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saibug1022 · 15 days

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Ranking My MCs on How Likely They Would Be Adopted by Batman

Not a single person has ever asked for this. However, I have seen so much batfam stuff on my dash it's been living rent free

Val Ebony (ILITW) If you told me Val moved to Gotham and was a vigilante for a few years and then moved back right before ILITW I think I would believe you. This man has the whole package: dark hair (his hair is brown underneath all the dye), tragic backstory, shitty parents, even shittier bio dad who's also a villain, homicidal rage, he even died! But overall what got him to the top is just because of how well he fits with the Gotham and the Bats' vibes and aesthetics. Like it just feels right.

Eros Blackwell (Immortal Desires) Batman would have showed up in Crimson Beech to try to recruit Eros only for Eros to explain they do in fact still have a mom *who is on thin ice with me rn). However. They still get REALLY close, especially when they find out Gotham is on a ley line. I'm tempted to say Eros, Cas, and Gabe fuck off to Gotham after ID 2

August Rose (Crimes of Passion) So August's backstory is that they grow up most likely without their mom, and then their dad is mysteriously murdered. August tries to solve it themself but fails and instead becomes a detective to solve other crimes and hopefully find justice for other people. They're gruff, badass, and too damn clever. They were definitely Robin. Hell they could be Batman for all we know and it just wasn't mentioned in CoP

Magnus Bishop (Laws of Attraction/Into the Windverse) While slightly less likely only because he becomes a lawyer instead of some sort of detective or hero. However, he absolutely has the potential. His parents were murdered when he was young, he was tormented at school and betrayed by his friends, he was neglected by his foster mother and separated from his sister, all before he turns 18. He even gets super powers eventually. He has the determination, the ambition, and hell the whole reason he became a lawyer was to defend people from the systems that beat him down his whole life.

Asterin Nightbloom (BOLAS) I mean Asterin is pretty obvious, he's like the quintessential hero. Dead parents (twice), super skilled, heart of gold, etc etc. He's practically born to be a hero and I think he'd be such a good bat. Maybe not a Robin unless it's just for a few years before becoming his own hero

Leon Vance (It Lives Beneath) The main reason Leon is so high up is because he is so fucking capable. That's what the bats are known for among other heros. And of course there's his classic bat backstory. He's a badass, he unearths a CULT, has a cool and unique signature weapon, forms his own team and even has a super hero suit. Best part, he looks good the whole time.

Damian Stone (Murder at Homecoming) There's the obvious stuff like being a genius, a detective, unsolved mystery haunting the narrative, solving a murder, looking good doing it, socially awkward, etc etc, but I also have to add that I literally named them after Damian Wayne. In fact their name was originally gonna be Tim after Time Drake but Damian sounded better. However, they do suffer in the rankings seeing as they have both of their parents, both of which are also very good parents.

Callum Wayland (Hero) Listen, Callum would be a great DC hero but in terms of Batman relations I don't think he'd be adopted. Unfortunately for him the Super Family parallels are just too hard to ignore. However I could see him being a Bat's emotional support Super so they'd see each other a lot and I think Bruce would be begrudgingly fond of him when he finds out Callum punched a corrupt rich guy into the stratosphere.

Castor Athantis (It Lives Within) Castor has all the makings of a PHENOMENAL DC superhero but again I just don't see them as a bat. They have too much of a mystical connection. They're more likely to run ith someone like Constantine. I'm sure they'd be associated, I could definitely see Castor joining Justice League Dark, but that's it

Emrys (The Cursed Heart) Emrys will fight for people but it's not something they're really going to pursue. They have the backstory for it, don't get me wrong, but going out and punching bad guys just isn't really their thing. In a modern au they might be some sort of friend of Bruce's and a Batman ally but they wouldn't be a hero.

Julian Athantis (It Lives Within) Julian is just as good a candidate as Castor, down to mystical powers. But Julian would only be a hero to help Castor, if he was one at all. He just wouldn't have his heart in it. He'd show up, help other heroes, and I could definitely see his and Lincoln's apartment being open to be used as a safe house, but he just doesn't want to be a hero. Not as in he's just not interested, more as in he actively does not want to be a hero.

Taylor McKenzie (Endless Summer) Taylor is in a similar boat as Julian where he doesn't really want to be a hero. He'll show up to big planet-threatening shit but otherwise he just wants to go to college and love his friends and husband. I could see the Justice League, Batman especially, keeping tabs on him so they'd know each other but that's about it. More likely Taylor would just go create problems for Dr. Fate when he's bored and then go back to minding his business.

Apollo Solaris (The Elementalists) Apollo really fits the hero archetype. However. I think if he stepped foot in Gotham city he'd explode. Or maybe Gotham would. They just clash so severely that even if he did meet Batman for whatever reason they'd hate each other.

