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botwstoriesandsuch · 3 years ago

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hey Kip! I’m sending asks into different writer’s askboxes, inquiring about cool themes/development facts/stuff the author wants to share about their personal favorite work of their own. What’s yours? :)

Ok so this ask is old and when I first got it I was like “dang I don’t really have a lot to talk about, what should I talk about I could those revalink headcanons the Kip Cut that turned into a working fic uhh hmm maybe I’ll just make something new to talk about real quick” and then I did and now there is a 12+ chapter Revalink fic in my drafts and I’m gonna talk about that now, whoopsie doopsie [click "j" to skip]

aHEM, OK so allow me to break out the primary school white board because yeah, I have a lot of thoughts and the oxford comma has not yet made it’s home into my brain. oh and spoilers for paraphrase. for both all of Chapter one and future events in later chapters, but it’s really nothing you couldn’t surmise from the AO3 tags

so I really wanted to tell the story of Revali and Link learning and struggling to love again after the less-than-fortunate events of Botw, but I wanted a...how you say...fresher, approach on the subject? Like I know we always say that fanfic writers writing the same tropes and stories time and time again is good because we eat that shit up--but at the same time I had asian parenting as was told never to half ass anything ever, no matter what. So now I'm gay and extra and have depression maybe and oh would you look at that @motherhyrule has dropped a beautiful revalink prompt right into my lap

Great so now that we have, that, I shall take you on the step by step process on how to make a :sparkles: story. So step one is to spend at least five to eleven business days for your white board to dismantle your genre and themes and work them around your character arcs. Luckily I have prepared one ahead of time

s*breaks out those laser pointers that uni professors use* So let's start with defining genre. As define because I HATE you, fuck you. I want you to suffer and writhe on the ground, motherfucker. How dare you think that I would give you nothing but pure predictable fluff, fuck you and yours

is the set of expectations that your audience has when consuming a piece of media

And the great thing about fanfiction is that unlike movies or book where the genres are more vague like, "oh it's a noir mystery genre. so there's a crime, maybe a murder, and a detective and a criminal." or "oh it's a teen romance. so there's some white people and a morally questionable six-pack 18 year old love interest that will be painted as desirable for some reason" BUT with fanfiction HALF of the work out the window, because as soon as you see those #revalink #aro sidon #zelpha #revali is an idiot and #found family tags you already know what's up.

Now what's so great about genre and expectation? Well the fun thing about it is that

I will use it to fucking break you.

... ... ...

<3 For example! <3

In Chapter 1: Holes, you already expect there to be revalink, you already expect them to be soulmates with the soulmarks and there's angst and yadayada ya. Revali and Link have to match because thatttss what this is all about, this is about them! This is about cute, little soulmarks and romantic words!

But whoooopsie doopsie [disney channel laugh track plays] they DON'T match anymore! Link's got a different mark! The number one rule of this entire genre has been broken whoooooooooooooooops. *ba dum tiss*

You might notice with a lot of my writing that I do this a lot, this whole..."oop but there's one little thing that's different." TebaSaki sick fic? Ok cool, but what if Teba burns an irreplaceable relic of the Rito champion to fight a wizzrobe first to characterize why his dumbass clicks with Saki. Mipha deciding to persue Link? Ok what if she chases after a dragon to externalize this conflict as she pierces it's flesh for a scale. Link fighting a Lynel? Ok but what if it's actually a sidlink angst fic in disguise and it's also world building on how Link deals with the bloodmoon that erases all of his efforts which is sort of similar to how his existence was erased from Hyrule 100 years ago mwaahahaha! Ok now that I say this outloud I think I just have a pattern of using fight scenes to externalize character growth. I like fight scenes...anyways.

I think another great thing about the realm of fanfiction is that with the tagging system, I can basically use a chekhov's gun sort of deal, without doing any writing. You know I'm gonna use that gun marked "soulmates" but you don't know when I'm gonna shoot it, and you SURE as hell don't know how.

And huzzah! One of the main points of conflict both drives the tension between Revali and Link, solidifies the unique genre and setting of this world, while also creating a new mystery that will carry over for the next few chapters.

Is Revali right in that Link's rebirth makes him destined for someone new now? What will Link do with the information that his soulmark has changed? Why did it change? Did Revali's change as well? How does anything fucking work right now?

And sure, you might be able to tell where things will end with them, but you sure as fuck will not know how because I HATE you. Fuck you. I want you to suffer and writhe on the ground, motherfucker. How dare you think that I would give you nothing but pure predictable fluff. I am not your goddamn fairy godmother, I will do as I fucking please. You will suffer as you fucking deserve, fuck you and your little tiny--

Oh! But you might have noticed on my little planning whiteboard thing that there was a little T-Chart! For Revali and Link! That's because the next important thing besides plot (and in a lot of cases, including this one, it's argued to be even MORE important than plot) is

~CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT~

[to the tune of that history of the world video on youtube]

So yes, it's a little T-Chart outlining their character views in relation to the themes. And the great thing about themes is that they're not something you can necessarily predict in the same way you can with the genre and plot.

But now see, I'm very lazy so I'm just gonna plagiarize @hyrule-kingdom-updates thingy [that you should read btw] because they said my point quite clear enough

Now I don't really need to care about those points about bond and relationships and being understood, because I'm dealing with already established canon characters. I'm not some NERD who dabbles with entire casts of ocs who even cares about ocs not me that's for sure ahaahahaahahahahahaahahahahahAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH *cries in my orphaned WTTU fic* AHAHAHA*sobs*DONT FUCKING LOOK AT ME THAT WAY I SWEAR--

/j I love ocs

But the points I do wanna focus on is the idea that characters provide new perspectives on the theme, and that characters growth can be tracked based on their wants, lies, and needs.

So see, themes can be predicted the same as genre/plot because while you can have the same fanfic plots and tropes, theme will always vary!

Sometimes it's a journey of selfworth with Revali! Sometimes it's an exploration of trauma with Link. Sometimes it's about how you deal with the vulnerabilities of love with Mipha. Sometimes there's straight up NOOOO theme, and people just be fucking, and kissing, and baking, and having a good time. And that is totally fine too!

But I'm not a fucking coward.

I'm gonna weave in themes with my plot, because I fucking can.

I'm not a weakling like you.

Do you hear me, 2019 Kip? Do you hear me Demmers? Do you hear me Quill? I'm coming for your ass. You think you're so great, but I'm coming for you. Rest assured that your graves will be as deep as your sculptured pride--

Heeeere is that T-Chart again, plus more!

yyyyyYou might notice that Revali and Link are quite parallel, to paraphrase. Ayoooo, see what I did there? *dabs* I'm a genius. Anywho

They both start off the same way: 100 years ago they were in love and happy. Basically the equivalent of childish naivety. For the first time in their lives, life is whimsical and charming, and they make each other happy. In fact, it's almost a flaw with how they perceive this happiness. But don't worry! It doesn't last long!

You know what happens.

I think the chart is pretty self explanatory. Revali builds walls fast enough to give a republican a wet dream. Meanwhile Link makes every aromantic in the chat groan with his doubled down sentiments in the idea that his chances of being truly happy again are gone.

Now, I can't exactly describe the full on process of the inbetweens, and where Revali and Link are gonna go from here, because...you have to read it for yourself! Heehee...but something I did think was fun was how these character views on the themes are revealed. Because you'll notice that, I never give exposition. Ever.

Ok well, let me rephrase that. I never give exposition scenes. I will never give you a big LOTR fancy wizard scene explaining the ins and outs of a character's question or the world's magic or whatever. I'm a very impatient Kip, and I value efficiency. Nonono, it's all about multi tasking, baby!

Chapter 1: Holes is divided into three parts.

Post 100 Years - Medoh (Establishes Ghost Rev/Bonk Head Link's view)

100 Years Ago - Flight Range (Establishes old Revalink views)

Post 100 years - Mark (Develops Ghost Rev/Bonk Head Link's view in contrast to who they once were)

I think the way that you structure flashbacks is incredible vital, as it's a very quick way to characterize people without having them say stuff like "I used to be like you, until I took an arrow to the knee" or whatever.

And with the main structure of the chapters and the fic as a whole is focus on their characters, that means I can hide whatever other stuff I want in those scenes, becuase you're too busy absorbing the fun character stuff to realizing I'm giving you boring exposition. Like for example:

Post 100 Years - Medoh and Mark

Foreshadowing for the end of the fic

Set up connection to Medoh with Revali

Link has defeated Windblight

Link has been visiting Revali every night for the past few days

Link has already met Kass and presumably Teba

Link doesn't have the Mastersword

Revali's Gale is still an ability that needs master and practice on Link's end

And that's just some of the stuff.

And see, the only reason I can efficiently give all of this information regarding character, and even exposition, is because of the theme. The themes make everything relevant, and everything circles and encompasses one another, so there's absolutely no wasted space. I mean don't even get me started on how it's gonna be to characterize the other characters around this

I don't wanna talk about the other characters too much either because that's spoilers, but you can probably take a gandar based on my notes.

And oh my god this is just on the theme of the faults that come with "soulmates" and "true love" and all that, and how even magical destined relationships still require work and effort, and that no one thing or person solves all your problems. And that's not even TOUCHING the shit on trauma and scars. I didn't think it was even possible for me to talk about botw without touching on that, ha. Ah well, I've been talking for too long.

Revalink has a lot o' writing potential so das pretty cool yeah, I am excite

#revalink #paraphrase revalink #writing

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asterekmess · 4 years ago

Text

S3A - E8

I’m realizing just how damn far behind I am on working on season 3, but I don’t wanna skip any episodes of the rewatch, so let’s get to it! Double time, double time!

Content warnings for discussion of cannibalism.

Forewarning, this one is a doozy, so be prepared to Read More:

Lesgo!:

First thing’s first, Derek has experience with those awful sound thingies? Can you imagine how freaked he must’ve been seeing Chris bring those out when they were tracking Boyd and Erica?

Also, Chris Argent has been hunting Derek one way or another since he was a child. Even BEFORE Kate. Why the hell do we have a Derek & Chris broness in the later seasons? This kind of shit doesn’t just go away. I can’t believe I forgot about it.

I love how awkward sweet bby Derek is trying to run through the trees and tripping on branches everywhere. It’s honestly so much more realistic for a teenager than just the crazy cgi stuff. Also, since we know Derek is comfortable in the woods, it really gives you a hint as to how truly messed up he is from fear right now. He’s off balance in a dozen ways.

DEREK HAS BEEN WATCHING PEOPLE DIE IN FRONT OF HIM SINCE HE WAS 15. I’m gonna CRY. If I wanna hurt myself even More, you could argue that the Random Beta (RB) got shot bc he stopped to talk to Derek. So...guilty minds would assume Derek has been watching people die because of him since 15. I hate everything.

PETER comin’ in clutch. Also, hilarious that they use that arrow catching move so much.

I almost like how they tried to make Gerard look younger by just having him wear a douchey leather jacket instead of the serious grandpa one he wears in S2. He swaggers over to the body of RB, and it’s hilarious.

Okay, what is this bullshit about “Bring them back alive, we go by the code?” If you were going by the code then you wouldn’t be fucking hunting them AT ALL. They’re innocent! Why the fuck are you ‘bringing them back’ in the first place? Chris, you piece of shit. This is supposed to demonstrate that you’ve always been a stickler for the code, but all it does is emphasize how little that code actually means. “We hunt those who hunt us.” Fuck off, you hunt anything you deem ‘dangerous’ and find excuses to kill them so you can feel righteous.

Gonna casually note that RB was shot in the Throat with an arrow, but bc of makeup necessities they moved the arrow down to his chest when he’s shown on the ground. It’s funny. :)

It’s seriously so hard to hate Peter, do the writers realize that? Like, yes, he did horrible shit and I’m not denying that, but when you show him running into the hunter-filled woods to save his nephew’s life at 24 years old, then hiding with him in a cellar for two fucking days when he could probably have escaped on his own, it’s hard to see him as a heartless bastard.

I’m almost afraid to find out why Cora knows the details. Can you imagine? She would’ve been, what, 9-10? Her big brother and uncle both go missing for two days after a hunt and she had to stay at home waiting for someone to say they’d found their bodies. God, the lives of the Hales are so fucked up.

The rain is really making the mood here.

I gotta say, I’m confused about this initial Cora-Stiles interaction. He goes on about everyone who’s died or nearly died, but then Cora assumes he wants Derek to do something about the deaths, and Stiles agrees? Except that Derek currently fits the COD that all the other sacrifices have hit. Missing for about two days. Everything Stiles has said implies that he’s worried Derek is also dead. I don’t get why they go with ‘I’m worried about the missing man that I’ve been helping for the last four months because I blame him for the Alphas even coming to town”?

One thing they got on point here is just how disgusting they made Gerard. The slime and the spitting and ugh *shudders* it’s just so gross.

I’m also...I think intrigued is the right word--that they shoved this whole story into the episode without ever addressing the fact that Derek IS missing and they should go looking for him or something. It starts with Stiles asking where the hell he is, but then everything else is about this past moment. Talk about going off on a tangent. I mean, I don’t blame them, but if I shoved this much character background into one chapter people would call me out for the infodump that it is.

Which is all this episode is. Info-dumped exposition. Here’s how werewolves were made. Here’s why Derek’s cranky. Here’s why Duke’s an asshole. Here’s why the Hales are ‘special’

Again, I don’t blame them. It’s just...a lot.

Just a tiny thing: Why do they both roll up their sleeves when Scott only has to touch Gerard’s hand?

It is also very hard to believe that either Allison or Scott are remotely good people when they’re both lying to everyone about Gerard’s existence.

*finger guns, bc now i have to use the tag* I think this is the longest I’ve ever gotten before using it.

Another thing: Why does Gerard make the gross noises like he’s in pain, when we know it doesn’t hurt to get the pain taken away from him? It certainly didn’t hurt that lady in the ER.

I know this is a weird thing to notice, but I find it interesting that Paige is wearing actual makeup. Not just the ‘natural’ look, but eyeshadow that’s visibly dark. *shrug*

Is she Actually playing the cello? The notes Don’t look like they match up with her bowing and fingerings.

HA that music cut in is fucking Hilarious. Derek turns around like he’s in a teen rom-com, with that casual “I never stop smiling all the way bc I’m the coolest guy around” grin and the music just WHAM. That’s right, Derek Hale used to be a JOCK. He didn’t used to be ‘a lot like Scott.’ He was a lot like JACKSON.

So, this group of cronies Derek has. What is that about? He’s gotta have that posse just like Jackson did in S1? Unnamed people to cackle at his jokes.

Paige’s face, right there? That is the SHIT for me. That’s not hidden attraction, that’s genuinely “What the fuck is my life, why are you so lame?” and I am LIVING for it.

Derek peacocking is also hilarious. Peacocking so hard he (THE WEREWOLF) didn’t notice that she’d left the hall, is even more so.

I hate to tell you this Paige, but THAT is where I could tell you liked him. Giving in to his bullshit offer was the first step, that look on your face when he said, “Hold on” was Blatant “Holy shit, my crush wants to talk to me” but then all you idiots did was make eye contact. Paige, if you’re trying to get the ball, try looking away from those pretty eyes, okay?

Derek, you always go too far. You can see Paige lose interest when she realizes that he’s not actually into Her, he’s into showing off.

OOOF, i guess they weren’t such good friends after all, cus’ they left when Paige did.

I also feel the need to point out Derek is WEARING A CHECKERED SHIRT. *inarticulate screaming* Everyone who makes jokes about him thinking plaid is disgusting owes me five bucks bc he CLEARLY didn’t think checkers/plaid were that bad when he was in high school.

I’ll admit...the instant sorry is like...really good. If they’d had him come in and be More of a dick and then end up together, I’d be a lot more bugged. But his First real introduction to her is an apology.

THEN he goes back to being a dick. But at least this time it’s not about him, he wants to know about Her.

And I LOVE the turnaround! THIS is flirting. THIS is cute teasing. She plays his game Back at him, shows her own skill and forces him to get on her level. Then he weasels out of it, but in a Cute Way.

If there’s one thing that I’m routinely impressed by in TW it’s the scoring. They’re Really good with music to fit the moods and the vibes of the whole episode. For instance, all the transition music in this episode is Cello, bc it’s about Paige.

I hate agreeing with Gerard on Anything, but he makes a good point about the Dark Druid taking and killing someone else right alongside Deaton. Why would she take 4 people when she only needed three? She wouldn’t know that Deaton got a message out or that Scott would save Deaton. Plus the addition of the mountain ash circle is kind of weird, don’t you think?

Yah, I have no clue why your body is producing anything Either. You literally make no sense and you shouldn’t be alive. Period. Bringing you back was a lazy way to have someone who could be a sub-sub plot and hand out exposition and red herrings that are totally useless.

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT GERARD? You weren’t There when Deucalion found out he could still see with his Alpha Eyes (Which makes no sense btw, he doesn’t have TWO sets of eyes???) and if you’d interacted with Deuc since then he’d have ripped you to shreds.

SERIOUSLY people, why the FUCK are we getting this information from Gerard when it makes WAY more sense for Deaton to tell them this? He was THERE for the whole thing!

I get that the point of the episode is supposed to be “Unreliable Narrators” (The whole show has an unreliable narrator.) but you had that covered with Peter’s story. You could’ve Instilled TRUST in Deaton by making a contrast and having Deaton TELL THEM THE TRUTH. Show the difference between reliable and unreliable. Gerard doesn’t need to be here!

Stiles, asking the real questions.

AND GETTING THE MOST BULLSHIT ANSWER IN THE UNIVERSE.

Could these writers GET any lazier? Put some fucking effort in and give us some information about Werewolves IN YOUR WEREWOLF TV SHOW.

What the fuck were Paige and Derek into that they knew where an abandoned distillery was when it wasn’t even in TOWN? And you’re telling me they left town every time they wanted to make out? Even worse, are you implying they had SEX in that distillery? And then trying to tell me that none of the fucking Alphas and their packs noticed the smell of Derek and his girlfriend all over the building?

...what...do people seriously not remember being teenagers? What the fuck Peter? In what fucking universe is “one minute it’s ‘i hate you, don’t talk to me’ the next it’s frantic groping in any dark corner’ remotely accurate to real life?

Teenagers in the majority don’t DO that. I really fucking hate that all teenagers are made out to be like this. Like they’re “run by their hormones” and “everything is sex to you” STOP. Seriously, STOP. Saying shit like that completely negates the fact that Teenagers are Real fucking People. They’re not just buckets of hormones and sweat that need to be shaped into an adult. They’re fucking PEOPLE and reducing them to sex-crazed idiots is lazy and stupid.

Are you ALSO telling me that the hunters dragged RB’s DEad Body to an abandoned building, then strung the corpse up and cut it in half? AND that someone happened to go the abandoned building and found the body and called the cops, or that they MOVEd the two halves somewhere they would be found, Or that They were the ones to call and report the body?

Has teen wolf got even a Single brain cell?

ALSO, what the fuck is this timeline? Derek and Peter went missing for two days after RB was killed, but the packs don’t get together to discuss RB’s death until After Derek has run out of the building with Paige because he could smell blood from RB being hemisected. So, they waited at Least two days before talking to each other about RB’s death? And Derek apparently recovered Instantaneously from his two day nightmare and went right back to macking on his girlfriend and laughing freely the Day he was found? Or did they wait even longer? I’m so fucking confused!

Okay, you tell me that this place is their favorite makeout/groping spot, but they seriously just walk in the door and start kissing in the middle of the room? You guys didn’t bring some blankets and pillows here? You’re gonna stand there the whole time?

WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU MAKING PETER A PERVERT? He was fucking watching his nephew make out with his girlfriend through the wall??? WHat is WRONG with you?

ALSO, Cora was alive and active in Derek’s life at that point. She wasn’t That young. She could easily point out that Peter being Derek’s best friend is total bullshit if it weren’t actually true. Which means Peter is telling the TRUTH here. Hell, she doesn’t call out his heartbeat for lies the entire time, and while they imply at the end of the episode that Really Good Liars can just force their heart to be steady while lying so they don’t get caught, that isn’t a thing for the entire rest of the show. Derek trusts KATE when she says she’s not lying. So the evidence actually points toward Peter telling the TRUTH in this entire episode.

THAT is accurate to teenagers. Using the word “like” and “liking” so many times in a conversation that it doesn’t even sound like a word anymore.

Paige...dude, I’m so torn. Like I’m glad you’re being honest with Derek about your worries, but also it’s a complete dick move to just Assume that he’s gonna bail? To say to his face that you Know he’s leaving you and you’re just waiting for it? Fucking rude.

Ennis...bro...how exactly did your Beta “Accidentally” kill a hunter? How would that happen?

AGAIN WITH THE TIMELINE. If the packs only CAME to beacon hills because of Ennis issue with the hunters, why was RB running through beacon hills when he was killed?

Also, side note: Where are all of these werewolves staying? Are they territorial so they like, all claimed different hotels to take over? Or do they not mind, and THAT’S why the Hale house is so big for such a small family? Because they had a ton of guest rooms for packs that visited to get that sweet, sweet Hale Wisdom?

I firmly believe that werewolves are clothing-optional people. Talia straight shifts into a naked human form in front of over a dozen other wolves.

Also, where the hell is the Hale pack here? Some random chick comes up and gives Talia a robe, but that person is standing with Deuc’s pack. So....what?

I’m so curious about the formation the wolves make when they hear Talia coming. Everybody backs away, except Deucalion. And they do this weird focus on his face as he watches her come in. And her eye contact is JUST with him.

OH GROSS. DID DEUC HAVE A THING FOR DEREK’S MOM????

I will admit that watching things with subtitles sometimes ruins the surprise. There’s that little pause before “I’m just a deputy” like it was supposed to be shocking to the audience, but the subtitle on Amazon Prime just Pops up right away and it kind of ruins the effect.

Here we go! The one piece of concrete information on “Packs” and “pack members” that we’re given in the whole fucking show. Word for Word. “Losing a member of your pack isn’t like losing family, it’s like you lose a limb.”

That is....severe. Now imagine that your entire family IS your pack. And losing almost every one of them. Is it any wonder that Cora, Peter, and Derek are so messed up? That they’re so dark and wounded looking?

I s2g sometimes Peter literally just sounds like he’s a self-insert for the writers. He explains shit that the writer’s are showing Really Badly as if to wave away the fact that the Ennis flashback is pretty much Completely unnecessary. “You just don’t understand my artistic genius, it’s never just a single moment, it’s a confluence of events. I have to show you all these random flashbacks because you need to understand why Derek is soaked in MANPAIN all the time. Which is totally relevant to the current plot bc....bc....bc ART (and also Tyler Hoechlin was busy so we could only get one shot of him for the entire episode)”

That is just the cutest shit oh my god. Derek listens to Paige’s music while he’s in class and doing homework. THAT is love, you realize? He doesn’t just deal with her dedication to her music, he loves it.

THat little wince when he says “Are you sure about that?” Paige knows he’s gonna screw with her.

THAT IS A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP. He gives her space! She likes studying during lunch so he Leaves her Alone. I LIKE IT.

What do you mean “Laura told you about the packs being here.” Derek KNOWS they’re here because he watched RB DIE IN THE WOODS. Seriously, I”M SO CONFUSED.

FUN FACT (that I might’ve already shared) Oak wood was liked by the Celts because it was really sturdy and hardy and bore food, but it wasn’t their favorite type of wood! Rowan was the favorite, and Irish pagan practitioners used to sleep in rowan trees so they could have prophetic dreams. After that, it was Hazelwood. :P

I...do not enjoy when they bring up the Celtic Druids. *Scuttles to get my textbook bc this is my nerd shit*

“We’re in a Nemeton” This is the correct wording, actually! A “Nemeton” isn’t a thing, it’s a “sacred meeting place” as Chris calls it. Go chris! Nemeton refers to the entire grove/area around the main tree.

I can’t speak to whether they chose a ‘Large, older tree in a grove” but it does make sense bc if we’re talking about Oaks they were a symbol of food and safety (acorns were a staple to Celtic diets) so choosing an older tree would not only look more impressive, but it would probably bear more acorns for the clan.

