season (like literally Damon compelling Stefan was always the plan). KW came back in around 8x11 and made them switch it, and having Stefan human probably made it easier for the writers to not care if he died a la Tyler. They needed the brother who lived to be human so they could do the final Defan scene. So while parts of this are interesting overall I look at as “what’s the point” if he was going to die he should have died a vampire rather than this unbelievably inane cure plot.

Wait actually I’m not done bitching! What was the point of this Ripper Stefan plot too! Felt like they just wanted to make him do something bad like Damon did for the first SEVEN EPISODES OF THIS SEASON. Rather than actually exploring how Stefan said he was a “reformed ripper” in 6x20 and even in 8x08 he says he’s trying to do it right this time because he made the choice to turn it off. Don’t even get me started about how he admitted he’s “both” in 8x04 and it just went nowhere. Stefan’s blood addiction and how that influenced so much of who he was and how he hide parts of himself just dropped for dramatic effect. Stuff like this makes me feel the Stefan stans who complain the show only cares about Damon are right, like Stefan was such a complex character they were afraid to really explore him.

Bonnie and her Mom's scenes are really touching, I love the burial with the petals. The song is beautiful too, this episode has some fantastic music.

I can't believe old timely Matt was a thing!

Caroline saved him just like she said she would!

I know this is a deeply serious scene and it's very nice but I can't help but think Julie put this Matt and Bonnie scene in and being like 'oh 200 years ago we were a thing' because she was plotting them ending up together.

Caroline gave Stefan hope and Damon didn’t take it away from him. Love that.

You know Ric is way too eager to let Stefan die when he’s in this mess because he was protecting his daughters! I hate this motherfucker.

KAI I MISSED YOU!

8x13

Matt ringing the bell was 3 days ago! Why is this show’s timeline insane all the time feels like 800 things have happened since!

If Kai is just a psychic imprint because he was dead and only came because of the bell than how the hell did he survive for like 20 years in that prison world? He came back in S2 of Legacies to be killed off for the third time.

Dorian makes some great points and I do like that the show made a point to be like so what if Stefan feels remorse he still murdered all these people. However he murdered Dorian’s family while working for Klaus to save Damon, it’s always saving Damon that ruins his life.

Omg Kai drawing the heart on the window thinking about Bonnie! I can’t believe how much I like this now!

Very here for Caroline just giving out Stefan’s money as she pleased to clean up his mess.

Okay rant time it’s absolutely RIDICULOUS the amount of times Stefan is hemorrhaging blood as a human! The idea he could dig a grave like that after having stitches is impossible and now he’s been shot and needs a blood transfusion but SOMEHOW the cure is still in his blood. Fucking most annoying plot device ever.

THANK YOU CAROLINE! God shut up Matt! Always whining about vampires and blah blah blah but who keeps fixing everything! The vampires! Even on Legacies all that shit Alaric talks and who always saves the day, the damn supernatural beings!

Endlessly annoyed that now the show decides after stifling Bonnie’s powers constantly since S3 were like “oh actually Bonnie’s super duper powerful” honestly go to hell. Really waited until the end of the damn show to do that…

SUCH A GOOD SCENE! This scene parallels perfectly back to Steroline’s first kiss where Stefan said “if anyone could control death it’s you” because that’s what she did!

Caroline calling out Stefan for his martyrdom was so good, this is why I like them they have real conversations and they don’t put each other on pedestals. Stefan’s motive for going on a spiritual journey makes sense too, even though he chose to live for Caroline because he loves her so much what Cade said still rang true to him. He thinks he’s a burden now because he promised her forever and now he can’t give her that.

Josie trying to set Lizzie on fire for hurting Caroline LMFAO

8x14

Okay LOL there’s SO MANY scenes of people visiting limbo when they’re on deaths door and I still see posts of “Stefan had no reason to visit Elena instead of Caroline” in the finale and like um yeah he did lol. Literally the only person he could see in limbo, the show is not complicated you’re just in denial.

Finally a real selfie! Stefan is so pathetic, it brings me so much joy lol.

CTFU Lizzie and Josie setting things on fire because Steroline broke up! I can relate!

Truly amazing how much Stefan never learns his lesson! As soon as Damon roped him back into the main plot he’s like REVENGE! He didn’t even pretend to care it was to save Elena.

ONE LAST VERVAIN NEEDLE STAB! This was the funniest thing I noticed during this rewatch, no matter what vervain needle in his pocket.

I like that they brought back the slasher movie scenes with Kai’s return as he’s walking around the Armory to murder the twins. Caroline “for Jo” moment was awesome!

Love the psychic fight between Bonnie and Cade to save Damon’s soul. Then Stefan stabbing Cade and kill him and the whole psychic blast with the ashes falling. Really well shot scene, only thing is it’s endlessly stupid how they brought Damon back to life after he finally did something selfless.

HES SO FUNNY! Stefan doesn’t even let Caroline close the door he’s on his knee saying “Marry me” the man’s got two speeds; careful fear and dead devotion.

I think that was Stefan’s best speech, it’s this or the 6x22 one but this was so beautiful and sincere. A part of me will always be sad he didn’t get that life because him living out a human life helping supernatural kids was a great ending for him. They also spent all that time last season about how he wanted to be a father. And I love that even though he was human and could have children of his own he wanted to raise Caroline’s children with her, like he said he couldn’t imagine doing any of it without her. Both proposals were so great, this one about words the other about actions. I like to believe they’ll have a third one in the afterlife and then they get a wedding with everyone there since Caroline will be the last of the group to find peace (Lizzie might still be alive).

The Armory door becoming one of Steroline’s things was awesome, doors and windows symbolism and both scenes are reunion-esque.

The Bonkai karaoke scene CTFU I’m sorry I enjoy them and the Katherine reveal was great it was so hyped up in a corny way but it worked. The moment kinda needed to break the fourth wall, it sucks she’s such a letdown in the finale.

8x15

The OG Deadbeat Mom returns!

Oh Damon gave Caroline Elena’s necklace to borrow, I could not remember what it was and I akways see gifs of that moment. This is a really great scene.

It would be easier to feel bad about Enzo being dead if he wasn't in every god damn episode since he was murdered! Do Bonnie and Enzo just have this same dancing scene over and over again like what is even the point of this? I totally get why people love this ship because they give them very cute stuff and there's good chemistry but truly they bore me to death.

Poor Valerie LOL probably got excited seeing a call from Stefan only for him to be like “hey Caroline and I are getting a married can you do me a favor” so mean. Valerie would have been a cool guest star on Legacies.

They kept reminding Stefan he was gonna DIE it was cruel! The writers were warning us.

Damn the wedding really is amazing, it just made me feel so many things. The music (like they used a cinematic masterpiece score), the looks, the vows, and the kiss! That might be their best kiss with the petals falling the smiles between kisses and the way Stefan is holding her so tightly! I also love that Stefan called Caroline his "sounding board" because that was one of the best parts of watching them fall in love. How they'd meet by the fireplace and talk about the days current events or Stefan would just spill his guts to Caroline looking for her guidance. God they really were THAT ship.

See now that's how you do a dancing scene with Bamon, the snark, the twirl, the looks they could have been amazing!

That small moment where the camera pans down to Stefan and Caroline dancing and it looks like Stefan mouths “I love you” before kissing her. So important to me. I love how as soon as Damon said they would continue with the ceremony they just stopped worrying about the impending doom of Katherine and it was just about them finally getting this moment, finally getting to be married. And this small dancing scene was so precious to them where they just got to be in love and married and happy and it's taken away from them so suddenly it's good to know they got some joy.

8x16

So Stefan knew Bonnie saw Elena while she was in limbo, and he knows about limbo because he met Cade there in 8x13.

LMFAO Vicki was like “there’s nothing you can do to stop me” and Damon threw her out the clock tower. That was just classic Damon one last time.

Bonnie and Ric basically teamed up to get Caroline out of MF so Stefan would sacrifice himself because they both wanted him dead. No I’m not bitter or anything.

I hate how Stefan died (especially on HIS WEDDING DAY), I just hate that it was basically a suicide because the show decided that’s the only way to find redemption. I do get that Stefan could never let Damon die it’s the optics, I hate it. Stefan was even the one who kept saying he wanted to try and atone for his sins, he wanted to find redemption through that and then suddenly here he's like death is the only way to redemption. This is all KW because this whole episode feels like it was written by someone who hasn't watched this show since S3.

“I love you so much” god this is just heartbreaking, they couldn’t have let them have a day or a week to enjoy being married? Paul and Candice do a great job and I love that the kiss is a reverse parallel to their first kiss, they still deserved better.

WHAT IS THIS WIG

I can’t even listen to Katherine explain her plan that wig killed me.

In all seriousness though what even is the motive of her plan? She wants to burn MF to the ground because why? Just such a waste, they should have killed Cade earlier and had Kai and Katherine be the main villains to end the season, they could have had Katherine possess someone else until Nina came back like Vicki. Maybe throw Silas in there too if Paul felt up to it, just because we know he got dragged to hell too.

Bonnie saving the day with all the witches and controlling the hellfire was the best scene in the finale. Still annoyed they waited until THE LAST EVER EPISODE to make her super duper powerful but this scene was fantastic. Her suddenly knowing how to lift the curse on Elena though RME.

So Legacies S4 kind of enhanced the “tell Caroline I heard her” scene because it established that souls can get stuck in limbo if they have unfinished business with someone still alive. Stefan knew about limbo and knew Elena could be seen there, so he’s clearly looking for her (hence the bumping into him scene). He finds her and tells her everything and then when she hugs him he says “there’s something I have to say” because that was his unfinished business. He needed to make sure Caroline got his message that he’d love her forever too. And I love how it was written that he “heard her” not that he listened to her message. It makes it sound like when he died Caroline’s message was the thing he heard (because he always thought of her before he almost died) and that’s why he goes to limbo first to have Elena relay his message. It was beautiful and I will admit if Stefan didn’t die we never would have got this powerful moment of them promising to love each other forever (still would rather he lived though).

The chin kiss! Gets worse every-time I see it!

I do love Caroline’s ending and that TVD acts as her origin story because the school is the first mark she’s going to leave over her immortal life. However no matter what it’s still heartbreaking that she became a widow the same day she became a wife. I don’t know how that’s not supposed to be tragic.

The funny thing about the KC letter is if Caroline never went to TO you could have totally spun this as a hint-y endgame if you cared enough (which lbr that's what it's all about for shippers on this show). BUT! Because she went there this is just a cliffhanger, the voiceover even says this is the beginning of another story so it's pretty obvious this was just bait and now we know how that story ends. Also forever and ever LOL that Caroline got $3M from Klaus and she ignored his ass for almost a decade until Rebekah was like “please babysit my 1000 year old brother because I can’t physically go near him” such a troll job.

The DE endgame is such a tragedy lol, I'm sorry but the writers did not give a flying fuck about them! I mean yes they got the HEA but really that was just out of default, once they had Stefan die they were the only ship left. And I used to think it was all Ian's fault being unprofessional but he was fine with Nina in their Datherine scenes like this was just that they gave them NOTHING. They didn't even share dialogue, if anything Elena talks about Stefan more and then they just kill them off lol, as opposed to Caroline and Bonnie who the show indicates will have more stories to tell.

Defan last scene is great but I shall never forgive them for not showing Stefan's wedding ring we all know he was wearing because of BTS shots.

Line that made me laugh: (only one, too depressing)

Kai: I think I’m on the waitlist for heaven but they’re not returning my calls (yep that's definitely it Kai LMFAO)

#tvd rewatch #tvd spoilers #S8 rewatch #8x09 - 8x16 #k rewatches tvd #this was not therapeutic lol #got mad all over again about stefan #I just HATE IT #not even that he died #I would have been fine with him dying because I like the symmetry of his being 171 and there's 171 episodes #but not like this #as a vampire no forced cure storyline #and not his FRIGGIN WEDDING NIGHT

1 note · View note

fandom-imagines-stories · 3 years

Text

Part of the Family

Enzo St. John x Mikaelson! Reader

Part 1 of 4

Words: 2621

Summary: After leaving the Armory, Enzo is devastated to find that his family was a group of thieves and liars. Determined to help your boyfriend through this, you come up with a wildly romantic solution.

Note: Besides being in season seven of Vampire Diaries, there isn’t much else of either show’s plot. I just wanted to write a little series that I thought would be both Enzo’s romantic side and the Mikaelson’s flare for the dramatic. So no deadly threats besides family drama. Let me know if you guys like it! (Note: I’m reposting these because I really wanted to just make some minor edits before I finally finish out this series)

Warnings: Lots of Fluff (and some mild language)

The quiet was both peaceful and maddening. You were used to the sound of jazz music in the morning and the strong smell of coffee, but this morning there was nothing. Just silence. You slowly rose from the bed and grabbed the nearest pieces of decent clothing you could find- which just happened to be your boyfriend’s favorite shirt, a pair of jeans and sandals. Your feet made almost no sound on the hardwood floor, but it was enough for Enzo to hear you coming.

“I didn’t mean to wake you, love.” He said, looking out the window of your apartment.

“How could you have? You haven’t made a sound at all.” You scoffed.

“Are you asking me to be louder at seven in the morning?” He turned towards you and you could see the raw emotion in his eyes. He saw you looking and quickly moved his gaze to the kitchen. “Ah, I’ve forgotten the coffee. No wonder you’re in a foul mood.” He had been acting this way ever since he had gotten back from the Armory. Something was wrong, you just couldn’t figure out what. You followed him into the kitchen and wrapped your arms around his waist, placing a light kiss on his shoulder before resting your head there.

“Enzo…” You started, kissing the crook of his neck. “What’s going on? You’ve been acting strange lately.”

“Don’t know what you mean, darling.” He poured coffee into your mug and handed it back to you. You pulled yourself up onto the counter and sipped the delicious warm liquid.

“You haven't played your guitar in days, you won't go out of the apartment, and every time I try to talk to you you seem completely distant.” Even now, he was looking off, not really hearing you. “Enzo!” His gaze snapped to you.

“I’m fine love. Really.” He kissed your cheek as he walked past. Still not convinced, you followed him to the living room where the two of you sat in silence. You took a deep breath, wincing at your own words.

“It’s the Armory, isn’t it? Your family.”

“I said that I’m fine!” He snapped. “Maybe I’m just sick of all your bloody questions.” You scoffed, narrowing your eyes at him and setting the mug on the table.

“You’re so afraid of being alone, Enzo.” You stood and grabbed your car keys. “Maybe you should stop pushing away the people who care about you.” He didn’t even move his gaze from the floor as you slammed the door of the apartment behind you.

Enzo rubbed his eyes. He knew that he shouldn’t have snapped at you. He was tired and hurt over the fact that his family wasn’t at all what he dreamed they would be. They were quite the opposite, actually. He feared that he was exactly like them; a lying, heartless beast who only cared about the ends instead of the means. Looking back at his life only made him see how similar he was to them. And it scared him more than he wished it would.

Bonnie gave you the ‘I told you so’ look from across the cafe table. You rolled your eyes. Although your family and the remaining Bennett witch had never gotten along, you had become best friends with both her, Caroline, and Elena. It still hurt to think that you would never see two of your closest friends together again all because of Kai’s stupid curse.

“Don’t say it.” You begged taking a long sip of the new coffee you ordered. She held up her hands and smiled innocently.

“I have no idea what you mean.” She too drank from the cup in front of her. “It’s not like I’ve been telling you for the past year that Enzo is a total dick who is so undeserving of you.”

“We had an argument, Bonnie.” You sighed. “We didn’t break up so stop talking about him like we did.”

“I always talk about him like this.” You pegged your bunched up napkin at her and fell back in your seat. “Look, Y/N, I know you care about him, but I saw what he was like in the Armory. He was so determined to figure out who his family was, I think when he found out who they really were… he broke.”

“I know and I want to help him. I just don’t know how.” You thought of what your life was like compared to his. “I don’t exactly know what it’s like to not have a family.” Every moment of your life was surrounded with memories of your twin brother Kol, or your younger sister Rebekah, or of course your two loving- but insanely protective- older brothers; Elijah and Niklaus. Your siblings meant everything to you, and it was hard to imagine what your thousand years would have been like without them.

“Try to make him feel like he’s a part of something.” Bonnie suggested. Despite her dislike of Enzo, a part of her did like to think of him as a somewhat ally. She also cared deeply about you and she wanted you to be happy, even if it was with Enzo. “Make him see that he isn’t alone.”

“What the hell do you want?” Damon snapped, narrowing his eyes at his old friend standing before him. Enzo pushed passed him into the house. “Come on in.” Damon slammed the door and followed Enzo into his living room.

“I need a drink.” He muttered, finding Damon’s favorite bourbon and poured himself a glass. He drank it quickly and poured another. Damon snatched the bottle away from him.

“Sorry buddy, but I am not your personal liquor store.” He poured a glass for himself and placed the bottle away from Enzo. “What’s wrong with you anyway? Where’s your obnoxious British swagger?”

“Let’s just say I’ve had a rough week.”

“Ah yes, the rest of the St. John psycho clan…” Damon started. Enzo shot him a look. “So your family sucks. Join the club.”

“It’s not just that…” Enzo sighed heavily. “It’s Y/N.”

“So this is a lover’s spat? My favorite.” He leaned against the table with a smirk. “What did the female half of the Devil Twins do now?”

“Y/N didn’t do anything. I snapped at her this morning after she asked about… them.”

“Let me guess, she wants to meet the parents?” Damon said sarcastically.

“Can you take anything seriously?” Enzo growled. Damon wiggled his eyebrows mischievously.

“Nope.” He ushered Enzo onto the couch who laid down, arm slung over his face. “Maybe this is just your turning point. I mean, we all kind of knew that the two of you wouldn’t work.” He moved his arm so he could look at Damon.

“What?”

“Yeah, I mean, sure it was ‘cute’ at first. The two sociopaths of Mystic Falls united by their undying need for mayhem and death.” He gagged. “But we knew it wasn’t going to last. Her family puts each other in coffins, you’re claustrophobic, she has daddy issues, you had a thing for my mom- the list goes on.” Enzo propped himself up on his elbows.

“You think we should split up?”

“Of course not.” Damon took a long drink of bourbon. “Have you not been listening to a word I just said?” Enzo’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“Did I miss something?” He wondered, fully sitting up on the couch. Damon rolled his eyes and moved behind the sofa to get more bourbon.

“I’m Damon freaking Salvatore! Am I really going to tell you to go with what everyone else thinks?” He put his hand on his chest in mock offense. “It’s like you don’t know me at all.”

“So you’re saying not to split up?” Damon smacked the back of his head and Enzo growled.

“Do I need to spell it out for you? Think about it. Everyone thought that Elena was making a horrible decision when she chose me. Despite the fact that she is in a witchy coma for the next sixty years, we still held onto the idea of spending our lives together. Exhibit B; everyone said that Stefan and Caroline were the perfect couple and they were going to live happily ever after- until he made the dick move to run off with Valerie even after we killed Rayna.” Instead of pouring a glass, he just took a swig from the bottle. “The point is: the world is full of assholes who are often wrong. So don’t listen to them.” Enzo blew out a long breath and fell back onto the couch.

“I suppose you’re right.” He chuckled.

“Of course I’m right.” Damon lifted him up from his seat and started pushing him towards the door. “So go find your hot psycho original vampire and make sweet love to her for all I care. Whatever gets you out of my house.”

“Why did we stop being mates again?” Enzo asked sarcastically when he was shoved outside.

“You tried to kill my girlfriend, remember?” Damon thought for a moment. “Then again, I did try to kill yours on multiple occasions so I guess we’re even.” He laughed to himself. “There was this one time, after we-” He stopped the sentence abruptly, remembering that he was standing in front of Y/N’s current boyfriend, so revealing their dirty past relationship was probably a bad idea. “Nevermind. Now go.” He finished and slammed the door. Enzo thought about everything he had said and knew what he needed to do.

He found you sitting back in the apartment, with an extremely determined look on your face. When you saw him come in, you stood. You opened your mouth to speak, but he stopped you.

“I’m sorry.” He blurted. You cocked your head to the side.

“For what?”

“Shouting at you this morning. I’ve been thinking ever since I got back from the Armory, panicking really.” He explained. “What if I’m just like them? I’ve lied and cheated and killed to get what I want, much like they have to add to their supernatural collection. I was angry at myself and I took it out on you. I’m sorry.” To his surprise, you laughed.

“You don’t need to apologize, Enzo.” You stepped towards him, placing a hand on his cheek. “God knows I’ve started my fair share of brawls between us.” He leaned into your hand, the tips of your fingers tangling in his hair. It took all of his strength to pull away and continue.

“I haven’t finished.” He paced across the room and your hand fell to your side. “I’m not going to be able to just move past this. I need time. I need to try and figure out what I’m supposed to do now.”

“I know.” You interjected. “I want to help you, Enzo. I want to help you get through all of this.”

“No.” He said bluntly. “I need to do this on my own.” You thought that you could let it go. That you could let him go off on his own to figure things out by himself. But you couldn’t.

“No you don’t.” You snapped. “Enzo, you don’t have to do this alone.”

“It is my family. I need to do this.”

“They may be your blood, but they are not your family.” You put your hands on either side of his face. His eyes were glistening.

“Then I shall never have one?” His expression was so sad, it crushed you. One solution came to mind and it made your body shiver with nerves.

“If you want a family…” You paused and studied him. You knew that you wanted this, but would he? “Become part of mine.” His puzzled expression pushed you further. “Your whole life, you’ve been wanting to be a part of something. You’ve wanted a place to belong. I can give that to you.”

“Y/N, what are you saying.”

“I’m saying,” you took a deep breath. “Lorenzo St. John… Will you marry me?” His eyes went wide and for a moment your heart sank. But then he smiled, sending a bright feeling through you, like a ball of light traveling through your veins.

“Are you serious?” He asked and you nodded. He lifted you off the ground, spinning around and laughing. “Yes. Of course yes!” Your lips collided as you continued to spin. He set you down on your feet, your arms still draped around his neck. “Though you have robbed me of making the large romantic gesture of proposing.”

“Well,” you grinned, taking his hand. “Let me make it up to you.”

You curled your toes around the bedsheets and released them, feeling the breeze come in from the open window. You felt a hand playing with your hair and you turned to face Enzo. He twisted a strand around his finger then pushed it away from your face.

“Hello love.” He purred, placing a soft kiss on your forehead. You sighed with content. He wrapped his arms around you and you laid your head on his chest. The moment couldn’t be more perfect. Until you realized…

“You’re going to have to meet them.” You blurted suddenly. He pulled away so he could look at you.

“What?”

“My siblings. You’re going to have to meet them.” He chuckled.

“You’re worried about that?”

