#(i'm secretly not that prepared... i'm mournful)

[s-ephiroth]

you know... sometimes i think about rebranding (mostly my currently dusty art blog, i would NEVER get rid of s-ephiroth) to better unify my online presence and also because i think wingneery is a much more iconic handle than illusioneery is

but i'm also too attached to let go so we end up in this situation in which i never rebrand here but everywhere else i'm a feathered, eerie individual (wing 'n' eerie is a way one could interpret it, i mostly read it as wing-neery, to which the latter particle has lost meaning as a somewhat fluffy variation of illusionist)

anyway, i have a bluesky too :))) ... i'm wingneery on there, in case you also need me there

you won't believe how many brazilians are there.... (record 1 million new users in less than 48h, iirc)

[shynmighty]

Some emoji asks for your agents! For Aeija: ❤️ (heart) - Who is the most important person to your character? To what lengths would they go to protect this person? For Vhespasian: 🍎 (apple) - Does your oc go to school or take classes? Did they go to college? What was/is their favorite subject? Did/do they get good grades? Did/do they enjoy school?

OMG thank you thank you thank youuuuuu!!! These asks have been so much fun!!! And I love how you're totally on my wavelength with me wanting to gush about my agents, it makes me SO HAPPY.

I actually answered the ❤️ question for Aeija here! I hope you enjoy it!

So I'll dive in with Vhespasian!

Answer under the cut!

🍎 (apple) - Does your oc go to school or take classes? Did they go to college? What was/is their favorite subject? Did/do they get good grades? Did/do they enjoy school?

This is such a fun question, and I've been nomming on it for a little bit (which is why it took so long for me to answer this, so sorry!!) so I think for maximum funsies I'm gonna yoink him out of SWTOR and answer this as though he's in the real world.

Vhespasian would not accept anything less than an ivy league education, and would absolutely come prepared with the grades and glowing transcripts necessary to get into the best schools possible. It would probably come down to some stupid decision like...Should I go to Yale or Harvard? And then he'd do meticulous research to discover that Yale is like...a micropercent more prestigious and selective (I am making this statistic up) and that would be the deciding factor for him.

Once there, Vhespasian would throw himself enthusiastically into every class he can possibly take, to the point where he would have three minutes to book it back and forth across campus five times a day to reach all his varied classes. Luckily, he's in excellent shape and relies on very little sleep.

Deciding a major might be tricky for him. He would enjoy more abstract classes like psychology or philosophy, but want something that he can put more directly to use. Since he's already decided he's going to be the Secretary General of the United Nations someday, he probably goes for Political Science or something. And he enjoys his studies because it puts his mind to use. He almost definitely attends Yale Law when he's done with undergrad.

Secretly, he might be mourning not going into something more creative. But he has to make his family look good at any cost. The better he does, the closer he comes to that truly unattainable goal of pleasing them.

This was a blast! Thanks again so much for the ask!! 💖

[transingthoseformers]

The Outliers are so important.

So far the Plot has five basic focus areas:

MegOP and the Warframes and the start of that Rebellion. Starscream and Thundercracker who are hoth mourning and raging over Skywarp’s murder are then ones who convince a good percentage of the Air Force to join MegOP's rebellion.

JazzProwl and their helpers. Prowl and her group are on Cybertron and owned by Governor Brinnt. She is a secretary and information processing model and has been slowly sabotaging from the inside with Mirage and Crasher working under her. This position also gives her access to Shockwave's lab. Jazz meanwhile is on Velocitron and with her spies and Prowl’s reports has been rescuing people from euthanasia clinics. Jazz is a "homemade model" whose creator Aquarius was a hobbyist and got sent an unused Spark by a friend. While making Jazz and getting to know her, raising her and teaching her about the world fae realized that the Transformers were sentient and actually people and were horrified. Aquarius is just an everyday citizen and not part of big production and fully supports faer daughter's cell.

RodiMims. Their household gets sold and split up and links a lot of different threads together as well as revealing what normal life is like for Transformers not at the center of conspiracies.

Pharatchet. Pharma and Ratchet are repair techs at a Repair Shop and have a connection with the mysterious A3 and secretly repair those they find in the trash heap. Eventually they pull out a strange half of a Transformer who introduces themselves as Overlord. Ratchet throws herself into it because it is the first time they've been able to save someone since Ambulon. Pharma is wary because she thinks Overlord is suspicious as fuck. Ambulon also agrees with Pharma but helps and all three hide them.

ShockJack. Shockwave is the Quintesson think tank and selects a janitor, Wheeljack, to be his partner because he gets him and is the only person on this planet he respects. They do beautiful mad science together have a team of others selected and saved by Shockwave (Percy, Brainstorm, Flame, Nautica), make an evil baby (Scorponok), and build the Phase Sixers who were supposed to be single Transformer armies for rent but Overlord broke most of them when he was turned on too early.

Fort Max, Sixshot, Blue Bacchus, Black Shadow live, and Wheeljack calls them the kids (they like him but hate Shockwave), and Shockwave eventually follows his tiny husband into the Rebellion for survival.

And the secret Soundwave & Blaster plotlines and Whirl Makes a Baby which comes up later.

Ohhhhh

Oh now that's such a situation

They're preparing like hell, and good on them for that

Are we gonna get Quintessons that help the Rebellion? OWO OWO? and do my eyes deceive me or does Aquarius use neopronouns?? Please?? A Quintesson using fae/faer pronouns? Omg?? why is that the thing I'm focusing on

Oooo now Roddie and Minimus sound like they're in for one hell of a journey of their own

Now that's an interesting way to introduce Overlord indeed

Please tell me this suggests Shockwave is a Quintesson, ohh that would be so interesting as hell.

Beautiful beautiful mad science together, yes yes🥰, this time Scorponok gets to be the evil baby.

Everyone's got a bet in this crazy game, and it's highly intriguing as fuck

[dotthings]

Gotham Knights 1.03 *chef's kiss*

There it is. Harvey stepping into the vacuum Batman's death created in that he offers a public heroic figure who protects the people of Gotham. While juggling secretly helping fugitives, because of actual justice, and then decides to run for Mayor, which I know we all could see that coming, even if you didn't know any previous dc stories (Harvey Dent is running for Mayor in BTAS for example). He's standing very much in the light right now and Gotham needs him.

Gotham also needs Carrie Kelley who is operating under the radar on purpose. Batman used the legend to make criminals afraid. Shadow of the bat. I am the night. This version of Robin is Gotham's secret weapon, and was Bruce's too. Robin's also filling the hole left by the loss of Batman. Which, in turn, Carrie is trying to fill the hole grief for Bruce left in her, by carrying on as Robin. Living up to what Bruce taught her and his legacy. Because Gotham needed Batman, it also needs its Robin.

While Turner offers backup to Carrie, while Steph and Harper defuse the gas bomb, and Cullen infiltrates the GCPD to get the cold case file they need, and even Duela, in her own semi-self-interested chaotic way, also helps the people of Gotham. She's being pulled towards the light side, while she wants to be the free spirited criminal. But she keeps getting pulled towards the light. Towards her growing friendships, people more altruistic than she is.