Mattheo Lazarin (Bloodbound) Listen. Mattheo has enough on his plate being the Bloodkeeper and dealing with vampire shit. He doesn't have time to care or be a hero.

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saibug1022 · 2 months

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Hi! Pretend all of your favorite characters & OCs are in high school together. Who would win each of the following categories? (And here's a hug... hope the sadness passes soon!)

Most Likely to Succeed

Class Clown

Best Dressed

Class Pals

Class Sweethearts

Teacher's Pet

Most Athletic

Class Flirt

So for convenience I'm going to narrow it down to only the characters in my mc list, let's go

Most Likely to Succeed: Magnus Bishop (LoA/Windverse)

Class Clown: Asterin Nightbloom (Blades of Light and Shadow)

Best Dressed: Castor Athantis (It Lives Within)

Class Pals: Callum Wyland (Hero) & Taylor McKenzie (Endless Summer)

Class Sweethearts: August Rose (Crimes of Passion) and Mattheo Lazarin (Bloodbound)

Teacher's Pet: Julian Athantis (ILW)

Most Athletic: Leon Vance (It Lives Beneath)

Class Flirt: Eros Blackwell (Immortal Deisres)

I can't believe I filled this whole thing without including Val, what's happened to me. Also I am not tagging all these books lmao

#oc asks #asks #magnus bishop #asterin nightbloom #castor athantis #julian athantis #callum wyland #taylor mckenzie #august rose #mattheo lazarin #leon vance #eros blackwell

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saibug1022 · 7 months

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Choices Masterlist

This is my masterlist for my choices fics. Also just to clarify, most of my ILITW fics also take place in the same universe as ILW because I've accepted it into my personal canon for my It Lives MCs. ALSO also, all of these are of my MCs, the character profiles for everyone are at the bottom

Blades of Light and Shadow

Walls of Regret

Tyril Starfury x MC, Mal Volari x MC, hints of Tyril x Mal

Hurt/No Comfort

Summary: During an encounter with Valax in the Shadow Realm, Asterin, Mal, and Tyril learn that Asterin's missing year was worse than any of them could have possibly imagined.

The Last Time

Aerin Valleros x MC

Hurt/Comfort, Angst

Summary: After getting injured by Valax in a fight Asterin awakens to find himself being cared for by Aerin and he can't help but think about the night they shared...and how Aerin left.

Funeral of Faith

Aerin Valleros x MC, referenced Tyril x MC and Mal x MC

Angst, Hurt/No Comfort, Evil MC

Summary: The Shadow Realm has a new Prince.

My Heart Won't Start Anymore

Tyril Starfury x MC x Mal Volari, references of Aerin x MC and Valax x MC

Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Finally, Asterin breaks. But this time he doesn't do it alone.

Love, I See You Now

Aerin Valleros x MC, reference Tyril x MC and Mal x MC

Angst

Summary: When Asterin gets hurt in the Battle for the Whitetower Rift, the Shadow Aerin thought he got rid of comes back in a burst of rage and fear. But it may not be enough.

It Lives In The Woods

Val's Resurrection Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Lucas Thomas x MC, hints of Noah Marshall x MC

Hurt/Comfort

Summary: After years, finally, finally, Valen Ebony is saved.

It Lives Within

The Morning After

Abel Flint x MC

Fluff

Summary: A sweet little morning scene after the scene in Ch 14.

The Sun's Final Breath

Lincoln McQuoid and MC, Abel Flint x MC (background)

Angst

Summary: Castor Athantis is dead, and something is glowing in Lincoln's pocket.

Revelations

Abel Flint x MC, General

Angst

Summary: "I'm not Castor Athantis...I'm not even human."

Two Birds on a Wire

Lincoln Aquino & ILITW MC, Lincoln Aquino x ILW MC (background), Lucas Thomas x ILITW MC (background)

Fluff

Summary: After weeks of dancing around the reveal that Matthias is Val's real father, Lincoln and Val finally are forced to talk about it.

Nightbound

The Wrong Engagement

Nik Ryder x MC

Angst

Summary: Just one more morning. Alex just needed one more morning with the love of his life. One more morning before he married someone else.

Into the Wind-Verse

Link to full universe masterlist

A New Start

Magnus Bishop & Wind Velez

Summary: The story of Magnus getting recruited from unemployment in Ohio after being fired from his firm, to McGraw-Byrne.

Bad Liar

Magnus Bishop (MC) & Wind Velez

Summary: Magnus Bishop, just trying to do his work. Enter Wind Velez, here to remind Magnus he scared the shit out of his boyfriend, hadn't slept in three days, and needs some goddamn friends.

