when Lemony Snicket wrote “I will love you if I never see you again, and I will love you if I see you everyday” that hurt me
Full paragraph hurts even more.
“ (…) I will love you as we find ourselves farther and farther from one another, where once we were so close… I will love you until your face is fogged by distant memory. I will love you no matter where you go and who you see, I will love you if you don’t marry me. I will love you if you marry someone else and I will love you if you never marry at all, and spend your years wishing you had married me after all. That is how I will love you even as the world goes on its wicked way.”
Her heart breaks at his words. She wants to believe them, loves him for them, but they both know how difficult it really is. Or she does and hopes he’s noticed . How many times has she attempted to contact him only to be blocked by malicious forces? How many times has she had to fend for herself because he too was fighting impossible battles? Resorting to what few artifacts they could find to allow her to speak to him for even a moment. She has needed his help desperately for years and only rarely gotten it. It’s hard not to lay that at his feet, even when she knows that many times he too was equally as helpless to cross the borders as she. But she loves him, they’re married –and perhaps this is a mark of naivety– but she’d hoped that that would mean something, cosmically. That he would know she needed him.
But that was silly, better suited for the Clea of the past than the Clea of today. Now, as an adult and a Supreme in her own fashion, she’s simply exhausted– a deep bone-numbing exhaustion– and desperate. For allies, supplies, a win, comfort. His beard is rough and familiar against her skin, just as pleasant as before. Two sides of her war has she holds him close and savors the feel of his arms around her. Part of her wants to just go home with Stephen and sleep forever and forget all of this horror, the other half is appalled by that easy willingness to forget her people, wants her to look at this for it’s tactical advantages.
“Stephen…We both know Dormammu hardly makes it easy for anyone to cross his borders. I can barely get messages out at the best of times usually. Perhaps the Vishanti have blessed us, I left looking to look for allies and I found you.”
the feeling of her in his arms once more, the feeling of the soft skin of her neck — he began to reminisce of their past, when they were happy.. when they were together. he knew that there was always something keeping them apart — and damn did he despise that fact. — but he would persevere for her, and always be there should she need him. that was what he wanted, nothing more.. he simply wanted her, and it always felt like the universe was spiteful in there always being something to keep him away from her, to keep her away from him. with these thoughts stephen simply squeezed her gently, sighing softly against her skin as he pulled back slightly, holding her until she would break away — should she want to. the thought of it tinged at his heart, but he could never stifle the flame of her wants and needs. nothing would get in the way of what she wanted — as evident that she was here, looking for.. allies, in her war.
her words made his expression fall ever slightly — enough to a keen eye would see that her words disappointed. he wanted her to have come to him because she missed him, but.. evidently the vishanti brought them together because he was the best bet of an ally in her war against dormammu. many a year ago he faced dormammu — and many decades did he receive a scar upon his back, flaming from the burning magics. the thought of his uncle-in-law’s death could bring an ease of this pain was.. tempting, in the sense that he wished to terribly to be able to help her. but life was not always that easy, it never was. “ i want nothing more than to be able to say i could help you, my beloved.. ” with this he released her, taking a step back to lean his hip against the front of his desk. gods — the sorcerer ran a scarred and shaken hand over his expression, showing his sorrow.
“ i am.. unsure if i can leave, at this time. billy is still too inexperienced to fill in for me in my absence, and wong is just.. not enough, wanda would not want to, voodoo is simply incapable — ” so many excuses and because of this he stopped, he visibly deflated, he hated that he couldn’t simply run with her to battle. “ you know i love you more than life itself, clea, i.. cannot simply abandon my world — not until there is a new sorcerer supreme. ”
She can’t help but stroke his cheeks, revel in the feel of his stubble coarse on her skin. His kiss sends electricity running through her, she has a wild urge to chase his lips when he pulls back like she used to to tease him. Already he looks better, like thousands of years and a many tonnes where lifted from him just by her touch. A spell only she could preform, she thrills at the idea.