“It would represent the center of the world” *Puts on vine voice* THat is NOt Correct! The tree at the center of the Nemeton was called a “crann bethadh” or “Tree of Life” and it was essentially a Totem that marked the center of the tribe’s territory. It was not ‘the center of the world’ it was the center of THEIR world. Their land.

“There was a belief that cutting or harming the tree would cause serious problems for the surrounding villages” Not sure if ‘villages’ is the correct term for the era, but the rest of it sounds like a close mistranslation. See, in Ireland there were raids people would do against other clans where the SOLE PURPOSE was to destroy their crann bethadh, because it was demoralizing. It’s like graffiti-ing the front of a church. But technically, it WAS severely frowned upon to harm the tree in any way.

This is mostly because in most Celtic areas, Oak trees were considered symbols of the “Father of the Sky” or the “God of Thunder.” Of course you don’t wanna piss off Thunder man.

Also, you notice how I’m saying CELTS and not DRUIDS. It’s because DRUID isn’t a cultural label, it’s a SOCIAL CLASS. It’s like saying “The Educated”

Okay, back to the--OH WAIT. Before anyone gets any ideas, the blood on the crann bethadh isn’t human. Estonian Celts smeared animal blood on the tree roots as an assurance for rain and good harvests. This is the same concept as TONS of other religions, including Christianity. (Abraham was supposed to sacrifice his son, Isaac, to God, but God stopped him and had him sacrifice a Ram instead. So, Yes. Christians used to perform animal sacrifices.)

NOW back to the show.

THe fact that gerard doesn’t know this stuff implies that Chris is the nerd of the family.

I LIKE THIS. I hate that I like it bc it’s Gerard, but I LIKE IT. Gerard gets up from his wheelchair. He doesn’t need it All the Time.

I’ve never seen another show that bothered to have a wheelchair user who wasn’t wheelchair-bound, which is stupid because it’s Very Common for people using wheelchairs to not need them all the time.

though it does beg the question of why he’s sitting in a wheelchair when he’s in his own bedroom? Was he going somewhere? Or did he know he wouldn’t have enough chairs and didn’t want Allison or Scott to sit in his chair?

The story of Lycaon, who was considered a savage ruler of Arcadia and Zeus went to his house disguised as a human (this is v common in myth) to find out if he was batshit. Lycaon and his FIFTY SONS (he also had one daughter) wanted to know if the stranger was a human or a mortal, so they fed him human flesh in stew. Zeus flipped shit and blasted the room with thunderbolts, murdering all but one of Lycaon’s sons, and then turned Lycaon into a wolf.

So...this whole ‘myth of lycaon’ is totally fucked up when it didn’t need to be? Like, they didn’t NEED to change it to make it a messed up origin story of wolves. It already was.

There’s three major versions to choose from

Lycaon was a pius man who founded the city of Lycosura on Mount Lycaeus and used a child as a sacrifice to Zeus, thinking it would please him. Zeus flips shit and turns Lycaon into a wolf. FROM THEN ON; at every sacrifice made to zeus a man was transformed into a wolf and if he managed to restrain himself from eating human flesh for 8-9 years, he would be turned human again.

The same story as the first, except Lycaon Knew Zeus was in disguise and the child he fed him was Zeus’ own son, and it was revenge for seducing his only daughter Callisto.

If you want to make it match what you’ve already said about wolves in the show, they could’ve used the last one and it would’ve demonstrated how Ingrained the concept of vendetta/revenge is for wolves.

If you wanted to focus on the Turning Human part and working with Celtic Druids to learn to become werewolves, you could’ve used the second one.

there was no reason to add in the bullshit about Prometheus except as an excuse to make Deucalion look like he picked his name to be an asshole, which he fucking didn’t.

I’m so sorry about all the classical shit (i’m really not) but I studied it in college and I can’t just let this bullshit stand.

I’ll give them a pass on the ‘the lesser known part’ bc it’s technically plausible for the wolves to have run north to the Celts and beg for help, And the Druids (those who’s education was specifically in magic, not all of them) were known for shapeshifting (though not usually into animals. They did that to Other people, not themselves)

I cannot believe this is so long, i’m so sorry.

But WHY tho, Cora? How is an Emissary supposed to keep you connected to humanity if No ONe KNows Who They Are?? How are they supposed to do their job??

Yeah, well now Deaton is a sour bitch who has a chip on his shoulder against the Hale pack so like...fuck his advice.

I will say though! Pre-fire Deaton doesn’t give me the heebies like post-fire Deaton. He’s much more clear about the advice he’s giving, and it’s actually helpful! He still has a dumb little anecdote/parable about the scorpion and the frog (which...in most circumstances I hate. It doesn’t even match what happens) but he gives Real Advice instead of vague asshole nonsense.

“I’m an Alpha, I never walk alone.” I have an inordinate affection for this line.

Paige is clearly some kinda bad bitch if she thought nothing of going to hang out in the school in the middle of the night with Derek.

Okay, but like...why would he attack Ennis like that if he was the one who asked him to bite Paige? And why is the moment played up “A fifteen-year-old boy against a giant” Derek was literally swatted to the side while Ennis walked out of the building. this wasn’t some big showdown.

If she’d already been bitten, why was Ennis still grabbing at her??

....seriously? Peter is literally right there? And no one noticed?

Again with the “Scott is a genius now” LIsten, bro, why the fuck would Scott know a sanskrit fable? If he Did know a story like that, it would be bc Deaton taught him. In which case he would know the FROG and the scorpion. Come on, guys.

OH MY GOD GERARD DOES IT TOO. GERARD, PETER, AND DEUC all have a CHRONIC case of verbal diarrhea when they’re trying to be intimidating.

I do NOT understand this warehouse scene. It’s a GAS gerard, if you stabbed yourself with some sort of...antidote or whatever it wouldn’t save you from the GAS you’re inhaling. At the very least you would be shouting like everyone else because it HURTS going in.

why did it take so long for Talia to come? It’s implied that Peter left to get her, so why did it take so long? Even PAST peter looks fucked up at seeing that Paige is dying, it’s not like he would wait.

I’ll be real, i get weepy so i’m skipping the actual death. Just know that it hurts me. Severely.

Y’all know how much I hate this ‘innocent life’ bullshit for blue eyes. It’s very True Alpha-y in that it’s impossible to pin down the specifics. What constitutes an ‘innocent life’? What constitutes taking it? With wolf claws? With a gun? What counts and what doesn’t count? Ugh.

Eyyy, so I’m exhausted and this is so long that my computer is fritzing. There are five minutes left and nothing happens in them at all. Just Scott pointing out the heartbeat thing and threatening to kill Gerard (so he’s still fine with murder at this point in time. Good to know). Stiles telling Cora that he doesn’t think Peter was telling the truth (which she would Know if he wasn’t) and that he’s gonna ask Derek about it (which we never got to see). And Deucalion murdering his own Beta (who, tbf, tried to kill him first. Which, again, what the fuck is up with Deaton’s office that wolves are able to rip each other apart in it, but it’s still ‘hard for someone like Scott to cause me any trouble.’ I’m just so confused

Final Thoughts: This episode actually had some interesting stuff in it, which is kind of sad considering there was no PLOT, just Exposition. I look forward to tweezing the bits out that I want and dumping the rest in the garbage where it belongs. Oh, and like I said, the music was on Point.

#personal #anti-Scott McCall #TeenWolf-Rewatch #long post

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pricetagofficial · 4 years ago

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Ghost -Part Nineteen

Warnings: Language, violence, angst, mentions of blood, mentions of death, fear factor

Masterlist

Word Count: 3K

Tag List: @kishony-the-geek @idkmanicantenglish @unknowntoanyone @subtleappreciation @catxsnow @nightwcngs @screennamealreadyused @river-bottom-nightmare @woahjaybird @bikoncon @arestorationofbalance

A/N: So you get to find out exactly what it was that I did to Rory!

"Tim! Get out of there now and get back to the tower as soon as you can!"

Red Robin stopped in his tracks and looked around at Rory's warning from the other side. "What are you talking about, there is no one here?" He even did a double-take as he spoke just in case something happened.

"There is no time to argue! You and the others need to get back here now!"

He heard a slam and could only assume Rory hit the desk. Recognizing the fear in her voice, Red Robin knew that something was really wrong. Rory never let her fear show during missions unless something was really wrong.

"Superboy, Impulse, come in," he said into his comlink. All he got in response was static, which was definitely not good. "Wonder Girl, Magician, are you guys alright?" Red Robin waited for a response from anyone but to no avail. Nothing about this sat right with him, there weren't many things that could make Rory this upset. In fact, he could only think of two things that would belong on that list.

When one of them got hurt on patrol, and...

Before Red Robin could even finish his thought he was shot by something that sent an electrical charge all through his body, shorting out his suit cam and disabled his comlink. With a cry of pain, he fell to his knees as he tried to pry off whatever it was that was electrocuting him. Fighting through the pain, his hand found a small round device on his chest.

With a groan, he pried it off his body and laid on the roof trying to catch his breath. He knew exactly who he was dealing with, and so did Rory. That meant that she was coming for him, even at the risk of her own life.

His ears picked up the sound of footsteps to his left and he looked up and saw the masked face of Deathstroke above him. Red Robin gave a tired grin, gripping his side. "Long time no see, considering the last time I saw you we kicked your ass."

If Slade thought he was funny, he didn't show it. Red Robin tried to force his body to get up and react, but the electric shock took so much out of him that he couldn't even convince his arms to move. His best course of action was to talk his way out of it.

"That little girlfriend of yours is the reason I'm here, now hold still." was all he said before he pulled out a syringe full of a suspicious-looking liquid. "An old friend gave me this, let's see how well it works."

Red Robin's eyes widened as he finally managed to get up and rolled away, but his body was still trying to shake off the shock. Trying to fight off the older assassin, he blocked every hit Slade sent his way trying not to fall over before making a break for the edge of the roof. He didn't get very far before Slade caught him and stabbed the syringe in his neck. Falling to the floor, he watched as Slade crouched over him and took his arm before pulling out a knife.

Trying to shake off the sudden fatigue, Red Robin's mind felt foggy as he felt pain in his right arm. Letting out a cry, he felt something on his arm but couldn't figure out what it was. Whatever it was that Slade gave him, it slowed him down immensely.

His vision went blurry as Red Robin watched Slade grab a pigeon and shove something into its side before attaching it to a white arrow. He knew what that meant, it was a message for Rory. Slade was using him to lead her right into a trap, and Red Robin refused to let himself be used like that.

Gripping his arm, he could feel that it was warmer than it should be and was covered in a sticky substance. Glancing at his fingers, he could see that his hand was clearly covered in blood. Well, that would explain the pain he was in. Considering where the hole in his arm was, Red Robin had a really good guess of what had happened.

Trying to stay as quiet as he could, he rolled over and slowly got up and inched his way to the edge of the roof once more. Slade was occupied with the pigeon still, so this could be his chance. Taking out his grappling gun, he aimed it behind him.

His vision was getting worse by the second, with whatever Slade stuck him with and the now constant loss of blood it wouldn't be long before Red Robin passed out. He just hoped that he would be away from Slade when it happened.

Closing one eye, Red Robin aimed his grabble and shot it across an alley. Just before he was about to jump, he was in on the head really hard, and then everything went black.

Tim walked into the apartment and slammed the door shut before dropping the duffel that held his suit on the floor. How could she have been so stupid, did Rory not understand just how much he worried about her every night on patrol?

He watched as she stormed off to their room and slammed that door shut. It was obvious that she didn't want to talk, but Tim wasn't taking no for an answer. Not this time. With a frown, he followed her and pushed the door open, and stared at her as she stood quietly in the corner refusing to look at him.

"Rory we have to talk about this eventually, might as well get it over and done with now," he said crossing his arms.

Rory refused to answer or even acknowledge him. Tim knew that he crossed a line tonight, but she had to understand that Tim actually thought that she was in danger. After the last year they had, Tim was more protective of Rory than ever. From getting kidnapped and tortured by the Joker, pregnancy scares, stabbed, and blown up to losing a friend, Tim never once saw her just quit.

But the look she gave him earlier said that she was tired of fighting, but this wasn't a fight they couldn't ignore.

"Songbird, please. I know, I shouldn't have snapped and for that I'm sorry but you should have let me in on what you were planning." he expressed.

It was then Rory finally turned to look at him. "Let you in on it? Tim, if I told you what I was going to do you would have tried to talk me out of it then get pissed that I refused to listen. This wasn't the first time I've done this sort of thing, I just wish you'd trust me more."

"Trust you more? Rory, I trust you with my life, my identity, and my heart. It's everyone else that I don't trust!" he cried, walking closer to her.

"Tim if you trusted me you wouldn't have freaked out as badly as you did!" she snapped stomping her foot.

"I freaked out because Cobblepott had his hands all over you!" he shouted. "I hated every moment of it and the worst part was, you didn't tell me! You've never had to ask me for permission, but I'd like a heads up when you do something like this again so I know and don't almost completely ruin the mission!" he explained taking her hands. "Rory, I love you more than anything. I freak out because I don't want you hurt, that's happened enough."

Rory let out a sigh as her eyes finally met his, her gaze softened and she looked less angry. "I love you too Tim, so much," she answered. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but you have to promise that you'll freak out less about missions like this okay?" Rory cupped his cheek in her hand as his blue eyes met hers with a gaze so soft that she felt like she was on cloud 9.

"I can't promise that I won't freak out, but I can promise that I will not get in the way at all." Tim's hands released her as he pulled her closer and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

Shaking his head, Tim slowly woke up and took in his surroundings. At first glance, he seemed to be in a dark room most likely a basement and he was tied to a metal chair with chains. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary, except that over his mask he wore a gas mask that he was sure he did not put there himself.

But why the hell would he need a gas mask and why would Slade give it to him in the first place?

Whatever it was that was injected into him seemed to be slowly wearing off but Tim could still feel the sluggish effects of it. Looking around he saw Slade there waiting by the door watching something on a screen in front of him with a device in his hand that looked to be a tracker that he was watching something in the building with.

"What the hell is this for?" he asked loudly.

Slade looked up and over at him and shook his head. "And here I was thinking that you were supposed to be a genius, Red Robin. Consider the fact that I put one on you, but didn't bother giving a similar luxury to our dear Aurora."

"What the fuck does that mean?" he growled.

Tim was almost sure Slade was smiling at this point, what had he done to Rory?

"Why do you think I put a mask on you? I need you at least somewhat coherent, mine has a built-in filtration system. It's meant to filter out odorless gasses and toxins."

That's when it clicked in Tim's head. Bruce had mentioned that there was a random sighting of both Poison Ivy and Scarecrow on the same day and they all thought it was odd. It was even weirder when neither of them resurfaced again after that.

Bruce had sent in Dick, Barbara, Jason, and Cass with all four of them coming back with little to no information. The only thing they had found was a chemical formula, but none of them knew what it was supposed to be. They all decided to send it to Tim with strict instructions to not let Rory know about it just in case, and found traces of both Ivy and Scarecrow's toxins. If the two of them managed to make that formula a reality, there was no telling what it could do to someone.

Tim had a dark feeling that if he took off his mask, he would get a first-hand experience of it.

Looking at the screen, he could see a vague outline of a figure he knew all too well. Tim should have known better than to think Rory wouldn't have come after him. Slade knew the right strings to pull to make Rory and everyone else a puppet in his game. Even though they weren't what they used to be, Rory still had that same sense of morality where no one was left behind.

Only Rory had walked right into a trap, if his intuition was right then Slade was pumping the building full of the Ivy/Scarecrow toxin that Bruce and the others had found and she wasn't wearing her mask. Tim swallowed as he watched Rory on the screen search room by room for him, only to watch her stumble every so often. The toxin was starting to take its toll on her and he had no idea if she even knew what was happening.

The screen shut off once Rory got to the door that led to the stairs, and Slade turned to look at him. "Don't look so worried, she'll be joining us soon; if she even makes it down here alive."

A surge of anger coursed through his body as he tried to break free of his bonds, he was tired of playing victim to Deathstroke's games and he was tired of Rory always paying the price for it. Slade opened his mouth to threaten him when there was a loud thud coming from a few doors down and they both knew what it was.

Only a few seconds passed before Tim heard a blood-curdling scream. A scream that was so agonizing, he dared not to think about what Rory was experiencing. The screaming didn't stop, Tim was sure that they were the only three people in the building so what was putting her in so much pain that Rory screamed like that?

Without a word, Slade left the room slamming the door behind him. Tim took this as his one chance to try and get a signal of sorts out. He still had his gauntlets on, so he shifted and moved to a position where he could press the right button to get out a distress signal. Tim had a feeling that Rory told them not to follow her, and the others still didn't know that she was Ghost but this was a situation too dire for secrecy like that.

With a faint beep, Tim sighed knowing that he hit the right button so it was only a matter of time. As the beep faded, the door was slammed open and in walked Slade and he was dragging Rory behind him by the hair.

She was still writhing and screaming in pain with her hands grabbing at her hair while she sobbed. Whatever it was she was seeing, Tim had a feeling it was the things that she had buried deep down to never resurface again.

Slade dragged her closer before he dropped Rory at Tim's feet where he could see that her veins were discolored all over her body, with a thick layer of sweat and her hands covered in blood.

Tim tried to hide just how much seeing her like this bothered him, he had seen her at her lowest points but this was worse. The pain was visible on her face as it was in her scream and he watched in horror as her body writhed and contorted from the pain trying to relieve it.

"It's amazing what just five minutes of slow exposure to this new toxin does to the human body. She's been breathing it in for now half an hour, I wonder if she's taken in a lethal dose."

The snarl that left Tim was almost inhuman, Slade took the coward's way out in getting the job done because he knew that there was a slim chance of winning a fair fight against her. He knew that letting his anger getting the better of him was dangerous but if he didn't do something Rory was going to die from an overdose of the toxin and by that point it would be too late.

"You asshole, do you really think that this will be enough? What do you think is going to happen when she dies, and everyone finds out it was you? No amount of assassins can stop the number of people who would be coming for your head." he said, his voice strained from hiding the anger quickly rising.

Slade stared at him before he started to laugh at his words. "That's adorable, do you really think that anyone would care if she died especially after all she has done? Once the world finds out who is behind the mask they'll turn on her. Aurora's downfall has always been her own doing, I'm just giving it a little push."

"How about I give you a little push right out the window?"

Their heads turned to see Wonder Girl, Impulse, and Magician all storm in from the doorway, and each of them wearing masks to filter out the toxins in the air.

In a blur of red, Impulse ran around and freed Tim from his bindings before he and Wonder Girl both launched themselves at Slade pushing him back through a wall. Magician raised her hands as her hands began to flow around her and quickly spoke a spell.

"Llaw eht ni mih part!"

Tim and the others watched as the rock wall next to them formed around Slade and trapped him against it as Magician had commanded. Wonder Girl and Impulse stood by while Tim picked up Rory, in the process of their rescue Rory had passed out from the pain and slumped in his arms.

"Impulse! Get her back to the Tower immediately!" he ordered.

Turning on his heel, Impulse was right in front of him with Rory in his arms. "Right away, oh fearless leader." he gave Tim a salute before he sped off towards the Tower leaving Magician, Wonder Girl, and Tim there to take care of Slade.

Magician's spell was wearing off quickly as Slade fought his way free. Tim knew that they wouldn't get far with this fight. They were all too weak and with the condition that Rory was in, it wasn't a risk he was willing to take.

"Wonder Girl, get us out of here!" he ordered.

Before Slade could break out of the wall, and Magician's spell completely wore off, Wonder Girl picked them both up and flew her way out of the building.

"You have a lot of explaining to do when we get to the tower." she snapped as they flew over the city.

Tim shrunk a little under her gaze. Normally Wonder Girl was a sweet person, but when she was pissed she had everyone cowering under her gaze. Tim was no exception. They were almost halfway back when Bart contacted them through their comlink.

"Hey, I got Rory back. Conner and I are working on getting whatever is in her system out of her."

"Be careful! I have no idea just how toxic it is! Just keep her stable until I get there." Tim responded.

There was a hum of affirmation from both Conner and Bart and then silence. Whatever was keeping their attention, he hoped that it was helping Rory. Almost ten minutes later, they landed on the roof and Tim took off for the med bay with Cassie and Althea behind him.

#Costly Affairs #Tim Drake #Timothy Drake #tim drake fanfic #tim drake fanfiction #tim drake fic #tim drake x oc #Red Robin #red robin fanfic #red robin fanfiction #red robin fic #red robin x oc #DC comics #The Aurora Queen Saga #The Archer

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arofili · 4 years ago

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Worldbuilding Exchange Letter 2021

Hello lovely creator, thanks for creating for me in the Worldbuilding Exchange! I’m very excited and grateful for whatever you create for me <3

This letter will restate my DNWs, list my likes, give you a brief rundown of my canon preferences, and then dive into specific prompts for each of my requests.

I’ll warn you upfront that I tend to ramble, so feel free to skip prompts that don’t interest you and/or use ctrl+F to search for whatever it is you want to write for.

My requests are divided by fandom, and in the case of the Silm + Middle-earth Legendarium, by topic too, so hopefully that will be helpful for you! Also, my TAZ request is waaay down at the bottom, so if that’s what you’re here for, just go to the bottom of the page.

Housekeeping:

DNWs:

Non-con

Unrequested dub-con

Abusive/Neglectful parenting (especially wrt Fëanor)

Sibling incest, parent-child incest (cousin pairings are fine)

Unhappy/Unhopeful endings (unless otherwise specified)

Jealousy/Possessiveness

Cheating

Character or ship bashing

Hanahaki/any scenario where unrequited love is physically damaging

Soulmates, especially soulmate AUs (soul bonds are OK, if there is choice involved)

Porn without plot (Porn with plot is fine!)

Food involved in sex

Unrequested Modern AU

Non-trans mpreg

If you’re writing a slash ship where the characters are/were married to/involved with someone outside the ship, please don’t have the character(s) hate their spouse or not have been actually in love with them (the one exception is Finrod; I’m fine with him and Amarië not having been actually in love, but please don’t do this for anyone else, especially not Fëanor)

Hobbit/LOTR-specific DNWs:

The concept of a dwarven “One”

Any Fíli pairing

Alfrid

Legolas or Gimli paired with anyone other than each other

no smut for these fandoms, please

Silm-specific DNWs:

Evil/irredeemable/incel Maeglin

Elwing bashing

Fëanorian bashing

Over the top Fëanorian apologism (they did bad stuff; it was at least partially their fault. you don’t have to address that, necessarily, but don’t rewrite the story to claim they were blameless)

Fingon with a wife

Fingon or Maedhros ships that don’t take Russingon into account (polyamory, an open relationship, Mae with someone after Finno dies or vice versa for an AU, them with other people while they’re separated on the Ice/in Angband - all of these scenarios are fine, but in the end I need them to be with each other first and foremost)

Dark!Maedhros

Elvish re-embodiment after death being an actual, literal rebirth that requires the characters to have a second childhood; I much prefer them being granted a new hröa in their prime (feel free to explore what “in their prime” means, though, especially wrt scarred and disabled elves)

~~~

Likes:

(these might not all apply to worldbuilding, but they might give you a place to start from!)

Gen fic

Found family

Family dynamics

Loving families, even when things get complicated

Friendship, intense/important platonic relationships

Relationships that defy categorization

Queerplatonic relationships

Polyamory

Queer headcanons (especially aromantic-spectrum headcanons)

Trans/nonbinary headcanons (genderbending is also fine, but I prefer trans/nb hcs)

Angst with a happy ending

Gray morality

Explorations of magic

Most tropes

Fanon and fandom tropes

Deconstruction/Inversion of fanon and fandom tropes

Interspecies relationships

Peredhil

Secret relationships

Secret relationships coming to light

Secret kids (especially secret peredhil!)

Giving ships OC kids

OCs interacting with canon characters

Confessions of love

First times

Hurt/comfort

Redemption, forgiveness, mercy

Ironic foreshadowing

Canon divergence AUs/X Lives AUs

Politics and scheming

Resolving conflicting canonical details

Historical/Narrative bias affecting what is and isn’t “canon” (to an extent; changing motivations, consequences, etc is great, but please don’t ignore canon entirely)

Elrond & Elros having complicated relationships with both their bio and adoptive parents

Names fitting the time period (Quenya names in Valinor, please; if this is difficult for you, that’s okay, no pressure, but I do strongly prefer it)

Names having a lot of thought put behind them (does the character go back to their original Quenya name upon rebirth? or do they keep their Sindarin name? or come up with something else entirely? do they hate their new Sindarin name and resent having to use it, or do they embrace it? As long as you put some thought into it, I’m sure I’ll like whatever you decide!)

Author’s notes where you explain your thought process, if you want; I love hearing how the story took shape!