So the hole in Gotham left by Batman's death--it's filled by Carrie, it's filled by Harvey, and it's filled by our whole gang of fugutives. Batman also didn't do what he did alone. Harvey was one of the only people he trusted (there's no Jim Gordon, Harvey's in the Jim Gordon role), Bruce also had Carrie.

It takes a village.

That conversation between Turner and Carrie cuts right to the heart of it for me. Carrie kept asking and Bruce kept saying no, which is how he does in other dc stories. He wants to protect his kids. He's cautious, slow, and reluctant to let Robins join his crusade, and there's been a high cost to him letting them, no matter how much he tries to protect them. He didn't just protect Turner, he protected Carrie. And he saw something in her that she needed to do this.

Turner and Carrie being so jealous of each other. Because Turner got Bruce as Dad, because Carrie was part of his Batman secret and was his right hand. But Carrie lost her own father and it hurts that some other kid got dad!Bruce while she got batdad -- and it's not actually her finding batdad lacking, it's because she lost her own father so she's mourning losing out a dad doing typical dad things with her. While she loves and respects and appreciates the batdad mentoring style parenting she got with Bruce. And he was teaching her and watching over her as much as he was with Turner. Turner didn't know, so Turner didn't beg to be allowed to join his fight. If he had, Bruce would have inevitably given in.

Bruce was preparing Turner. I'm not so sure any more it was just in case, for self defense. In part it's about the Wayne family and the Court of Owls, but Bruce also wanted successors. For Gotham. He's teaching Carrie, and he was more quietly teaching Turner.

Either of them could become the next Bat, or one of them could become the next Bat and the other one decide they want their own identity.

It takes a village.

[charlesandmartine]

Wednesday 1st May 2024

We are fast closing in now to the end of our trip with the flight home scheduled for Friday arriving home on Saturday. So today is the penultimate day on the train. Overnight we slipped secretly into Beibridge, a frontier town minutes away from the border with South Africa. A more scruffy station would be hard to find. The immigration man was tidied away in an office behind piles of cardboard boxes and files full of long undiscovered, lost documents. His occupation spelled out on a handwritten sign hanging skewed from the platform ceiling. Another lopsided sign encouraged 3rd and 4th class passengers to use a rather dubious waiting room. In preparation for the next leg of our journey, the two Rovos diesel tractor units would need to be disconnected and replaced by a single South African unit piloted by a South African driver. We were eating our breakfast of Eggs Benedict as the train moved slowly out and we were warned that we would have something less than ten minutes before we would cross the Limpopo River and leave Zimbabwe behind us. The Limpopo of course made famous by Rudyard Kipling's Just So story, Elephant's Child. It was good to see, but an unreliable straw poll might suggest that all had expected the river to be just a little wider!!

Our train has 20 carriages in all, eleven of them being the sleeper side of the business, then two dining carriages with two kitchen carriages, four lounges, one carriage for staff accommodation. In total there are 53 fee paying guests on board. In all the train is likely to be about 500 meters in length; probably half the length of the train that carried us across Australia.

Lunch was served at one. It seemed odd that we had had no excursions today. Instead we sat in the lounge, or in the sunny but hot observation platform at the very back of the train. Passing through stations or across road junctions small children would appear from nowhere and run behind the train squealing excitedly. The heat would beat down mercilessly and force us eventually to move into the cool of the air-conditioned carriage. Conversation flows and you talk to people of all walks of life and nationality. The South African is worried about the outcome of the forthcoming May elections. In particular, nationalisation, poor management and yet more restrictions on their way of life. Many talk of leaving the country if all goes badly, including the Americans. We have met many nice and interesting people on the train. Especially Linda and Pam; sister's but one from the UK and the other from Canada. A pair of farmers from UK, Julie and Andrew who want to retire but a farm is a huge responsibility and difficult to hand on, let alone sell.

The evening meal had a real end of term feel to it. The fillet steak was so tender it virtually walked into our mouths. The wines flowed superceded by liqueurs and to finish the perfect evening we retreated to the observation car for cocktails. The ladies in their finery and the gents making the most of a tie and collar. I think all 53 guests on board had most likely had conversations with eachother. I'm not sure if our Christmas card list has increased much in size but friendship's have certainly been made.

Tomorrow after breakfast we all go our separate ways. The Rovos train gets washed down and prepared for it's next journey. We go to Pretoria for the night and then forwarded to Johannesburg for our flight home on Friday.

Then Kolokolo Bird said, with a mournful cry, 'Go to the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees, and find out.' Rudyard Kipling

[ell-vellan]

💭 right back atcha for El and the reveal about the evanuris - mythal, trespasser, all of it

(Does solas tell her about the vallaslin since she’s with bull?)

Haha, thanks for the ask :) I'm actually planning future oneshots about these events - and tbh, they're not yet set in chronological order as I haven't thought about it in that detail, but I'll tell you about my plans!

Honestly I feel like Solas telling Lavellan about the vallaslin shouldn't have been romance-locked, but maybe friendship locked. I can see him feeling a duty to tell a fellow elf he's come to respect the truth - I can imagine that it rankles him, seeing someone proudly wear what he views as slave markings day after day without knowing the truth. He's held it back for so long, and know his charade will soon have to end -- so he might as well leave with a parting gift to soften the betrayal. (El sure doesn't see it as a gift, though.)

So, yes! I want to write the aftermath of him pulling her aside to tell her, without the romantic aspect of that scene.

Cutting myself off at this point so I don't spam people who don't care about my long headcanons 😉

Honestly, when he offers to remove it, she's...so angry. And she rarely lets herself be truly angry. But she already feels cut off and alone from everything Dalish; she and Solas haven't always seen eye to eye; it's an insult that he thinks so little of a beloved culture that he'd take the last link to her clan and history away.

That part sort of overshadows the revelations about the gods; but she decides quite quickly that it doesn't matter if the gods were exactly what she was always taught. She already had a tenuous belief in the distant elven gods. What good were their gods, truly, if they'd never helped the elves escape slavery, massacre, or subjugation? They were more ideas and vehicles to teach morals to children than anything else. And the older she became, the less she believed they influenced her life in any meaningful way.

So, Solas' origin story of the Evanuris makes sense to her, but it also doesn't change much for El.

The lessons they taught still matter, even if they didn't come directly from gods. The culture that binds her people as one is still important. They made their own stories out of the ashes of old ones.

As to the Well of Sorrows, El can't in good conscience allow the wisdom of the ancient elves go to a human, or be lost forever, so she makes a sacrifice to drink from the well. And she does view it as sacrifice, but she's already sacrificed a lot to become Inquisitor, so what's one more? I'm not exactly sure how she feels beyond "resigned to her fate, and vaguely afraid she just made a terrible mistake." Dealing with the voices from the Well aren't great for her mental health for a while, either.