“Yes!” You exclaimed. “I would like to be married in New Orleans, since it is the closest thing I’ve had to having a real home.”

“That’s perfectly fine with me.” He said, pulling you into his arms again. You pushed away and sat up.

“I don’t think you understand. We’re not...” You paused to search for the right word. “Normal. Nor are they very hospitable when it comes to strangers.” He sat up next to you, his fingers drawing circles on your back. “We need a plan.”

“I highly doubt-” He started but you cut him off.

“Freya will probably be defensive at first, but if you do nothing to threaten us, she’ll warm up to you. Rebekah will try and get you to give her a reason to hate you, so you’ll have to make sure to be careful. Eventually she’ll accept us since she’s always been a sucker for a good romance. Kol will be fine with anything that brings a party.” You turned to face him, a very serious look on your face. “Elijah is the one you want to impress. He’s the only one who can stop Klaus from killing you.”

“Stop Klaus from doing what?” Enzo exclaimed.

“Niklaus is very temperamental when it comes to his sibling’s relationships with other people. He always fears that we will abandon him for somebody else. So when he discovers a romance, it is rare that our significant others survive the encounter.”

“And you want me to meet him?” He scoffed. “And then tell him we’re getting married.” You snatched up Enzo’s shirt that you had worn earlier from the bedpost.

“My siblings being a part of our wedding is really important to me Enzo. Even the ones with murderous tendencies.” You left out the fact that all of you tended to go on killing sprees from time to time- yourself included. He sighed and pulled you in for a long, passionate kiss.

“Well if I am killed because I love you it will have been worth it.” You pouted your lips sarcastically.

“You’re so sweet.” You said, pressing your lips to his again, but pushing away quickly. “We’re still going.” He groaned and fell back on the bed. You rolled your eyes and located the rest of your clothes, barely able to contain the turning bundle of excitement and nerves rolling around your stomach. It was time to go home.

Keeping Reading to: Meet the Mikaelsons

General Tag: @rae-gar-targaryen; @takemepedropascal; @childhood-imagination; @mylovegoesto; @yellowbadgergirl; @itmejado; @suckmyapplejacks

#lorenzo st john #repost #enzo and the originals #klaus mikaelson #elijah mikaelson #damon salvatore #enzo st. john x reader #michael malarkey #vampire diaries #the originals

176 notes · View notes

deans-haunted-baby · 3 years

Text

Dadstiel Shoulder Touch Analysis

I want to take some time to discuss something about this incredible father/son dynamic that I don’t think gets enough recognition. And that is their connection. A connection layered in so many different attributes yet primarily based on physical touch. Apologies this is going to be long. Despite my saltiness towards Supernatural as I feel the show squandered them during its run, I really love the amount of attention to detail that was put into Castiel and Jack’s relationship. It kind of has a Terminator inspired vibe going on which I can’t deny enjoying. The bodyguard and the future savior of mankind. And this bond was in development all the way back in season 12; long before Jack was born.

During 12x19 it’s through his mother Kelly, that the son of Lucifer forges an emotional attachment with the trench-coated angel whom he imprints on to be his surrogate dad. From the moment Castiel puts his hand on her belly, and feels Jack, they instantly fall in love with each other. At first touch. Trusting each other completely without the slightest bit of doubt as they sense the other’s good aura. It’s a devotion unlike anything Cas has ever experienced in his millions of years. Even more than what he’s felt for Sam and Dean. And it happens before he and Jack even get to see each other. Their bond becomes intensely essential that it boosts Castiel’s grace, allowing him to protect Kelly and her son from Dagon as well as cause a rip in time and space.

After Jack is born and in the care of the Winchesters, scared, lost and confused yet curious as an infant in an adolescent body; the child wanders aimlessly searching for Castiel. All he wants in that moment is to be with Castiel because that is who he recognizes as his father. Missing him and needing to feel that same warmth, protection and compassion he felt from inside his mother’s womb. However, following the tragic circumstances that led to the angel’s unexpected death at the hands of Jack’s biological dad in 12x23, these two are forcibly separated in the beginning of season 13. Until Jack instinctively resurrects Castiel out of the Empty through his own will and desire alone at the very end of 13x03. Proving that no matter how far away they are, the tether between them can’t be broken.

These two don’t even need an introduction from Sam and Dean when 13x06 finally reunites them for the first time. Jack immediately knows who Castiel is going off on his mother’s memories. And their reunion comes so naturally. There’s no awkwardness, no hesitation or apprehensiveness emanating from the angel’s presence. Jack just walks right up to Cas, puts his arms around him and tells him how much he missed him. Its as if they’d never been apart. And afterwards they spend nearly the entire episode practically inseparable. Getting to know each other as father and son. And that goes without saying, while Jack did bond with the Winchesters in person first, there is no comparison to the Nephilim boy’s emotional attachment towards the angel.

This special relationship is very significant to both of them. Around each other they’re at their most happiest. Castiel is constantly at Jack’s side; and ALMOST ALWAYS tenderly touching him, namely his shoulders or protectively holding him by the arm and the child wholly reciprocates this. In Castiel’s gentle physical touch Jack is given a sense of security, solace, reassurance and comfort. Same as he’d had as an unborn baby. Not only is this the angel’s way of demonstrating his affection, empathy and devotion towards his son but this is actually how he non-verbally tells Jack that he loves him. Its purely unconditional. And this gesture isn’t one-sided as I will acknowledge later. Jack desires Cas’s tangible nearness as much as his dad does which is why they’re so magnetically pulled together in all of their scenes on the show.

Even when they’re at conflict with each other or arguing, Castiel never fails to let Jack know that he’s always safe and loved. That he isn’t afraid of him. His son could be in pain, angry, or vengeful in the moment and Castiel’s affection for that child will never waver. He’ll endlessly put his own life at risk in order to reach Jack; who is far more powerful than he is via his archangel half. Like the convivence store scene in 13x23 when Jack attacks a civilian believing he’d killed his friend and Cas does his best to subdue him. Whether Jack wants it or not at the time, he needs his dad’s emotional support; and the angel can’t stand the thought of his son harmed or hurting. He’s easily saddened whenever Jack refuses his touch as shown in 13x21 when he was very upset over Sam’s temporary death and rips away Cas’s hand as he’s trying to console him.

Supernatural really emphasizes the powerful connection Castiel and Jack share using physical communication in nearly every one of their episodes. Its these wonderful details they do onscreen that illustrates the depth of love these characters have for each other. Unfortunately though, they didn’t get to interact much during season 13. Yet the small portions in their four episodes together is exceptionally substantial. While we’re on the subject, the shoulder touches are definitely a Dadstiel thing. It’s their signature sign of affection and theirs’s only. Don’t believe me, let me give you an example of a specific scene in 14x19 between Jack and Sam; which takes place in the aftermath of Jack’s accidental killing of the Winchesters’ mother Mary.

Dean and Sam conspire to trick and lock away the soulless infant Nephilim in a mystical coffin as punishment with the intention of finding a solution that will end his life. Sam is the reluctant main player in this scheme of using his influence over the child in order to gain his trust and sway him into his fate. Just before Jack’s about to be led to the room and put into the box, scared and uncertain, Sam then puts his hand on his shoulder telling him they need to keep him safe while giving him an awkward grin. And look at Jack’s expression as this happens. It reads shattered. He immediately knows something’s wrong. Sam is touching him just like Castiel…except this is nothing like Castiel. His dad’s shoulder touches are always so tender and loving.

Jack can literally feel Cas’s devotion for him in every tangibility. But here he doesn’t feel that from Sam at all. Its cold, fearful and empty just like he is on the inside. Rendering him even more nervous. Speaking of season 14 the father/son content we get between Castiel and Jack is even better that year as its all about their relationship growing and strengthening into something far deeper than it was in the previous seasons 12 and 13. It’s the year their bond is put through the ultimate test. Where Jack is made human after Lucifer steals his grace and Cas dominantly steps into his role as a father.

Providing Jack with a certain guidance, boundaries, and stability in episodes 14x01, 14x02, 14x03, 14x09 and 14x10 unlike what he’d received from Sam and Dean. Castiel takes on all the difficult tasks of parenting ranging from scolding to teaching his son about death, responsibility, self-restraint, patience and the tribulations of growing up. He doesn’t raise his voice ever when he speaks to Jack. And is completely there 100% for his son from the beginning…and the end of his life. Although Castiel is an angel he is very much a pivotal link to Jack’s humanity and vice versa as well as a link to his celestial side. While he greatly admires and looks up to the Winchesters, its through Cas’s influence that the infant Nephilim aspires to be a good person.

Jack never wants to become the monster his biological father was; desperate to break out of that mold once in for all. And he isn’t alone. Castiel is right there with Jack every step of the way. Ready to challenge and encourage his son whenever he does something decent or makes a mistake. He doesn’t hesitate to tell his son when he’s proud of him. And sometimes he’s there to coddle Jack during times of crisis as displayed in the 14x09 showdown with AU!Michael where the angel takes a second to heal Jack’s minor facial wounds. I just love that tiny focal point of Cas in the background, as the Winchesters are talking, putting his hand on Jack’s shoulder before using his powers on him. As if to keep him calm; like a parent reassuring their nervous kid that it won’t hurt.

Throughout the first part of season 14 we’re blessed with so much affectionate Dadstiel moments like the after-the-battle angst talk in 14x01 where Castiel reminds a very frustrated Jack “you’ve got me” as he declares he has nothing. Or 14x08 after Jack’s death and they’re bittersweetly reunited in Heaven with Kelly; all smiles, touching shoulders and hugging each other as if they can’t bear to be separated. Followed with that heartfelt moment of Castiel tenderly touching his son’s cheeks, sadly looking at him with so much adoration, as he sends his soul back to his body. Then there was their unforgettable father/son pep talk in regards to the vulnerability of Jack’s soul; Castiel just gives his son’s shoulder a gentle squeeze as he leaves the room. Again, this is how these two say “I love you”.

And I couldn’t very go in depth of this analysis without mentioning 14x20′s Jack death scene 2.0; Castiel helplessly touches his son, who’s screaming on the ground in agony, trying desperately to ease his suffering. Yah this was particularly very hard for me to watch witnessing Castiel going out of his mind, completely unable to save Jack from enduring such a painful end to his life. Once was already cruel enough on me. And of course 15x01 continued that vicious trend of Castiel harrowingly protecting his son’s corpse, carrying him over the shoulder in a fireman’s hold as he runs through the cemetery, then gently lays him down on the floor in a mausoleum. I get emotional watching Cas cradling Jack’s head as he positions him comfortably; letting his touch linger unable to let go. He doesn’t even care what happens to him in this moment as long as his son’s body is safe. Very strong symbolism of a parent who will never abandon their child long after they’re gone.

On a side note I want to quickly call attention to how much I revere the Dadstiel healing parallels in 14x09 and 14x14 plus BONUS: Jack almost-killing Castiel in 15x13 so he can talk to Ruby in the Empty. These just add some nice little textures in their dynamic which compliments their ongoing tradition of showing devotion through physical communication. And both the healing scenes and the temporary death scene are composited very similarly. Focused on Castiel and Jack’s hands in the process of relieving the other’s pain/life.

Touch is exhibited as being a very crucial element for both of these characters when it comes to their iron-clad relationship. That palpable part of Castiel and Jack’s connection keeps them closely-knit. Its their familial instinct and how they express their feelings for each other. If they aren’t kneading shoulders, the angel duo is often standing beside each other or firmly linked at the arms. And this usually happens during moments of extreme stress, joy, sorrow, pain or fear. Jack relies so much on Castiel’s parental presence. He respects his authority, disobeying only when his actions feel necessary, and will go to the angel whenever he wants to talk or vent. Jack is also comfortable with Castiel enough to confide his darkest secrets no matter how awful they are. That’s the foundation of the everlasting trust built between them. They’re just tethered to one another in such a way that nothing will divide them.

I’ll begin with the hospital scene from 14x07 where Castiel is being the rock to his ailing son who can barely stand on his feet. There’s so much anxiety radiating off him in this moment as he struggles with watching Jack suffer; holding him so close. Staring at his face you can tell this horrible situation is ripping him apart. Actually, the entire episode is basically just Castiel silently enduring the pain of Jack dying.

The second set of screencaps underneath are of 14x10; Jack is agitated by AU!Michael’s antagonistic claims that his family’s love for him isn’t unconditional. Reading into one of his greatest fears. But then Castiel instantly calls out to his son, grabs the crook of his arm; gently reassuring him none of this is true. And Jack doesn’t resist this as he knows his dad is sincere. He never has to question Cas’s feelings towards him as his physical touch alone is self-explanatory. But when it comes to the Winchesters, that’s a whole other conversation.

Next, we have one of my favorite emotionally-charged Dadstiel moments in 14x14; where in a fit of panic because the anti venom wasn’t working Jack, going against Castiel’s warnings not to risk burning off his soul, is compelled to use his powers to save his dad. And I love this because this time its Jack who’s the one initiating all the physical contact. Just as the recovered angel demands what he’s done, his son responds with a soft “you’re okay” and the “I love you dad” shoulder touch as well as firmly gripping his arm.

Finally stepping away from season 14 I’m going to briefly go over the caps from season 15. Let’s begin with 15x11 the Dadstiel reunion scene at the church which is so beautifully poignant. Castiel is so overjoyed to see Jack alive that he takes a second to look over his equally stunned son, touching his shoulders before they embrace. This is by far one of Cas and Jack’s top father/son moments on the show and it’s done so effectively. If you want a more in-depth description for what I love about this scene, you can read my post about it here.

After that is the 15x13 Dadstiel moment where Castiel, suspicious of Jo’s story about the Occultum, had asked Jack to temporarily kill him in order to go see Ruby in the Empty. Two things I really like about this; 1. even though Jack still doesn’t have a soul, is very concerned about and protective over Castiel because of that deal. And 2. again Jack is initiating all the touching in this scene; look at the way he grasps his dad’s arm as he returns him to life. It’s almost as if he’s hoping the touch of his hand will not only speed up the process but also reach his dad so his essence isn’t lost forever.

And then we have 15x17. We didn’t get much Dadstiel interaction in this episode but the amount of times Castiel protectively holds onto his agonized child, who’d been turned into a cosmic bomb about to go off any minute, having no regard for the danger he’s in is so visually gut-wrenching. There’s a specific moment in the scene where, as Sam and Dean are arguing, Castiel is sitting on the floor just clutching Jack tight. Trying to non-verbally soothe him.

And this is followed up in the first half of 15x18, aka THEIR VERY LAST EPISODE TOGETHER ever on Supernatural. Here is where everything about their connection comes full circle with Castiel refusing to abandon Jack no matter the situation. Demonstrating the extent of his devotion by willing to die for his child just as he’d sacrificed his happiness to save Jack from the Empty. Because that is his son and nothing not even death itself can ever destroy what they have. Much as the young Nephilim boy begs for his dad to stay away, yells that he doesn’t want to hurt him; Castiel kneeling to Jack’s eye-level doesn’t leave his side. Then when Jack disappears to the Empty and reappears back at the bunker reformed, Castiel’s hand remains firmly glued to his son’s shoulder. He doesn’t want Jack to feel afraid or traumatized any further.

This was such an intense part of the episode I mean just look at how stressed out these two were. The anguish in their expressions. Simply put, Cas and Jack cannot bare to live without the other. They’re each other’s home; two sides of the same soul. Castiel loves all of Jack; the good, the bad and the ugly. This is an EPIC father and son’s love that knows no bounds. So powerful and pure that it transcended the loss of Jack’s soul, Lucifer’s DNA, the Empty, Mary Winchester’s death and everything else in between. Oh, and guess what, their “I love you” Dadstiel shoulder touches aren’t limited to just their hands. Its in every single one of their hugs too.

Notice how their chins or faces just comfortably rest on top of each other’s shoulders. And except for 14x20 their eyes are shut, as if to savor every single second of that closeness. Jack just buries himself against Castiel like he’s never felt safer with anyone else in the whole universe. And both of them hold each other; giving and receiving the other’s love with their whole self. Like I can’t even begin to describe how much Castiel and Jack’s softness towards each other just melts my heart. Their relationship, despite the horror tongue-in-cheek atmosphere of SPN, is surprisingly sweet, healthy and endearing. They are the epitome of true unconditional love and a great contrast to the Winchester brothers. In my humble opinion Castiel and Jack’s father/son dynamic is the best thing to happen to this show in a long while.

For the closing segment of this analysis I want to do something special before I discuss the paralleled-angst driven Dadstiel shoulder touches in 15x15 and 15x18. First off, I can’t shout enough praise from the rooftops about the insanely remarkable chemistry between Alexander Calvert and Misha Collins. Just brilliant casting. They embody these characters heart and soul and make this relationship feel so real, genuine and grounded. The fact that they look so similar in appearance really sells the idea that these two could actually be father and son. Forget the scripts, the quiet subtly these two bring to Castiel and Jack is the true magic of their relationship.

Let me start with the Dadstiel centric 15x15 aka THE BEST EPISODE of Supernatural season 15. This amazing masterpiece of art is everything I could’ve asked for and more; giving me so much precious father/son content that I will cherish forever. I really enjoyed seeing Castiel and Jack in those matching ties, bonding with each other over a case while they save the day. It’s a shame this show never let these two have more solo adventures together because they’re truly a joy to watch onscreen. Fingers crossed for that spinoff.

But I digress, the car scene in question happens at the very end of the episode in which Jack reveals the alarming truth that he has to die in order to stop Chuck and Amara. And Castiel, visibly and outspokenly distraught by this news, has to be assuaged with that infamous shoulder touch by his son; who’s in just as much pain. This is without a doubt one of most emotional scenes between these two characters out of the last three seasons of the show and quite possibly one of Misha and Alex’s strongest acting moments after the Dadstiel church reunion in 15x11. They killed it with the feels here. I like the attention to detail, the shadows and the colors in the shot, the melancholic score as well as how it seamlessly switches from Jack’s perspective to Castiel’s. Seriously watching this scene always makes me cry its so devastating.

Lastly, we have the Dadstiel car scene in 15x18; and Castiel and Jack’s LAST ONE-ON-ONE together. I’m kind of disappointed by this if I’m being honest. Its not that its bad its just not that definitively great for a final scene between these characters. Especially after four seasons of development. Where are the stakes? Why don’t Jack and Castiel seem as concerned about their situation? Cute as that smile was it doesn’t fit the tone. And where’s that punch in the gut knowing something is going to separate these two any second? It’s too light and doesn’t come off like a goodbye or a cathartic bookend which is what I wanted to take away from the episode considering its title “Despair”.

I mean if they were going to follow up on that heartbreaking car scene at the end of “Gimme Shelter”, the 15x18 scene wasn’t the way to do it. So, the weight of this final interaction feels almost non-existent. Maybe if it had taken place at night and the dialogue solely focused on them not the Winchesters it would’ve faired better. But since this isn’t a rant post I’ll cut to the chase by saying that the only saving grace this moment has happens in the last part. Jack’s in tears telling his dad how scared he is that he can’t use his powers to protect anyone. Coming off very childlike and vulnerable; needing that parental protection that Castiel was always known for. And sure enough, he gives Jack that final “I love you” shoulder touch which I swear had me choked a little.

Rethinking about it now that the show is over actually makes their final moment together really sad as incomplete as it is. I not only look back on how much these characters were drastically underutilized but how much the Dadstiel storyline could’ve been executed better with all the development that it was given. Well there you have it my full Dadstiel shoulder-touch analysis. Hope you’ve enjoyed!

159 notes · View notes

bangtanoneshotsx · 3 years

Text

Rain-Jungkook

I don’t really know what this is tbh. I’m not really back but this was just written one night at 2am

Somehow you didn’t hear the rain pounding against your office window. So as you looked up from your phone, finally seeing the outside from the small lobby of the office building you worked at, you silently cursed.

“Looks like there’s going to be a storm Miss.” The security guard spoke from his post, the small wrinkles in the corner of his eyes deepened with the gentle smile. With a sigh, you nodded, thanking him. Your bus stop was only a few minutes away, but still, in weather like this, it would feel like miles.

If the security guard was right, and there would be a storm, you couldn’t really chance it and wait in the lobby until the rain stopped. With the older man’s predictions you could be waiting all night. With another grumble, you zipped up your black bag, pulling your camel coat tighter around you. It was your one jacket without a zip, just flimsy buttons that wouldn’t do much. With another moment to brace yourself, you wished the security guard a goodnight before heading out. Instantly, you were drenched, the heels of your boots splashing the puddles, bringing up small droplets to the back of your legs. In the distance you could see your bus stop and the small shelter it provided. With your head down, and against the wind, you made your way to the stop.

Finally, you made it to the glass shelter, though the rain still pounded on the roof above you. You winced as you moved your soaked hair, the drops sliding down your back. Landing on the small bench, you let your back fall against the glass wall, your top sticking to your skin.

“I hear there’s a storm.” A deep voice brought your head up. A man, equally drenched as you stood just under the bus shelter. You noticed he wore a white blouse, that had turned slightly see-through, his sleeves rolled up, showing his tattoo covered arm

“So I’ve heard. Start of the season I suppose.” You murmured, glancing at the electronic sign telling you how far away the next bus was. The man grinned, sitting next to you. With a groan, he stretched, his head hitting the glass behind him.

“Is this the point where we stop pretending we don’t know each other?” You gave a burst of laughter, rolling your eyes. With your head to the side, you noticed him looking at you.

“How was work Jungkook?” You finally asked. Jungkook gave a gentle sigh.

“Yoongi was stressed, the client wanted the next four songs at the end of the week.”

“What does that mean for you?” Jungkook’s neutral expression quickly turned into a proud grin.

“It means I get to help produce and edit the songs.”

“Jungkook that’s great!” Jungkook’s cheeks were tinted red, though you could still see the pride in his expression.

“You think so?”

“Of course! This is what you’ve been waiting for.” Jungkook hummed, the smile on his face content.

“What about you? How was your boss?” With a groan, you slumped. Jungkook sat quietly as words tumbled out of you, all the stress from that day leaving you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I checked the weather. I swear it said sunny all day.” You could only laugh as Jungkook panicked, jumping to his feet as he tried to stuff everything into the picnic basket he had brought. It was your first date. Finally, after months of meeting at the bus stop Jungkook had plucked up the courage.

“Jungkook it’s okay! Don’t worry.” Jungkook’s eyebrows were furrowed, his shoulders tense as he panicked more. Bending down, you picked up the last few items, a couple of wine glasses, and a small plastic box that contained some homemade food that apparently his friend had made for him.

“The car’s too far!” You shouted over the rain and the howling wind that had just started. You could see Jungkook scan the park before he grabbed your wrist. With a shout to follow him, he pulled you under a big oak tree. Jungkook’s wide eyes were focused on you as he dropped the basket, the plates inside clinking as he did so.