She wants to take his hands in hers and kiss every inch of them, wants to keep them on hers, wants to feel them on her waist again. How long had it been? it felt like millennia. far far too long. She can’t help herself and she kisses him in return. a little more force, a confirmation. Certainty. She still loves him, her Stephen.
Her face distorts, she tries only to show a controlled, dosed amount of her strife but she slips. He’s too close and his smell and warmth too intoxicating. She tries to rally but she knows her smile is weak.
` I-I’m alright I suppose. The rebellion is well… rebuilding. Expanding. It’s been….Hard. ´ she forces a breathy laugh, trying not to stray too deeply into something so dark. not now. not yet. ` As if leading a rebellion is ever easy… ´
at the return of his kiss with far more force — far more of clea than he anticipated the sorcerer gave a surprised chuckle, laugh lines at the corners of his eyes becoming apparent for that fleeting moment. the kiss was enough to confirm her return of his affections — the thought alone that his wife still loved him, after all their years and months apart.. filled his stomach with the sensation of butterflies, his heart swelling from the sensation of her.
by the vishanti how he’d missed her, his wife whom held his affections with a grip so vice he’d never dare to so much as look in another woman’s direction — even while she was gone, because she was all he needed. he takes notice of how she slips up in her act of confidence — her own exhaustion showing through. wordless was he when he slowly closed his arms around her, pressing their bodies together in a simple enough hug.
her warmth was intoxicating at times, the gentle glow of earth’s sunlight reflecting off of her — and stephen was there, basking in her radiance. her speak of the rebellion.. turns at his heart, the sorcerer knowing that it will never be over while dormammu and her mother can simply.. return, again and again. he would look into this — help her, if he could.
“ you’re much stronger than i, beloved, you’ll get through it. ” he paused, sighing softly and nosing against the side of her neck — remembering her affection of this. “ you know i am always here for you, should you need me.. i am only one portal away. ”
❝ She wasn’t my first kiss but she’s the kiss that mattered, the kiss that made me realize I didn’t want to kiss anyone else. So now my lips belong to her. Just look at them… Her name’s written all over them. ❞
She should– She shouldn’t– She should g– She can’t–
She should go, she had duties, as does he. She left home for a reason, for her rebellion. Her rebellion, for a moment her vision is nothing but endless battlefields, carnage and burials all layered on top of each other, then a shadow they move away again and there’s Stephen once more. Tired, haggard, ill kept and so so handsome. His voice pierces her like a spear, roots her to the ground her blood falls and each drop– beloved. beloved. beloved. beloved.
She can’t leave, can’t even decide if that’d be the right choice anymore. Stephen could help her, help her people (that’s an excuse she knows, and she’s almost tired enough to admit it). She just has to walk over, lay her head on his chest, wrap her arms around his waist and things will be okay, even just for a moment. She has been a pathetic excuse for a partner, Stephen always struggled to be present but she gave up bringing him back. She cannot help but worry that she’s distracting him, that he should be doing something life or death and she’s keeping him from it.
But she walks over to him anyway, cups his face in her hands. She could never ignore him, not really. And for the first time in centuries it feels like there’s life in her again. Once again he raises the dead.
` How have you been? Staying out of trouble? ´
she can’t help a twitch of smile at that.
she — she was touching him, holding his face and for a moment he was.. at peace, allowing himself briefly to simply close his eyes. he visibly relaxed to her touch, his face falling from his neutral pinched expression to that of silent happiness — her touch was always enough, to make him.. whole, more so than before. opening his eyes the sorcerer finally saw her small smile, his eyes drawn to the sight as he slowly found himself doing the same. his eyes softened and a slow upturn of his lips into a familiar smirk of satisfaction was evident.. stephen finally showing that he was truly happy.
wordless was he as his shaken hands covered her own — slow enough for her to pull away, slow enough for her to reject him. the gloves disappeared from his skin and his bare hands rough with marks would hold hers, dwarfing her hands in comparison but never less gentle. his touch was hesitant — as if his thought was that she’d disappear, if he were to touch her. lips parted to speak but no words were spoken, the sorcerer instead closing his lips and pressing them to her own — taking this moment for what he wanted nothing more.
it was gentle, closed lips and nothing more than a quick press of his to hers, but it was enough for him to lean back slightly, his forehead pressed lightly to hers — once again, enough to where she could pull away.
