Larelin
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Stone Can Be Broken by lawsofchaos
Fandoms: The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, Shadowhunters (TV)
28 Jun 2020
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Summary
There’s a deep weariness in Alec’s eyes when he finally looks up to meet Catarina’s gaze. Magnus, on the other hand, turns away to glare at the wall behind Alec’s head, the line of the warlock’s shoulders as razor-sharp as the war paint masquerading as eyeliner on his face.
Alec takes a deep inhale, pushing back the hurt and tilting his chin up ever so slightly in quiet resignation as he breathes out slowly.
“In order for true love’s kiss to break the curse,” and here Alec’s voice is carefully even against the incipient tightening of his throat, “is the love required to be mutual?”
EDIT: Sequel by Aria_Lerendeair
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Bookmarked by Larelin
13 Aug 2024
Bookmarker's Notes
Jace himself is stiff at Alec’s side, lips pressed tightly together and an iron rod in place of his spine.
His silence and somber demeanor are a distinct change to his usual sprawl. Raphael and Luke have been eyeing him oddly since the meeting began, but Jace can feel his brother’s heart shattering just a little bit further every time Magnus so blatantly ignores his presence and dismisses their former relationship as inconsequential. Alec’s face may be carefully expressionless, but the dull ache throbbing at Jace’s left hip speaks otherwise.
If all Jace can do to lighten the weight on his brother’s shoulder is make certain he doesn’t offend any of the Cabinet members present tonight, then he’ll keep his thoughts to himself. After all Alec has risked to make this Cabinet happen, to make it truly an instrument of change and not a window-dressing of equality, Jace is furious that Magnus had so little trust in his brother to let one moment ruin everything.
The words burning in his throat are certainly not kind, but Alec still loves Magnus with everything that he is and so Jace stays silent, sending a pulse of sorrow and concern to his parabatai when he feels Alec brace himself to continue speaking.
Jace knows Alec better even than he knows himself sometimes, and he knows that there is absolutely nothing that will stop Alec from helping Magnus in any way he can, no matter how much pain it causes him or how much of his pride and dignity he has to give up to do it.
...
And Alec’s breath is frozen in his lungs and his heartbeat radiates a deep, pulsing ache through his chest. Claim. Alec claims to love Magnus. Alec had thought hearing Magnus so flatly deny his own feelings for Alec would be the most painful part of this entire Edom damned meeting, but hearing Magnus deny Alec’s feelings for Magnus? Hearing that he had somehow failed so utterly and so completely in the short time Magnus has chosen to share his life and his heart with him that Magnus cannot believe Alec has ever loved him?
Nephilim love once and love fiercely. For Magnus to doubt him now, Magnus has to refute everything that’s come before. Alec has taken blades to the chest that have hurt less.
He swallows, attempting to speak, to find any words to address the cutting derision in Magnus’ voice, but he finds nothing.
Jace bristles next to him, fury pouring through their bond. “Nephilim love once,” he snarls, eyes bright, but Alec regains his composure and cuts Jace off. None of this is Magnus’s fault. Any failings here are Alec’s alone.
“Does it matter?
...
The room is silent in a way that’s unnatural for one occupied by so many people.
Luke is the first to stand to leave, not saying a word as he walks towards the door. The former nephilim stops, however, just before he reaches it. “Magnus,” and Luke doesn’t actually turn to look at him. “I thought you knew this, it’s not exactly something we-,” he stops, “something the nephilim hide. What Jace said, that nephilim love only once - that isn’t just an old saying. Nephilim love once and love fiercely. In Alec offering publicly to break that curse, every person in this entire Institute now knows that Alec loves you- truly, deeply, fiercely- and will continue to love you until the day he dies.”
Luke finally turns his head, his dark eyes pinning Magnus in place. “Even if you choose not to return that love, I hope you hold enough respect for him not to abuse the position Alec has just put himself in to help you.”
Magnus swallows, throat tight. He nods shortly.
Luke looks at him - looks through him - a moment longer before he finally turns back around to walk through the door.
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“You’re going away. Someplace I can’t follow.”
Astarion blinks. Remembers the body beneath him. Feels the palm cupping his cheek. They had not even gotten to the good part. They had not gotten to the good part again since reaching it on Astarion’s grave. How many moons ago was that?
Bookmarked by Larelin
23 Jun 2024
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3
“Wait.”Gale stills. “Yes, my heart?”
His certainty of what will happen next paralyzes him. He cannot answer, he cannot move. If he looks at Gale, he knows what he will see. Countless bodies have given him practice for reading emotions, anticipating wants, detecting what others are trying to hide.
“Astarion? Are you with me?”
Astarion’s Adam’s apple bobs. “Yes.” The word is a rasp. He wishes he wasn’t.
“What are you feeling?”
Like the full moon has blinked out of the night sky. Like his very soul is waning. He wishes he did not need to do this, but he does. Two centuries of pure shit taught him that to please is to survive, to deny is to beg for his own ruin. He cannot keep living like this or the light he recently rediscovered inside of himself will be snuffed out for good.
“It seems I am still unable to… indulge in this sort of activity. I’m sorry.” His eyes continue to track the movement of the orb without processing it. If he turns, he will find every bit of disappointment, of impatience, of frustration Gale is trying to smother.
Gale sits up and withdraws his arm. Astarion nearly cries out at the loss of contact. Dread rushes through him, but Gale does not leave the bed.
“Alright.” His voice is reserved, controlled in a way that makes Astarion’s skin crawl with the need to know what lies beneath the surface. “Do you want to be touched? Not like before- to be held, I mean. Would that bring you comfort, or would you prefer to be alone? Whatever would bring you the most comfort, please don’t hesitate-”
It is not the words, but the care that leaks into his voice that makes Astarion grab Gale’s forearm.