Come Morning Light

Magnus Bishop/Marcus Sharpe

Summary: Magnus is awoken when his boyfriend stirs in the night. He may not be the most adept at empathy or comforting people but for Marcus? He'll try.

Feeding Schedule

Wind Velez/Martin Vanderweil

Summary: Magnus is secretly a walking talking disaster. Wind knows this. Now he needs his boyfriend's help for a unique request.

The Breach

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Magnus Bishop/Marcus Sharpe

Summary: In an attempt to finally put his past to bed, Magnus returns to Westchester one last time to visit the strange forcing lurking in the woods he grew up in. But little does he know, nothing with the Power is ever that simple.

Choices Sequels We Deserved

Elementalists 3

Nightbound 2

My MCs

Blades of Light and Shadow - Asterin Nightbloom

Crimes of Passion - August Rose

Murder at Homecoming - Valentine Damian Stone

It Lives In The Woods - Valen Ebony/Aquino

It Lives Beneath - Leon Vance

It Lives Within - Castor Athantis

It Lives Within - Julian Athantis

Hero - Callum Wyland

Endless Summer - Taylor Vaanu/McKenzie

The Elementalists - Apollo Solaris

The Elementalists - Lance Hartley (OC)

Immortal Desires - Eros Blackwell

Bloodbound - Mattheo Lazarin

Laws of Attraction - Magnus Bishop

Emrys - The Cursed Heart

#playchoices #choices #pixelberry #blades of light and shadow #bolas #crimes of passion #elementalists #it lives in the woods #ilitw #it lives beneath #ilb #it lives within #ilw #nightbound #choices hero #endless summer

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saibug1022 · 7 months

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Castor Athantis (ILW)

Castor Athantis has almost as much of their own lore as Val does. Their love interest is Abel Flint, and they are my child.

#playchoices #pixelberry #it lives #it lives anthology #it lives within #ilw

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saibug1022 · 16 days

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Super anonymous ask that definitely is not from Elliott and definitely has nothing to do with the May Monthly Challenge

Choose your 3 favorite blorbos, who would their patron Greek god be and why 👀

Well I'm definitely glad it's not Elliott, can't stand them, I wouldn't have answered /j

As expected with me I did in fact go overboard so here's all my MCs as gods

Asterin Nightbloom (BOLAS) - Atlas

August Rose (CoP) - Ares

Valentine "Damian" Stone (MaH) - Athena

Val Ebony (ILITW) - Hades

Leon Vance (ILB) - Poseidon

Castor Athantis (ILW) - Hecate

Julian Athantis (ILW) - Persephone

Callum Wyland (Hero) - Zeus

Taylor McKenzie (ES) - Cronus

Apollo Solaris (TE) - Apollo

Eros Blackwell (ID) - Eros

Mattheo Lazarin (BB) - Hestia

Magnus Bishop (LoA/ITWV) - Nemesis

Emrys (TCH) - Hera

#asks #my ocs #i refuse to tag all of these books and characters #playchoices #choices

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saibug1022 · 7 months

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Julian Athantis (ILW)

Another child I am delusional about, Julian Athantis. In another canon alteration, Julian and Castor are actually twins, with Julian being older by a few minutes, and they're dating Lincoln McQuoid/Aquino :)

#playchoices #it lives #it lives anthology #it lives within #ilw

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saibug1022 · 1 year

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My Main MCs!

Alright, MCs in my canon route. I've written about them so let's actually talk about them with some edits I made of all of them post-ILW. @ila-appreciationweek

Devon - ILITW MC

Name: Valen "Val" Ebony

Pronouns/Gender: Trans demiboy, he/him

Love Interest: Lucas Thomas in game along with Noah Marshall, Daniel Pierce, and Andy Kang in my own personal adaptation of canon

Personality: Valen is best described as passionate. He’s passionate in every sense of the word, but mostly he’s passionately himself. This results in a fair bit of chaos to the point it’s even been described as feral but Val doesn’t care. The central core of Val is his love. His love for his boyfriends, all of his friends, his brother, the people of Westchester, music, the woods, the world, all of it. He’s loyal and loving and would do anything for those he loves, no matter the price.

Notes: Became the Shadow monster at the end of ILITW

Harper - ILB MC

Name: Leon "Leo/Lee" Vance

Pronouns/Gender: Trans male, he/him

Love Interest: Tomoichi Sato

Personality: Leon is actually fairly well put together. He’s smart and resourceful and tends to know what he’s doing, or at the very least making everyone else think he does. He’s confident and strong and just. He has a sweet and a fun side and is a hopeless romantic, though he’ll never admit it. Ridiculously loyal and protective.