“I can’t believed it rained.” You laughed, tilting your head up. The only sound you could hear for the next few minutes was the rain hitting the leaves of the tree, enclosing you in a mystical bubble. Jungkook hadn’t spoke, instead he just watched, his lips in a small, twitchy smile.

“You okay Jungkook?” You asked softly. You knew he could be a perfectionist sometimes. And you weren’t so sure if the sudden change in weather had ruined his plans. “Jungkook.” Without a word, Jungkook stepped forward, resting his right, tattooed hand on your cheek. You could feel your breath hitch in your throat, your heart pounding in your ears. With a slight moment of hesitance, almost nerves, Jungkook pressed his lips softly against yours. His confidence grew quickly as his hand on your waist tightened.

After a few seconds, he stepped back, his forehead resting against yours.

“I always found kissing in the rain romantic.” He spoke, almost breathless. A deep chuckle escaped him as you rolled your eyes, hitting him playfully.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You held a flute of champagne in your right hand. A grin on your face as you spoke with his mother, and now since four hours ago, your mother-in-law. You wore a sparkling white dress, the thin spaghetti straps that held it up, digging slightly into your shoulders. He stood to the side, his six closest friends next to him. You could see his eyes crinkle as he gave a certain type of smile that told you he was embarrassed. Jin was laughing, his hand slapping Jungkook’s back. With your conversation with your mother-in-law falling to a natural ending, you took a sip of your champagne.

“I better go save him.” You joked, thanking your mother-in-law once more. As soon as you got within hearing distance of the group of men, Hoseok grinned, nodding at you.

“Y/N, you look beautiful tonight.”

“Thank you.” Smiling, you felt Jungkook’s arm wrap around your waist, his head resting on your shoulder. You could feel your cheeks heating up as you noticed the boys watching the two of you, pride in their eyes as they looked at their youngest. You knew at that moment they had realised how much he had grown up.

“So does anyone know what the weather is like in….” You trailed off, waiting for someone to fill in the blank. With a chuckle, Jungkook held you tighter, placing a kiss on the side of your head.

“Nice try. But even they don’t know.” Quickly, you tried to find any hint of deceit in their faces. Finding none, your eyebrows rose in shock.

“Really?” You exclaimed, a huff leaving you. Namjoon shook his head, an apologetic smile on his face.

“Sorry Y/N, he doesn’t trust us.” You sighed, defeated to the fact that you wouldn’t know where your honeymoon was until you were at the gate waiting to go on the plane. The honeymoon was the one thing Jungkook wanted to be in charge of, he wanted to keep it a surprise. Why, you had no idea. Before you could interrogate them anymore the DJ started to play a familiar tune. With his hand away from your waist and now held out to you, Jungkook grinned.

“May I have this dance?”

You were only a couple seconds into your first dance, your guests now surrounding you, the occasional click of a camera interrupting the soft beat. Although you had practically tuned everything else out, you still heard it. The first few raindrops were soft against the fabric of the marquee. Until suddenly, harsh raindrops fell, almost covering the song. You burst out with laughter, looking up to notice Jungkook was grinning.

“I suppose I shouldn’t have expected anything else.” You grinned, your voice soft. Jungkook hummed, placing a quick peck on your lips as he brought you into a twirl.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Can you bring his jacket down too please!” You shouted up the stairs to Jungkook, who was currently on the search for his raincoat. With a shout to let you know he heard, you focused back on your son. He sat at the bottom of the staircase, his eyes wide and resembling Jungkook’s as he wore one red rain boot, his scarf and beanie already on. He was only four, but already he looked so much like Jungkook. He sat patiently as you helped him slip on the other boot.

“Is it red?” Jungkook shouted after a few minutes of silence. You winced as you could already imagine the mess he had created by pulling everything out of the closet.

“Yeah! It should be on the right side.” Softly you smiled at your son, fixing his scarf so it kept him warm.

“You know where your jacket is don’t you?” Your son nodded, agreeing with you. “Great, why don’t you go help your dad?” With a jump, your son raced up the stairs. You could tell when he found Jungkook, by your husband’s exclamation, his cheerful voice straining as he probably picked up your son. You took the few minutes of silence to get yourself ready. Slipping on your boots and your raincoat, you pulled up your hood just in time to see Jungkook holding your son’s hand as he jumped down each step. With the last one, you caught him as he jumped, bringing him onto your hip. He giggled as you tickled him, grinning.

“Did you show your dad where your jacket was? Did you go save the day?” Your son lit up with the mention of ‘saving the day’. He was currently into superheroes, so much that you were surprised that there wasn’t an argument about not wearing his cape outside.

“You ready?” It may seem like you were going on a big adventure, but really you were just going out into your driveway and garden. It was raining, and per tradition, you were getting ready to go out to jump in the puddles.

You swung open the front door to reveal the rain pounding the stone driveway, the front yard already becoming muddy and covered with puddles. With Jungkook’s permission, your son raced out, jumping as high as he could and landing in a puddle. The muddy water that had gathered covered his rain boots and splashed his jeans.

You yelped as Jungkook pulled you out of the house. With a flash, he pushed down your hood, grinning.

“Jungkook!” You exclaimed, though you were quickly cut off by his lips on yours.

Rain had somehow become a constant in your relationship with Jungkook. Something that often changed your plans. You weren’t sure how it happened. All you knew, as you jumped in the puddles, holding Jungkook’s hand tightly and watching your son play with your small white dog that had escaped outside, was that the rain created the best memories.

77 notes · View notes

maybe-theres-hope · 3 years

Text

Of Will and Wildflowers, Interlude - Carlos: “Indecision”

-Hello all. I debated about ever having this see the light of day, as I wrote it as sort of a character study to keep myself honest while writing the main story, which I always intended to be single POV for the drama of it all.

However, in my heart I feel like I owe you all at least something for how long you’ve waited for the conclusion to this story (I originally intended to post the whole thing before the season even started and...here we are lol), and I figured you’d appreciate this. It doesn’t spoil anything, so don’t be afraid to read if that’s something you’re worried about (unless of course you haven’t read the story at all, in which case here you go!). It’s just a glimpse into Carlos’ psyche in this AU.

This takes place the second night of the Strand’s visit, after TK and Carlos take their first journey around the grounds that ends in the apple orchard, and subsequently Elena spilling that Mr. de Castillo will be joining them soon.

This is for all those who have encouraged me so much with this story, and I promise you all you will get the conclusion! Life has just gotten in the way so much lately :( @oquinn53, @reyeslonestar, @howtosingit, @a-l-ias, @mtnofgrace, @descending-into-the-crazies if I missed you let me know please! I love you all :)

Carlos was having difficulty dressing for dinner, and it wasn’t because of the fiddly fastenings of his waistcoat.

TK Strand was…The man was…

Carlos was also having difficulty with full sentences, even ones inside his own head.

The morning they’d shared had been as if from a dream, or a fairytale from one of Raquel’s storybooks. Every time TK smiled at the vast landscape of Carlos’ home, every time his eyes lit up at the brush of scent from the wildflowers hitting his nose, Carlos was arrested. Time stood frozen for a few moments in which he could admire the man before him at his leisure, when he could ascend to a higher plane of aesthetic dominated by the gentle slope of TK’s jaw.

Carlos had also to admit to himself—if not out loud just yet—that there was also the man’s intellect, not just his beautiful face and impeccable seat on a horse, that drew Carlos’ attention. When Carlos had asked him of his life in New York, TK had for some reason shied away from speaking of his father’s company and his own part in it, as Carlos might have expected from a man of business on a business trip. Instead, he talked of Central Park and the Fifth Avenue Hotel, and how the architecture compared to that which he’d seen on their journey through the South. He spoke of the air surrounding them and how clean it smelled, even though Carlos knew they were downwind from a herd and they both knew it.

The man was charming in his innocence and captivating in his depth in turns, and Carlos could hardly bear to look away or allow himself to speak in his turn when TK asked him a question about this landmark or that bit of wildlife.

They’d passed the morning gently ambling along wherever the horses saw fit to take them, talking of everything and nothing, and it had been glorious. And their picnic…their picnic! Carlos had never worshipped Mrs. Smith’s blackberry jam quite as much as when he caught a glimpse of it clinging to the side of TK’s mouth just before a deft tongue slipped out to take it away. He was quite taken aback at the weight of his infatuation, to be honest. He’d not ever had occasion to fall so fast into regard for someone, and it was at times disorienting and grounding. His body felt as if it had been given over to some mystical force, using its hands to ensure the movement of his heart when it stopped itself at the sight of TK’s smile in the sunshine and guiding his eyes to alight once more upon TK’s handsome profile.

The apple orchard had been…a risk. Carlos simply could no longer help himself in his desire to be near this man. He made every clandestine endeavor to brush a shoulder or knee or knuckle as they walked. Holding TK’s hand properly to help him down from Flor’s saddle was akin to ascension to the clouds beyond.

His hand still tingled when he thought of it.

Was this what everyone referred to when they spoke of love? Surely not. He’d only known the man for two days. And yet.

And yet.

Just then a knock at his bedroom door startled him out of his thoughts, which he was secretly glad of.

After a word of acquiescence from Carlos, Christina passed through the door before shutting it again behind her quietly. Her face still held a small trace of trepidation in it when she caught his gaze, and he was instantly reminded of the scene on the porch when they’d arrived back from their tour of the property.

Fernando was coming, and that muddied his thoughts more than all the rest.

“I came to see how you were faring, and I see it’s just as I suspected,” she offered in greeting. She stood in the middle of the room with her hands clasped against her skirts, looking at him in earnest.

“And what did you suspect?”

“You’re warring inside your own head as we speak. Your thoughts are plain as day on your face. As is your utter admiration for our handsome Mr. Strand. Don’t try to deny it, I know you far better than you wish.”

“That is the truth,” he muttered with a sigh. “What am I to do?”

“About what? Your obvious inclination toward Mr. Strand? Or your equally obvious promise to Mr. de Castillo?”

“There was no promise!” He flopped himself down on the bed, dressing forgotten for the moment. They’d had this argument before. “It is merely an understanding, built upon mutual need. We can just as easily misunderstand each other as well.”

“But you’re not that kind of man, Carlos. You don’t go back on your word,” she replied, her expression turning miserable. She was perhaps the only one who truly understood what had been going on in his head when he’d made the promise in the first place. Christina was also possibly the only one who truly understood why he was warring over it now. She could read his face, his tone of voice, the shape of his stance like a book. Sometimes he hated it, but for the moment he was quite glad to not have to articulate the particulars of this struggle in bare words. He was content to skirt around the topic they both knew was on his mind with veiled hints and euphemisms.

“I know. So, esteemed elder sister, what should I do?”

She came closer and laid a hand upon his shoulder, her face still a picture of commiseration.

“You should do what every gentleman and lady wishes they could do, but for which they all lack the courage.” He stared at her, waited for her to elaborate. “You should follow your heart.”

“I can see now why all those other gentlemen and ladies lack the courage! I am damned if I do anything. If I keep my word to Fernando, I will be secure but restless, adrift, unfulfilled and bound to endure it, and it will be no fault of his but completely my own. He is a good man, and he does not deserve my indifference.”

“But he would have it anyway, would he not? You don’t—“

“You’re right, I do not. But that is not the point!”

“I thought it was? And what should happen if you break your word?” Her eyes seemed to bore into his skull despite the soft brown of her irises.

“I…” Words seemed to slip away on the wind from the open window. He thought again of TK asking about the wildflowers, how his smile lit up the landscape more than the rising sun. He could picture a thousand mornings spent just as they had this one, or perhaps instead of combing Carlos’ family homeland on horseback, they would promenade in Central Park among the birds and trees. They would walk arm in arm with no destination, just the inclination to be together in the bright spring air. He would utter some quip about the couple across the way just to hear the bells of TK’s laughter. TK would point out some high society maiden and they’d remark—under their breath of course—about the ridiculousness of her hat. At the end of each day they would return home together to sit by a roaring fire and talk into the night about everything and nothing before lying down beside each other and drifting into dreams that could do nothing to rival their waking lives.

The picture abruptly vanished at the thought of Fernando, however. Carlos was right, the man did not deserve to be slighted after all he’d done to assure Carlos of a life beyond his mother’s death and Rosa’s inheritance. Fernando was handsome, kind, and the catch of the century. Anyone would be envious of Carlos’ position.

Except Carlos.

Christina, who had been heretofore silent while her brother ruminated in his thoughts, finally sat beside him on the bed and slipped her arm into his, laying her head upon his shoulder.

“I know it’s not ideal, but you have to choose the path that puts your heart at ease, the one you can live with for the rest of your life. If you do that, you’ll be content. If you go against your own heart, you’ll never know peace.”

The problem was, Carlos couldn’t make sense of what his heart wanted in the slightest, and because of that he was frozen in indecision.

#tarlos period drama #of will and wildflowers #tarlos #tarlos fic #911 ls #911 lone star #brooke writes

27 notes · View notes

tweedlydumbtweedlydoo · 4 years

Text

Damon Salvatore x reader

Requested by @thefandomplace //Summary: Someone from Damon’s past wants to get back at him and uses you as her leverage against Damon.

A/N: Okay so I actually really like how this one turned out. I hope you guys do too! Thank you for requesting! xx

Tag list is at the end. Let me know if you want to be added xx

**MASTERLIST**

Requests: {OPEN} CLOSED

I am currently taking requests for:

The Vampire Diaries/The Originals

Elijah Mikaelson

Damon Salvatore

Criminal Minds:

Spencer Reid

Derek Morgan

Supernatural (I’m only up to season 2, so please don’t request something with spoilers)**

Sam Winchester

Dean Winchester

Outer Banks (Netflix):

John B Routledge

JJ Maybank

Rafe Cameron

********************************************************************************************NOT MY GIF, CREDIT TO OWNERS

She watches the two of you from the rooftops. You and Damon were walking together, sharing ice cream; laughing as some dripped onto his chin. There was some kind of festival going down below in the Mystic Falls square; hundreds of people. This wasn’t the place; she would have to wait for the right moment.

You laugh when some of the ice cream drips onto Damon’s chin.

“Geez, you could at least get it into my mouth?” He chuckles, grabbing some napkins at the booth next to him.

“I’m sorry,” You laugh more, taking the napkins from him and gently wiping the ice cream from his chin, “You moved.”

“Oh? I moved?” He chuckles, shaking his head, taking the ice cream from you, “It’s my turn to control who feeds the ice cream.” He gets a small spoonful.

“Damon you better-” It was too late, he tapped the spoon onto your nose, dabbing a little ice cream on your nose. “Damon Salvatore!”

He chuckles, shrugging, “I’m sorry baby doll, you moved.”

You roll your eyes, wiping it off your nose, “Now I’m all sticky.”

He takes a bite of the ice cream, pointing to the Grille, “Go in there and wash up. Then we’ll go get a funnel cake to finish the night off.”

You nod, kissing his cheek, “Sounds good.” He motions to the ground with the spoon, “I’ll be right here, waiting.”

You walk inside, pushing through a small crowd of people. Stepping into the bathroom, you go straight to the sink, wetting a cloth. When you look up in the mirror, there’s a woman, dark red hair standing behind you. Before you know what’s going on, she pushes the back of your head forward, your forehead hitting the mirror and it shattering to pieces, darkness overcoming you.

He pulls his phone out of his pocket. You’d been in there for more than 5 minutes but all you had to do was wash your hands. He looks around, before heading inside and straight to the bathrooms. There wasn’t a line, so that wouldn’t be holding you up. He spots Stefan and Elena at the bar and grabs Stefan by the shoulder, turning him around, “Have you guys seen y/n?”

Stefan shakes his head, “No. We’ve been here all night.”

Damon looks around the bar once more, maybe he missed you, “She went to the bathroom to wash her hands and she hasn’t come back yet.”

Elena puts a hand on his arm, “Don’t freak out. Maybe there was a line. I’ll go check on her.”

Damon nods, “Thank you.”

Elena makes her way to the bathroom and opens the door. The mirror is shattered to pieces, glass scattered around the floor. There’s blood on the mirror and droplets over the sink and floor, “Oh god.”

When she turns around to exit the bathroom, Damon and Stefan are already there, looking at the mess behind her.

“Shit.” Damon pushes Stefan out of the way and rushes out of the Grille, looking left and right as he exits the Grille. “Y/n?” He heads toward the square where the funnel cakes were. Maybe you headed there while he was inside, but you weren’t there. You were nowhere to be found.

When you woke up, you screamed. Your body was leaning forward over the ledge of a building and all you saw below you was the concrete sidewalk.

Someone pulled you back by your hair, “Oh don’t worry. I’m not letting you die. Just yet.” She laughs, pushing you to the ground.

“Who the hell are you?” You winced, sitting up. It was the red haired woman from the bathroom.

“You mean Damon didn’t tell you about me?” She frowns, “Oh honey, I’m his worst nightmare.” She bends down to your level, inches from your face, “The name’s Elizabeth.” She tilts her head at you, as if studying you.

“Damon’s never mentioned you.” You press your fingers to your forehead, blood on your fingers. “What do you want with me?”

“Oh, I want to kill you.” She smiles, standing, “So Damon knows what it feels like to lose someone he loves.”

You gulp a little, looking up at her. Damon would save you. He would save you in time. Right?

“Damon, maybe she went home?” Stefan reasons.

Damon shakes his head, “She wouldn’t have gone home Stefan! We were going to get a funnel cake, then leave. She wouldn’t have gone home.” Him, Stefan and Elena were now making their way around the square, looking in alley’s, in shops still opened, but you weren’t there.

“Yoohoo! Oh Damon!”

Damon looks around, looking at Stefan and Elena, who are looking around as well.

“Up here, darling!”

Damon looks above him. There stood a woman and in her grip on the edge of the building was you. He starts toward them, but the lady grips your hair harder, causing you to cry out in pain, “don’t even think about it!”

“Let her go, Elizabeth!” He’d recognize the red hair anywhere. He knew what she was doing here with you on the ledge of a building. She was here for revenge for killing her lover.

She tilts her head at him, “Now, why would I want to do that? That would end the fun.” She pushes you closer, your toes at the edge.

Damon flinches, ready to dart to you if you fall, “this is between you and I. Not her. She has nothing to do with this.” He holds his hands out in surrender, “Kill me instead, not her.”

“I don’t want to kill you, Damon. I want you to feel the same pain I felt when I lost Ben!” Elizabeth screams, “You ripped his heart out of his chest and killed him! For what? Over nothing!”

“Then do the same thing to me! Rip my heart out! Damn it, Elizabeth, leave her out of it! Please!”

She smirks, “Don’t move until I tell you too.” She whispers to you.

You whimper, looking down at Damon. You couldn’t move. Your body was frozen on this ledge.

Elizabeth slowly let go of you, “Hang one foot off the ledge.”

You slowly do as she says, letting out a squeal as you almost fall, “D-Damon..” A tear rolls down your cheek as you look down at him.

“hey, it’s okay.” He nods, “You’re going to be fine.” He gives you a reassuring smile, “You’re okay.”

“Aww so adorable!” Elizabeth rolls her eyes, “Boring!”

Suddenly she’s standing in front of Damon. As Damon lunges at her, she orders you, “Jump y/n!”

And that’s when you took the leap off the side of the building, falling to your death.

“No!” Damon screams, watching you fall, his eyes wide and panicked.

You scream on your way down, but your body never hits the pavement, falling into the strong arms of Damon himself.

It had all happened so quickly. Stefan had ripped Elizabeth’s heart out as you fell, giving Damon time to get to you, saving your life. You knew Damon would save you in time.

“I got you… I got you baby girl..” He whispers, kissing your temple and holding you close and tight against his body.

“You saved me..”

You can see the tears in his eyes and he gives a soft smile, “Always..”

The Vampire Diaries tag list: @thefandomplace

All my works tag list: @blossomreed

481 notes · View notes

nochiquinn · 3 years

Text

exandria unlimited episode 6: opals opals everywhere

ah they got her

how did I forget robbie has full sleeve tattoos

"questionable in all things" is my new twitter name

aabria leave this man alone

sparkly omar can stay

dorian no

opAL

"I am Aware of Purple"

did opal miss ted's extremely stressed tone or did aimee

or am I projecting

aabria throwing this hook full-force at aimee's head

don't chase the waterfall

shades of the cannonball competition in c1

A Rotten Birdsomething

the dad instincts are irrepressible

I Want To Go To There

"did you see the cat face?!" "that's not polite" Dad Instincts

"do you have time? don't answer that, yes you do"

DOG

ashley has encountered a dog, dog will now recieve scritches

GOOGAL I love him

please stop saying cow penis

googal bbeg

I was gonna mention the pressure point in the top jaw

"I have more opportunities to make this go bad"

lbr googal taking the crown would be the BEST bad end

"he's looking at you like you are a betrayer god"

poor bb

fuck I want frybread

opal

shakes dorian until his backstory falls out

yeah that tracks

What's A Tal'dorei

man I want a vat of stir-fried vegetables

hell is nausea while having delicious vegetable stir-fry described at you

BRONTE

Secret Royalty theories given credence, why would he be so cagey about the last name

where's that post about liam not being able to not fall for matt's characters

a little faun with the little fur and a little fire boy

I can't believe dariax had a parasocial relationship with tharla starr

dariax you can't just say that in front of people

matthew your dice. you're killing me.

dariax???

I do not mtg but my partner has roughly four million ygo cards that I need to place in this box thing immediately

is this going to be Meeting With the Bright Queen bad

this fucking dwarf istg

matt's face every time opal is Like That

dariax is doing His Best and I love him

I really enjoy this explanation of magic

can. can stress give you heterochromia.

opal :(

excuse

opal is just so refreshingly straight forward. "no, stop the mystic bullshit, just t e l l m e"

mala: happy sibling moments for everyone

like how are we going to resolve this in two episodes

can we have a season two? can this be a recurring summer series?

"that was robbie daymond sighing" he got what travis calls tv face

excuse

mala: webmd self-dx me: you have dart cancer

"I'm just giving you a moment to self-actualize before I KNOCK YOU THE FUCK OUT"

liam got his bisexual disasters mixed up

flurry of robes

they're stealing opal. jewel heist.

"be the cool one that's pretty"

"I was about to fight THE RULES" listen I'm trying to get a tiny oneshot together for the child and I 100% expect this exact attitude

"YOU DUMB DWARF" (affectionate)

robbie is so fucking relateable. that kind of "what-if" freeze-up is my biggest fear of playing any tabletop

please give me princess mononoke but on fire

"to my girl" 👀

rip dorian

"not going according to plan" "not according to YOUR plan"

I need that animated

I would assume the dart hit fy'ra's hair and burned up

the "I apologize" is my favorite reference

(it has also permeated my house)

welp I wanted princess mononoke

I would both die and kill for dariax

My Monkness

y'all it's 2:30. mercy.

