does anyone just start crying because it feels like there's no true way for women to be fully liberated without some men harming us every single day
it just feels so hopeless because no matter how much we protest and prove that we are more than capable of doing great things some men won't stop seeing us as beneath them
i don't even know what to do anymore
‘..d3rlord..?’ Delilah breathes, ‘who’s… d3rlord?..’ she asks as her screen comes back to normal, then she looks around. She squints into the monitor as she stares at the water. ‘..An opening.’
averythemayo: that’s the only way.
Crafffy: THE ONLY WAY???
LootGoblin: THEN JUMP DELILAH
Delilah glances at her second monitor. ‘..What..?’ Then back at her main monitor where the opening in the water sits. ‘The only way..’ she repeats under her breath, her fingers twitch hesitantly, then she flies down onto the water and into the opening. As she did, she saw two large tunnels in walls– ‘..I’m glad none of you have trypophobia.’ Delilah jokes weakly, then she flies into the left tunnel. She continued to venture deeper, and as she did, she came out of the tunnel and was met again with yet another wall of tunnels.
Delilah raises an eyebrow, ‘Wifies really thought adding random holes was a good idea?’ she snorts and looks around, then goes left again. And at the other end of the tunnel was a cavern room– with a narrow space for air. And as she glances around again, she hears the whispers again.
‘He’s coming’
‘The King’
‘Slow’
‘Run’
Delilah hides behind a cobblestone block– and as the whispers continue, three full stacks of yellow wool suddenly find its way in her inventory. ‘..Wait, huh?’ it glitches, and a small, sinister smile appears on each stack. ‘..what the..’ Delilah murmurs in disbelief, she stared at the three stacks of yellow wool in her inventory. She breathes in sharply. ‘...No.’ The whispers pass by slowly, turning merely audible. She throws the three stacks of wool into the water. The stacks stayed at the top of the water exactly where she threw it. Like it was testing her, watching her.
DEEL: BURN ITITITTI
Sigmaboy: GET RID OF IT MAN
averythemayo: it won’t matter what you do to it. It will return.
Delilah glances subtly at Avery’s message. ‘I won’t let it return..’ That until she opens her inventory once more, revealing yet another three full stacks of yellow wool. All the same, smiling at her, testing how far she could go until she breaks. ‘..what..?’ Delilah slapped her keyboard so hard her camera shook. ‘STOP PUTTING URINE BLOCKS IN MY INVENTORY.’ She snaps, throwing them out.
After Delilah calms down, she swims back down into another tunnel, until finally– an opening.
She swims up into the surface, and she finds herself in a forest that looks like the place filled with trees that were stacked on one another. Yet, this was a forest itself. Delilah looks around, ‘Another forest.’ she huffs, swimming back to shore. ‘What do I do here?’ She flies up, ‘There’s nothing here.’
She glances down to the ground under her, and she spots a player moving between the trees at impossible speed. Not chasing, like they were trying to show her something. Delilah blinks in confusion, and decides to fly down to follow them. To yet another build.
She glances under the tree where the hole sat. ‘..What..?’ But before she could open chat to ask, the player disappeared into the forest. ‘...ooo…kay..’
LootGoblin: OH GOD WHO WAS THAT
Genenev: MUST BE D3RLORD OR SOEMTHIN
Averythemayo: be careful.
Delilah flies down, and another tunnel made of mudbricks lead into the darkness. She continues to fly until she meets an entrance. She flies inside, it’s a maze.
‘I’m freaking bad at mazes, thanks a lot Wifies.’ Delilah groans, trying her best to solve the puzzle of this newly founded maze. And she noticed, every correct way– was left.
Delilah hesitates at another left turn, ‘Look, man. I know we’re not supposed to turn left, but..’
LootGoblin: DELILAH
DEEL: NOPE NOPE NOPEE
Crafffy: PLEASE NO
averythemayo: don’t.
She turns left, and she exits the maze into another giant room with a large cipher above the door. Delilah tilts her head as she walks forward. ‘A code?’