Rowans - ILW MCs

Name: Castor "Cas" Athantis

Pronouns/Gender: Nonbinary, they/them

Love Interest: Abel Flint

Personality: Genuine/sarcastic. Overall they’re just a nice, fun, outgoing person who is loyal and stubborn and good and just truly cares about people. The problem is that they’re also a little shit.

Notes: Twin sibling of Julian Athantis

Name: Julian Athantis

Pronouns/Gender: Trans male, he/him

Love Interest: Lincoln Aquino

Personality: Genuine and a little bit sarcastic but in a more playful, almost adolescent way than Castor. He’s sweet and playful and he fucking loves people. He has a good sense of right and wrong and they tend to be very trusting but oh can he hold a grudge. He’s protective and stubborn underneath that bright pink hair. He seems grumpy on the surface but he's just tired of running and fighting for so long.

Notes: Twin brother of Castor Athantis

#ilaw #ilw #it lives within #playchoices #it lives in the woods #ilitw #it lives beneath #ilb

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saibug1022 · 1 year

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Revelations

Word Count: 1332

Castor Athantis (ILW MC) x Abel Flint

A/N: I've had this written for a bit and forgot to actually post it on here. Wanted to hop on the It Lives Within angst train that was the Chapter 16 ending (thanks @itlivesproject). As such MASSIVE spoilers for Chapter 16 under the cut.

Castor had never heard the cabin this silent. In the three weeks they'd been living there, there always seemed to be some sort of noise. Connor out back in the shed, Noah in the kitchen, someone in the living room watching TV or reading, everyone laughing at the table, Val's ghost humming outside, Amalia breathing next to them.

But now it was like the woods itself was holding its breath. Castor stood at the front of the living room, arms folded around themself and with a bruising grip on their upper arms. Their friends sat and stood throughout the room facing Cas and every single one of them was wearing a blank look of shock. Castor had no idea how any of them were feeling because no one would meet their eyes.

"How can you be sure?" Connor asked, his voice quiet but in the silence, it cracked like a whip.

"I just am," Castor muttered. "I doubted it at first too, I mean Fake Annie was the one to confirm it and I don't trust her at all. But after what Val said when he was freaking out I figured it out on my own. And once I did it all just…clicked. I just knew it was right, I could feel it."

"So you're not…" Amalia's voice shook and she cleared her throat but it still broke when she spoke again. "You're not Castor?"

"I am but I'm not," Castor sighed. "I am Castor, I have all their memories, I think like them, I feel like them, I look like them obviously. But in the sense of like, having their soul, no. No, I'm not."

"Oh God," Amalia buried her face in her hands and Castor took half a step toward her to comfort her before thinking better of it. "What happened to them then? Are you possessing them?!"

Cas hesitated. They all had the right to know, Amalia better than anyone. But how could they just admit that they'd unknowingly stolen someone's life after they died, leaving no one to grieve them because no one even knew they were gone? How did they justify that?

"Answer the question," Jocelyn snapped and Castor flinched. They dropped their arms but their hands were clenched into fists so tightly they wouldn't be surprised if their nails managed to break the skin. When they answered, they stared firmly at the floor.

"Castor Athantis is dead," They finally confessed. "I didn't know until now. But they died with the rest of their family."

Amalia finally let out a sob and Castor squeezed their eyes shut against tears of their own. She probably hated them now. And who could blame her? They were walking around puppeteering her best friend's corpse. They'd stolen the life the real or first Castor should have been living! They stole Castor’s best friend, their future, their potential for love, their hopes, their dreams, their grief, their memories.

But even if they weren't Cas they were. They stole those things but it wasn't on purpose! They didn't even know! And now their best friend who may not even really be their friend was sobbing and there wasn't a damn thing they could do about it because it was their fault in the fucking first place!

Or was it?

They didn't know! They didn't fucking know who they were anymore! All of this was messy and fucked up and confusing and they just wanted to scream and cry and throw things because none of this was FAIR! They finally start rebuilding a life where they're happy after five years only to learn it was never theirs to rebuild.

They looked up at the sound of footsteps, expecting to see Amalia leaving or approaching or something but instead, the person silently leaving the cabin was…Abel? Castor glanced at Amalia only for her to lean away from them and Castor made a strangled noise from trying to swallow a sob.

"I'm sorry, Amalia," Cas whispered before they turned and left the cabin, with only the hope that they'd be allowed to come back.

When they got outside they saw Abel standing in the middle of the yard, running his hands through his hair. His shoulders were a tense line, every muscle tight. Castor couldn't see his face but they weren't sure they wanted to.