~~~

Preferences re: Canon:

LaCE compliance is always completely optional (except if you’re choosing a prompt that is specifically about LaCE, lol). If you do want to include it, that’s great, but if you just want the characters to fuck without having that be an issue, go for it. I love explorations of LaCE that take into account the exceptions, boundaries, definitions, etc; I also love takes that emphasize that they are Laws and Customs, not biological imperatives.

I’m not picky about my Amrod deaths. He can die at either Losgar or Sirion (or, hell, some other time/place if you make it interesting enough!), whatever works best for the story. I do like Lightly Toasted Amrod, aka he almost burns to death at Losgar but survives/gets rescued at the last minute.

Gil-galad theories are all very fun. Please don’t make him the son of Fingon and a wife; if he’s Fingon’s son, I want Maedhros to be involved at least a little bit (adoption or trans mpreg are both fine in this scenario). Otherwise, I don’t have a particular preference, though if it’s not really relevant I usually default to the son of Orodreth (who is in turn the son of Angrod). Also, I’ve requested “Origins of Gil-galad”; there’s more information on him in that section.

Honestly, when it comes to theories and headcanons, my rule of thumb is “convince me”! I’m down for whatever, for the most part, as long as you can justify it :)

~~~

For all of these, “suggested characters” pulls from the list of characters I requested with that signup, but if you’ve got an idea involving other characters then go for it! And in the end, all characters are just suggestions, this exchange is more about the worldbuilding :)

~~~

The Hobbit (Book)

Adventuring Hobbits Before Bilbo: Who were they? Did they ever come back, or was Bilbo assumed dead because of precedent? Were they all Tooks, or did some other hobbits tag along on adventures, too? Suggested Character(s): Belladonna Took

Dragon Magic & Dragon-hunting: Talk to me about dragons! I’m interested in dragons & dwarves, especially in relation to the first time dwarves were driven from Erebor and into the North and the War of the Dwarves and Dragons. What kinds of dragons set their sights on the mountain? How old was Smaug when all that was happening; did he learn anything from the failures of his kin? Who were the dragon-hunting dwarves who fought in that war? Suggested Character(s): Smaug, Original Dwarf Character

Dwarven Craft and Magic: Enchanted weapons, enchanted armor, runes and spells...all so interesting! Borrowing from the movies a bit, did Kíli’s runestone from Dís have any magic power? What’s the deal with the Arkenstone’s thrall? How do elf and dwarf magics intersect when it comes to objects like Bilbo’s mithril coat? Suggested Character(s): Dís, Frerin, Thorin, Original Dwarf Character (perhaps a craftsdwarf?)

Dwarves and Gender: We need more dwarf women! And I’d love any takes on nonbinary dwarves and/or dwarf-specific genders. Were there female dwarves in the Company that Bilbo mistook for male dwarves? Are dwarven women really only a third of the population? If dwarf men and women are very similar in appearance, how do they differentiate between them, or do they differentiate at all? If you included something about dwarvish braiding styles indicating gender, class, marital status, I would be delighted. Suggested Character(s): Dís, Frerin, Thorin, Original Dwarf Character; in this case I’d prefer a focus on canon characters, but OCs interacting with them would be marvelous, especially people like Dís’ spouse.

The Black Arrow: Bard’s little pep talk to his arrow has always intrigued me. I’d love to see your take on the origins of the Black Arrow. Does it really come from Erebor, and if so, who made it? How did Bard and his forefathers come to acquire it? (I like the movie version that ties it into Girion’s attempt to kill Smaug, so feel free to incorporate that if you feel like it.) Is the arrow enchanted? (Perhaps that could be tied to the Dwarven Craft and Magic tag!) Suggested Character(s): Bard, Original Character from Dale, Original Dwarf Character

The Stone Giants & Were-worms: I don’t have many thoughts on these guys except “neat! tell me more!” I’m fascinated by the creatures Tolkien only gives us a passing mention of; if you feel like it, maybe you could combine these tags with some of the creatures in the LOTR tagset (crebain, cold drakes, Watcher in the Water, Mearas, Kine of Araw, etc...I didn’t sign up with all those tags, but it would be neat to hear about them anyway!)

~~~

The Lord of the Rings (Books)

Cold-drakes and Fire-drakes & Crebain & The Watcher in the Water: Like with the Stone Giants and the Were-worms, I just think they’re neat and I’d love to hear your take on their origins and how they affect the history of Middle-earth. Feel free to combine this with other creature-related requests. Suggested Character(s): Scatha

Ghosts and Hauntings: Barrow-wights? Nazgûl victims? Just your crotchety old hobbit neighbor who still holds a grudge about losing the biggest pumpkin contest despite having been dead for 20 years? There’s a lot of potential for stories here; maybe you could combine a ghost story with some other prompt to add a murder mystery or haunting plot to a relationship you’re exploring!

Dwarf-Elf Relations: I don’t believe All Dwarves and All Elves hated each other! We have famous elf-dwarf friendships across the ages, and really it was just the Sindar vs. the Broadbeams/Firebeards that had the feud. Still, Legolas (a Sinda) and Gimli (raised among Broadbeams and Firebeards in the Blue Mountains) are caught up in that, so their friendship is quite remarkable! I’d love interrogations of how that feud continued across centuries and discussions of what really went down in Menegroth, perhaps with one of the Durins having an elf friend at some point in the past that sheds light on how Legolas and Gimli can get along. (I am here for any and all Gimli and Legolas combinations; I love them as friends, I love them as boyfriends or husbands, I love them as queerplatonic partners, I love them as anything in between! Do whatever you’d like with them!) Suggested Character(s): Gimli, Legolas, Original Elf Character, Any of Durins 1-7

Elvish and Mannish settlements in post-Ring War Ithilien: How do Legolas and Faramir get along, both living in Ithilien after the war? What do Legolas’ people think about being neighbors with a bunch of Men? Faramir and Imrahil were Aragorn’s chief commanders after the war, and Legolas expressed admiration for Imrahil; I imagine Imrahil visited his nephew in Ithilien, so what are the interactions of those three like? I’d love to see an exploration of Silvan elves and their culture here, with Legolas leaning into his Silvan heritage and maybe some Silvan OCs who have spent their whole lives in Mirkwood up until now and have never met Men before now! Suggested Character(s): Faramir, Legolas, Imrahil, Original Elf Character

Relations between the Dúnedain and Rivendell: Talk to me about the Grey Company, or Elladan and Elrohir fighting alongside their distant kin, or Rangers taking breaks in Imladris, how the Rangers think of Aragorn who was raised among elves, etc. I’d love an outsider POV here, such as an OC observing the oddities of a canon character. Suggested Character(s): Original Elf Character, Original Ranger of the North

The Glittering Caves of Aglarond: More Gimli and Legolas stuff - but with a focus on Gimli this time :) Gimli as a lord in his own right, Gimli who takes elves on tours of his dwarf-kingdom and weirds out his people (is it just Legolas, or does he take any Silvan elves with him, or like...his elvish in-laws??), Gimli as a craftsman... Or, alternatively, you could explore the caves before Gimli gets to work on them, what the Rohirrim thought of them and how they were created - by natural processes, or by magic, or a mixture of both? Did Aulë make them for the dwarves to find, perhaps? Suggested Character(s): Gimli, Legolas

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The Hobbit (Movies)

Dragonsickness/Goldsickness: The parallel to mental illness in the movies was really interesting. I’d love to see lingering effects of the goldsickness on Thorin after the Battle (Everyone Lives AU, probably), or an AU where Fíli or Kíli inherit the throne of Erebor and are afflicted by it as well. Or, sticking to canon, how did Fíli and Kíli and the rest of the Company deal with Thorin falling into madness? Were the other dwarves affected by the thrall of the gold? Bard and Thranduil were observers of Thorin’s madness; what did they think of him? Did Thranduil remember Thrór under dragonsickness? Or, since movie!Thranduil is a far cry from book!Thranduil when it comes to going to war over jewels, was he affected by the dragonsickness even from a distance? Was Bard? Suggested Character(s): Thorin, Fíli, Kíli, Bard the Bowman, Thranduil

Dwarves who "choose craft"/Aromantic-Spectrum and Asexual-Spectrum Dwarves: This is pulling more from the books than the movies, but I didn’t have enough nomination slots to include any book nominations, so it went here, lol. Anyway: as I’m sure you can tell from my tumblr url, I headcanon Fíli as aromantic, and I love seeing that in fanworks! It’s really wonderful that Tolkien mentioned that many dwarves choose their craft over marriage, and I’d love to see an exploration of that aspect of dwarvish culture, and how Fíli fits into it. It seems to be fairly common/accepted, but are there different cultural pressures around marriage for the crown prince? How does Fíli figure out he’s aromantic? If aro and ace dwarves are expected to be choosing a craft over romance and sex, what’s Fíli’s craft? Or does he not have one, and people judge him for that? The “choose craft” language I use is very much inspired by this post and the Neo-Khuzdul word “bijebtorva” :) Suggested Character(s): Fíli, Original Character(s)

Governance and Politics in Mirkwood: How did Thranduil and Oropher come to power in the Greenwood? I hate the “lowly Silvan elf” line from the movie; can you somehow justify that with worldbuilding, or show how it’s not accurate? Is Legolas half-Silvan like is implied in the LOTR books? Who are Thranduil’s advisors? Is Tauriel really the only one who dislikes and defies Thranduil’s isolationist policies? Is Mirkwood very patriarchal, and is Tauriel’s appointment to Captain of the Guard something she faced opposition or competition for? Are the Sindar elite colonizers, or did they integrate into Silvan society? How does the average Silvan elf feel about their king, or do they not even think about him? Suggested Character(s): Thranduil, Tauriel, Original Character(s)

Poetry and prophecy: Bard uncovers that tapestry that turns a song from the book into a somewhat ominous prophecy; there’s a lot of discussion of fate and signs from the thrush at the door to the last light of Durin’s Day; Thranduil has seen enough in his thousands of years to have had time to brush up against a prophecy or two. What do these three believe about fate and prophecy? Are any of them prophets in their own right? How does poetry/music lend power to prophecy? (Bonus points if you tie it back into the Ainulindalë...) Suggested Character(s): Bard the Bowman, Thorin, Thranduil

Poisons and antidotes: I love Kíli/Tauriel and the scene where she heals his wound...but the worldbuilding around morgul poison and athelas is a little murky. It’s a decent parallel to Frodo’s condition in the LOTR movies, but it’s confusing lore-wise. Can you make sense of it? If Tauriel is a warrior, where did she learn healing? (In my own headcanons, her foster family are healers, which is how she learned those skills even though she’s primarily a warrior - but feel free to take it in whatever direction you’d like!) Suggested Character(s): Tauriel, Kíli, Original Character(s)

Rebuilding Erebor & Relations between Dwarves + Elves + Men: (I’d prefer an Everyone Lives AU for this situation.) How do Thorin and his Company put Erebor back together again? What are the renovation projects like? How long does it take Dís and the rest of the Longbeards to arrive in Erebor and help out? How long does Dáin stay to help his cousin? I would love to see some politics both internally within the Longbeard dwarves and externally as they relate to Mirkwood and Dale. Smaug’s corpse is just lying in the Long Lake...how do the dwarves feel about their old enemy’s body so close by? Do some Men want to re-establish Lake-town, and demand help from the dwarves who flushed the dragon out of the mountain? Do the dwarves want to harvest Smaug’s corpse for resources? (He’s probably got gold and jewels stuck in his scales, and dragon-skin/scales is probably a good raw material for crafting things.) What’s the process of Bard becoming King of Dale? Does he face any opposition? I love the idea of Hilda Bianca challenging him for leadership, or maybe insisting on some kind of democracy/representation in Dale! And if she doesn’t get her way, maybe it’s her leading some people back to Esgaroth and founding a democracy there that would make the old Master roll in his watery grave... How do Bard and Thranduil and Thorin reconcile after the battle? Does Thorin pay up like he said he would? Does Tauriel hang around, or does she go somewhere else? Are any elves inspired by her, or is she a total outcast? If you choose to explore the Kíli/Tauriel relationship, how does that affect politics between Erebor and Mirkwood? Suggested Character(s): Thorin, Fíli, Kíli, Bard the Bowman, Hilda Bianca, Thranduil, Tauriel, Original Character(s)

Tauriel's fate after the Battle of the Five Armies: This is for exploring what happened to Tauriel in canon. Does she wander the world and explore new places? How long does she mourn Kíli? What does she do with the runestone? Does she return to Mirkwood, and if so, how does she manage to get back into Thranduil’s good graces? There are a million different ways to take this, I’d love to see your take on her! Suggested Character(s): Tauriel, Thranduil, Original Character(s)

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The Silmarillion: Magic & Spirits

Houseless Elves: Why did they refuse the call of Mandos? Do Avari even go to Mandos? Can Melkor and Sauron ensnare these spirits for their necromantic purposes? If the call of Mandos is refused once, does that bar them from listening in the future? What kinds of ghosts are haunting Middle-earth in the First Age? What kinds of ghosts haunt Aman? Suggested Character(s): Original Character(s), Melkor

Magic as a connection to the Music/the Song: Magic isn’t always the best-explained in Tolkien’s universe, but what we do know is the incredible power of the Music. How do the Maiar and Valar, who are not technically beings of Arda, interact with the world? How do elves and men (and dwarves! and orcs!) tap into the Song and manipulate it to their benefit (or detriment)? I have the headcanon that Elemmírë, the elf who sung the Aldudénië, is a priestess of Varda; what was the power of that mourning song, and how was it received by her patron Vala? Suggested Character(s): Elemmírë, Varda, Melian, Melkor, Original Character(s)

Nature Spirits: These holes in Tolkien’s worldbuilding are fascinating to me. What role do nature spirits play? How many are there? I’m thinking particularly of river spirits, like the River-woman and Goldberry, but there are probably also mountain spirits and water spirits and-and-and... Are they Maiar? Lesser beings? What do the Maiar we know of think about them? Gandalf seems the kind to listen to them and learn their stories, but perhaps Melian sees them more as servants in protecting her realm... Suggested Character(s): Melian, Original Character(s)

The Shadow-shapes in the hills above Cuiviénen: What were these shapes? Melkor’s prototypical monsters, Maiar who didn’t know how to interact with the Children, something else entirely? What did the original elves believe about them? Did they fear them, did they try to appease them, did they try to confront them? I headcanon that Elemmírë is an Unbegotten elf, so perhaps she lost friends to the Shadows, or thought she did. If the Shadows did take elves, was it out of malice or curiosity or a desire to protect them from whatever Melkor was planning? Suggested Character(s): Melkor, Elemmírë, Original Character(s)

The Void: Melkor spends a whole lot of time here. Does he have any company? Something or someone he makes to pass the time with? Do the Valar (like Manwë or Námo or Varda or Nienna) visit him there? What is the nature of the Void, is it pure emptiness or chaotic magic or a nightmare machine? Is Melkor being punished or is he being contained? And where are the boundaries of the Void? Varda rules the heavens; does her realm bleed into Melkor’s prison? Suggested Character(s): Melkor, Varda, Original Character(s)

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The Silmarillion: Elven Relationships

Note: This request deals with relationships, and while I’m open to pretty much anything, please keep in mind my DNWs. Exploring these topics using canon relationships is a safe bet; I adore Maedhros/Fingon so having a look at them through this lens would be amazing; I have Aredhel as a character request here, and I see her as aromantic (“to none was her heart’s love given”) so while showing her in a relationship is fine, I’d love it if you could take her lack of romantic feelings into account; if you have a question about another ship, you can check to see what I’ve written and/or send me anon message! Additionally, a lot of these talk about soul bonds, which I’m very interested in, but one of my DNWs is soulmates. To me the concepts are very different things; it’s the destiny and inevitability and universal assumption of romance that really squick me out about soulmates. Soul bonds, on the other hand, have an aspect of choice to them that I really dig. So, please don’t make characters Fated For One Another, but please do explore what joining souls is like!

Laws & Customs of the Eldar: Boy do I have a lot of feelings about LaCE—and I’m always intrigued by other people’s feelings, too! I’d love to see an exploration of how these laws and customs came to be, which parts of the rules around marriage and children and re-embodiment are social constructs and which are innate to the fëa and hröa, and/or relationships that defy the norms. If your take on the laws is hetero/cisnormative, how does that affect queer elves? If your take is free of bigotry, what are the flexibilities around queerness, including asexuality and aromanticism? Laws and customs and rules always have loopholes and exceptions, so what do elves who don’t fit into the expected relationship mold do about these norms? Suggested Character(s): Aredhel, Maedhros, Fingon, Elrond, Any Unbegotten Elf Character(s)

Arranged Marriages among the Eldar: Russingon arranged marriage AU?? Orrrr....Maedhros or Fingon are politically engaged to someone else, and they have to deal with the ramifications of that? (Please don’t have them actually go through with the marriage if you go that route; I’m not interested in a story with Fingon having a wife, even if she’s a beard.) If elves (usually) only love once, and by declaration of the Valar can only marry once (Finwë being the somewhat disastrous exception), how is an arranged marriage justified within the cultural emphasis on these bonds? Are they more like arranged romances, people pushing their children together in hopes that they’ll fall in love? Or is it a stricter rule about “you do what’s best for this family”? (Note: Bad/cruel parenting is one of my major DNWs, so if you’re going that route, please don’t make the parent uncaring or malicious. Stubborn and narrow-minded is fine, as is the genuine belief that this is what’s best for the child, but ideally they’ll learn from their mistakes or perhaps everything will be interrupted and derailed by Canon Events. This is especially important wrt to Fëanor.) Suggested Character(s): Maedhros, Fingon

Creation/Discovery of soul bonds: How do soul bonds work on a metaphysical level? Can they be broken? Do they have to be nurtured and maintained? What’s long-distance communication like? Heck, what’s short-distance communication like, is it like talking in your mind or sharing your feelings or more abstract than that? Can elves form soul bonds with mortals? And most importantly—how did elves figure out they could soul bond with one another?? I can imagine that would be quite a shock when they’re discovering sex and then suddenly they’re inside each other’s minds! Suggested Character(s): Any Unbegotten Elf Character(s)

Non-romantic/sexual soul bonds: I’m good with practically any relationship here. Explore sibling bonds, twin bonds, parent-child bonds, queerplatonic bonds, found family bonds, adoption bonds, the bond between a Vala and their Maia...any kind of soul bond that is familial or platonic or chosen without regard to romance! (Feel free to take a canon romantic relationship and turn it queerplatonic, I live for that shit!) How are these bonds formed outside of sex? What are the rituals and ceremonies around forming them? Is it a public or private thing? Are non-romantic soul bonds taken seriously, or are they seen as less important than marriage bonds? Since elven parents literally give part of their soul in the creation of the child, is that parent-child bond innate? Suggested Character(s): Aredhel, Any Unbegotten Elf Character(s)

Elven adoption: I nominated this with Kidnap Dads in mind (if you go that route I love fluff for them as well as more nuanced/complicated takes on the situation, but whatever you do don’t make M&M cruel, and please include Maedhros as a parental figure alongside Maglor)...but hey, it could work for Fingon (and Maedhros) adopting Gil-galad! What are traditions around elven adoption? Are there soul bonds created between the adoptive parents and children? Was adoption even a thing in Aman, or is it only practiced in Middle-earth? Did elves adopt mortals and vice versa? Is adoption extended to found family other than a parent-child situation? How is adoption viewed by elvish society, especially if inheritance/succession is a concern? Suggested Character(s): Maedhros, Fingon, Elros Tar-Minyatur, Elrond

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The Silmarillion: Noldorin Politics

Original Fëanorian follower(s) who turned on their lords at Sirion: Okay, this is a character tag, but I’m absolutely obsessed with this line: “For the sons of Fëanor that yet lived came down suddenly upon the exiles of Gondolin and the remnant of Doriath, and destroyed them. In that battle some of their people stood aside, and some few rebelled and were slain upon the other part aiding Elwing against their own lords (for such was the sorrow and confusion in the hearts of the Eldar in those days).” Who were these people who followed the Fëanorians into exile, into a Kinslaying, through the burning of the ships, through 30 years of Maglor as a king-regent incapable of treating with the Nolofinwëans, through the scattering of their lords and the harsh conditions of the North, through the Bragollach and the Nírnaeth and a “wild and woodland life” and the Second Kinslaying (where some of them went as far as to abandon children in the winter woods to die because they thought it was what their lord/s would want), through isolation and hatred from every other elven group, through the plan to attack a refugee camp—through ALL OF THAT, and THEN they turn on their lords at Sirion??? Why betray your lords NOW? And the people who DID keep following them after that (after kidnapping children!!!), what were they thinking?? — I firmly believe that Maedhros has many escapees from Angband in his service who are ride or die for him and whose morality was somewhat warped by Angband, but what about Maglor’s followers? Caranthir’s? Ambarussa’s? Even Celegorm and Curufin’s?? There’s just SO MUCH potential for story here, I’m dying to read about them!

Noldorin lines of succession: Was It Sexist Or Was It Not: The Eternal Question aka Why Didn’t Idril Become High Queen After Turgon? Also, what does “eldest of the house of Finwë, and not the least wise” even MEAN, Maedhros?? How did Gil-galad come to power? I find it hard to believe he became king immediately after Gondolin fell; was it a wartime power grab? A battlefield promotion? How did the kingship get established in the first place? Why was Finwë chosen to go with Oromë to Aman? Was Maglor ever really king, or did he only rule as a regent for the missing Maedhros? Suggested Character(s): Finwë, Gil-galad, Maglor

Origins of Gil-galad: I am always so interested in takes on Gil-galad’s parentage. My favorites are Russingon baby Gil (through trans mpreg or adoption, both are good) and secret peredhel Gil (probably an Aegnor/Andreth baby adopted by Orodreth), but I also love Finduilas Is Gil-galad and honestly, any situation is fascinating here—just convince me! A possible way to explore this is through Outsider POV; some noble or historian trying to figure out just what the heck is up with Gil-galad. His parentage being confusing in-canon is so fun!! Suggested Character(s): Gil-galad, Original Nobility of the Noldor

Maglor's Kingship between Maedhros' capture and rescue: Was Maglor ever really king? Did he give up on Maedhros early on, or did he cling to the hope that he still lived? Did his brothers turn to him for support, or did they connive to take responsibility from him? The rift between the Noldor wasn’t healed until Maedhros’ rescue; did Maglor try to cooperate with Fingolfin, or did he keep his people isolated? Was he relieved when Maedhros came back and took responsibility, or was he resentful to lose his power? How does this situation (and Maglor not going to rescue Maedhros) affect M&M’s relationship later on? Suggested Character(s): Maglor, Original Fëanorian follower(s)..., Curufin, Caranthir

Dwarf-Elf relations in the First Age & Dwarf-kingdoms: Dwarf-friends!!! Yes!!! I love elves and dwarves being buds (or partners if you’d like to go that route!) <3 IIRC, Curufin learned Khuzdul, and I’m sure Celebrimbor did too; Caranthir was supposedly rude to the dwarves, but what if that’s just his (and their!) love language? How did relations between the Sindar and the dwarves sour over time? Maedhros was friends with Azaghâl; how did that relationship begin? How did Finrod’s contract with the dwarves blossom into a real friendship? Eöl was also buddies with the dwarves; did he ever bump into Curufin or Caranthir while at a trade festival or something? And the dwarf kingdoms of the First Age are fascinating on their own, too; what was the political structure like? Did the dwarves bring items from the other side of the mountains into Beleriand? How did the petty-dwarves get exiled? What happened to Nogrod and Belegost in the War of Wrath, and were they ever re-established after the sinking of Beleriand? Suggested Character(s): Curufin, Caranthir

Guilds and Noble Houses of Tirion: Give me a Tirion political drama! Finwë trying to appease his lords and craftseldar? Indis integrating into Noldorin society and making connections with the noble houses? Arranged marriage situation between Nolofinwë and Anairë? The younger princes running amok and causing chaos in their elders’ carefully-laid plans and delicately balanced alliances? Suggested Character(s): Finwë, Indis, Original Nobility of the Noldor, Curufin, Caranthir, Maglor

Roles and Responsibilities in the Noldorin Royal Family: There were oodles of princes in Valinor. What did they all do? How did they get the followers who came with them to Middle-earth? Were they free to pursue their own crafts, or did they have responsibilities to the common people? How did this change in Middle-earth when suddenly everyone was in danger and had more pressing needs? What is it like being a re-embodied royal in a society that’s adapted to life without you? Suggested Character(s): Finwë, Indis, Maglor, Curufin, Caranthir, Gil-galad

Fashion as Political Statement: This is an excuse to request Color Coding Politics. Fëanorian red! Nolofinwëan blue! Findis wearing Aggressively Neutral White! Lalwen in orange? Arafinwë in yellow? Finwë in an amazing technicolor dream-coat...or more likely just red, showing his bias once more? Art of this would be absolutely fantastic. I have lots of headcanons about color politics; feel free to ask me about them if you choose this option. Suggested Character(s): Curufin, Caranthir, Gil-galad, Finwë

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The Silmarillion: Trauma & Religion

War of Wrath: For a war that took so long and had such wide-reaching repercussions, we really don’t have very many details about this. It’s free real estate, basically! I have my favorite characters (Maedhros, Maglor, Elrond, Elros, Gil-galad...) that you could use to explore this time period, but literally anyone who’s alive at this point is fair game. And OCs! What do the Noldor and Vanyar (and Telerin sailors) feel about the War and interacting with the war-weary exiles and Sindar and Men of late-stage Beleriand? What kind of culture shock/culture clash is there? Were re-embodied exiles permitted to return to Middle-earth, or were they barred from going to war again? Suggested Character(s): Original Noldorin Character, Original Vanyarin Character

Trauma after the War of Wrath for elves and humans & Exiles adjusting to life in the Undying Lands post War of Wrath & Dealing with psychological trauma in Valinor: Trauma was commonplace in Beleriand, but not so much in Valinor. What’s it like for exiles who sail West to be in a society that doesn’t know how to support them? Are the Valar having to learn how to deal with the trauma of living elves super quickly, or are they reticent to change? How do the exiles interact with their re-embodied kin? What do the Vanyar and other Amanyar think of these elves who have been so deeply hurt? What kinds of treatises on psychology are penned by scholars with little to no previous experience? What is therapy like in Valinor? Do the exiles get together for support groups since no one else understands them? Or did the trauma of the Darkening and the First Kinslaying wake up the Amanyar and get their act together before then; are the exiles surprised by the structures already in place to support them? And what about Avari who have been dying steadily all this time from accidents and incidents in Middle-earth? If they’ve been re-embodied, how do they engage with the Eldar who have similar traumas? Suggested Character(s): Estë, Finrod, Maeglin, Original Noldorin Character, Original Vanyarin Character, Rúmil, Any Avarin Elf Character(s)

Worship of the Valar and Religion & Avarin religious culture: Do the Vanyar really worship the Valar, or do they seem them as hyper-powerful neighbors? What are priests and priestesses like in a world where the gods walk among you? How does each kindred of the elves interact with the Valar? Are Maiar viewed as equal worshippers/servants or as deities in their own right? Do the Avari even know about or acknowledge the Valar? Do they worship the stars, or simply Eru? Suggested Character(s): Pengolodh, Rúmil, Any Avarin Elf Character(s)

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Middle-earth Legendarium: Magic & Spirits

Afterlives: This is pretty vague, but I think it’s referring to the various kinds of afterlife. What are the Halls of Mandos like? What happens to spirits who don’t go to Mandos? Do Men pass through Mandos on the way to Beyond? What happens to Men? Are they reincarnated in the more traditional understanding of the word, do they go to some other realm similar to Arda, are they just endlessly partying it up with Eru? Do dwarves really go to the Halls, or is that just a superstition? And of course, what about orcs? Suggested Character(s): Námo

Fate of orc souls after death: Yeah, really, what about orcs? If the orcs were originally elves twisted into Morgoth’s servants, are their spirits still elven? Are they reborn as they once were, elven despite their life as an orc? What about orcs who are many generations removed from their elvish ancestors? Do they have fëar? Can orcs be rehabilitated? I refuse to accept that all orcs are inherently evil; but what does everyone believe in-universe? Suggested Character(s): Námo, Original Orc Character(s)

Foresight and Prophecy and Doom: I’m honestly not sure if this fanon or canon, but Finarfin and his line having foresight through Indis is a wonderful concept and I’d love an exploration of that. How accurate is foresight? Can fate be circumvented? Are prophecies like the Doom of the Noldor self-fulfilling, or are they warnings about possible futures, or are they curses upon people? If you have a high Doom upon you, does that end with your death, or does it follow you to Mandos and beyond? Suggested Character(s): Námo, Finarfin

Songs and Words of Power: Rap battles with Sauron! ...joking aside, song as magic is just fascinating to me. How does this connect to the Ainulindalë and the Song of the World? The elves named themselves Quendi, the Speakers; how do they view the power of words and their ability to change the world around them? Can music be used as a force of destruction or a weapon (battle bard Maglor)? Can it be used to manipulate someone’s mind (Sauron)? Suggested Character(s): Maglor, Sauron

Stars and Starlight: “All light is sacred to the Eldar...but wood-elves love best the light of the stars.” Okay, sorry for being a Hobbit movie apologist on main, but I do love Tauriel! How do elves view starlight? Is it holy, or are the stars more like their friends and guides? Did the Avari choose to remain in Middle-earth partially because of their love for the stars, which were drowned out by the light of the Trees? How does Eärendil feel about being a star; does he feel blasphemous or holy? What legends and superstitions are there among Avari and Men and others who don’t know the origins of Gil-Estel about the new star in the sky? Suggested Character(s): Morwë, Eärendil

The Unseen Realm: This is the in-between world where Frodo goes when he wears the ring, the world that the Nazgûl in their half-life inhabit. Are Ainur able to slip into this realm at will? Did Gandalf walk invisible in Gondolin? How does Sauron manipulate this realm to his purposes? Is this where elves go if they fade? (I don’t usually like Maglor fading, but it could be an interesting way to explore this...) Suggested Character(s): Námo, Sauron, Nazgûl, Maglor

Magical Artefacts & Magical Communications: Palantíri! Galadriel’s mirror! Ósanwë! All sorts of cool ways to talk with magic. Do the Rings of Power enable long-distance ósanwë? Did the Silmarils contain pieces of Fëanor’s soul? What other marvelous magical creations were there that didn’t make it into the Legendarium we know? Suggested Character(s): Sauron, Maglor, Eärendil

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Middle-earth Legendarium: Politics & Lore

Feudalism between Eldar and Edain: We have Edain entering into the service of Noldorin lords (Bëor and Finrod, Hador and Fingolfin, Amlach and Maedhros) and land being given to Men by elves (or not, in Haleth’s case)...how far did this feudal relationship extend? Were the Edain mostly autonomous or were they very much bound to their elven lords? Were there common elves who paid tribute to Edain lords? Can any relationship between elves and Men truly be equal if this is the way they originated? Fealty kink? Suggested Character(s): Curufin, Original Elf Character

Fourth Age Tirion: What’s Tirion like with a bunch of dead people walking around living again, and a bunch of weird legends now imposing in daily life? What’s the first meeting of Rúmil and Pengolodh like—who geeks out over whom? Are the Fëanorians back yet? Is the average elf even really aware of all the nonsense that happened in Middle-earth, or are they extremely unimpressed with King So-and-So of a square of land that’s now underwater trying to cut them in line at the coffee shop? Suggested Character(s): Original Elf Character, Pengolodh, Rúmil of Tirion, Celebrimbor, Elrond, Galadriel

Relationship between Noldor and Dwarves: See “Dwarf-Elf relations in the First Age & Dwarf-kingdoms” in my Silm request for a starting point...but also, was Elrond’s Last Homely House open to dwarves? How did Galadriel come to respect the dwarves, especially after her Sindar kin grew to hate them? Suggested Character(s): Curufin, Celebrimbor, Elrond, Galadriel

Timekeeping between the Death of the Two Trees and the Rise of the Sun and Moon: Tolkien’s math drives me ABSOLUTELY INSANE. His timelines are contradictory, I get headaches just thinking about the length of elf pregnancy, what does aging mean for an immortal species, WHY ARE TREE YEARS LIKE THAT and WHAT IS A YÉN? Please try and make sense of this for me, I beg of thee. I’m especially interested in the time period between the Death of the Trees and the Rise of the Sun and Moon. Did the Noldor wander the Helcaraxë for 3 years or 30? How long was Maitimo in Angband? Did the Sindar even realize something was different? How did people start calculating Sun years? When was the calendar of the First Age adopted? Who did all this math? Is there an in-universe explanation for these contradictions? Do people fight over math? Do the Ainur experience time the same way the Children do? Did some Noldo genius come up with a timekeeping system that worked with the Moon, only for the Sun to come along and muck it up? Suggested Character(s): Pengolodh, Rúmil of Tirion, Original Elf Character, Fëanor - really any scholarly character, tbh!

Treatment of Angband's Escaped Thralls: Which kinds of escapees choose to go to Himring with Maedhros the Tall, and which choose to go to Gondolin and the House of the Hammer of Wrath? Was Rôg an escapee too? Can Maedhros really tell who’s been turned by the Enemy? Does Thingol have the right of it in turning away thralls from Doriath? (If he even does that, I’m now researching this and I’m not sure it’s actually canon...) What was it like for Maedhros and Gwindor to readjust to elven society? Did Elrond grow up surrounded by Fëanorian followers who escaped Angband, and is that where he learned healing? Suggested Character(s): Original Elf Character, Elrond

In-universe authorial bias in historical texts: All of the Legendarium is a history, which means there’s bound to be unreliable narrators. Was Maeglin really as evil as the story says? What gets left out of the narrative? What gets lost in translation? Who lives, who dies, who tells your story? Suggested Character(s): Pengolodh, Rúmil of Tirion

Trade in Middle-earth: What was trade like in First Age Beleriand? What about Second Age trade between Númenor and the mainland? Was Ost-in-Edhil a trade hub? After Sauron returned and traveling became dangerous, what intrepid traders braved the wilds for the sake of goods and money? How was currency developed around the world? Suggested Character(s): Curufin, Celebrimbor, Elrond, Galadriel

Orcs Surviving the Wars: Again, I don’t believe that all orcs are irredeemably, inherently evil. Were they persecuted and stamped out after the Ring War, or did some escape and adapt to a life without a harsh overlord? What’s orc agriculture like? Would Elrond take a chance on rehabilitating an orc in Rivendell? What if orcs were more complicated all along, and it’s the histories that simplified them to cardboard-cutout villains? Suggested Character(s): Original Elf Character, Pengolodh, Celebrimbor, Elrond, Galadriel

