A/n: Disclaimer, I can’t write fluff to save my life (especially since it’s been a while since I last wrote somethin for a sarah character) but I tried my best since it is a birthday present Happy birthday mi amor @notmanagingmymischief (im sorry I couldn’t wait any longer, plus idk how the queue thing works ) I’m honestly so nervous for you to read this but I hope you like it The title says “you are worth everything and more, my love” and although I don’t really know if the title fits the story the best I still wanted to say it I wanted this to be personal to them so some of the descriptions are specific to their features but you can always still imagine that it’s you as y/n☃️ I think that’s all but I can’t remember rn so I hope you enjoy this fic✨
Word count: 2100+
TW: none
Translations(my French is rusty but I think these are all correct)
Je t’aime (can also be je t’adore)- I love you
Je t'aime ma douce fille- I love you my sweet girl
je t'aime plus que la lune n'aime les étoiles, ma chérie- I love you more than the moon loves the stars, my darling
I don’t know if anyone is into super thorough behind the scenes looks at creating a painting series, but if you are, I just posted a video going over the entire process of creating the Queen of Horror Storypaintingshere
I did however want to make a post pointing out “hidden” details and the reasoning behind certain creative choices for each piece.
The Medium
Side panel designs are a combination of various wood paneling and shapes seen around the house and staircase
Glass panels are referenced from the glasswork surrounding the front door of the house
Upper wood design is referenced from the dining room chairs
Background design is inspired by wallpaper seen in various rooms
The Journalist
Boarder design is pillars/structural details from the asylum common room
Background is the skylight above the main staircase
The Supreme
Cordelia is specifically drawn/designed to appear somewhere in between her looks from Coven and Apocalypse (but closer to Coven)
Top boarder design is a combination of details from the coven’s outer gates/wrought iron fence
Boarder inspired by various furniture pieces seen in the house
Monochrome colour scheme for optimal Coven aesthetics™️
The Twins
Traditional circus poster vibes
Boarder is referenced from various wood carving details on old circus carts/wagons
The Hotel Guest
Main shape/design is the Hotel Cortez room key fob
Side panel designs are light panels that appear around the hotel bar/elevator
Room 64 plaque
The Actress
Tree design/colouring is based on the My Roanoke Nightmare title card art
Blood moon
Shelby was added/kept in for a variety of reasons but specifically having it be a double character piece helped balance out the overall layout of the series with the twins also being in the second row with Sally in between
The Senator
By far the hardest design to some up with
Honeycomb design based on the various posters/promotional material for the season
Clown group also based on promotional teasers, added to attempt to visually represent the idea of a cult
Bottom banner/ribbon features the cult’s clown masks in an Americana style
The Outpost Leader
Bottom design is a combination of her cane and candelabra
Side candle design is based on candle holders seen throughout the outpost
Upper boarder/background based on the dining room fireplace
Added as much purple as possible into the shadows/overall colour scheme because it would have been a crime to do otherwise
The Painter
Concept was to have the overall design quite literally read as a painting
Background landscape was an attempted guess as to what her final masterpiece could have looked like
Frame referenced from one of her other framed paintings
Lower beach landscape referenced from that beach scene sorry about the footprints in the sand
I completely forgot to mention it in the last post but if you’re interested in seeing more of the AHS painting series, I’ve been documenting the process on my YouTube channel. The video above goes into detail about the concept and plans for all of the pieces in the series. Hope you enjoy!
I’m not entirely happy with how this turned out, but I guess I couldn’t do any more than that. This was a little emotional to write. Hope you all enjoy!
With a flick of her finger, the door bursts open. You’re lying on the floor, back facing the wall, when Cordelia breaks through. Myrtle follows behind. “Oh, sweet child”, she murmurs softly, lifting her hand to the chest, when she realizes the condition you’re in. The Supreme lets out a shaky breath, she feels like collapsing at the sight before her eyes.
“No, no, no, no…”, her legs meet the floor, and in a matter of seconds she is underneath you. She carefully places you on her lap, her hands tremble as she does so. Last thing she wants is to hurt you more, since you seem to be in a lot of pain. “W-what did you do?”, she breathes out, over a dry throat.
You lift your gaze to meet hers, trying to find the voice inside your throat. Your chest rises and fall so at a great speed, in some desperate plea to keep breathing. A single tear slips from your eye.