SEE YOU NEXT THURSDAY

jfsk liam's instinctive counterspell

the head the size of orym's whole torso

what? no! give her back.

"not all family is blood. much family is chosen."

"I would do anything for my friends" DORIAN

"there is something extremely special about him" as matt/dariax picks his nose

“you played TWO different beautiful women!!”

“head juice” “I’m gonna cry bc that was so gross”

PLEASE let “see you next thursday” become a Thing

for brian if no one else. it feels like brian’s brand.

LEAVE TED ALONE

#critical role #exandria unlimited #spoilers #liveblog #reaction post #crititag #exutag

10 notes · View notes

germygilbert · 3 years

Text

The Problem With Klaus

So, TVD has been a part of my life for a very long time. I watched it first when I was sixteen years old, shortly after the show had ended. And the show is not without its problems, stemming partially from technical problems like plot holes and whatnot, and partially from more serious problems like race (the show's treatment of characters of color is a battle for another day)

And recently, having rewatched the whole series with my girlfriend, I noticed that the problem I had four years ago when I first watched it had not dissipated, in fact with my more nuanced understanding of storytelling, it seems to have gotten more glaring.

Klaus's whole character arc is a cold sore on a gallery of incredibly compelling and nuanced characters. I mean no hate towards klaus stans, in fact, I think Klaus deserved better. If not a better redemption arc, a better villainous reign.

Everything about his buildup is absolutely fucking pitch perfect. He establishes himself as utterly terrifying without ever appearing on screen. There were multiple villains in season one, all pretty gnarly, and the most menacing was by far Katherine. Katherine not only could manipulate others like nobody's business, she had spies all over mystic falls. she was smart, cunning, and always one step ahead.

And she was fucking terrified of Klaus.

Katherine is a character who, by all means, doesn't seem like she would be afraid of anything. She's managed to cheat death by most everyone she's come across, most everyone she's come across wishing she was dead. and she's scared. This is a very good way to establish that he's a bigger and badder villain than she's ever been, and that in turn terrifies the audience. Because Katherine forced Jenna to stab herself, who knows what Klaus could be capable of.

His brother is scared of him. Anyone who knows his name is scared of him.

And then he shows up, and something happens. He's not scary. He's a wretched little thing, more vile than an animal turned inside out, he commits horrible acts. but he's not menacing. You know that he wants to kill our main cast but there's no pizzaz about it. No drama to it. Katherine was always fun to hate. Kai was hysterical. Julian was utterly terrifying. Alex got under your skin and stayed there. But Klaus, at least comparatively, was close to nothing in terms of charm and showmanship. His motivation was clear, that's always good, but he had no hook.

His motivation was family. Which is a noble and compelling motivation for a villain to have. Katherine wanted love. Kai wanted power. Klaus wants family.

One of his most vile acts, the end of season two, he forces Stefan to drink bags and bags of blood. it's an extremely upsetting scene to stomach, especially for addicts and friends and children of. He forces Stefan to relapse as an aid for his plan. He forces stefan to turn his emotions off for his own amusement later. It's gross, reprehensible, but it's not a calculated villain move. it's a spur of the moment one. He knows the Stefan that he once knew doesn't want to be drinking buddies anymore, and he can't stand this so he drives Stefan to the brink, removes his quality of life, just for fun.

We see rebekah. We see their backstory. He, whos ultimate motivation is family. tells Rebekah she is pathetic for loving too easily. He tells her she's worthless. In New Orleans, we see him offer Rebekah an ultimatum. Stefan or him. It's an illusion of choice that he gives his baby sister, who's only ever loved him. And Rebekah, who's only ever known love and devotion as fear, her father, her mother, her brothers. Slammed doors. screaming about how they know what's best for her, is thrilled with the option to choose her own fate.

She chooses wrong. She picks Stefan. And instead of begrudgingly let her go, he stakes her, forcing her to miss out on a century of her life. She mentions having run from him until she came to her senses. What was that development like? Did she choose him over fighting, petty squabbles? or did she meerely decide that it was worth being controlled to remain alive?

The hybrids are another example. They are said to be his family. Let's look over that familial bond, shall we? He turns them against their will. They are sired to him, compelled to follow his every whim. And when they break that bond, he murders them. Cuts their heads off, rips their hearts out of their chest. He doesn't even entertain the idea that they might want to stick around even without their sire bond, and he doesn't care.

Because it's not about family. It's not about equal partnership. It's about control.

Klaus stabs Caroline and is ready to let her die until she throws out some schlock about love and redemption. We're supposed to buy he saves her because he loves her. He puts her in danger, the woman he supposedly loves, because she won't do what he wants.

We get the scene where he heals Caroline from the illness that he caused, on a whim might I add, and a scene where stefan nobly says we've all done horrible things. And then suddenly the narrative simply begins believing that he's suddenly one of the good guys with little to no narrative effort! Easy!

He controls Tyler for loving the girl he does. For ruining his family.

The conclusion of this arc, for the most part, is him going to New Orleans. And he's not upset that witches have been outlawed because it's morally repungeant to try to control them, He is upset because he himself has lost control of the city. When Marcel ruthlessly kills a witch,he's not upset because he killed a witch for doing magic. He's upset because he "wanted to talk to her"

And why does he save Haley? Again, not because it's the right thing to do, but because she's carrying his child. Who he says will be an heir to his throne.

One of the last times we see Klaus is when he shows up, has sex with Caroline, and leaves again. She decides to fuck him for undisclosed reasons. She finds him hot. That's all. Not only is this utterly out of character for her, it makes no narrative sense.

Tyler is understandably furious. he lists Klaus's atrocities back to back, at the top of this list being the fact that Klaus killed Tyler's mother.

These atrocities are never addressed or narratively dealt with. At least, not in TVD.

Klaus confuses love for control and fear, emotional manipulation. He's narratively rewarded for this.

And his arc, his character, after all the hype and narrative weight it was given, deserved better.

#long post #anti klaus mikaelson #germ.txt

24 notes · View notes

elejahfanfic · 3 years

Text

Fanfiction

And so it is Christmas

Part 5

Elijah Mikaelson x reader

ft. Klaroline, Kennett

AU story_human_no vampires

a/n:There will be great mad Mikaelson chaos and lots of love… i.e. Elijah falling for Y/N…cookie baking, etc.

well, actually_absolute christmas fluff… ho-ho-ho

_also this just blew into such a long ch again_ thanks for reading. xoxo

🎅

In the Mikaelson Mansion

Esther looked at the happy bunch mucking around in the kitchen. She loved the holiday season. It always brought a strange kind of warmth to the house.

"Everyone is very high spirited" the butler said,"this idea to have them participate in making the buiscuits was marvellous"

"Wasn't it just" Esther said, now looking at Klaus and Caroline cutely talking to one another, him complimenting the blonde on her artistic streak.

"I find it quite unusual that Elijah left Caroline behind and went out with Kol" Esther remarked.

"There have been developments" the butler said.

"What do you mean?" Esther now looked at the man with puzzled eyes.

"Master Elijah and Ms Forbes are no longer together. Prior to Miss Rebekah's trip to New York, they put an end to their relationship. Not that it was any serious relationship as such."

Esther raised an inquisitive eye-brow at the butler, and told him to follow her to the drawing room to speak more privately.

The butler has always been the source of gossip and knew all that was going on, as Rebekah could not keep anything to herself. He now told the Mistress of the house all about Elijah falling for Dr Y/L/N/

Now, Esther, having found out the latest going ons said, "Well, that explains Elijah's great interest in the Fundraiser. But isn't Dr Y/L/N seeing Klaus?"

"No. I found out from Master Kol that Dr Y/L/N and Master Klaus - just hooked up once- these are his exact words."

"I understood that there was more. He frequently is seen going to the Y/L/N Lake house." Esther said.

"Ahm, I have that information, too." the butler said.

"We have to find out what exactly is going on. I do not wish any of my sons to get hurt. It is not the first time they get entagled with a woman. Remember how things went with Rayna Cruz."

"Yes, I do." Jefferson recalled the stress that went off the brother's back in New Orleans, when they both had a crash on the beautiful blonde.

"She left them both heartbroken," Esther said, "and that fight - over her. I didn't want this to happen again."

"It will not. They are way more mature now, and Master Klaus is now much calmer."

"Yes. But still - a woman can stir up things- no matter what age a man is"

"Dr Y/L/N doesn't appear to be a woman that would string two men along." the butler said.

"No. I think I will still have a word with her."

"Is this wise, Ma'am?"

Esther sighed. "Not really, but I cannot have a repetition of what we had years ago. And it being the reason Elijah moved to New York. It broke my heart having him so far away."

"But they have made up and they have been so very supportive of each other. Master Klaus met Aurora and - all was forgotten."

"Yes," Esther said and now took a deep breath looking at the faithful butler, "I have heard that Rayna had a child."

Jefferson looked at the woman a tad bit stunned. It seemed he didn't know all.

"What are you suggesting, Ma'am?

"That maybe - there somewhere Elijah might have a son." Esther now said.

"Oh! Are you sure?"

"No. By the time I got this probable news - Rayna left New Orleans to - god knows where"

"But - if the child was Master Elijah's, I am sure she would come to you and said something. Ask for money. She was daring enough"

“True.” Esther said. “I wish he finds someone he can start a family with and be happy.”

“Maybe Christmas will work its magic this year.” Jefferson said.

“Well, let’s hope so.” Esther curled up a little smile.

🎅🎄

Elsewhere- the Y/L/N House

"Because of you" Elijah said looking at Y/N in a very sincere manner.

"Me?" Y/N looked back at the man wide-eyed.

She was not expecting this answer. Or maybe she did.

"Yes. And I know that we hardly know each other- and I - this is now going to come out wrong - but ever since that evening volunteering in the shelter - I can't stop thinking about you" Elijah said, twisting the truth a bit, as in fact, he could not stop thinking about her since he saw her at the boutique.

"Oh" Y/N let out followed by a gulp. For some strange reasin she froze, though she wanted to say that she also had him on her mind eversince she saw him at the boutique.

As there was no other response coming from Y/N, Elijah, slipping ‘Right’ and got up, "Ahm- I better go"

Y/N now got up as well, and for an unexplained reason said, "Ok"

Like a lost soul, Elijah looked for his coat jacket. Having found it in the living room, he took it and put it on, thanking Y/N in the process for the pie.

Y/N nodded a little saying, "You're welcome"

Elijah nodded back, everything inside of him very jumbled up he turned and walked to the door.

"Wait" Y/N suddenly said.

🎅

Meanwhile, at the Mystic Falls Ice Rink

"Hey" Klaus greeted Kol, who had just arrived at the Ice rink with Bonnie, "Elijah is not answering his phone."

"He is still busy making pies" Kol replied, "where are the others?"

"Bex and Stefan have this dinner thing with his uncle, and Hope went with Caroline to get some ice-skates cuz she doesn't have any - here" Klaus explained now looking at Bonnie, "isn't it time you introduced your girfriend"

"Yeah" Kol said somewhat confused, "this my other older brother - Klaus - the nuisance"

Bonnie now extended her hand to Klaus saying,"Hello. It's weird that we never met and you are at the School board and Hope is attending my chemistry class this year."

"I meant to come to see you regarding Hope. She is telling me that you chose her for the State Chemistry Olympiad? She is Middle School- is she that good? "

"Yes. She is very talented. Quite an over-achiever." Bonnie said.

"I don't know where she gets it from" Kol now said with a teasing smirk.

Klaus would now hrow something clever back at his brother, but Hope and Caroline now joinrd them. More greetings and more introduction followed. Soon they all got inside the rink.

Kol showed off his ice-skating skills to Bonnie, who was pretty impressed. Bonnie was not skating since college and felt pretty rusty.

"How come you are so good at this?" Bonnie wondered.

"Well I lived here for five years now. I also played for Mystic High Hockey team. We moved here five years ago."

"Wow." Bonnie said, "I must say I amazed."

"I also had a band." Kol said.

"What else don't I know?" Bonnie asked.

"I was bad in chemistry." Kol said cutely.

"Ah, nevermind. I still like you." Bonnie now kissed her man.

Not far from them, Caroline skated up to Klaus, who actually just stood at rink's fence, totally lost in Caroline exhibiting her figure skating skills.

As she now came up to him, he was all stars in his eyes at her-

"Tell me why are you a lawyer?"

"Ah, because - my dad thought it would have been a more solid career"

"You are serious?"

"I was the US. Collegiate Figure skating champion." Caroline said.

"Really?"

"Yes. But, this is where I started. This is where my mom brought me to skate when I was five years old - and" Caroline now inhaled deeply, her eyes watering.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Klaus now said concerned.

"Nothing. Just great memories. I didn't think I would be back here or skate here ever again."

"You lived here? When?"

"Till my mom died. And then I went to live with my dad in New York." Caroline replied, "Thanks for - this was a great idea. And - sorry if me coming down made things awkward- now that Elijah and I - broke up."

"Our family does awkward well. So you are all right." Klaus said.

"I don't know. Even though Elijah and I said we would be friends - I feel like I am intruding."

"I am for one am glad you are intruding - I mean- ahm- you are not intruding at all. You saved me from getting the whole cookie baking and you did such great job helping Hope, and Rebekah for that matter. You should yake credit for all the baking that was done today. I can only imagine what it would be like if you didn't step in."

"I guess, your cook would have to do it all."

"Yes, and we would never stop hearing mother tell us that we could have done better." Klaus said.

"I doubt that. She is lovely." Caroline said.

"Yes, mother is the best."

"I miss my mom so much." Caroline now said.

"I am sorry." Klaus now said with great empathy in his voice.

The song that now came on made Caroline take Klaus suddenly by the hands and said, "You are skating now"

"What? No, no, no. I am not like Kol."

"It is not that hard. I got you. You will be fine." Caroline reassured Klaus, who, strangely let himself go.

✨

At Y/L/N House

"Wait!" Y/N said again and shot over to Elijah, and wihtout hesitation drew his lips to hers, like catching a dream that was about to disappear. She made their lips, mouth, tongue flow in the beautiful rhythm of what their heartbeats played, like tiny bells echoing like the shooting stars up in the skies. Easing out of it, heads leaning on one another now, both trying to gain some breath back, they stood silent for a moment, her thumbs lightly streaming up and down the side of the neck, while his hands got lost in the tangle of her her, dropping on her shoulders. If he spoke, he thought, this sweet enchantment would be broken. And yet, the first word shimmered out, "Y/N”

"Elijah" Y/N smiled a little, her cheeks feeling flush, "I don't know - what's happening - I mean- I know - but I never thought that - it all came out of nowhere"

"It has - and I - I just couldn't keep it to myself anymore. I tried not to feel - because I was with someone else- and you"

"Because I was with your brother" Y/N took a deep breath, "this never happened to me - I am not someone who goes from one guy to the next - let alone brothers- and has crazy drunken one night stand"

"Please - I didn't mean to upset you"

"You didn't upset me - I am - just such a hot mess - if you know what I mean" Y/N said raising her look at him, "I also coudn't stop thinking about you"

Elijah lips curled a happy smile up now, the corner of his eyes catching the mistletoe hanging right over them. Y/N looked up as well. They were standing right under the lush evergreen beaming down at them.

With their eyes now dropping on one another again, Elijah gently pulled her to him into a sweet, deep, long kiss.

_to be continued🎄🎅🤶

#elijah mikaelson x reader #elijah mikealson #the originals christmas #klaroline #kennett #klaus mikaelson #kol mikaelson #fanfiction writing

23 notes · View notes

salvatoreschool · 4 years

Text

Every The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, and Legacies Ship Ranked

53. Daroline (Damon Salvatore and Caroline Forbes)

Our first ship is our worst ship because we can't find literally anything nice to say about Daroline. Consent issues, mind-control, and death threats are not exactly the stuff of great romance, and Damon should thank his lucky stars Caroline forgave him for this abominable period when they were together.

52. Calaric (Caroline Forbes and Alaric Saltzman)

Ew. Gross. No. Kill it with fire. We've got no idea what The Vampire Diaries was trying to do with this ship, but we hated every second of it, and we're not ashamed to say it. We don't care that years had passed since Caroline was his student or that there were weirder ages gaps on the show, trying to ship a student-teacher relationship feels wrong no matter which way you slice it.

51. Klenevieve (Klaus Mikaelson and Genevieve)

Klenevieve was a blink and you'll miss it kind of ship on The Originals, but it still technically counts. Ultimately though, Klaus and Genevieve's connection was mostly physical, and there were far too many double-crosses and manipulations on both sides of this relationship to give it much credit.

50. Parkwood (Liv Park and Tyler Lockwood)

Liv and Tyler's love story kind of flew under the radar on The Vampire Diaries, but that's probably just because there were like 18 insane storylines happening at once in Season 6. This ship was actually pretty cute, and the only thing keeping it from a better ranking is the fact that Tyler, you know, killed her with his bare hands to activate his werewolf curse.

49. Malaric (Meredith Fell and Alaric Saltzman)

Talk about ships that flew under the radar. Alaric and Meredith Fell shared a brief tryst in Seasons 3 and 4 of The Vampire Diaries, but this relationship always felt like it was built to move the plot forward instead of the other way around. Kind of too snooze-worthy to deserve a good ranking.

48. Menny (Matt Donovan and Penny Ares)

We're not going to pretend like we cared even a little about Matt and Penny's romance on The Vampire Diaries. However, we're also not going to pretend like the scene where Matt hallucinates her ghost and begs her to take him with her after his car crash was anything other than devastating emotional torture that came out of nowhere and has stayed with us to this day.

47. Jolaric (Jo Parker and Alaric Saltzman)

Jo and Alaric really got the rough end of the stick as far as TVD ships go. They'd only just started to find their groove when Jo found out she was pregnant with twins, forcing them into a shotgun wedding that ended in tragedy. If these two had been given the time to start their family together the way they should have, we have no doubt they could have become one of the show's best duos ever. We'll have to settle for them creating one of the best duos ever -- Josie and Lizzie Saltzman!

46. Rizzie (Rafael Waithe and Lizzie Saltzman)

It's hard not to ship all of the Legacies kids with each other considering the great chemistry that cast has, but Rizzie is one we just never loved. Lizzie seems too intense for Rafael, and Raf doesn't exactly seem like the kind of guy that would give her the level of attention and devotion she requires. This ship was kind of a flop in Sesason 1, and we'd prefer it stay that way.

45. Debekah (Damon Salvatore and Rebekah Mikaelson)

Damon and Rebekah shared one night of tearing ballgowns and tuxes off each other, and then it was never really spoken of again. It's hard to properly rank a ship that basically came down to "that one time we had hate sex," but hookups like this were what The Vampire Diaries was built on.

44. Haylijah (Hayley Marshall and Elijah Mikaelson)

We really wanted to rank Haylijah higher on this list, but all the passion and angst in the world can't distract us from the cold hard truth: Hayley and Elijah had issues. Major issues. Not the least of which being that he killed her in the final season of the show. Whether you consider their love story to be one of the best or worst this shared universe ever created, at least you can comfort yourself with the knowledge that they gave it all they had.

43. Klaurora (Klaus Mikaelson and Aurora de Martel)

For as long as we've known Klaus, he was always teetering on the brink of insanity, which is kind of what we loved most about him. Aurora, on the other hand, has been batshit crazy her whole life and it's so not a good look on her. This weird, obsessive, "let's see who can out-crazy the other" romance was not to our taste at all.

42. KymG (Kym and MG)

We can't claim to be huge fans of the romance between Kim and MG on Legacies, though their names fit together so perfectly for a ship name that we almost demand they be endgame based only on that. Unfortunately, the show never really gave them the screen time they needed to get us invested in their love story before Kym decided she'd had enough superantural shenanigans and left Mystic Falls.

41. Elijah Mikaelson and Antoinette Sienna

On every TV show, there are ships that just make us shrug, and Elijah and Antoniette are definitely one of those. They don't even have a ship name, that's forgettable this tryst was. Even with memory loss, hidden pasts, and romantic pinao duets, this couple was kind of just meh.

40. Sizzie (Sebastian and Lizzie Saltzman)

Sebastian and Lizzie may have had potential, but in the end it turned out to be wasted. Their chemistry was off the charts, but like many teenagers swept up in romance, they never really took the time to connect or learn about each other. Maybe that's why they ended on such a sour note. Still, at least Sebastian went out a hero?

39. Jicki (Jeremy Gilbert and Vicki Donovan)

You know, we were really rooting for Jeremy and Vicki when The Vampire Diaries first started. They had that whole, rebels who are too cool for school, but not too cool for love thing going on. Ultimately though, we don't think Vicki would have ever calmed down enough for Jeremy, who was really only pretending to be a wild child to deal with his parents' deaths. This ship just wasn't to be.

38. Maroline (Matt Donovan and Caroline Forbes)

You know those Season 1 ships that you know are never going to make it, but every time you look back on them they make you nostalgic? That's what Maroline is for us. A cute relationship between two characters we love dearly that just never quite fit perfectly together. That being said, if there had been no vampires or life-or-death scenarios in Mystic Falls, Maroline absolutely would have been endgame material.

37. Stalerie (Stefan Salvatore and Valerie Tulle)

Stefan and Valerie had one of the weirdest love stories we've ever seen, but there was still a small part of us that was rooting for them. In a world not besieged by curses and vampire hunters and prison worlds, these two could have really been something! Sadly, Stefan has like five more appealing ships, which is probably why they never really made it that far.

36. Hafael (Hope Mikaelson and Rafael Waithe)

Legacies made a solid attempt to recreate another brotherly love triangle, but we weren't really feeling it with Rafael, Hope, and Landon. Raf and Hope have a great friendship going, but it's probably best left there considering how much more fans seem to prefer her relationship with Landon.

35. Marcille (Marcel Gerard and Camille O'Connell)

Remember when Marcel and Camille were a thing for a hot minute? Neither do we! Sorry to Marcille fans, but though these two had decent chemistry, they just never got a lot of attention as a couple, and so their love story kind of faded into obscurity.

34. Jasie (Jade and Josie Saltzman)

The Vampire Diaries universe sure does love its enemies to lovers ships, doesn't it? Josie and Jade started off on opposing sides in Kai's prison world, but after Jade turned her humanity back on, things started to change between them. At least the sex dreams they started having about each other did. Jade and Josie might be perfect for one another, seeing as they both understand having a dark side that's hard to deny.