I want to write both Solas and Bull's reaction to this: the first is angry, maybe out of fear. Bull doesn't know much about this stuff and lets her make her own choice, but secretly worries what it will mean in the long term; there's already the Anchor to worry about - now even more weird magic he doesn't understand. He doesn't like unpredictable magic, not knowing what might happen. He doesn't know what to prepare himself for - but he hopes for the best. And he worries for her mental state, that she would take this risk; it feels like she's sinking deeper into her role and losing herself.

And Trespasser - seeing Solas with his true power as Fen'Harel is both terrifying and somehow makes her deeply, deeply sad. He's every bit the scary tales of her childhood come to life. Learning more about what he tried to do for his people reminds her of own doubts that she was following the right path as the Inquisitor, making the right choices, doing the right things to save the world. She can empathize with that, she can mourn what he tried to do and what was lost. But at the same time, can't stand idly by while he undoes all that she sacrificed to save. Or it all becomes meaningless. And she can't accept that she did all of this for nothing.

She feels not up to the task of stopping him from destroying the world - he's so much more powerful than he ever let on - but still duty-bound to try, until her last breath. After all, she'd befriended the Trickster, the thing she'd been warned about all her life. Her folly and thus, her responsibility.

[love-bokumono-fics]

Fresh Crops! October 14 - October 20, 2024

This week's newest fics and chapter updates for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons on AO3!

Summer Dip - by Argentum_Puella, Kymaldurie; Complete, 1/1, 3.5k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/F Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Flora/Pony | Aya | Jill; Characters: Pony | Aya | Jill, Flora Additional Tags: Skinny Dipping, Hair Brushing, Hair Braiding, Useless Lesbians, Summer, Pre-Relationship, Awkward Conversations, Awkward Crush Summary: On a hot summer day, Flora goes for a swim. Pony steals her clothes with the best of intentions.

Burning Gold - by AppleBeryll; WIP, 19/?, 50k

Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Friends of Mineral Town Relationships: Claire the Farmer/Gray, Gray/Mary the Librarian | Marie, Claire the Farmer/Rick, Karen/Rick, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran/Cliff, Kai/Popuri; Characters: Kai, Claire, Cliff, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Doug | Dudley, Rick, Popuri, Saibara, Karen, Mineral Town Residents, Gray Additional Tags: Slow Burn Summary: Claire seeks a new life, will mineral town be what she's hoping for ?

Takeru and Angela - by Reiz16; Complete, 1/1, 1.8k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Tree of Tranquility Relationship: Angela the Farmer & Takeru the Farmer; Characters: Angela the Farmer, Takeru the Farmer, Gill, Hamilton, Taylor, OC - Character, Elli | Elly Summary: Takeru and Angela fall in love. But they almost didn't.

(Don't) Be Gentle With Me - by Perversions; Complete, 1/1, 6.9k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Hero of Leaf Valley, Save the Homeland Relationship: Bob | Kazan/Gwen | Sara; Characters: Bob, Gwen Additional Tags: **NOTE: Some tags have been removed to remain Safe For tumblr. See complete list on AO3** Established Relationship, Loss of Virginity, Consent, Making Love, Groping, Making Out, Begging, safe sex practices, Size Difference, Size Kink, Rough Sex, Aftercare Summary: Bob loved Gwen. He had loved her since they were kids and when they had promised to marry each other. Now that they were together, they could work on that goal. But there were things that Bob's secretly yearned—things that he didn't realize he would want so badly until he had Gwen.

A Story of Seasons: The Story of Jill | Volume II: Summer - by Celeste_Adia; WIP, 20/22, 132k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Categories: F/M, Gen Fandoms: DS Cute, Friends of Mineral Town, A Wonderful Life Characters: Pony | Aya | Jill, Takakura, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Kai, Witch Princess, Harvest Sprites, Cliff, Gray, Popuri, Pete | Jack, Lumina, Muffy | Molly, Harvest Goddess Gaia Additional Tags: I'm Bad At Tagging, Grief/Mourning, Past Character Death, Friends to Lovers, Falling In Love, First Love, Five Stages of Grief, Family Issues, Family Fluff, Past Relationship(s), Best Friends, Summer Romance, Slow Burn, Bad Parenting, Loss of Parent(s), Parent-Child Relationship, Death in Childbirth Summary: Months have passed since Jill began her new life in Forget-Me-Not Valley. Summer is here, and residents are preparing for festivals and the return of familiar faces from Mineral Town, including the arrival of Kai, an easygoing traveler and chef who plans to stay for the season. Caught up in the festivities, Jill entangles herself with him and other Mineral Town folk, which can be quite a distraction from farm work. Meanwhile, the third anniversary of Jack's passing looms near, forcing his loved ones, especially his widowed wife Juliet, to reminisce on their past with him and continue to find reasons to move forward. Drought plagues the valley, causing farming to become more strenuous. Despite the hauntings of the past and the increasing intensity of the summer heat, Jill is determined to keep her head up and endure through her least favorite time of the year, no matter what it takes.

A Wonderful Life - by Aqueird; WIP, 3/?, 6.6k

Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: A Wonderful Life, DS Cute Relationships: Cody | Gordy/ Original Character(s), Pony | Aya | Jill/Rock, Pony | Aya/ | Cody | Gordy, Chris/Wally | Suarii; Characters: Pony | Aya | Jill, Original Characters, Cody | Gordy, Chris, Hugh, Wally | Suarii, Takakura Additional Tags: Cheating, Implied Sexual Content, Established Relationship, Grief/Mourning Summary: The townsfolk in Forgotten Valley mostly stuck to themselves, but occasionally a couple of neighbors may catch up by the well or comment on the weather in passing. Sometimes discussions would stray from casual exchanges and into the business of the next neighbor - politely, of course. Only the kindest of anecdotes were shared and the sincerest of concerns expressed. Besides, life in the valley has been stagnant for years so everyone knows everyone enough not to pry. Except for Polly, the new neighbor. Not Takakura’s secret young wife. Not his granddaughter either. A city-girl. Something about inheriting her father’s share of the farm. She’s not just visiting to sell either, she actually wants to farm the land.

Like Real People Do - by NonbinaryCookie; WIP, 1/4, 1.5k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: F/M, M/M, Other Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Gustafa/Reader; Characters: Gustafa, Takakura, Farmer Additional Tags: Marriage, newlyweds, Wedding, Wedding Night, Forget-Me-Not Valley, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Domestic, farming, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Sex, x Reader, why is there not more content for Gustafa???, Or more content for story of seasons as a whole????, no beta reader we die like Nina, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, no smut but god I wish i knew how to write it so there was, the second i learn how to write smut it is ALL over for you bitches Summary: In between Chapter 1: Beginnings and Chapter 2: Blessings you and Gustafa have to solidify your relationship and find a routine between the two of you. Lots of fluff, romance, and sweet sweet music.

[srovtl]

A Melody Of Serata On A Night Of Requiems chapter 6

Akira: Faust...

Faust: I'm going to patrol the village for a bit.

With those words, Faust quickly left the square. Lennox watched him leave and turned to Bradley.

Lennox: Bradley. He, never forgets those who died before his eyes.