Amalia's rejection made it feel like their life was falling apart. Not in an "Oh I might not get into the college I wanted" way, but in the same way they felt, no, the way they remembered the real Castor feeling while their family was being ripped apart. Their entire world shattered around them, leaving only Castor's cyan eye in broken glass. When they had nothing, less than nothing, they still had Amalia. They always had Amalia. And now…they didn't. She was just gone. She'd rejected them.

They couldn't handle Abel rejecting them too.

"Abel?" Cas prompted quietly and Abel stiffened even further. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," Abel admitted. "I don't even know if I can tell you."

"Of course, you can," Castor promised and Abel finally turned to look at them. "I'm still your Cas. You've only known me as me. Everything I've ever told you was real. Everything I feel is real. I-I'm still a person. A person created by the Power, but a person."

"But you aren't just some person the Power gave life to or brought back," Abel argued. "You are the Power. You are literally the Power incarnate. How am I supposed to just suddenly accept that? The Power has been destroying my family's lives for generations. It killed my grandmother, my parents, it almost killed me!"

"Abel-" Castor tried but Abel interrupted them.

"How am I supposed to see anything else when I look at you?"

It was like Castor’s heart stopped beating.

"I'd never hurt you," Castor swore. "Th-that wasn't me, Abel, I swear. The Power isn't sentient it didn't want to hurt your family. It isn't malicious. I-I don't know why exactly it did the things it did but it's a neutral force. And even then I'm just a piece of the Power, not the Power itself. I don't want to hurt anybody. I don't want it to hurt anybody. I'd never hurt you, Abel, I swear on the Power itself. You have to believe me, please-"

In some sort of desperation, Castor reached for Abel's hands as they had a million times before. It was a safe thing for both of them, something reassuring and warm and loving. It was something so personal to their relationship that was just instinct for Castor to reach for his hands, both to reassure him and to reassure themself. But Abel's hands moved and he took a step back, stopping Castor in their tracks. No. No, please.

"Abel?" Castor breathed and Abel didn't meet their eyes.

"I'm sorry, Cas," Abel muttered and Castor felt the tears finally spill over.

"Oh," Castor tried to take a breath as their hands fell, returning to fists at their sides.

"I'm sorry, I just can't right now," Abel apologized again and Castor shook their head.

"I understand," They replied. "I think maybe…maybe I should go."

After all, they had nowhere to be. They couldn't be at the cabin with Amalia. They couldn't go to Abel's apartment and they doubted they could go to Lincoln or Jocelyn's. They didn't have the money for a motel and Westchester Community College didn't have dorms.

So for now, they turned and just started walking in a random direction, following their instincts until they realized they were heading right for the heart of the woods. But maybe that was where they should be. The source of the Power. They didn't belong here, not really. They never did. So, until they were needed, they'd just…go.

"Where are you going to go?" Abel called to them as they reached the tree line. Castor stopped.

"I have no idea," The Anchor answered.

So, with nothing left to say, they returned to the woods.

#it lives within #it lives #ilw #itlives within fic #ilw fic #ilw spoilers #it lives within spoilers #ilw mc #it lives within mc #abel flint #abel flint x mc

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saibug1022 · 1 year

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The Westchester Woods

Word Count: 500

Pairing: None

A/N: I'm sure they're sick of it but another @itlivesproject fic. HEAVY spoilers for ch 17 of ILW btw. This is mainly me waxing philosophical about the Power but it's fun and short so.

The woods of Westchester were a strange place.

Some were drawn to them. To the mystery of the sounds at night, the calling of the energy within, the voices, and the questions it brought. Some shied away as if they could sense that which was calling to them was dangerously hypnotizing and perhaps not as benevolent as the liveliness of the woods would have you believe.

But does all nature not possess such things? Is there not a mystery in every crashing ocean wave? Danger in every cave’s shadow? Calling in every storm? Purpose in every breath of life? Yes, while perhaps different in the woods, it was not these things that set Westchester apart.

The Westchester woods are poisoned by tragedy. One step inside and you can feel the pain in the trees, the birds, the monsters, and especially the shadows. Despite the rain and the animals and the winds constantly shifting the woods, the blood stains can never entirely be erased.

Death has its home in the Westchester woods. The calling into the forest is not one of power or promise, but one of danger and unpredictability. There is no safe haven, no protection. You are the whim of the Power within. There is no fighting it. There is no running from it.

Douglas Redfield.

Josephine Vance.

Jane Marshall.

Javier and Guadalupe Flint.

Cody Jones.

Valen Ebony.

For every name known, five more are undiscovered, their deaths counted as accidents, freak attacks. Their names are the only piece of truth to remain.

In one horrifying case, it is one name left behind. Athantis. All those who carried it were ripped from the world, consumed by the danger in the woods. One more tragedy, one more death, one more massacre.

