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strangelysamantha · 3 years

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bittersweet ☆

possessive!rafe x plus!sized reader.

warnings: crazy rafe, possessive and obsessive behavior, swearing, underage drinking, reader gets hurt, physical fight, ect.

words: 2,167.

summary: you went to a local party by the beach when rafes unstable side peeked out. jj maybank finds you alone, and decides to talk to you. rafe gets possessive and upset, thinking that jj was hitting on you.

request?: no :)

a/n: i’m working on requests but since my computer is down it’s taking longer because i hate typing on my phone especially because tumblr always deletes what i’ve written. i’m hopeful that my computer will be fixed by tomorrow, until then i’ll try and produce a few stories since i’ve been MIA for a few days. remember to like and comment if you enjoy this! <3

my masterlist

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“please just come with me.” rafe frowned as he sat on your porch pleading to you, telling you why you should go to a beach party with him. “why rafe?” you frown, not in a partying mood. instead, you would much rather stay home and do a movie marathon. “please baby, i swear i’ll make it up to you.” you roll your eyes at his begging. “fine, but only because you are so cute.” his eyes sparkle as a smile lifts on his lips, you pull him into a quick kiss.

you walk back inside to get dressed for the bonfire. rafe was wearing blue and orange, and you wanted to match him. so, you grabbed a pair of dark blue ripped jean shorts, and an orange v-neck. you apply some perfume and jewelry before putting on some shoes. just as you were finishing up, rafe walked into your room smirking. “awh, you wanted to match with me.” he smiled. despite you knowing his look was filled with adoration you couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable under his long glance. “obviously, don’t you want people to know i’m yours?” you question him, waiting for his response. “well, matching clothes won’t change anything. everyone already knows.” you nod smiling before pulling him into a kiss.

once you pull away from the kiss, he grabs your hand and leads you to the car as he drives to the beach. his hand finding its way on your thigh; gripping it tightly. while he drove to the beach, you paid close attention to your phone, checking social media for any major updates. rafes grasp on your thigh loosened as the car came to a halt. you were parked on the beach, the sun was already setting.

you both exit the car, rafe swiftly moving from his side of the car to yours. “thank you for coming with me.” his hand finds yours, pulling them together. “of course, i love hanging out with you.” he lets go of your hand, and moves his arm to hold closely around your waist. the two of you begin to walk towards the already drunken teen filled beach.

you frown at the amount of trash that litters the sand. you stay close to rafe, as he approaches topper and kelce. “hey guys.” you say to them to make conversation. they nod in your direction, acknowledging you before their attention turns towards rafe again. you don’t pay any mind to what the boys are discussing. after a while you become bored, so you slowly slip out of rafes arm to go get a drink. “i’m going to go get a drink, do you want one?” you ask rafe, and he glances at you smiling. “yes please, thanks baby.” you lean in for a quick kiss before leaving to go get drinks. you weren’t a heavy drinker, always scared of what you would say or do under the influence, so you grab yourself a water and grab a beer for rafe.

you return to the spot you were in earlier, but it’s now vacant. rafe, topper, and kelce all leaving you behind. you frown, looking around for them but coming up short. you had no idea where they could be since this beach was huge. you don’t bother wasting your time looking for them, instead you start to head for the bonfire.

you weren’t surprised that rafe had left you all alone. this always happened. he would beg you to go to something, just to abandon you half way through it. it didn’t bother you, it just worried you, scared of what he was doing without you.

once you arrived at the bonfire, you decided to down the drink once made for rafe, the beer stinging your throat. you drank three more chugs before drinking water as well. it doesn’t take long for the alcohol to come into effect. you knew it had clouded your judgement when you were laughing at jj maybanks jokes of all people. “i’m telling you, these people were fucking crazy.” you giggled as he made exaggerated reactions. “you’re telling me! that sounds scary as fuck. i wouldn’t have survived.” he shook his head looking down at you, “i’m sure you would have figured something out.” you nod at him.

“have you seen those dudes since?” you ask, intrigued by his story. “actually, yeah. their story isn’t the brightest… sheriff told me that they-” his voice cut off as he made a slicing noise above his throat. your eyes widened in shock. “oh my god! really??” you grab his arm, “what if they came back for you! bro no way…” your heart rate quickens at the thought of evil men chasing random kids. “no, i know right, scary as shit. i guess it’s bittersweet because they died, but now they aren’t after us anymore.” he shrugs, sipping his red solo cup. “i guess. it’s still scary. so many people are unexpectedly dying nowadays, i definitely-” you were interrupted as rafe put an arm around you, eyeing jj up and down.

“continue baby, what were you saying?” rafe asked, smiling at you for a split second before it disappeared when his eyes focused on jj again. “oh we were just talking about bad men, and how this town is scarier than it used to be.” he nods at you. “jj what are you doing talking to my girl?” jj stands up straighter, “why do you care? do you own her or something?” rafe scoffed, “yes.” the confusion on your face was evident and jj was quick on acknowledging it. “oh really? by the look on her face, she doesn’t agree.” he glances at you, but you have quickly recovered. “what are you talking about maybank?” you interrupted the two immediately not wanting a fight to break out. “i was just talking to jj because he had a funny story. it wasn’t anything like that, i swear babe.” you words slurred together and it was evident you weren’t in the right headspace.

rafes eyes widened as he fully realized that you were so intoxicated that you had no idea what was going on, “what the fuck maybank? you got her drunk for what? you trying to fuck her?” jj couldn’t believe rafes nerve. “one, she was drunk when she came up to me, and two, i don’t need to fuck her, i already have.” your heart dropped at jj's confession.

“maybank, do you want to take that back?” you could tell rafe was trying to give jj a chance to redeem himself before all hell breaks loose. your hand tightened on rafes bicep trying to get him to move on, but he wouldn’t budge. “can't take back what’s already happened.” jj shrugged again, smirking.

rafe was the first one to throw a punch, you stumbled back as he had pushed you away. with your luck, your head had landed right against the beverage table, scratching the side of your face from your temple to the side of your cheek. you hiss in pain, moving your fingers to feel it. when you retreat your hand you see it covered in blood. you groan in pain, hissing as the cool air makes it sting.

you clumsy stand up, looking ahead to see rafe and jj were still fighting. “rafe!” you weakly call out, but he was stuck in his own little bubble as he pounded his fists against jjs face. you stumble away, walking far from the beach. you were too tired to even try to process what was going on. the yelling behind you quietly faded as you made your way farther along the beach.

not even a minute later you hear rafe running after you. “what rafe?” you ask, but your back is still turned to him. “baby, please just- i’m sorry okay. i, i don’t know. i was just scared he’d take you from me. i don’t want to lose you, you are all i have. you mean too much to me for some pogue to take.” his rambling only pissed you off more. “rafe, please. i have a headache, all i want is to go home.” you frown.

his eyes moved from the sand up to your face, surprised by the huge gash on your face that was oozing blood. “baby?! who did this to you?” you couldn’t contain your anger any longer. you used all your strength, pushing his shoulders back. “you did! you fucking asshole.” the fact that he didn’t even budge from the push you sent his way, pissed you off even more. “baby, i, you know i would never do anything to intentionally hurt you?” your silence only scared him even more.

“baby, i wouldn’t- i didn’t mean to hurt you.” his breathing was heavy as the realization hit him. he had undeniably hurt you, and he had undoubtedly lost you. “no, because this can’t be happening. i can't lose you. baby, i- it was an accident. please, you gotta understand i didn’t want to hurt you, it was just jj fucking all over you, and the way he tried to claim you, saying he already had you, it just- the anger i couldn’t even hold myself back.” you nod at his words. “rafe i understand that. i, just. i don’t want this. do you think i want you to assault every guy who even looks at me? it makes me feel like shit. do you know how shitty it makes me feel? that you think i would chose anyone else when i have you. it hurts to know that you think i’m not loyal enough.” you frown, tears easily falling out of your eyes.

“baby- it’s not you i’m worried about.” you nod, “i know… it just doesn’t feel that way.” he goes to speak again but you quickly interrupt him. “can we please continue this at your house? my head seriously hurts.” his eyes soften, his hand cupping your cheek. he hesitated before he pulled you into a kiss, when you kissed him back he could feel his smile come back. “rafe.” you say again, before pointing to your head. “right baby, i’m sorry. let's go.” you nod.

he walks you to his car, opening the door for you before you hop in. he puts your seatbelt on for you. his protective side shining through once again. he walks around, before hopping in himself. he starts the car. “seatbelt…?.” you question. he laughs quietly. “of course, baby.” you nod as he puts his seatbelt on. his hand reached for your thigh again, before he drove the two of you to his house.

when you arrived, your head was pounding. you could feel it throbbing, the blood dripping onto your orange v neck. you frown at the sight. the two of you walk inside, and he immediately pulls you into his room, placing you on the edge of his bed. he runs to his bathroom grabbing a table cloth and the first aid kit.

he opens the first aid kit, placing it beside you. he takes the wet washcloth, wiping away the blood. after cleaning it, he added antibacterial cream, and then covered it in gauze. he kissed the bandage covering it before walking to his closet.

“here. wear this, and i’ll wash your t-shirt.” you nod, “thank you rafe.” he turns around and you swiftly change your t-shirt. he turns around, his heart hammering inside his chest, still scared about where you stood.

“rafe. i don’t want to lose you. i love you a lot, but i don’t want to continue this if every time a guy looks at me funny, you beat him up. i appreciate you protecting me, but they aren’t worth it.” he nods, soaking up every word. “if you can promise me that you won’t fight random people anymore, then i think we can work this out, and work through this.” he smiles softly, “is that a deal?” you ask. “of course baby. i promise i won’t fight anyone unless they really deserve it.” you roll your eyes, “fine. that’s good enough; but please, let’s hope it doesn’t get too bad.” he laughs, “let’s hope.” you grab his hands, realizing they were quite bruised. “let’s ice these.” he follows you to the kitchen, as you prepare an ice pack.

once the ice pack is ready, you place it on one hand, the other is intently grabbing your thigh. “baby you don’t have to do all this.” he reached for the ice and you lightly pushed his hand away. “you fixed me up, let me fix you up.” he sat back and watched as you cared for his bruises. rafe was glad he didn’t lose you, and he was glad you were still there with him. having you so close to him made him realize he couldn’t sacrifice anything to lose you. he kissed your bandages once more before you two prepared for bed and started to comfortably cuddle together.

#rafe cameron x reader #rafe cameron #rafe cameron angst #rafe cameron x you #rafe cameron x y/n #rafe cameron imagine #rafe cameron fanfic #rafe cameron fanfiction #possessive rafe cameron #plus size reader #rafe cameron x plus!reader #rafe cameron x fem!reader #rafe cameron story #rafe cameron outer banks #rafe cameron obx #rafe cameron obx imagine #rafe imagine

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cap10froggerguy · 3 years

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Tenth Anniversary recap

So, as my little celebration of the Ninjago 10 Year Anniversary, here’s a little recap of every single season, including the pilots and a few bonuses. I also added totally arbitrary scoring based on my own preferences. Ready? Here we go!

The Pilots:

Local man joins gang to save sister, gains awesome powers and dragons along the way. Featuring the Wise Old Mentor(C) and Generic Evil Overlord(C), as well as FIYAH, the main character with a firey temper, AT-AT, blue guy with motor mouth, Frosty, local “real boy” who is super aloof, and Bucket of Rocks, who is the “leader” and has a personality like a rock. Is that a compliment? You decide!

Choppy animation and okay storytelling, but excellent characterization creates a surefire laugh fest!

0/0, they were trying their hardest, so no ranking for you.

Season 1: Rise of the Snakes

Ninja team angers young and bratty boy, who unleashes snake army. Prophecy threatens to tear the team apart at the seams with contests to prove who is better. Winner ends up being FIYAH’s sister, but instead of becoming The Chosen One(C), young and bratty boy (henceforth known as Green Angst) gets the title.

Animation is slightly better, and the storytelling style leads to an okay season.

3/13, Room for improvement.

Season 2: Legacy of the Green Ninja

Green Angst gains superpowers, ages up, and beats up his dad, who has become possessed with evil. Plot of Return of the Jedi ensues, dad is good, and everything wraps up.

Thinking this was going to be the last season, the showrunners pulled out all the stops, and it shows. Good job!

5/13, This makes a good ending.

SIKE

Season 3: Rebooted

Series tries to pick up where they left off. Unnecessary love triangles and robot battles ensue. Frosty dies, totally for realsies.

The whole atmosphere feels a bit rushed, and about half of the story is there for unneeded drama.

1/13, did not age well.

Season 4: Tournament of Elements

In stunning turn of events, Frosty is not dead. Ninja must battle in hunger games in order for Colonel Sanders to release him. FIYAH develops a crush on his daughter.

A fun season with quippy writing and tons of lore, it works really well!

8/13, this season ages wonderfully.

Season 5: Possession

Ghosts are a thing now! Green Angst gets possessed, and so the ninja must learn ghost fighting to fight ghosts. Also, FIYAH’s sister (From now on called Water Girl) gains water powers.

While a neat story concept, the fact that Water Girl has only NOW been told about her powers kinda starts to weaken the story for me.

4/13, could do better.

...

Oh, and Bucket of Rocks is a ghost now. But the writers don’t care, so lets move on.

Season 6: Skybound

AT-AT gets a season, where he had to battle a genie pirate while Water Girl tries to be a Strong Independent Woman(C) despite the love triangle fiasco. Season ends up retconning itself out of existence.

While a good season pre-redesign, some of the story choices cause it to feel a bit drawn out in hindsight.

6/13, a fun season concept.

Day of the Departed:

Bucket of Rocks cant catch enough of a break to get a season, gets Halloween-ish special instead. In it, he becomes No Longer A Ghost. Hooray for... writing?

There’s not much to say about this one, it is what it is, and for a while, this was the only content we got centered around good ol Bucket of Rocks.

0/0, a ranking of this one wouldn’t be fair.

Season 7: Hands of Time

Angst! Drama! Time Travel! Technology jokes! Old Mentor is dying from Too Many Secrets, so Green Angst must lead team. FIYAH and Water Girl find their parents. I bet that’ll be important later!

The story feels choppy, and leaves a lot of threads hanging. It’s still fun, but less so that what came before and what comes after.

2/13: Guys, you had one job.

Season 8: Sons of Garmadon

The ninja get a facelift, and Green Angst gets a girlfriend! Guess which one is permanent. Evil Ex summons Evil Overlord(C) 2.0, causing Green Angst to loose Green and gain Angst.

The animation bump is stellar, the new voice actor for Green Angst really shines, and the story, while not new by any stretch, is filled with plenty of twists and turns.

9/13, Stellar Season.

Season 9: Hunted

The OG 4 in Mad Max on one hand, while Green Angst and Water Girl resist against tyrannical overbearing ruler on the other. Now with even more daddy issues, inspiring speeches, and of course, ANGST.

The storytelling and atmosphere increases in quality, and the show does a good job of balancing angst and hope. Also, then end is really cool.

12/13, Great Atmosphere.

Season 10/March of the Oni

Everyone teams up to stop faceless CGI army! Wait, does that count if everything is CGI?

There’s not much to say on this one either. It feels both too short and too fast, and many of the story beats don’t hit like they should.

(6 1/2) / 13, Pretty OK.

Season 11 pt 1: The Fire Chapter

Local team gets lazy, unleashes witch, FIYAH looses fire, Frosty dies again. OR DOES HE!?

Even better animation, and the voice actors are really having fun for this season onwards. It’s one of the weakest of the newer seasons, but the shorter episode time helps every episode pack a punch.\

7/13, Would recommend as a starter season.

Season 11 pt 2: The Ice Chapter

Frosty becomes Frostbite and commits genocide. Is redeemed by power of friendship and amnesia. Let’s move on.

Character development, great moments, and thought provoking storytelling!? This season has all that AND a good grasp on the aesthetic!

10/13, Please forgive Frosty. He didn’t mean it.

Season 12: Prime Empire

AT-AT gets his own season again, enacts plot of Tron Legacy, but better! Also, Frosty becomes a detective.

The obligitory videogame plot is done really well. Lots of fun is poked at videogame mechanics and it makes for a quippy and fast paced season. Just like AT-AT!

11/13, videogame movie(?) done right.

Season 13: Master of the Mountain

Bucket of Rocks finally gains own season, proves that he is the best character. Gains a best friend and beats her dad in combat.

Beautiful set pieces, awesome character development, lore, jokes, and heartfelt moments, I consider this to be the single best season of the newer ones, and possibly even the whole show.

13/13, amazing season

BONUS!

The Lego Ninjago movie:

Kung Fu High School AU with a dash of Star Wars. Different from the series? Sure. Super fun? Absolutely!

8 out of 10 Meowthras.

Wu’s Teas:

Wise Old Mentor(C) opens teashop. Shenanigans ensue.

10 out of 10, if you don’t laugh at at least one, something is wrong.