33. Carenzo (Caroline Forbes and Enzo St. John)

While Caroline and Enzo never made it past the friendzone, we wouldn't have hated it if they'd had a thing. There was a lack of "epic love story" vibes between them, and when Enzo was at his worst, Caroline brought out the light-hearted, carefree side of him. Plus, all things considered, he really was her type - morally scrupulous Brit, who would burn the world down for the people he loves -- why does that sound familiar?

32. Mizzie (M.G. and Lizzie Saltzman)

Every day we go back and forth on whether MG and Lizzie are soulmates or whether they're the perfect best friend duo of all time. Could they possibly be both? Sure, Lizzie takes MG for granted sometimes, and MG can be a little thoughtless sometimes, but that doesn't mean these two aren't connected in a deep, meaningful way that most people can only dream of.

31. Noralise (Nora and Mary-Louise)

Though we only got them for one season, Nora and Mary-Louise had us from the moment they said hello. We do love a bad girl, and two bad girls together? We're toast! Our favorite thing about this ship is that while it was clear Nora and Mary-Louise didn't care about much in this world, they cared about each other, and that was more than enough for them.

30. Klayley (Klaus Mikaelson and Hayley Marshall)

When The Originals first premiered, we were sure Klaus and Hayley would eventually fall in love and live happily ever after with their precious loophole baby, but ultimately these two just weren't meant to be anything more than one really hot night. That being said, watching them as co-parents just proves that not all ships need to be romantic to work.

29. Rope (Roman Sienna and Hope Mikaelson)

Roman and Hope's sweet, timid flirtation on The Originals was like a breath of fresh air after some of the intense, life-changing, epic love stories we'd been getting for five straight years. Rope -- whoever came up with that ship name was having too much fun that day -- would have ranked higher if the whole relationship wasn't just Roman's ploy to get close to Hope's family.

28. Stebekah (Stefan Salvatore and Rebekah Mikaelson)

The Vampire Diaries had the best flashbacks on TV, hands down, partially because when your characters have lived for centuries, you can really mix things up. One of said mix-ups was the revelation that Stefan and Rebekah had been an item back in the 1920s, and while their romance is probably best left in the age of prohibition, it was always one of our favorites.

27. Hizzie (Hope Mikaelson and Lizzie Saltzman)

Hope and Lizzie would definitely have that whole "enemies to lovers" thing going for them if they ever decided to take the plunge together. The bond we've seen these two develop over the course of Legacies has been so wonderful to watch, and while at the moment we prefer them as badass besties, we wouldn't hate to see them head towards romantic territory someday.

26. Janna (Jeremy Gilbert and Anna Zhu)

When The Vampire Diaries first paired Jeremy and Anna together, we thought our little vampire-loving hearts would give out. They were both so damaged and dark and alone in the world that they somehow fit perfectly together. Not even multiple deaths could keep them apart! Losing this one was hard, but at least ghost Anna came back to hang out occasionally.

25. Datherine (Damon Salvatore and Katherine Pierce)

Call us crazy, but even through all the craziness and manipulation, there seemed to be a spark of something between Damon and Katherine that was just undeniable. Maybe it was the fact that they both put up a dark and diabolical front to mask their real feelings about the way their lives turned out. This wasn't a ship for the ages, but it certainly was a pairing we'll remember forever.

24. Kennett (Kol Mikaelson and Bonnie Bennett)

You know a fandom is strong when it can build a ship of dreams out of like 2 episodes and 10 lines of dialogue, but that's about all Bonnie Bennett and Kol Mikaelson ever shared. And yet somehow, Kennett is always going to feel like the one that got away in terms of ships that totally should've happened but never did.

23. Klamille (Klaus Mikaelson and Camille O'Connell)

Despite their messy ending, Klaus and Camille's relationship showed us sides of each character that we otherwise would never have seen. Though it was missing some of the passion usually found in The Vampire Diaries and The Originals ships, it was still absolutely heartbreaking to watch Klaus lose a woman who meant so much to him when Cami died.

22. Jandon (Josie Saltzman and Landon Kirby)

This short-lived romance between Josie and Landon may not have been super popular with fans, but it was perfectly in character for both these self-sacrificing loners to find their way to one another. It may not have been a romance for the ages, but it was an age-appropriate and utterly endearing one, and that's good enough for us!

21. Kolvina (Kol Mikaelson and Davina Claire)

As one of the few ships that managed to make it out of The Originals series finale alive, we have to give Kol and Davina props. Their love story survived multiple deaths, body-swaps, and that pesky problem of Kol accidentally murdering Davina that one time. We want nothing more than peace and happiness for eternity for these two crazy kids.

20. Jalaric (Jenna Sommers and Alaric Saltzman)

While some believe Alaric's love life is cursed, those of us who watched the early years of The Vampire Diaries know better. Alaric will simply never find someone as perfect for him as Jenna Sommers, which means he's destined to fall in and out of subpar ships forever. Poor guy, it's rough when your soulmate dies so early on in the first of three sequential shows.

19. Klefan (Klaus Mikaelson and Stefan Salvatore)

This one's another ship was never technically canon, but as far as we're concerned that was a GRAVE mistake. Klaus and Stefan had chemistry coming out of their ears, and you're seriously trying to tell us that nothing happened between these two during their days of debauchery in the 1920s? Yeah right, you're not fooling us!

18. Jayley (Jackson Kenner and Hayley Marshall)

Jackson and Hayley may not have had the passion and the fire that some of the best TVD ships boasted, but they had something that very few other pairings had: A rock-solid friendship built on trust and understanding that grew organically into true love. Considering how crazy their world was, they both needed a relationship like this to keep them sane, which is maybe why we ended up loving it so much?

17. Kalijah (Katherine Pierce and Elijah Mikaelson)

Katherine and Elijah only shared maybe a handful of scenes together over the entire course of The Vampire Diaries, but they're somehow one of three ships we would have watched an entire spin-off about. Their love stood the test of time and somehow overcame hybrid-sized grudges, and that's about as romantic as it gets.

16. Rebel (Rebekah Mikaelson and Marcel Gerard)

Though we love Marcel and Rebekah (especially when we think about the day they both take the cure and grow old together), this couple had one major problem... One of them wasn't on the show all that often, which meant their romance faded to the background every time Rebekah left town -- which was a lot. We'll put this in the category of ships that were done dirty by logistical, behind-the-scenes stuff.

15. Bamon (Bonnie Bennett and Damon Salvatore)

The Bamon saga was one of the most topsy-turvey things to follow on The Vampire Diaries, but we loved every minute of it. From shipping them a little bit in Season 1 to hating everything about it in Season 3, to watching them grow into best buds in Season 6, Bonnie and Damon went on a journey unparalleled by any other ship in the TVDu. Do we kind of wish they'd given romance a try? Sure. Are we going to let that invalidate how awesome their story was? No way.

14. Gialijah (Gia and Elijah Mikaelson

We're probably going to get some hate for this, but if we had to pick between all of Elijah's ships, Gialijah would probably win out. Sure, they weren't star-crossed lovers or centuries-old flames, but if you're looking for a healthy dynamic (of which Elijah was sorely lacking) with great chemistry and some awesome scenes, Gialijah is the ship for you.

13. Handon (Hope Mikaelson and Landon Kirby)

Hope and Landon are kind of the Stelena of Legacies. Not a pairing that we think will be endgame (no matter how heartbroken that will leave us), but integral to the DNA of the series nonetheless. We're content to enjoy this sweet couple strive for their happy ending, and we'll even root for them most of the time as they grow up together and figure out this crazy supernatural world.

12. Jaiden (Josh Rosza and Aiden)

Oh, Josh and Aiden... the ship that was too pure for this world. Literally. Though both these characters bit the dust before all was said and done on The Originals, their love story was super sweet, and, hey, at least we got to see them reunite in the afterlife!

11. Beremy (Bonnie and Jeremy)

If any of you ever had a crush on your older brother or sister's friends, you'll understand our undying love for Beremy. There was something so cathartic about watching Bonnie realize that Jeremy had grown up to be a sweet, sexy, utterly dateable guy instead of Elena's annoying little brother. Even though the didn't end up together, they deserve a high ranking in this list of epic ships.

10. Posie (Penelope Park and Josie Saltzman)

Considering how few episodes of Legacies Penelope was in before she bounced, it's remarkable that so many people fell so deep in love with the Posie ship. We guess there's just something intoxicating about a bad girl who will do bad things for the girl she loves. If you come for Josie, Penelope will come for you!

9. Steferine (Stefan Salvatore and Katherine Pierce)

Is it weird that we always kind of thought Stefan and Katherine would end up together when all was said and done? Don't get us wrong, that relationship was toxic at best, but when they were on screen together, you just couldn't pull your eyes away from them. It was like watching a really sexy, complicated train wreck in action.

8. Forwood (Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood)

Considering how often Caroline and Tyler were separated (by distance, evil hybrids, or opposing loyalties), it's pretty impressive that they were still one of the most memorable ships from The Vampire Diaries. It some mixed the sweetness of Maroline with the passion of Klaroline, creating a happy middle ground for fans to enjoy.

7. Freelin (Freya Mikaelson and Keelin Malraux)

Did we really understand the term OTP before Freelin existed? We doubt it. Freya and Keelin had their ups and downs on The Originals, to be sure, but through it all, there was never a doubt in our minds that these two strong, smart, sexy women were absolutely made for one another. Knowing they're living out their happily ever after in New Orleans with a cute little baby named Nik is the only thing that gets us through the day sometimes.

6. Steroline (Stefan Salvatore and Caroline Forbes)

Considering how many ships exist in this universe, it's shocking that Steroline is one of only a handful to make it down the aisle. Poor Stefan seemed doomed to be forever locked in a love triangle with his brother until Caroline Forbes entered his life. Not only did he no longer have to deal with love triangle BS, he got to marry his best friend, who he knew would support him through thick and thin. If only it hadn't taken them so long to figure out how awesome they could be together.

5. Benzo (Bonnie Bennett and Enzo St. John)

Sometimes it's hard to ship characters that are thrown together at the end of a series as opposed to the beginning, but that was not the case with Bonnie and Enzo. One minute they were two characters who'd never really interacted much, and the next they were epic loves who built a strong relationship built on trust, compassion, and a lot of laughter. Honestly, they fit so well together even we were surprised by it!

4. Stelena (Stefan Salvatore and Elena Gilbert)

Of all the ships to ever grace our screens over the years, there was something truly special about Stefan and Elena. Maybe it's because we associate their love story with some of the best years The Vampire Diaries ever had, or maybe their connection really was just too epic for words. Whatever the case, Stelena was one for the history books, and we dare you to say different.

3. Hosie (Hope Mikaelson and Josie Saltman)

It might seem weird to put a ship that's not, technically speaking, canon (yet!) so high on our list, but we absolutely won't apologize for it. Putting aside the obvious fact that these girls are definitely, majorly, into each other, Hope and Josie have proven over and over again that they not only understand each other on a deep, intimate level, they also care enough about one another to go to the ends of the earth to keep each other safe and happy. That kind of devotion when paired with a healthy, supportive dynamic is a killer combination.

2. Klaroline (Klaus Mikaelson and Caroline Forbes)

Klaus and Caroline never really got the timing right, but maybe that's what makes this ship one of the best in the history of The Vampire Diaries universe. They were enemies, they were lovers, and they were kind of even friends for a minute there, and the fact that they never really got a chance to be together only makes this ship more EPIC. Plus, it's kind of impossible not to swoon when a guy declares he'll be your last love.

1. Delena (Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert)

Was there ever any doubt that this list would end here? Whether you loved Delena or not, there's no denying this couple was iconic, and a large part of The Vampire Diaries' success was built on their love story. Sure, we would have preferred for them to not have different versions of the same fight for four seasons in a row, but that doesn't mean we don't still get major chills whenever we rewatch their first kiss or their series finale happily ever after.

#Legacies #TheOriginals #TheVampireDiaries #TVD #Hosie #Posie #Handon #Delena #Stelena #Haylijah #Klaroline #Klamille #Freelin #JuliePlec #TheCW

191 notes · View notes

bellemorte180 · 4 years

Text

My Soul to Take....

A/N: okay, this is COMPLETELY unfinished and like I said, ends rather abruptly. Idk if I’ll ever finish it but here is what I have. @clichefangirldreamer, hope you like it.

Mystic Falls

May 2010

The invitations had been sent out and all of those who had been invited, who were not family, were confused. In the weeks following the spell Bonnie performed, it had been quiet. There were no mysterious deaths within Mystic Falls. There were a few strange accidents about fifty or so miles away from the town but nothing that caught either Bonnie's or Elena's attention. It was Damon who pointed out the weird deaths and swore that it wasn't him.

It was clear that the Originals were hunting for prey but it wasn't often and far away from Mystic Falls. Damon explained that it was most likely because they were so old they didn't need blood as often and when they did, they must be masters at covering their tracks. Stefan still had not returned from wherever he had gone and he made no attempts at contacting any of them; even Damon. It stressed Elena to no end and she found herself spending more and more time with Damon.

Even though it was their clear intent on staying in Mystic Falls, the Originals made zero contact with any of them; outside of the occasional glimpses they saw of them in town. So, it confused all of them when an invitation arrived to dine with them on the second Saturday night in May. Damon all but refused to allow Elena to go but Bonnie felt compelled to accept the invitation, Caroline's number still burning a hole in her wallet and Elena wasn't going to see her best friend walk into the lion's den alone. Thus Damon found himself dressed up in a suit and dragged to the Mikaelson Manner for dinner.

The manor was huge and had a very old southern feel to it. It was located about five miles outside of the town's boundaries. It was surrounded by woods and the property was completely fenced off by a large black iron gate. The front had a roundabout as a driveway with a fountain in the center. The manor was completely white with stone pillars standing tall in the front. There were at least three balconies that could be seen and large windows with shutters on the side. The front entrance hall, when the three of them were granted entrance by a compelled butler, was home to a massive grand staircase.

“I'd rather be dining with Katherine down in the tomb.” He muttered dryly and Elena smacked his chest. He simply rolled his eyes at her and rubbed his chest as though she actually had wounded her. Elena hissed at him to be silent, knowing full well that Damon had a tendency to allow his mouth to get him into trouble.

“I do wonder why they are keeping her down there.” Bonnie mentioned casually. In truth, she forgot about Katherine. For all intentions and purposes, Katherine was gone. After the curse she placed on Caroline, they all knew that Klaus was not going to let her go. So, instead she was still rotting down in the tomb; a fact that Damon found much pleasure in.

“Why little miss witch? Going to use that favor of yours to break her out?” Damon smirked at her.

“Elena!” Bonnie hissed. She had never mentioned to Damon that Caroline offered her a favor in return for the spell she casted. She also wanted to keep that quiet but it was clear that Elena was becoming closer to Damon and Bonnie wasn't sure exactly how she felt about that.

“Welcome!” The three turned to see Caroline strolling towards them, her stiletto heels echoing off the hardwood flooring. She appeared stronger than when they had seen her previously. She was smiling at them widely and had this complete air of happiness that surrounded her. She was in a little black dress and her long blonde hair was piled on top of her head in an impressive updo. The diamond earrings that hung from her earlobes framed her face, drawing attention to her face instead of her body. “I'm glad you could make it. Come, we are having cocktails in the living area. Mr. Salvatore, I understand that you're a bourbon man?” Damon nodded, eyeing her with suspicion. “Perfect. If you would like to be infused in blood please let me know. I can have one of the waitstaff prepare it as such.”

In perfect hostess fashion, Caroline linked her arms with Bonnie and led her guest into the living area. They noticed that they were not the only ones in attendance. All of the Mikaelson siblings were there including the dark vampire Marcel. Damon recognized Rose-Marie, the vampire that warned him of Klaus returning but didn't pay any attention to the dark haired vampire by her side in favor of the one who was leaning against the fireplace in a deep conversation with Klaus.

“Stefan!” Elena's voice cried out and she made her way across the room to him. She launched herself into his arms and wrapped hers around his neck. It took her a moment to realize how stiff his posture was but she quickly became distracted by the sound of breaking glass. Her head turned to see Rebekah, who wore a silk green dress, with a broken glass in her hand and a murderous look upon her face.

“Sorry. I don't know my own strength.” Rebekah muttered. Stefan stepped away from Elena and she looked at him with a hurt expression. Damon pulled her away, concerned that the blonde vampire might attack her in a fit of jealousy.

“Yes, well, accidents do happen.” Caroline replied and snapped her fingers. As though they were trained to perfection, several waiters appeared in order to clean up the mess quickly. Bonnie stood in amazement for she had never seen such flawlessness plan executed before her; for she didn't even see the staff until they were needed. “Now, most of you already know but for those that do not, I only have one rule to my soirees, no bloodshed. That can be handled after.” Caroline turned to Klaus and pointed her finger at him. “And that includes you.” Klaus took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

“I would never dream of ruining one of your carefully planned evenings with bloodshed Sweetheart, especially when you slaved over it for the past week despite the fact that you should have been resting.” Klaus kissed the back of her hand again, smirk firmly in place while Caroline just narrowed her eyes.

“Now Caroline, we have attended many of your gatherings in the past and most didn't end in bloodshed.” Kol chimed up. “In fact I remember one in particular where you looked fetching! Vervain weaved through your hair and everything.”

“No one wants to hear ancient history brother.” Elijah replied, narrowing his eyes at Kol, who had spent the majority of his day in the laps of college girls who now remembered nothing of the terror Kol put them through.

“I wouldn't be so sure. Bonnie enjoyed the history lesson from Freya and I. Didn't you Darling?”

“Don't call me 'darling'”

“I do like them feisty.” Kol leered at her and Bonnie scowled right back.

“Kol. Stop or I'll snap your neck.”

“Freya! Caroline said no bloodshed.”

“I'll allow it.”

“Not fair!”

“Kol.” Klaus replied with a tone that couldn't be argued with. Kol fell silent but glared at his older brother. Klaus turned to his wife and smiled at her. “I do have to agree with Kol on one thing though. You did look beautiful that night.”

“Why were you wearing vervain? Wouldn't that have burned you?” Elena asked and Caroline looked at her with a small smile. It was the first time that Caroline looked at her without a hint of contempt. She either was trying to separate her from the previous doppelgangers or she was just really talented at hiding her true feelings. Elena couldn't be sure which one it was.

“It was when we were still human. The village elders held a Summerfest each year at the close of summer. It was a way to welcome the Autumn season and choose which animals we would keep through the winter and which we would slaughter. It was a night of merry making and lots of drinking.” Caroline chuckled. “That year the elders asked me to help prepare for it. It was a great honor bestowed upon me.”

“A great honor upon me as well.” Klaus replied and smiled at her. The two shared a look for a moment, memories of the first few months together flew through their minds. “Although you did not make it easy love. There were times I thought you would walk away completely.”

“I do not think I could have if I wanted to. Despite others who may have tried to convince me otherwise.”

“She was jealous, Sweetheart. She just wanted to get under your skin.” Klaus replied. He held her close and kissed the top of her head. Most could see that Klaus was not going to allow Caroline out of his arms for most of the night. Having her awake again was still new and hard for him to believe. “It has been a thousand years and her memory still haunts you.”

“Who?”

“One of your ancestors, doppelganger.” Kol chuckled. “You see, you and Katerina are not the first who enjoyed playing brother against brother.” Both Klaus and Elijah hissed. “What? It is the truth, right? She had you both wrapped around her pinky until Klaus wised up and fell the blonde bombshell I am proud to call my sister.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere Kol.” Caroline teased.

“Wait, you're saying that both Klaus and Elijah loved a doppelganger when you were human?” Damon asked with a smirk. “And here I thought the love story of Klaus and Caroline starred only them from the beginning of time.”

“It is our families misfortune to be cursed with the doppelgangers.” Rebekah snapped. Her eyes glared into Elena's. Stefan walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder and whispered something to her. She relaxed slightly. Elena however looked at them with a look of contempt and hurt written on her face.

“Tatia was not a curse Rebekah. She may have been jealous and petty but you did not know her like I did.” Elijah replied.

“A thousand years and you're still in love with her.” Klaus stated. Caroline snorted and rolled her eyes but Klaus could tell that she was tense. She always did hate when the conversation turned to Tatia; no matter how many times Klaus reassured her that the girl meant nothing to him now. “Do the Salvatore brothers a favor and do not fall in love with this one. You do seem to have a type.”

“Elena has enough admiration. She is safe from my affections.” Elijah replied. “And I will not lie and say that Tatia did not hurt me, especially when she made it obvious she had been with you. However, I loved her enough to look past it; at least till a point. Without her, vampires would not exists”

“Sounds more like a prehistoric soup opera if you ask me.” Damon chuckled. He raised his bourbon to his lips and fixed his eyes on Klaus and Caroline. “Why don't you enlighten us with details Dracula, Dracula's bride. Whoo me.”

Ancient Mystic Falls

Summer 1000

The fire burned high and the merry cries could be heard from those who were dancing around it. Ale was passed around and for one of the few times, the village wasn't plagued by what could possibly happen with the wolves. It wasn't a full moon and they simply let themselves enjoy the moment. Summer was coming to an end and they were to embrace the autumn season.

Klaus rested his back against a log with a drink in his hand. Ale wasn't one of his favorite drinks but it served a purpose. It helped drown out the memory of Tatia and his brother. True, it had been months since he saw them in the woods and months since he walked away. He knew Elijah had feelings for her but seeing Tatia giving herself to him in the same manner that she did with him was too much to accept and forgive. What hurt the most was his brother's betrayal; Klaus had thought that Tatia had chosen him and Elijah knew that he had taken her to bed.

“Niklaus.” Elijah's voice sounded from beside him and Klaus turned to look at him. He had not really spoken more than a few sentences to him in months and no matter of groveling could Elijah get his brother to break. It was the betrayal that hurt more than anything else and Elijah knew that. He took a seat on the ground and watched his brother glance into the fire absentmindedly. “Please, Niklaus at least speak to me.”

“Tatia looks lonely. Perhaps you should go to her.” It amazed even Klaus how Tatia's name did not come from his lips in bitter resentment anymore. Elijah's eyes moved towards the brown haired girl dancing around the fire in a mask. She was being twirled around by one of the village elder's sons. “Do not worry though brother, I am not one of the many men who you have to fight for her affections anymore.”

“She is hurt by your abandonment.”

“Her heartache is not something that haunts me anymore.” The brothers fell into silence. Neither knew where to go from here. Klaus wanted nothing more than to have the relationship he once had had with his brother but he just wasn't ready for forgiveness just yet, no matter how much grief it caused his mother. Instead of sitting in nothing but silence, Klaus stood and walked away from Elijah completely; taking another sip of ale.