Genenev: Bro ur in creative mode just break through it
DEEL: LMAO YEAH
‘You’re right.’ Delilah chuckles, walking in front of the door and breaking the blocks. She flies into yet another opening, but this time, a village. But not a normal village from a minecraft world. Delilah, as cautious as she is, looks around again– behind houses, inside houses, under houses, in the fountain, nothing. ‘Where could the other entrance possibly be?’ Delilah huffs.
averythemayo: the witches castle.
Delilah stares at his message, and sure enough, in the far distance was a witch’s castle. ‘Huh.’ She flies over, digging down– until she finds another entrance. ‘MORE mudbricks??’ Delilah complains, yet flies down eventually. She continues walking forward cautiously, until she sees yet another entrance… to a crossroads.
‘A.. crossroads..?’ Delilah laughs weakly, remembering what the book said. ‘..Uhh..’ She looks from left to right. All consumed by darkness. ‘I’d.. love some help.’ She glances at the second monitor.
averythemayo: don’t turn left.
averythemayo: please.
Delilah hesitates, glancing at both ways. ‘..But.. aren’t.. all the correct ways… left?’
Another message appeared, this time, in her minecraft chat. And the username was censored.
|||||||> left is faster.
Delilah stutters, chuckling nervously. 'Uh, must’ve been a Minecraft… error.’ She shrugs, but Avery doesn’t brush it off.
Averythemayo: wait.
Averythemayo: that’s not possible.
Averythemayo: he’s dead.
Averythemayo: no.
LootGoblin: OHHH NO
Crafffy: lost lovers anyone????
Genenev: HOLY MOLY.
Silence filled the stream for a moment, then Delilah’s game crackled– as if it was corrupted. Static burst through her headset. Delilah jumped, and confusion settled in her. ‘WAIT, WHAT THE–’
Then a voice spoke. Tired, broken, quiet. As if unsure. ‘..Avery?’ the voice asks, ‘...Avery is here?’ the voice adds, as if it never believed such a thing. Delilah stutters again. ‘..Who is this?’
Averythemayo: DEREK
averythemayo: no no wait.
Averythemayo: but i watched him get taken by the yellow king..?
D3rlord spoke again, his voice the same– still broken, still quiet. ‘Avery? Is that really.. really you?’ His voice gets distorted, like it wasn’t really him. ‘I’m still here, Avery.’ He chokes out. Delilah opens and closes her mouth, like she wanted to say something. ‘You’re.. the player who led me to this crossroads?’ D3rlord chuckles weakly, ‘Yes.’
‘But Avery..?’ D3rlord spoke again, ‘You actually got out..?’ He laughs weakly again. ‘..I’m… I’m happy he didn’t get you..’ Then silence.
Delilah frowned again, ‘Out? What do you mean– AGH–!’ Static burst violently through her headset. ‘You didn’t tell her?’ D3rlord asks in disbelief.
Averythemayo: ..i was trying to keep her out of it.
D3rlord laughs bitterly, but it hid pain. ‘NOBODY stays out of it, Avery. You know he wanted you as his vessel– I saved you.’
Averythemayo: I never wanted her to know what happens at the crossroads, derek. I didn’t want her to end up like you.
D3rlord laughs again, this time, his laugh becomes more distorted. ‘END UP LIKE ME? So, it’s MY fault that I died? If you listened, YOU WOULD’VE STAYED OUT OF IT!’
Averythemayo: shut up.
Delilah laughs in utter confusion, ‘why.. are you guys.. arguing?’
averythemayo: don’t talk to him delilah, it’s not him anymore.
Delilah’s confused laugh dies down slowly, ‘hah..heh.. huh.. what?’
averythemayo: hastur. Leave the child out of this.
D3rlord laughs, ‘Hastur? You really think the King would talk to you?’ He scoffs, ‘Why would he talk to a coward?’
Averythemayo: delilah that isnt d3rlord, run.
D3rlord huffs, ‘Delilah, is it? Don’t listen to him. He’s already left me rotten in this goddamn world.’
averythemayo: excuse me?