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disaster-j · 2 years

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I’d just like to put into the universe that I will not find Dan dying to be a good ending even after all this. I have trolled the DanYok tags a bit and this seems to be a common theme - either people think he’s going to die or some people think him dying will be his redemption.

I would just like to say that I personally will find nothing redeeming in watching a person be swallowed by a corrupt system and drowning in his own guilt, and then have him die in some vain attempt to be redeemed in the eyes of the person he loves. That’s not even touching on the fact Dan has some clear suicidal feelings and I would really rather not have the show indulge in that or present it as positive. Now, are these realistic? Potentially.

Like objectively that kind of ending presents a lot of tough conversations and would be extremely worthy of discussing. But tbh, if I see another ‘The best Dan can do is due to redeem himself’ I’m going to scream.

Dan’s redemption is leaving the police force and going to live on his parents’ farm with Yok, and beginning his life of helping people outside the system that destroyed him.

So I just discussed my thoughts on this briefly here if you wanna check that out too.

I agree with your perspective. I don't think dying is a good redemption, especially as the resolution of this particular arc. Dan isn't a villain. He doesn't have evil intentions, not even misguided ones. All of the terrible things that happened at his hands were either accidents or things he was forced to do. He's always been a man trapped as a tool within the system, shown as someone who despite his genuine want to be good cannot fully escape the corrupt system. Seeing him actually be able to go against these people and free himself instead of bending to their will would be the best case scenario. But while we saw a glimpse of his rebellion against the elites when he chose to help the gang escape at the end of the episode there's also this foreboding feeling that he could never do more than that. That this will likely spell his doom.

I would have much rather preferred that they had done this earlier on in the show and then taken the time to properly resolve this arc. It's such a complex and important narrative, showing how people get stuck in the loop of privilege and the system won't let them go. For the hopeful ending that we were told they wanted to give us Dan would need to show us a way out of the trappings of corruption. With one episode to go I don't see how they could do that in a way that is conclusive and satisfying. It really feels like they just bit off more than they could chew and so despite most of the show being so complex and incredible there will be things in the end that will leave everyone wanting.

#not me the series #not me ask #danyok

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robininthelabyrinth · 4 years

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Tell me about that time the Yiling Patriarch accidentally acquired a harem?

Untamed verse

It was Nie Huaisang’s fault.

He would argue it was the fault of the extremely stupid fierce corpse that violently lunged right at him when he was trailing behind his older brother and the others on a night hunt he didn’t want to go on, causing him to hide behind his saber and therefore accidentally taking the first kill of the night; his brother had been so pleased (and trying very hard not to laugh at him) that he’d agreed to Nie Huaisang’s request for a vacation.

He’d even allowed him to go visit Yiling, with one of their cousins saying in passing that Nie Huaisang should probably not let anyone know who he was or why he was there given the political scandal it would cause. Nie Huaisang had left while his brother was still arguing with their cousin about whether or not the Nie sect gave a single fuck about political scandal; he was pretty sure the actual argument they were having by proxy was his brother yet again defending Nie Huaisang’s right to be the heir, and those arguments went better if he wasn’t around.

So he went to Yiling to visit Wei Wuxian. He liked Wei Wuxian, they’d been good friends at the Cloud Recesses no matter how short a time, and he’d liked him every time they’d met afterwards, and really it seemed rude not to come with house-warming presents even if he hadn’t been invited the house-warming party itself.

“I fled here in the middle of the night, in the rain, illegally,” Wei Wuxian said. “There was no party.”

Nie Huaisang patted him on the shoulder. “It’s fine, really. I promise I’m not insulted. I’m very forgettable; you wouldn’t have considered involving me at all.”

“I’m tell you, I didn’t have a party.” Wei Wuxian frowned thoughtfully. “Maybe I should have a party?”

“We are not having a party,” Wen Qing said, sounding a little testy, but Wei Wuxian handed her a plate of meat – it was a traditional house-warming gift, and it wasn’t as if the Unclean Realm wasn’t chock full of people who would be more than happy to go practice their sabers against wild boars so that Nie Huaisang could drag along a preservation chest full of pork – and she stopped complaining.

“We could invite Jiang Cheng,” Nie Huaisang said. “You know he can’t resist an invitation to a party.”

“Did you not hear about the fight -”

“Party invitation.”

“…it might make him less angry, actually.”

“I’ll go get decorations!”

That was how Nie Huaisang found himself in the town at the bottom of the Burial Mounds, shopping; that part was probably still fine, but then he’d made some sort of slip-up in casual chitchat and everyone in the town figured out that he was visiting the Yiling Patriarch.

“Are you one of his disciples?” someone asks.

“No, of course not,” Nie Huaisang said at once, because forget his brother, he had some very scary great-uncles that would find him and rip him to pieces if he ever denied being a Nie.

“Then why are you here? I thought he’d been rejected by the whole cultivation world.”

“Uh,” Nie Huaisang said.

“Is there going to be trouble?”

“I don’t –”

“They’re celebrating something,” another person chimed in, looking at the bags Nie Huaisang was carrying. “What could they possibly be celebrating? A marriage?”

“Definitely not,” Nie Huaisang said.

“You couldn’t possibly be here willingly, could you?”

“No,” Nie Huaisang said, finally annoyed. “I was sent as a sacrifice by the cultivation world to join the dreadful Yiling Patriarch’s harem as a panacea against his threats to conquer the entire world through a little bit of unorthodox cultivation that involves a great deal of complicated flute playing and exactly zero practice because he’s obnoxiously talentedly like that. It’s all very tragic at first, but eventually we will overcome all obstacles and he’ll make me his empress of an empire composed of ghost puppets. Happy now?”

Maybe he should become a writer or something, because apparently they were very happy about it, and the story spread like lightning.

“I cannot believe you,” Wen Qing said, since Wei Wuxian hadn’t yet caught his breath once from all the howling laughter he was doing. “Of all the irresponsible, ridiculous –”

Nie Huaisang wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do about it, and it only got worse when Lan Wangji showed up to visit and just – refused to leave.

That surely wasn’t related to the harem rumors, though of course the presence of an unbearably pretty man like Lan Wangji just made the rumors worse, especially since he was very obviously from a different sect than Nie Huaisang.

According to the rumors, there was intrigue now: a more beautiful concubine had appeared, challenging Nie Huaisang’s efforts to get the redeem the vile Yiling Patriarch through the power of love and a great deal of sex, and of course there would be all sorts of jockeying for position happening.

Jiang Cheng’s furious arrival to yell at Wei Wuxian (and to attend the party, because he really couldn’t resist a party invitation – he hated being left out) only convinced them all that there were at least three separate sects fighting for attention, as if Wei Wuxian were an emperor.

“I can’t – I’m dying –” Wei Wuxian sobbed with laughter, burying his face into Lan Wangji’s shoulder. “Lan Zhan, help. It’s too funny. I’m an emperor now. And I can’t even grow potatoes!”

“Radishes are more efficient,” Wen Qing hissed.

“The common people are really very strange,” Nie Huaisang opined from where he was drawing over in his corner. Wen Qing believed everything to be his fault, so he’d promised that he’d do something nice and calming and not disruptive like drawing; he’d bought himself some ink and a great deal of paper as proof of his good intentions. “They’ll believe anything.”

“Don’t you start,” she snapped. “You’re drawing porn. Of this!”

Wei Wuxian’s head snapped up. “You are? Is it any good? Wait – who is it of?”

“It’d better not be of me with him,” Jiang Cheng grumbled, serving himself some of the pork with radishes. “I’ll kill you.”

“Mostly Second Master Lan,” Nie Huaisang admitted. “He’s the only one staying still long enough for me to get a good view.”

That made Lan Wangji frown and come over – which, joke’s on him, Nie Huaisang has no shame about his excellent artistic skills.

“Oh, well done,” Wei Wuxian said, peeping over Lan Wangji’s shoulder at the artwork. “Is that me with the legs in the air?”

“Yes. Can you pose later so I can get the face right?”

“Obviously yes!”

Lan Wangji’s ears were very red for some reason.

“Shouldn’t Wei Wuxian be the attacker?” Jiang Cheng asked, coming over as well. “Not that I care about any of this. But if the story is that he’s the emperor –”

“I can’t disappoint my readers by breaking up my romance with him,” Nie Huaisang explained. “And between me and Wei-xiong, I’m obviously more fit for the role of the pure maiden in distress – there’s a great deal of convention in erotic art circles, you wouldn’t expect it – and so I’m having Second Master Lan be the seducer instead, see? That way there is even more conflict.”

“I’m still going to kill you for including my brother,” Wen Qing said.

“I didn’t give him any sex scenes! He’s a wallflower! And you’re the Yiling Patriarch’s right hand man; what more do you want?”

“For my brother not to have fans that want to see him naked!”

“How do you even know about that?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“I read the mail,” Wen Qing said. “We’ve gotten an awful lot of it in the last week.”

“…is there any about me?” Jiang Cheng, who’d never met a competition he didn’t have to win, asked.

“Oh, yes, you’re very popular, Jiang-xiong,” Nie Huaisang assured him. “I included some falsified backstory about the two of you being childhood friends torn apart by Wei-xiong’s turn to evil and unorthodoxy –”

Both of them looked distinctly uncomfortable.

“– and now everyone wants to see you have a sandwich with the Wen sibilings.”

“Have a sandwich?” Jiang Cheng asked, distracted. “Are they hungry or something?”

“They certainly want to lick –”

“A sandwich means what,” Jiang Cheng yelled after Wei Wuxian finished whispering in his ear.

#mdzs #nie huaisang #wei wuxian #lan wangji #jiang cheng #my fic #my fics #oneiriad #wwx harem

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organic-guacamole · 3 years

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episode 210 here we go

awww seb doing the intro

congratulations to milky white and her baby chocolate milk😌

seb is so funny

but seriously, clean up that milk fast or else it will smell so bad in there....

was that Lauryn just randomly doing cartwheels? idk any theatre kids irl but that seems like it's a common thing...

is it just me or has ms Jenn been getting more harsh to Ricky and Seb mainly-

like what did they do to her

no because I actually snorted with laughter at the "you came back" WHAT IS THAT VOICE-

AND THE MASK OMG

yeah so my throat hurts now

I'm dying over here

KOURTNEY'S FACE

SAME GIRL SAME

Ricky's fake death got the whole place in tears /s

he looks like an asthmatic walrus

Seb's on piano, I love

we all know if he was the beast we'd all actually be crying✋

ok but I listen to Julia's version of home on Spotify when I want to cry-

right so gimme a second

is Ricky scratching his face.....while he's dying?

"belle i-" *flop*

round of applause to Ashlyn for trying to make Ricky's earthworm seizure look less.... yknow

Kourtney's just dying there

WAIT IS THAT NATALIE

did she really just disappear for 9 episodes just to come back and stare dramatically into the camera

WAIT SCRATCH THAT SHES HERE TO MURDER ASHLYN AND RICKY

oh so Ricky's wearing a gay shirt now too

so that's the real reason why Rini broke up, see y'all next season when Gini and caswen become canon /j

wait that was a long intro scene-

what was that look Carlos-

TALK TO MY BOY OR ELSE

carlos' run is so funny to me

therapist Ashlyn to the rescue

"that is...super" son you good?

ms Jenn call Benjamin, he would willingly put his loved ones on a rocket and blast them into Venus for you....

maybe

"I don't want you kids to be disappointed" girl you do realise you're the one that's most invested in this?

"a smooth opening night" wasn't there just 1 show though-

like their opening night was closing night too

"I think I was Troy at one point" PLEASE THATS THE MOST ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF THE SEASON 1 FINALE

me Jenn looks like a serial killer during that clap and I'm lowkey scared for zacky

"I have notes"

oo if you're taking suggestions, lemme get my list

"mother is freaking out" uhhhhhh

right....'mother"

"is everyone sitting down?"

*looks around awkwardly*

*big red slowly sits*

"no..."

please seb was the only one sitting-

does that mean Carlos looked at Seb as soon as he walked in and assumed that everyone else was sitting too or am I a seblos clown🤡

"is this about the transformation"

WOW MAYBE OT IS RICKY

WOW HES A DETECTIVE FOR FIGURING THAT OUT SO QUICK🤩

YO WHY IS NATALIE HERE-

she just shows up when it's convenient? is she gonna be at the sleepover too?

Seb's heavy swallow after Carlos shouts at him makes me so sad

"I never learned how to lie but I figure if I keep my mouth closed, I can't tell the truth" *nods and smiles at Nini when she asks*

why are they casually standing up all over the pizza shop, just sit at a big table and talk instead of blocking passageways and blocking off at least 6 tables-

"how about I invite myself" WHY DO PEOPLE ALWAYS FEEL THE NEED TO INVITE THEMSELVES TO ASHLYN'S HOUSE-

YOU CAN ASK BUT JUST FORCE YOUR WAY IN?

so Cash Caswell has a bigger house than... Dennis Caswell.... who would've thought

ah yes there's the good old EJ 1.0

Nini: "boys vs girls"

Gina: *looks devastated and glances longingly at EJ*

way to be inconspicuous

"but north high should be" *cracks her knuckles in the most uncomfortable way*

good for Ashlyn for getting more confident though

oo bossy big red

"i get bossy around the power tools"

is that why Ashlyn was holding up the drill in episode 8 orrrr 🤠

Lily, leave him alone please

she's literally not blinking, is that what makes her creepy?

the diss at big red and his face afterwards is priceless

isn't that similar to what Gina's mom said to her in season 1? hmmmm

but seriously please don't try to redeem lily, let us have a character to hate, or to love because they're evil.

not everyone's a good guy.

"im not liked here and I don't know what to do"

let antoine finish his salad and it'll fix everything

"hug emoji" *gags*

y'all realize Lily's literally 14?

why is she calling a 16/17 year old from another school for personal advice-

"he gets weird around tools"

I shouldn't be laughing so hard

"deja vu maybe?" awkward silence

I'm dying here I love EJ so so so so much

"where's seb"

*cuts to seb being held hostage hoping that they'd notice he's missing and go look for him*

"don't ask"

"oh ok"

"100% real faux fur" as you should queen

sponsored by target

Kourtney is singlehandedly saving the entire show.

Seb making finger guns make me happier than it should

why is this kinda making me want to have a co-ed sleepover with my non-existent theatre friends

YES YOU DO NEED TO TALK/SING TO SEB CARLOS THANK YOU FOR KNOWING THAT

wait what-

you haven't talked to him all WEEK-

Carlos are you stupid /hj

Benjamin is so adorable I can't

he turned around to come back for her instead of going home. you're "what do you want Jenn🙄X act isn't fooling anyone Benjamin 🙃

10101

1+4+16= 21st?

they placed 21st?

or do I just not remember how to convert to base ten

GIRL DON'T BE RUDE TO HIM, HE'S GONNA SAVE YALL

no ms Jenn, the kids are not eccentric 35 year olds.

aww sebby

is he thinking that Carlos is only with him cuz he's the only other openly gay guy at school-

son you are a perfect little bean don't put yourself down

yes they all ship portwell as they should.

they'll be throwing risotto at the wedding.

not the chocolates. stop there are no chocolates. please stop I'm dying.

Gina you don't have to explain yourself to her

it was a misunderstanding and it's in the past

why is Ashlyn still laughing-

exactly it wasn't a big deal please just move on Nini

Kourtney really be out here saving everything

WHY IS ASHLYN STILL LAUGHING

why do I feel like when Gina finally told Ash about it, she didn't think it was that funny but wanted to feel included in the inside joke so now she brings it up randomly to show that she's in on it....I totally don't do that...

"idk, the farmer type" oh son...

Ashlyn and big red are just spilling the secrets back and forth huh?

OOO EJ AND GINA SITTING IN A TREE K-I-S-S-I-

cmon guys don't look at me like that-

"she is the best" and "we're buddies" don't sound right together

"pretty boy" "sweet boy" best ways to describe EJ

I love him.

and aw he's scared of rejection so he'll hold back just to keep her happy and not awkward how sweet

is Ricky wondering if letting her go(literally his song from last episode) was the best thing he did for Nini because he doesn't feel like it now? hmmm this is getting good

why is everyone so invested in Kourtney and Howie's relationship

PACK UP THE LAZY RICKY THING

oh yes Benji, that's exactly what she's doing

she couldn't follow her dream or whatever so now she's using the kids to gain some of the success she craves. why else would she have that massive hsm poster with her name on it in huge letters in her office.

just casually grab his hand with both your hands and stare at him creepily 🥰

ship jennzzara y'all

the first bump was a missed opportunity to do the baymax "falalala" as a reference to the fact that they watched big hero six while committing arson✋

wait so big red and EJ just left Ricky in the basement and now Ricky invited Carlos when they're supposed to be at the stage?

help no Ricky looks like he's about to tell Carlos he likes him (I know it's about writing the song for seb but still, look at his body language and tell me it doesn't look like that)

Ricky is so mature about this, he really just wants Nini to be happy even though he's hurting-

baby you deserve love, maybe Nini isn't the one for you but don't say you don't deserve it

why does he keep adding bro to the end like he doesn't know how to address Carlos

PLEASE CARLOS HAVING TO ADDRESS THE BRO THING

"let's write a song when we have like 45 minutes to get to the place and help our friends possibly win $50000 at the show in 2 weeks"

"can you hit a high C?"