“What were you thinking, huh?”, she gently strokes your cheeks, as she meets your weary eyes. You whimper and your lids flutter close for a moment. You immediately see him, when you do so. An evil grin spreads over his face as he gazes down at you. He prompts you to approach closer to you, but you disperately shake your head. You’re trying so hard to hold on, helplessly praying him to give more time. Just another minute.
“You’re not allowed to die. Do you hear me?”, Cordelia’s voice brings you back to her and your eyes open again, blazing with a new purpose.
You feel so weakened, but you hear her. You scrape out whatever magic you have left to stay awake. You release a shaky breath, that looks more like a pained sob to Cordelia’s ears, before speaking, “D…dee..”, your lips crack in a small smile.
“You are a foolish!”, she accuses you, yet those words don’t hurt you.
On the contrary, a soft chuckle escapes from your throat. You deserve her rage. You deserve her disappointment. You deserve whatever she wants to throw at you.
It was better than having her death, wasn’t it?
“I’d have expected more from you!”, she continues, both firmly and softly. Her chest aches and her stomach has never been so twisted, as she watches your skin loosing color.
“Shush, d..don’t c..cry”, you lift your arm slightly, in the hope to reach her face. She helps you and grasps your hand in hers, lacing your fingers together. She shakes her head, and your knuckles meet her boiling tears as you stroke her cheek. “It’s going to be o…kay”, you tell her quietly.
“You’re certainly out of your mind if you think I’ll let you die”, she refuses to accept that you’re going to be the one saying goodbye to her. It wasn’t fair. Wrong in so many ways. Anyone would have killed to be next in line as supreme, yet you had to play by your own rules. You never liked them, in the first place. You were the stubborn girl, the one always trying to object over anything to do it in your own way. Cordelia used to be intrigued by your obstinacy, until now. Looking at you, she couldn’t comprehend it. She couldn’t support the decision you made without consulting her first.
“Y/n come here, this instant!”, Cordelia’s tone is both stern and amused as she tells you to stop at once.
You had pranked her, of course. You had made some cookies early that morning, in order to lure her in your little trap. Everyone at the Academy knew Cordelia’s a sweet tooth and that she couldn’t resist in front of sweets of all kinds, especially your homemade ones.
The other day, Cordelia had stolen the last muffin you had carefully put aside, to eat at the end of lessons.
The blonde witch got busted with some chocolate at the corner of her mouth and you immediately realized it was her.
But you couldn’t be mad at her. Not ever. Your heart swelled with so much love when she flattened her lips, and diverted her gaze, mouthing a small apologize.
“You catch me first!”, you chuckled, before transmuting on the stairs.
Little did you know that Cordelia had many skills. And one of those was predicting your every move.
“Oh, I will!”
You let out a gasp of surprise, when you feel her arms wrapped tightly around your waist. She pulls you against her chest and you almost lose your balance. But Cordelia would never let you fall, and in a blink of eye, both of you were on the couch. Downstairs. You try so hard not to laugh at her. She looks so silly, you fail to take her seriously.
Cordelia’s face turned purple due to the spell with which you had enchanted your fresh baked cookies.
“Oh you find it funny, huh?”, she smirked, looking down at you, as she pins your wrists over your head.
You nod and giggle. “Purple suits you”, you tease her.
Cordelia shook her head in disapproval. She clicks her tongue, as she thinks of a way to punish you. “Is that so? I think I know which color suits you the most”, an amused twinkle glimmered her beautiful dark orbs.
“Oh, I’m totally shaking”, you keep challenging her.
Her fingers brush against your sensitive sides, causing you to flitch, in the pathetic attempt to squirm away from her grip. One hand is holding still your wrists, while the other is running wild over your sensitive skin. “No Dee, no!”, you bust out laughing.
A feral grin crossed her lips. Your face turns red, due to the tickling. “Oh, yes, yes, yes”, her voice sounds calm, while her fingers roam over your body viciously. “I knew red was your color”, she whispers in your ear, as she continues her innocent torture for a little more.
“You never listened”, she scolds you softly. “Not even once…”, she lets out a small sob, as she tries to focus on her magic, through her trembling hands. “But this time, you will fucking listen to me. You will not leave me”
Little did she know that your body would have pushed back Cordelia’s powers, no matter what. A sad smile crosses your lips, and a sense of guilt invades you.