Delilah’s mouth gaped open, like she was too confused whether to reply or not. ‘Uhhh..’ Then she blinked rapidly, ‘OKAY, OKAY, OKAY, first of all, what the HELL does ‘rotten’ EVEN MEAN?? AND WHY ARE WE ACTING LIKE WE’RE IN A DIVORCE COURT?’
Silence for a second. Then D3rlord laughed again, like he’s had enough, broken enough. ‘...So, Avery never told you what happens when the yellow starts spreading?’
averythemayo: don’t you think about it.
Delilah laughs nervously, slowly backing away into the crossroads. ‘Ah… I’m starting to think you’re corrupted or something..’
D3rlord appears from behind her, his character different from before– one of his eyes under his helmet was pulsing yellow. He chuckles, ‘I’ve been corrupted far too long..’ He turns to the side, like he was thinking. He hums as she turns back to her. ‘Now, it’s your turn.’
Averythemayo: RUN DELILAH
Delilah stutters, then breaks into a run– she didn’t think about it, but she’s already turned left. Already broken the rule.
D3rlord laughs from behind her, his laugh even more distorted than before. ‘Keep turning left.’
Delilah continues to run, and into the darkness, shone a light– and in between darkness stood a yellow gate– tall.
‘..Is this that.. thing you’re talking about?’
averythemayo: ..ignore my warnings, hide from him.
Delilah slowed to a stop before the gate, breathing hard. The towering yellow gate hummed softly in the darkness. Behind her, d3rlord’s footsteps stopped.
Silence filled the entire area. Then slowly, the gates began to open inward. Delilah’s chat suddenly froze. Every message disappeared.
Delilah stares into the darkness, making out a rather large figure in yellow, the figure’s face converted into darkness. But one eye showed. Delilah jumps.
One new voice spoke; this time, deeper, more royal. ‘Welcome back.’
‘Heyy, chat! It’s your girl Delilah! Welcome back to another terrible, TERRIBLE decision!’ Delilah grins into the camera, leaning closer to her microphone, watching as messages fill her other monitor.
sillyboyy6767: DELILAHHH
craftykins: OOO I WONDER WHAT YOU DID LMAOOO
LootGoblin: MINECRAFT VIDEOOO??!!?!?!?!?!
ddumblock: PLS PLAY ON HARDCOREEEE
‘Well if you ARE wondering what we are doing today, YES! It IS a minecraft video, my little internet parasites!’ Delilah giggled, clapping her hands, as if celebrating victory. She shares her main screen, what shows is the map created by Horace, the builder of the Minecraft ARG by Wifies.
‘Do y’all see this? It’s for five dollars!’ Delilah laughs, moving her mouse and pressing on add to Minecraft world. Then, she moves to Minecraft and adds it to templates. She loads the terrain. Then it loads.. and loads.. and loads– ‘Huh?’ Delilah says in utter confusion, leaning back in her chair as she stares at the screen that says.. unable to connect to world.
Sigmaboyyy: AW MANNN
verycoolperson: bro is your wifi bad lmaoaooa
Crafffy: MINECRAFT COME ON BRO
craftykins: oh nooo
LootGoblin: LMAO IMAGINE IF WIFIES WAS THERE AND HE BANNED OTHER PEOPLE FROM PLAYING HAHAHAHA
Delilah moves her mouse to press try again, sighing. ‘It’s alright guys, we’ll just rejoin.’ She murmurs, rejoining the world. And finally, it did join. ‘Ha! See? Told you.’ She grins again, giving a victorious side-eye to her second monitor.
The world loads, slowly. At first, it’s just a normal Minecraft world. Trees, clear skies, grass, animals– until she finds a stairway down. ‘Ooh, this where Avery and d3rlord found that type shift?’ She walks down, glancing around the stone mine with three doors at the left. ‘Oh-ho-ho! It’s getting exciting!’ Delilah singsongs, walking to the right and breaking a part of the stone, which reveals a cave.