"that's like the bottom of my range"

why am I laughing

this is so cool to see friendship interactions that we don't normally get to see

Nini why are you being like this-

Gina did nothing wrong??

I saw that, EJ and Gina being the only ones going in the same direction👀

right so obviously Kourtney's waiting until after the menkies to get back with Howie just in case he really is just using her as a way in to east high... obviously... right?

CARLOS

OK ITS COMING GET READY YALL

Why is portwell so awkward all of a sudden

OMG EJ

OMG GINA SAY YES or not, do what you want.

the way she doubts that EJ would genuinely ask so she has to make sure it's not Ashlyn behind it

THE "NOT THAT I KNOW OF"

LIKE WHAT GINA SAID TO JACK ABOUT EJ BEING HER BOYFRIEND

GUYS THEY'RE SOULMATES

I want risotto now please

THEY'RE SO SWEET AND ADORABLY AWKWARD ITS LIKEEK LITTLE KIDS

OOOOOOO what is this place that seblos is in, looks fancy....and secluded

oh wait no Ricky's just standing there

wait is it the bomb shelter

it looks so good what

HSKAGSJAGAJAGWISGSKAUASBWKSVAIWBAISBQKSHIQBWOABWOABDOQBZIQBAIAQBSIWBQISVQKSIANSGOQBSAISBKASBKWBAIABQOSBBSJAHAJAVAJSBAJHSKAHSJAHAJAJAAJAHHHHHHHH

@youranxiousnerd ARE YOU OK?

CUZ IM NOT OK

LOOK AT SEBBY'S FACE

LOOK AT HOW ADORABLE IT IS

THE LYRICS ARE KILLING ME

SEBLOS IS KILLING ME

I AM DEAD

PLEASE SEND HELP

I like to imagine that Frankie and Joe practiced this in their apartment and just had a blast with it.

or maybe that Frankie practiced in secret like what Joe did for the climb

OH THE SUITS

THATS WHERE THAT CLIP IN THE PROMO WAS FROM

AWWW SEBBY'S SO CUTE

HE'S A LITTLE MARSHMALLOW

they're still so awkward with the dance I cant

let's appreciate Frankie's voice though

this episode really was made just for the seblos and portwell stans and you gotta love it

BIG RED GET OUT

WHY DOES HE ALWAYS DO THIS

Seb's little "yeah" IS ADORABLE

you can't tell me that wouldn't have been the best time for them to say I love you....IF FREAKIN BIG RED WASN'T THERE

ok but wait Ricky needs more hugs like that, look at his face

the boy needs love

"bro" please don't let Ricky and Carlos go back to not talking because their friendship is amazing

EJ laughing at Ricky sounding like a cat coughing up a furball is so funny to me

RICKY'S FLOP GETS ME EVERYTIME

I knew it was too good to be true

ok so Ricky's dead, next in line please

this episode was so short but I love it so much. this is what I signed up for for season 2✋

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts s2 #hsmtmts season 2 #ej caswell #ricky bowen #gina porter #hsmtmts spoilers #seblos #seb mathew smith #carlos rodriguez #big red #ashlyn caswell #kourtney greene #lily hsmtmts #ms jenn #mr mazzara #natalie bagley #guac's episode text blocks :)

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malachi-walker · 3 years

Note

thought: I know almost nobody would think this unironically because it’s utterly fucking deranged, but the unfortunate implicative intersection between “the fiction you consume and create is indicative of your morality” and “a proper redemption arc for Catra would’ve ended with her dying” is “if you realize that you have done bad things in the past and want to redeem yourself, the first step is to kill yourself”, which, uhhh,,,,,, yeah

Ok, fair warning, I am really tired thanks to several days of family emergency, so I am incapable of gauging how coherent this is. Also please note there is some vitriol, but it's not meant to be directed at everyone who dislikes Catra, just that special brand of anti who decides liking Catra is a good reason for them to pass judgement on you and make sure you know you're scum. Pissbabies, basically.

But sadly I do think this is something that carries over into reality more than anyone wants to admit, especially when you consider how often sacrificing your life is considered to be an ultimate expression of good and not a tragic waste of human potential in spite of what it accomplishes. Or--and this is just the one that's affected me most personally since the tender age of 12--the double standard of how men are allowed to do awful shit like aid in totalitarian conquest, burn villages, and nearly kill the hero (looking at you, Zuko) but their redemption arcs are accepted and hailed as narrative brilliance whereas a female character who does the same from an equally if not worse background of abuse is an awful bitch who should just be left to die. And again, I was 14 the first time someone told my parents right in front of me that I was just a lost cause and they should give up on me, without even knowing anything about me beyond me being a troublemaker with emotional problems beyond what a pep talk could fix, so despite how deranged the implication is it IS something that has real world carry over. The kind of carry over that tells a 14 year old responding badly to a lifetime of abuse at the hands of her murderous birth father that she's just evil and should be given up on because she'll never get better even though she's only just now getting a shot at therapy. Yeah. That happened to me personally. (Did I mention I grew up in the bible belt?)

But back to narrative stuff. The problem with the redemption = death trope is that it only has a net outcome of (and that's if done correctly, a lot of uses fuck it up regardless) cancelling out the bad you did in the past, but also leaves someone incapable of creating any further good and thus taking that score from a neutral zero into positive digits. And it is very much a cultural double standard that you see everywhere narratively, but I don't know about you, but even in situations where it would be absolutely the only option I would still see it as a horrible waste of potential future good.

Also those people conveniently forget that if Catra had died, no one would have stopped Adora's sacrifice. So whether or not you believe Catra's survival is a net positive (I obviously do) calling for her death because of that bullshit double standard does pay massive negative dividends down the line, where Adora at best dies heroically and wastefully against Prime to be hailed as a hero but never get a chance to live a happy life for herself or at worst fails completely due to the poison and the Heart of Etheria ends up in Prime's hands to skullfuck the entire universe with. In fact, the fact that they both survive is a perfect refutation of the narrative concept of sacrifice being a positive under any circumstances. It's a waste, whether it's Catra dying after getting a chance to finally do some good but being unable to or Adora sacrificing everything without ever getting to live for herself because the hero always has to give everything.

Oh, and that whole "fiction consumed being indicative of your morality" thing? If they're saying my morals are trying to give people a second chance to make some good out of their lives instead of just killing them and taking the neutral or negative, then those are morals I'd be pretty damn proud of to stand by. Because I've been there. Because I've been a bad person and done my best to become better, and maybe I would have been able to do it better if everyone around me didn't insist on constantly punishing me for it instead of trying to understand me. And because it's easy as fuck to sit on your ivory tower judging everyone below... Right up until you're the one falling to the ground and hoping someone gives you a hand up before you splatter. And frankly I don't buy that correlation to begin with, so it's already a flawed argument. If there were a correlation between morality and the media you consume, for one there would be a hell of a lot more serial killers running around considering the true crime genre exploded a few years ago and is now more popular than it's ever been in history.

But let's be real here. None of these people are actually considering the overall implications of the view they're espousing. They're just pissy because the mean catgirl didn't get murdered (except she did. And only survived via deus ex She-ra) and will come up with any faux-intellectual argument for why they're right and anyone happy with Catra's redemption is wrong because they can't fathom a world with grey areas or no clear right or wrong answer that they can't fall into. Honestly, this purity rhetoric reminds me of something...

But I'm not surprised that point would escape those people.

#fuck I'm sorry to get on my soapbox #but my grandad's in the hospital and might be dying and i am so fucking DONE with the bullshit #just admit you don't like catra and use the block tag #it's not that hard #provided you don't hang your entire sense of selfworth on always being in the moral 'right'#in which case you have a fine future career in evangelism ahead of you because that's the only place where you have one #anyway sorry op if you expected something better but I am so tired I can feel my bones #answer #personal

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comfy-whumpee · 3 years

Text

Lauritz

TW: addiction (beginning of italics section, skippable).

The thing crackles when it comes on. The crackle fizzes against his head, as if he can feel it before it touches his skin. He feels like perhaps he can. There’s a current running through him, an electric fear that exposes every nerve like sparking wires. His skin feels like it’s ready to jump off his bones and run. He wishes he could follow. He wishes...

Then the pain comes, flashing across him and whiting out his thoughts with a harsh jolt.

Silence, and he catches his breath, trying to blink through the haze. His ears are ringing. Something twitches, he isn’t sure where it is. He closes his eyes, opens his eyes, tries to look around, but there are only white patches.

The crackle comes on again, and Lauritz remembers to close his teeth together so he doesn’t bite his tongue. He doesn’t know how he knows to, but the thought--

Disappears from his head with the jab of the electricity again against his shoulder, sending a spasm like an earthquake through his bad arm and down into his muscles, and this time he screams, hoarse and half-voiced, breaking up into a static gurgle as the - cattle prod? As it pulls away.

Oxygen pulls into his lungs painfully, dragged in down a throat that burns. He’s tired already. It’s only been two. There’s going to be ten.

“Ple...” he tries, but the word croaks into nothingness, and pain shears over him in response, pulling his body out of his control. He jerks in the chains, rattling them above his head. His hands are shaking. “Pl...se...”

The crackle and the stab of pain rocketing across him, and his voice wheezes out in a failed cry. The pain stops, then starts again, moments later, and he seizes up, yanking on the manacles and trying to force his voice into motion. It’s like a nightmare, unable to scream, unable to move, body twitching out of his control even after the shock has stopped, and his voice won’t come out, and his breaths are just wisps of air.

He feels like he swallowed a sword of flame and he knows there are still four to go.

The skin is numb when it hits him again, but the wires that run through his skin are no less potent, like poison in his veins. He gasps for breath when it finally stops, and even that barely makes a rasp. This is how he lost his voice, he realises distantly, until the thought is wiped out by the agony.

Two...One left? Only one left, he thinks.

He screams. His body is aflame. His throat vents pain and it only comes back stronger.

He’s done, he’s done, that was ten--

Body dissolves into white flame. He can’t stop shivering. Was it not ten? Were there more? Please, he’s had enough, he needs it to stop--

Please. He can’t do this. The time between them is blurring. The pain isn’t stopping. His chest is locked up and he can’t breathe--

He can’t take it, he can’t, he can’t, stop, please, stop, stop--

Tears stream down Lauritz’s face as his body twitches and shudders like a dying flame, sputtering out, and he can’t find where the air is and he can’t hear anything but the ringing, singing ears and a voice, faint, “Stop, stop it!”

But there’s nobody here but him and the scientists and they never listen when he begs them, they never--

His body combusts and when it fades, he shudders. He’s a man made of ash. He heaves in a single, thin breath, and feels the pounding in his head slow just slightly. He blinks, white and grey static giving way to a twist of shadows. Where is he?

“Leave him alone, he hasn’t done anything!”

But the rat has done so many things, so many evil things, and he had to be punished for who he used to be.

Rain. It’s Rain, on their chair, fists clenched and glaring angrily at Alfonse, standing over him with the silenced weapon in his hand. No more crackles. It’s over.

Weren’t they going to pretend not to care?

“He’s done plenty,” Alfonse says, his husky bass sending a shiver right through Lauritz’s bones - or is that the aftershocks? “You know very well what he’s done. And he’s done much more than you were there for, of course. He’s not a redeemable man.”

“He’s not even the same man,” Rain says. “He’s different. You scrubbed out who he was and now he’s just - a gullible idiot. It’s like watching you experiment on a rat.”

Lauritz looked down. A rat. Yes... He knew. They still thought of him that way.

Alfonse was unmoved. The crackle came on again, and Lauritz tensed with a whimper, only to be rebutted by the man’s laugh. “He was a lab rat, you know. We didn’t know if the procedure would work. But he made a good test subject - nobody to miss him - and the results were better than we’d hoped. He was stupid afterwards, of course... But that wasn’t a detriment at all.”

Rain doesn’t object that he’s stupid. He must be, if they think so. Or maybe everyone is stupid compared to them. Instead they breathe steadily, still blindfolded but appearing more relaxed than ever. “So why shock him now? Hoping he’ll forget me?”

Alfonse laughs again, louder, and Lauritz feels himself shrink as it bounces across the walls. “No.”

Without warning, hot metal stabs against Lauritz’s back and pain lasers across his body. He screams, and screams louder when it doesn’t stop, and screams again as something vast and lightless opens inside his head and he knows, deeper than he knows his own name, that he’s been here before.

The shock stops but the empty space does not go away. He can’t close a door on it like he did before. And it’s growing.

Lauritz needs his fucking fix. He needs it. It itches at him constantly. His thoughts loop and circle back to it as if tethered. He needs. He sits on his ratty old sofa, half-watching some shit fucking TV show, and tries not to think about the relief and floating pleasure.

Fuck. Fuck, he just wants to be happy for a while, is that so much to fucking ask?

His work phone rings. He picks it up. Stupid thing, but the boss had got him one for the new job, and he wouldn’t risk pissing off that guy. People who pissed that guy off had a way of fucking vanishing. “Yeah?”

“Lauritz.” The voice was deep and rich with a husky quality. Lauritz didn’t go for guys like the boss, but he’d fuck that voice alone. “You’ve been out of touch for a while. How are things with our guest?”

Lauritz grunted and got up, stiff joints protesting to the movement. His mum would’ve said to exercise more, but fuck it, she wasn’t here to care these days. He walks through the dim hallway and to the door to the kid’s room. He listens for a minute, hand on his knife, before unlocking and opening it.

They looked up at him and the instant terror in their eyes was a little high all of its own. Their eyes flicked to the phone and back, and they licked their lips but didn’t ask. They’d stopped talking so much a few days ago, fucking finally. He was getting tired of kicking them. The only time they talked was when they were fucking begging him over the bathtub, and that was an exception. He was riding high those times, so a bit of whining didn’t bother him. And making them repeat his name? Fucking delicious.

He closed the door again. “Kid’s fine.” He walked back down the hall, ignoring the little cupboard where the bitch was chained up and gagged. The boss didn’t have to know about that shit. He’d be in the fire if anyone found out some meddling fuck had come looking. “I’m keeping them fed and shit. Why, you want me to cut off a finger or something?”

The boss laughed. So fucking hot. “No need for that. A lock of hair, I think. Perhaps a video, next week.”

“Got it. Hey, can you send a guy over with some molly?”

“Of course. Just don’t get merry on the job, Lauritz.”

Fuck, Lauritz liked people saying his name. If only the boss wasn’t married to that nutjob Sinclair.

“You got it.”

The video. The video was what had done it. Something in the background, a glimpse of the window, or something Rain had said, coded to give them enough clues to get his house raided. Lauritz had only barely gotten away.

Alfonse had found out. He’d shown up barely two months later, furious, saying something about how the kid’s family were pulling back business. Lauritz hadn’t known why he was there, hadn’t seen why it was his problem that the scare tactics had gone wrong. Alfonse hadn’t bothered explaining. Just punched him out, fists across his face, until everything had gone black. He’d woken up in the empty room.

Lauritz’s eyes were wet. He looked at Rain on the ground, curled up tight and listening without sight. It was his own fucking fault that this had happened. He really knew that now. He’d gone along with so much shit to get money for drugs. So much. And who was it who had given him his first high? Alfonse’s fucking recruiter.

The whole time, he’d assumed that whatever torture he’d done to them, it had been a random act. There hadn’t been a scheme behind it but a quick ransom. But this... The knowledge, from the old Lauritz, was lodged in his head like a bullet. The scum he’d been. The joy he’d taken in an excuse to hurt someone. The... The loneliness.

He was a major fuck-up and Rain had - Kala too, they had both - given him more kindness than he deserved.

He knew that now. Really knew that.

Old Lauritz was filling in the gaps in his head, but the memories didn’t feel like him. Somehow, he’d been handed a fresh start in what had meant to be his end. Somehow, he had a chance to... Do some fucking good in his life, for once. The lunchbox, and the grapes, and his mum, they had all faded for his old self, and yet they were the things that came back first. Selfless, loving gestures.

He blinked the tears from his eyes. Alfonse was still there, watching. Lauritz fought the urge to curl his lip at the man who had ruined his life. “Please,” he said instead, hoarse and quiet. It was obvious that Alfonse wanted him to remember, and that he had was the only advantage to be found in this situation. He kept his voice soft and his head low. Just as he - himself, new Lauritz - just as he always had.