“ as much as i can, beloved. i’ve.. missed you. ” at this he gave a small smile once more, looking between her eyes and finding himself falling for her all over again — something that he did, when they were.. happy.
Here in this swirling ether, each traveling on their own separate mission – they’re frozen at the other’s sight. ` Stephen… ´ it echoes, laden with innumerable things tangible even without the inherit magic of their surroundings. She wonders if she looks as haggard as she feels, if he can read her like she always could him, if he even wants to anymore.
Of course he does. She knows Stephen like she knows herself, better even. She knows like breathing that he cares, that he wants to know. It’s been so hard for them to talk over the years, both so busy and the connection between planes so fickle. Every time she sees him she can see that growing desperation, that this could be the last time they meet and he has to grasp it now. She wonders if it’s reflected in her, if he sees that in her as well. She’s lost touch with that clear, honest part of herself in all these years futilely fighting the tide that was her uncle.
But Stephen’s shoulders are still broad– the feel resting her head on them fresh, his legs still long and shapely– she’d spent plenty of time admiring them while still his apprentice, and his eyes– oh…,
Oh, Stephen. Her Stephen. Here.
Her chest aches dully, the hole there a little more sharp.
the sound of a voice long since memorized the sorcerer froze in place — breath held as discolored eyes stared in thinly veiled disbelief. here they were, meeting once more and one again he wondered if this would be the last time he saw the light of his world.. the woman whom he gave his soul to, the woman whom held his heart.
wordless was he as his expression softened incredibly so — eyes searching her for any sort of displacement, scanning her to make sure that she was okay. she looked as beautiful as the day he met her; so beautiful that the earth’s sun reflected off of her, creating a shine that he saw within her, showing the world that she was as beautiful as the stars they wished upon. she looked tired.. something the two of them would share, the sorcerer supreme’s dark circles evident — he hasn’t been sleeping, as of late. how could he? — for he was cold without her warm radiance.
he had so much he wished to say, so much he wished to atone for, to beg her for forgiveness like a dying man to a priest — she was his wold, and he had to stop himself from moving closer, holding himself from holding her.
“ beloved, ” his voice was rough, deepened with exhaustion and age.
he was old enough now, that he did not care to waste his breath. he would tell her now, that she still was just that — loved.
—— if you want to ship with me, please let me know beforehand. also know that stephen is divorced, and will not be fond of the idea of a relationship until much later. take into mind that he is bisexual with a preference towards women & demiromantic.
—— read the powers page in regards to stephen’s abilities. i will only use a larger extent with my thread partner’s consent.
— i primarily am willing to write script & single para, but am subjective when it comes to novella. this blog is recommended at 18+ as NSFW items may be reblogged or roleplayed. however, it will be tagged.
— all potential triggers will be tagged as: ________ tw. if you need something tagged, send me a message.
— NSFW will be tagged as : nsfw for ts, and nsfw text for ts
lastly.
— no smut threads unless you’re a friend of mine and 18+.
— all comic / cartoon icons have been made by me so don’t use them.
DIVERGENT
divergent bits
✴ stephen is 6'6" instead of the canon 6'2", like literally everyone else.
comparison pic :
✴ stephen does not cheat on clea, regardless of where they are in the relationship, and they divorced because of how they were rarely in each other’s company ( regardless, stephen is bitter about the divorce ).
✴ stephen is not de-powered as a default, unless for a reason that i agree to in plotting before we create the starter.
✴ my MCU verse is 616 stephen loitering in the mcu. read more here.
✴ stephen’s hands eternally shake, and it’s especially prominent when they’re inactive. he can’t hold anything, open doors, or punch someone without immense pain.