Meanwhile Myrtle had found the letter placed on your desk, carefully reading it all in one breathe.
She lets out a sigh, that you hear, so you move your gaze to meet her heartbroken figure. When she looks up at you, holding onto your letter, you realize she knows what just happened to you. Her lips flatten in a thin line and a tear rolls down her cheek. She bends down, approaching you. Her thumb carefully strokes your cheek, making you smile softly. “You’d have been an exceptional Supreme”
You lean into the touch, nodding quietly. Eyes soon glistered with tears, as you try to imagine what it would have been like. But you quickly push away that thought, because the sole idea to continue living without Cordelia, makes your heart feels like it’s stabbed over and over.
Cordelia doesn’t understand why Myrtle’s just said that, so she frowns, offering her a questioning look. “W..why are you talking like that?”
Myrtle bites her lip, lightly shaking her head. “There’s nothing we can do, Cordelia. You need to say goodbye”
“No”, a small gasp of unbelief leaves her lips. “No, that’s a lie!”, she looks into Myrtle’s eyes, hoping she is just joking. You’ve hardly ever seen Cordelia like this. She is broken, yet furious with you and your irresponsible decisions. Mad at Myrtle for having said something so awful, and with an unnatural ease. “We are witches for fuck’s sake!”, she continues, in barely controlled rage.
She can hardly believe you give up on your life so easily, without thinking twice. Without thinking of the ones, you’d leave behind.
It’s hard to keep your eyes open at this point, but you fight for as long as you can. You want to tell her that there’s nothing she can do, but words die in your throat before they can come out. Her magic won’t help you this time. You had made a deal with Papa Legba not long ago, making sure nobody knew. The blade with which you hurt yourself came from Hell itself. It was laced with poison and soaked in the water of river Lethe. The deal was rather simple: you’d serve Hell for all the years Cordelia’d have lived as Supreme on earth, with the promise to be ruined with her in the afterlife, far from Hell.
“D…dee. I n…need to tell you som…ething”, your quite voice manages to come out. “Myrtle’s r…right”
“She’s not!”, Cordelia looks at you puzzled. “We will have plenty of time to discuss about your dumb decisions, now I need to find a way to heal your wounds”
You let out a short chuckle at her tone, despite knowing she isn’t amused at all. “C'mon…”, your throat is painfully dry and it tastes terribly.
She reaches for your hands and gasps in horror, when she notices how cold you are. Her magic isn’t working as it should. She offers you a squeeze, but you don’t reciprocate. You don’t have the strengh to. Cordelia’s never been so scared in her life before. You see her fright mirrored in her beautiful dark orbs. Her lip quivers; she feels on the verge of crying hysterically. “She’s ice-cold, Myrtle”, tears stream down her face, blurring her vision. You so desperately want to wipe those away but you can barely keep your eyes open at this point. “D..dee?”, you try again, but she ignores you.
She is shook by hiccups and sobs. “Help me!”, she snaps at Myrtle, who stands motionless, as if she’d have already given up. Cordelia shakes her head, in disbelief. “Why aren’t you? Something’s wrong… I don’t understand what it is”, she takes a shuddering breath, as she tries to transfer some of her magic into you without success. Her magic can do so little, too little on your open, still fresh wounds. She cleans all the clotted blood that has been staining your skin, but nothing more. The cuts are still there. Her hands curl into fists from frustration.
“Listen!”, you urge in low, but firm voice. “I d…on’t have m..uch time any…more”, you shiver, as you fight against the grip of Papa Legba on your soul. You can feel your soul slipping away, but you are determined to stay awake a little more. Closing your eyes for a moment, you see Papa Legba again, puffing as if he was bored of the entire situation going on in the Coven.
“Allow me to speak to her one more time”, you ask in a plea, eyes are glistered with tears.
He scoffs in annoyance. “If you wanted to talk to her so badly, why didn’t you before selling your soul to me?”
“I’m begging you”, you wish you could scream, but your voice is stuck in your throat. Desperation soon written all over your feature. “Give me my voice. Please”
“Alright, child”, he concedes, compassionately. “One minute. Then you come to me”, he adds sternly.