~~~

The Adventure Zone: Balance

My only non-Tolkien request, oops. Don’t think I’m not as interested in this request, though; I’m the only one who nominated for it, so I picked my very favorite concepts and I’d love to see what you do with them!

Angus McDonald’s Grandfather: This guy’s name was lost to time, and he loves silverware, and he has a grandson, and that’s pretty much all we know about him. Was he involved in the Relic Wars somehow? Did his name get eaten by the Voidfish? I imagine he’s a rather eccentric fellow; how much of that did he pass on to Angus? Is he even real, or was Angus lying to Tres Horny Boys about his destination?

Any Wonderland Adventurer(s): I’d love to see what happens to the other people who go to Wonderland before our boys. Do they all die? How many get what they want and get out? Do any of them have weaker moral compasses than THB and agree to advertise for Edward and Lydia? What if Edward or Lydia fell in love with an adventurer and trapped them there? What kinds of things do people sacrifice to the Wheel? We know about the Escape Game and the Healing Game; what about the Recovery Game? How long has Wonderland been around? How has it evolved over time? What was it like before Edward and Lydia got ahold of the Animus Bell? How did they get ahold of it? (Personally I think Barry just gave it to them...but did he have to go through the trials first?)

Differences within species between the Two-Sunned World and Faerun: I love the fanon that Two-Sun elves are juuust a little different from Faerun elves...like Taako’s echolocation, for example. But what if this applies to the other species like gnomes and dwarves and even humans? How are the Seven Birds just a liiiitle off from everyone else around them? Also, Cat Elves. This is an excuse for Two-Sun Cat Elves. GIVE TAAKO A TAIL. (I mean, or not, do what you want, but I’d love to see that, lol.) Suggested Character(s): Any Member(s) of the IPRE, Original Character(s)

Reclaimers before Tres Horny Boys: Who were the other Reclaimers? Who did Lucretia trust to carry out this dangerous mission? How did they all each, inevitably fail? What if Magic Brian was a Reclaimer gone wrong? What was the last straw for Lucretia, the last failure that made her scheme to get her boys back? And the other Reclaimers weren’t officially disbanded right away; how did they feel about the new guys in town, and losing their jobs to these doofuses? Suggested Character(s): Lucretia, Original Character(s)

The Relic Wars: There were wars about the Relics!!! Wars!! That everyone forgot!! Wars where people that THB knew died!! And then we never get into this in canon! It drives me nuts! I would love to see an exploration of this chaotic time period, what the IPRE did to mitigate the damage, which relics were obvious and terrifying and which were secret and terrifying, etc... I’ve written a bit about Relic War-era Hurloane, but what were the other NPCs doing? (Or Hurley and Sloane too, I’d love to see your take on them too!) When Lucretia wiped everyone’s memories, what was lost? (I suspect Angus’ Grandfather got caught up in that...) How did those missing memories lead people to the Bureau of Balance? Suggested Character(s): Lucretia, Any Member(s) of the IPRE, Angus McDonald’s Grandfather

The Robot World's crystal post-Story and Song: The IPRE promised to return the Robot World’s crystal if they ever managed to defeat the Hunger...and we know they can plane hop from the casino liveshow...so, did they ever return the crystal? How did that go down? How does the Robot World rebuild itself? And if we’re going into it being the (K)nights Arc’s setting, are there other characters than Troth that we might recognize? Suggested Character(s): Magnus Burnsides, Lucretia, Any Member(s) of the IPRE