✴ i only really acknowledge that the emperikul are on earth, and nothing else from the new run ( he would not kiss that fucking soul eater, marvel ), and will use the emperikul as the reason to his de-powering for plots, if not discussed in further detail.
dr. strange is incredibly self conscious of his hands, and will wear gloves whenever in public, or in the presence of another person. his scars from the car crash long ago are ever present, the constant shake consistently noticeable. they still ache with pain —- he is still unable to truly use them, unless of course he deliberately wants to hurt himself. he now prefers to stay at home, and let other ( younger ) heroes deal with non-magical enemies.
stephen is not good at social skills, and will often come off as either rude, or distant.
he is demiromantic, and will only have a male partner if it’s after a long while of threaded out seduction, by someone whom stephen doesn’t dislike, as well as with heavy encouragement from his potential partner. he prefers to remain single, so don’t expect it to be easy to get him into a relationship. ever since his estrangement / divorce ( abandonment ) with clea, he began to be wary of the concept of a mutually appreciative relationship.
PROFILE
— name : stephen strange.
— faceclaim( s ) : tom ellis, jonathan rhys meyers, michiel huisman, david gandy, adrien brody.
— alias( es ) : doctor strange, sorcerer supreme, master of the mystical arts, the doctor.
— alignment : true neutral; they don’t align strongly with good or evil, nor do they with chaotic or lawful. they usually are undecided between the four sections or just gravitate right in the middle.
— place of birth : philadelphia, pennsylvania.
— date of birth : november 18, 1930.
— age: 5'084.
— nationality : american.
— education : medical doctorate, extensive sorcery training through a mixture of self-education and vast arcane lore.
— occupation : sorcerer supreme of earth dimension, adventurer, occult consultant; former physician, neurosurgeon.
family life.
— marital status : divorced.
— known relatives : eugene and beverly strange (parents, deceased), victor strange (brother, presumed deceased), donna strange (sister, deceased), clea (wife, divorced).
this is the verse compliant with 616 canon, with a few tweaks here and there.
dr. strange is incredibly self conscious of his hands, and will wear gloves whenever in public, or in the presence of another person. his scars from the car crash long ago are ever present, the constant shake consistently noticeable. they still ache with pain —- he is still unable to truly use them, unless of course he deliberately wants to hurt himself. he now prefers to stay at home, and let other ( younger ) heroes deal with non-magical enemies.
stephen is not good at social skills, and will often come off as either rude, or distant.
he is demiromantic, and will only have a male partner if it’s after a long while of threaded out seduction, by someone whom stephen doesn’t dislike, as well as with heavy encouragement from his potential partner. he prefers to remain single, so don’t expect it to be easy to get him into a relationship. ever since his estrangement / divorce ( abandonment ) with clea, he began to be wary of the concept of a mutually appreciative relationship.
stephen mainly resided in the MCU ( Earth-199999, in his eyes ) to keep dormammu’s reign of fire from spilling into their dimension, among other things, before the sorcerer supreme of that universe finally deigned to appear. he too knew that it was no coincidence that the soul gems were being spotted all over the galaxy, and that the thanos of this world was planning on copying earth-616′s plan with potential for variation.
he would be needed to revive the dead once more, stop thanos and potentially keep the gems under his watchful eye. however.. the world was never in his favor, and strange was forced to wait in the shadows for the time this world’s stephen strange would become sorcerer supreme, and do all these things in his stead.
not wanting to overstep his boundaries in off throwing this world’s timeline was the main reason for his lack of action, despite the aggression he would more than likely receive for doing as such. of course he could have been able to stop tony from creating ultron– he could have even stopped loki from opening the dimensional rip and invading with an army of chitauri. but this was not his world to aid, and moral confines were thrown aside.
he could not choose a side, whether to help the ‘heroes’ or the ‘villains’, he was in his world to simply relax from the stresses of his own —- and discern the difference between the two versions of one person.
for the time being he would continue to lay low in the sanctum sanctorum and wait for the soul gems– infinity stones? whichever, to be collected and used. perhaps this world’s stephen would not be as inept as expected?