Lennox: He lives in the now, carrying all of that with him.

Lennox: And it's not just the last calamity. Living in a time of war, it wasn't uncommon to witness the death of a friend.

Lennox: So if his former comrades had any intention of blaming Faust, he would have just tried to face it head on.

Bradley: Ha! Now that's just self-deprecation. telling them to complain about something they don't have any problem with, is just more trouble for the dead.

Bradley: Even Oz had a hard time with the last calamity. It was obvious that they couldn't fight it with half-assed strength.

Bradley: But even so, there were those who chose to fight and turned to stone, so why would they need to complain to you, the curse worker?

Lennox: ………I agree. But no matter what, there were too many casualties last time.

Lennox: The thought that a single different move could have saved a life doesn't easily disappear.

Bradley: We've all got some handful of people we choose to care about. But see, the world doesn't hinge in the hands of just one guy.

Bradley: You survive cause you want to, and turn to stone when you can't handle it any more. That's how the world works.

Bradley: You survive messily, and when you meet those guys again, be prepared to tell them your stories until they get tired of you.

Bradley, Faust, and Lennox all have their own views on life and death, and their own feelings of mourning for the dead.

But no matter what, our temperaments are different. Just as the way of mourning the dead differs in each country, everyone mourns the dead in their own way.

Akira: (I have never lost a friend yet)

Akira: (So I guess I shouldn't empathize so easily...)

Even if we didn't have such a deep relationship. I would think of my friends who I met every year and fought with, and I would feel like blaming myself.

I'm sure that's not what my friends would want, and they would want me to live my life as I am.

Both of these are true feelings that they have felt over the hundreds of years they have lived. I am now touching a part of that.

Cain: I understand how Faust feels.

At that moment, a young voice cuts in. Cain has returned to the square after going to collect offerings from the villagers.

Akira: Cain...So you heard our conversation.

Cain: Sorry. I thought I'd wait a bit longer, but the soup they worked so hard to make was starting to get cold.

Cain walks up to the altar and offers up a steaming pot of soup. He then gently clenches his fist.

Cain: The damage from the last battle with Calamity was great. Many of the wizards who took care of me at the Magic manor were sacrificed.

Cain: How could we have protected them? How could we have avoided farewells? I can't help but think about it.

The words that spilled from his lips resonated so deeply that it felt as if they were gripping his heart tightly.

He was a caring man, and he remembered secretly traveling to various countries to mourn the friends he lost in the last Calamity.

I remember my heart filling up when he brought back souvenirs as if nothing had happened, with a gentle smile and the same hands that had offered flowers.

However, Cain's expression suddenly relaxed. In a gentle, nostalgic voice, he spoke the following words.

Cain: The wizards of the Central country were two sisters. They were a bit noisy but kind, and told me stories about wizards and the rules of magic.

Cain: They looked after me well, and would come to see me while I was at the magic manor, and we went out together a few times.

Cain: And the southern wizards, too. Don't you remember, Bradley?

Cain: The Rollito de Pollo that the grannies made was simple and delicious, right?

Bradley: ………Yeah.

Cain: I wanted the Master Sage and Riquet to try it too. Though when I tried to recreate it, it was a bit rough, so it didn't come out very well.

Akira: I also wanted to try it. Let me help you next time.

Akira: I'm not that good at cooking, but let's make it together, tasting it. I'd love to hear some memories too.

Cain accepts my reply with a gentle smile. Warm steam sways in the slightly more relaxed atmosphere.

Akira: (They remain firmly in everyone's hearts. The things we learned from those who are no longer here, the taste of their food, all these various memories...)

I looked Cain, Bradley, and Lennox in the eyes one by one.

I speak while praying that my feelings will reach them, even if only a little.

Akira: There's not much I can do as a sage right now...

Akira: I can't defeat the calamity or solve the strange events happening all over the world right now, though.

Akira: First of all, I will do my best to complete this request with everyone here before me.

When I said that, Lennox and Cain smiled gently. Bradley also lowered his eyes and leaned his back against the wall again.

Even without words, I felt like everyone's smiles were pushing me forward.

Akira: Now then... let's join Faust and begin the Requiem Soiree.

Riquet: Come this way, everyone. The Soiree will start soon.

Brown-haired man: Oh, it's gotten so festive. The offerings we all prepared are lined up nicely.

Riquet: Hehe. These flowers are also very nicely arranged, aren't they?

Riquet: You all took me to a forest outside the village, and the flower fields in nature were really beautiful.

Curly-haired old lady: Oh, I'm glad you praised me. Before the mittens started wandering around, the children often picked flowers in the forest.

Freckled girl: The food looks delicious too...! Mom helped out, right?

Woman with a Mole: Yes, we all put our best work.

Lennox: It smells delicious. Even if it's necessary for the ritual, it's a pretty sumptuous meal.

Bradley: I like that there's meat and not just vegetables. Stewed and grilled...

Riquet: Nero said that eating an unbalanced diet is bad for your health.

Riquet: Once you're all seated, I'll serve the food evenly on Bradley's plate.

Bradley: Adults don't have to eat things they don't like. You're the one who should eat a lot and grow up quickly, tiny one.

Riquet: I'm not tiny!

Everyone sits down, chatting away. Faust is in front of the altar, arranging plates of incense and decorations.

And next to him is a beautiful blonde woman holding beautiful gloves.

Akira: Hello. Are those gloves also an offering?

Blonde Old Lady: Oh... Master Sage. Yes. I thought I'd have them offered at the altar.

Faust: Apparently, she makes the gloves offered at the maiden's grave every year.

Faust: This year something strange happened, and it was all hectic, so it hadn't been offered yet. I had them finished in a hurry.

Akira: I see. She said she offers them every year. Beautiful silk and lace gloves... They look very similar to the ones I saw yesterday.

Blonde Old Lady: ...Right. I'm sure she's still looking for these gloves.

Faust: Who knows, this is not where she rests, but we will hold a banquet to summon her spirit. Let's place it in a conspicuous place on the altar.

As Faust said this, he placed a beautifully crafted white glove in the center of the altar.

After the villagers had gathered and the preparations for the ceremony were complete, Faust solemnly proclaimed.

Faust: Now then, we will hold a Requiem Soiree. First, pray at the altar to summon the wandering soul and satisfy its hunger.

The wizards: Prayer to the altar.

The wizards who had been talking up until then clasped their hands and closed their eyes, and the villagers followed suit one by one.

Faust rang the bell. The clear sound had a nostalgic, sad quality to it.

Faust: ...Now, from here on out, there's no need for silence. Everyone, remember and talk about the dead. Memories are also an offering to the dead.

The villagers looked at each other as Faust spoke.

There was a confused silence. Then, little by little, more words began to flow.

Woman with a mole: Memories, huh...? I've never actually met the maiden, but she's famous in the village.

White-haired old lady: That's right. She learned to sew and knit in no time.

White-haired old lady: When I taught her how to make flower crowns, she quickly got the hang of it and made several.

