introduction
sunshine and cyanide
❝to lie twisted and turned as a serpent,
to be in unison with a dying earth.❞
— segovia amil
─── 𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔡𝔲𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 ───
Cursed children rarely make it past the age of 25. James Camden just turned 30.
It was ironic that she'd be the exception to Ammit's curse, a curse that had been placed on her family centuries ago. A curse that fated every woman of following generations to lead a quick-lived existence of suffering — to pay for the crimes committed against the goddess.
And when the next child came into the world, dead on arrival, the curse had passed over. From mother to daughter. From one generation to the next. And thus James, too, was fated to a life that wasn't quite a life at all. Always on the brink of death, from the cradle to the grave. A fate equal to death.
───
JAMES CAMDEN was a ticking time bomb. With one foot in the grave and poison running through her veins she'd never had the luxury to live the life of an ordinary person. When every passing minute, when every breath, and every blink of an eye could be your last, you start taking chances.
In more ways than one James has been a living corpse since the day she was born. Always waiting, waiting, waiting — for the day the curse would be lifted. When she'd be dead and buried. Six feet under the ground.
Unfortunately despite all that James has found that was worth living for — dancing, strawberry milkshakes, bandaids with animal motives — the woman didn't have a choice in the matter. One day, sooner than later, she'd have to succumb to the cold hand of the grim reaper.
And yet, with the introduction to Steven Grant, next-door neighbour and fellow hopeless fool, James' life suddenly turned upside down. Drawn into the spiral of the mysteries surrounding the man's own conflicted existence, troubled and on the brink of insanity, so similar to her own, she couldn't resist.
Knowing the consequences of inter-human relationships, James couldn't get attached, not when she was living a life at death's door, handle warmed by her palm. No one should waste their time with someone who was born to die.
But Steven Grant's fate was tied to hers. So was Marc Spector's. So was Jake Lockley's. With Ammit's return looming on the horizon and the reencounter of an old foe, James finds herself engulfed in her ancestors' plight and before the woman realised she was digging her own grave.
But death was always one step ahead of her.
there is nothing more powerful than
a woman who cannot be defined;
who says you can't be both
sunshine and cyanide?
─── 𝔪𝔞𝔦𝔫 𝔠𝔞𝔰𝔱 ───
james camden — dead woman walking
portrayed by willa fitzgerald
❝ i cheated death and now she wants a divorce.❞
...additional cast
oscar isaac as moon knight system
may calamawy as layla el-faouly
ethan hawke as arthur harrow
─── 𝔞/𝔫 ───
...𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: all elements of moon knight belong to marvel. i only own my character (james camden), certain story elements and graphics. the quote above that also inspires the work's title is by @srwpoetry.
...𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬*: explicit language, implicit sexual content, canon-typical violence, themes of chronic illness, themes of mental illness, mention of self-harming behaviours, passive suicide ideation, death.
...𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: never so quickly in my life did i get started on a fanfic and publish it. i entirely blame it on my full-fledged obsession with steven grant who ironically enough isn't even the love interest in this fanfic lmao. get pranked... i say to myself. waiting for jake lockley to make an appearance so i can judge if he is unhinged enough for my taste. if he is he'll be the main love interest, otherwise marc will be.
(*note: explicit warnings will be put at the beginning of every new chapter, check those for further details, if you need me to add any trigger warnings feel free to ask)