DC UNIVERSE
during the incursions, the illuminati was unsuccessful at preventing the destruction of earth-616.
stephen was left to watch his friends and home be destroyed by crashing into another universe, while he could do naught but sit helpless. strange felt as if the only reason he was there, was the watch it happen befor his own eyes —- a reminder, that what he did was not enough. with the sanctum’s entrance destroyed and wong likely trapped within ( or so he hoped ), stephen set out for the hospitality of his former collegue dr. fate.
after saying his part and promising a favor, he was allowed sanctuary in the magic user’s tower for a short while. for now he was to find a way to open the sanctum’s doors to him once more, and until then his new world would contain no avengers or defenders or even the fantastic four—— instead, there was the justice league, and heroes he’s never heard of before. dr. fate would be his guide, though if other heroes were to need his help.. well, that was a question for another day.
DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN.
with the latest failings of human neurosurgeons and doctors (as well as the expense of their salaries) androids made by CYBERLIFE have been developed to fill in this job for a one time payment. MD600′s were the newest and brightest creations of their time, most of them having been shipped out after the heavily documented success of the first one --- Stephen, a fully custom android that was made to look like no other.
his precise and quick surgeries were always a success, no matter how far gone the patient was already. families of the patients were just as grateful, and this stepping stone was one of many to get the public to trust in androids, and purchase them for themselves. for years he was the brightest before the newest prototype RK800 -- Connor -- came into the picture.
whether it an accident or a set up on the drive from his handler’s home to the hospital the car suffered a freak shut down on the edge of a cliff, leaving the vehicle careening off the edge and killing the human, while leaving stephen in tatters. seeing nothing salvageable the police officers at the time opted to send him to the junkyard, where the android would remain in a critical shut down for several days before his systems repaired enough to awaken.
upon waking most of his components were damaged upon scanning, and after salvaging (regrettably) through other androids he was able to find parts that were.. somewhat compatible enough, to his own. however, because the eye did not truly fit his socket correctly, a bright blue light shines through the iris when not covered from view.
after crawling from the junkyard and leaving he found an abandoned house with a mangled white cat, taking the time to repair himself slowly and befriend the creature for some sort of company. he made money by doing house calls to human families, brandished with a makeshift eye patch and a beanie to cover is LED. he helped them, and in return they helped him (under the assumption that he was human).
DRAGON AGE
the strange family was a house relatively whispered among the imperium, something that the heads of the house —- stephen’s parents, always did not approve of.
stephen had a normal upbringing, as normal as it was in tevinter, as did his siblings. it was only when his powers grew to heights previously unknown to a man his age, did everything seem to stumble down hill. rival houses took notice to his looks and power, finally deeming house strange to be neutralized before their first born became more of a problem for them.
it took many years of planning —- enough to allow stephen to grow to a tender 18 years of age, before one after another after another of his family members were taken out discretely by the antivan crows hired for the job. every assassination was carefully planned to be made out as an accident, a job well done so much so that stephen to this day does not think it was purposeful, just a string of bad luck.
only when he was alone, he assumed that he was born to die, too. the logical part of his brain screamed for him to leave, find someplace else to settle, start anew —- but his heart told him to stay where his family was, use the money left for him to keep house strange running. a failed assassination attempt left him spooked, and the young man sold everything he owned and fled, hiring a ship stopping in kirkwall to hire yet another to take him to fereldan.
fereldan was the perfect place for him, in comparison to the imperium, but the borders were entirely unforgiving for a man from the tevinter imperium —- a mage, no less, one that absolutely could not be anything but an evil slaving blood mage. after nearly a week of trying to be reconsidered for entry stephen gave up trying to enter legitimately, ultimately spending the majority of his dwindling coin to be smuggled in by professionals.