Old lady in apron: She was a kind, good girl. Although she died without ever becoming a bride or a mother...

The villagers' reminiscences inevitably turned into a solemn atmosphere.

Rutile sat next to them and spoke to them softly.

Rutile: If you like, here are these... the flowers that didn't fit on the altar.

Rutile: Would you like to make a flower crown together while we talk?

Old lady in apron: Oh, that's nice. Shall we knit while thinking of that child? I'm pretty sure it's done like this.

Old lady in apron: A flower crown, a flower crown. Let's all make one in a circle. Pick the flowers, line them up, tighten them, and spin them around.

Rutile: Oh, what a cute song! Plus, if you sing it while you make it, it's easier to remember and more fun.

White-haired old lady: That's right. It's a song to teach kids how to make flower crowns, but you can also dance to it. Right?

previous chapter - directory- next chapter

[spectres-fulcrum]

I'm just going to pretend Bigger Than The Whole Sky is an ANH era Tarkin/TK-421 song because it fits and it's a lot less painful than the miscarriage interpretation but there's so much grief in the song just applying it to Taylor makes it impossible to listen because I imagine her in so much pain and I just don't like that. So I'm just going to believe it's Tarkin after hearing the rebels killed TK-421.

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye /You were bigger than the whole sky /You were more than just a short time/And I’ve got a lot to pine about/I’ve got a lot to live without I’m never gonna meet/What could’ve been, would’ve been/What should’ve been you

TK-421, who seemed bigger than the whole galaxy, who should've been more than their short time together. And now he has a lot to pine about, the life they were both secretly planning, all that he now has to live without, and he's never going to meet Sevastian, the droid racer who he came home to every night in that Coruscant penthouse, and was free to be just himself, free from the rules of the army.

Every single thing to come has turned into ashes/Cause it’s all over/It’s not meant to be (For some reason I just see the Death Star exploding over these lines. Everything just falling apart in ANH)

So I'll say words I don't believe(In the song, it connects back to losing the person due to not praying, but after Of MSE-6 and Men, I see Tarkin's "Evacuate? In our moment of triumph?" very different. Because he's goes from a 1d villian to relatively old man who had just fallen quickly and deeply for a man he knew was manipulating him-but wasn't going to leave him. They were both making plans. And suddenly, he's alone again. And work is crazy. Obi-Wan is dead, they're tracking Leia, preparing for a battle, barely a quiet moment to mourn. So when faced with they could blow us up, we could die? It probably sounds pretty damn blissful. But he has to pretend like Bast is crazy. )

(Like it's kinda crazy that I went from Tarkin is overconfident evil to nope he's compromised by grief and shouldn't be in charge of a single life because he clearly chose the khs route)

But yeah. Gosh, I love being able to listen to BTTWS now. It's so hauntingly beautiful.

[millenialfanfictionaddiction]

Ushijima YN: Being Ushijima's Sister

and Secretly Dating Kiyoko

Kiyoko Shimizu X fem! Reader

Warnings: again none (who is she ��� wholesome who?)

A/N: This is an Anon request! This one is also pretty self indulgent because Kiyoko would be an AMAZING partner!

🏳️‍🌈 Please Like, Share, Comment to support my writing 🏳️‍🌈

Ok- nobody panic

*Que Tanaka and Noya panicking*

We all knew this day would come ok

The day Kiyoko was snatched up

Honestly pray for Karasuno 🙏🏻

It's about to be at least a months worth of mourning ☹️

Who will hold Suga's hand?

Who will deflect rogue balls to save Yachi 😱

Who will smack all the butts?

Definitely not Kiyoko 🤣

Ok in all seriousness

This is a big deal 😬

Fortunately Kiyoko knows this and is very much prepared

You, however are not 👀

But before we get to that, let's get into how you met your lovely girlfriend 🙌🏻

Que a tournament 👏🏻

Not sure which one, they all blend together at this point

But you were there cheering on your brother and SHIRATORIZAWA 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻

Oh did I forget to mention your brother is Ushijima Wakatoshi

Making you Ushijima YN 🤗

Love that for you

Anyways, since our lovely Shiratorizawa bbys have no Manager

You volunteered to help

Did I say volunteered? Oh silly me, I meant forced

You were forced to fill up water bottles by Semi who literally saw you walking into the gym and handed you the bottles

"Here's YN you're not busy"- Semi handing you the teams water bottles

You 👉🏻👁👄👁 I'm just here to watch-

"Come on YN be a team player!"- Tendou

"YN isn't on our team Tendou"- Ushijima 😐

"You know what, fine I'll help"- you walking away to fill up the water bottles

Suddenly you see greeted with the sight that is Kiyoko

Hear that? That's angel's singing 😇

👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 need I say more

You are completely stunned by her beauty

You manage to somehow navigate your way to the water fountain while staring at her

Honestly YN get a grip 🙄

You start to fill up waterbottles, while staring 😳

Seriously YN-

"Umm your water bottle is overflowing"- Kiyoko says as you look down to see the water flowing all over

"Crap- uh I'm sorry"- you mutter

Kiyoko laughs and smiles

"Don't be! I'm Kiyoko and you are-"

"Yn- it's nice to meet you!"- you say shaking her hand

You talk a little while you fill water bottles and walk back to the gym

Before it's too late, you gather the courage to just go for it and ask

"Hey can I get your phone number? You seem like a cool person"- you say, blushing

"Yeah!"- Kiyoko says grabbing her phone and waiting for you to give her your number

"I texted you! See you around YN"- she says waving as she runs away

You quickly make your way back to the gym to see the boys gearing up for their match

"What took you so long YN?"- Kawanishi asked

"I'm literally doing free labor. Be thankful!"- you sneer

"You could at least do it in a timely manner"- Shirabu says

You 👉🏻😐 YN out ✌🏻

As you walk to the bleachers you check your phone to see Kiyoko had texted you

"Hey cutie 🥰"

Someone please make sure YN is breathing OK 🤚🏻

Thus begins the ship known as KiyoYN

You start hanging out with Koyoko whenever you can

Going to bookstores and coffeeshops on the weekends and sometimes hanging out at the library doing homework

It's honestly a super wholesome relationship 🥺

It's calm, fun and a nice break from reality

Until is comes completely crashing down 🥰

Now you and Kiyoko were never under the illusion that your relationship would be a secret

You just enjoyed not sharing what you had with the public

And by "public" I mean Karasuno and Shiratorizawa

So let's get the easiest one out of the way first shall we

We all remember Kageyama and Hinata's visit to Shiratorizawa

The one that apparently got Ushijima in trouble

Anyways, our two little dummies accidently left their waterbottles laying on the Shiratorizawa grounds 🙄

Please can you imagine him being disaplined at all 😅

Someone's literally yelling at him and Ushi is just like " 🧍‍♂️ 😐 "

How do you disapline a tree??? Like fr-

When Hinata and Kageyama tell the team about what happened

Daichi about loses his ever loving mind

Suga is trying not to laugh

And Kiyoko is just rolling her eyes 🙄

Tsukishima is filming it for the Karasuno Volleyball teams Instagram page

Side note 👇🏻

Karasuno and Seijoh's volleyball teams both have an Instagram page and follow each other 🤚🏻

Kunimi runs Seijoh's and Tsukki runs Karasunos

Back to the program

"Now how are we going to get those water bottle back? We should make you two march over there, apologize and beg for them back!"- Daichi

Hinata and Kageyama do not want to do that

"I'll get them back"- Kiyoko interjects

"Sweet Kiyoko we will not allow you to put yourself in danger!"- Noya shouts

"Really it's fine"- Kiyoko says taking out her phone and calling you

"Hey YN can I swing by and grab Hinata and Kageyama's water bottles?"- she says

"Of course! I'm waiting for Wakatoshi but I'll be outside the gates"- you say

"Great see you in a bit" she says putting her phone away and changing her shoes

"Be right back"- Kiyoko says taking off and running to Shiratorizawa 🏃‍♀️

Everyone is stunned

Who is YN? How does Kiyoko know you? Why do you go to Shiratorizawa?