And yet, when the screaming stopped, and the silence followed. When every monster left and every heart stopped beating, the Power lingered. It stayed in the air, in the sunlight, in the trees. It crept across the ground like a fog, creating frost and scorch marks on the grass as it passed. It was pure energy, yet somehow it was pulled somewhere.

It found a form. It found an identity. In the middle of death, the Power found life, found memory, found a name. The Power healed, saved, resurrected. The Power gained sight, gained blood of its own, gained a heart and lungs and a mind. The Power became something that day, something new, something kind. Something full of life and curiosity and love and pain, something the Power had never had before.

The woods above all are a breeding ground for mystery and for death. Those brave enough to investigate may find answers and wisdom they can never imagine. But digging too deep, finding the truth, may only bring pain. Yet a tragedy is a story after all, and the woods of Westchester have plenty to tell.

Perhaps the most interesting of all, is what happened when Castor Athantis woke up.

#it lives within #it lives within spoilers #ilw #ilw spoilers #it lives #it lives fic #it lives within fic #ilw fic #ilw mc

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saibug1022 · 1 year

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The Morning After

Word Count: 2.5k

Abel Flint x Castor Athantis (gn ILW MC)

A/N: So. That Chapter 14 Abel scene. We were robbed of the next, morning. So, I wrote it. It was originally supposed to be all fluff then I had the thought of Castor having one of the nightmares that night and it all spiraled downhill. Also, for context, I took two of my MCs and made them twins, Castor is this one and their twin is Julian.

When Castor opened their eyes, at first it seemed they were floating in some sort of black void. There was no light, no ground, nothing as far as they could see or feel or hear.

"Hello?" Castor called out, only minutely relieved to hear their own voice.

Castor.

"You again?" Castor looked around. "What do you want now?"

I want out!

"Out of where?" Castor asked for the millionth time. All they'd managed to understand was that this person was trapped somewhere and in obvious pain. They were scared, Castor could tell that much. But they still wouldn't tell Cas where they were or who they were or anything!

I'll show you.

There was a glint of something in the distance, something metallic. Castor squinted to try and make out what it was but it was moving too fast. It streaked toward them in the darkness and Cas's eyes widened. They tried to move, tried to cry out, but they couldn't do anything as the strange bronze object cut through the air and stabbed Castor in the heart.

"Hnnnnn," Castor whined. It was the only noise they could make as their world exploded in pain. It wasn't just the wound. It felt like they were falling apart. The life was draining out of them as if their soul was being forcefully yanked from their body. No. Not their soul. It was the Power. The Power itself was being drained from them, burning them from the inside out.

They looked down, vision swimming, and tried to identify the object they'd been impaled with. It was a spike, long and lovingly carved with a rope tied to the end. But the thing that really caught Castor’s attention was the glowing blue rune set into the metal. They wrapped their hand around the spike and went to pull it out before they heard the voice of their brother in their head, some memory from when Amalia got stabbed and Jules told Cas not to pull the knife out because it was containing the bleeding. But this thing wasn't stopping Castor's bleeding. In fact, despite being able to feel their own blood choking them as it filled their lungs, they didn't seem to be bleeding at all.

Before they could decide what to do the spike moved forward. But not further into Cas, instead it seemed to shove them until they were "laying" on their back. Then it started moving, dragging Castor with it.

It moved fast, faster than Cas should be able to survive moving. It wasn't even moving really. It was falling. They were falling. They were falling through an endless darkness. It didn't matter if they survived the spike. They were dead the moment they hit the bottom.

If there was a bottom.

Castor couldn't even scream. The spike in their chest kept them from getting the air they need. The most they could make was choked-off noises of pain and fear as their hair whipped around their face. They couldn't scream, they couldn't move, they couldn't do anything. They had to just wait. Wait in terror to die.

Alone.

There was no warning. One moment they were falling, the next they'd slammed into the ground with several sickening snaps. A gasp was forced from them. They couldn't even feel the pain over the burning. They opened their eyes and…light! There was light! It was faint, so faint it didn't light up the area around them. But it was there. It also seemed distorted, kind of like it was filtering through water.

The second Castor had that thought it was like the water had become real. Thousands of gallons of water tried to force themselves into their lungs. The air and blood were forced out and Castor found themself choking, trying so so desperately to just breathe. They didn't want to die, not down here. Not alone where no one would ever find them.

They fumbled for the spike to try and pull it out but it was stuck fast, anchoring them to the ground beneath them no matter how they struggled. This couldn't be the end. No. Not like this, not when they finally found somewhere. They finally found a place that felt like home for the first time in five horrible long years and they couldn't lose that.

And Julian. Oh God, Julian. The two of them had lost everything. Julian, he couldn't lose Castor too. Cas wasn't sure he'd survive it. They had to get out, they had to live but they COULDN'T FUCKING BREATHE!