‘Bullseye.’ Delilah once again grins victoriously.
Crafffy: OH MY GOD
LootGoblin: HELL YEAHHH
balisticboo: what if you blow it up lmao
Ceheeehs: BRO ISNT THERE LIKE A BOOK IN THE CHEST???
bleehehe: OH YEAH GO CHECK IT OUT DELILAHHH!!!!!!!!
Delilah glances at the message from her second monitor and hums in thought. Then, she walks over to the chest in the middle of the room, and opens it. Inside the chest had thirty-nine raw iron, five iron, two stacks of redstone dust, fifteen raw gold, one stack and a half of coal, two stacks and three extra lapis lazuli, two emeralds, and eight diamonds. And the book.
Delilah stares at the book and decides to put it into her inventory to read it. She closes the chest and opens the book.
‘Whatever you do at the crossroads, don’t turn left.
Don’t be fooled, it’s listening.
You can’t outsmart it
It’s listening tom e
It’s watching me
It isn’t from this world
At the crossraods
Don't durn left
At the crossroads
DONT turn left
At the crossroads
Don't turn left
ATt the crossroadsa
Dont durn left’
Delilah blinks, feeling a cold, bad sense churning in her stomach. She chuckles, ‘C’mon chat, it’s just a game, don’t have to be so negative about it. Plus, we’re in creative mode so no biggie.’ She turns back to where she broke the stone, where there was the cave, and walks into the deep, dark cave. She looks around, ‘Wait, it’s too dark, let me grab this torch..’ She opens inventory, to items, and grabs a torch. ‘There!’ She places one, and continues walking.
As she did, she ignores the patch of moss that doesn’t generate there because it’s a paid and already fictionally created world by a player. She continues to go deeper, walking past moss and trees. ‘How did they even think about this man?’ Delilah laughs, and she continues walking until she finally reaches the end – Ginormous trees stacked on trees stacked on trees. Delilah whistles lowly, ‘Damn.’
DEEL: IT’S THE TREES
CORRRRy: OH MY GODD
Crafffy: trees stacked on trees stacked on trees - wifies
Delilah flies down from where she was, staring at the trees. ‘I can barely build a tree.’ She jokes, now walking in the middle of the path, then she sees a brown-reddish tunnel. Delilah tilts her head in thought, ‘A tunnel, huh?’ She walks towards it, staring into the dimly lit tunnel. ‘Eh, if I die that’s on you guys.’
She walks into the tunnel, ‘Mudbricks?’ she snorts, ‘good choice.’
She continues to walk into the tunnel, and she glances behind her. ‘Chat, what was that?’ She asks, and for the first time since the stream, she sounds dead serious.
averythemayo: he’s watching. go back, don’t turn left.
Crafffy: OH MY GOD AVERY?
LootGoblin: WAIT WAIT HUH???
Genenev: WHAT IS AVERY-?
Delilah frowns at the message, then stares back ahead as she continues walking. ‘Ha-ha, very funny, guys.’ She continued deeper into the tunnel, though slower this time. More cautious.
The torchlight flickered against the mudbrick walls as she glanced around. Then she looked forward again.
A yellow eye stared directly at her from the darkness.
Delilah froze, just for a second. Then she smiled nervously, “Ha!! What even is that?” She continued walking into the tunnel, torchlight flickering softly, unusually. Then one of the torches behind her went out, it was now dimly lit that she noticed.
Delilah stops, turns her character’s head around just for a second to observe the wiped out torch. ‘..Okay?’
But then, they started wiping out one after another after another, like something was moving through them. The chat exploded across her second monitor.
LootGoblin: WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING??
Crafffy: OH MY GOD DELILAH RUN
averythemayo: don’t let him get close to you.
Delilah swallowed hard, forcing out a laugh as she ran. ‘Alright. Nope, absolutely not. We are NOT doing horror movie logic today.’
LootGoblin: wait do you guys hear that??
Crafffy: wait is someone whispering???
ddumblock: BRO I HEAR FOOTSTEPS????