“Perhaps it would be best to rid your soul of the darkness that plagues it Niklaus.” Klaus stopped abruptly and turned. Ayana stood watching him with curious eyes. Klaus had never been close to the witch but he knew that his mother trusted her. She was extremely powerful and even Klaus could feel the magic radiate from her. He knew of his mother's abilities and that Ayana taught her almost everything she knew; his mother passing the magical knowledge onto his brother Kol. Ayana was one of the elders of the village and highly respected one at that.

“What do you know of my soul?” Klaus snapped at her, feeling guilty the moment he did but Ayana did not look offended. If anything she appeared to be far more amused than anything else.

“We are a mix of people here. There is no place like it in the world. Your family comes from far away, a land full of vikings. Your father gave up his wealth and privilege to protect his family.” Klaus knew this and wanted nothing more than to tell the witch that she knew nothing of his father or his family. “I came from somewhere farther south. Where cliffs and rocks clashed with the sea. You could taste the salt in the air. I miss it sometimes.”

“If you miss it, why leave? Why come here?”

“To escape the darkness that was created a thousand years ago.” Ayana moved forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. “I followed the light.” Ayanna motioned her hand to the fire and as though he was under a spell, Klaus looked across the fire and saw something beautiful. Long blonde hair hung down around her waist and the purple flowers that lingered in the fields weaved through the braid at the top of her hair. He could hear her laugh as she danced with the other girls around the fire. “Caroline's family came from a kingdom hundreds of miles from your father's home lands.”

“You know her?” In truth, everyone did. It was a small village and everyone was connected somehow. He knew Caroline through her friendship with his sister but Klaus wondered if they ever shared more than a word or two. The vision he had of Caroline consisted of the sixteen year old girl who made sure the girls finished their chores in quick order. The elders adored her and was trusted among everyone. While Tatia was the girl every man desired, Caroline was the one who seemed to be the most overlooked. In that moment, Klaus wondered why he never really saw her before and how foolish the rest of the village was.

“I was the one to ask her to ensure everything was perfect for tonight.” Klaus looked at Ayana's small smile. The summer festival was given to the village as a gift from the elders. Never before had they had given such a responsibility to someone so young. “She is full of light, is she not?” With that Ayana walked away but Klaus didn't notice. His eyes focused on the smile that was casted upon Caroline's lips.

He moved around the fire just to get a glimpse of her. He saw Rebekah grab her hand and whisper something in her ear. Caroline blushed and laughed, shaking her head. His sister pouted and begged for something. Caroline narrowed her eyes before rolling them and reluctantly agreeing to something. Then a soft melody came from her lips and Klaus was frozen. He had never heard such breathtaking melodies that touched his soul. He once thought his mother had a beautiful voice as she sang to her children in the morning but suddenly, Klaus realized that he was completely wrong.

He simply stood transfixed, listening to her voice. There was something in the air; as though her voice casted a spell. Those around him seemed to agree that her voice was enchanting but none of them seemed to be completely lost in her. He didn't understand what was happening to him. He had known her for years but it felt like this was the first time he really saw her; he didn't understand but it was as though he felt magic in the air, drawing him towards her.

He looked to the ground and saw a mask made of deer skin and fur lying on the ground. He grabbed the mask and placed it upon his face. While not everyone wore masks during the festival, many did. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tatia still dancing around the fire with a mask firmly on her face. Instead of gravitating towards her, as he would have months prior, he moved towards Caroline and his sister. He wanted nothing more than to take Caroline's hand but he knew that she may seem suspicious since he never spoke with her outside the normal pleasantries.

Instead, he held out his hand to Rebekah and smiled at his sister. Rebekah's smile grew bright and she happily took his hand while Caroline took another villager's. The siblings danced happily around the fire and once the dance demanded a switch of partners, Klaus happily took Caroline's hand. They spun and danced. Klaus basked in her laughter as he spun her around; her hair flaring around in the night. When the dance came to an end, Klaus took her hand and kissed her knuckles. Before Caroline could question him, Klaus weaved his way through the crowd.

The village returned to normal the next morning. Villagers returned to their chores. Women cooked and reared the children. Men built the huts, repaired shelter and hunted for food. Klaus wandered through the huts looking for his sister. He finished his chores as quickly as possible and left both Elijah and Finn behind with questioning looks upon his face. It was still warm, for the fall chill had not set in, and Klaus knew that some of the young ladies would be washing their laundry at the river.

Once he reached the section of the stream that didn't reach the woods yet but ran down towards the Falls, he saw a line of several of the village girls washing their families clothes. Laugher could be heard coming from the river. He eyed the girls, seeing his sister speaking with Caroline. Caroline laughed and Klaus latched onto the sound. He reveled in it for a moment before he made his way towards them.

“Rebekah.” He called out and his sister looked up. She smiled at him the way his sister always did. She had her moments when Klaus wanted to rip his hair out but she could be sweet. He walked up to them and looked down at the girl. “Good morning Caroline. Thank you for our dance last night.”

“Of course. It was enjoyable. Although I am surprised, you normally are one who does not dance unless forced.” Her tone was playful but Klaus could see the curiosity behind her blue eyes. It was true. Normally, he would enjoy the ale, socialize with those he liked and would run off with Tatia once she had danced with Elijah. Yet, last night he felt the need to dance with her.

“That is true but I felt rather compelled to do so.” He flashed a dimpled smile at her. “You have a lovely voice.” Caroline flushed slightly but continued to gaze at Klaus with questioning eyes. “Rebekah, a word?” Rebekah, whose eyes were darting between her brother and her friend, nodded and began to follow her brother into the woods.

“Nik, what is it? You know how father feels about us interrupting our chores.” Rebekah hissed. Mikael grew angry whenever he learned that one of his children was not being what he considered productive. In truth, it was usually Kol, who was easily distracted by magic, that ignored his responsibilities but Rebekah knew the consequences. Mikael would never strike Rebekah, for she was his favorite, but if he learned that Niklaus was the one distracting her, the punishment would be severe.

“I will only be a moment and father will never need to know.” Rebekah nodded and looked at him. “I wanted to ask you about Caroline.”

“Caroline?”

“Yes.”

“What of her?” Rebekah was surprised. Klaus had never taken an interest in her before. Her and Caroline had been friends for years, one of the few people her father allowed her to associate with, and no matter how many times Rebekah mentioned her, Klaus never seemed to be listening. Yet, looking at him now she could see the vulnerability written upon his face. “Oh no. You cannot fancy Caroline! She is the closest person outside of my family that I have!”

“I have no intentions of hurting her-”

“What happens when Tatia bats her eyes at you again? What happens when she tires of Elijah and comes to you? She will because she is a fickle little girl who cannot keep her legs closed.” Rebekah hissed. Her hatred of Tatia was never concealed. She hated the tension Tatia caused between her brothers and was of the opinion that the only way for that tension to end would be for Tatia to be gone.

“I'm done with Tatia.” Rebekah cocked her head, challenging him to prove her wrong. “A few months ago, I saw her with Elijah. They were intimate.” It felt strange to be discussing such things with his baby sister but she knew what went on between a man and woman; despite the fact that she was innocent. “I had known, both Elijah and I did but it was different seeing it with my own eyes.”

“Oh Nik. That's why you've been so sad.” Rebekah reached out and touched his arm. “Tatia never deserved you. Neither of you.” She watched her brother. She had known the pain both Klaus and Elijah felt watching the girl he had feelings for being with the other. She wanted them both to be happy and there was a change that Klaus was done with Tatia for good. “No. Caroline is not spoken for. Some have tried but she is stubborn. She makes them work for it and if she finds them disappointing, she walks away. She won't make it easy on you.”

“I wouldn't ask for anything less.”

“Every morning when I gather the water for the day she joins me. Since we need more pales than her family, she helps bring them back to our hut before heading to hers.” Klaus couldn't help smile at that. From the little he knew of Caroline, that seemed to be something would do. “She is a helper Nik. She sees a problem and she will do anything to make it right. Do not make me regret this.”

Just as Rebekah had indicated, Caroline was waiting for her by the river to collect the day's supply of water. She appeared completely unsurprised to see Klaus accompanying his sister. He had thought that he would be greeted with a wide smile and shocked eyes. While Caroline did smile coyly at him, he was also greeted with a cocked eyebrow. She was expecting him and he silently cursed Rebekah. At least she had the decency to look ashamed.

“Rebekah, Niklaus. Good morning.” Caroline smiled at them before turning her gaze onto Klaus. “When Rebekah told me that you would be joining us this morning, I have to admit that I was rather curious. You've never collected water before, why the sudden change?” She was challenging him and Klaus couldn't help but toss her a dimpled smile.

“Oh, look Ayana. I need a few herbs. Excuse me.” Rebekah all but ran from them. This caused Caroline to laugh loudly. Her head was thrown back and Klaus couldn't help but enjoy the sound of her laughter. It was musical and joyful. He had thought that the sound of her voice signing a tune the other night was the most beautiful sound but her laugh was far more hypnotic. Klaus wanted nothing more than to be the reason why she laughed.

“She is not very subtle, is she?” Caroline asked.

“Rebekah and subtlety are not two things that mix well.” Klaus teased and Caroline nodded.

“Well, since you requested to speak with me this morning, the least you could do is help me gather water for your family.” Caroline smiled and bent to pick up one of the wooden pales before turning her back on him. Klaus bent down and grabbed two before running after her. He was surprised at how quickly she walked to the point that he was all but running to catch up to her.

“Slow down love or I would think you're purposely running from me.” With that Caroline stopped abruptly and Klaus nearly crashed into her. Caroline turned and looked at Klaus. Her blue eyes darted across his face as though she was searching for something.

“Rebekah told me that you have taken an interest in me. I do not understand the sudden change. You have known me for years, since we were children. Rebekah and I played in the flowers while you and Kol pretended to sword fight. Even then you just accepted me as your sister's friend. You were never mean but you never spoke much to me either. So, why now?”

“I fancy you.” Caroline sucked in a breath, not expecting him to be so blunt. There was a hint of vulnerability there that made her heart clench. “Is that so hard to believe?”

“Yes!”

“Why?” Klaus paused. “You're beautiful. You're strong. You're full of light. I enjoy you.” Caroline could not help but be flattered by his pretty words but she hardened herself. She was not one who would fall for the first man who paid her compliments. If that was the case, she would be married with children chasing her skirt already and probably with a brute of a husband. She saw the misery her mother's marriage was made of and wanted nothing of the sort. While her father was not violent, there was no love between them. Perhaps she was a dreamer for the times but Caroline made a vow that she would never marry a man who was unworthy of her affections.

“Years of silence, of nothing and suddenly you expect me to believe that you fancy me? Emotions and feelings take time to grow. You never noticed me before.” Caroline replied. “And what of Tatia?” That caught Klaus off guard. While he was not going to hide the fact that he had a history with Tatia, he did not expect her to be aware of it already. “That is the worst kept secret in the entire village. Everyone knew that you were courting her but everyone knew that Elijah was as well; and the fact that there is a rift between you and Elijah.” Klaus's eyes closed and Caroline reached out, taking his hand in comfort. “It has been obvious that you have been sad. Rebekah told me yesterday that you ended things and took a step back; allowing Elijah to continue his relationship with her.”

There were two items flashing through Klaus's mind. The first was that Rebekah did not explain that Klaus caught Elijah and Tatia in a compromising position but rather just stated he stepped away. The second was the wave of sympathy Caroline seemed to have for him. Her compassion for him caught him by surprise. Outside of Rebekah, never had someone shown him such compassion, not even his own mother who kept him at arms length for fear of Mikael's temper.

“You're right. I did walk away.” Caroline said nothing but allowed him to continue. “I walked away months ago. I will not lie to you and say that I never had feelings for her but I had months to mourn them and let go. While I am still angry with Elijah, it has more to do with the fact that he betrayed me and not Tatia herself.” Caroline nodded, understanding his words and accepting them.

“Why me?”

“I saw you with vervain in your hair and you looked happy. I never saw anything like it.” Klaus paused, taking a deep breath. “And then you began to sing. I will never lie to you and say that I have been nursing a childhood infatuation. You are right when saying that I always acknowledged you as my sister's friend. Another girl in the village but hearing you sing; it was as though I was seeing you with fresh eyes.” He took a step forward, standing tall over her. Tatia always looked down bashfully when he stood too close but Caroline stood her ground; looking into his eyes with equal force. “Take a chance. Get to know me. I dare you.”

“I guess it is a good thing that I can never refuse a challenge.” Her voice was breathless and her blue eyes flickered across his face. She knew that he was not lying to her but she still would hold him at arm's length for the time being. Much like Klaus himself, Caroline never thought of him as a romantic partner. She could admit that he was handsome but so were his brothers. She knew him well enough through Rebekah to know he was not cruel like his father; in fact she felt sympathy for him in that regard. Despite all of that, she would at the very least, give him the chance. “Once our chores are done for the day, you may walk with me around the edge of the trees.”

This caused the smile on Klaus's lips to grow wide with joy. “I promise that you will not come to regret this.” Caroline laughed, seeing Rebekah approaching out of the corner of her eye. He reached down and took her hand. She marveled at the feel of his lips on her knuckles. It was improper and if the wrong person saw them, she would be married by the end of the week because her parents would insist upon it. He smirked at her again and turned, heading off in the other direction.

“I think I already am.”

When she was nervous, Caroline had a tendency to bite at her nails. She rushed through her chores, not even snapping at the girls who would rather giggle over the men of the village than finish the tasks assigned to them. Instead she just let them waste their time and completed the tasks herself. The work took the fear of what would transpire later in the day off of her mind. However, once the chores were completed and instead of walking back to her family's hut for sometime spent either alone or with her mother, Caroline made her way towards the base of the woods.

She did not have to wait long before she heard footsteps approaching her. She turned to see Klaus approaching her with a wide smile on his lips. Caroline could not help but smile back at him. Once he reached her, he held out his hand and she linked their fingers together. She caught sight of his dimples but before she could comment, Klaus pulled her into the woods. His pace was quick and Caroline was practically running in order to keep up with him. They weaved through the trees but stayed away from the deepness of the forest. She could see the darkness out of the corner of her eye but the sunlight still graced her skin. Overtime, Caroline knew that darkness would encroach upon the trees but for now, she was perfectly happy to run in the sun.

“Where are we going?” Caroline asked.

“I want to show you something. I asked my brother to help me. I hope you don't mind. He won't stay for long.” Klaus added and Caroline could tell that they were getting close to the falls. She had only been to the falls a few times because it was dangerous during certain times of the month. The wolves lived on the side and crossing into their territory was an unwise decision.

“Elijah?”

“No, Kol.” That surprised Caroline. From everything Rebekah has told Caroline about her brothers, Kol was the biggest troublemaker. He was also the only child to inherit his mother's magic. He was a natural at it and liked to express it as much as possible. However, instead of using his gifts to heal those like his mother, he used his powers to pull pranks upon each of his siblings. It infuriated Rebekah to no end.

Before she could inquire more, Klaus pulled her into a clearing that she had never seen before. It was nothing more than a field but it was filled with rows and rows of vervain. Caroline had not known that it grew here for she thought that it only grew at the base of the giant white oak. She couldn't help but reach out and touch the beautiful flowers. Klaus reached down and picked one, placing it in her hair.

“How?” Klaus turned and pointed. Leaning up against a tree on the far side of the clearing was Kol and beside him was the youngest Mikaelson, Henrik. Kol whispered something to the young boy and Henrik's laugh echoed through the flowers. Kol waived before pulling his younger brother away.

“I asked Kol to make the vervain bloom here because I know it is your favorite flower. I thought you would enjoy seeing thousands of them bloom at once.” Klaus smiled at her and he saw Caroline bend down to pick another flower. She smelled them, taking in their scent. “You've never looked more beautiful.”

“Flattery and cheap tricks will not win my affections.” Caroline snapped but he could tell that she enjoyed seeing the flowers. It had taken some convincing but Kol agreed to do the little bit of magic in exchange for Klaus's taking over one of Kol's chores-grooming the horses. While it meant Klaus would spend the better part of the week with the horses, it was worth it to see Caroline fighting her enjoyment. “I am not someone who can be easily bought. If that is what you think of me, I shall find my own way back to the village.”

“Come on, take a chance Caroline. Talk to me.” Klaus smirked as he sat down on the ground in the middle of a million vines of vervain. “Come on, get to know me. I dare you.” He had her there and he could see it. Caroline was fearless and never one to turn down a challenge. Despite herself, Caroline found herself sitting down on the ground facing him.

“Fine. What do you want to talk about?”

“I want to talk about you.” Caroline shook her head in amused annoyance. “Your hopes. Your dreams.” She laughed again. “Everything you want in life.”

“Just to be clear, I am too smart to be seduced by you.”

“Well, that is why I like you.”

Ancient Mystic Falls

Autumn 1000

The weeks pressed forward and the leaves began to change, falling to the ground. The village prepared for the upcoming winter by gathering what they could for food storage and prepped their cattle. Huts were reinforced and logs gathered for fire; lengths were taken to keep them dry. Chores increased for the young as expected. Despite the work, Klaus still met Caroline every day at the edge of the woods. They did not venture far into the woods as they had the first time but they still strolled until the sun was completely set.

The village began to notice the time the two spent together. Ayana smiled at the two of them, as though she was seeing a long awaited event to take place before her. Soon it was known that Klaus was courting Caroline, even if the young woman in question refused to acknowledge it. Even though the two spent copious amounts of time in each other's company, Caroline found it hard to allow herself to be open about her intentions with Klaus.

Klaus could not be considered a patient man but found that with Caroline, he was willing to wait as long as possible for her to realize that he was serious in his attraction to her. He could see the walls that Caroline put up around her emotions and it was a slow process to chip away the stone that enclosed her heart. He could see that his attempts were not for nothing. Her smile was brighter when she saw him, her laughter louder. Her hand reached for his, linking their fingers together. It gave him hope...even if it drove him to distraction. Despite all of his patience, Klaus found that there were times that he wanted nothing more than to make Caroline see what was directly in front of her.

“Why are you so stubborn?” Klaus huffed. It was not a good day. Due to Kol's incompetence, Klaus had to endure another lecture from their father. He should be pleased that it was only harsh words and nothing violent but it made him late in seeing Caroline. When he arrived, it was clear that Caroline was keeping him at arm's length for the day. There were times when she was open with him and readily enjoyed herself and then other times that she was cold and distant. “Why can you not simply recognize that my feelings for you are real!?”

“Recognize your feelings!?” Caroline hissed. Klaus never pushed her. Never once asked for more than she was willing to give. Yet, today she could tell that his mood was foul and hers had not been much better. “You cannot just come into my life and expect me to believe that your intentions are true. Men lie and they make promises and then they leave you to cry well into the night. I refuse to let that become my life.”

“I have spent weeks trying to convince you that I want you. That my feelings for you are real.” There was vulnerability written on his face. She could tell that her reluctance was hurting him and that made her feel guilty. She did not want to hurt him but the possibility of falling for him scared her more than she expected.

“What do you want from me Nik?” It hurt him to hear such heartbreak in her voice and he loathed that he was the one who put it there. He wanted her to see that he was not playing some game with her. He knew that she was still suspicious of Tatia and thus made a special effort to not even glance in Tatia's direction when they were in the same part of the village as her. “Just tell me what you want.”

“I want your confession.”

“My confession? I have done nothing. Confession about what?”

“Me.” Caroline startled slightly. “As soon as we are done here, I will leave you to your thoughts. I will walk away and leave you in peace if that is your choice. You will never again have to look me in the eye and cover our connection with the cold hostility you sometimes process. You will never have to break down your walls for me only to rebuild them before we meet again. You will never have to face the part of you that cares for me. If you want nothing of me, I will let you go. You will be free. I just want you to be honest with me.”

Caroline could see the pain that this gave him. She could see the disappointment and hurt that letting her go caused him; but he was willing to do it if that is what she wanted. Caroline enjoyed Klaus even when she pulled away from him. She fought the feelings that were developing inside of her because she didn't want to become the one thing she feared the most; and Klaus had that power to do that to her.

“I just turned seventeen. I know that I am of marrying age and it is something that I have been thinking about for years. You are not the first who has tried for my hand but I refused them all. I know that if I do not choose soon, my father will do it for me.” Caroline closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I want to build a life for myself. A home with a husband and children. Up until a few weeks ago, none of those things included you. The fact that you have so suddenly made those plans so real terrifies me.”

“I see.” She saw the hope fill his eyes and he stepped forward. Part of Caroline wanted to back away but she held her ground. Her head tilted upward and looked into his eyes. He was close enough to touch but neither reached out.

“No, you do not.” Caroline hissed. “Yes, I cover our connection with cold hostility because yes I hate myself for allowing you to have such power over me. I hate that the future I dreamed about is so close that I could touch it. I hate it because it is only a dream and never reality. I hate the feelings that I have because I know that one day, it will break me and I will have no escape. I will be trapped, only to be broken over and over again. I hate that it will be you to be the one who breaks me.”

“Where is this coming from Caroline? What have I done to make you feel this way?”

“Nothing. You've done nothing but be everything that a girl could want in a man who courts her.” Caroline whispered. “Sometimes I lose myself in the idea of what could be between us. Other times reality is played out before me.” She looked down at her hands. “I am terrified of becoming my mother.” Klaus's brows creased at that, not understanding her words and he said as much. “My mother has loved my father since they were children. It was no surprise when he requested her hand and when she fell pregnant with me, she was ecstatic. That is until she learned that my father was unfaithful to her.”

“It is common for men to find pleasure outside the home.” The moment the words left his lips, Klaus realized that it was the wrong thing to say and attempted to backtrack. “But that does not make the pain the woman feels any less real.”

“My mother still cares for him but knows that he never really loved her in return. It has made her bitter. My father loved another. Someone he could not have and married my mother because it was expected. The truth tore my mother to shreds and is only a shadow of the woman she used to be. She lives with the knowledge everyday that she was not his first choice. I want to be someone's choice and not what is expected.”

“Is it a woman in the village?”

“No. It was before my parents settled here and before I was born.” Caroline paused, wondering if this would change everything. “And it wasn't a woman at all.” That confession caused shock to be written all over his face. “It was why they fled England. My father and his lover were found out. While he was never in love with my mother, he cared for her and for his child. His lover was executed and they ran.”

“I see.”

“And now you hate me.” Caroline turned to walk away. It was always a fear of hers that someone would discover her father's secret and turn away from her- she never thought she would be the one disclosing it. She could not bear to see the scorn in Klaus's eyes and wanted to run as fast as she could from him.

“No!” He grabbed her hand. “I could never hate you Caroline. I cannot hate you for something that you did not commit.” He took both of her hands into his and kissed her knuckles. That was the only intimacy that she allowed and Klaus knew that it was something he could not push. She was an innocent and he wanted to keep her as such until he was able to lay claim to her. “Is that your confession then? Is that what you feel for me? Fear that I will break your heart?”