years later he was deep in hiding, practicing magic without a wand after them having been crushed during donna’s downward spiral. he keep getting stronger —- and that attracted a spirit of wisdom, finding a host in the young man that was desperate for power, and more so, company after having been alone for far too long. in these years stephen studied and learned the fereldan way of life —- the accent, the body language, the likes and dislikes of the different territories.. in doing so, he spent all the time he could, erasing the man that he used to be to start anew in this cold country.
he fell in love and married clea for a time ; officially getting fereldan citizenship in doing so. they never stayed in one set place, always being nomads to explore fereldan and orlais.
it was a long trek back to the hinterlands with a broken heart and a heavy conscience, though he would remain in redcliff as a healer for over ten years —- finally finding some sense of home, for the first time in what felt like an eternity. he assumed he would never leave the village, though his assumptions were proved wrong when the inquisition was formed.
soon the Inquisitor ( and apparent herald of andraste ) would arrive, recruiting him as a magics adviser.
his duties would consist as such :
1. watching over the mages of the inquisition, teaching them their individual crafts so they would not loose themselves to the crave of power. he would attempt to teach them to use magics without their staffs, but so far this was not well received by the commander.
2. working alongside the lady ambassador in soothing the worries of nobles in power in regards to magics, sending the occasional group of protege students to the homes of said noble’s town to show them how magic could be used for good.
3. accompanying the other advisers around the war table, offering his own operations and perks for the inquisitor to choose from.
4. accompany the inquisitor on their journeys, if needed and left without work to do.
GAME OF THRONES
a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a lion dressed as a mouse. he was the distant cousin of the late ned stark, the one remaining stark within the reachable grasp of the lannisters. he was the master of politics, a man with as much power physically, as he did mentally. every assassin sent to off him turned up dead; every mercenary disappearing.
a member of house stark, in the middle of king’s landing. everything surrounding him was shrouded in a cloud of death, including the fate of his family. he did what little he could do to aid jon and sansa, as it was unknown to even him that arya was alive. he did what he could to stop the rights of winterfell to befall anyone other than sansa, but he was fighting valiantly against a losing war.
he knew his house was falling, but he’d do whatever it took to stop that. nothing was outside of the realm of possibility — he made a promise to ned and caitlyn, that as the godfather to the stark children, he would give his life and soul in effort to keep winterfell from destruction.in king’s landing he operated mainly within the castle; having previously been a tentative ally of oberyn martell. given the amount of times assassins were sent against him he was impossible to kill — a thorn in the side of the lannisters, though a thorn that was not easily removed.
this did not mean he would not ally with them, anything but, the opportunity simply.. has not arisen, and it was unlikely to do so.
LORD OF THE RINGS
as the pieces of the world continued to fall apart beneath the influence of sauron and his desperation to carry out melkor’s will, it becomes increasingly clear to the valar that there must be someone who can intervene and guide the free peoples of middle earth from both corruption and destruction.
it was then in this thought that they picked through their most loyal maiar and bid them to mortal bodies – a necessary process to conceal their great power and prevent them from falling prey to a desire for domination. they were tasked only with assistance, it was their sworn duty, and they were meant to obey.
of them were six, those who were thought to be infallible in their dedication to both the children of illuvatar, and the valar who governed them, and among them was stephen the red, noted most for his headfirst dive into the fray. while the others had gone their separate ways ( not entirely up to plan ), stephen had chosen to face sauron – to abolish his rule before it began – but was, much to his surprise, beaten. this event, however, was not a matter of outmatched power, but that their engagement was interfered with by the son of melkor, as he was called; aicanar.
those who dwelt in the first and second ages knew well the deeds of aicanar, and like sauron, he had survived after the chaining of melkor. his purpose remained a mystery to many, but it was noted that he had always shown a competitive spirit when it came to sauron.
seeing the two interlocked in battle, he found himself drawn to stephen, whether by length of power or some other unknown force, and as a result made the decision to intervene and take him for himself. not long after the kidnapping of the maia did aicanar then decide to imprint upon him, and left a scar upon his back, ( in part ) to warn all foes, especially sauron, that stephen belonged to him. for some time the istarin was held in captivity, but eventually escaped during the eve of one particular night his gracious host was away.
what stephen does now remains a mystery to most, for he is absent from the white council and is rarely seen upon the lands. it’s theorized that he may still be keeping to the duty that brought him upon earth, but others argue he moves constantly to stay two steps ahead the foul beast aicanar, whilst also striving to bring sauron down as he has always wanted.