Alfonse sighed. He walked out. Lauritz slumped in the chair, knowing there was nothing else he could do. He couldn’t tell Rain; they would never trust him again. He couldn’t act on the knowledge he had. He just... He was still useless. A useless little rat.

p, li { white-space: pre-wrap; }

#whump #electrocution #amnesiac whumpee #whumper return #past trauma #addiction tw #sadistic whumper #lauritz #alfonse #rain #my fic #nanowrimo extract

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atopearth · 3 years

Text

Piofiore: Fated Memories Part 6 - Finale

It's kinda funny how when it came to defaming the Mafia bosses, Dante's one was the most ridiculous with him handling brothels hahaha. Was he so "clean" that they had to make stuff up?🤣 On the other hand, loll at Fei thinking the newspaper wasn't lying about the stuff Yang did hahaha, not sure if we should rejoice that he doesn't actually abuse women daily, but that he does kill his own men lol. Anyway, the mystery guy seems adamant on hating on the Mafia. He's not as verbal about it as Roberto, but his hatred for them seems to run deep. Personally, I'm on Lili's side. She understands that crime is wrong but she also understands the limits of her powers and what she can do by herself, so instead of completely disregarding the Mafia as evil, she instead hopes that she can do her own little part to support this town she loves because she believes that in the current circumstances, helping the Mafia right now means helping Burlone. I wonder what is his importance though~

Is Henri the previous Key Maiden's brother or something and that's why he hates the Mafia and doesn't think Lili will be safe with them? Oooh, or is the Direttore the brother? Chloe sounds... interestingly crazy lol. Anyway, Dante is so cute to insist on drinking espresso even though it's too bitter for him🤣 Gotta salute Lili for eating Lan and Fei's jian dui lmao, it does look pretty bad even though it apparently tastes good. Tbh, it's kinda funny how even though they say they're pretty good at it, they still can't make the shape right lol. Anyway, it's kinda funny how much of a 180 Rosberg does after kinda realising his position I guess. It's like as if he's become the nice and wise church guy lol. I still find it so random how Orlok is his son though, like I legit thought it was a lie back in Orlok's route because he knew saying it would make him go crazier and kill Gil etc so he could at least get his revenge on them that way but apparently it's true haha. I mean, regardless, it doesn't really change the fact that he's literally raised his child to become a killer with no emotions and never really cared about that all these years so I don't know how I'm supposed to view him when he's obviously trash but the story wants him redeemed? Honestly though, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the Direttore and Henri are the same person. Anyway, Henri being Riton was expected after seeing the flashbacks for a while, especially with all the stuff he says but yeah, it's kinda sad to see him obstinate on seeking revenge influenced by all the rumours surrounding Chloe's death and how the Falzone might have killed her etc, but I guess even without the rumours he would eventually blame them, since if they never went to the Falzone, maybe she wouldn't have died like that. I wonder if there's a reason why Chloe went kinda insane though, like a Key Maiden thing, or was it just her? I guess she was just so consumed with the Key Maiden thing and didn’t realise that she could have her own life too. Honestly, I'm pretty disappointed with the finale, other than hearing the story of Henri/Direttore, everything ended not much differently from Gil's happy ending, hopefully the after story pieces the rest better. Like, why didn't we get to interact more with Henri/Direttore if this is supposed to revolve around him? Anyway, it is kinda fitting to welcome the new year with them though because I'm playing this on the last day of 2020 haha!

Anyway, it's kinda saddening to know that Roberto and Nicola were actually kinda friendly when Roberto first came to Burlone and they didn't know each other's identities. I guess it kinda shows why Roberto is so obsessed with Nicola and hates him so much in Nicola's route, since Nicola was also the first one to push Roberto away after realising he was a part of the police. Nicola's attitude also doesn't help to pacify things. I think it would have been nice to know this in Nicola's route though, since Roberto is the villain for it. I thought it was really nice that Roberto was the one to remind Marco (when he was doubting the Mafia system because he couldn't save Chloe back then) that the most important thing as the police will always be to protect the people, so yeah even though the Mafia may not be the best way to run this place, there are things outside their control, but protecting the people will always be something they can do. Anyway, I find it funny how in the Henri ending, the guys blame Nicola for leaving the heroine and coming back himself, but when she runs back into the burning casino to find Henri, no one stopped her?! Like, I know it's for story romantic purposes but really, Orlok who is the quickest could have definitely stopped her. It's pretty terrible that Henri got treated badly because his sister tried to kill Beatrice when she was pregnant😔 Even the girl who "saved" him from the parents beating him played him like a toy... It would be hard for him to let go of his hatred when all these things happened after Chloe died, and essentially it's all because of the Falzone even if Silvio and Dante didn't want that. I feel so sorry for the real Sebastiano Gallier... Henri befriended him, killed him and his whole family just to get his identity..that's pretty cruel. Lili's right that Henri dying won't resolve anything, and living is technically a punishment for him in a sense, so I think it would be nice if they could both find a reason for him to live together. Anyway, Henri probably needs a therapist but I guess they aren't in a good situation to look for one. It's kinda funny how in every kind of happy ending where the heroine runs away or disappears, she ends up taking care of kids lol but I guess that's what she can do. Although I don't really care for Henri personally (he is cute though), I do think it's nice to live in a countryside in peace. One thing that really annoys me is Emilio's existence, he never really does anything, causes more trouble than he does providing "important information" because a lot of the time he gives that info, I'm not sure if it's even useful anymore and he only makes some kind of move when chaos has erupted to a point that there's not much point anymore. And the finale after the finale didn't really do much, but I guess I'll look forward to the fandisk if it gets translated!

Overall, I definitely enjoyed Piofiore. I'll say the overarching plot is definitely a miss for me because every time they mentioned stuff about the Key Maiden and everything, I honestly thought it was boring and the relic was silly too imo, and I also think Henri/Direttore's story lacked the impact it could have created. Even though there was a Henri ending, I don't feel like Lili got to interact with him to the extent that could have made me care more for him, so it was saddening in that aspect. Yang was definitely my favourite character-wise and VA-wise because he was everything I wanted in this Mafia game - dangerous, sexy and ruthless. But I did also enjoy the other guys, it's just that Yang outshined them imo (if you can get over how "evil" he is I guess). The individual routes weren't bad, but I don't think they were particularly interesting since I felt like counterfeit money and other stuff like Lee going against Yang weren't very appealing plot points, so the characters are definitely the highlight for me in this game. If I had to choose my favourite Mafia family, I'd probably choose the Falzone for the overall warmth from Giulia and Leo, but honestly the twins and Yang in the Lao-Shu wins over everyone in the end hahaha. Oh and the art is absolutely beautiful in this game, definitely 10/10 for that. Otherwise, I'd say I would give the game a 7.5/10, good and I liked it but I don't think it had anything or anyone in it to make it memorable for me (aside from Yang). I would recommend it though because it was fun and Lili was an okay heroine, I loved how beautiful she was in all the CGs hahaha.

#piofiore fated memories #Piofiore no Banshou

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bellemorte180 · 4 years

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Wanderlust Chapter Twelve

Caroline’s wrist was throbbing, which was handcuffed behind her back. She shifted uncomfortably in the old wooden chair she kept in the corner of her kitchen for no other purpose than to stand on it when she could not reach something. She bit back tears that were steaming from a mixture of pain and fear. She looked around the place she called her home and was trying to find some way out of it. Her eyes traveled to the kitchen floor where Rosza was still lying. She could see the rise and fall of his chest, telling her that he was still alive. She did not know exactly what had happened to him but something that would drop a man twice her size.

Caroline’s eyes traveled from Rosza to the man who was pacing back and forth in her dining room. He was running his fingers through his hair and was muttering to himself as though he was trying to find a way out of the house. It was clear that he couldn’t just take her and shove her in a car; that would be too obvious. People had been watching Caroline, both out of sympathy, worry and curiosity. If she all of a sudden was being shoved into a car, kicking and screaming, it would be noticed.

She whimpered again when the cuff on her left arm shifted the wrong way. When he had cuffed her to the chair, he had broken the cast that was on her arm, and subsequently rebreaking her wrist, in order for the cuff to fit. Not only that but the side of her face was pounding when he struck her across it when she tried to fight back. She gave a small hiss when she moved her arm the wrong way.

“Matt?” Caroline whispered, hoping to gage that boy she had known growing up. Matt had always been kind and funny. Always being that boy next door that everyone could rely on. When Elena, Caroline and Bonnie had too much to drink one night, it was Matt who came and picked them up. When Caroline had broken up with Damon, Matt had brought her flowers in the hospital. When Matt’s mother up and left him and Vicki for the thousandth time, finally never coming back, Caroline went and comforted them both. She never would have thought he would have turned into this. “Please. It hurts.”

“Does it?” Matt asked in a soft tone. It was eerie and made her skin crawl. As Matt stared back at her. His blue eyes that Caroline had once commented where so beautiful when she was thirteen stared back at her; now she found nothing redeeming about them. There was no beauty to be found, instead, only malice. “Perhaps you can consider that a punishment then.”

“Punishment? I didn’t do anything.”

“Stop lying!” Caroline winced as his voice grew louder. Matt continued to pace, clutching Caroline’s revolver in his hand. Her eyes followed the gun, terrified that Matt was going to turn it on her. Rosza ground again but Caroline could not bring herself to look at him. “I saw you! I watched you! You let him into your bed when you belonged to me! I took care of you! I kept you safe! I kept this town safe and all you want to do is leave. You all leave! He would have taken you away from here. From me. Just like everyone else! Vicki always left. April was going to leave and take our baby! Andi left me to go to that fancy school-”

“People leave, Matt. It’s a fact of life.” Rage appeared on Matt’s face and she thought he was going to strike her again, but he did not. “We were friends once. We went to homecoming together our sophomore year of high school. You came to see me when Damon put me in the hospital. When your mom left that final time, we had you over for dinner and you slept on our couch.”

“And? You still left me.”

“We grew apart. It happens.” Matt continued to stare at her, and Caroline had trouble reading him as he showed no emotion. “People change Matt. We grow up and sometimes people leave. Not everyone is going to stay in Mystic Falls forever.”

“No one can leave!” Matt hissed out with clenched teeth; waving the gun around and Caroline froze in terror that it would go off. This was not how she wanted to die; she had always imagined dying in her home, old and grey with a husband, children and grandchildren surrounding her. She always thought that she would travel the world, fall in love and be able to show her children every inch of the globe. She never thought she would die before she got the chance. This was the second time in mere weeks that she thought she was going to die; and if she did, she was not about to go down without a fight. “You’re mine and you want to leave me! You all want to leave me! Just like her!”

“I’m not a possession Matt. You don’t own me, just like you didn’t own them either.” Caroline told him but immediately regretted her words. Matt marched over to her, holding her pistol by the barrel and swung it towards her face; hitting her with the butt of the gun.

“Shut up!” Matt screamed again and immediately saw the damage he had done. As though he was horrified by what he had done, Matt knelt down beside her and touched her face. He caressed the placed where he had hit her as though he felt remorse for his actions. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt you. I’m just stressed. I need to get us out of here before they come looking for you.”

“You don’t want to hurt me?” Caroline’s voice was small, and Matt shook his head. For a moment, she could see the old quarterback who won football games and was the town golden boy. Matt loved Mystic Falls and always said he never wanted to leave; Caroline wondered why she had not seen it sooner. She then remembered how he would hold her when he locked her in that cell; begging her not to leave him. She remembered the notes and his taunts; showing her that he was watching her. That was the man in front of her, completely derailing into his mania. “Is that what you told them? That you didn’t want to hurt them?”

“I never hurt them.”

“They are dead Matt. You killed them”

“I kept them safe!” Matt retorted through clenched teeth; his saliva spraying on Caroline’s face due to how close he was to her. Caroline felt her body freeze, scared that at any moment, Matt was going to reach out and end her life. “I gave them a home. Someplace where they would never leave me, and I kept them close.” A fresh new wave of anger washed over him and he stood from her; resuming the frantic pacing he was doing only moment before. “And then they took them from me! It was only fitting that I take something of his. I thought he would listen. I thought he would leave but no, he is going to take you too. You fucked the man who took my girls from me! But I won’t let him take you too.”

“You killed his best friend.”

“He was scum! He wanted to ruin our town.”

“No Matt. I think you’re doing that enough as it is.” Enraged at the thought of being accused of something, in his mind, was so heinous that Caroline thought this would be the final blow. She saw something evil pass through Matt and that young boy who once was every girls’, and some boys’, crush was gone. He stormed over to Caroline, tossed the gun on the kitchen counter and raised his hands; poisoned them to wrap around her neck. This was it; this was how Caroline was going to die, strangled by someone she once had considered a friend.

Until…

“Matthew Donovan.” A loud booming voice sounded from outside Caroline’s house. Matt snapped back from her as though he had been burned. His eyes darted around as though the owner of the voice would appear before him. “My name is Vincent Griffith. Let Ms. Forbes and Agent Rosza go, and then the two of us can talk.”

“I thought I had more time!” Matt ran his hands through his hair and began pacing again; pulling at his blonde hair as he went. Vincent’s voice sounded again, demanding Matt to let them go, and something stirred in Caroline. Hope. While she had never met Vincent before, Caroline knew that if he was there for her, then Klaus was not too far behind.

While Caroline had always been taught that there would be times that she would need to save herself, like down in that cellar where she had thought she would spend her final moments, she was happy to know that Klaus had come for her. To know that the night they shared was meant more than a few moments of fleeting pleasure.

Caroline moved her hands around, biting back a hiss as the broken wrist rubbed against the steel dug into her broken cast. She hoped that the cuffs were not fastened properly but seeing that Matt was a cop, she found it unlikely that he would risk not tightening them enough. She really did not want to have to break her other wrist in order to free herself, but she would; she would chop her own hand off in order to save her life if she had too.

“Mr. Donovan, I need you to let them go.” Vincent’s voice boomed again.

“Shut up!”

As though she was being gifted with the answer to all life’s questions, Caroline felt her fingertips grace something hard protruding from the wooden chair. It was a small upholstery tack that was crooked ever so slightly; enough for Caroline to grip it between her thumb and pointer finger in order to maneuver it out of the wood. Her eyes stayed focused on Matt, staying quiet in order to not draw his attention and focused on pulling the tack out of the chair.

After Damon had put Caroline in the hospital when they had dated, Liz took it upon herself to teach Caroline a few tricks if she ever found herself in harm’s way again. She bought Caroline that pistol that was discarded on the kitchen counter and taught her basic self-defense moves. Liz also taught her out to get out of binds such as rope ties, zip ties and handcuffs. While Caroline knew how to pick a lock on a pair of handcuffs, down in the cellar she had nothing available to do so, thus resorting to breaking her wrist. However, that tack that slowly was coming out of the chair would work well enough for one of the cuffs to come off; she just needed one hand free.

“Why, why, why can’t they just leave us alone!?” Matt screamed, causing Caroline to flinch at his words; his tone getting louder at the last on. Caroline got the tack free and after a few attempts, was able to insert the small point into the lock of the cuff. After a few twists, she felt the steel pop open from her cast and relief coursed through her; pain ebbing away only slightly on her broken wrist. Vincent spoke again through the loudspeaker, but Caroline tuned him out, her focus solely on the task at hand.

She dropped the tack gently; barley making a sound when it hit the ground. Caroline let out a small breath and watched Matt stalk around the room. Her eyes flickered to the back door and then to the gun that was still on the counter. Caroline was a runner and as long as Matt did not have the gun in his hand, she had a chance of making it. Matt was facing her, still pulling at his hair; staring at her but not really seeing her. He was muttering to himself and she could see that he was losing all composure that he had left.

Caroline gripped the back of her chair tightly, praying that Matt did not hear the jingle of the loose cuffs behind her; she could feel her skin rubbing against the one still closed against her right wrist. She waited for the right moment and when Matt was close enough; turning his back towards her, Caroline quickly shot out of her seat, gripped the chair and swung it at Matt; hitting him hard in the back. Matt toppled to the floor and Caroline bolted towards the back door.

But she wasn’t fast enough, Matt grabbed her ankle; sending to fall to the ground. She landed on her broken wrist but with the adrenaline pumping through her veins prevented her from crying out. Caroline brought her knee to her chest on the leg that Matt was not holding and forcefully brought it down hard; her foot connecting with Matt’s face. She heard something crack and Matt yelled out, letting go of her ankle and clutching his face.

Caroline pushed herself off the floor and headed towards the back door again; throwing it open and running through it. Someone grabbed her from behind, placing his hand over her lips. At first, she started to fight but when the arms loosened gently and cradled her head to him. Caroline looked up and saw Klaus’s fearful eyes staring down at her.

“Shh.” Slowly, Klaus removed his hand from mouth when he felt her relax against him; Vincent sounding from around the house again. Caroline looked around her and saw at least a dozen agents, all with their guns drawn; ready to storm the house. “It’s okay. It’s okay. You’re safe.” Caroline nodded against him; her heart pounding in her chest. She could feel the adrenaline leaving her and her body slowly going numb. “This agent will take you around the house to an ambulance that is out front. Your mother is waiting for you. You’re safe now. Okay?”

“Ms. Forbes?” Caroline turned to see agent Vanchure looking at her, his tone was no lighter than a whisper. “Agent Rosza?”