Worlds that survived the Hunger: In the worlds where the IPRE found the Light of Creation before the Hunger arrived, what was it like for the people there who had to endure the Hunger’s attack? What was the scope of the destruction? How did they rebuild afterward? Does uniting against a common enemy bring the people of the world together and create more Tesseralia-like societies? How many people knew about the IPRE, and what did they think about them? When they hear the Story and Song, what’s the reaction? If they didn’t know about the IPRE what myths do they create to explain the Hunger? Suggested Character(s): Lucretia, Original Character(s)

~~~

Alright, that’s the end of my prompts/requests! Thanks for reading this far, and whatever you end up writing for me I am super excited to read it!! And if you have questions or ideas or something, my askbox is open and I have anon messages on, I’d love to talk! Thank you again for creating for me, you are the best! <3

#tmi anna #worldbuilding exchange #exchange letter

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shark-from-the-park · 5 years ago

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FIC: The Fitzier of It, Episode One

A Fitzier The The Thick Of It AU in several parts.

So, I finally decided to start posting this long-ass fic and see what people think. You don’t need to have seen The Thick of It to get this. It’s just sweary political satire as a thinly veiled excuse to have James crush on Francis. Dedicated to @casperthefriendlylittlefan for constant cheerleading, encouragement and brainstorming, and for encouraging me to use my place-holder title for the fic instead of some pretentious thing.

Warnings for very bad language, frequent Britishisms, and Blanky. Also, this is still a WIP. Will be posted on AO3 when complete.

@casperthefriendlylittlefan @boisinberryjamarama @what-a-terrorific-mess @coffeesugarcream @hereliesnils @itisa-profoundbond-sarandom @the-jewish-marxist @cinemaocd @jaredharrisankles @thegreenmeridian - please PM me to be tagged in future installments/untagged/to ask questions/to say hi, etc. My love to all in the Fitzier fandom.

Episode One

“Look Francis… There’s no need to be so coy with me. I’m just saying that when you do finally announce this Westminster’s-worst-kept-secret leadership bid, you’re going to fucking need me on side, whether you want to admit it or not! Francis, Francis, for Christ’s sake, are you even listening to me?” James felt the irritation that was so specific to Francis Crozier crawling along his spine and scraping across the breadth of his shoulder blades as the older man turned his face away from him.

“You know Tom, I miss the days when acquaintances would address me as ‘Minister’.” Francis addressed his chief political aide as though James was not even in the room.

“Aye, them were the days. Respect, n’all that.” Grinned Tom Blanky, flanking Francis on his left side like a gangster’s hired muscle, while hulking, sullen-faced Ed Little did his strong, silent thing on his right.

Furious, James chose to ignore the two henchmen completely.

“Fucking hell, Francis, you’re an ignorant bastard! Are you really going to piss all over an olive branch when it’s handed to you?! Just give me a fucking clue, alright? You know, animal, vegetable, mineral. Give me something to fucking work with here. You owe me at least a brave fucking coming out story just to make up for the fucking cardigans, you -”

“’E’s talking about your cardigans again, Frank.” Blanky stage whispered, his eyes twinkling.

“Obsessed, I’d call it.” Rumbled the human boulder that was Ed Little from Francis’s other side.

“James, I’m ancient and boring and serious about political reforms. The electorate doesn’t give a flying fuck who I’m shagging or not shagging.” Francis sniped across the desk at him, his lip curling in that disdainful way he had.

James had heard colourful swearing out of Francis on innumerable occasions. The Irishman was legendary for his biting turns of phrase. But there was something about hearing him say the word ‘shagging’, and twice in one sentence no less, that made James fingers fumble with his expensive stainless steel clipboard, almost dropping it.

Tom Blanky’s shrewd and mocking eyes caught on James’ momentary discomfort at once, and the Yorkshireman smiled to himself.

James saw red.

“I give a flying fuck who you’re shagging, you Stalinist loon!” He shouted, and knew that he’d worded that wrong when three pairs of eyebrows rose laconically in response and a cacophony of titters could be heard from the shared office outside.

“Brave of yer to just come out with it like that.” Opined Blanky.

James threw one of his prized Paperchase paper-clips at him and it hit him squarely in the temple.

“Francis, you’re not thick enough to really believe that the electorate won’t care about your personal life, are you? They already care about what you wear. They care about how stupid you look riding a bike. They care about your bad hair cut and where you do your weekly shop. Of course they’ll care that you’re into men. Or both. Or whatever it is that you’re into. I’m just pre-empting the conversation for when you announce and inevitably want to hire me.”

Francis sneered at him crookedly. “Are you really so keen to jump ship from Sir-Just-Left-of-Centre, James?”

“Oh for God’s sake, Francis, who’d you think sent me? Sir John’s imminent resignation is the second worst kept secret in Westminster.”

“So it’s his olive branch I’m pissing on, then, and not yours...”

James hated him and his stupid, ruddy face.

“Do you want to be the next Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or not, you bolshy, gap-toothed wanker?” He yelled across the desk, a fine spray flying from his mouth.

Thomas Jopson, junior minister and probably the sweetest human being who had ever entered politics, barged through the office door.

“James, you are well out of order!” The young man exclaimed at a volume which James had never heard him achieve before.

This had a remarkable effect on the four men in the room.

Francis’s eyes instantly softened in a way James hadn’t been certain he was capable of. Ed Little let his aggressively pointing finger drop to his side and closed his open trap. Blanky slowly lowered the chipped mug he’d been aiming at James’ head and toned down his glower a fraction.

James looked down at his exquisitely expensive, fashionable brogues.

“It was beneath me to mention your teeth, Francis.” He admitted.

“None taken, you Oxbridge ponce.” Francis muttered. “But listen, you tell Sir Sell-out that if I need his help, I’ll send the prearranged signal, which is me stepping out into a taxi lane during rush hour.”

Ed Little snorted.

James seethed.

“Oh how easy it must be to refuse honours when you’ve never been offered any.” He hissed through his teeth, trying desperately to tamp down on his disappointment.

“Or when you have principles.” Francis shot back.

James sighed in bitter resignation and rubbed his temples with one hand.

“Fine. Good luck to you and your red cabal, Francis. You’ll need it.”

He gathered what remained of his dignity and left Francis’s office, ignoring the stares and murmurs from the assorted aides and secretaries sat at the desks outside as he made his way over to the lift.

Huffing in frustration, he turned to deliver one last glare at the bunch of Bolshevik wankers, only to nearly jump out of his skin when he found Tom Blanky perched on the nearest hot desk, regarding him with an inscrutable look.

James had no idea how a man with a bad leg could move so stealthily.

Blanky brandished the paper-clip which James had just thrown at him. It was pink and in the shape of an arrow. One of James’ favourites.

“I’m keepin’ this.” The Yorkshireman said with a cryptic grin, sliding the paper-clip triumphantly onto the hem of his shirt pocket.

James opened his mouth for a retort, but found that he had nothing, and so stepped, utterly defeated, into the now open doors of the lift.

*****

“So, go on then. How was your parley with Red Frank and his terrors?” Dundy asked him with a gleeful glint, as they sipped triple shot lattes in Cafe Nero the next morning.

“Like being shot at at close range by the cast of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.” James mumbled unkindly.

Dundy laughed delightedly at him around a mouthful of biscotti. “Well. What did you expect. You haven’t exactly made an effort to be friendly with him before. He’s not just going to roll over the first time you pat his head, is he?”

“Can we dispense with the dog metaphors, Dundy, for fucks sake?” James was in no mood to rehash yesterday’s failure, even with his closest friend.

Dundy, as ever, blundered on regardless. “Look. He’s already got advisors. Such as they are. He’s got the grass-roots, and he’s the only candidate with a consistent political record. He’s bound to be a bit cocky right now. You just need to hop down off your gilded pony and come down to his level if you want to actually...”

“Wise words from the working class hero over here...” Snorted James inelegantly.

“Fitz, you know exactly what I’m saying...”

“Of course I know what you’re saying! It’s not just that he’s our only chance, it’s that he’s the best chance the party’s had in a while… I do get it. Politics is changing and we’ve got to change with it or we’ll find ourselves completely out of the loop. Francis does have the support. And I suppose he’s got a certain sort of… mass appeal. He’s got... natural authority, I mean… But these bastards...” James shoved at the pile of broadsheets in front of them. “Are going to completely tear him apart. He doesn’t see it yet, Dundy, but he needs me! And I’m trying this time! I actually tried! I actually want to help the cranky Irish bastard.”

Dundy demolished the last of his biscotti and then started chewing thoughtfully on James’ croissant.

Occasionally, James knew, his long-time colleague would deliver some glimmer of wisdom, so he waited patiently for it.

“You know Fitz, I knew you’d drunk the red koolaid. Seen it coming for a while now. But you have to admit, it’s more than that. You don’t just admire the ginger twat. You actually fancy him.”

James felt not a smidgen of guilt, after, for spraying a mouthful of lukewarm coffee over Dundy’s smug face.

*****

“Your latest cardigan’s gone over well with millennials on twitter, Francis.” Ed Little informed them in a tone which was as bright as the big man ever accomplished.

“Just what I always wanted, Edward. To be a fashion icon.” Francis gave him a wry smile.

“I bet Fitzjames is a fan too, Frank.” Blanky grinned from across the room. “Sadly, you’re still catching some heat in the broadsheets for our CND stance.”

“Guess I’ll just change my mind about the threat of mutually assured annihilation then...” Francis winked at Blanky before diving back to drafting his speech.

“We will sort of have to work with Fitzjames eventually though, won’t we?” Ed intoned glumly, as though carrying on from a previous conversation.

Francis met Blanky’s eye. “Of course we will. Our options are thin on the ground.” He sighed.

“But we’ll definitely make the posh bugger sweat first.” Blanky added, with relish.

*****

Episode Two here...

#fitzier #the thick of it AU #jimmy fitz is in love #the fitzier of it #fic

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lowkeyaesthvtic · 5 years ago

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Evil Karma - Chapter 8

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

Word Count: a pretty short 1,476

Summary: Sofi sees Mal face to face for the first time, and it’s one hell of a ride

Pairings: OC x poly!Harry Hook, I guess OC x Mal if you squint? (but like tbh I wouldn’t)

Rating: T for mostly swear words

Warnings: Mentions of death and gorey (but not deeply descriptive) violence, swear words, use of a dagger (kinda?), and a bit of an allusion to home invasions that have happened in the past (Europeans invading native america was what came to my mind)

Tags: @descendantofthesparrow @newtshairdryer @hookedradge @curse-brekker @amityravenclawelf @kirbiejayhook

As Harry gallivanted through the Isle, I kept a slower walk than usual. After all of these years, he was still in my head. You would think that going to a land with no magic would remove everything, but I guess it doesn’t. I wanted nothing more than to get angry again. I wanted nothing more than to find some old picture of him and fire a thousand arrows straight through it. But, I couldn’t do any of that now. Peter Pan is dead and my father was lost long before that. I felt a slight grip on my hand jolt me away from my thoughts. “Duckling, it’s just me.” Harry lowered his voice. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can take you back to Uma if you want me to.” No. I wasn’t going to let anybody on the Isle see me as some kind of victim that needed to be coddled all the time. Just because I’m not the same ruler I was in Neverland doesn’t mean I’ll descend to the level of a whining peasant.

“I’m fine, Harry. Now, we have a job to do.” We had finally arrived at Curl Up and Dye. It wasn’t my first time robbing the place, and we both know it wouldn’t be our last. However, it was the first time we had seen a vehicle parked outside of it. It was clean, shiny and made a tiny squeak when Harry swiped his finger across it. “Well...that’s new. Since when did Lady Tremaine have a thing for motorbikes?” Harry turned back to me, his shark smile wide and playful.

“Oh, this doesn’t belong to Lady Tremaine..or her little worker rat for that matter.” Harry chuckles and excitedly spins his hook with his free hand. “We should go in, this is going to be one hell of a ride!” Harry took my hand into his and placed a quick kiss on my ring finger before the two of us strutted inside, hand in hand. What I saw next was an unexpected, yet somehow pleasant surprise.

There she stood. Her hair was the same color as the vehicle outside, so it must have belonged to her. She was a tiny little thing. Her legs were so slim they could easily snap with just one kick. She wasn’t much taller than the little Dizzy working in the salon that day. Her face was dainty, overly feminine, lips full and pouty. There’s no way that this was the right girl. It couldn’t be, yet I knew that it was. I kept eye contact with her, but she clearly seemed dazed, more focused on Harry as he took the money from the dirty and rickety register. Just as Harry was about to guide me out, she spoke up. “Still running errands for Uma? Or do you actually get to keep what you steal?” Harry turned back, eyebrows perked not in surprise, but in excitement.

“Well well well, what a nice surprise!” Harry turned to me, tucking a stray hair behind my face. “Duckling, there’s someone I need to introduce you to -” Before he could go any further, I quickly got closer to the princess. My dagger was in my pocket and ready to go.

“No need, Harry.” Her hair was long, straightened, recently worked on. It was no longer the bleach blonde I saw on TV those months ago, but a shade of purple slightly brighter than that of the vehicle outside. I took out my dagger and slowly swept the heel along her hair and close to her right cheek. “I like the new color. That beach bleached blonde was making me sick. This seems much more...you.”

“And who are you? Another errand bunny in Uma’s group of eels?” A troubling smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

“Oh no no no, Princess. I’m your worst fucking nightmare. I’ll be the one to finally tell you that there are consequences for your actions. Just because you’re...quite literally fucking royalty doesn’t mean you get to get away with everything.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Are you sad you didn’t get sent to Auradon or something? Tough luck, pirate rat, clearly you were left here for a reason.” Mal swiftly grabbed my wrist, restricting me from moving my dagger any further. Alright, little mouse. I’ll play along.

“Well let’s see, when you’re laying in your castle a few weeks from now wondering why you feel so alone and why everything you love is falling to shit, try asking yourself if you really should have murdered those hundreds of innocent boys? It’s what I would do if I were in your glass slippers.” For a split second, her eyes widened. She thought I didn’t see it, but I saw it. It may have only been for a short while, but she was scared of me. And I cherished every bit of it.

“How the hell did you escape, Wendy?”

I laughed quickly before my face turned cold. “Wendy was a fragile feather who my father bludgeoned to death with a mace. I saw her body in the Echo Caves myself..or, what was left of it anyway. The name is Sofi, if you must know. As for how I escaped, there’s this thing called ‘Neverland’s magic coursing through my DNA,’ not that you would’ve known.” I lowered my dagger but kept my gaze. Some people think that information is a weakness. But, truthfully, how much information you give your enemy doesn’t matter as long as you’re strong enough on the battlefield. I want this bitch to know every little thing about me before I rip her intestines from her chest so she can see who she lost to.

“So, Peter Pan has children, huh? So much for never growing up.”

“Oh, I’m sure he has tons. If there was one thing he desired more than power and control, it was a rough round of Devil’s Tango. Don’t think about trying to find him here, though. The bastard’s been dead for years. I couldn’t care less about whether or not you wanted to gut him open. What I do care about, princess, is my boys. And you and your little gang of misfits took them from me.” I could feel my voice getting louder and lower. There was a fire lighting in my stomach that I hadn’t felt in a very long time and I was more than happy to feel it return. She’s alone. She’s unarmed. She’s vulnerable. “My Lost Boys were innocent! They did nothing wrong!”

“Your Lost Boys tried to kill my friends and I. We went there for your father, they got in our way.”

“For Wicked’s sake, Mal! Listen to yourself! My Lost Boys were protecting the home that you and your friends invaded! You go to school now, right? Have you read a history book? Do you understand just how fucked up you are? God, I should just slice you right here! It’s not like you gave my boys any time to beg for mercy, huh?”

“Oh, I would love to see you try!”

“Sofi!” Harry’s growl interjected the two of us. He hadn’t moved any closer, as it would’ve been a mistake to get between Mal and I, but I knew what he was trying to say. A swift death is nowhere near what Mal deserves. She deserves to suffer long and hard so she’ll embrace her death when it finally arrives by my dagger. Now that she’s back on the Isle, that’s exactly what she’ll get. “We came for a robbery, not a murder. Let’s go!” I quickly turned to Harry, his overall body language was firm and troublesome as usual, but deep in his eyes I sensed a softness. I sensed something that was close to...not fear..maybe worry? I glanced back at the princess and walked away, keeping eye contact with her.

“Just wait until Uma hears you’re back, you’ll be screwed then, princess!” I glided my arm across the table beside me, sending bottles and glasses to the floor. “This has only just begun!” I let out a fiery laugh as Harry and I exited the salon. Just as we left, I stopped and looked over at the motorbike. “Hey Harry, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Now that Mal’s on the island, we can jumpstart that plan that you brought to us and make her life completely miserable because it’s what she deserves?” Harry asked, eyes confused yet excited like a young puppy.

“Well, yes, but what I was also thinking…” I took a seat on the bike, throwing the purple helmet off to the side. “was that it’s time for a bit of a joyride.” Harry’s shark smile returned as he took his seat in front of me on the motorbike and revved the engine.

“Well then, duckling, let’s ride.”

#descendants #mal descendants #descendants x reader #harry hook x reader #harry x uma #harry hook x oc #harry x reader x uma #harry hook x oc x uma #harry x oc x uma #uma daughter of ursula #huma x reader #huma x oc #harry hook #descendants x oc #descendants fic #uma x reader #uma x oc

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mamabearcat · 5 years ago

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Into the Woods - Part 4

Are you ready? Tagging my two main cheerleaders for this @clearwillow and @keichanz and also @redflamesofpassion @xxracheyxx @mcornilliac @inuyashasnook @cstorm86 @xfangheartx @wenchster

And thank you so very much for all the lovely feedback I’ve been getting for this story, and for the kofi support. It means a lot - I read every keysmash and comment, and if I’m feeling low on inspiration, I go back and read them again. They really keep me going!

Part One Part Two Part Three

Today’s installment inspired by Imagine Dragons, Whatever it Takes

Falling too fast to prepare for this Tripping in the world could be dangerous Everybody circling, it's vulturous Negative, nepotist

Everybody waiting for the fall of man Everybody praying for the end of times Everybody hoping they could be the one I was born to run, I was born for this

Whip, whip Run me like a racehorse Pull me like a ripcord Break me down and build me up I wanna be the slip, slip Word upon your lip, lip Letter that you rip, rip Break me down and build me up

Whatever it takes 'Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins I do whatever it takes 'Cause I love how it feels when I break the chains Whatever it takes You take me to the top I'm ready for Whatever it takes 'Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins I do what it takes

Inuyasha watched Kagome shuffle back to kneel on her cushion, her fists clenching tightly in her lap. His own heart was still beating rather fast, and he tried to calm himself, taking deep breaths. He had felt it, the moment that she had accepted his protection, accepted him. They had clicked, like two pieces of puzzle accidentally left in separate boxes, finally reunited to complete a picture. For the first time in forever he felt like it hadn’t been a mistake that he had been chosen.

He knew they didn’t have too much time up their sleeve - they needed to get Naraku’s nebulous form out of Kagome’s grandfather and safely back behind the barrier. But they couldn’t just go up there without working out some sort of plan first, despite the danger increasing the longer Naraku was left to his own devices. He didn’t even know if Kagome understood anything about the power she possessed. And for her to have any hope of coaxing out that power and using it, he needed to calm her down first.

“Would ya like some tea?” he blurted, kicking himself mentally when she startled a little at his abrupt tone. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a guest here at the house; he’d been alone here for so long, he’d forgotten any manners drilled into him by his mother. “Uh, sorry, I don’t get many visitors; guess I’m not bein’ a very good host.”

A small smile ticked up at the corner of Kagome’s mouth. “I didn’t imagine you would be.” When he chuckled at her response, her eyes widened in dismay, and she waved her hands in front of her in consternation. “No sorry, that came out wrong – I meant with everything that’s happened, I wasn’t thinking about you needing to be polite. I mean, I met you and my expectations…”

“…were low?” he grinned, leaning forward over his crossed legs and rising to his feet in a fluid motion. He walked over to a small wooden cabinet to retrieve a tray holding a teapot, cups and a tea caddy, and sat back down again, obviously amused at Kagome’s embarrassment.

“Yes. I mean, no! Will you stop twisting my words!” she huffed, crossing her arms.

“Don’t worry about it woman, I knew what ya meant. Although”, he grinned as he spooned tea leaves into the pale green tea pot and added hot water from the kettle,” I am a hanyou bastard with no manners, so you would a been right either way.”

“You’re a half-youkai?” asked Kagome interestedly.

“Yeah”, replied slowly, turning the teapot to swish the tea leaves. “Got a problem with that?” The cheerful grin dropped from his face, replaced with a carefully blank expression.

Kagome shook her head, frowning. “No. Why should I? I mean, I’ve only met one half-youkai before, my friend Jinenji, but what does you being a hanyou have to do with anything?”

“It matters to some people”, replied Inuyasha shortly. He poured the tea into two matching teacups decorated with delicately painted plum blossoms, and passed one to Kagome. “Careful, it’s hot.” Her pale slim fingers brushed gently across his much larger ones, squeezing as they held the teacup together.

“Well, I’m not one of those people, okay?” said Kagome softly, looking directly into his eyes.

He examined her carefully. There was no lie in her eyes or her scent; she truly believed her statement. He nodded at her, releasing the cup into her hand to pick up his own, and felt a sense of relief spread through his chest, a warm balm soothing over previous hurts. Ichiro had often complained that he had been ‘saddled’ with a half demon and even though he’d learned to tune out the almost constant digs and insults, they had always rankled.

Inuyasha watched as Kagome carefully sipped the hot green tea, her grey eyes still wide, flicking around the dark corners of the room uneasily. Her fingers were wrapped around the pale green porcelain so tightly he wouldn’t be surprised if the cup shattered in her hand. He took another sip of hot tea, stalling as he gathered his scattered thoughts. He was the one that had more knowledge about what was going on, so he needed to focus. But he was having a tough time of it. How the fuck was he gonna get himself and Kagome ready for a confrontation with Naraku as soon as possible when they had never worked together before, and as far as he knew, she had no idea what her abilities were?

“Alright”, he said carefully, putting down his teacup and trying to ease into a difficult conversation, “what do you know about being a miko?”

“All the superficial stuff, I guess”, replied Kagome hesitantly. “I was really interested in the stories about travelling miko when I was younger.” She shrugged. “I know how to dance the Kagura. And I did kyūdō in high school for sport.”

Inuyasha’s ears perked up. “Really? You can shoot a bow? Were you any good?”

A pink flush heated Kagome’s cheeks, and she looked down at the half empty cup still clenched in her hands. “Maybe. I guess so – I represented the school in a few national tournaments. But that was a few years ago now” she clarified quickly, “I haven’t practised for quite a while.”

Inuyasha breathed out a sigh of relief. The thought of her getting close to Naraku after he’d frightened her so badly was tearing at him, but he hadn’t thought there would be any way around it. But if she could do it from a distance, using an arrow… perhaps they really could do this, and both come out of it relatively unscathed.

“What do you know about your powers? Have you ever used them before, like you did with the frypan?”

Kagome shook her head violently. “I… I don’t know how I did that. I was so frightened; I was just trying to get away.”

“Alright.” Inuyasha rubbed the back of his neck, his thoughts swirling. “Fuck, how am I gonna explain this?” he muttered, looking down at his empty teacup as he thought aloud. “We don’t have time for you to go through all the crap they made me read. And I sorta rushed through all the information to do with your family, cause I had enough trouble getting through my own stuff.” He sighed heavily, putting down his cup and looking back to Kagome. “Lemme try and sum up all the technical stuff fast, so we can get to actually doin’ shit. Is that okay?”

Kagome nodded jerkily.

His eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”

“Mm hmm”, she said, nodding her head again. But her lips were compressed tightly together, the corners of her mouth turned down, and her fingers were trembling. In fact her whole body was trembling slightly, like a leaf in the breeze, and he could hear her heartbeat escalating, her breaths becoming quicker and shallow.

“No you’re not. C’mere you.”

Inuyasha took the teacup out of her hands and hooked one arm around her waist, dragging her off her cushion and over to sit in the hollow of his crossed legs, ignoring her indignant squawk. He pulled her backwards, so her back was to his chest, and her small hands were resting in each of his much larger ones with her palms down. He plonked his chin on her shoulder, so their cheeks were close together, and rubbed his thumbs in slow circles on the backs of her hands.

“My role is to protect you, even from yourself”, he said gently. “What were you thinkin’ about to work yourself up like that Kagome?” He could feel her panicked heartbeat thudding against him, and his protective instincts kicked in. Not understanding exactly why, he rumbled a subsonic purr through his chest, cocooning her tightly within his strong arms.

“I should have listened”, she said shakily. “Maybe if I’d listened to the voice, I would have been able to save Grandpa. The voice warned me there was danger, but I ignored it.”

“Why did you ignore it Kagome?” he asked softly, his mouth close to the pink shell of her ear.

“Because… because I’ve always been frightened of it”, she whispered. “The first time I heard it, it warned me about my father’s death, just before the police came to tell us he’d been killed in a car crash.” Inuyasha’s rumbling purr increased as he smelt the salt tears forming in Kagome’s eyes. “It warned me when Souta got injured at school.” Her voice cracked, and she drew in a rasping breath. “Every time something bad happened, that voice was there, whispering in my head.”

She swallowed, her shaking fingers clenching tightly around Inuyasha’s much larger hands. “And I began to think, wh-what if it was me? What if it was me causing all these things to happen?” Her voice shook. “I’d always been weird, different. I knew things other people didn’t know, could sense things. And no matter how much I tried to bury it, tried to ignore it, that voice was there.”

Inuyasha’s rumbling purr became an angry growl, and he squeezed her fingers tightly. “Listen to me Kagome. You are not weird. You are extraordinary. Hardly any of the shrine guardians actually hear Midoriko’s voice. You didn’t make anything happen, Midoriko was just tryin’ to warn ya. I’ve read some of the shrine history scrolls, and she’s done that before.”