"Cas?"

Castor was sure they were crying as they pulled desperately on the spike but the tears blended with the water drowning them and their sobs couldn't escape their suffocating body. They just kept struggling for what had to have been minutes yet they were still just burning, drowning, dying, but never quite crossing that threshold. They couldn't even die.

"Castor?!"

Was this really it? This couldn't be how their journey ended. They couldn't even DIE?! They were cursed to spend forever drowning, suffocating, breaking, dying, over and over and over forever until eventually, they did die. But they didn't want to die. They didn't want to die they didn't want to die THEY DIDNT WANT TO DIE-

"CASTOR!"

"GAH!" Castor cried out, body jolting upright as their hands scrambled at the bedsheets.

"Hey, Cas, it's okay!" A familiar voice assured them as large hands gripped their shoulders. "Breathe, baby, you're okay."

Cas forced themself to inhale, slowly, shakily, then exhale. Their eyes squeezed shut as they kept forcing those breaths in and out like they'd forgotten how to breathe.

"That's it," The voice muttered and they felt one of the hands move to cup their cheek and they leaned into the warmth without even thinking about it. "Just breathe. You're okay, I've got you."

After a few more breaths Castor finally opened their eyes to find the kind features of Abel Flint, his face set with worry. They were in a room that it took Castor a moment to recognize considering it wasn't theirs, it was Abel's. They were in Abel's room, they'd stayed over the night before.

And they just woke him up screaming.

Shit.

"Fuck, I'm sorry," Castor muttered, gaze dropping to Abel's shoulder instead of meeting his eyes. Abel's thumb brushed their skin, brushing away their tears. They hadn't even realized they'd been crying.

"Sorry? What are you sorry for?" Abel asked, so genuinely confused it made a smile flicker onto Castor's face for just a second.

"Whatever the hell that was," Cas sighed and used their own hand to wipe away the rest of the tears roughly.

"Was it one of the nightmares?" Abel asked gently. "With the voice?"

Castor just nodded.

"Cas you don't have anything to apologize for," Abel assured them. "I'll admit, I was worried when I woke up and I was definitely scared when you wouldn't, but none of that is your fault. It's whoever has been torturing you for the last three weeks."

"I know but I shouldn't have stayed over knowing that could happen," Castor argued and Abel used his hand on Castor's face to force them to look at him.

"Castor you do not have to deal with this alone," Abel insisted. Castor opened their mouth to protest further but Abel shook his head. "No. You don't have to go through this on your own. I know, Julian is having the same dreams, but when was the last time you talked about these dreams outside of just summarizing them for information?"

Castor's silence was all the answer Abel needed.

"Exactly," Abel nodded. "You're the one talking about how you want me to let you take care of me, right? Well, that goes both ways. Let me take care of you.”

Castor wanted to argue. The only people they’d let take care of them in five years were Julian and Amalia and even then it was iffy. They’d been in other relationships in that time and while they were fun and Cas cared about those people whenever it got to this moment right here, where Castor needed to open up and admit how fucked up they were and that they needed help, that was the moment Castor ran. They just couldn’t get themself to make that last big leap. Because being vulnerable like that meant letting that person into their life fully, including the dark, the scary, and the violent parts of it. Which meant someone else they could lose.

But none of those relationships were like this one. Not only was Abel already a part of all of this but he was just…different. Abel understood them, better than anyone else. He was so sweet and so kind and so strong and he cared. He cared so much and so strongly that Castor couldn’t stop him if they wanted to because that care was what kept them smiling and their eyes shining and their heart beating. Castor just felt…safe. They felt safe. They felt safe with Abel. Enough that they let their shoulders drop and their eyes close and their cheek lean into Abel’s palm.

“Okay,” Castor finally said, voice hardly even a whisper. The grin Abel gave them could have rivaled the sun. He leaned over to press a gentle kiss to their forehead.

Abel wrapped his arms around their waist and carefully shifted the both of them until they were laying down again, Castor’s head once again pillowed on Abel’s chest right over his heart. They took a deep breath as they focused on the steady thump of Abel’s heart, reminding them they weren’t alone. They wrapped an arm around him and went to curl in further only to hiss in pain as their legs moved. They were sore, really sore, and it took them a second to remember why. Once they did, well, they had to hide a flustered grin against Abel’s chest.

“What is it? Are you okay?” Abel checked, concern creeping into his voice.

“Mhmm,” Castor hummed. “I’m just, uh, sore.”

“Oh yeah?” Castor could hear Abel’s smirk and they groaned as they reached up to try and cover his mouth, but all they got was the sound of his laughter as he caught their hand. “I don’t see how that’s a problem, I’m pretty proud of myself for it actually.”