You nod quietly. “I will”
Cordelia stiffens, unable to say anything. Tears keep streaming down her face. She bites the inside of her cheek, when you open your eyes once again, regain consciousness. She knows you want to tell her something, and she lets you, sniffling softly as she encourages you with a timid smile.
“Before meeting you I felt so invisible, but you showed me all the things I could be”, sadness takes over of your voice as you speak. “It’s easier to have self-confidence, if someone else trusts you first. And you trusted me from the very beginning. You saved me, Cordelia”
She leans down closer to your face, as she grazes your cheeks with her mouth. She inhales in you and cries on you. “But I can’t save you now…”, her voice comes out so thin that is barely audible. Her hand looks for yours and this time you’re strong enough to offer her a little squeeze.
You smile a little. You manage to lift your free hand and slide your fingertips through her soft, blonde curls. “I’ll always be with you. I’ll guide you, I promise”, a drop of blood trickles down your nose. Your breathing is heavy and laboured now. You hardly feel your limbs anymore.
The blonde realizes something’s happening. She is quick to hold you tightly against her cheek, wiping under your nose with so much tenderness you barely feel her touch.
“I’ve a..always l..loved..you”, you manage to say. Cordelia can’t hold back her tears anymore at this point. She places her lips upon your forehead and her eyes flutter close for a moment. “I love you too. I love you so much, y/n”, her voice cracks as she keeps saying that, like a mantra. It feels like a sweet lullaby that helps you fall asleep.
Your heart feels full again. For a matter of seconds you feel alive, and all the pain disappears. Myrtle mouths you a soft goodbye, and you smile softly before letting yourself slip in the arms of Papa Legba. Your eyes drift closed, they won’t open again.
Cordelia keeps you cradled against her, as white as sheet, and cold as you’ve never been. Her powers are fully recovered. She feels anew, as the felt the first day she became Supreme.
“You weren’t supposed to leave this world before me”, she cries softly, between hiccups.
Myrtle’s hand reaches for your pulse, soon noticing there is none. “I’m so sorry. She’s gone”, she whispers, pulling Cordelia close to her, to kiss the top of her head, over and over, in the hope to calm down her hurtful cry.
“After finding out to be next in line as Supreme, you take a drastic decision. On behalf of the Coven and Cordelia herself, you change the fate in store for her”
warnings:suicide attempt, mentions of blood.
I couldn’t let it happen; I couldn’t watch her slip away right before my eyes. I hated myself for being the reason why that was happening; the sole fault of my world crushing down was my own. I was weakening her. I was making her feel unwell. It all started with slight headaches, something she could easily manage. The sky came back clear, and everything would start all over again. But it wasn’t always easy to mask the pain. And I saw her. I saw her slowly shattering down. And looking down at my bare hands tingling, exploding with the need to unleash their magic, I felt ashamed. Disgusted. Repulsed by myself even.
“You’re the dearest thing to me, Cordelia. How can I sit and watch you fade away?”
Things had slowly aggravated. It was harder for her to hide her pain. The closer I approached her, the weaker she got. I was afraid to touch her. I was even terrified to stand in the same room as hers. She noticed and sadness grew closer to the pain. I felt like a monster. I was sucking away Cordelia’s life, while my powers increased, by what right? Those beautiful dark orbs of hers, glistered with tears and laced with fatigue, were changing color. It was my doing. It was my breathing. My heart was shattering into pieces. The woman I loved more than life itself was fading. I never wanted to be Supreme, I never wanted to hold such a great responsibility. It wasn’t my call. I never wanted it to be, especially since there was a price to pay. The highest. The cruelest. In order for the new Supreme to rise, the previous one must die. I knew the rules. The very first thing they teach you at the Academy is the meaning of being a Supreme, but I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined that I would be the one.
I’ll be damned, I’ll never let you die. I’ll never take your place.
I shake my head, boiling tears stream down my face. My heart races and my breathing is irregular, once fast, then slow. I put a silencing spell inside the room, that way I can allow myself to cry, to scream even if necessary, since I know the pain that is about to come will be stronger than anything experienced before. The grip around the pen is getting shaky as I write the last sentences of my letter for her. My lips crack in a smile, as I remember all the things we went through together.