He tried to keep his voice steady and calm, but internally, Inuyasha was seething. Ichiro had a lot to answer for, sitting up there in the shrine with his holier than thou attitude, brushing aside Inuyasha’s questions about finding the next guardian. He was pretty sure now that Ichiro had just wanted to hang on to his privileged position in the shrine for as long as he could, because the Higurashi family provided everything he needed. Meanwhile Kagome had been suffering, not knowing what was going on, thinking there was something wrong with her.

Kagome hiccupped a shaky laugh. “I don’t feel very extraordinary at the moment.”

“But that’s where you’re very wrong Kagome”, he said, squeezing his strong arms around her, trying to calm her. “If you’d grown up here, and been taught about your family heritage, you would understand how truly amazing you are.”

He could feel her pulse and breathing slowing down – she was responding to his words, his comfort, and an unfamiliar feeling of pride swelled in his chest. He chuckled “I could sense it, ya know, the first time I saw you on the path this afternoon. The pink crackle in your aura. I think your powers were trying to protect you from the miasma on the mountain. Either that, or I pissed ya off so much you were ready to purify me.”

He grinned at her shaky giggle. “And even if you’d listened this afternoon, I don’t think ya would a been able to do much by yourself. I’m pretty sure your Grandpa’s been possessed for a while, judging by the dark haze on the mountain. I’ve been tryin’ to get up there for days, but kept getting pushed back. He’s probably been tryin’ to fight it himself by the sounds of it, but because he doesn’t have much spiritual power of his own, he wasn’t able to.”

Kagome made a small noise of distress at the mention of her Grandpa and he almost whined in response. He could still smell her tears, and his instincts were rushing to the surface, but until they were ready to go after Naraku there was nothing to hit, no-one to punish, and his sense of frustration was building. He needed to move, and just talking wasn’t going to get them anywhere, it was just going to make Kagome more and more nervous about their whole situation.

“Alright, change of plan”, he announced abruptly. “Let’s see how much you remember about shooting a bow.” He grinned at the surprised ‘eep’ Kagome made as he pushed himself to his feet, taking her with him. Grasping her hand, he pulled her over towards the front door to grab his axe, then down to the wooden farmhouse doors at the end of the room, sliding them aside.

Kagome dug her heels in, tugging on his hand. “Wait, wait, wait! I haven’t even got a bow! And it’s dark outside. You might be able to see in the dark, but I can’t!”

“Who said we were goin’ outside?” he grinned, pulling her through the doorway. Inuyasha guided her through a bath house with a washing area and a small hot spring encircled by stones, and off to the right, tugging her down a dark passageway.

“Just how big is this place?” she exclaimed. “Are we under the hill now?”

“Yup. Mostly storage space for family records and provisions, but there’s a small dojo here too, and I’m pretty sure there’s a hankyu bow in there somewhere.” His other arm shot out to steady Kagome as she tripped. “Sorry about the dark. It’s usually only youkai and half-youkai like me that come back here, so we don’t need to light up the hallway.” He shouldered open a doorway and then pulled Kagome inside, letting go of her hand.

The room was completely dark to Kagome; she couldn’t even see her hand in front of her face. “Inuyasha?” she said uncertainly.

“Stay put, I’m gonna turn on the lights. Maybe shut your eyes.”

Kagome eyes shut, squinting in readiness for a sudden burst of electrical light from above. She didn’t expect a faint ‘whuff’ sound and a dull blue glow which seemed to be coming from the walls. She carefully opened one eye.

“Kitsunebi!” she exclaimed in surprise.

The small glowing blue orbs of fox fire floated in a long chain around the perimeter of the dojo, illuminating the thin rectangular room. It was mostly bare, apart from a jumble of different weapons stacked and hanging on the wall near the doorway that they’d just come through. Inuyasha was currently sorting through them.

“Aha, knew we had one!” he said triumphantly, holding a red half size bow, along with a quiver of arrows. He carried them over to her.

Kagome slung the quiver over her shoulder. “What am I meant to be shooting at?” she asked, hefting the bow in her hand experimentally, “you?” she said with a small smile.

“Aw, don’t be like that”, Inuyasha grinned. “At least give me a chance to win you over with my charming personality first.” Digging around in amongst the other weapons, he found a canvas target, and jogged down to the far end of the dojo pinning the target to the wall with a couple of daggers. He jogged back to stand behind Kagome. “All right, show me what ya got.”

Inuyasha watched as Kagome planted her feet wide. Taking a deep breath, she raised the bow and arrow high above her head, gradually drawing back the string. Then she lowered the bow, slowly taking aim, and loosed the arrow, throwing her arm back in a graceful arc. The arrow hit the target with a loud thwack, dead centre. She was poised, beautiful, elegant… and entirely too slow. If she shot like that when they went up against Naraku, she wouldn’t last two minutes. Fuck.

“Uh, that was really good”, he said, rubbing the side of his nose, trying to be diplomatic. The last thing he wanted to do was crush her confidence. “But, do ya think you could maybe, aim a little faster?”

“Faster?” said Kagome with a puzzled expression.

Inuyasha gulped a little. Maybe this wasn’t going to work. “Yeah. Just a bit.”

“Oh, you mean like this?” And she fired another five arrows in quick succession, all close to the centre of the target, the last one knocking the first arrow out of the target, sending it clattering to the floor. Then she turned and winked at him, twirling the bow to her other hand.

“Holy fucking shit balls you’re amazing”, gasped Inuyasha. Her sudden loud peal of laughter had him beaming. “Okay woman, I guess we’ve established that you’re pretty damn good at this. Now you’ve gotta try and load them with your spiritual power.” Kagome’s laughter died away.

“I honestly don’t know how I did that before”, she sighed. “Can you do it?”

“Yeah”, he said, “but I can’t show you properly in here, I’ll bring the place down.”

He flipped his axe around his hand in a figure eight pattern, and it glowed yellow for a brief moment, before transforming into a gigantic battle axe. The axe head was huge, the sharpened blade a semi-circular arc that glinted pale blue in the light of the kitsunebi. It was covered in scrolled carving, with a heart shaped cut out near the handle. A red braided rope hung from the blade, in a loop that wrapped around the long metal handle. The whole thing was almost as tall as Kagome.

“How… how…?” stuttered Kagome.

“It’s a youkai weapon”, explained Inuyasha, spinning the axe hand over hand so it looked like a silver blur with a thin streak of red. “When I pour some of my youki into it, it shows it’s true form.” He tossed it behind his back and up over his shoulder, snatching it out of the air and holding it out in front of him horizontal to the ground. “Besides, it’d look pretty weird if I carried this around with me everywhere.” He squeezed the handle tightly, shrinking the weapon back down to regular axe size, and tucking it into the holster behind his back.

“I guess so”, she said faintly. “What do you mean when you say you pour youki?”

“I dunno, I just do”, he shrugged.

“Not helpful”, sniped Kagome.

“Well, I don’t know”, grunted Inuyasha defensively. “It’s instinctive. There’s like a warm feeling in my gut, and I yank on it, and it’s just there! Besides”, he shrugged, “you don’t have youki, you’d have reiki, and I don’t know if that’s the same.”

“A warm feeling in my gut, huh?” muttered Kagome. Closing her eyes she drew another arrow, trying to sense anything that might be some hidden power. But there was nothing. Grabbing at straws she muttered, “Okay Midoriko, or whatever your name is, it seems I might have misjudged you. A little inspiration might be helpful right now.”

‘Hit the mark’, whispered the small soft voice, and a warm feeling glowed in the region of Kagome’s heart. She flinched, so surprised she nearly dropped the bow. Tightening her grip, she pictured trying to pull on the power with her hands as Inuyasha had described, but it didn’t budge. Okay, so maybe it was different. She imagined the power expanding, pushing forward into her hands. The warm feeling travelled up through her shoulder and into the arm drawing back the bow.

“Hit the mark”, she whispered, and loosed the arrow. Opening her eyes, she watched as a pink tinged arrow sped towards the target, trailing light behind it like the tail of a phoenix. It hit the target with a bright flash of light, and Kagome and Inuyasha were pushed backwards by a silent concussion that obliterated the target and half the wall behind it.

Kagome blinked from her spreadeagled position against the wall near the doorway, about ten feet away from where she’d been a few moments ago. An anxious face with amber eyes and silver hair appeared in front of hers, the mouth moving, but without sound. She blinked again.

“… to me. Are ya hurt? Kagome!”

She shook her head and sat up and Inuyasha pulled her into a tight hug. “You’re okay aren’t ya? You didn’t hurt yourself anywhere?”

“I don’t think so.”

She shrieked as Inuyasha picked her up and whirled her around in a circle, laughing crazily. “Ya did it Kagome! That bastard Ichiro never did anything like that. Look at the wall! Holy fucking shit balls!”

Kagome glanced over his shoulder at the mess of broken stone and rubble, and the dirt still spilling into the gaping hole.

“Inuyasha, I’m so sorry!” she squeaked, ducking her head into his shoulder.

“Don’t apologise woman!” he crowed. “You’re amazing! Kagome, we can win this!” He stopped spinning her and gently put her onto her feet, hands on her shoulders to steady her.

“I did do it, didn’t I?” she whispered, smiling. A sudden realisation brought tears to her eyes. “Inuyasha, I’m meant to be this way.” She giggled a little. “I’ve finally found out why I never fit in, why I’m so weird!”

“Not weird”, he corrected, wiping away a tear that escaped down her cheek. “We discussed this. I think the word you’re looking for is extraordinary. Do ya think you’re ready to go kick some Naraku butt?”

She gave him a shaky grin. “Not really, but let’s do it anyway. Do we have a plan?”

“Sorta. You shoot an arrow to clear away the miasma. I keep him busy with my axe. We push him outta your Grandpa and back behind Midoriko’s barrier and seal it tight.”

“How do we push him out?”

“Eh, that bit’s a bit fuzzy. We’ll have ta wing it”, he shrugged. “But the longer we leave it, the stronger he’ll get.”

Kagome took in a deep breath, and fixed him with a serious gaze. “Do you have any eggs in your fridge?”

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow at her. “Nope. Don’t even have a fridge.”

“I think I saw eggs in Grandpa’s fridge”, she muttered, then smiled. “I’ve got an addition for your plan. Kick Naraku’s butt, put him behind the barrier, then go to the shrine for breakfast, where I make you pancakes.”

“Will there be bacon?” he asked, beaming at her. “You don’t know what I’m capable of if there’s an offering of bacon on the table.”

She shrugged and smiled. “I’m not sure; you’ll just have to turn up and find out.”

“Butt kicking, then bacon – sounds like the kinda plan I can get behind”, he grinned. He watched Kagome’s smile waver a little. Inuyasha ran his palms down from her shoulders to squeeze her hands in his. “We can do this Kagome. I know we can. And we’ll do everything we can to save your Grandpa. You just gotta trust me. Trust Midoriko. And most importantly, you need to trust yourself.”

Kagome smiled at him shakily, tugging him towards the door and back out into the darkened hallway. “Inuyasha, despite my better judgement, I think you’re doing it you know.”

“Huh?”

“Winning me over with your charming personality.”

“Keh.”

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PART FIVE

#Into the Woods #inukag fanfic #inuyasha fanfic #inuyasha x kagome #Bearpluscat fanfics

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mxliv-oftheendless · 5 years ago

Text

Ruining KISStory: The False King of Persia, Pt. 2

And we’re back! Enjoy Part 2! We pick up right where we left off in Part 1, so enjooooy!

Tag list: @cosmicrealmofkissteria @ashestoashesvvi @kategwidt @retronova

PAUL [voiceover]: Leaping into action, Cambyses hastily mounted his horse to return to Persia and… accidentally stabbed himself in the thigh with his sword. And then he died. But before doing so, he instructed his noblemen to return home and retake the throne from fake-Smerdis, by whatever means necessary.

[cuts to Ace silently laughing, his hand smacking the table]

PAUL: [amused] You’re just having the time of your life over there, aren’t you?

ACE: [laughing] This fuckin’ story, man… I love it.

BRUCE: So he was preparing for maybe a weeks-long journey home—

PAUL: Yeah.

BRUCE: —and was so excited to get on his horse [laughing] that he stabbed himself?

PAUL: [laughing] Yeah.

VINNIE: It doesn’t seem like it’s that hard to seize this throne.

GENE: This is some Game of Thrones stuff going on.

PAUL: Unfortunately, there’s no Tyrion Lannister in this story. And no Olenna Tyrell.

VINNIE: [visibly disappointed] Aww…

PAUL [voiceover; animations show cheering crowds while the silhouette of the false Smerdis sits on a throne above them]: The problem faced by the band of noblemen is that most of the Persian population believed that the man on the throne was in fact the son of Cyrus. And with Cambyses now dead and the real Smerdis secretly murdered, they also believed fake-Smerdis was the rightful king. Prexaspes probably could’ve cleared all this up, but he was keeping his mouth shut. Because in case you didn’t realize, secretly killing a prince ain’t really something you talk openly about.

ACE: So there’s only one person who knows that this isn’t the real Smerdis…

BRUCE: Prexaspes…

ACE: And he’s gonna get in trouble if he says so.

PAUL: Yeah, because then they’d be like, “Well, how do you know that?” And he’d have to say it’s because he murdered the real one.

GENE: So are these two just doing a bit the whole time? [points to the Magian] Because this guy knows he’s not the real Smerdis, so there’s gotta be some tension going on there, right?

PAUL: [smiles mysteriously] Maybe… you’ll have to wait and find out.

VINNIE: Ooooh…

PAUL: Probably there won’t.

BRUCE: Just gonna stab himself in the leg and die, probably. {Ace laughs]

GENE: He’s gonna kill himself pouring a glass of wine, the way this shit’s going.

PAUL [voiceover]: Fake-Smerdis further protected his identity by remaining in seclusion whenever possible, and surrounding himself with those who had never met the real Smerdis.

GENE: Now that just sounds exhausting, trying to discern which person’s never met the real Smerdis and which person has.

BRUCE: Nah, man, you just go on Facebook and see how many mutual friends you’ve got. [Ace laughs]

GENE: But just imagine carrying the baggage of any interaction you go into, thinking, “Oh, this person may have known the real Smerdis, and now I’m gonna get murdered.”

ACE: That’s how I feel every day. “You don’t belong on this history panel. Get outta here.”

PAUL: [grinning] I’ve been meaning to talk to you, Ace.

VINNIE: [miming] Pulls out a bow and arrow from underneath the table. [panel laughs]

PAUL: [waving his hand] Bring out Ace’s son! [panel laughs]

ACE: [laughing] Oh shit!

PAUL [voiceover]: Enter: Otanes, a nobleman with the sneaking suspicion that he knew the true identity of fake-Smerdis. He remembered a man who, many years earlier, had his ears cut off by the late king Cyrus. Otanes believed this man was the imposter on the throne, and he could prove it if he could just get a look at the man’s ears. Problem: fake-Smerdis was never seen without a turban on his head. So it was impossible to see his ears, or lack thereof.

ACE: That’s amazing, that there was such a physical deformity on this person.

VINNIE: What if he’s just totally confused as to where he is? [laughs] Because he can’t hear, so maybe he’s just like “Oh, this is my home!”

ACE: [laughs] “You’re not the king!” “What?”

VINNIE: “What????”

GENE: Wait a second, did the other Smerdis wear a turban at all times as well? No one questioned that all of a sudden he’s wearing a turban at all times?

PAUL: No, but like, no one’s gonna point at him and be like, “You’re wearing a turban, you’re an imposter.”

VINNIE: Yeah, I don’t think anyone’s going to notice a little thing like that, Gene.

ACE: It is a pretty bold statement to be like, “You’re wearing a turban! You don’t have any ears!” [panel laughs] “You’re an impostah! Smerdis is not here!”

PAUL [voiceover]: Otanes quickly devised a plan. His daughter, you see, was a member of Smerdis’s harem. He asked her to wait until the king fell asleep, then check for ears under his turban. So she did…. no ears!

VINNIE: [gasps dramatically]

BRUCE: [snickering] Would’ve been funny if she checked and there actually were ears, and Otanes was like, “Ah, fuck.”

VINNIE: Can you imagine just being like, “No, Dad, I’m not gonna do this for you.”

PAUL: Like, you think it’s a bunch of bullshit because your insane dad is like, “I think your husband doesn’t have ears!”

VINNIE: On a side note, it’s kind of odd that she’s the daughter of a nobleman and yet part of a harem. I’d hate to be part of a harem. [points at the camera] Make note of that, fanfic writers.

BRUCE: Also, he still wears his turban while he’s naked… [laughs] He’s committing to it, I like that.

PAUL [voiceover; dramatic music plays]: Otanes had confirmed the identity of the false king. As he suspected, it was not Smerdis, brother of Cambyses. It was in fact a man actually named…

… SMERDIS!

ACE: [bursts into loud cackles as the rest of the panel bursts out laughing] What?!

VINNIE: You’re making this up!

PAUL: I am not making this up!

GENE: What are the fucking odds?

ACE: How’d this happen, Paulie? Tell us!

PAUL: [snorts] You’re so invested, I love it.

ACE: Tell us!

PAUL: Okay!

PAUL [voiceover]: It turns out, when Cambyses and Smerdis left for Egypt, the Magian they had employed to keep an eye on their palace happened to have a brother, also named Smerdis, and was the man whose ears had been cut off by Cyrus, AND who also bore a striking resemblance to the prince. So while Cambyses was off fucking shit up abroad, the Magian installed his brother Smerdis on the throne as an imposter, seemingly at the ideal time, since the real Smerdis had just been secretly murdered. Upon piecing the plot together, Otanes assembled a group of noblemen to overthrow the false king. One of these noblemen happened to be…

[panel gasps in anticipation as Paul reaches under the table]

BRUCE: Is it our guy?

PAUL: [takes out a figurine and displays the label: DARIUS] It’s our guy!

PANEL: Yay!

PAUL [voiceover]: Darius! Our guy! Who had arrived after piecing together the plot himself.

ACE: Wait, Darius figured all this out from abroad?

PAUL: According to the story, Darius, on his own, just put this all together and was like, “I gotta get over there quick.”

ACE: The rate information spread back then was like, super fuckin’ slow…

PAUL: Yeah. I don’t have a timeline for this. I assume it takes place over a period of over forty years. [panel laughs]

PAUL [voiceover]: While the noblemen talked about the best approach, Smerdis and his brother began to get nervous that rumors of their scheme were beginning to spread. According to Abbott, quote, “They conceived the plan of inducing Prexaspes to declare in a more public and formal manner… that Smerdis had not been killed.” So while the noblemen readied themselves to storm the palace, Prexaspes climbed atop a tower and began to address the citizens, ready to assure them that fake-Smerdis was the rightful king. But the weight of his lies had finally become to great to bear.

[dramatic yet inspiring music begins to play] Abbott states, quote, “He decided, desperately… that he would go on in his course of falsehood, remorse, and wretchedness no longer… Instead of denying that he had murdered Smerdis, he fully confessed to the astonished audience that he had really committed that crime; he openly denounced the reigning Smerdis as an imposter, and called upon all who heard him to rise at once, destroy the treacherous usurper, and vindicate the rights of the true Persian line.”

VINNIE: Damn… that sounds so inspiring…

PAUL: It does, that’s why I decided to quote it.

VINNIE: Definitely better than anything you would’ve written. [Ace and Bruce laugh. Paul looks mock-affronted at Vinnie and throws the Cambyses figurine at him; Vinnie laughs and dodges]

GENE: He was about to pull a move of major obstruction of justice. And then he had a change of heart, you say? His change of heart here doesn’t really strike me as a moment of conscience. It seems more just like self-preservation, get on the winning side… that’s kinda what it seems like to me.

PAUL: Well, we’ll see about that.

PAUL [voiceover]: With his burden finally lifted, Prexaspes must have known his fate was sealed. But, quote, “before the officers of the king’s household had time even to consider what to do,” Prexaspes, coming abruptly to the conclusion of his harangue, threw himself headlong from the parapet of the tower and came down among them, lifeless and mangled on the pavement below!

PAUL: So, as to the question of self-preservation, Gene… [looks at Gene pointedly as he throws the Prexaspes figurine face down on the table]

ACE: Oof, shut down, Simmons.

BRUCE: Get rekt, Gene.

GENE: Shut up.

[screen cuts away to a title card:

CHAPTER III:

THE GANG KILLS ALL THE MAGIANS

screen cuts to old video-game-style animations as Paul narrates dramatically; old video game boss music play]

PAUL [voiceover]: While chaos erupted in the courtyard below, Darius, Otanes, and the other noblemen walked right into the palace, ready to carry out their assassination. Initially, guards just let them in without question—they were noblemen, after all. They eventually made it to Smerdis’s room, where he was waiting with his brother, the Magian. The usurpers tried to run for it, but were quickly caught! Darius made a slash at Smerdis; quote, “the magian fell upon the floor, and there, stabbed again through the heart by Darius’s sword, almost immediately ceased to breathe.” Nearby, the Magian’s head was also cut off. The imposter and his brother had been slain.

[cuts to a closeup of the figurines; Paul is removing the heads off the Magian and the Smerdis(?) figurines]

PAUL: So I’ll remove their heads now.

ACE: Can I have one?

PAUL: Yeah, sure. [Ace snatches the head of Smerdis(?) and gazes down at it] Dude, why are you smiling at it?

VINNIE: You’re looking so lovingly at it.

ACE: It’s just really well-done. It’s great.

PAUL: Oh, thank you.

PAUL [voiceover]: Propping the usurpers’ heads on spikes, the noblemen went back on the streets and explained the plot to the people of Persia. And just to be safe, they encouraged everyone to kill other Magi, if at all possible. Quote, “Before night, vast numbers of them were slain.” Doesn’t seem like the smartest decision, but hey.

The seven noblemen, victorious in slaying the imposter king, now had to figure out what they were going to do moving forward. After some debate, it was determined that they would proceed with a monarchy, obviously. But the method they landed on to choose which of the seven noblemen would take the throne was… certainly something.

PAUL: Any guesses to how they decided who would take the throne?

BRUCE: Rock Paper Scissors.

ACE: Thumb war!

GENE: One of those jellybeans in a jar contests?

VINNIE: Who has the best ass.

PAUL: [laughs] Who would judge that?

VINNIE: [smirking] Me. [panel laughs]

PAUL: Well, here’s what they did.

[screen cuts away to a title card:

CHAPTER IV:

ONE LAST THING

screen cuts to animations as Paul narrates; traditional Middle Eastern music plays in the background]

PAUL [voiceover]: It was decided that all seven men would mount their horses and sit on the outskirts of the city. Whoever’s horse was the first to neigh at sunrise would be king.

VINNIE: The hell?

ACE: So it’s got nothin’ to do with the person, or skills.

PAUL: They’re just sorta rolling the dice here.

GENE: If you smack a horse, won’t it neigh? So at sunrise, I’d just be spanking my horse.

PAUL: That [laughs; Ace, Bruce, and Vinnie laugh as well] that sounds like a euphemism for something else.

GENE: [laughs] I’m spanking my horse at sunrise, as I always do. [panel laughs]

PAUL [voiceover]: According to one version of the story, Darius turned to his groom, Obares, for help with the competition. His groom assured him, [adopts a shady-sounding voice] “Master, if this is to determine whether you become king or not, be confident for this reason and have an easy mind, for no one else shall be king before you, such are the tricks I have.” I don’t know if he actually sounded like a Muppet.

[cuts to Gene, who looks comically surprised]

GENE: He’s gonna spank his horse, and that is a euphemism, oh shit! He’s gonna jerk off the horse at sunrise!

PAUL: He’s not gonna jerk off the horse at sunrise—

GENE: Oh man!

PAUL [voiceover]: Before the competition, Obares sought out one of Darius’s horse’s favorite mares. And then he proceeded to… rub… his… hand… on the horse’s… vulva. He then kept his hand [laughs slightly] hidden in his clothing until he stood alongside Darius’s horse at sunrise. At that point, he raised his disgusting hand towards the horse’s nostrils, which caused the horse to immediately snort and whinny.

And that is how Darius the Great became Emperor of Persia.

[cuts back to panel; Ace is cackling loudly]

BRUCE: [laughing] Did that seriously happen?

PAUL: [also laughing] That seriously happened.

GENE: This is the least-earned title I’ve ever seen in my life.

VINNIE: This is hilarious…

GENE: It is a testament to honestly, though, I guess. Most people nowadays would lie about how they got a black eye, much less how their friend diddled a horse.

BRUCE: It does also say something about the time period though, because they thought that was cool.

PAUL: Yeah, he didn’t even lie about it.

VINNIE: I’m sensing a pattern with these stories: the horses are always getting screwed in some way. They gotta fight in wars they’ve got nothing to do with; they’re getting diddled when they don’t want to…

ACE: It’s weird that that part wasn’t in Cyrus’s dream. [panel laughs]

GENE: But if you did dream frequently about a horse getting diddled, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t talk about that, right? [text boxes appear around Gene:

WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, GENE?

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE?]

GENE: I’m not gonna go about spreading that around that I dream about that.

ACE: Yeah, it’s just like, “What’d you dream about?” “Uh… nothin’. Just Darius havin’ wings and stuff.”

BRUCE: “Any other details?”

ACE: “Ya sure? Ya sure that’s all it was?”

VINNIE: He’s constantly Googling what it means.

BRUCE: He’s constantly consulting Magi, and he’s just like, “Okay, I need you to be very discreet about this.”

PAUL: [laughing] They’re like “Ugh, what the hell?”

ACE: And he’s just like, “Fetch my bow and arrow.” [panel laughs]

PAUL [voiceover]: And there you go! For the record, Darius would go on to, y’know, unite Persia, do some good things… probably some bad things. I just thought this was a fun story. A lot of murder, a lot of funny characters, [laughs] a lot of horse vulvas. Well, one horse vulva, but, you know. That’s been Ruining History, thanks for learning with us!

#kiss unsolved #ruining kisstory #hope you enjoyed part 2!#I stg this is the funniest story I've ever heard XD #also hope you enjoyed the huge plot twist #there's a ton of moments here that I hope you enjoyed #also Ash if you're reading this: yes that was a callout XD #it's also a callout for Shandi too #I stg writing ace was my favorite part of writing this lol #kiss au writing #my writing #thanks for reading!

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afewmarvelousthoughts · 6 years ago

Text

Stay Ch. 13

Master List

Pairing: Natasha X Reader (Female)

Summary: You have a gift, the ability to see other people’s innermost secrets. For years you used it to gather intel for the highest bidder when you take on The Widow. After she becomes more than a mark the two of you spend years stealing moments. Post snap you wait in your designated meeting place, look back on the sordid past you share with the woman you love and hope against everything that she’s still alive.

Warnings: Angst, light violence.

A/N: I have been SO excited to share this with y’all. I straight up almost posted it earlier in the week because to me this is when their story really shifts and just so much is coming.

I hope y’all enjoy!

Tags are open!

@mywinterwolf @disagreetoagree @breezy1415 @peachthatdrinkslemonade @5aftermidnight @jeromethepsycho @marvel-randomness @daniellajocelyn @katecolleen @yanginginthere @wonderlandmind4 @piensa-bonito @for-the-love-of-the-fandom @lesbian-girls-wayhaught @siriuslycloudy2

- Post Snap -

The sound of that hotel door in New Orleans reverberates in your ears even here in the present. You sit in the windowsill, thankful this place still had windows that could be opened, and puff perfect smoke rings into the cool night air.

Old regrets bubble up. Maybe if you had been able to swallow your pride, work things out then and there, you’d be in a much different place now. Maybe she’d be here in your arms and not out somewhere in this burning world… Maybe, maybe, maybe.

It would be easy to drive yourself crazy thinking about all the may have beens that have piled up over the years. Regret got you nothing, you remember telling your team that. No point in mourning the past, but here you were. Hypocrite.