Delilah frowns again as she catches a glimpse of the chat, ‘What are you guys talking about? It’s not funny anymore.’ She argues, continuing to run.
Genenev: it said sommething..
averythemayo: RUN DELILAH.
Delilah splutters, ‘What.. what are you guys talking about?’ The footsteps behind her got louder, more.. real. And now she hears it, too. ‘..Oh, god.’ The whispers started, not in front of her, not behind her, beside her.
‘Run.’
‘Faster.’
‘You’re slow.’
Delilah’s breath quickened. ‘Wait– wait–’
‘Don’t let him catch you.’
‘FASTER.’
Her fingers slammed harder against the keyboard as her character sprinted through the tunnel. ‘WAIT–!!’
The footsteps behind her thundered closer than she could ever think. The whispers continued, urging her to go faster. Delilah didn’t think, she just ran.
The tunnel suddenly opened into the darkness, and before she could stop herself, the ground vanished from sight. ‘WAIT– PLEASE– WAIT–!!’ She dropped into the water. She immediately came up to the surface, swimming to a nearby rocky shore, her breathing catching up to her.
The chat flew past her second monitor so quickly she could barely read it.
Crafffy: YOU CAN FLY
LootGoblin: DELILAH YOU IDIOT 😭
ddumblock: CREATIVE MODDE HELLO????
averythemayo: don’t go back up
Delilah freezes, staring back at her main monitor. Her mouth hung open. ‘..Oh my god..’
A beat, then she speaks again and laughs shakily, ‘I forgot I could fly.’ Nobody in the chat responded.
Still breathing hard, she looks back up to where she had fallen, and a player stands at the very top of it. No movement, watching her. The stream suddenly lags, and for a split second, a username appeared on the player. d3rlord3. And in her chat was spammed with one word.
‘HE’S COMING.’
And Avery’s only message was different from the others.
my new hyperfixation is unstable smp im on the second video no one spoil it to me i got spoiled by someone on the wifiesland server yesterday i can never watch it the same.
i'd rather be me (with you)
chapter 1 : black and white
pairing: luke castellan x daughter of iris!reader
sypnosis: two weeks after the battle of manhattan, luke castellan returns to camp half-blood drowning in guilt and regret. avoided by the other campers and haunted by everything he’s done, he begins to believe that people like him don’t deserve love, forgiveness, or happy endings.
genre: angsty luke, but tooth rotting fluff in future chapters, a little percabeth sneak hehe
word count: 284
author's note: hey guys!!! this is a bit of a short first chapter but i wanted it to be luke centered first!! basically before he meets her. this is my first time writing, so please be nice :) enjoy 💓
september 1, 2009
it's been two weeks since the battle of manhattan, and luke feels that if kronos couldn't kill him, the guilt surely would.
ever since he returned to camp with percy and annabeth, he'd begun to think that maybe he should have just died with kronos. he wasn't expecting a hero’s welcome, of course not, even if he did switch sides towards the end. he just thought his siblings could have shown at least a little sympathy toward him.
or maybe that was just him being selfish again. even connor and travis, for the gods’ sake, weren't pulling pranks on him. you'd have to seriously mess up for that to happen. still, the way his gut twisted whenever he saw campers distancing themselves from him was hard to ignore.
he sat on the porch of the hermes cabin, watching from a distance as percy and annabeth chatted beneath the shade of a tree. percy's hand was draped over annabeth's, a small smile on his face as he listened to her talk. they loved each other as if love was the most natural thing in the world to them, as if love was as simple as listening intently to someone speak. and luke wondered if he'd ever get to experience a love as genuine as theirs.
the thought almost made him laugh out loud. no, men like luke castellan did not get happy endings. men with innocent blood on their hands did not marry the loves of their lives or find their true loves. and even if he did, he would likely end up doing what he always did: hurt them.
and luke castellan had already hurt enough people for one lifetime.
thank you sooo much for reading!! comment if you want to be added to the taglist 🩷