"OH MY GOD WHAT IF KIYOKO GETS KIDNAPPED?"- Tanaka yells as he takes off after Kiyoko 😱

Please it's literally just a trickling effect of panic

Soon the entire Karasuno team is chasing after Kiyoko as she runs to Shiratorizawa

Meanwhile you are outside the gates waiting with the water bottles

You look to see Kiyoko approaching and wave 👋🏻

Only then to see, out of the corner of your eye

The entire Shiratorizawa team approaching from the right

Well crap 😐

"Hey YN" -Tendou say waving

Ok play it cool YN

Suddenly Kiyoko is in front of you, smiling as she grabs for the water bottles

Shiratorizawa is quickly approaching and now Karasuno is coming up from behind

WHAT IS HAPPENING???? 😲

Everyone stops when Kiyoko leans in taking the bottles from you and kissing your cheek

The world 👉🏻 Gone. Exploded.

Shiratorizawa 👉🏻😐😳😱

Karasuno 👉🏻😐😳��

You 👉🏻😅😅😅

Kiyoko 👉🏻🥰🥰🥰

"Uhh YN- what's going on?"- Reon asks

"Well- you see-"

"Yn and I are dating"- Kiyoko says

Just throw it out there

Transparency is best 👏🏻

Tanaka and Noya look and point at you

Then they look at point at Kiyoko

You both just nod

Tanaka and Noya 👉🏻 faint 💀

Ushiwaka seems to be the only one unimpressed by this development

"YN you look very happy"- Wakatoshi 😐

You 👉🏻 I am 🙂

"Then I'm happy for you"- Wakatoshi

You and Kiyoko 👉🏻😳🥺 really?

Everyone else is still top stunned to speak

Finally Suga manages words

"Kiyoko you seem happy"- Suga

"I am, very much"- Kiyoko

You laugh and shrug

"Well ok then. YN it was very nice to meet you. Sorry for- well, this"- Suga says pointing at Tanaka and Noya on the ground

Poor Ennoshita is just standing over them like "Well what now-"

Shiratorizawa is still too stunned to speak

Tendou 👉🏻🖐🏻👁⭕️👁🖐🏻 YN WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME

"She just did"- Ushiwaka

"I meant sooner!"- Tendou

Please YN, get a hold on it

Well YN, sometimes fairytale have to come to an end

"We were enjoying just being together"- you say

"Yeah without all of this"- Kiyoko says gesturing to thing 1 and thing 2 on the ground

And yours ended in chaos 🤣

Good thing you still got the girl 🥰

[khaleesiofalicante]

LIGHTWOOD BANES WEEK - MAGNUS & MAX

“How about Mexico?”

“No.”

“Hmmm. Madrid?”

“No.”

“Paris?”

“No.”

“They have a Disneyland there,” Magnus winked.

“I’m not eight anymore,” Max rolled his eyes.

“Who said Disneyland is just for kids?” Magnus demanded. “Alright then. What about Singapore?”

“No.”

“Okay then let’s keep it local and go to Los Angeles,” Magnus suggested. “You love the beach. And you can even hang out with Octavian.”

“No.”

“Max, why are you being difficult?” Magnus sighed.

“Because it’s my birthday,” Max pointed out. “Why should do I what you people want?”

“Well, we people are your family,” Magnus raised a brow. “We are just trying to make the day special for you! And you know it’s tradition. We go somewhere every year!”

“Well, traditions change,” Max snapped. “I don’t want to go anywhere. In fact, I don’t want to celebrate. So, enough with the planning!”

Magnus tried not to show his disappointment. He loved planning and he loved Max. Alec and Rafe were excited about the trip too – but it was Magnus who loved it the most.

The tradition had started on Max’s 8th birthday. They usually celebrated at home. But Magnus had suggested that maybe the Lightwood-Banes should visit a new country everywhere.

He loved it. He loved sharing little corners of the world he had once discovered on his own. Places that had blessed his eyes but broken his heart – because he had convinced himself that his wandering heart would only ever wander alone. So, he loved returning to those places with his family and silently whispering ‘I made it’ as he held his family close to him.

But Max was right. This wasn’t about Magnus. It was Max’s birthday.

“Okay. I’m sorry,” Magnus said now. “I didn’t mean to push you. We can just have a small par-”

“I SAID I DON’T WANT TO CELEBRATE!” Max yelled.

Magnus flinched.

He was used to temper tantrums.

The cute tantrums like the time when Max had cried when he had found out that Santa wasn’t real.

Even the ugly tantrums like the time when Max had fought with Alec after Rafael had gotten injured during a mission.

God, he was used to the temper tantrums.

But this one hit different – because Magnus couldn’t help but feel it had something do with him.

“Did I do something wrong?” Magnus asked quietly.

“No,” Max whispered. “You can’t help who you are.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Magnus demanded.

“Nothing,” Max said. “Just…nothing.”

“Alright, blueberry,” Magnus said softly, and he saw Max wince. “We don’t have to celebrate if you don’t want to.”

“Good,” Max replied shortly.

Magnus should leave him alone. Max always came around after a couple of hours – or sometimes days.

There were still a few hours till his birthday – the day Alec and Magnus had found him in the academy.

But Magnus didn’t want to leave him alone. Max looked just as helpless and alone as he had all those years ago.

“Do you want to tell me why you don’t want to celebrate?” Magnus asked.

“Because I’m not a kid anymore,” Max pointed out.

“Birthdays are not just for children,” Magnus said with a chuckle. “I mean look at me. I’m 900 and I still celebrate my birthday.”

“You’re not 900,” Max rolled his eyes. “And that’s cause you love parties. You threw a party when dad got his first grey hair.”

Because throwing a party is sometimes easier than crying in the bathroom, Magnus wanted to say.

“This is not about parties,” Magnus pointed out. “It’s about you. Why do you not want to celebrate your birthday?”

“Why are you making a big deal out of this?” Max demanded. “It’s not even my real birthday.”