I’m not sure she thinks it’s me weakening her. I never dared to perform the seven wonders in front of her. I always excused myself, when she tried to test my powers. She knew I was a powerful witch, though. She was the Supreme, so it was easy for her to sense my energy radiate through her. The same energy that for weeks I was trying to suppress. I read all the books I could put my hands on. None of them was able to show me another way to fix this. To refuse the title of Supreme. I let out a sob I didn’t realize I was holding as more tears fall down my face. On the letter. On the counter. Once I realize the mess I’m making, I curse myself and promptly move the piece of paper far from my face. I lift it right in front my eyes and I carefully blow on it. I bend my head to the side to make sure it’s clear. The words written on it are still readable. My calligraphy looks different. I normally have a gentle hand. The letters are shaped graciously, while the ones I’m staring are hasty and sloppy. I shake my head as my vision turns blurred. I never thought that would be so hard for me to let go of her. But if someone had to die, it had to be me.
I slide my fingers through my hair and let out a puff of air. I need to put my shit together. I’m a coward. I can’t be what they want me to be. The more time passes, the more I know. Cordelia worked so hard for the Academy, it’s not her time yet to leave. She needs more time. The girls need her, more than they would ever need someone like me. I’m irresponsible. I skip classes. I can hardly get something done in time. I have no sense of responsibility, yet I’m not dumb, I know I can’t possibly run the Coven by myself. She is the Supreme and so much more. Cordelia is a real leader, a powerful, caring, and generous woman. I might be able to perform the seven wonders, but I have no experience in leading a Coven of witches. That was insane. I lost count of all the times I laughed at that. The thought of her living after my passing reassures me. “I hope you know you’re all that matters to me”, I mutter softly, before pressing my lips together. I imagine her eyes fixed on mine. My mind is already delirious and I did nothing yet. How pathetic can I be?
I wish she was there with me, holding my hand, pulling me into her sweet embrace as I let myself slip away. I can hardly get out from my head her sweet ways towards me. How her hand cups my cheek and her thumb graze my skin. Cordelia Goode guards the eyes of an angel. She’s ethereal, a goddess. She says I’m sweet. She likes to flatter me and tease me. Her eyes sparkle when a hue of pink color my cheekbones at her compliments and jokes. She calls me little one. She calls me sweetheart. She has always acted differently around me. Perhaps, she thinks I haven’t noticed, but I have.
“I can’t possibly take your place”, I trail off, wiping my tears once again. I can’t imagine a world with her gone. I don’t want to be part of a word where she isn’t there, that’s why I’m doing this. “You need to stay alive. The Coven needs you”, my throat feels dry, so I swallow and swallow until I cough. I turn my head to the side, spotting the little blade that was resting over the desk. I bite down my bottom lip, and my eyes flutter close for a moment. Then, I examine the small, yet deadly blade in my shaky hands. My finger traces the tip of the dagger, and a shiver runs through my spine. It makes me hiss. A drop of blood falls from my finger and stains the tip of the blade. I stretch out my arm, carefully lifting the sleeve of my shirt. I can feel the pulse point on my wrist and see it through my very fair skin.
Moving down on the floor, with the dagger in my left hand, I lean up against the floor. I take a long, shaky breath before placing the blade over my arm, close to the pulse point. I bite my bottom lip hard, not knowing the amount of pain I’d felt at first, and then I press the blade onto the skin. More tears stream down my face as I let out a muffled scream. I hit the back of my head a couple of times against the wall behind me, to keep myself from screaming farther. In a matter of seconds the blood starts gushing down, around my wrist, way to the floor. It’s crimson blood, and soon enough my right hand is covered with it. My breath accelerates; I know I have to go deeper. “Cordelia, I-I’m so s-sorry”, tears begin flowing furiously down my dump, pale cheeks, that are slowly losing life. I let out a hiss, when I dig the blade vertically from the wrist till the elbow. I feel sick in my stomach, and my throat feels dryer than ever. When I swallow, all I can taste is blood and a mixture of pain and nausea. I can feel my fingers going numb, like a tingling sensation that feels like a wake-up call to stop, but I can’t. Dark blood, almost black, continues to drip off my right hand. My face is contorted in a grimace of disgust. I cut again, and again, experiencing the most excruciating pain in my entire life. It wasn’t only the blade that hurt like Hell, but also the thought of leaving Cordelia. I’d have never seen those beautiful dark orbs again, that soft, blonde hair, and that smile, that could illuminate the deepest darkness of Hell itself. My breathing slows even farther an my head feels heavy, as I tilt it to the side. I blink a few times, until the grip around the blade weakens, and it falls down on the stained pavement. At first I try to stay conscious, but to what purpose? My lips formed to a smile at the thought that maybe I’d have met Cordelia again in the afterlife. She wouldn’t forget about me, would she? “I’ll w-wait for you”, my eyes tremble under the eyelids, until blackness grabs hold of me.