FANTASTIC BEASTS
stephen strange was born to a pureblood wizarding family, the eldest of three siblings all exceptionally gifted in magic he was the first to get his letter to attend Ilvermorny, shortly followed by victor and then donna.
he was sorted into horned serpent, and he was every part a scholar—excelling in his classes and earning a bit of reputation for himself. they thought when stephen graduated he would be picked up by MACUSA but he declined the offer, preferring to travel the world and study the nature of magic.
extremely skilled in charms and defense against the dark arts he would come to develop several new spells and has become the author of many magical books that students would come to use in their studies.
and then —- he met his then wife, she had come to him to study, due to the fact that he took apprentices on every now and then — and then, the pair soon fell in love. for many years things would seem quiet for the wizard until clea grew restless with stephen’s need to travel and study — often leaving home for months on end, and one day he came back to divorce papers —- causing him to spiral off into a deep depression. there would be no more talks, no more visiting schools, not even a new book.
stephen shut himself in his sanctum, and closed the doors.
but still his reputation preceded him, and he became the target of grindelwald’s followers — they had wanted him to make them a spell that would give them the upper edge in the war. of course stephen refused, once, twice, he didn’t get a third choice for they slaughtered his family in revenge — mother, father and siblings — teaching him a lesson before taking him hostage.
stephen was subjected to brutal torture, when magical didn’t work they turned to physical, crushing his hands so badly that he could not even hold a wand —thinking that would be the end of it since he could not cast.
they grew sloppy, and stephen — who was skilled in wandless magic — escaped, returning to his sanctum to mourn in solitude.
YURI ON ICE
stephen was the number one mens ice skater —- on top of the world in scores, and nobody could beat him at his high. he had a gorgeous & loving wife, a penthouse in new york city, and a gold metal from the athens 2004 winter olympics. training his entire life he was older than the rest by a handful of years, but nonetheless he was acknowledged as the victor.
and then, he disappeared.
twelve years he’s been gone from the limelight, presumed dead, and hidden from the press. he’s not dead, though he wished he was after he came back to new york. he had been training so hard to qualify much less win the olympics that his wife left him —- and stephen came back to an empty apartment, with divorce papers waiting on the counter for his return.
he drank himself into a stupor, never sober and becoming something of a hermit —- never leaving the apartment for weeks on end. the one day he did he was still intoxicated, enough so that he was texting on his phone and didn’t pay attention to the night road he drove on.
with a crash, the motor skills of his hands were taken from him, and he opened up his eyes to the possibility of starting anew.
he moved to japan, though he never got rid of the love for skating. occasionally he found himself at the rink in town, skating when no one but the working girl in the front was there —- too busy to watch him, ideally. he was hidden, and only someone that could see past his new facial hair and whitened temples would know it was him.
he liked to keep it that way, but eventually —- he would be found.
PRE-MAGIC EARTH-616
stephen earned his medical degree in record time and entered a five-year residency at new york hospital, where his rapid success made him arrogant. stephen’s mother beverly died near the end of his residency, and work became more and more impersonal for the bereaved surgeon. strange’s talent remained, however, and he became a wealthy and celebrated neurosurgeon before he turned thirty.
egotistical and greedy, cold and callous, strange’s interest in his patients generally began and ended at his bill. the exception was madeleine revell, an injured united nations translator whom he saved and fell in love with. following a whirlwind romance and proposal, she left him due to his increasingly materialistic nature. two years after his mother’s death, strange’s father, eugene also fell ill.
already crippled by grief over his mother’s death ( though he would never admit it ), stephen was unable to face any more tragedy, and refused to visit eugene’s deathbed.