“Oh my God I hate you,” Castor groaned again. Abel made a dramatic gasp and pressed his hand to his heart as if Castor’s comment had deeply wounded him. “I’m so sorry.”

“You should be,” Abel gave a fake sniffle and Castor found themself actually laughing as they surfaced from Abel’s skin. They folded their arms on his chest and set their chin on their arms so they could look up at Abel with a small smile. “There it is.”

“What?”

Abel grinned as he brushed the hair from Castor’s face. “Your smile.”

Castor felt their face heat and they immediately hid in their arms again.

“You’re adorable,” Abel commented.

“And you’re the worst,” Castor replied.

“But I’m your worst.”

“That didn’t even make sense!”

“It totally did.”

“You’re such a dork.”

“But I’m your dork.”

“There you go, look at that. Are you happy now?”

“Very,” Abel nodded, grinning like a fool.

“You know, I believe I was promised pancakes,” Castor remembered.

“You absolutely were,” Abel confirmed. And because he was so loving and so caring he tossed Castor onto the bed so he could get up, ignoring their startled shriek.

“You asshole!” Castor laughed and Abel just stuck his tongue out at them as he opened his dresser. He pulled out a t-shirt which triggered a thought in Castor that made them grimace. Not pout. Totally not pout. “Ugh, I don’t wanna put my jeans on.”

“If you want to borrow my clothes you could just ask,” Abel smirked at them over his shoulder and Castor stuck their tongue out at him because they were a very mature pair.

“I think I’d drown in your clothes you titan,” Castor teased and Abel just shrugged and pulled on the t-shirt he’d grabbed.

“All I’m hearing is more reasons for you to borrow my clothes,” Abel held out a dark green t-shirt, a pair of soft and black pajama pants, and a pair of boxers. Cas glared at him for a second but sighed as they took the clothes, biting back a delighted giggle because they were committed now.

Abel pulled on his own pajama pants and Cas got out of bed, wincing a little at the soreness in their legs. But they managed to pull on the clothes Abel had given them and resisted the urge to smell the shirt, knowing it would smell like him. They looked up to see Abel beaming at them and they grabbed him by the shirt to pull him in for a kiss. Abel hummed happily against their lips and his hands held their waist only to use that to scoop them up and carry them out to the living room bridal style. Castor couldn’t help laughing as they were plopped onto the couch and got one more kiss before Abel headed for the kitchen.

Castor turned on the couch and folded their arms on the back of it, head laying on their arms as they watched Abel hum to himself and start going through his kitchen. The sun was just starting to come through the blinds, turning his brown eyes amber whenever he turned towards the golden light. Castor felt a smile tug at their lips but it was different from the grins and smirks from earlier. It was smaller but it was soft, it was so happy and content. After all, Castor was happy and content. For once, they were just…relaxed. They felt safe. They felt loved.

They loved Abel Flint.

Cas already knew this deep down, but thinking the words still brought them a new kind of joy. They’d always wanted a long-term relationship, to really build a life with somebody. But whenever they tried they just…couldn’t. They could never get themself to pull out of their monster-hunting lifestyle long enough to really grow roots anywhere and they refused to let anyone else fall into that kind of life. They could never really see a future for themself outside of monsters and the Power.

But with Abel? They could see it. They could see him making breakfast in the morning, teaching them how to cook because, in all honesty, they were hopeless at it. They could see waking up with him every morning and watching the sun turn his skin gold only to fall asleep in each other’s arms every night. They could see themself meeting his siblings, stealing kisses when they both have a free moment between classes, dancing in the living room, and getting into a water fight doing the dishes. They could even see moving in with him maybe, rings on their fingers, maybe even a kid of their own one day.

Because god damn it Castor loved Abel Flint.

And Abel Flint made them love themself too.

#it lives within #it lives #ilw #it lives within fic #it lives fic #ilw fic #ilw spoilers #it lives within spoilers #ilw mc #abel flint #abel flint x mc #gn mc

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saibug1022 · 1 year

Text

The Sun's Final Breath

Word Count: 1352

Lincoln McQuoid and Castor Athantis/Castor Athantis x Abel Flint

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

"CASTOR!!!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Even if it left those stunning eyes lifeless.

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

Castor Athantis was dead.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I promise."

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

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

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

Then everything went to hell.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yeah?" Castor smiled.

"You're okay," Lincoln said dumbly.

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

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

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

#it lives within #it lives #ilw #it lives within fic #ilw fic #it lives fic #ilw spoilers #it lives within spoilers #ilw mc #lincoln mcquoid #abel flint #amalia de leon #jocelyn wu #connor green #noah marshall #ilitw mc

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