“I don’t know. I think he was drugged. He is on the kitchen floor. I wasn’t going to be able to get him in time.” Caroline rambled in a soft tone and Vanchure nodded in understanding. Klaus kissed the top of her head and slowly edged her towards an agent that would take her to safety. Klaus could see the fear creep back into her eyes. He gave her a soft smile, ensuring her that he would be fine. He watched as one of the agents guided her around the house and out of sight.

Klaus pulled his gun from its holster, where he had stashed it quickly when he saw Caroline running out the door. He stole a glance at Vanchure, who was peeking through the door and nodded. He held up his fingers and counted down until there were no fingers left. Quickly, the agents, Klaus included, burst into Caroline’s kitchen.

Matt, who was now holding a pistol that Klaus recognized as Caroline’s, fired; hitting Vanchure in the shoulder. Klaus quickly darted when he heard the gun go off; diving to the floor. He landed near Rosza’s unconscious body. Klaus took his pulse, alive and then stood quickly, eyes zeroing in on Vanchure, who was clutching his shoulder but was still alive. The rest of the agents had their weapons turned on Matt. Klaus kept his gun raised, pointed at Matt and slowly walked around the counter and towards him.

“Matt, put the gun down.” Klaus told him in a firm tone, noticing the crazed look in his eye. Klaus had been around serial murders before, and they all got to a certain point when the mania took ahold, and they lose control. It was something both Klaus and Marcel had feared was happening. Matt became fixated on Caroline when she escaped, and Klaus feared that he would lose complete control; Caroline getting caught in the crossfire. “It is not going to end well for you. Put the gun down and come quietly.”

“Why should I listen to you?” Matt hissed and Klaus could see spit spray across the room; his saliva mixed with blood from his nose that was bleeding. The hatred that Matt was sending him. Klaus remembered the terrified feeling he got when he realized that Matt had gone after her. The moment he saw Enzo running down the street towards Klaus, he knew something was wrong. Matt’s home was empty and when they got the call from Vanchure, Klaus began to fear for the worst. “You stole them from me!”

“What are you talking about? Explain it to me.”

“My girls!” Matt yelled. “I had them safe and protected. You came and took them from me. I don’t know what you did with them. They are not safe with you!” He waved the gun around and Klaus knew that if he stepped closer, Matt would fire again. Vanchure moaned from the floor, pressing his hand against his wound. He would need medical attention soon and Klaus was trying to think of the safest way to get Matt to put down the gun and take him in. “They all wanted to leave, but I convinced them! I convinced them to stay.”

“Do you want to see them?” Klaus asked, knowing full well that he was not going to let Matt anywhere near those bodies; especially after what he had done to them. “I can show you. Put the gun down and I will take you to them.”

“You will?”

“I promise.” For a moment, Klaus thought he had him; thought that Matt was going put the gun down, he saw the hope in his deranged eyes but as quickly as it came, it went.

“You’re lying!” Matt hissed again. “I saw you! I saw you with her! I watched as you touched her! You come here, you take my girls and then you think you can take her? I was close to convincing her. She would have stayed but you would have taken her away. She is mine!”

“Caroline is a person Matt. She belongs to no one.”

“You had no problem taking her! Tell me, did you enjoy it? You seemed like you enjoyed taking what was mine!”

“I will not discuss my relationship with Caroline with you. Put down the gun Matt or I will not take you to see the bodies.” Matt didn’t move. “One last chance!”

“Tell me!”

Matt moved his hand ever so slightly and as though on instinct, Klaus aimed and fired. The bullet from his Glock lodged into Matt’s shoulder; causing him to drop the gun to the ground. Klaus advanced on his quickly, as did another agent. An agent pulled Vanchure to his feet, helping him out of the house while a few others went to do the same with Rosza. Klaus reached down and pulled Matt from the ground. He grabbed his handcuffs, that were hooked onto the back of his jeans, and cuffed him.

“You’re hurting me.” Matt screamed out in pain as that blood leaked down his shoulder. Klaus all but slammed Matt onto the kitchen counter as he tightened the cuffs around his wrists tighter; not caring his there was a bullet in his shoulder. “It hurts! Please! It hurts.”

“I don’t care.” Klaus hissed through clenched teeth. “Do you not think it hurt when you strangled those women? Do you not think it hurt when Caroline had to break her own wrists in order to be free from you? I honestly do not care if you’re hurting or not. You’re never going to see her again and you’re never getting near those bodies.”

“You promised.”

“You murdered my best friend. I lied.” Klaus pulled him back from the counter and tightened the cuffs once more. “Matthew Donovan, you are under arrest for the murders of Victoria Donovan, April Young, Andi Star, Camille O’Connell and Special Agent Marcel Gerard, and for the kidnapping of Caroline Forbes. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to talk to a lawyer and have him present with you while you are being questioned. If you cannot afford to hire a lawyer, one will be appointed to you.”

Klaus pulled Matt through the front door and down Caroline’s walkway. Flashing lights from the police cruisers surrounded him and Klaus could see both Vanchure and Rosza being loaded into an ambulance. He noticed that one ambulance had already left, and it did not take Klaus long to figure out why; it had taken Caroline to the hospital.

Vincent glared at Matt as Klaus was dragging him down the pathway; arms crossed, and a menacing look on his face. It was clear that Vincent held as much hatred for Matt as Klaus did. Vincent could be a hard ass when it came to his job, but he genuinely cared for the agents in his command.

“I read him his rights.” Klaus told Vincent, who simply nodded, not taking his eyes off of Matt. Vincent took a good look at him, eyeing him as though he was nothing more than the scum on the bottom of his shoe. Klaus knew that Vincent was going to monitor his trail closely as well as his time in prison.

“He shot me!” Matt hissed and Vincent’s eyes traveled to his obviously injured shoulder; not a single ounce of sympathy written on his face. “The bastard shot me!”

“And he will need a doctor.” Klaus replied lightly.

“Ride with him to the hospital. I’ll meet you there for a quick debrief.” Vincent replied and Klaus nodded, grabbing Matt and dragging him towards one of the ambulances. The EMT’s strapped him down and loaded him into the back. Klaus climbed in after them, refusing to let Matt out of his sight. Vincent climb into the back of an SUV, intending to follow the ambulance all the way to the hospital. He sat down on the side of the ambulance, watching as the EMT’s worked over Matt; sedating him due to his continued violent outbursts and refusing to allow them to wrap up his shoulder.

“My girls. I just want my girls.” Matt’s voice slurred and his eyes dropped; the sedatives taking root and drifting Matt off to sleep. Just moments before the drugs pulled Matt into a deep sleep, Klaus leaned down and whispered into his ear.

“How does it feel? How does it feel to have that control slip away from you? To know that everyone is now going to leave you?” Klaus wanted to press his thumb into the bullet wound and cause Matt as much pain as possible. This was the man who murdered four woman and mutilated their bodies. This was the man who murdered his best friend and hurt the woman he was starting to fall for. However, no amount of desire to cause him pain made him do it. There were witnesses and while Klaus is willing to bend the rules, there were some lines he was not willing to cross. “Does it hurt? I bet it hurts.”

Matt’s eyes closed and the rest of the ride passed in silence; not even EMT’s dared to speak. They knew who Matt was and what he had done. Their eyes flickered to Klaus, but he didn’t see them; he just continued to watch Matt as he drifted into nothing, the thought of him finding peace even for a short while felt bitter to Klaus. By the time the short ride to the hospital was over, Matt was completely unconscious. The EMT’s pulled Matt out of the ambulance and as Klaus followed, he saw Vincent walking towards him. Two agents that had ridden with Vincent followed the EMTs, who were rolling Matt into the hospital, while Vincent called Klaus over.

“The doctors will take it from here. Give me a brief breakdown.”

“After Caroline had freed herself and ran out the door, the agents and I went in. Matt fired, hitting Vanchure in the shoulder.” Vincent’s lips were pressed together in a thin line; displeased at the idea of two of his agents injured but said nothing on it. “I tried to talk him down; promised him access to the bodies. For a moment I had him, but he couldn’t get over my relationship with Caroline. He moved, I fired, here we are.”

“Okay. Okay. It was a good shot.” Vincent replied, ignoring the fact that Klaus and Caroline’s relationship was a key factor in why Matt was shot. “He’ll live. Once the bullet is out, we can have him transported back to the station for questions. After that, I want him shipped out to a federal prison. He’ll await trail there.”

“What about Vanchure and Rosza?” Klaus asked, knowing that Vincent would be on the phone with the ER once he got into his SUV.

“They will live. Vanchure will be on medical leave for a while, the bullet went straight through his shoulder, and Rosza will be fine once the drugs leave his system. By the sight of him, I think Mr. Donovan used the last bit of drugs on him.” Vincent replied and Klaus nodded, thinking that it was good news that his fellow agents had no long-lasting damage. “By the weeks end we will be heading back to DC. I assume that you will be driving to New Orleans?”

“Yes sir.”

“Very well.” Vincent nodded. “I’ll see you at the station in the morning to talk to Mr. Donovan. I have a feeling that come tomorrow, reporters will be hounding us. News got out that Andi Star has been murdered by a serial killer. Made national headlines an hour ago.” Klaus scowled at that. “Take the rest of the day. Get some rest.” Vincent paused and groaned as though he just remembered who he was talking to. “Please, do not tell me what you plan on doing tonight. Just…” Vincent shook his head and simply walked away.

If it wasn’t clear that Vincent was exhausted, given the stress and that this case had turned into a bureaucratic nightmare, Klaus may have laughed at his boss’s clear frustration. Instead, he just turned and walked into the hospital through the emergency room door. Klaus reflected on the last time he had walked through this very hospital. The floors were still sterile and the walls lifeless. It was freezing and the air held that chemical smell that Klaus associated with cleaning products. The emergency room was practically empty, with the exception of a few people milling about; mainly nurses and a few people filling out forms for some aliment or another. He knew the real chaos went on behind the scenes.

Klaus just wanted to see Caroline and find out if she was okay. She was strong and he knew that she would recover from this, but he hated to know that she was in pain. He just wanted her to be safe and happy; she was safe, with Matt in custody and no longer a threat but he knew she would not be happy.

Klaus reflected on how the first time in this hospital he was also seeking out Caroline; yet his intentions towards her now were vastly different. At the time, she had been nothing more than a victim that he was curious about. Those bright blue eyes from her picture would haunt him forever; just one more case. Now, Caroline was etched into his heart and it baffled him how someone could mean so much in such little time.

It wasn’t love.

Not yet.

It was far too soon for such declarations; but Klaus knew that he wanted Caroline in his life in some form. They were in different places; both having lives that needed sorted out, but he was not ready to let go of her and he could only hope that she felt the same.

“Liz!” Klaus called out and the police officer whom he had grown to admire. Liz turned her head and he could see the questions burning in her eyes. Bonnie was standing beside her looking frazzled and terrified, Klaus could blame neither of them. He looked around at could not see Caroline anywhere; his heart plummeted for a moment. “Where is Caroline?”

“In with Dr. Fell. They had to put a new cast on, but they said her wrist might have some long-lasting complications.” Liz stated as she pointed to one of the closed doors that Klaus knew led to the trauma rooms. “She is fine, but she kicked us out.”

“She said we were hoovering.” Bonnie muttered with an eye roll. Klaus resisted from smirking. Kicking her mother and Bonnie out of the hospital room does should like something Caroline would do. “We saw Matt being rolled in. What happened?”

“Tried to talk him down. Wouldn’t listen so he got shot in the shoulder.” Klaus summed up and he saw Liz scowl.

“You missed his head by a few inches.” Bonnie told him and Liz gave her an exasperated look. “What? Like you were not thinking it.” Liz didn’t reply and they all knew that Liz was on the same page. “I can’t believe it was Matt. I would have thought Tyler before him. God, even I would be more likely than Matt.”

“The thing about serial killers is that it is always those who we least expect.” Klaus told her and looked towards Liz. He could see the thousand questions circling her mind. Matt was her employee. A fellow cop. Someone she trusted and who was with her when she was searching for her daughter in those woods. He knew where she was. The hatred Liz felt for Matt could only rival what Caroline and Klaus felt for him. “He will be in the hospital and then transported back to the station tomorrow.”

“I’m staying here tonight.” Liz told them both finally. Bonnie whipped her head around, but Klaus was not surprised. “Caroline will be alright. One of you can take her back to my place. I am going to stay here and ensure nothing happens to Matt. I want to ensure he faces justice and the last thing I want is for him to find a way out of this hospital.”

“Liz-“ Bonnie was cut off by the door behind them opening and Dr. Fell strolling out. She looked tired, which did not surprise Klaus; between being a doctor and four patients coming into the hospital from the same incident would have to be exhausting.

“Caroline asked me to let you back now.” Dr. Fell gave them a kind smile. Her eyes flickered to Klaus, clearly not expecting to see him but said nothing; just nodding towards the open door. Liz was the first through the door with Bonnie and Klaus trailing behind. He never once doubted the love Liz held for her daughter but just seeing her race towards the room she was in the ER and given the fact that she wanted to watch over her daughter’s assailant spoke volumes to Klaus.

“Klaus.” He turned to see Bonnie looking at him as Liz went through the door that he assumed belonged to Caroline. The look on Bonnie’s face told was the one she wore the previous day when he lashed out at Caroline; apparently, she still had not forgiven him. “I’ll make this quick. I know Caroline forgave you and I know you spent the night with her. Caroline is a compassionate person and always sees the best in people. I get why you were upset yesterday but if you ever treat Caroline like that again, I’ll cut off your balls.”

“Did you just threaten a federal officer?”

“Yes, I did, and I don’t care.” Bonnie told him and Klaus did not know how to respond. He wanted Bonnie to like him because it would make his life easier. He wanted Caroline in his life and with Caroline came her best friend. It was one of the lessons he learned when he hated his college girlfriend’s best friend; or rather the best friend hated him. “That being said, thank you for saving her. I don’t know what I would have done if she died. I just needed to get that out. I just needed to say thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. Caroline has a way of saving herself.” Bonnie nodded in agreement and neither of them said anything more; a silent agreement passing between them. The two of them walked into the hospital room where they saw Liz and Caroline sitting on the bed. Caroline’s head was resting on her mother’s shoulder and her eyes were closed. Liz was holding her daughter close to her as she possibly could.

Klaus thought on the first time he laid eyes on Caroline; not the time he saw her picture in the middle of the bullpen of the FBI or the time she stood in the middle of the station covered in bruises and torn clothing. He thought on the moment he stepped into her hospital room. He thought on that strength he knew was buried inside her. She was a fighter but seeing how deflated she seemed in front of him now, he had never been more thankful that this was over.

Caroline no longer needed to be strong; she could begin to heal.

“Sweetheart?” Klaus whispered and Caroline opened her eyes. She gave him a small smile and held out her good hand; Klaus noticing the brand-new cast on her wrist. He could see the fresh bruise on the side of her face and Klaus felt a wave of anger swell in his chest. Klaus laced his fingers through hers and could feel the fear he had been fighting since the moment he realized that Caroline was missing, leave him. The adrenaline that he had been running on evaporated and he had never felt so tired before. “Are you okay?”

“I’m perfect.”

Lie.

“Caroline. I’m going to stay here tonight.” Liz told her and Caroline shot her mother a confused look. “They brought Matt into the hospital; he was shot. He will be staying here until morning. I want to ensure that he does not go anywhere. Is that okay? I’ll come home if you want me to.”

“No. It’s okay.” She whispered. “But I can still sleep at your place? I don’t want to go back that house.” Caroline paused and panic took over here. “Enzo! Where is Enzo! My dog. Did he hurt my dog?!”

“Enzo is fine.” Klaus chimed in; in what he hoped was a soothing voice. He felt Caroline relax at the knowledge that her dog was going to be okay. “He is already at your mom’s house. Probably getting into everything he can find due to his impatience to see you.”

“Good. I miss him.” Caroline whispered and Klaus gave her a small smile. He knew that Caroline really loved that dog. Liz leaned down and kissed the top of her head; smoothing out her curls as she went. “Mom, if you want to go find out were Matt is, I’ll be okay. Really. I’m fine.”

Klaus did not like the easy tone Caroline used when saying Matt’s name. It was too easy; to normal. It was as though she was speaking of an old friend and not about the man who nearly just tried to kill her. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Bonnie watching her carefully; clearly as concerned as he was.

“Okay.” Liz told her and kissed Caroline’s head one last time before climbing off the bed. Bonnie climbed into Liz’s spot; taking Caroline into her arms in a similar fashion that Liz was holding her. Klaus gave Caroline’s hand a quick squeeze, telling her that he would be right back and followed Liz out of the room.

“Liz.” Klaus called and Liz, who was halfway down the hall, paused. She turned back to face him, and it appeared as though she was shaking; Klaus could not tell if it was out of anger or something else. “Are you okay?”

“No.” Liz told him honestly, giving a humorless laugh. “He hurt her. He was going to kill her and do horrible things to her.” Klaus paused, giving her a look. “I know what he did to the bodies Klaus. I read the autopsy reports. Last night when I was at the station.” Liz shook her head. “That was all I could think about today when he had her. All I could imagine was how my daughter was going to die and what he was going to do to her.”