“I’m going to look at you,” says, forcing the words out around the mindless fear that threatens to choke him. “Don’t say anything. Just- just let me look at you.”
Gale sets a hand on top of Astarion’s.
Slowly, glacially, he meets Gale’s eyes. He cannot help it, he searches for the disgust he knows he has inspired. He finds none. Only concern in the tension around his mouth, a hint of anxiety in the lines around his eyes, concentration in the creases of his forehead. He finds love, and the realization punches the air out of him.
He notices he is crying when Gale’s face blurs before his eyes. Astarion shifts to lay against him, pressing his cheek beneath the scar. He shuts his stinging eyes and listens to Gale’s heartbeat, letting it confirm what he saw in his face.
Gale wraps his arms around him and they stay like that. ...
Astarion does not attempt to hide his laughter this time. It comes out soft and choked, a bird with clipped wings. “Yes, Gale.”
Not darling, not dear, not wizard of Waterdeep. Gale visibly short-circuits and needs a moment to process Astarion using his name. “I- thank you.”
...
Gale swallows. "What I mean to make clear, is that you can say 'no' as many times as you need until you believe you have the power. Until ‘yes’ holds equal weight. I am grateful for every time you feel at ease enough with me to voice your needs, because it means that despite my shortcomings when it comes to relationships, I must be doing something right."
Astarion’s mouth is dry. He swallows. “I haven’t been fair to you as of late. Not since I moved in.” The rise of Gale’s chest indicates he is about to give a long rebuttal, but Astarion sits upright and he pauses. “I mean it. You do the right thing to the point that it infuriates me, and I- I have not had the sense to let you know. I’ve been too caught up in my own mind to consider how my actions have affected you.”
He expects Gale to deny it outright, to smooth it over with a blatant lie.
Instead, Gale tucks a white curl behind his ear and says, “You haven’t been fair to yourself, either. I could hardly expect you to be in a state to extend the courtesy. I would be a callous man to take offense. It saddens me, but it does not make me love you any less.”
...
“What?” Gale’s cheeks and ears turn a delicious dark pink, and if Astarion had not just fed the sight would have made him crave a taste. “My apologies. I know we have yet to put our living situation into concrete terms, and-”
Astarion kisses him fully on the mouth. Gale relaxes into it. It is unhurried and sweet, and for the first time Astarion understands how this can be a standalone activity rather than a precursor.
"You're a foolish man, to give so much and ask for so little in return," Astarion murmurs when they part.
“You give me more than you know,” he replies.
“What can I offer when I’m always on the verge of disappearing?”
“The assurance that you’ll come back,” Gale murmurs, and kisses him again.
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He’s almost looking forward to either falling from the top of the Netherbrain into the River Chionthar, or watching it fall from a safe distance. It’ll be over, then! It’ll be done. He can go hide in the dark, forget this ever happened twice. Astarion can forget Tav. He can move on. Learn to love the dark again, or something.
Astarion wakes up in a pod on the Nautiloid.
(COMPLETE! <3)
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Bookmarked by Larelin
14 Jun 2024
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Groundhog Day journey w/ Aston and eventually Gale
20 - G joins A
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and nothing ever does begin, like nothing ever ends by jublis
Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender
19 Aug 2020
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Summary
There are many ways for this story to start. There are many ways for it to end, too, though we will try not too linger too much on them. We will look away and practice a smile on the mirror, close our eyes and focus on things when they were swift and beautiful and bright, when a summer’s day was always warm, and the good times were always good, and there was nothing to forgive. We will look at the boy in the iceberg, and the warriors, and the children, and the prince, and we will always be discovering magic for the first time.
Here is a well-known secret: everything ends, and that’s always sad.
Here is a not so well-known fact: everything begins again, and that’s always happy.
Or, there are many ways this story begins and ends. It depends on who you ask.
Series
- Part 12 of heirloom
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Bookmarked by Larelin
26 Jul 2022
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Depending on who you ask, there are no beginnings and no ends. There is only a life and what we do with the time we are given.
This is not a love story, and it never has been. It’s a story about a war and the children in it. It’s a story stained with the biases of time, and blood, and death, and an endless amount of grief. But, when the world rests on shoulders too young to bear it—isn’t it an impossible thing, that they still find enough place to grow? Isn’t that, in itself, what love truly means?
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When Harry finds Tom Riddle's diary he does not write 'Hello.' He does not write anything at all. He draws. Tom Riddle falls in love with the artwork.
_________________Sketch by sketch, drawing by drawing, the ink Harry pours into the diary manifests as creations in Tom's monochrome world.
Series
- Part 1 of Soul-Stained Masterpieces
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Bookmarked by Larelin
27 Sep 2022
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at 17
16
Petunia was never as vibrant as her little sister, never as charming, never filled with that unnamable something extra. Petunia didn’t have Lily’s magic or Lily’s true love.Petunia lives. That’s what big sisters are supposed to do when their little sisters die. They live on for their beautiful baby sisters and do all the things their little sisters never got to do. They live on for themselves and put one step in front of the other knowing that the grief they feel will never fade but there’s a whole world out there waiting.
So Petunia Evans, the last Evans from a family of four, the woman who buried her parents and little sister, keeps going. She has days where she is cruel and days where she is joyful, but she wakes up every morning and hopes that it's enough.
Petunia Evans does not remember life before Lily. But she remembers Lily forever in the life she lives after.
End of Part Two