*
“Y/n thinks I haven’t noticed, but I did”, Cordelia mutters softly, as she thinks of you. A sad smile crosses her lips and her gaze drops on her lap, “My darling girl”, sobs fall from her lips, as she pictures the image of you before her eyes.
Myrtle has never seen Cordelia so heartbroken before. She holds back from crying, deeply pained for the absurd twist of events. She reaches out to take Cordelia’s cold hand in hers, softly rubbing her skin in soothing circles. That way, the Supreme looks up at her and more tears soon invade her already burning cheeks. “I don’t know what to do”, her voice comes out so thin, barely above a whisper. “I never knew what I was doing to tell the truth. And my mother…”, she trails off and blinks in order to ward off those annoying tears. “She was right about me”, she says resigned, humiliated even.
Myrtle lets out a small chuckle at her words. “Oh, my sweet girl. She was never right about you. You’ve been nothing, but great for the Coven. Y/n learned so much from you, so did the other girls. Not only are you a powerful witch, but you’re also their role model, an example of goodness and justice. You formed a family first and foremost”, she speaks confidently, eyeing her with a soft, compassionate gaze. Cordelia has always been like a daughter to her. She has watched her grow up unlike Fiona. And just unlike her, Myrtle assisted to so many changes in her, so much potential and strength. “I know you’re suffering, and so is Y/n. Her aura unleashes a shaky energy around the Coven. She’s unstable, just like you”
“Her powers are tied. They will never balance, until I’m gone. I’m holding her back. I’m keeping her for being the most powerful witch”, she sniffles and lightly shakes her head. She knew the consequences of guarding such a power, she knew that sooner or later she should have left her girls, you above all others. But she never would have imagined to have such a short time with you.
“Y/n isn’t ready to let go of you”, Myrtle quietly comments, averting her gaze from Cordelia.
Frowning, she adds, “I’m not ready, either”, she is frustrated, enraged even. It wasn’t fair. How scared she was of letting you down. How preoccupied she was of disappointing you. “I feel like I made so many bad decisions. I don’t trust myself anymore on what’s right and what’s wrong”, she sniffles, madly wiping her tears with the back of her hand. “I never told her I loved her to begin with. I failed to show her how much she truly means to me. And now, all I have left for her are some terrible news that will shatter her heart into pieces, her eyes flutter close for a moment and more tears stream down her face. "How can I do this to her?”
“Oh, my sweet child, Y/n knows”, Myrtle looks close to tears. “Haven’t you noticed the way she looks at you?”, she tries, moving closer to her. “She is neither blind nor naive. Don’t make the same mistake as your mother. Don’t underestimate her”, she says, both firmly and softly.
Cordelia’s heartbeat quickens, as she presses her lips together in order to suppress a sob.
“She knows you love her, and deep down you know she loves you too”
Cordelia sniffles after that comforting statement. She lifts her legs to the chest and wraps her shaky arms around them. Then she places her chin above her knees. She takes a deep breath, “I can accept the fact that I’m dying, what I cannot bear is the thought of her hating me for leaving her”
Myrtle chuckles softly at her silly concern. “Even under torture, Y/n could hate you. You know how stubborn that girl can be, and-”, she trails off when Cordelia’s eyes widen. Her posture stiffens, yet she lets go of her legs, leaping back.
“No”
“What’s happening?”, Myrtle promptly asks.
A terrible ache in her heart is what follows. She looks down at her hands, in shock. “No, no, no…”, she doesn’t feel dizzy when she gets up from the chair. Her concern increases. On the contrary, she feels better. “Where’s Y/N?”, she feels her blood run cold as she screams your name.
By looking into those frightened dark orbs of hers, Myrtle fears the worst. “Her room. Now”, she urges her, as both of them rush upstairs.