“Liz-“

“He was my deputy Klaus. I knew him. I let him sleep at my house when he was a kid.” Klaus could not imagine what Liz was feeling. He knew that when it came to small towns, everyone is connected in some way or another. He knew that when the truth was revealed, it would send a shockwave; no matter who it was. “I trusted him.”

“What are you going to do?” It was a simple question and while Klaus was only days away from hanging up his shield for good, he was still an agent; and no matter how many rules he had broken and lines he crossed, he didn’t want to see Liz do something that she would regret. “Why do you really want to stay here tonight?”

“I won’t kill him, if that is what you’re asking.” It was. They both knew that. “I just do not want someone to remember him as the football star who once won the home championship for the town. I don’t want them to think of him as the cop who only gave them a warning when they deserved a ticket. I want to ensure that they know exactly the monster he is, and no mercy is shown to him.”

“Okay.” Klaus reached out and touched her shoulder, squeezing it. From the moment he met Liz, he admired her. She was someone who earned the respect she was given; not only for the job she did but the woman she was. She loved her daughter fiercely and never once did she break; always standing as the backbone for Caroline to lean on. “You’re a good sheriff Liz. No one expected it to be him. Don’t doubt that.”

“I don’t. Take care of my baby. Okay Klaus? I trusted you to find her and you did. You kept her alive.” Liz looked as though she wanted to say more but didn’t. “Just care for her tonight. Please? I need to do this.”

“You have my word.” Liz nodded and turned away from him, heading out of the ER; off to search for where Matt was in surgery. Klaus watched her go before turning and heading back into the hospital room to see Bonnie and Caroline in the same position he had left them; but he could tell that the two women were having a whispered argument. “Everything okay?”

“Yup.” Caroline told him in a tone that was far too cheery. Bonnie and Klaus both shared another look; Bonnie was as equally concerned as he was. “Bonnie has a bunch of cupcake orders that need filled. Anna has taken a few days off and Bonnie is needed at the bakery.”

“Caroline-“

“Bonnie its fine.” Caroline turned to Klaus, ignored the worried look her friend was giving her. “Would you mind taking me to my mom’s? It’s not too far from the police station. If it is no trouble. I’m sure you’re tired too. Once you drop me off you can head back to the bed and breakfast to get some sleep. I bet you will have a busy day ahead of you.”

“I didn’t drive here. I rode in the ambulance.” Caroline seemed her deflate. “But if Ms. Bennett doesn’t mind taking us to the station, I can grab the SUV I’ve been driving.” Bonnie quickly agreed and Caroline seemed to relax. “And you should not be alone tonight, Love.”

Before Caroline refute, Dr. Fell knocked on the hospital door; making all three of its occupants jump.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Dr. Fell walked into the room with a clipboard in her hand and a gentle smile on her face. “I just have a few discharge papers that Caroline needs to sign. If you could give us a few minutes?”

Bonnie and Klaus nodded. Klaus leaned down and kissed the top of her head before leaving the hospital room with Bonnie; who was biting her nails and seemed on edge. The second they were alone in the hallway, she rounded on him with suspicious eyes.

“She won’t let me stay with her. I tried to tell her that the bakery can handle being closed for a few days, but she won’t listen. She kept insisting that I’ll see her tomorrow and that you will take her home. She also said she wants to be alone which is the last thing she needs right now.”

“If Caroline thinks that I’ll leave her alone then she has lost her mind.” Klaus told Bonnie, and that is exactly is what he was afraid was going to happen. Caroline was in shock and that shock was about to wear off at any moment. “If you want to stay as well, feel free because I’m not leaving her either.”

“She will get pissed off if I stay and honestly, I don’t care. This is what she does. When things are bad, she pushes everyone away and pretends that nothing is wrong.” Bonnie told him with a worried look. “But, if you take her to her moms and refuse to leave, she might listen to you.” Klaus gave her a confused look. Why would Caroline listen to him when she was holding her best friend at arm’s length? “She has feelings for you, dumbass.”

“Did you just call a federal agent a dumbass?”

“Yes. Arrest me.” Before Klaus could reply, Dr. Fell came out of the hospital room with a worried look on her face. At first, Klaus thought that something was wrong with her physically, but they would have heard something from out in the hallway. Dr. Fell looked between Bonnie and Klaus and pointed at both of them.

“Caroline is under the impression that she is spending the night alone.”

“She’s not.” Bonnie and Klaus chimed in at the same time.

“Good because she is in no position to be alone right now.” Dr. Fell pursed her lips. “Agent Mikaelson, I am telling you this because Caroline signed a release stating that I can discuss her case with you, remember?” Klaus nodded, understanding what she was saying. Dr. Fell was about to break her patient’s confidence and was doing it the only way she knew how; by using that release and the fact that Klaus was a federal agent. “I know how stubborn she can be, and she will fight you tooth and nail, but that woman in there is five second away from a complete breakdown. If I knew that she wouldn’t check herself out of the hospital, I would keep her overnight.”

“We are going to Liz’s house. Klaus and I are staying over and Caroline will deal with it.” The finality in Bonnie’s tone impressed Klaus and for a moment, he felt a stab in his stomach. The friendship that Caroline and Bonnie shared reminded him of Marcel. The memory of his friend’s death and how it had been less than forty-eight hours since he died hit him like a ton of bricks.

Klaus shook himself.

Now was not the time.

“Good.” Dr. Fell told them and handed Bonnie a script. “Here is a prescription for medication for the pain and honestly, they may help her sleep. She told me that she did not want to take any sleeping pills, but it might be good for her to take them at least tonight. If she gets a good night’s sleep, it may help her later.” Klaus nodded seriously listening to her every word. She gave a few more instructions before giving a small smile. “And I want to say thank you. You promised that you would find the man that did this and you did. So, thank you.”

“It wasn’t just me but you’re welcome.” Dr. Fell smiled before turning away and heading down the hallway. Bonnie and Klaus shared a look before heading into the hospital room again; silently agreeing that they would not tell Caroline that they both were staying with her that night. Caroline was up, dressed and running a brush through her hair. She saw them come into the room and flashed them a bright smile that did not do her beauty her justice. It felt false and wrong.

“Ready to go?” Caroline asked them cheerfully. Bonnie and Klaus exchanged a look, but Klaus just nodded. “Great! I figured that Bonnie can drop us off at the station to pick up you SUV and then you can take me my mom’s before you head to the bed and breakfast?”

“Sure. Sounds good.” Bonnie told her and picked up her bag that she left on the hospital floor. Caroline smiled at her and walked out of the room. Klaus turned to follow her, but Bonnie’s hand reached out and grabbed her arm. “I’ll drop you off at the police station, go to my apartment and pack a bag. I’ll get Caroline’s prescriptions on my way over. It might be better that way, so she won’t have a fit in the car or something.”

Klaus nodded in agreement and caught up with Caroline who was speed walking through the hospital, not having noticed that Klaus and Bonnie had lagged behind. Klaus watched her nervously as they climbed into the back of Bonnie’s light blue car. Caroline just seemed in a daze and couldn’t focus on anything particularly in front of her. She continued to fidget with her hands and talking non-stop.

“I left my phone at the house so I suppose I can grab that in the morning. I won’t need it. Mom still has a landline. I mean who has a landline anymore? Oh! Maybe we can do coffee in the morning Bonnie? Klaus you should come too. Yes. Before you leave for New Orleans, also you have to tell me when you get there. I’ll worry if you don’t.”

“I promise to call when I get there, Sweetheart.” Klaus promised and he saw Bonnie look at him through the review mirror. He wanted to tell Caroline that there was some work that still needed to be done before he left town. Matt needed to be interrogated and figuring out what would happen to Tyler and Jeremy. There was so much that needed to happen before he could say he was done in Mystic Falls.

Bonnie pulled up to the police station and Klaus pointed which SUV was his. She parked next to it and Caroline all but jumped out of the car as though it was on fire. She was antsy and pacing back and forth as Klaus climbed out of the car. If he had not known better, he thought she might have been on something; but Klaus could spot a panic attack from a mile away and Caroline was on the verge of a breakdown.

“I’ll see you soon.” Bonnie said in a low voice and Klaus nodded. By the time Klaus hit the unlock button on his key fob, Caroline was already crawling into the passenger seat. Klaus pulled out of the space and listened to Caroline ramble on; keeping a close eye on her in case she started to panic as he drove.

“You know, I’ve never been to New Orleans. I’ve traveled but I tend to aim for other countries. Last year, I went to France for work, but you already knew that. I think I told you that. Anyway, I would love to see New Orleans. Is it true that they have French influences? I loved France and I bet the food in New Orleans in amazing. All the creole!”

“I’ll have to take you. Maybe we can make a trip of it. You and me.” While he knew that he was just appeasing her, Klaus did mean what he said. He would love to show Caroline New Orleans or any other city. He wanted to be with her outside of this trauma she was enduring. The brightness of her smile in that moment hurt Klaus more than he could express because it was wrong. He would keep every promise he made to her but in this moment, it was not about the promises he made; it was about getting Caroline through the night intact. He pulled up next to Liz’s house and reached over to Caroline, taking her hand in his. “I promise that we will go to any city you want to see. I will be there with you.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Thank you.” Caroline leaned across the car and kissed his quickly on the lips; tossing him that wide and false smile on her lips. Caroline crawled out of the car and Klaus followed suit. He grabbed his bag out of the back as he watched Caroline pull a small decorative frog from the lawn and grab the spare key from under it. He would have to speak to Liz about a better hiding place for her spare key. “Oh, you don’t have to walk me- why do you have your bag?”

“Sweetheart, I’m not leaving you. You may think that you want to be alone, but you shouldn’t be.” Caroline looked at him as though she wanted to argue; to push the point that she was fine and could take care of herself. He remembered how she said she felt suffocated by Bonnie and Liz’s constant hovering and while he could sympathize with her, he knew that tonight her desire to be alone should be ignored. Sometimes, people just need a friend to be there when they fall. “You can’t change my mind.”

“I’m not…I don’t think…that I’m in the mood for anything-“

“I’m not here for sex, Caroline.” Klaus took a step forward and kissed the top of her head. “Last night meant the world to me and I want more than anything to experience that with you again but not tonight. I’m here for you, not your body.” Caroline’s shoulders sagged in relief and for a moment, Klaus felt more irrational anger towards her ex’s than he had previously. It was clear what both Damon and Tyler wanted Caroline for during their relationship and he thought them fools to be so blind to someone with so much worth. “Now. Why don’t you unlock the door?”

“Right.” Caroline laughed and for a moment, it sounded genuine. He followed Caroline up the porch and through the front door. The house was small and organized. He could tell that Liz did not spend a whole lot of time there. Enzo came bustling towards Caroline with such energy that Klaus envied. Caroline sank down to the ground and pulled the dog to her in a tight hug. She buried her face into his fur and Klaus watched her slowly; thinking that this was the moment she would break but was proven wrong when she pulled away. “You scared me mister. Don’t ever run off again. Okay?”

“He was trying to protect you Love. He is very loyal to you.” Klaus told her and she could not take her eyes off the dog. The relief that was showing on her face told Klaus that everything was slowly becoming real to her. She stroked him a few more times and peppered kisses all over his face; Enzo responding with licking her affectionately and enthusiastically.

“Okay, I missed you too!” Caroline laughed, pulling herself from the ground. “Do you have to use the bathroom? Come on boy.” Caroline walked towards a room that Klaus assumed was the kitchen and he heard another door open. He gave Caroline some space but kept an ear out for her. He took the few moments he heads to look around Liz’s living room. It was small and neat. There was a fireplace toward the far wall and pictured lined up on the mantel.

Most of the pictures were of Caroline during different periods of her life. He saw one of Liz holding a newborn baby with a man Klaus assumed to be Caroline’s father who had passed on a few years back. Another of a little girl with blonde pigtails ridding a bright pink bike. A picture of Caroline in her cheerleading uniform and another with her wedged between Elena and Bonnie. One of Liz and Caroline together while another of Caroline playing with a puppy that looked like Enzo.

Then at the far end of the mantel was another picture of a young Caroline no older than sixteen. She had her hair done up in up do with a few curls framing her face. She wore a soft short green dress that told Klaus it was a photo of a school dance. While Caroline looked beautiful, it wasn’t her that drew is attention. It was her date. Matt Donovan stood beside her, their arms linked and a small smile on his face. A memory of something Caroline had said outside Fell Creamery a few days prior surfaced in his mind.

I was Matt’s homecoming date sophomore year because Elena dumped him. Klaus blanched at the connection. Everyone was connected in such a small town like this but to realize that Caroline had been close to him at one point almost disturbed him.

“I forgot about that photo.” Klaus turned to see Caroline gazing at the frame in his hand. She walked closer to him and took it from him; gazing down that face of her monster. “He asked me shortly after Elena dumped him. I had a crush on Stefan and we both knew we were going just as friends. Funny enough, he actually ran off with Andi Star later that night.”

“Andi? I thought she dated Damon?”

“Yeah, she did but that was years later. Matt and Andi dated for a hot minute at the end of sophomore year, but she was two years older and a senior. I was so wrapped up in Damon by then that I forgot that Matt had dated her. I think almost everyone did because it was just a blimp of a relationship. She got accepted into a school in Charleston and left. She would come back for breaks and stuff. It was around then that her and Damon started…. whatever it was they had. They were together and then they weren’t. Matt just got left behind I guess.”

“Are you okay?” Klaus asked her and Caroline nodded. She placed the photo back on the mantel but continued to look at it. Klaus made a mental note to burn that picture at a later time when Caroline was asleep. A protectiveness swelled up inside Klaus and he never wanted Caroline to gaze upon that photo again. He assumed that she had fun at that dance and now that memory would forever be tainted.

“Yeah.” Her voice was low, and Klaus didn’t believe her. He was studying her intently and he could see that memories were flowing through her mind like a movie projected on a screen. “I’m going to take a shower. Follow me and we can place your bag in my room. Mom hasn’t changed it so we can sleep in there tonight.”

Klaus nodded and followed her out of the living room. He picked up his black go bag and climbed the stairs after her. She went down the hallway and into a small room that clearly belonged to her at one point. There was a double bed that had a flowery comforter on it. A small dresser pushed against the one wall and a bookshelf that had a series of books on it that looked like they belonged to a teenager. The walls were a soft blue with sheer yellow curtains hanging on the windows. Klaus sat his bag down at the end of the bed and watched as Caroline pulled a few things from the dresser.

“Mom keeps some old clothes in here now. She won’t care if I borrow some for the night. I can always wash my clothes or swing by the house-“ Caroline froze and Klaus saw her breathing increase. Klaus took a step towards her and placed his hand on her shoulder. The contact seemed to jar Caroline back to reality, and she shut the drawer roughly and held a shirt that she didn’t even look at in her hand. “I’m jumping into the shower.”

Before Klaus could say anything, Caroline bolted into a room that was adjacent to her bedroom. Klaus made sure to keep the bedroom door open and listened for the sound of the shower to start. When he was sure that she was in the shower, he pushed the bathroom door ajar in order to hear inside better before making his way back into the bedroom. He didn’t want to push her or invade her privacy, but he needed to ensure that he was safe and okay.

Klaus sat down upon her bed, picked up a stuffed cow that had seen better days and waited. Enzo jumped up onto the bed and he reached out to pet the dog. Enzo laid down but his eyes remained trained on the bedroom door, waiting for Caroline to come back through it. The silence was mundane and deafening; but Klaus waited because he knew it was coming.

Crash.

Klaus bolted from the bed and raced towards the bedroom; Enzo barking in the background. He pushed the bathroom door open and looked around. He opened the glass shower door to reveal Caroline on the ground and curled up in the corner. Bottles of shampoo and body washed littered the ground along with a few other shower related items. Not caring that he was fully dressed or that the water was still running, Klaus stepped into the shower; hot water burning his skin and pulled Caroline to his chest. He had trouble moving her, so he sunk down to the ground; holding her as he did.

“I’m here, Caroline. Let it out.” Caroline screamed and cried, her nails digging into his chest. He could not make out what she was saying only that she was in pure agony. The stress, terror and pure trauma from the past two weeks were creeping up on her and eating away at her. The relief of Matt’s arrest was fresh and welcoming, but also made room for the emotions that Caroline refused to let herself feel were bursting at the seams. “It’s okay. I got you.”

Enzo was barking just outside the shower and Klaus could hear footsteps racing up the stairs. Within seconds, Bonnie appeared in the doorway of the bathroom, a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. She looked at the scene around her; the shower running, shampoo bottles on the ground, Caroline’s naked body and Klaus’s clothes’ soaking wet. It did not take long for Bonnie to understand what happened.