“If you promise that you will never look at another as you look at me right now, I will be honest with you. I will be honest with you about what I feel for you.”

“Caroline, I will never be able to see such beauty in another for it does not exist elsewhere for me. I know that other men say pretty things and never mean a word of them but you are the exception to every rule I have been taught. If I had you, then there is no need for me to find pleasure elsewhere. I promise.” Her eyes traced over him, her hands still linked with his. She moved closer and Klaus remained still. She was so close that Klaus's forehead almost rested against hers. She had never been that close before and he was afraid that his restraint would break and he would devour her lips like the many times he had imagined.

“Good.” With that, Caroline leaned up and pressed her lips to his gently. It wasn't deep or passionate but it was enough. It was enough for him to understand what Caroline was feeling. He could sense her fear and vulnerability, almost as though it was his own. He also could feel her desire and everything that she wanted in life. Klaus could feel that she could possibly want it with him.

Like every month before it, the full moon came. The villagers flocked to the caves with fur from the animals they killed and food for the night. Most gathered before the sun set and prepared small fires. The only thing that differed this month was the fact that Klaus escorted Caroline to the caves and settled near her family. Neither parents of the couple said a word, for the attachment was obvious, but they kept a close eye. Elizabeth and Bill looked on with smiles while Esther watched them with curiosity and fear. Mikael ignored them all together.

Caroline leaned against the stone wall with Klaus on one side and Rebekah on the other. Henrik found his way to them and settled beside Klaus. The three of them amused the young boy for a while until the sky grew dark and the only light was the fire lit before them. Henrik fell asleep easily and the rest settled into conversation. In the darkness, Klaus easily took Caroline's hand knowing that beside Rebekah, no one would notice. He would hold it until her mother called her away in order to sleep for the night. Despite their courtship, it would be improper for Klaus to hold her as she slept.

“She is staring again.” Caroline whispered and Klaus looked up to see Tatia's eyes on them. She was a ways down but the flicker of the flame made out her person easily. Caroline had been complaining that Tatia had been watching her. The other girl never approached Caroline or sought her out but during their chores she could feel Tatia watching her. She never appeared angry or upset, but rather curious about her. “I think she hates me.”

Klaus said that if it continued or if she bothered Caroline, he would request Elijah to speak with Tatia. Caroline declined, not wanting a row to break out between the brothers over her. In the weeks that Caroline and Klaus began their courtship, the relationship between the Klaus and Elijah eased slightly. While they were not exactly on speaking terms, they no longer avoided one another. They exchanged pleasantries, completed what was expected of them and moved on. It was progress and that pleased Caroline.

She refused to be the reason they endured a set back.

“She is harmless and her emotions towards you are irrelevant.” It was true. There really was not much Tatia could do. The village knew of Tatia's reputation and anything she would say would hardly be believed; with the exception of Elijah and any other man that was infatuated with her. There was no hint of violence but if it came to that, Caroline knew that she was stronger than the other girl. “She is just angry that I chose you and not her.”

Caroline smiled and Klaus leaned in to kiss the top of her head. A cough echoed and they saw Caroline's mother watching them. Her eyes were hard but there was a gentle tone behind her eyes; as though she couldn't be too angry with them. The village knew by now what the end result of their courtship would be. The question was becoming when the event would transpire. While they have not been courting long, there were those who wondered why Klaus had at least not approached Bill for his permission to marry Caroline yet.

The slow progress of their courtship was something Tatia had taken notice of. Caroline could always feel the girl's eyes on her and she could not help but feel self conscious. When she was younger, Caroline always compared herself to the other girls in the village, including Tatia. Despite the fact that Tatia was a couple years older, Caroline desired to be like her in a way. Tatia was beautiful, vivacious and had a laugh that pierced the air around her; however she was also catty, cruel and did anything that drew attention to herself. She married very young, gave birth to her daughter only months after her wedding and was widowed within the year. Caroline wanted that attention and always envied Tatia for it, especially since she did nothing to earn it. Now that she had Klaus, Caroline could not help but feel as though Tatia would do anything to take Klaus away from her.

Caroline was about to reply when her mother called for her. Klaus smiled at her and Caroline moved towards the section that her mother and father were occupying. The cave was completely dark, with the exception of the flames from the fires and most have lain down to sleep. She laid upon the soft fur located beside her mother and closed her eyes. When the morning came, Caroline made her way from the cave, only able to give Klaus a smile. Esther ushered her children out of the cave quickly, sending a curious glance as she did.

“He is going to have to speak with your father soon.” Elizabeth said, pulling Caroline from her musings. They walked across the lane that went back to their hut. Caroline looked at her mother in confusion, which only caused Elizabeth to smile. “Klaus. His intentions are clear and the village wonders why he has not made an offer yet. Your father will accept of course. He likes Klaus and thinks the two of you would do well together.”

“What?” Caroline blinked, her mother's assertion taking her off guard.

“Marriage. That is of course what Klaus is after?” Elizabeth looked at her daughter closely, eyeing her as though she could see any misdeed. However, Caroline just looked at her mother confused. While Caroline knew the concept of what happened between a man and a woman, she was still innocent. “Klaus has not done anything improper, has he?”

“What?! No. Mother of course not.” She shook her head and she could see Elizabeth relax. “I just was not expecting you to bring it up.” Ever since their argument in the woods, Caroline could not help but allow herself to dream about becoming Klaus's wife. It still frightened her but she could tell the difference in his mannerisms with her compared to the ones her father showed her mother. “Do you think he will speak with father soon?”

“I spoke with Esther and- Oh!” Elizabeth stumbled slightly and dropped the basket full of blankets she had been carrying. Caroline put down her own basket and began helping her mother gather the blankets that spilled out onto the ground. Soon another set of hands joined in and Caroline looked up to see Tatia looking at her curiously again. Tatia handed a few blankets to Caroline and gave her a small smile; a smile that Caroline could not tell was genuine or not.

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” Tatia replied and stood. She held out her hand and a small girl, no older than three, grabbed it quickly. “Come my sweet, perhaps if you are a good girl, grandmother will make that bread you like.” Tatia took her daughter and left Caroline standing there, watching her. Tatia never really paid Caroline any attention before nor would she stop to help someone else. She wanted to believe it was an act of kindness but Caroline was intelligent enough to know otherwise.

The weather was growing colder. The first snow had yet to fall but the ice could be felt in the air. When Caroline breathed, it felt as though ice invaded her chest. She wrapped the furs around her tighter, waiting for Klaus. He was late and it was beginning to worry her. There were only a few times that Caroline beat him to the forest and it was due to him being held up by one of his siblings. When she was the first to arrive at their meeting place, Klaus was soon to follow.

Caroline had now been waiting for an hour and Klaus was nowhere to be seen. At first she had been angry, thinking that Klaus had forgotten about her. While she tried to be more open with Klaus, there were times that she still expected the worst out of him. She knew that he had done nothing to deserve it but deep down she still feared that he would betray her the way her father betrayed her mother. He was a man and it was expected; she just hoped that they would be the exception. When time pushed forward and he still did not come, Caroline began to worry that something had happened to him. When she heard the leaves behind her crinkle, she felt herself relax.

“Niklaus, I should be very cross-” Caroline paused, she saw that her intruder was not Klaus, but instead his brother. He looked haggard and stressed. He was not dressed in appropriate clothing for the weather and she could see the concern in his eyes. “Elijah? What are you doing here? Where is Nik?”

“He sent me. He is indisposed. He sent me to let you know that he is unable to meet you. Niklaus did not want you waiting in the cold.” Elijah could not meet her eye and Caroline narrowed hers. Elijah and Klaus relationship was progressing but not to the point where Klaus would send Elijah's to deliver a message for him. That was normally done by Henrik or Rebekah. As she looked Elijah over, Caroline noticed that there was a tiny fleck of blood on his knuckle. She reached out and grabbed it.

“What happened? Where is he?”

“He is alright. Rebekah is tending to him.”

“What happened?”

“Caroline-”

“Tell me or I will find him myself.”

“He mentioned you were stubborn.” Caroline only poured her gaze into him, letting him know that she was serious. “He and our father got into a rather harsh discussion. Our father is not one for mincing his words, especially when it comes to Niklaus.”

“He beat him.” Caroline stated in a matter of fact tone with a touch of venom mixed in as well, taking Elijah by surprise. Klaus had disclosed the nature of his relationship with his father and the knowledge that Mikael could become violent towards his son was unsettling for Caroline. “Where is he?”

“At our hut.” With that, Caroline moved past Elijah quickly. He grabbed her arm, spinning her to face him again. “It would be unwise for you to go there now. Father left in a storm but he will be back at some point before dark.”

“I do not belong to your father and even if I did, I would still go. You cannot stop me.” The conviction in her words had Elijah really considering her. He never thought much of Caroline in any sense before. He liked her well enough and knew Rebekah was fond of her. He was taken by surprise when he learned that Klaus had started courting her and even more so when he was clearly serious about pursuing her. Selfishly he was pleased because it meant that Klaus was less likely to return to Tatia but he also wanted his brother to find happiness.

“You love him.” The words caught Caroline by surprise. Did she love Klaus? In truth she did not know. She knew that her emotions ran deep but they had only been on this course for a short period of time. Love came after marriage for those who were lucky. If Klaus asked for her hand, she would give it but her heart was another matter. Unless she had already given it without her realizing it? “I'll walk you but it is best if you leave before father returns.”

Caroline nodded and the two set off at a brisk pace. They were silent and Caroline found that they could not reach the hut quick enough. When they arrived, Elijah opened the wooden door and ushered Caroline inside. She had never been in their family hut before, not even with Rebekah, only seeing the outside of it. It was bigger than hers and was made up of about four rooms. The room Elijah ushered her into was a common room. There was a long table in the center and a fireplace built into the far wall. Esther was stirring something in the cast iron pot that was placed above the fire. When Esther saw that Caroline had accompanied Elijah back, she just motioned her head towards one of the doors on the other end.

“Caroline.” She turned to see Esther looking at her. “You should not be here. I would hate for my son to take another beating because of you.” Caroline paused and just glared back at her. She had always got the feeling that Esther did not particularly like her. However, her mother and Esther have spoken about the possibility and Elizabeth never once mentioned that Esther seemed opposed to it.

“What?” Before Esther could elaborate, Caroline heard Klaus hissed and she took off towards the sound. The sound came from a room in the very back of the hut. The room had several small beds made of hay and it was clear that this was the room for the older boys. Klaus was lying on his stomach, shirtless and Rebekah was dabbing what appeared to be wounds on his back with a cloth. “Nik?”

Both Klaus and Rebekah looked up to see Caroline's eyes filled with tears. She edged closer and saw that there were deep gashes on his back that appeared to be from a whipping. Not only that but there were old scars beneath the fresh ones, telling Caroline that this was not the first time Mikael has whipped him. She brought her fingers to the base of her eye and wiped away the tears. She held out her hand to Rebekah, asking for the cloth she was holding. Rebekah nodded, stood, gave the cloth to Caroline and left the room. Rebekah left the door open and sat down on a wooden stool just in sight of them both. Caroline knelt down on the floor and dipped the cloth into the bucket of water before attending to the wounds. Klaus hissed again, his fingers digging into the bed.

“Sorry.” Caroline whispered.

“It is alright.” Klaus replied. “You shouldn't have come.”

“Everyone is saying that.”

#klaroline #old fic #not finished

39 notes · View notes

stephkaylor · 3 years

Text

FAVES and FAILS: The Vampire Diaries

So I have decided that since The Vampire Diaries has a spin off, The Originals, I am going to divide the characters based on where they appeared the most. So on this list I will be talking about the Salvatores, the Petrova/Gilbert line, the Bennets and Caroline, etc. but I will discuss the Mikaelsons, Hayley, etc. on their own list with the other characters that appeared on The Originals mostly. As always, spoilers are abound as I will discuss storylines and character arcs below, so be warned of that. In any case, here’s my FAVES and FAILS for The Vampire Diaries.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER: Damon Salvatore

Could it be anyone else? I don’t think so. He’s a delightful little sociopathic shit and I love everything about him. He is 99% id and 1% ego, if that, and even when I hated him, I loved him (god, I sound like Elena…). In any case, love this man, five stars, would recommend, chef’s kiss.

LEAST FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER: …I think Matt Donovan…?

Ugh, it’s hard to pick between Matt, Tyler, and Jeremy, but I think it has to be Matt. I never enjoyed his judgey attitude against everything supernatural, he seemed pretty whiney most of the time, and he was just genuinely uninteresting for the majority of the show. Not into it. Pass.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER: Katherine Pierce (Katarina Petrova)

I thought about giving this post to Caroline by default, but if it comes down to it, Katherine nudges her way into the top spot. Katherine gave no fucks, knew what she wanted and was unapologetic about how she went about getting it, and an all around bad bitch. Was she primarily evil? Yes. But, to be honest, it never really bothered me.

LEAST FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER: Bonnie Bennet

God, this woman was annoying. She was hypocritical, judgmental, and far too holier than thou for me to swallow her bullshit. She constantly played favorites with Caroline and Elena (I’m sorry, you hold Caroline becoming a vampire against her for like two seasons, but when Elena becomes one, it’s not her fault? Sure.). She hated all supernatural creatures because they “go against nature”, but it’s totally chill for you to perform sacrificial magic to get what you want, unleashing a terrible evil in the process (but it’s not her fault). How she nearly excommunicated Caroline just because she stayed with Stefan after Stefan killed Enzo, as if it was her fault in any way. How everyone treated her like she was a special little unicorn because she’s a Bennet Witch and she’s so magical, like, please, gag me. I could go on, but I honestly cannot be bothered. Hard pass.

THE CHARACTER THAT DESERVED BETTER: Caroline Forbes

She was essentially shunned by all of her friends and family for becoming a vampire, even though she didn’t choose to become one at all. Also, she was basically used as collateral damage for the entire Salvatores and Gilberts versus The Mikaelsons debacle just because Klaus liked her. She was always the second choice no matter what the situation was (unless it’s her being impregnated with magical twins without her consent and then guilted into carrying the babies, but poor Alaric just lost his wife. I’m sorry, unless it’s your uterus, shut the fuck up). I’ll just be over here doing what exactly NO ONE on the show did, and pick Caroline first.

DEADWEIGHT CHARACTER WE SHOULD’VE DUMPED IN 2009: Tyler Lockwood

I couldn’t pick Matt twice, so Tyler, I guess. He was selfish, a terrible boyfriend to both Caroline and also Liv later, and if I have to hear that boy whine about his fucking sire bond one more time I will literally throw my laptop off of a bridge.

UNDERHYPED CHARACTER: Lorenzo “Enzo” St. John

Honestly, he’s one of the one things that made the last few seasons of the show bearable. His delightful British rogue was a lovely way to fill the void that the Mikaelsons left in my heart, his devil-may-care attitude was man-made-manifest of what I was always thinking while watching the show, his BFF relationship with Damon and later Caroline was a joy to watch, and he was way too good for Bonnie.

OVERHYPED CHARACTER: Alaric Saltzman

He is marginally more bearable right now on Legacies, but he annoyed the shit out of me while he was on the first show. Does he hate vampires or is he best friends with them? Does he want to be a hunter or does he want to stay away from anything supernatural of any kind? Also, he (along with nearly everyone else) basically guilted Caroline into carrying his magical siphoner babies, which is a touch too icky for me…

SHIP YOU WOULD SELL YOUR SOUL FOR: Delena (Damon and Elena)

Could it be anyone else? I never shipped Stelena, as I found both Stefan annoying and Elena too woe-is-me while she was with him. She made Damon want to be a better person and he made her embrace who she really was, monster and all. They had a perfect balance between themselves, and it was a joy to watch. He got the girl, guys.

SHIP YOU JUST WERE’N THAT INTO: Steroline (Stefan and Caroline)

They were just too…meh. I was entirely uninterested in them, whatsoever, and isn’t that even worse than a ship that you hate? I used their scenes for a bathroom break or to get a snack, as I was guaranteed to miss nothing interesting or important while they were on screen.

CHARACTER YOU LOVE TO HATE/FAVORITE VILLAIN: Kai Parker

What does it say about me that all of my favorite characters are violent psychopaths…? I’m just going to leave that to be unpacked with the future therapists I’m bound to hire. Kai was the perfect evil. He was powerful, purposeful, and unapologetically demonic in the very best way. I could watch him terrorize my favorite characters forever and not get bored. Perfection.

FAVORITE STORYLINE: Stefan and Damon’s Brotherhood

If you don’t think this is what the show was about at it’s core, you’re wrong. They loved each other, they hated each other, they died for each other, they killed for each other, and, ultimately, they let nothing and nobody come between them. If you asked me who Damon loved more, Elena or Stefan, I COULD NOT answer you, and isn’t that just the fucking point?!

STORYLINE WE COULD’VE DONE WITHOUT: Magical Babies

I know that a major reason this was even a storyline is because Candice Accola got pregnant, but still…how? Like…she is a vampire..? She is unable to biologically change…? Like can someone grab me a biology textbook and explain how this a thing that can happen BIOLOGICALLY, please? I get that they are mythical creatures, so science doesn’t mean much here, but it just doesn’t make sense in any universe. Also, as I said above, the fact that Caroline was impregnated without her consent and then largely guilted into carrying the babies is a touch too rape-y for me…

BIGGEST PLOTHOLE: Do they go to school, or…?

Like, are they just compelling the teachers to not notice them not attending class like 90% off the time? Also, how do the people in Mystic Falls not know anything about the supernatural? Like, they aren’t subtle AT ALL so how do they keep sliding under the radar? Also, in a lesser way, how are hybrid witch/vampires a thing? Like, I thought if a witch dies (like they would have to if they become a vampire), they lose their magic…?Make it make sense, Julie!

MOST HEARTBREAKING MOMENT: Damon Dies (the first time)

Honestly one of the saddest moments in the entire series was Damon’s ghost watching Elena lose it when he doesn’t make it back from the Other Side. They were finally happy and together and they can only enjoy it for like five minutes before it goes to shit. Why, Julie??!

BIGGEST EYEROLL MOMENT: Magical Babies (again)

I try to not use something twice on this list but COME ON. This was ridiculous and I do not support this in any way. (Also this twin bullshit is still fucking annoying on Legacies, if anyone was wondering).

MOST SHOCKING MOMENT (any spit-takes?): Elena forces Kathrine to take The Cure

This was one of the moments that I literally gasped aloud. Most of the time the foreshadowing on these shows is seen from miles away, but I honestly did not see this coming at all. Also, Kathrine was basically the LAST person who wanted that cure so it’s crazy that she was the one to end up taking it and turning human.

MOST BADASS MOMENT: Kathrine kisses Damon at the end of Season 1

Like I said before, she is the original BAD BITCH of the show (not an actual Original, but you know what I mean…) and this was an amazing entry for the character who would be, largely, the villain of the series. It played on the feelings that Damon is developing for Elena, it finally introduced the person who started it all for the Salvatores, and it showed us exactly who she is at her core, and that she isn’t sorry about it at all.

SERIES FINALE SATISFACTORY LEVEL (use no words, just gifs):

OVERALL MARKS OUT OF TEN (10 being this show has changed your life for the better, you happily rewatch the series over and over, and the show has made your life better in some way. 1 being this show gave you nothing but trust issues, a stomach ulcer, and high blood pressure, and you honestly do not know why you did this to yourself)

7 out of 10.

I look back on The Vampire Diaries with the kind of fondness that only comes from a bizarre mix of nostalgia and incredulity. When scenes from this series show up on my instagram feed or on my Youtube recommended page, an involuntary smile creeps across my face without me realizing. I could do without like half of the characters and some entire seasons were completely unnecessary to watch, but it gave me some of my very favorite characters and ships, and spawned an entire universe that I still enjoy to this day. This magical, crazy, beautiful world was a joy to experience, even when it made me want to beat my head against a wall at least once per season.

If you want to see the other ones I have made, here's the original post with links. x Hope you like these! (I say to probably no one...)

15 notes · View notes

woo-do-hwan · 4 years

Text

The June Review

Dramas & Films I watched in June

The Romance of Tiger and Rose (2020) [9.5 out of 10]

I finally watched this so I could stop avoiding spoilers and tbh it did not disappoint. I finished this in about 2 days and I honestly don’t know what to do with myself now. I might have to start calling Lu Si the comedy queen because of the one heck of the performance she put on. I also loved the chemistry between the leads and by ep 10, it was so obvious the male lead was so in love with her, my heart just burst for them. The couple also reminded me of Donghua & Fengjiu in some instances bc Han Shuo is whipped for his woman just like Donghua is. Anyway... I might have to go rewatch this bc I feel empty inside now.

My Dear Lady (2020) [6.5 out of 10]

I watched this curiously because of the summary but it seems most of the plot happened towards the end of the drama and by the end it felt rushed. I also got bored often watching most of this but the acting was still good.

Kore Wa Keihi de Ochimasen! (2019) [8.5 out of 10]

I do truly enjoy watching some jdramas bc they’re just 10 episodes with no exaggerated or lengthy plot line and this was exactly it. It also had the subtle romance plot which doesn’t take the majority of the 10 eps which I quite enjoyed. And pretty much each ep came with a different story which I also loved with odd exception of the romance plot and the two last episodes.

Kleun Cheewit (2017) [7.5 out of 10]

This isn’t my first lakorn and it certainly won’t be my last either. The chemistry between the two leads were amazing. I’m not sure what else to say... felt like they dragged out some parts and some things were a little so-so but good drama.

Mystic Pop Up Bar (2020) [9.0 out of 10]

This is probably one of the best dramas I’ve watched this year, at first I wasn’t planning on watching it but I decided to give it a try and little did I know, I was going to be hooked two episodes in. I did mostly watch it for the back story (with the young actors) and I hope when they’re older they might consider doing another drama together. But I’m a sucker for tragedy & angst which I also try to avoid most of the time going into dramas (this is a very odd combo). The plot was great. A great drama, and I notice this also applies to books, when the audience guesses and already knows of the plot twists before they are revealed. It’s quite satisfying when all the pieces fall into place and that is exactly what happened. Mystic Pop Up Bar also kept it light-hearted bc you needed the humour after watching some of the angsty scenes, phew.

Someday or One Day (2019) [8.5 out of 10]

I guess you could say this is a murder mystery for most of the episodes. The twist and turns are quite unexpected and I quite enjoyed watching. Greg Hsu could have my heart any day of the week. (this list is getting longer and longer with each passing day)

Want More 19 (2018) [7.0 out of 10]

A short web drama. I mean... the main reason I was here was for Day6′s OST ‘Chocolate’ It’s a great song. Also an amazing band. Again, it’s just a breather in between long-winded dramas.