“It’s real to us,” Magnus said, trying not to sound hurt. “Besides, that has never stopped you before. We had so much fun in Shanghai last year. Maybe we could go bac-”

“Bapa,” Max said. “I said no.”

Magnus had taught both his children to say no – to things they didn’t like and to things that made them uncomfortable. He never wanted them to do things that they didn’t want to do.

“Of course,” Magnus nodded and got off the bed. “Okay.”

“It’s not just this year,” Max said when Magnus opened the door. “I never want to celebrate my birthday again.”

Magnus closed it back. No. this conversation was not over.

“Never is an awfully long time, Max,” Magnus said carefully. “Especially for a warlock.”

Max just stayed quiet. Magnus walked over to his and sat down next to him.

Unlike Raphael, who was tall, lean and lithe, Max was broader. He was still tall of course. All Lightwood-Banes were above six feet – a fact Clary was not particularly happy about.

“I know something is bothering you,” Magnus said gently. “If you don’t want to talk to me about it, that’s okay. But at least talk to your dad.”

“I’d rather not,” Max replied. “What good is talking going to do?”

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” Magnus laughed.

Max was quiet again.

“Blue,” Magnus called softly. “What is it? Talk to Bapa.”

Max took a shuddering breath. “I…I don’t wanna grow old.”

And Magnus’ breath hitched.

He knew those words. He feared those words. He had been preparing for a long time to hear those words.

From Alec. From Rafe.

But they had never said it – and Magnus hoped they never will. A part of him was secretly glad that the discussion didn’t come up. He was relieved that the nightmare was over.

But hearing those words from Max – the last one person expected it from – pushed him right back into his nightmare.

“Is it David?” Magnus asked, feeling confused “But I thought you’d be happy about this. You and David both get to grow old together.”

David had been Max’s first boyfriend – and the only person he had loved. Magnus knew they had something special. He had been worried that Max would have a fate similar to his – stumbling around searching for love for centuries and losing all hope.

But Max had taken up after Alec. He had found his love on the very first try. Magnus was glad for these small blessings. He was glad Max didn’t have to stumble.

“Did something happen with David?” Magnus prompted when Max didn’t talk. “Did you guys…have a fight or something?”

Max looked down. “Everything is fine with David. I told him why I didn’t want to celebrate. He understood.”

“And you think I won’t?” Magnus asked. “Come on, blueberry.”

Max winced again. He looked up at him directly then, his blue eyes mournful. “What if you stop calling me that?”

“Why would I ever stop calling you that?” Magnus asked.

“Because I’m growing older,” Max replied quietly. “Tomorrow I’ll be officially older than you are.”

Magnus hadn’t even realized.

Unlike mortals, warlocks looked at age as an abstract concept. It didn’t make sense after a while. Like most things.

Magnus had simply assumed that Max would feel that way. But Max was still very young. He hadn’t lived long enough to understand the beauties and absurdities that came with being an immortal.

“I don’t want to grow old,” Max said again. “I don’t wanna grow older than you.”

“Oh, Max,” Magnus pulled him closer. “It doesn’t change anything.”

“Doesn’t it?” Max demanded, his eyes still teary. “How about if I only stop aging when I’m 40?”

“Well, maybe that’s a good thing,” Magnus pointed, ignoring the lump in his throat. “It means David can grow-”

“Not everything is about David,” Max sounded angry. “What about you? What about us?”

“You’re always going to be my son, Max,” Magnus promised. “How you look isn’t going to change that.”

Max looked away.

“I promise,” Magnus urged. “It doesn’t make a difference to me.”

“I’m sorry, Bapa,” Max whispered.

“Why are you sorry?”

“I…I don’t want to make it any harder for you.”

“You’re not making anything harder,” Magnus chastised. “Why would you even think that?”

“Because everyone keeps growing up around you,” Max sniffled. “You already have to deal with dad and Rafe. I thought me being a warlock would make things easier. But apparently I was wrong.”

Magnus had thought so too.

But his life had never been easier. It had been a long one. A difficult one. But he liked where he was right now. He wouldn’t trade any of it for anything.

“I tried to do something about it,” Max said hesitantly. “I went to the shadow market and tried to see if I can stop ag-”

“You did what?” Magnus demanded. “Max, you can’t change who you are. Not for me. Not for anyone.”

“But I-”

“But nothing,” Magnus interrupted, feeling angry and terrified all at the same time. “I know people who have tried using this kind of magic – warlocks and mundanes. It doesn’t end well. I don’t want you dabbling with dark magic, Max. Do you hear me?”

“Yes,” Max said in a small voice.

“Please,” Magnus said. “It’s dangerous. If something happened to you…Please promise me you won’t try anything like that again.”

“I won’t,” Max said. “I promise.”

Then they were both quiet. Magnus wasn’t used to that.

“It doesn’t matter whether you are a warlock or a shadowhunter or mundane,” Magnus pointed out after a while. “These are things beyond all our control. We need to accept them as they come.”

“It’s hard,” Max only said.

And for some reason Magnus laughed. “Yes. Yes, it is.”

Max rested his head on Magnus’ shoulder. He was just the right height. But Magnus knew it wouldn’t always be that way. Max was still growing.

“It is hard when everyone around you keeps growing up,” Magnus said. “It makes you feel so young and so ancient at the same time. It makes you feel like you are standing still while everyone is running towards something. But it is the life we were given. It’s part of our magic. It’s part of who we are. There is nothing wrong with that.”

“So you don’t mind…You don’t mind me growing older? You’re not mad?”

“Of course not,” Magnus said. “Max, this is something you can’t control. I would never hold it against you. That’s hardly fair.”

“I wish I could control it,” Max whispered.

“I know,” Magnus smiled. “But there are lots of other things you can control.”

“Like what?”

“Like whether you are going to let this ruin your birthday,” Magnus grinned. “Besides, I’m still very much older than you. I’m basically 800.”

“You said you were 900 five minutes ago,” Max laughed softly. 

“Ah, it’s hard to keep track of these things,” Magnus shrugged. “I'm such an old, old man.” 

Max rolled his eyes. “You promise you’re okay?”

“I’m okay,” Magnus promised. “You’re still with me, aren't you – wrinkles and all.”

“I don’t have wrinkles!” Max said indignantly.

“Well, you might,” Magnus shrugged. “And probably crows feet too.”

“I see you are once again using humor to deal with the angst,” Max pointed out dryly.

“Always,” Magnus winked.

Max smiled, just a little.

“Listen to me,” Magnus took his blue hands in his. “It doesn’t matter how old you are or what you look like. You will always be my blueberry.”

“Promise?” Max asked, his voice small.

“I promise,” Magnus smiled.

“Even if my hair turns white and I get…crows feet,” Max chuckled. “What if I only stop aging when I’m 50? When I look like your father? You won’t find it strange?”

Magnus remembered the day they had found Max. The first time Alec had mentioned the topic of marriage. The first time Magnus had realized that maybe happily ever after was a possibility for someone like him.

He still remembered the words Alec had whispered to him that night, as they both rested beneath the crib, where Max was sound asleep.