Bonnie dropped her bag to the ground and reached into the shower to turn off the water. She grabbed a towel that was hanging on a hook just outside the shower and wrapped it around Caroline’s shoulders. Caroline didn’t seem to notice, she just continued crying and clutching Klaus’s chest. Bonnie sank down on the other side of Caroline and gripped her hand, simply telling her that she was there; letting Caroline cry and just feel everything she had been bottling up.

Klaus and Bonnie shared a look over Caroline’s head. Neither of them was going anywhere and where prepared for a long night ahead.

#klaroline #wanderlust #wanderlust wednesday

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daddies-disappointment · 4 years

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Prompt List

I scrolled through the some prompt lists and found some I liked. Send in a character or pairing from THIS post and up to 4 prompts. Give me up to 3-4 days because I tend to work on multiple requests at once!

Angst

“Just tell me their name and I’ll make this all better.”

“wHY DO YOU KEEP LYING TO ME ?”

“She was crying because of you!”

“I know for a fact that you’re not “fine”.”

“Nothing has changed!” “Yes it has, and you know it."

“Why’re you crying?"

"Are you happy with me?”

“Do you think I like hurting you?!”

"Don’t act so ungrateful.”

“Is it so hard to love me?”

“You know you’re mine, don’t you?”

“Could you at least pretend to love me.”

“I don’t wanna hurt you, baby.”

“Who do I need to be?! Just fucking tell me already!“

"I don’t care what happens as long as we’re together”

“Why won’t you talk to me?”

“No one else makes me feel this way! I can’t lose that!”

“Why do you let others treat at you like that?"

“Don’t lie to me! I know where you really were.”

“I love you, can’t you see that?”

"The doctor called while you were out, why didn't you tell me you went to the hospital?"

"I can't do this anymore."

"Promise me that if I don't make it back that you'll watch out for them."

"Do me a favor, tell them I love them."

"You can take me instead, just please don't hurt them."

"If we die just know I love you."

"I don't want to go, please don't make me go."

"Stay awake, okay, we're going to get out of here. Just stay awake for me."

"You can't protect me forever!"

"You lost them? How do you lose a person!"

"I don't ever want to see you again!"

"I can't believe I trusted you!"

"You know what? No. I don't care anymore. Get out."

“Now that it’s over. . . I don’t really know what to do.”

“Stop apologizing for other people! You’re not the shitty one.”

“I don’t think you’re annoying. I know...I don’t...I really like listening to and hearing what you have to say even if its a lot sometimes..”

“You don’t get too say anything to me!”

“Move out of my way before I make you.”

“Don’t leave me!”

“You said you needed space. I’m starting to think that an entire universe apart wouldn’t be enough space for you.”

“I’m sorry I’m not what you signed up for.”

“This will be the last time you lie to me.”

“It was easier to believe that you were dead.”

“What you’re doing is going to kill you one day.”

“My friends get so annoyed by how much I talk about how sometimes.”

“How DARE I?! What about you?”

“I told everyone that I didn’t want to talk but I’m actually dying for attention.”

“You weren’t there for me when I needed you the most.”

“I was there for you when no one else was!”

“Is there any part of you, deep down, that might love me back?”

“What would you do if I didn’t come back?”

“Do you know what it’s like?”

“Hasn’t this addiction done enough damage already?”

“Is that what you think of me?”

“If I told you I hate you, what would you do?”

“When did you stop loving me?”

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

“Which part of me wasn’t enough?”

“Is this how you thought your life would be?”

“How could you do this?”

“Are you leaving?”

“How could you?!"

"I don't deserve this!"

"Out! Get fucking out!"

"Did you ever stop to think that I have feelings too?!

"Stop yelling at me, please..!"

“You weren’t there...why weren’t you there?”

“I needed you! I needed you!”

“Do you even know what love feels like?”

“Sometimes I wonder if you even like me...it sure feels like you hate me sometimes.”

“How do I make you love me again?"

"I cannot believe you!"

Fluff

“I remember practicing how to ask you out in the mirror..”

“I’ll kiss away the pain, doll.”

“You’ll be safe as long as you stay with me.”

“You’re safe here, I got you.”

"Aw, you’re blushing.”

“I don’t want to forget this moment.”

“Are you really flirting with me right now?”

“You have something in your hair, umm… Do you want me to get it out?

“No, like…. It’s just, I can’t believe you’re actually wearing my clothes.”

“No, mom, don’t tell him/her I said that about him/her!”

“You’re so warm”

“Let me see that pretty smile.”

"Will you be my Valentine?"

"Why do you have to be so gosh darn cute???"

"A kiss will satisfy me."

“Red is the perfect colour on your skin.”

“darling, you’re so perfect.”

“I’m madly in love with you.”

“You’re all I ever think about.”

“I love you, and I’ll do anything to prove it.”

“You’re hair is really soft after you wash it.”

"I’m just braiding your hair.”

“Would it be all right if I borrowed your sweater? It smells like you.”

“You’re comfy.”

“You are very endearing when you are half-asleep.”

“I think I love you.”

“Your bed head is really cute.”

“I’d do anything for you, whether or not you ask me to.”

"Hey! I may be a dumbass but I'm your dumbass!"

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Oh my god, it's just what I wanted!"

"Oh my god is that a dog?! Did you get us a dog???!!"

“You’re so needy. I love it!”

“Kiss me again.”

“Look at you... Goodness, you’re so cute.”

“You are being extra sweet today. What do you want?”

“I’m really happy that you’re here with me.”

“I want you to be proud of yourself."

“I want to feel like this forever.”

“You give me a reason to be better, to do better.”

“I turned out liking you a lot more that I originally planned.”

“I love you. You enormously stubborn pain in the ass.”

Comfort

“If you want to leave, we can.”

“Your comfort and happiness is more important to me than some stupid dinner.”

“Would it help if I stayed with you?”

“Wait, don’t pull away… Not yet.”

“It’s okay, I know you’re just not used to being cared for so much.”

“You’re not hurting me, you’re not heavy. I’ve got you, love.”

"you can talk to me about anything"

"I'll stay with you as long as you need me to"

"you don't have to go through this alone"

"I'm always here if you need anything"

"do you want to talk about it or would you like a distraction?"

“It’s okay, just go to sleep baby.”

Injuries/Insults

“Do that again and you’ll regret it.”

“Do I make myself clear?”

“Control your anger or you’ll have me to worry about.”

“What did you just say to me?”

“Hand me the gun and I’ll kill him myself.”

"I'd rather rot in hell than spend another minute in the same room as you!"

"God I can't fucking stand you."

"I would rather eat glass for the rest of my life than eat

whatever this is."

"Oh my god, your bleeding!"

"Christ! What happened to your eye?"

“I’ll carve out your tongue.”

“I swear, if anyone lays a hand on you, I’ll cut their arm off.”

“Well would you look at that. She/they can listen.”

“I’ll slit your fucking throat.”

“I could fucking kill you right now, you know that?”

“You’re lucky I’m so nice. Anyone else would’ve done something horrible, by now.”

“You’re the only person I’d make an exception for. Count yourself lucky.”

“Remind me to kill you. Please.”

“I think you’re weird.” “I think you’re boring.”

“Don’t look in her eyes, she might steal your soul.”

“She’s hot, but she’s evil.”

“So stick that in your juice box and suck it.”

“My middle finger salutes you.”

“Idiots. I’m surrounded by idiots.”

Other

“I Didn’t take you for the settling down type.”

“I didn’t ask you to do that!”

“Don’t pretend like you’re not happy to see me like this.”

“Your mind must be a horrible place.”

“There’s something I have to tell you…”

“Don’t you get it? It’s because I love you!”

“I’ll do whatever the fuck I want, got it?”

“I shouldn’t have to repeat myself.”

“Wait, he/she has a girlfriend/boyfriend ?"

”If you wanna know, then ask.”

“And just WHERE do you think you’re putting your hands?”

“Duck, you idiot!”

“Do I get bonus points if I act like I care?”

“Don’t look for any redeeming qualities. I don’t have any.”

"Somebody’s cranky.” “Somebody needs to shut up.”

“Oh darling. Go buy a brain.”

“I heard that!” “You were supposed to!”

“I need therapy after this.”

“Do I regret it? Yes. Would I do it again? Probably.”

“Obviously you have mistaken me for somebody who gives a shit.”

“You make no sense to me.” “Welcome to my life.”

"Why do you smell like a dumpster, and if you say you were dumpster diving I swear to god."

"I won't do anything illegal. I promise."

“So...do you want your underwear back?”

“Please stop rolling your shirt sleeves up, it’s terribly distracting”

“Could you come get me?”

“I thought you said no more dangerous stunts?”

“Where’s your adventurous spirit?!”

“Never take life seriously. No one ever comes out alive anyway.”

#prompt list #tua #umbrella academy x reader

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iamreykylotrash · 4 years

Text

Have you ever heard the tragedy of the Skywalkers?

It was a bloodline that was tainted by a phantom emperor who wanted nothing but to rule the whole galaxy and engulf it in darkness. He created Anakin Skywalker in the womb of his mother, Shmi. Later in his life, Anakin met and fell in love with the beautiful queen, Padme Amidala. They got married and Padme had become pregnant. Anakin was happy that he was going to be a father. But one day, he dreamed of losing his true love in childbirth. He became afraid and the emperor used this fear to lure him closer to the darkness. It worked. The queen later died, not cause of childbirth, but because the loss of her husband was too much for her heart to bear. And once her husband found out of her death, and knew that he was the cause of it, his heart would be struck with intense grief. Anakin Skywalker died that day, but that same day was the birth of Darth Vader, the man who would become the most feared sith lord in the galaxy.

But years later, on the sandy planet of Tatooine, there lived a reckless and stubborn boy who knew that he had a greater purpose in his life. That boy would be known as Luke Skywalker. He wanted to become a Jedi, knowing that his father was one. But he did not know the dark truth in his family. He would later confront Darth Vader, who told him that he was his father. Luke did not want to believe it, but deep down he knew that it was true. Then Luke would find out that he had a twin sister. It was the princess that he rescued, Leia Organa. Even though she did not complete her Jedi training, Luke vowed to protect her. In the last confrontation with his father, the emperor tried to tempt Luke into killing him, but he did not let the darkness win. Then the emperor, knowing that he would not be able to turn him, tried to kill him instead. Darth Vader saw his son cry out to him, begging him to save him, and he did. He threw the phantom emperor to his “death”, saving his son but he was not able to save himself. Luke knew that even though his father committed horrific acts, the light still shined through him at the end of his life.

Then as the years passed, Leia Organa would have her own son with Han Solo. She named him "Ben" after Obi-Wan Kenobi, who she considered her only hope at the time when she greatly needed him. Ben Solo, the grandson of Anakin Skywalker, was a happy little boy, wanting to be just like his father. But when he grew older, the darkness was growing inside of him. He was sent with his uncle to train to become a Jedi. But eventually, Luke would see the darkness that his nephew had and he feared it. He took out his lightsaber, thinking that killing Ben would be the only way to stop it, but he immediately regretted it. Then he saw his nephew look at him with shocked and afraid eyes. That day would be the birth of Kylo Ren, the Jedi Killer.

Kylo Ren was ruthless and feared by everyone. He was a man who intended to get anything that he wanted and if he didn't, there would be consequences to those who did not accomplish their orders. One day, he heard that there was a girl with the droid that held the coordinates to the location of Luke Skywalker, who was in hiding. He found the girl and took her, thinking that she would tell him about the droid, but she fought, locking him out of her mind and exposing his fear of not becoming strong as Darth Vader was. But Kylo, being focused on the power that he wanted, ultimately led him to kill his own father, who wanted nothing more for him to come home. Kylo knew that the girl held power and that would be confirmed when they fought for the first time and she beat him. Then they would be bonded by the Force. Of course, at first, they did not want to speak or look at one another. But the more they connected, the more they knew that they were the same. Kylo began to fall for the girl and she for him. Kylo and the girl defeated the person who supposedly haunted his mind and they fought alongside each other. The girl, thinking that Kylo changed back to Ben Solo, saw that he wanted nothing to do with the Resistance or with the Sith. Instead, he wanted to bring a new order, but with her by his side. She refused and left him. That same day, Luke Skywalker died.

Now being the Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren went to look for Emperor Palpatine, who eventually admitted creating Snoke and being the person who was haunting Kylo’s mind. Palpatine tried to lure Kylo to his side by tempting him with power if he killed the girl, but in reality, that isn’t what he wanted. Kylo went to look for the girl, knowing who she really was and the power that she held. But after chasing her for so long, they both confronted each other and fought. But when she was on the ground and he was about to strike again, he heard his mother call out to him, and he knew that she was dying. In that moment of distraction, the girl stabbed his own lightsaber through him, but immediately regretted it and healed him, telling him that she wanted to take Ben’s hand. Moments later, after she left, he would still be on the wreckage and then see a memory of his father, who ultimately would bring his son back to the light. Then, as the fight raged on Exegol, newly redeemed Ben Solo would go there to save the girl that he cared so much for. He would fight his way through, not caring who stood in his way. But then, at the moment he needed her, they bonded and the girl saw the man that she had fallen for.

He would go to her and they would see each other face to face and prepare to fight the ultimate evil that stood in front of them. But Palpatine threw Ben down a pit, leaving the girl to fight alone. The girl won but the overwhelming exhaustion was too much for her body to bear and she fell over and died on the concrete floor. But Ben Solo would climb out of the pit and go to her. He held her in his arms and then embraced her lifeless body, feeling as if his life was not more important than hers. He placed his hand on top of her stomach and transferred his life force into her, reviving her. The girl looked up at him with sparkling eyes and smiled at him. His eyes gazed around her face, focusing only on her. Then she said his name and he smiled. The girl hesitated at first, but then placed her lips on his, giving him a loving and passionate kiss. And when they broke apart, she grinned and so did he. Suddenly, his eyes closed and he fell to the ground, his life leaving his body and his body disappearing all at once.

Emperor Palpatine was responsible for creating this family and he succeeded in destroying it, which is exactly what he wanted.

The Skywalker bloodline is no more.

#reylo #bensolo #rey #starwars #anakinskywalker #lukeskywalker #padmeamidala #leiaorgana #hansolo #skywalker #palpatine #kyloren #darthvader #anidala #hanleia

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vampirrediaries · 4 years

Text

Enemies Of The State : Dark!Klaroline {15}

summary:

This fiction follows the events of just how Klaus Mikaelson and Caroline Forbes lost everything that tied them to their humanity, leading them into something neither of them can come back from.

—————

{10 years ago}

Klaus Mikaelson wanted so desperately to find Caroline Forbes. For her safety he’d devoted his time seeking his older brother who’d wanted her heart in his hands, yet what was the point when she was already on the path of her imminent death?

There were very few things that unsettled Klaus. Siphoner’s were one of them, and the Gemini Coven just so happened to contain one of the devices needed to break out one of the dreaded parasite witches.

Malakai Parker.

Kai Parker, he had decided long ago, was probably as evil as he was. Pure evil reincarnated with no redeeming qualities. A sociopathic killer who conveniently had the ability to kill supernaturals who’d possesed witch magic with a simple touch.

The minute he’d found the news that Kai was banished to the mercy of a prison world, he hadn’t thought of the danger of Siphoner’s. After threatening the Gemini Coven to keep the ascendant hidden away from prying eyes, of course, he’d decided the matter was dealt with.

Until now.

“You don’t think she’s looking for it,” Rebekah stuttered as she looked as her brother wide eyed. “How on earth would she know-”

“It doesn’t matter how she knows!” Klaus cut her off sharply. “You know perfectly well what would happen if he escapes that bloody prison.”

The rest of the group had complexed expressions, obviously confused on what they were talking about. Kol looked ashen, knowing exactly what this situation could bring amongst vampires.

“She needs Bennett blood to activate the ascendent,” Bonnie spoke up heavily. “Caroline doesn’t know anything about magic anyways.”

“She obviously went to the bloody Coven with a purpose in mind,” Rebekah snapped. “That idiotic girl will be the death of all of us!”

“Watch it,” Klaus hissed with venom. “She couldn’t be more idiotic than you, letting her go when you knew she was without her humanity like that. Pathetic.”

The original sister went red with anger, all traces of weakness vanished from her expression at her brother’s words. She knew better than to let him walk all over her. Not this time. Her next words were spat out in pure hostility.

“I’m pathetic?” Rebekah flashed towards him, red faced and enraged. “Who left Caroline here all alone because they were too afraid of feeling love? Figures, you wouldn’t know how it would feel to be loved. Everybody bloody hates you, Nik. You left the girl who was willing to care for you and now, she hates you too because you are weak. That, my dear brother, is the epitome of being pathetic-”

Klaus didn’t let his sister finish her little rant about what she thought of him because in a flash, she dropped dead on the ground, the hilt of a silver dagger glinting in the early morning sunlight, protruding from her chest.

—————

Caroline and Katherine had been driving to god knows where for what had seemed like a couple hours now.

“So what’s the plan, hmm?” Caroline continued coating her nails with a black polish. “I still don’t understand how Kai could help us in our ‘freedom’”

“We aren’t fully free,” Katherine hummed from the drivers seat. “Your little Mystic Fall buddies are probably dying without their piece of human frailty.”