Regardless, you didn’t make it to January.

- November 2006 -

After a month or so it hurt less. You knew she was out there doing what she needed to and you were making money like a fucking mad woman.

Admittedly not being with her may have been soothed by the revolving door your bed had become. So what? You were having a good time, had the cash to burn, why not spend it on beautiful women and good booze?

It had been a particularly wild couple of weeks. The job you just wrapped put you smack in the middle of Amsterdam’s Red Light district and… well… you weren’t sad about it. If more jobs were likes this one, you’d go to hell with a smile on your face and damn good stories to tell the devil.

The night before you leave you wake up panicked. A dream so fucking real you were confused when consciousness came barreling into you. Practically pushing the two women off your bed you stumble to your duffle for your phone, hands shaking.

You hadn’t checked the voicemail. It wasn’t the first time you’d forgotten for more than a few days. Nothing was ever there. For some reason that dream… Natasha running, scared, panicked… you could feel it in your bones.

The women ask what’s going on and you tell them to shut up as you dial the codes with trembling fingers.

“Palais.” Natasha’s voice was trembling, breathless, scared. Left over a week ago. Panic pulses out of every pore on your body. The phone slides from your grasp and you hit your knees.

“What’s happening?!” You hear one of the women scream.

It’s all so far away. The other starts to sob, thick choking sobs. Both on the brink of full-fledged panic attacks. While you... are strangely calm, feeling your emotions and yet… not. Turning to them you stare in shock.

Somehow you know you’ve done this. How you don’t fully understand. But they’re trapped in your emotions, their confusion making them all the more terrified. You can’t blame them. You also can’t fucking care.

“Get out,” you growl at them both.

“But… what’s…”

“Get. Out.” Quickly they slip into their clothes and run out, still scared out of their minds.

Within the hour you’re out of the hotel and on your way to the airport. Any other time you’d drive, easier to stay off the radar but it was 11 hours and you couldn’t wait that long. You book the first flight out.

Five hours later you’re tearing into the doors of the hotel, the strange sense of deja vu hitting you hard.

It’s early but you know if she was here she would be in the bar. Still you check with the front desk for Nancy Rustin, your agreed name for her to use, nothing. You feel that same panic rise in you like it did in Amsterdam and you bring it in. A hotel lobby freaking like the women had would be newsworthy and not something you had the time for.

You slam back a whiskey neat at the bar and another, the warmth calming your nerves just a little bit. The third one you sip trying to figure out what to do.

If she was… no. You refuse to believe that, can’t allow yourself to go down that road. Instead, you start to plan just what strings you need to pull to figure out where the fuck she was. Whoever had her wouldn’t be standing for long, because you’d burn the world to get her back… You had to… had to tell her you loved her… Why hadn’t you just said it when she left in New Orleans? Now…

A man slides onto the stool next to you and you bristle. There’s a whole open bar and he just had to sit beside you. You’re about to let him have it when he orders a vodka neat. It’s a normal enough order but it packs salt into the wound nonetheless, sucking the words from you.

From your peripheral you see him take a sip and look at you. An emotion rolls off him. Apprehension? Disapproval? Curiosity?

“Palais,” he says matter of factly.

Your heartbeat kicks up but you remain facing forward. After taking a sip of your drink you respond, “Very good, you know where ya are. Want a fuckin’ gold star?” You aren’t sure why you let your natural accent show but you do.

He snorts, “She said you had a mouth.”

You slide a sidelong venomous glare to him, “Who?” It’s practically a hiss. You’re already formulating ways to kill this man right here.

“We have a mutual friend?”

“I don’t have friends.”

“No?” He sips his drink, obviously not enjoying the taste. “How about someone who’s more than that?” You say nothing.

Reaching into your pocket you pull out a few bills, grab your bag and walk out of the hotel. The man hot on your heels. You turn down an alley and as soon as he’s close enough you pull your gun. His hands are up a smirk on his face.

“Hey, let’s take a second here,” he’s not projecting any kind of fear. Actually, he’s almost too calm.

“You have exactly five to tell me where the fuck she is before I blow that smile off your face.”

“She’s safe.”

“Not good enough. Three.”

“If I was lying you could tell, right? So why don’t you work your magic trick before shooting me.” He lowers to his knees, “I’m trying to help. Just… look.”

Cautiously you approach him, gun still drawn. Going behind him you press the barrel to his temple with your right and press your left to the other side of his head. Not enough to harm, just to pull information. Focusing on one thing, her.

Natasha, looking tired but smiling fills your mind. “Y/N, I’m ok, I swear I’m ok baby. You can trust Clint. He’ll bring you to me. I’m telling him this so you’ll believe him. Oh, and when you’re done say the word pineapple, he doesn’t believe you can do what I said. I love you.”

You release him and lower your gun, tears stinging in the back of your eyes. Nothing but honesty and determination radiates from him. He’s legit.

“Fuck,” he rubs his temples, “that really does suck.”

“Pineapple,” you say barely audible.

“Huh?” He looks at you, “Sorry, shot hearing.” Now you notice the barely visible high tech hearing aids in his ears.

“Pineapple.”

A smile fills his face, “Jesus Christ. That’s pretty damn cool.” He stands slowly extending his hand, “Clint.” You take it and get a flash of a rural house, countryside, a brunette woman with kind eyes, arrows. This man is like an open book.

“Y/N.”

“Good to meet you.” His hands are calloused and you get the distinct feeling that he’s military of some sort. “I realize it’s asking a lot to-”

“I’ll go where ever you want.”

“Oh. I had a whole speech prepared and everything. Didn’t think you’d make this easy.” He shrugs, “Well come on then.”

On cue, a black nondescript sedan pulls up and he opens the back passenger door, you can see the barrier between the front and back seats, no handles on the interior of the doors. Fuck.

“Nothing personal just can’t be too careful,” he says, a weak smile on his face. It doesn’t matter. He knows where she is, you’ll play along for now.

Your voice is soft and sweet as you toss your bag ahead of you into the back seat, “Understandable.” If she told him you can read people she likely also told him about some of the other tricks up your sleeve.

“Oh, and Clint,” he turns to you releasing the door.

You slide his feet from under him sending him to the ground. Pinning him you press your right hand to his forehead, his eyes wide with panic. Good, she did tell him. There's the sound of feet as the driver rushes up behind you but he signals for them to stand down.

Leaning down you hiss in his ear, “If she’s not alright, I’ll burn your little farmhouse to the fuckin’ ground with that pretty brunette inside. We clear?”

“Crystal,” Clint growls out. He’s like a fortress now, actively fighting to shut you out.

“Excellent,” you stand smiling big and extend your hand to him. Suspiciously he eyes you before taking your hand and pulling himself up.

You push past the visibly confused woman who’s gun hangs limply in her hand. “Let’s get goin’ then.” As soon as you’re in the back seat she slams the door.

Admittedly you didn’t expect to be driving this long but 3 hours later you’re desperate for a pit stop. Two whiskeys plus the gallon of coffee on the flight meant you had to pee. Now.

“Can y’all even hear me up there?” The barrier was clear, maybe bullet-resistant glass of some kind, and you hadn’t heard anything from the front the whole time.

“Yes.” The woman’s tone is clipped.

“Good. How much longer we gonna be on this joy ride?”

“Another hour at least,” Clint responds. You note that the driver glares at him as if she didn’t approve of him answering you.

“Ah, well, any chance for a pit stop before then?”

“No.”/“Yes.” The driver and Clint respond at the same time.

“We are not stopping,” the woman sounds like she’s about to throttle Clint.

“That’s fine,” you say and watch her shoulders relax. “As long as you’re not the one having to clean up later.” She catches your smirk in the rearview and woo, if looks could kill.

Violently the car jerks to the side of the road and you slam into the driver’s side door. “What the hell?”

She gets out and flings the door open, “Should have worn a seat belt.” There’s the whisper of a grin on her face as you rub your left arm. “Neither of us have to go. There’s the woods.” The look on her face isn’t quite smug but it’s almost there.

You laugh, “Girl, you barkin’ up the wrong tree if you think my country ass is too prim to piss in the woods.” Quickly you stride toward the trees.

“Agent,” she says, voice low and you freeze. “Agent Hill. I’m not your girl.” Slowly you turn back to her. “And I suggest you don’t run, Oracle.” Your blood runs cold.

“Am I under arrest agent?”

“Not exactly.”

“Hmm.” You weigh your options. If they could just get you to Natasha as was promised you figured you both had a good chance of slipping them. If you ran… well if they had her and who knows what they may do…

“Well, if you’re done posturing, Agent Hill. I have some private business to attend to. Unless you’re wanting to accompany me, I’ll be back in a minute.” You turn back toward the woods and she doesn’t follow.

Once you’re done, you walk a few paces further into the trees and lean against a trunk for a minute thinking. Agent Hill didn’t specify exactly who she was an agent for. She’s clearly American unless it’s a ruse. But given that Clint is most definitely American you’re going to bet it’s not. Sure they could be with any number of U.S. agencies but your gut is telling you just who this is. If you’re right… this is very bad.

You stride back to the car, “So, Agent,” you practically spit the word, “we headin’ to some kind of S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house in Europe or are you toting me back to the good ol’ U.S.A.?” Her brows lift just a touch in surprise but otherwise, she appears unfazed. “Guess it’ll be a surprise then,” you say as you get back in the car.

Almost two hours later you pull into what seems to be an old abandoned airport. Clint opens your door.

“The states it is,” you quip looking over at Agent Hill. She says nothing and begins striding to a hangar. You grab your bag and follow Clint.

Before getting on the jet Agent Hill turns to you, “I’ll need all weapons you have on your person, Oracle.” You stare at her for a minute, curious if she will try to physically remove them if you don’t comply.

“You can give them over freely or spend the flight in shackles. Your choice.”

Giving her a slight smile you begin to disarm. Weapons were good and all but you didn’t need them to be a threat. The way Clint looks at you shows he knows this but she doesn’t. Interesting.

Not moving toward her you hold out your knives and gun, “Here.” She rolls her eyes but takes the bait coming to grab them. Your fingers just graze hers.

“I wouldn’t have pegged you for a Maria.” The look she flashes you is murderous. You smile smugly as Clint restrains a small laugh. It never got old using something so simple as their own name to throw people. “Suits you though.” Unfortunately, she’s too good to take your bait this time and simply turns practically storming into the jet.

“Hill didn’t believe it either. What Nat said you could do,” Clint says standing bravely next to a woman that threatened him five hours ago. You bristle a bit at his casual mention of Natasha.

“Good. The less people who believe in it the better off I am,” he nods in agreement and leads the way to the jet.

You’ve never been on something so advanced. Despite yourself, you’re a little in awe. You stand in the middle of it all gawking.

“Sit,” Hill barks pointing to a bucket seat near the back. “Buckle up if you want I don’t care either way. And if you hurl it’s your mess to clean up. Got it?”

You sit down and lounge like a cat looking up at her, “Got it, Maria.”

“Agent. Hill,” she spits.

A chuckle slips from you at her reaction, “You don’t like me much do you, Agent?”

“No,” with that she heads to the pilot seat.

A few minutes later you feel the jet start to roll forward. The takeoff is so abrupt you do feel more than a little nauseous but you keep it down, not willing to give in. Once it’s passed your mind focuses on what the hell you’re walking into.

Whatever it was if she was there… it would be worth it.

#natasha x reader #natasha romanoff #clint barton #agent hill #wlw

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asknightqueendany · 6 years ago

Note

The leaks have me worried ngl. I assumed everything in the trailer was after the reveal. Sam being mad at Dany? The Jon and Sansa conversation about why he bent the knee and mentioning love and he doesn't answer? Thoughts?

SPOILERS AHEAD. I TAGGED THIS WITH LITERALLY EVERYTHING I COULD THINK OF SO I’M NOT PUTTING A CUT. DON’T BITCH IF YOU HAVEN’T BLOCKED.

Okay I’m a bit late to the game and I neither watched the video Friki posted before it was taken down...twice...nor do I speak Spanish anyway so all of my information is third-hand.

So @adecila posted THIS outline of the video and @bendthekneejon posted THIS clarification.

I next went to THIS post on FreeFolk and while the initial post is a bit lacking in detail, a comment further down on the post is much more interesting. Hopefully either @adecila or @bendthekneejon can confirm?

The way everything I’ve seen reads is that this is one episode and this is how it all goes down in this specific order. BUT, according to this commenter, Friki says some of the details are not Episode 1. So anyone who watched the video, did Friki really say this? Because I feel like a lot of the details from his video could be misconstrued if they are not from Episode 1 - as we’ve clearly seen in the Jonsa tag recently (anon, you’ve been peaking at their tag, haven’t you?).

Also, the leaks a little bit don’t make sense in the order I’ve seen them in because most have Jon/Arya reunion AFTER the meeting with the Norther Lords...??? And the time of the Bran reunion is never stated. Because of this, I’m inclined to believe this is not the true order of the episode and that some of this stuff may, in fact, be from Eps 2 or 3. Also, Dany wanting Jon to ride Rhaegal before finding out he’s a Targaryen...just seems a little OOC for both Jon and Dany. Plus, “hey cheer up ride a dragon” seems like it would be great for after the reveal instead.

But anyway, regardless of whether this all happens in Episode 1 or not, this isn’t anything I hadn’t expected or haven’t already posted about (seriously, the Jonsas accusing us of trying to explain away the trailer is so annoying because I’ve literally spoken on all of these issues). It’s the drama we all knew was coming.

1) I’m glad Dany is the one to go to Sam about the deaths of his family rather than him confronting her about it. It makes a lot of sense that it goes down that way and that Jorah is there when she tells him.

2) Sam going immediately to Jon after this could either be because he has decided he doesn’t like Dany or because he is just anxious to tell Jon the truth. Either way, I don’t see how it matters much, especially if it’s Episode 1.

3) Jon’s reaction is pretty Jon. To me his “I bent the knee, she gives the orders” or whatever, is just the way he talks. Kind of like in 5x08 Hardhome where the FF ask him how Mance Rayder died and he says “I put an arrow through his heart.” Like, come on Jon! He could give more context - how she saved him, how she had already pledged to him when he bent the knee, etc. But he doesn’t because he’s “not a bleeding poet.”

That Sam is upset will make Jon broody, that the woman he fell in love with did it will make Jon broody. And that Sam is insisting that Jon should be King of the Seven Kingdoms when he has never wanted that position in the first place will also make him broody, along with, you know, the fact that he has just learned his “dad” lied to him all his life. I think it’s interesting one of the posts, Sam says Dany doesn’t “have to” be Queen but that Jon “has to” be King. I’m not sure if the “has to” is a direct quote from the show or not. But if Sam does say Jon “has to” be King, it would make sense and goes with his line from 7x07 “Jon’s the one to lead the fight against the dead, I know he is.” Of course Sam would want Jon to press his claim - he’s the reason Jon was elected to LC and Bran stated (I’m assuming he was talking to Sam during the V.O.) “He’s the heir to the Iron Throne.”

4) One thing I find interesting is all three links I’ve read that mention the Jon/Sam scene come off as totally different. Not sure if OPs intended it this way or if Friki was just unclear but...I don’t know where the scene cuts off...? Can anyone give more insight to this?

Because one post seems to have it end right after Sam says “Yo, Lyanna’s your mom, Rhaegar’s your dad.”

Another seems to have it end after Jon and Sam actually have a full conversation about RLJ with Jon claiming Ned would never, blah blah blah, did it to protect him whatever whatever.

So I really don’t know. It would clearly be dramatic if the scene cut off right after Sam says the reveal. “Ned’s not your dad” End of Scene. But it would also be interesting to see the aftermath of this. Perhaps the scene is split? Perhaps the other half of the scene is the next episode? It’s really unclear as are all things with leaks.

BUT

One thing I have yet to see Jonsas talk about (queue post after post after the Jonsas who read my blog see this and try to explain it away with Political!Jon, Political!Arya shenanigans) is the conversation between Jon and Arya about Sansa and Dany!!!!

LITERALLY none of them have spoken about it and that’s telling anon. That they leave out this crucial piece of information while they’re trying (and failing) to shit all over us because they know it disproves all their theories:

Jon asks Arya to help him make Sansa and Dany get along.

This is important for 2 reasons:

1) It tells us that Jon trusts Arya A LOT because rather than confront Sansa himself about her obvious dislike of Dany, or you know, revealing Political!Jon to Sansa “Hey, I know you don’t like Dany, it’s okay, I hate her too, just pretend and then afterward we’ll fuck”...rather than all of THAT going down, Jon enlists Arya’s help to smooth things over with Sansa. NOW WHY WOULD HE DO THAT IF HE’S PLAYING DANY AND LOVES SANSA???

2) This is more speculation but I think it’s a pretty logical conclusion given the above...Arya already likes Dany. Why do I think this? Because if Jon needed to convince Arya, why would he enlist her to help him then convince Sansa? So that he asks for Arya’s help, tells us that Arya’s probably pretty on board with Team Dany so she would be the logical person Jon would turn to for this task. If she hated Dany, she wouldn’t be of any help to him in this.

Of the entire episode complete with passionate kisses, dragon riding, open flirtation that Davos, Varys, and Tyrion talk about, Jon defending Dany to the NLs...the Arya thing is the nail in the coffin.

So fear not anon and stay out of the salt mines! I keep telling you guys not to worry!

#got spoilers #friki leaks #got s8 spoilers #game of thrones spoilers #all the spoilers

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inuitakumi · 5 years ago

Text

i uhhh decided to make a profile for cheng’mei as im updated/rewriting his lore, i don’t expect anyone to actually read this but you’re welcome to lmao

Full Name: C’hengmei Tia/Hengmei’a Xue

“Alias”: Cheng’mei Xue

Full Name Meaning: His parents were a Seeker (father) and Keeper (mother) Neither seemed to fully agree on what his name was, and though while his parents were in the same room he seemed to be ‘C’hengmei’ his mother exclusively referred to his name as ‘Hengmei’a’ when his father wasn’t present (which was often). As a result, he was never quite sure what his name actually was

Alias Meaning: After the Calamity hit and Cheng’mei was left alone, he began traveling with an Elezen who had nursed him back to health, in that time he decided to permanently use his mother’s surname Xue, his first name changing entirely coming about as an accident as his name had been misspelled somewhere as they were making passage to Thanalan. Since it showed no real association with either tribe and was entirely it’s own, he chose to keep it like that.

Nicknames: Cheng, Mei, Warrior of Light/Darkness etc

Pet Name: Occasionally called MeiMei if someone is feeling particularly affectionate

Handwriting/Signature: incredibly messy, as he was mostly ignored during his childhood he never really got much of a formal education.

Gender: Male

Age: 23, probably closer to 24/25 by the end of ShB but who knows how the fuck time works in this game

Birthday: 32nd Sun of the 5th Umbral Moon (Oct 31st) year 1554 of the Sixth Astral Era

Birthplace: Limsa Lominsa

Immediate Family: Father, C’yahng, Mother, Hengmei’a Xue, and younger sister Ahqing Xue. Their current whereabouts are unknown

Distant Family: Presumably has family in a small Xue tribe in the Black Shroud and family in the C tribe. Though his parents are now separated he assumes that if they survived he likely has other half siblings roaming around somewhere.

Upbringing:

Infancy [0-2]: ah what a good time to exist. Too young to realize that his parents definitely should not be in a relationship with each other.

Childhood [3-9]: From about 3-5 he still felt the warmth and affection of staying by his mother’s side. Despite having trouble responding when called due to not fully comprehending what his name was, he felt happy and loved at this point and was excited when his father would come home from his ‘merchant’ trips (cough piracy cough) and play with him. Though there were other Miqo’te children his age from the tribe his father came from who were nearby, they never seemed to want to play with him partially from his being different as he looked like a keeper, and because his father was splintered away from the tribe for coupling with someone despite being a tia, and with a keeper. Either way, at that age his mother rarely left the house, and as a result he rarely left too, thus resulting in no friends even from the local non-miqo children in Limsa.

From 5 onward his mother became more and more distant from him, insisting more and more often for him to leave the house on his own which was an incredibly odd turnaround from before. Traditionally of course Keeper males wandered between groups and generally did not stay with their families. Though looking back, Cheng’mei also suspected there was resentment she held against him since he’s pretty sure that keepers don’t make their sons leave at THAT young of an age, and without any sort of male figure to keep an eye on them. This also created more tension between his parents, with his father thinking it ridiculous to let a small child run around on his own in Limsa Lominsa, especially when Cheng’mei almost got kidnapped on multiple occasions.

At the age of 9, he now had a younger sister that his mother clearly paid much more attention to. Their parents also had no arguments over her name, and his father relented easily in letting his sister have a fully keeper name since he was never home anymore anyways. When his father randomly decided to take him on a trip with him on a “merchan” ship, he thought things were looking up. He ended up disappointed because even on the ship he was sat on a barrel and largely ignored by his father, with his only entertainment being from some Lalafell who took pity on the bored child and entertained him with stories from Ul’dah and Thanalan, which is where they hailed from. Upon returning home they were greeted with an empty house, with Cheng’mei’s mother having left with his little sister. He suspected his father knew this would happen, but he never got an explanation as to why.

Early Teens [10-17]: Now with only his father, Cheng’mei now spent even more time alone. Despite the fact that in his youth, Cheng’mei’s father would get mad when his mother left him alone or pushed him out of the house, he now did it even more often than she did. Again, he’d spend most of this part of his youth wandering Limsa, seeking out strangers to tell him stories or take pity on him and give him snacks. When he was 16, he picked up a job at a tavern, where he was able to witness more adventurers passing through with their own stories, and he continually remembered those Lalafell who talked to him about Ul’dah. He ventured out on his own on occasion, making it to Costa del Sol by tagging along with adventurers, but it resulted in the scars on his face when he was attacked unaware.

Late Teens [18-23]: The Calamity hit when he was 18 years old, and he doesn’t actually remember what he was doing or where he even was at the time, he only remembered a blur, and waking up with an Elezen who had taken him in and nursed him back to health. They continued to travel together, helping out what little they could. During this time, he had even considered the possibility of going to Gridania to find his mother and sister. He ultimately decided against it, as not even his father knew where his mother’s family lived and hunted in the Black Shroud, since their meeting had been an off chance moment when she had entered Gridania. And even then, he wasn’t actually sure if any of his family were still alive or not.

Ul’dah [23]: Cheng’mei and the Elezen who helped him parted ways when arriving to Thanalan, now newly christened with his new name after a flub, Cheng’mei traveled to the thaumaturge’s guild to begin some of his first proper training in being an adventurer. It was there in his fledgling adventuring time that he met Thancred and the Scions for the first time, and began his ascent into the role of the Warrior of Light. Despite being able to defeat Lahabrea and destroying the Ultima Weapon, he never felt comfortable in his role as a Black Mage. Despite all the anxiety and reservations that he held whenever he was in Gridania with fear that he may run into his mother and sister and general discomfort with not fitting in with any traditional miqo’te structure (the only miqo’te he was close to at the time being Nashu, who was quite untraditional), he tried his hand at archery and felt at home with a bow and arrow, and even befriended Leih Aliapoh, relating to her confusing feelings about family.

Despite having spent the least amount of time in Ul’dah versus Limsa Lominsa, he considers that he truly came into his own the most during his time there, and even works with the Immortal Flames to this day, as such to most people he’s considered to be from Ul’dah.

Evolution (How has your character changed since they were younger?): as a child he never really formed bonds with anyone because he had the assumption that they’d ultimately ignore him like his parents would. Instead he got his entertainment from stories and fleeting entertainment he got from others never getting very close with them. As he got older he slowly started growing more attached to people like the Elezen who helped him and came to the issue of growing immediately heavily attached to people who would show him slight affection. In the Scions, he often followed Thancred like a swooning maiden just because of some light jokes Thancred would make about following him around. Perhaps because he didn’t enjoy a normal childhood, he definitely acted a bit more childish and rough than someone should at his age. He irritated Urianger at first, for seemingly not taking any of his written out notes or information seriously, until Urianger finally confronted him about not reading anything and Cheng’mei had to tearfully admit he could barely read anything and felt some insecurity for not feeling as intelligent as the other highly educated Scions and just being more of a pawn who was directed in their every action. They became closer as Urianger, along with Y’shtola, helped teach him showing him that despite lacking formal education, he was actually quite perceptive. (Y’shtola earned the nickname of Auntie Shtola as a result of her patience with him) Despite his supposed crush on Thancred, it was actually Haurchefant where he first started experiencing something akin to actual love, and the resulting heartbreak and pain from his death changed Cheng’mei drastically. He’s constantly horrified thinking that it could have been another fleeting attachment from someone who gave him affection or if it ever could have been something else. Though still jokey and sassy, you could see the experiences of battles begin weighing him down as his rough childish edges began wearing down. He started focusing more on his relations with others, and even started considering Alphinaud and Alisae like the siblings he never got to have after not even getting to begin a relationship with his own sister. He even felt quite a bit of anger with how Thancred treated Ryne at first, looking back to his own neglecting parents.

Species: Miqo’te

Ethnicity: Mixed Keeper of the Moon and Seeker of the Sun, appearance is solely Keeper of the Moon

Facial Type: Round

Eye Color: Left eye light blue, right eye two shades darker

Hair Color: Black, with white streaks

Hairstyle: Tends to stray on the long side

Skintone: Very pale

Complexion: Clear, though very often a bit sunburnt

Makeup: Using a rather elaborate red warpaint design on his face to draw attention away from his scars (and sunburn)

Body Type: Ectomorph

Build: Lean and small for speed, very in tune with the average build of a hunter miqo’te, which is probably why he felt such a strong connection with archery when he tried it.

Height: 5′2″ (157cm)

Weight: 53kg/116 pounds

Facial Hair: none