The Legend of White Snake (2019) [7.0 out of 10]

I know I said below another drama review that I had changed my ways and don’t skip through things now. Well... I skipped through this one mainly because I got fed up and bored, this consistently lasted through a whole chunk of eps. So I kind of skipped to the end... I didn’t miss much if I’m being honest and I wasn’t a fan of the ending.

Tokyo Tarareba Musume (2017) [8.5 out of 10]

I went through a phase of watching dramas but regretted not paying enough attention to them the first time I watched them, either by skipping through the episode or just missing out episodes in general. Now that I’ve changed my ways and want to fully appreciate dramas, no matter how good or bad, I decided to rewatch this. There’s nothing better than watching Sakaguchi Kentaro be an angsty af man. Anyway, I enjoyed this very much. Jdramas have a lovely charm about them by not being too long and don’t drag out the storyline either.

Good Casting (2020) [8.0 out of 10]

A better title for this show would be Chan Mi and her sidekicks... I wasn’t really a big fan of her character. She was literally everywhere & I think that’s where the plot falls... maybe I would have liked it more if we actually had a chance at seeing more of the other main characters. I think I was trying so hard to find a reason to like it but there wasn’t much to like about it. The premise of it sounded so appealing but again, it was just another drama that fell short.

When My Love Blooms (2020) [7.5 out of 10]

Let’s be real here... I was watching this for Park Jinyoung & Jeon So Nee, I don’t know about you all. Honestly... I felt like Jinyoung & Jeon So Nee’s storyline would have worked well in a standalone drama. That would be quite interesting to see. Anyway, great chemistry between those two as well. I can’t say much for the present day storyline, easiest way to put it, I didn’t like it. But I suppose it’s what I get for a melodrama with the added extra drama tag. (Note to self, stop watching melodramas)

My Woofy Poofy Love (2018) [8.0 out of 10]

It’s quite refreshing to watch short web dramas like this in between heavy dramas. You are angst free while watching fluffy web dramas. This was pure sweetness and very uplifting to watch, especially because I’ve been watching some heavy dramas recently.

Where Your Eyes Linger (2020) [10 out of 10] (BL)

I’ve never given out a 10 before, they’re rare, extremely rare. Perfect actors, perfect length of episodes, perfect storyline. I loved it. I loved the way it reeled you in the first couple of episodes, with the fluff and the humour, then it eased you in and gave you a taste of the angst to come before completely ripping your heart out. And they gave us a kiss! A KISS! It was one of the softest kisses ever. PLEASE GIVE US SEASON 2... Ahem. At the moment, it is one of the best dramas I have seen this year. (I’m going to have to compile a list at the end of year of the best dramas, aren’t I? There’s bound to be more than one, Mystic Pop Up Bar is heading for a Best Drama crown this year too) Anyway. Go watch it, it’s worth it.

The King: Eternal Monarch (2020) [7.5 out of 10]

Okay, if you follow me, you’ll know I was watching this for Woo Do Hwan and also Kim Kyung Name (you might have not known that one) and the queen Kim Go Eun. I mean it’s definitely not the best drama I’ve seen all year, it’s only June, there’s plenty of time for another drama to come out and impress everyone. But with this one... there was nothing really keeping me there except those three. My interest did peak around the middle episodes but died down quickly after. I wasn’t in love with Kim Go Eun/Lee Min Ho pairing but that’s just me, certain episodes they clicked with me and others they didn’t. I wanted more out of that final ep but I don’t at the same time. I wanted to see more of everyone’s life instead of the brief snippets we got, not to be biased but I wanted more to see more of Jo Yeong. I guess you take what you can get... we were teased with so much, the excellent cast, the hype for it and having a well known writer behind it but having watched it, it was a big let down, for me at least.

Born Again (2020) [7.0 out of 10]

For an overall mystery/crime/fantasy/melodrama drama (If we can call it that) it wasn’t that bad... if we exclude the horror of the romance plot. The writer glorified what Jang Ki Yong’s characters did and that was not okay, he clearly needed help. Main Female lead ended up with the wrong guy. Lee Soo Hyuk deserves better. The stylist and him need a raise for his outfits during the later episodes when his past self takes over his current body because hot damn he was pulling that off better than any other character I’ve seen in a suit.

My Holo Love (2020) [8.0 out of 10]

I loved the beginning of the drama but my interest died down after the plot was revealed (an evil man wanting the AI)... but I did however love the last scene of the series, that was a nice way to end it.

Novoland: The Castle In the Sky (2016) [7.5 out of 10]

I just struggled to get into the storyline, I’m not sure whether to go back and watch the “happy ending” (ep 29) because I was fine with how they ended things.

Maybe, Maybe Not (2019) [8.0 out of 10]

This a web drama, sweet and short ^.^

Long Time No See (2017) (BL) [8.5 out of 10]

This is just a short little drama, I loved the chemistry between the leads and it was very action packed for the few episodes it had.

Snow Flower (2019) [Movie] [7.0 out of 10]

There is just something about Japanese movies... and sometimes dramas. It’s hard to explain, where they can be the most melancholic and beautifully filmed thing. It’s the odd feeling I get when I’m drinking coffee and it’s raining outside and I’m just overwhelmed and feeling nostalgic. Have you ever watched a film where you thought it was good, not extremely good, just good and not really have any qualms with it. This was the movie. Setting itself to be a sad movie with it’s summary surrounding terminal illness, but it’s hardly reflected upon. It focuses more on the romantic side of things which I didn’t mind. If you’ve got 2 hours to kill then it might be worth the watch.

Secretly, Greatly (2013) [Movie] [8.0 out of 10]

Worth a watch. It’s a good spy action movie with the comedy elements added into it as well.

87 notes · View notes

fillingthescrapbook · 3 years

Text

Rewriting The CW's Kung Fu, Part 7: Act III

This is already the penultimate post, but if you're somehow seeing this before any of the previous posts, you can find them here:

Part 1: The Characters

Part 2: The Pilot

Part 3: The Mythology

Part 4: The Story Map

Part 5: Act I

Part 6: Act II

Hopefully, I haven't lost you yet. Especially since we have now reached the end of the first season with our final act.

Episode 10: Opulence

We are splitting focus in the first episode of this arc--with Nicky at the center of the two main plots. One of them is, of course, about the mystical weapons. Nicky, Ryan, Henry, and Evan bring the box from Mei-Xue's cabin back to San Francisco--which they are able to open with the jade key they retrieved from the puzzle box. Inside the box is the scabbard of Liang Dai-Yu's sword. It's jade design is engraved with characters, but Henry says it will take him some time to make sense of them, and Mei-Xue's journal writings.

Nicky starts grilling Henry about the guardians of the weapons, but Henry doesn't really know much since his father never talked much about it. All Henry knows is the things he researched on his own...and the whereabouts of the weapon his father lost: the safe of a business mogul named Raymond Tan. Evan recognizes the name, reminding Nicky of who bailed the museum goons out. He tells her that he was able to talk to one of Raymond Tan's son, Kerwin, who seems like a nice guy. Nicky thinks they can persuade him to separate the weapons--to save the world.

The other main plot has Althea asking Nicky to find out why Chloe, Dennis's younger sister, is always disappearing. Althea blames herself a little bit, as Chloe started acting out after her revelation at the Soong family dinner. Nicky promises to keep an eye out on Chloe.

While Nicky is staking Chloe out at an event with Evan, the latter spots Kerwin mingling with the other guests. He pulls Nicky towards Kerwin so they could talk to him about the weapons, and to ask for his help in separating them. Nicky slips and tells him that a dangerous woman is collecting them, and having them all in Raymond's safe makes it easy for her to steal them. Kerwin apologizes to them, saying he cannot control his father's actions.

Nicky, already dejected, realizes she lost track of Chloe. She and Evan try to look for her, but to no avail. When Henry calls Nicky to give her an update about the scabbard translation, Nicky tells him her problem. Henry swoops in for the save by trawling through Chloe's social media presence, her friends--before seeing a questionable post. He tells Nicky to show an Instagram post to Evan. Evan recognizes it as jewelry that's been reported missing. Evan tells Nicky that Chloe's friends might be involved in a gang of robbers that's been targeting San Francisco's elite. Nicky, Evan, and Henry then work together to save Chloe from her friends.

Meanwhile, Dennis plans to purchase Cloudrush Capital so he could oust Althea's former boss, without telling his soon-to-be wife. But when Althea goes public with her sexual harassment experience, Dennis's business deal suddenly falls apart. When he asks his parents if there's something wrong with their finances, they admit that they were the ones who kiboshed his plan. They want him to break up with Althea because she will tarnish the Soong name. Dennis refuses.

Ryan, living alone for the first time, realizes how his life revolved too much around work and family. He tries to meet new friends via phone apps, only to realizes that most men on the apps are just looking for hook-ups.

Mei-Li and Jin are also starting to feel the emptiness of their house with Ryan and Althea gone, and Nicky always doing something. Because of their empty nest, Mei-Li starts spending more time at the restaurant--needing purpose; while Jin feels himself drifting...ending up at the community center, wanting at first to catch Ryan, before ending up helping people out while he's there.

Going back to Nicky, Evan thinks they should be careful because Chloe's friends might be dangerous. Henry, on the other hand, thinks they're just bored teens with access to the mansions that are being stolen from. When they finally track Chloe down via her friend's Instagram Live, they realizes that the group has set their sights on the Soong's mansion.

Evan separate so he could call in an anonymous tip to the police, while Nicky and Henry try to talk Chloe and her friends out of robbing the Soongs. When Chloe's friends refuse to listen, choosing to act in violence instead, Nicky and Henry are forced to use non-lethal combat moves to incapacitate the teens. One of the teens threaten to have Nicky and Henry arrested, but when the police arrive with a lawyer from the teens' families, Nicky and Henry are assured that they're in the clear--provided they sign an NDA with regards to the actions of the rich teens. Nicky agrees to sign if the teens leave Chloe alone. When the teens are gone, Chloe thanks Nicky, explaining she was afraid to leave her friend group because of their retaliation. Chloe hopes she'll find a friend who are as chill as Nicky and Henry.

The episode ends with Zhi-Lan breaking into Raymond Tan's house. She sneaks into the the businessman's private room and breaks into his safe. Only to find that it is empty. And then we reveal Kerwin, holding three weapons. He tells Zhi-Lan that he's not there to stop her... because he wants to team up. He wants to help her bring his father down.

Episode 11: Beginnings

When we begin this episode, Nicky and Ryan find out that their father has been putting in hours at the community center as a volunteer worker--which is causing friction between him and their mother. While Mei-Li tells Jin that volunteering is noble, she doesn't think he should spend so much time outside the restaurant which needs all the help it can get.

Things take a turn for the worse though when Jin finds out from a conversation between Ryan and Henry that the community center is in danger of being closed down due to lack of traffic. When Jin brings this up to Nicky, who sees how important the center had become to her dad, Nicky tells him that they'll think of a way to save it.

Meanwhile, to manage the stress of the media's interest in her sexual harassment case, Althea decides to help Henry out in figuring out what Mei-Xue discovered via her journals. Althea realizes Mei-Xue's writings aren't just flights of fancy--they're coded. With Althea and Henry working together, they realize that Mei-Xue had become obsessed with the fables of the eight mystical weapons and have been tracking them down.

"But what made her stop and take root in Canada," Althea wonders as she and Henry continue to peruse the photos of the journal pages.

Mei-Li, now taking care of the Happy Dumplings kitchen due to Jin's insistence on helping the community center, digs up old recipes written by her mother--where she also finds a very old photo of her mother hiding something behind her back: the sword of Liang Dai-Yu. Mei-Li recognizes it from the drawings that Nicky had been showing them. She decides to hide the photo, worried that it might push Nicky further into fulfilling her "destiny" to leave her family.

Evan approaches Nicky with news about an auction where one of the weapons Henry told them about is being sold. Nicky realizes they have no means of attending the auction or bidding for the weapon, nor do they have the time since Nicky, Ryan, and Jin are busy rallying help from Asian business owners to help save the community center. Evan tells her that both Zhi-Lan and Raymond Tan will probably be there. Nicky hopes that, at the very least, the weapons continue to be separated.

At the auction, we see Zhi-Lan win the bidding war for the weapon. Outside the nondescript hotel where the auction took place, Zhi-Lan gets attacked by goons from Raymond Tan. But she isn't alone. Kerwin pops up and helps her fight the goons. Kerwin grins at Zhi-Lan, "we make a good team."

Back at the Shen House, Dennis checks up on Althea and reports that her apartment building still has a few media stragglers. "Must be slow news week," Althea mutters. "Hopefully, the attention will be gone by the time our wedding rolls around. If your parents don't hate me yet for coming out with my story, they're gonna hate me when the media crashes the wedding."

Dennis tells Althea, "what if we just elope?" Althea is taken aback. She reminds Dennis that everything has been planned out, they've had to find the most auspicious date for their union, the tea ceremony has been scheduled-- Dennis interrupts her by saying that none of that is important. He just wants to be with Althea. "Won't your parents be angry?" Dennis admits that his parents want the wedding off. They want him to break up with Althea. Which he doesn't want to do. Althea is torn. She doesn't want Dennis going against his family. Dennis says he's not going against them--just their antiquated beliefs. "And they'll learn to live with my decision." Althea agrees to eloping.

Ryan sets up an appointment with the Chinese Community Development office, accompanied by Jin, to talk about what can be done to keep the center open. Meanwhile, Nicky and Evan work together at the city hall to find out how they can drive more traffic to the community center--to make it a viable candidate for city funding. With the two efforts combined, the community center gets saved--and Nicky realizes that this is what she likes doing: helping people, making sure they have a place to go to, guiding them in the ways they can fight for themselves. So she also volunteers her legal counsel at the center, vowing to go back to school as well to finish her law degree.

She and Evan have a moment, where Nicky realizes that Evan is still her best friend from childhood. But she also realizes that their relationship now is not built on romance but rather in respect and trust.

At the end of the episode, Henry and Althea hit a breakthrough in their research with Dennis's help. Dennis helped them see that Mei-Xue had realized that the power the eight weapons would grant its collector is massive--and can become a barrier between Mei-Xue and those she loves. So she chose love.

Mei-Li overhears this as she accompanies Nicky towards Althea, Dennis, and Henry. While Nicky and the others are discussing the implications of Mei-Xue's words, Mei-Li traces the engraved jade on the scabbard of Liang Dai-Yu's sword. Triggering a mechanism. Causing light to filter through one of the scabbard's holes--and projecting a story to the Shen's ceiling: of how Bian-Ge has been passed from guardian to guardian, rotating through the families to make sure it never falls in the wrong hands. Every few years, a guardian is chosen to collect the weapons from the families to take where the golden flowers bloom--to receive Bian-Ge and become its new defender. A glow then rotates through the eight weapons before stopping at the longsword. At Liang Dai-Yu's sword. Nicky realizes, "it looks like a descendant of Liang Dai-Yu is the next guardian to receive Bian-Ge. It has to be one of us." Henry posits, "unless Zhi-Lan and Pei-Ling are also Liang Dai-Yu's descendants."

Episode 12: Honor

Our main thread, as always, will revolve around Nicky. In the last episode, she made a decision that she wants to help people--and while doing so, she also wants to finish her law degree. But, at the same time, she now knows that her family has an obligation to become the next bearer of Bian-Ge. And there are currently only two choices for who it can be: her, or Zhi-Lan.

Mei-Li wants Nicky to focus on who she wants to become, separate from the warrior destiny. Althea and Evan are siding with Mei-Li because they fear for Nicky's safety. Ryan and Henry, on the other hand, believe that Nicky is more than capable to take care of herself. Jin tells Nicky that he only wants her to follow her heart.

Henry sees that Nicky is still undecided so he tells her not to pressure herself to make a decision. "Even if Zhi-Lan gets seven of the weapons soon, we still have one weapon. Zhi-Lan can't achieve Bian-Ge without it."

And then we cut to the visiting area of a prison. The dojo fight-club douche-bag wants to cut a deal with his visitors. He's fine with staying in jail, but he wants them to beat the living daylights out of Nicky Shen before they take the deer-horn knives they're after. And then we cut to who he's talking to: it's Zhi-Lan. "It'll be my pleasure."

While looking at college prospects, Nicky gets attacked by Zhi-Lan. They fight. Nicky matches Zhi-Lan's strength, but Zhi-Lan is desperate. No one wins this skirmish though because Cody (from Episode 3) sees them and calls for campus security. Zhi-Lan gets away--and Nicky calls Henry, after thanking Cody, to tell him that they're in trouble. Zhi-Lan is on the hunt for the weapon they have.

Henry and Evan work together to hide the final weapon from Zhi-Lan, not knowing that Kerwin is staking Evan out. Kerwin calls Zhi-Lan to tell her that the weapon is on the move.

Meanwhile, Althea and Dennis spend the episode getting ready for their elopement. Althea wants Dennis to invite Chloe, so he could have family there--so he does. But his parents find out about the civil wedding they're planning when Chloe slips. Chloe tries to warn Dennis, but Althea decides to stand up to her soon-to-be in-laws. She tells them that she doesn't want Dennis to lose his family, to which they agree. Before adding that he won't lose them if Althea goes away. They even offer her money., which Althea rejects with disgust. If they continue with their civil wedding, they're cutting Dennis off--financially, and from the family. Dennis tells them that he already made his choice--before saying goodbye to his parents.

Joe returns after his month-long contract with a non-profit organization in Seattle...only to tell Ryan that he's accepting a full-time job with a charity there that helps homeless people turn their life around. Ryan tells him he can move to Seattle--but Joe isn't ready for that level of commitment yet. Their relationship already moved too fast for him, but he couldn't turn Ryan away when the latter needed a place to stay. Joe tells Ryan they can still be friends.

Back to Nicky, she meets with Henry to visit Ronda (from Episode 4), who volunteered to hide their weapon. Before they leave Ronda's place, Kerwin catches them. Nicky is surprised to find out he sided with Zhi-Lan. Kerwin tells her, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Henry strikes first. Ronda tells Nicky she can take the weapon away while they deal with Kerwin. Nicky hands her the bag that hides the weapons.

Kerwin is ruthless, using a mixture of street-fighting with different styles of martial arts. But his goal isn't to defeat Henry or Nicky. It's to get the weapon. While Nicky and Henry do their best to stop Kerwin from chasing after Ronda, the young woman quickly makes a decision to throw the bag into the bay. Kerwin tells them that they made a mistake. Nicky, confident, confesses that the bag was just a ruse. Kerwin grins. "We know."

Evan is about to drive away from the District Attorney's office, with a bag identical to the one Henry had been carrying in his passenger seat. But before Evan could leave the parking lot, a motorbike slams into his car. Zhi-Lan reveals herself by taking her helmet off. She thanks Evan for keeping the weapon warm for her. Only to open an empty bag. Zhi-Lan is pissed. She wants to know where the final weapon is, but Evan refuses to tell her. Not wanting to deal with the police, Zhi-Lan quickly makes her exit.

We then see Nicky knock on a door. It opens to reveal Stanley (from Episode 1). He is ready to surrender the weapon to Nicky, fearing that it will bring him bad luck. Nicky thanks him for keeping it safe. Apologizes again for bailing on him with no warning three years ago. Stanley says there's nothing to apologize for, because he's grateful that she gave him the chance to meet and marry someone of his own choosing. Nicky is about to leave with the weapon when Stanley calls after her, saying, "I hope you find the one for you too."

Nicky exits Stanley's apartment building to see Henry waiting for her. And he's being held at gunpoint by Kerwin, who is now with Zhi-Lan. "I'll take that," Zhi-Lan says as she pries the weapon off Nicky's hands. Nicky hits back with a barb, "I don't know how Pei-Ling could be related to someone as selfish as you." Zhi-Lan laughs, "it's funny how you hold Pei-Ling to such high regard when you do not even know who she really was."

Zhi-Lan reveals to Nicky how Pei-Ling's selfishness cost them their father. Cost her her childhood. And for what? To guard a sword that she wouldn't even harness the power of? Nicky remembers Pei-Lings words to her from throughout the season, her regrets, her failures--Nicky realizes that Zhi-Lan is just like Pei-Ling. Carrying a lot of hurt. But they reacted in different ways. While Pei-Ling spent her life trying to atone for a mistake, Zhi-Lan grew up blaming Pei-Ling for everything that had gone wrong in her life. And now, Zhi-Lan is planning to achieve Bian-Ge so she never gets hurt again.

Henry creates a distraction to throw Zhi-Lan off. Nicky swoops in to try and take the weapon away from Zhi-Lan. They fight. Kerwin and Henry get into their own fight. Both fights are evenly matched. But Nicky gets distracted when Kerwin shoots Henry. Kerwin and Zhi-Lan flee, while Nicky runs to Henry to see if he's okay. Henry shows her that the wound isn't serious. (It shouldn't be.) But Nicky is still worried.

At home, Nicky tells her parents that she has to go back to China. Jin and Ryan accept this. Mei-Li is more reluctant, but she knows that the more she tries to pull her daughter in, the more she is pushing Nicky away. So she will support Nicky. Althea tells Nicky that she will give her blessing to Nicky's trip on one condition. Nicky says, "anything."

And then we cut to Althea and Dennis's civil wedding, with the Shen family as witnesses. Nicky is her "maid of honor," giving a speech at Happy Dumplings about how much of a beautiful couple the two make--and how lucky they are to have each other. Althea thanks Nicky for being there, saying she didn’t want Nicky to miss another family milestone. We see a bandaged Henry there, Evan, Althea's former co-worker, a few of her friends and Dennis's, and Chloe.

At Zhi-Lan's apartment, she admires the eight weapons she has been able to collect. Kerwin kisses her from behind, saying that now she can have the world. Zhi-Lan smiles at him, before saying she no longer has any use for him. Kerwin isn't surprised that she would betray him--his only surprise stems from the fact that he fell for Zhi-Lan. Zhi-Lan apologizes that she must now kill him, so he can't tell his father where she is going. And she does. Once Kerwin is down, Zhi-Lan sheds tears. We see that she's just cutting the relationship short before she becomes too attached.

Meanwhile, Nicky checks on Henry outside Happy Dumplings. She has her ticket for China booked already. But she shows him two tickets. Henry asks, "so you already have a return flight? Someone's feeling cocky that they're gonna stop Zhi-Lan quickly." Nicky punches him in the arm, before apologizing for hitting the part with the wound. "The other ticket's yours. If you want to help me stop Zhi-Lan." Henry grins.

And this is where we end this post for now. Because after writing the finale breakdown, I realized... I wrote the actual finale scene by scene. So that deserves a post of its own. Also, this post has already gotten so long.

#Kung Fu CW #tv talk #my words

0 notes