“Please,” Caroline scoffed. “They’re glad i’m gone.”

“I heard. What was that business with precious little you becoming more like a vampire should be?”

Caroline remembered all too well about the feeling of her vampirism consuming every bit of her soul when she was still with her humanity. It was different then, her conflicting emotions driving her to the point of switching it off. That fight with her ex-friends was just the tipping point. Not that she cared about it, obviously.

“I don’t know,” Caroline hummed. “Vampirism getting the best of good little Caroline i suppose.”

“So where is good little Caroline now?”

“She’s dead.”

***

“What on earth did you just do?”

Kol Mikaelson looked upon his sister with widened eyes, who was still laying temporarily lifeless on Caroline’s front lawn.

“Oh stop being so dramatic,” Klaus rolled his eyes, turning away from the scene. “She’ll be back to her incessant little self the minute i pull the thing out.”

“She’ll never forgive you,” Kol breathed out. “She’ll hate you forever.”

Stefan let go of Elena’s hold, who was holding on for her life in worry that her’s might be in danger. Walking over to the greyed body of Rebekah, he looked solemn.

“Was that for Elijah?” He asked quietly. “The dagger.”

“Of course it was for Elijah,” Damon Salvatore approached beside his brother. “He wants to dagger him, don’t you Klaus? Some things never change.”

“Stop it, Damon” Elena speaks up timidly. “It’s better that he’s dead. He wants to kill Caroline.”

“Look at what she’s done Elena,” Damon rolls his eyes, gesturing to Rebekah’s corpse. “All of this for what? She switched if off, and look where we are. Let Elijah deal with her.”

“You better shut it before my brother makes you, mate” Kol says in a quiet voice, glaring at Damon. Little did he know, Klaus already heard it. He was just waiting for Damon to say more.

The angrier he could make him, the better.

“Let me tell you something,” Damon turned around, facing the group. “Caroline Forbes is useless. She’s weak, and shallow and honestly? Makes everything about herself. Like right now.”

“Damon-” Stefan had a warning tone in his voice obviously scared for his life, but the Older Salvatore didn’t care.

“Hope you had fun with the Mystic Queen!” Damon called out to the Hybird, who’s control was far beyond controllable. He smrked. “I know i did.”

The events the proceded as soon as those words were spoken happened in a flash.

Before anybody knew, Damon was sputtering blood as Klaus plunged his hand through his chest, grabbing ahold of the rapidly beating heart. He wanted him to suffer.

“You had fun with the Mystic Queen, eh?” He spat out in pure hostility and revulsion, taking immense pleasure in his suffering “Not as much fun as i’m going to have watching you beg for your miserable little life.”

Damon only began choking on his own blood, as Klaus twisted his heart ever ao slightly. He was surely going to kill him, as the rest watched in horror, not daring to say anything in protest.

“Alright,” Kol approached his brother carefully. “That’s enough, Nik.”

Klaus barely heard him, preparing to kill the Salvatore in front of him. Elena cried silently at the scene, Stefan and Bonnie seemingly frozen in place, when his hand left Damon’s body. Empty.

“You aren’t worth the energy i give in killing you,” He whispered menacingly. Damon breathed heavily, dropping to the floor in an instant as his life was spared. Elena and Bonnie ran to him.

“Bloody hell,” Kol mumbled as he opened his car door. “Everyone needs to get in the car immediately.”

Elena held Damon as Bonnie, Stefan and Klaus stared at Kol. He held the map in his hands, sighing heavily as he got in.

“Let’s find Caroline.”

—————

“What the hell are we doing here?”

Katherine and Caroline stood in the middle of Bourbon street, New Orleans.

“A witch i’ve had the pleasure of meeting recently resides here,” Katherine responded, making her way through the crowd of tourists. “I need something of hers.”

“And it just so happened to be here of all places?” Caroline complained. “I hate New Orleans.”

“I could imagine why,” Katherine snickers as she effortlessly pushed he way through the crowd. “I don’t think your boyfriend is here, cupcake. Don’t worry.”

Caroline grumbled under the breath as she followed the doppelgänger’s lead. It was infuriating, really. New Orleans was the last place she’d wanted to go, and for what? A stupid witch?

“Just hurry up, I wanna get out of here as soon as possible.”

After what seemed like a couple minutes, the pair had reached the cemetery. It was just as Katherine had remembered when she was led here by Klaus, the link she’d needed desperately lifted thanks to Elijah Mikaelson

God, Original men were so incredibly stupid.

She made her way into the cemetery, Caroline following suit stubbornly. It was eerie, the aura of death and magic fully present in the air. She smiled, knowing that the witch was close.

“Hello!” Katherine called out all of a sudden. “Where are you?”

The blonde stood perplexed as she leaned against a tomb stone. That must be the witch that Katherine had required the services of. She’d hoped that they would show up already, wanting to get out of this city as quickly as possible.

“If you scream like that, you’ll wake the dead.”

Katherine smiled.

The doppelgänger turned to face the woman that’d appeared out of nowhere, a pleasant expression on her face. “I was wondering if you’d still be here.”

Caroline examined the witch. She was beautiful, her long black hair reaching her waist. There was something in her eyes, however. They shone with a twisted darkness, which would unsettle anyone.

“Of course i’d be here, Katerina. You have something i desperately require.”

“Conveniently, so do you.”

The woman smiled, sitting down at her alter that’d consisted of black candles instead of white. It was vast, and dark substances were spread out on the dirt.

She was practicing black magic.

“This is my friend, Caroline Forbes.” Katherine gestured. “She’s just tagging along for the ride.”

“Nice to meet you...uh?” She stopped mid sentence, waiting for a name.

“Amelia,” The woman answered with a sickly sweet smile. “Amelia Bennett.”

——————

masterlist

#the vampire diaries #the originals #tvd #klaus mikaelson #caroline forbes #klaroline #dark klaroline #tvd au #klaroline au #klaus x caroline #the vampire diaries fanfiction #tvd fanfiction #the originals au #stefan salvatore #katherine pierce #damon salvatore #the originals fanfiction #tvd one shot #the vampire diaries one shot

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dramaclover · 4 years

Text

Ending & Thoughts: Al Cappuccino

Another wacky and zany drama. Now I’m telling you now. Do not go into this drama expecting a dark thrilling undercover cop show. Cause this ain’t it. It’s more on the hilarious, lighthearted take on the police and triads. It’s not realistic in any way. Well I mean, no drama is fully realistic but this one is the exact opposite of how things should’ve gone down.

The amount of times where they talked OPENLY LOUD about who and who is undercover is ridiculous. It’s like they don’t even try to hide the fact. Typically only one or two people would know a certain someone is undercover. In this drama the handlers whole teams know, as well as her superiors. The amount of times they would meet up in public spaces or just casually call them over their personal phone is mind blowing. At first it was annoying, cause every time they did something so openly, I would think well “cover is blown”. But that’s not the case. As you continue to watch, you start to ignore it and pretend everyone is deaf and blind to this. When that happens the drama starts to become entertaining.

This whole drama just focused on one storyline and that is investigating who killed the triad boss. We don’t find out who it is until the very end. The stories in between talks about Chiang Sai Lung (Vincent Wong) taking over the head triads role. A lot of struggles in between with him trying to stay in this role. Side stories dealing with love lines, fan service scenes of bromance. The bromance was a huge factor and what made me so compelled to keep watching. Honestly Sai Lung and his 4 love interests were totally boring to me. I enjoyed his bromance with Go Bun (Owen Cheung)more. Also really liked Koo Yan Yi (Crystal Fung) as the handler and watch as the 3 become very close. This trio was fun to watch compared to those unnecessary side love stories.

Sai Lungs love story features heavily in this drama, so I can’t just not talk about them. The 4 woman in Sai Lungs life comprises of Koo Yan Yi aka Madam Koo, his handler that has a strong sense of justice & loyalty. So Tsz Shan (Kathy Yuen) a timid woman who aspires to be a teacher. Chong Ming Lai (Samantha Ko) a haughty actress. And Yiu Ching Shui aka Shui jie (Angel Chiang), the confident, outspoken business woman. Out of the 4, I only liked Madam Koo & Shui Jei. I guess this is TVBs attempt to make him similar to Chor Lau Heung where everyone falls in love with the male lead despite him not even trying.

Tsz Shan is so boring and easily bullied. She was not fun to watch, I didn’t think she had chemistry with Sai Lung and odd enough she was a huge fan favourite. Which I can’t wrap my head around, her character was just so bland to me. She’s so oblivious to her Dad and brothers wrongdoings. It gets annoying when she’s so blind to it all. I know it’s hard to believe your family member is evil, but really? Her role here is basically to be the main love interest to Sai Lung since she plays no role in solving the main mystery. She hasn’t even tried to help Sai Lung to uncover anything. She’s always so timid and getting put into a position where she’s in danger. Way too damsel in distress for me.

Ming Lai was super annoying, all she does is bother Sai Lung and threatens to make him stay by her side. And when she forces him to announce that their dating (they actually aren’t) she gets pissed when he leaves her for someone else. Like girl, you know he doesn’t like you. You blackmailed him into staying with you. Like what did you expect? Also her character could be written out and no one would notice her gone. That’s how unnecessary she was. She’s literally a filler character created to fill up the 30 episode slot. Samantha Ko is a great actress, it just sucks her role here is so unneeded.

Shui Jie was a breath of fresh air. Originally she was sent to seduce Sai Lung but she ends up falling for him instead. I really disliked how she fell for him though, it came out of nowhere. They met 4 times and suddenly she’s in love? It was to rush and random for me. But as a character itself, she was a breeze to watch. She’s super confident and smart. Unlike Tsz Shan she’s able to help Sai Lung in solving a lot of his problems and find ways to warn him of danger. I love how brave she is. She’s not afraid to tell someone she loves them and pursue it.

Madam Koo was also another likeable character. She doesn’t want to be known as just a pretty rich girl. She wants to prove that she can be a successful cop. You can tell how much faith she puts into Go Bun and Sai Lung. She treats them fairly and always finds way to help them. I really like how she can remain calm and think things through. When Go Bun and Sai Lung seemingly betrays her. She doesn’t get angry instead she goes and secretly investigates what’s going on. That is how she figured out how her Father was one of the masterminds. And she did that all alone.

Another side love story would be between Go Bun and Chiang Chin Ha (Winki Lai). They were fun to watch and had awesome chemistry. From the beginning we see that they both liked each other but won’t make a move. Chin Ha with her pride and knowing Go Bun would not reciprocate. Go Bun on the other hand is a cop. To him he can never be with someone involved with the triads. So it becomes a can’t help but love each other story. They were cute together but it was unrealistic for Chin Ha to forgive Go Bun so easily after finding out 1) he’s an undercover cop and 2) he only approached her to solve the case. Essentially Go Bun used her infiltrate the triad. The fact that it was glossed over so quickly made no sense. Chin Ha is a strong minded business person who strongly cares about her family. Yet, Go Bun lied to her all this time and used not only her but her family as well, and she’s okay with it? I’m glad they got a happy ending but I wished it showed more of the internal struggle with her finding out.

I’m always hoping for a good plot twist so I was secretly hoping that Cheung Sai Lun was actually Chiang Sai Lung. And that he was faking it the whole time cause he was upset that his family left him in the orphanage. The amount of scenarios that ran in my mind LOL. I also thought maybe he is Chiang Sai Lung but he himself didn’t know and it just became a case of mistaken identity (this would’ve been sooo good especially towards the end where they had a DNA test done). My third theory was Chiang Sai Lung is not dead and that he would show up in the end to reclaim his identity. But as you can see none of that happened. Don’t worry though, cause there were other plot twists that caught me off guard.

The first one is Sai Lung getting so caught up with his method acting that he actually becomes cruel. He along with Go Bun betrays Madam Koo and turns to the dark side of the triad. I was so invested in this. I really thought Sai Lung could no longer break his character and that he had fallen into deep. This has happened in real life where actors could no longer separate real from fake. I love that they added that into the storyline cause it makes it all real and scary. Of course turns out it was all an act to sniff out the real killer. Unfortunately it was easy to figure out that it was an act once he had a “fall out” with Go Bun. That part was a little too much for it to be real. And that’s when the surprises stop.

The second one would be the development of Szeto Shun (Jack Hui) a cop that relies on dirty tactics to climb up in ranks. He is one of the many antagonist, what makes him different though is that he repents and redeems himself by the end. His character had the best development if you ask me. He went from someone whose dream was to be a cop, to using underhanded methods to get his way to finally becoming a human again. He gets so caught up in promotions that he forgot why he became a cop in the first place which is for justice. When he helped Madam Koo arrest the bad guy he said something along the lines of “I have done bad things, but in the end I’m still a cop”. He said that as the reason why he decided to do the right thing for once. At first I thought he’d be the typical evil cop that ends up dying. But this character proved me wrong. In the end he turns himself in as he wanted to take responsibility for his actions.

I was shocked that no one died in this drama. And when I say that I obviously meant the main characters. Usually the obligatory best friend, love interest, family member heck even one of the bad guys would die. But that didn’t happen. They all survived, even the bad guys just quietly went to jail. Speaking of bad guys, their problems were resolved so quickly that it was pointless. We did not sit through all of that drama just for the bad guys to one by one casually reveal what happened. It was so unoriginal too. Like Madam Koos father got touched by her speech about good and evil that her father confessed to the crime. Tsz Shans father out of guilt for being the cause of her daughters injuries confessed to everything to “repent”. Even the ultimate black cop just spewed the truth out once asked. Like I understand he was caught red handed but he literally revealed all of the information once questioned? He’s not even gonna try to fight it? He doesn’t even have an emotional backstory for him to feel guilty to admit the truth. It just happened. It was so nonsensical that I got confused that it all ended so quickly. There wasn’t even a huge fighting showdown. Which is why I say despite this dubbed as a undercover triad thriller drama. It isn’t! Being an undercover cop was like a backdrop, even the mystery death was sidelined. The focus was on the familial and bromance relationship. The drama would’ve been short if they hadn’t added in the random romances.

Acting wise, I’ve seen a lot of hate against Crystal. There were so many complaints in the international forums I literally thought she was a train wreck. Well she wasn’t. I don’t see how she ruined the drama? I’m convinced that people just complain about her cause they aren’t happy about her being promoted by TVB. But guys you need to chill. Her acting is pretty decent. She isn’t screaming her lines or bulging her eyes out. She is stiff and needs more work on enunciating. This was her first leading drama and she’s still so new. I really thought her acting would be like Sisley Choi from 2012 with the screaming or Charmaine Sheh from 1998 with the overreacting. But she wasn’t. Also people complained about her wardrobe cause she was dressed so fashionably. Are you guys blind? All the main males in this drama are dressed in suits 24/7 whether they’re a cop or not. Literally Go Bun and Sai Lung wears a suit everyday walking around. They’re not wearing causal wear. Why is no one hating on them? The double standards are scary. But then again it could just be hate against Crystal in general. Back when Niki Chow and Kate Tsui played as cops they would wear high heels and pretty clothes as well but no one said anything. And this drama was anything but realistic. I find that it’s the international fans that are complaining, Hong Kong netizens are actually satisfied with Crystal.

Owen Cheung has finally found his niche and that is comedy. Every drama he’s been in, I’ve always been unimpressed with him. But then I figured out it’s mostly cause he gets typecasted as the “hot” guy in which I personally think he’s not. He’s more suited for nerdy roles like (The Offliners) or comedic roles like this one. It’s like how Benjamin Yuen is wooden in serious roles and only good in comedy ones as well. The bromance between him Vincent was great. So hilarious that I sometimes wished the drama just focused on their bromance only.

The ending was open ended in a way. Go Bun and Chin Ha gets married. The Chiang family has left the triad behind and deals with legal business only. Sai Lun has to make a choice of staying in Hong Kong or pursuing his acting dreams overseas. And between the 4 woman in love with him, he doesn’t end up with either of them. Only ending with saying how he’s happy he met the 4 of them. Obviously he loves Tsz Shan the most. No question about it. The 4 woman knows that as well. So I don’t know why they ended it like that. This is the first drama where the female lead loves the male lead but they don’t end up together. Instead he falls fall for the second lead instead. I’m okay with it as I prefer Madam Koo and Sai Lun as good friends but it’s surprising to see them go down this route instead. Sequel? Hmm I don’t know. What could the sequel be about? Sai Lun can’t just go undercover in a different family again. Unless they shift the focus from triad/ cops to something else.

Despite the flaws I love this drama. I kept wanting to watch the next episode compared to Death by Zero. I was just so into the bromance and the hilarious antics. It’s just so entertaining. I know I complained a lot, but this is one drama I highly recommend you to watch. Just don’t go into it believing it’s like Infernal Affairs or Line Walker. This is in the running to be one of TVBs better dramas of 2020 along with Brutally Young and Death by Zero!

#tvb #tvb drama #Al Cappuccino

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