Birthmarks/Scars/Tattoos: He has a scar over an eye and a smaller one on his cheek from being caught unaware while tagging along with adventurers when he was 15. He draws attention away from it with warpaint. He also has a white tattoo on his nose that he got while traveling with his Elezen companion, who like the color white.

Senses: He sees in the dark very well with his Keeper genes, unfortunately as he grew up in very sunny warm places, his wide pupils only made his vision worse in these places. He makes up for this by hearing very well. Any angry squinting is just him not being able to see shit.

Handicaps: CAN’T SEE. No really he probably needs glasses but he hasn’t bothered yet.

Mental Disorders: honestly after everything he’s been through it’s no surprise he’s shown PTSD symptoms

Lovers: Presumably with Haurchefant, though it never really reached any sort of proper status before it was nipped. Seems to have something going with Aymeric or G’raha but whether or not these will truly become something more is unknown.

Occupation: Part time Warrior of Light, Part time Fetch Quest boi.

Work Ethic: He does his best to help people as much as he can in any way that he can. Even if the requests irritate him slightly, he still goes out of his way to try to make people happy.

Wealth Status: Though at this point he probably has more money than the usual citizen due to all the money he gets from helping people, he’s not exactly the greatest at ‘saving’ and ‘budgeting’ which results in him having to pinch gil more often than he’d like to admit.

Past Work Experience: Waiter, messenger, Professional Loitering Child That You Wonder Is Homeless Or Not

Organizations/Affilications: Scions of the Seventh Dawn, Thaumaturge’s Guild (formerly), Archer’s Guild, House Fortemps, Immortal Flames

Education: Barely existent. His mother taught him the very basics when he was 5-7 but he never progressed much past that. Though he learned ‘street smarts’ and enough reading to handle working in a tavern, he mainly relied on others to do that part for him. It isn’t until he joins the Scions that Urianger and Y’shtola improved his abilities greatly, though he’s still behind most of the scions. How the hell he managed to study Thaumaturgy with his basic-ass reading could be anyone’s guess.

Religion: Again, his parents butted heads with Menphina or Azeyma, so out of following his parents he simply prayed to which ever he thought of first. During his times as a Scion, he supposed Hydaelyn was the one he followed but now he’s not sure where he stands with the gods. If anyone asks though, he dryly responds that he’s a born-again Halone worshiper. No one knows if he’s joking or not.

Desires: Because of his less than stellar childhood, he wants nothing more than to keep the family he has now.

Wishlist: at this point he just wants a nap.

Accomplishments: Defeating primals, defeating Ascians, leading revolutions. Y’know. Basic WoL things.

Greatest Achievement: He claims its swimming. Just to tease Alphinaud and Urianger.

Biggest Failure: Despite having done so much, feeling like he’s a failure for not saving people he loved.

Secrets: During his time training as an archer in Gridania, he saw his sister. Though it was only at a distance, and the fact that he only knew her when she was an infant, he just felt it was her. But it was not his place to suddenly show up in her life, so he simply watched her go.

Regrets: Never confessing to Haurchefant. Both of them knew something was there, but Cheng’mei continually thought ‘after this is all over, i’ll say something’ but ‘after this is all over’ never happened and he lost Haurchefant before then. Those thoughts still haunt him to this day as he often has dreams wondering what it would have been like had Haurchefant not died that day.

#INFO DUMP BABEEY #faiz plays ffxiv

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tumbler-tidbits · 6 years ago

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Today Is the last Friday of this month so the time has come to post February’s Fic Recs! Please Keep in mind that these have been culminated over a period of a few months (since I’m so far behind) so some links may no longer work thanks to dumblrs porn bots! I have no control of that so if a fic is no longer available PLEASE don’t blame me! These are mostly smut but there is a mix of some fluff and a smidge of angst. All warnings and summaries from the writer are provided!

1)Can’t Keep My Hands to Myself by @bamby0304

Link:HERE

Summary: Misha can’t help himself. It doesn’t matter that you could get caught at any moment, he just has to have you.

Pairing: Misha x Reader

Warnings: Explicit language. Smut. Dirty talk. Public sex. Fingering. Unprotected sex. Hair pulling

My Review: JFC y’all this one is a panty ruiner! I’ve just recently started reading Misha/Cas smut and boy did this one pull me in! Dom/sub, pinned against the wall, fear of getting caught.... hbdhgshsndmnfv

2)Magical by @supernatural-teamfreewillpage-d

Link:HERE

Summary: Dean’s Pov On A/His Girl Squirting

Pairing: Dean x Female

Warnings: 18+, Squirting, Language, Sexual Thoughts.

My Review: This Awesome smut is from Deans point of view and it makes for a magical scene!

3)The Bet by @maddiepants

Link:HERE

Summary: Y/N can totally go a week without sex. Can't she?

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Warnings: little bit a plot, lotta bit a porn, little bit of Dom Dean, that’s it i think

My Review: Good God my girl can write the smut! This is so fucking hot, I felt needy!! Jesus I need me some Dean!

4)The Mirror by @wheresthekillswitch

Link:HERE

Summary: The problem isn’t your reflection, it’s the mirror you’re using

Pairing: None

Warnings: self-doubt

My Review: This sweet little drabble speaks volumes for those of us who have insecurities (read: all of us!). Short, sweet, and to the point! Hold your head high.

5)Uncharted Territory by @fatestemptress

Link:HERE

Summary: Dean thought he had done it all. He was wrong.

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Warnings: Smutastic. Rimming. Anal play. Oral (Male Receiving) 18 PLUS ONLY!!

My Review: HOLY FUCKING SHIT. This is not something I ever considered erotic and Jesus christ on a cracker if this didn’t change my mind. THIS WAS FUCKING HOT AS FUCK! The smart ass Dean in the beginning, then the way you described his pleasure... fuck woman you paint a gorgeous fucking picture! Now I’m trying to put out the fire you just caused! Bitches READ IT!!

6)Tell Him How You Feel by @supernatural-jackles

Link:HERE

Summary: Another season of Supernatural has wrapped. You are headed to the wrap party with your two best friends. One being your ex, and the other being yours and your ex’s best friend; the guy you have fallen for over the course of a few months.

Pairing: Jensen x Reader, past Jared x Reader

Warnings: Angst, Feels, Fluff, Sweet Smut, Minor Talk of Insecurities.

My Review: This friends to lovers story was incredible! The backstory and how the reader was written in to the lives of Jared and Jensen was perfect! Romantic, sensual, and just so warm and fuzzy! Give it a read, it fulfills your fantasy 😉

7)Being Kept by TheShygirl on AO3

Link:HERE

Summary: Reader is at an out-of-town hotel for a work meeting when a big storm hits. A power outage from the storm leaves her trapped in an elevator with two extremely attractive men who decide to make the most out of a bad situation. From there, her life gets turned upside down as she tries to balance her newfound relationship with work and an intense interest from another man.

Pairing: Please see link

Warnings: Please see link

My Review: This series was recommended to me by several friends! And I’ll be honest, based in the tags and warnings, I would have never read it. But I asked my friends about my concerns and they reassured me. So I trusted them and dove into the story, and HOLY FUCK am I glad that I did! Two things you should know about me, 1) I don’t typically read RPF and 2) I have never read M/M, F/F. And before you jump to conclusions NO I’m not homophobic, I’m straight and read reader insert so M/F is what I gravitate to. WELL this fic changed both of those things with multiple partners/pairings! It was sexy, erotic, romantic, angsty, and fluffy! It left me happy, ecstatic, sad, furious, upset, betrayed, sickened...literally any emotion you can have was portrayed in this fic and I felt every single one! Folks this story is so good that it felt REAL, like BTS this scenario is actually happening in real life. It’s 73 chapters, but trust me it’s worth it and in the end you will be begging for more!!

8)Thunder Rolls by @amanda-teaches

Link:HERE

Summary: When your fear of thunderstorms is triggered, Dean decides to distract you the best way he can- with some good, old-fashioned, mind-blowing sex.

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Warnings: SMUT (unprotected penetrative sex), swearing; 18+ only

My Review: This was intensely passionate! The sex is hot but the love behind it really makes it great! The authors use of super descriptive descriptions of your pleasure will have you clenching your thighs!

9)Lingering Scents by @kittenofdoomage

Link:HERE

Summary: Dean’s always tried to resist the pull. How long until he can’t anymore?

Pairing: Alpha!Dean x Omega!Reader

Warnings: jealousy, angst, scenting, A/B/O, rough sex, implied breeding, marking, mentions of sort-of cheating.

My Review: whew! If your in to A/B/O fics this one is hot! Dean learns that he can’t fight fate and your more than willing to go along!

10)Cupid Can Shove his arrow right up his... by @bamby0304

Link:HERE

Summary: Valentine’s day sucks when you’ve got no one to send you flowers or serenade you with sweet song. You’re in a mood, stomping around the overcrowded bunker, not caring if you kill the buzz of the couples around you. Luckily for them, however, Sam is quick to distract you.

Pairing: Sam x Reader

Warnings: Explicit language. Little bit of Valentine’s day hate. Smut. Dirty talk. Thigh riding. Fingering. Praise kink. Hair pulling. Panty kink. Biting. Unprotected sex.

My Review: Holy Fucking shit I LOVED THIS! The attitude, the sass, the fucking innuendos... THE FUCKING! Jesus Christ on a crumbled cracker, This one killed. Go beg Amber for MORE of this! And make sure you say PLEASE! We need to see ALL those scenarios played out... Read this one in privacy ladies and have a helper handy 😏😉

11)Only One Woman I Trust by @georgialouisea

Link:HERE

Summary: None

Pairing: Dean x Reader, Sophie, Marg.

Warnings: Fluff, Swearing

My Review:This is just absolutely precious! You think you know what’s going on but there’s a surprise! This one will rot your teeth ❤️

12)Edge of Glory by @sculptorofbeginnings

Link:HERE

Summary: A supply run with Dean and Castiel takes an interesting turn.

Pairing: Dean x Reader, Castiel

Warnings: This is just Smut. Gratuitous, Endverse, smut. Implied established relationship and previously agreed upon situations.

My Review: Well damn. Shaila gets you revved up right off the bat with an amazing gif! Then sweet fucking sin it gets hotter from there! Ladies save this one for some alone time.... it’s definitely a panty ruiner.

13)Inked Up by @evansrogerskitten

Link:HERE

Summary: Dean most definitely, not at all, really doesn’t, have a crush.

Pairing: Dean x tattooed!Reader

Warnings: Fluff. Cursing a lot cuz it’s Dean. 18+ because you must be an adult to be on my blog

My Review: Ever want to know what goes on inside Dean’s head when he sees a hot girl? This fic is super hilarious and totally fluffy! I love Dean’s internal struggle to keep himself in check 😂 this one is fun!

14)Match Made on Crushbook by @carryonmywaywardwriters-deactiv

Link:HERE

Summary: The douchebags of online dating...

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Warnings: Online Dating struggles (made from actual chats I’ve gotten...cringe with me). Mutual masturbation. Some dirty talk. A bit of praise!kink. I believe that is all during this part.

My Review: As a girl with a serious praise!kink this one got me all hot a bothered! And as a single female trying to find a relationship... this fic is totally relatable!

15)Good Morning Beautiful by @ladywinchester1967

Link:HERE

Summary: Good Morning Indeed.

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Warnings: Oral sex (female receiving), fluff, smut, Dean being a sweetheart. All porn, zero plot.

My Review: Holy fuck this is so.... yes, all the yes! I want this, I NEED this!! God it’s just so fluffy and passionate. LOVE IT

16)Reunited by @saxxxology

Link:HERE

Summary: Sam’s locked in a government prison during the birth of his first child. Reuniting him with his family is the best thing that could have ever happened to him

Pairing: Alpha!Sam x Omega!Reader

Warnings: angst, mentions of killing, Alpha/Omega parenting instincts, non-graphic labor, fluff, lots of happy tears

My Review: OMG this is somewhat heart shattering, but Oh so fluffy! You start off wanting to cry but don’t worry, those will turn to happy tears :)

17)Dangerous Dance by @bamby0304

Link:HERE

Summary: When you first saw him, you knew he wasn’t like any other man that walked through the doors. There was a gleam in his eyes that screamed mischief. A gleam you would come to crave just as much as he craved you, if not more. When you first saw him, you had no idea what you were in for.

Pairing: Soulless!Sam x exotic-dancer!Reader

Warnings: Explicit language. Angst. Fluff. Pole dancing. Sexy dancing. Smut. Dom!soulless!Sam. Fingering. Masturbation. Voyeurism. Dry humping. Dirty talk. Unprotected sex. Bondage. Breath play. Squirting. Other smut related warnings that I just can’t think of right now.

My Review: Folks grab a fire extinguisher because this series is HOT! 14 chapters of deliciously smutty soulless Sam! What more could you ask for? Amber hits a lot of kinks in this series so you are likely to find something you like or discover a kink you didn’t know you had!!

18)Discipline by @squirrel-moose-winchester

Link:HERE

Summary: After flirting with a suspect to gain information against Sam’s orders, she must suffer the consequences.

Pairing: Dom!Sam x Reader

Warnings: Smut (but not really), Spanking (of a slightly different kind), Implied sex, Rough!Sam

My Review: To steal a line from one of our favorite memes “Mark me down as scared and horny!” Whew! This was unexpectedly hot and a total surprise! Note to self, do not make Sam angry.... or ya know DO!

19)Worthless by @maddiepants

Link:HERE

Summary: It's hard to fight the demons, when they're inside your head.

Characters: Reader, Dean, and Sam

Warnings: thoughts of suicide, talk of possible self harm, self hatred, Dean being a helpful, loving bean, Angst.

My Review: This one is angsty but wow it’s also very poetic! I know many of us struggle with this very scenario and Erica has written it beautifully.

20)Wrecked by @thoughtslikeaminefield

Link:HERE

Summary: After the show, alone in a dark corridor, he shows you exactly what that song means.

Pairing: Jensen x Reader

Warnings: Kissing, Vaginal Fingering, Clothed Sex, Wall Sex, Slight Chain Metal Kink, lip biting, Jensen Ackles in that fucking CBGB t-shirt and hat and the wallet chain WTF dude, Let’s pretend he’s single, Like a Wrecking Ball, you know why, Smut, Shameless Smut, Consent is Sexy, NSFW

My Review: JFC if this isn’t every Jensen girls fantasy! This one just ruined me! Wall sex, hand over your mouth, soft nips and kisses *shudders* give it a read!

Taglist: @idreamofplaid @dean-winchesters-bacon @maddiepants @pisces-cutie @covered-byroses @currentlyfangirling99 @spnmightkillme @spnfamily-alwayskeepfighting @team-free-will-you-idjits-67 @xxhalfbloodprincessxx @supernaturalsammy01 @sammyimpala-67 @lunarboycas @ladywinchester1967 @sweetiepie-dean @fangirl-forevers-world @thoughtslikeaminefield @supernatural-teamfreewillpage @ruthiesconnells @bobasheebaby @evansrogerskitten @missjenniferb @sculptorofbeginnings @kbl1313 @spnskinnyballs @treat-winchesterswith-kindness @justcallmeasmodeus @ain-t-bovvered @purpleskiesandcherrypies @curly-haired-disaster @getnaildbyme @thoughtslikeaminefield @gripmetight-raisemefromperdition

#Fic rec Friday #Final Friday Fic Recs #supernatural #tumbler-tidbits

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arosnowflake · 6 years ago

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don’t reblog this maybe but this intracommunity aro/aspec discourse has really highlighted how my experiences with being aroace differ from the majority of the aroace community and it makes me. uncomfy.

(I was gonna do the following section in the tags but it got too long so. enjoy the rambly post I guess.)

It’s so weird too??? In almost all ways, I’m the most stereotypical aroace to have ever aroaced; I’m sex- and romance repulsed, I do not want either sexual or romantic relationships, I want a qpr (I realize that wanting a qpr is not the norm outside of aro communities, but this assumption does kind of tend to exist within aro communities, although from what I’ve seen that has certainly died down), I found out I was ace in my late teens and figured out I was aro a year or two after that, I do not nor have I ever experienced any type of romantic or sexual attraction (aka I’m not gray-ace or gray-aro), I’m not an oriented aroace, etc.

Unlike with my trans/nb identity I tend to actually relate to the wider aroace community; it’s by far the easiest queer identity I have because I generally fall within the parameters of what’s ‘expected’ of an aroace 99% of the time. There’s really only two major exceptions:

I do not find it difficult to distinguish between my aromanticism and my asexuality. They are not the same for me. I see my asexuality and aromanticism as two separate identities that just so happen to coincide.

I consider my aromanticism to be a LOT more important than my asexuality. Really I’m more aro(ace) than aroace if you get what I mean.

And BOY are those differences highlighted by the recent discourse.

Like, I know that to aroaces who already feel alienated by the aroace community this must seem eye-roll-worthy, and I acknowledge how lucky I am that I (mostly) managed to feel safe and comfortable in the aroace community (albeit it more on the aro side of things than on the ace side), but like??? I’m really unused to feeling so alienated from the aroace community and it’s uhhhh unfun.

But honestly in this discourse? I just cannot at all relate to or get behind the aroace community’s approach to it. I don’t feel threatened by the idea that we might have a complete separation from the ace community. As a matter of fact, that’s what I want. If it were up to me and I didn’t have to take the feelings of anyone else into account, I’d want a complete separation between the ace and aro communities. I’d want to maintain strong ties between the communities, obviously, but I’m so fucking tired of being grouped together with the ace community. I want the aro community to be able to stand on its own as the ace community’s equal, not their younger sibling who still needs guidance. I want us to be our own thing without relying on the ace community at all. I want a complete separation of asexuality and aromanticism.

I acknowledge, however, that this is likely not practical. There are too many aroaces tying us together, and we share too much history. It would be unfair to aroaces who cannot separate their aromanticism and asexuality and/or just don’t want to choose like that to just implement a complete schism without regard for consequences. I acknowledge that. I still want it.

It’s not that I hate the ace community. I really don’t. I honestly don’t feel as bitter towards it as a lot of the aro community seems to. I really think that the ace community is one of the most welcoming communities I’ve ever been in; they helped me understand my asexuality in a way that lifted me up and made me secure in it, and I’m really thankful to them for helping me through that vulnerable time. I think that it’s amazing what the ace community has managed to achieve in such little time; barely a decade ago, we were nothing, and now, we are steadily on our way to becoming a widely recognized sexuality, with well-organized groups and clear objectives. It’s seriously impressive.

At the same time, however, they royally screwed up my aro education, to the point where even though I was very, VERY clearly aromantic I was extremely hesitant to adopt the label, and it wasn’t until I actually managed to get involved in the aro community via a mutual that I actually started embracing it; in fact, before I talked to that mutual, I was really only peripherally aware of the existence of an aro community. I did not understand what a qpr was. I did not understand how the aromanticism was a spectrum, or know any aro identities outside of aro, gray-aro, and demiro (it was thanks to another mutual that I got off my initial high horse about greyro identities and actually started researching them with an open mind, by the way. I’m still definitely not perfect and consider them to be my largest blind spot in the aro community, but at least I’m trying to learn). I was not aware of any aspects of aro culture, or at least they didn’t register (white ring, arrows, etc. etc). And those were really just minor things.

The big kicker for me is that, honestly, my experience with the way the ace community treated aromanticism was. kinda different from what most aros seem to have experienced. Maybe it’s the people I interacted with, the blogs I followed, idk, but whatever it is, I got the impression that my aromantic traits were part of my asexuality. I never really felt like the ace community was pushing the ‘aces can love!�� message too hard; instead, I got the opposite. I got posts joking about how aces don’t get crushes. About how aces are annoyed with romantic subplots. I got essays written where the author stated that they don’t feel romantic attraction because they are asexual. I got posts about how characters who said “I don’t understand/want romance” are ace. I got ace activists who talked about being aroace without ever mentioning the ‘aro’ part, or who mentioned it in passing at best, and who often still positioned themselves as authorities on aromanticism despite that. All the time that I’ve spent in the ace community, and I consistently saw asexuality conflated with aromanticism. I still see it every time I go into the ace community. It’s why I’m not active in it anymore.

As a result, I did not understand the impact that my aromanticism had my life, or even that I was aromantic at all; I got the impression that all my aro traits could be ascribed to my asexuality. As a result, I spent a long time identifying as a non-SAM-using ace, then as an aroace who strongly favored their asexuality, and then an aroace who didn’t think their aromanticism could be separated from their asexuality. But, as I have stated earlier in this essay, I can separate them. Very easily, even. I just didn’t have the proper tools yet to identify my aromanticism. This was also the reason why I thought my asexuality was more important; I didn’t have the proper tools to recognize my aromanticism, and with that, the effect it had on my daily life.

(Disclaimer: I’m obviously not saying that all aroaces who consider their aromanticism to be part of their asexuality, or who can’t distinguish between them, or who favor their asexuality are going to have the same experience that I did. Plenty of aroaces won’t. I’m just talking about a personal experience.)

The ace community screwed up my aro education by failing to recognize that aromanticism is not a facet of asexuality. While the ace community loves to remind everyone that aces can still feel romantic attraction, they are blindsided to the fact that aros can still feel sexual attraction. That aromanticism is not inherently tied to asexuality, and that the experiences of aroaces who cannot seperate their aromanticism and their asexuality aren’t universal in the aro community by any means.

I can forgive the ace community for not educating me on things coined by or primarily used by aros, such as qpr’s, aro culture elements, and greyro identities. They are not required to keep up with every step that our community takes. I cannot forgive them for failing to provide me with basic information on aromanticism other than the acknowledgement that it existed, for consistently conflating aromanticism and asexuality, for failing to give me the proper resources to figure out my aro identity, when we are supposed to be ‘connected’ communities.

TL;DR: my aro education got severely fucked up by the assumption that all aros are asexual, and if it hadn’t been for a complete fluke of striking up a conversation with someone who happened to be involved in the aro community, I might have never been able to properly appreciate or recognize my aromanticism.

You can see how these experiences kind of overlap with those of allo aros. Obviously, they’re not the same, like at all, but the fact of the matter is that I can relate to the bitterness that allo aros feel towards the ace community. Often a lot more than I can relate to aroaces’ feelings towards the ace community, be they negative or positive.

And because of those experiences, you can see why I’m distrustful of letting the ace community stay intrinsically connected to the aro community. They are larger, and therefore have a louder voice and more reach; if we, as aros, don’t grow on our own, outside of the ace community’s shadow, I’m genuinely unsure of whether we’ll ever be able to reach our full potential. Because as it stands, the majority of aros will need to go through the ace community first, and I think they’ve sufficiently proven to be wholly inadequate in providing aros resources to figure out their aromanticism. And frankly? I don’t want the ace community to be the primary educators on aromanticism. That’s a recipe for disaster no matter what. I want the aro community to be the go-to place for information on aromanticism, and that can only happen if we are as loud, as big as the ace community.

I don’t relate to a lot of aroaces’ torn feelings between the ace community and the aro community, because in my case, that choice was made a long time ago: it’s the aro community. It will always be the aro community. While I’m thankful towards the ace community for sheltering me when I was vulnerable, and while I will always stand with them if they need to fight against assholes or need to spread awareness, and while I’ll probably never really drop the ace label and will occasionally participate in ace-centric discussions, they are not my priority, because I was never theirs. There is no love lost between me and the ace community. My aromanticism is the part of me that is most prominent in day-to-day life, and it’s what I consider to be the most important because of that; the aro community is tiny still, struggling to gain recognition and find a direction, and it needs my support more than the ace community ever did.

Furthermore, in this discussion, I strongly believe that the aro community needs to prioritize the feelings of allo aros, and other non-asexual aros and aros who do not feel comfortable in the ace community for other reasons. While we aroaces are definitely important and should obviously have a say in the way the community is heading (I mean. Duh. We’re aro), I’m uncomfortable with aroaces taking charge of community conversations because I feel like that’s just a repeat of what’s been happening in the wider aspec community for a long, long time: ace people taking charge, leaving less-recognized aros in the dust. Obviously, a large part of that is due to my own personal experiences with aces talking over aros for the majority of my aro education, and I’m (perhaps irrationally) scared that the same thing is going to happen here. But a large part of it is also due to the fact that, as is, aroaces are the largest voice in the aro community; this is an undeniable fact. It would be easy, way too easy, for us to unknowingly drown out the voices of allo aros, when we should be amplifying them and giving them a place of honor. The ace community’s problems with aromanticism affect non-asexual aros the most and in unique ways, and I feel like they should be leading the discussion surrounding it no matter what, really.

But I feel kind of like a traitor to aroace people because of this. My needs for the aro community obviously don’t align with that of other aroaces; I’d be willing to let relationships with the ace community burn entirely if it meant securing a spot for the aro community, which would obviously fuck over aroaces who DO need the ace community and want to participate in it, and aroaces who just simply aren’t capable of separating their aromanticism from their asexuality. I just fundamentally cannot relate to those needs and the feelings that come along with it. I just can’t.

As a result, aside from reblogging some posts, I’ve been mostly quiet about my personal opinions on the topic. I do not feel like I’m the right person to be involved in this discourse; as an aroace, I have too much emotional baggage surrounding the ace community to advocate for their needs and I have been absent from the ace community for too long to have a good grasp on it anyway; and as an aromantic plain and simple, I do not feel like I should be leading this charge anyway because of my asexuality. While I find it bad to split the aro community in terms like that (I don’t believe that this discourse is a simple matter of aroaces vs. allo aros; it’s much more complicated than that, and I’ve seen aroaces and allo aros supporting each other, and of course there’s also non-SAM-aros and greyros/grayaces to consider in this discourse, which I haven’t really seen come up yet aside from a handful of posts), it really does often feel like this is the split around which the discourse is centered. And it sucks to not easily be able to identify with either ‘side’, and to lose the security I thought I had in the (aro-leaning side of the) aroace community.

This is probably the last I’m going to say on this intracommunity issue on my own; I’ll be reblogging posts and watching it go down, but I don’t feel like I’m in any way equipped to really have meaningful say in this discourse. I might change my mind later on, but as of now, this is where I stand: confused, mainly.

#my posts #personal #aro stuff #ace stuff

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