“It would be strange,” Magnus smiled now. “But I never want a less strange love.”

Max choked back a sob and threw his arms around Magnus. “I love you. Bapa.”

“I love you too, blueberry,” Magnus whispered.

Max held him closer for a long while and Magnus let him. He wasn’t going to let him go – not now. Not ever.

It would be the two of them one day and they had to get used to holding onto each other.

“Now about this trip,” Magnus said, as he pulled back.

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” Max rolled his eyes fondly.

“Oh, come on!” Magnus complained. “We hardly go on family vacations anymore. You and Rafe are too old and too cool to hang out with your parents.”

“Fine,” Max put his hands up. “But I get to choose.”

“Anywhere you want,” Magnus promised.

“Alright then,” Max said, his eyes no longer tearful, just plain wicked. “I want to go to Peru.”

[skipps-writes-for-gojo-satoru]

A short thread I found about Gojo's character that helps shine a light to how caring he is:

https://twitter.com/musikawu/status/1376984416485007363?s=19

Also, I actually just realized this recently after rewatching JJK that Gojo got super attached to Yuji really quickly. Gojo not only got very angry on his behalf but went out of his way to ask Nanami for help in caring for Yuji when he's supposed to be the strongest sorcerer. And at that time, Gojo made it clear to Nanami that he didn't ask him to do so due to Yuji's potential as a vessel. Gojo asked Nanami for this favor as an adult who wants to see the growth of a young man. Gojo was very precise in telling Nanami that he was looking not at Sukuna and Yuji's power, but at Yuji himself as not only an individual, but a child that needed nurturing and care. Before Yuji's death, Gojo had already even made preparations to have Yuta take care of Yuji cause he knew something might happen to him- even more development is that despite what Gojo says about himself, he's aware of his own flaws. What he appears to be on the outside is nothing like what he truly feels on the inside. He doesn't delude himself into narcissistic behavior that makes him unable to ask for help. He asks for help willingly and of his own accord- Yuta couldn't even fathom how the strongest sorcerer would face a problem he couldn't solve on his own, but Gojo does. Gojo is smart enough to know he needs to rely on others to move forward, and relying on someone means putting a certain amount of trust there. Gojo puts just as much faith in other people as he does himself, and the interesting part is that while it's more admirable to go out of your way to protect someone else, Gojo never brags about that. He only "brags" about things that will annoy the other person, but really he is only saying a commonly known "truth" in order to rile people up. It may sound like bragging- which it sort of is- but Gojo saying he's the strongest is not a lie. Him saying "I alone am the honoured one" is not necessarily a lie either. People don't call him the Strongest for nothing.

In fact, even more interestingly enough, besides Gojo, who includes Geto when people talk about the "strongest?" Despite being the definite "strongest," Gojo is the one who constantly says "We are the Strongest," not the other way around. He's also mature enough to recognize and point out other people's strengths, such as Mei Mei's, saying she is too strong to cry.

If Gojo truly was a narcissist, he would have mentioned everything else he's done for people, like stopping Megumi's sale to the Zenin clan and getting the Fushiguros financial aid. He could brag about being persuasive enough to save Yuji from execution or even saving Yuta from execution- Yuta becoming a special grade sorcerer soon after Gojo saved him is something you can easily brag about- but Gojo doesn't brag about his personal achievements at all- not in the way that demands respect from others, at least. Gojo only "brags" to tease others lightheartedly and to tick them off a little- and I don't think the demeaning things Gojo says to the higher ups can be used to show he's a narc because *many* people in Gojo's position would have said (and done) much, much worse things.

Also, when Yuji died, Gojo had become so emotional that even Shoko, who had been there since Gojo's youth, had commented on how unlike him it was. People irl really thought it was because Gojo couldn't use him as a weapon against the higher ups anymore, but reading how Gojo had told Nanami that he saw their relationship as an adult and a child makes me think differently. Something very important in the Light Novel is when Gojo tells Nanami that his students, because they are sorcerers, will soon have to "face the evil intentions of sh*tty humans." Not only sorcerers, but "every person has to bite into that bitterness, know what it means to give up, and pile up despairs to become an adult." People like Gojo and Nanami, Gojo had said, are capable of withstanding and releasing the "poison" that runs through the heart. However, the youngsters are more sensitive in that age, and "one poison could destroy their hearts" (I'm sure Gojo was thinking of Geto as he said this). That's why he wants to leave Yuji in the care of Nanami, "an adult who understands other people pain." Not that Gojo is unable to understand pain, but in the earlier events of the Light Novel as context, Gojo is faced with a mother who is mourning the loss of her child. While Nanami tries to gently comfort her and secretly find information on the cursed spirit at the same time using vague words, Gojo's words are straight forward and to the point, which startles the mother. It's not necessarily a bad things, however- Gojo's words had ended up allowing the mother to see her situation as it was without delusions, a tough love situation, so to speak, and the two were able to confirm their intel to be correct. It was Gojo who helped her to heal quicker by allowing her to realize her problem through his cutting words, but I'm sure Gojo realizes his "bad personality,"- which isn't really so bad in some cases- isn't for everyone. Gojo is very aware that people react negatively to his behavior, even if he is unable to understand just how deeply they despise him (*cough* Utahime) In that way, Gojo shows he cares very much for Yuji's mental growth, even in that short period of time, by entrusting his care to Nanami, who he comments would do a much better job than be could.

Therefore, I think Gojo might actually get attached to people more quickly than it might seem like. He also thinks very deeply and no matter how he acts, he's able to recognize others' strengths and acknowledge his own flaws- this is a key part of his character because he doesn't delude himself in his position as the Strongest. To those who think Gojo sees himself as a God, he is far from that behavior, and he is self aware enough to know that people need more to grow than just power and strength. Unfortunately, it seems most people either despise Gojo or are too enamoured by his looks to see past the surface of the more boisterous and childish part of his personality. That's likely the main reason he finds it hard to commit, too.

(More ranting 😭. There was this reddit post saying Gojo's narcissistic enough to be a more evil villain than Sukuna, that he would actually end up becoming the villain- like really??? And so many people really agreed that he's incapable of feeling true emotions that it's absurd. I really can't believe they even think Gojo has a God complex. Someone with a God complex, like most of the other disorders, wouldn't be able to admit their own flaws, let alone ask for help! The fact that Gojo even admits to having a "bad personality" is another tell against that. Sometimes I wonder if people are just projecting, but I also realize it's hard to differentiate between being an ENTP and being a sociopath because of how- on the surface- they seem so similar! But if you just dig a little deeper to look at their roots, they are so completely different it's a wonder how you'd get confused in the first place)

- 🤔

OH I COULDN'T AGREE MORE 🤔 anon here spitting FACTS. Yeah alot of people think gojo's a narcissist with huge ego but that ain't the case at all as explained above. I mean he was put on a pedestal since birth he gotta have some ego in that but that fact doesnt blind him. yeah sure he's the strongest but just one line "I'm the strongest" doesn't mean he's bragging it may sound like it but he's just stating facts he is indeed in fact the strongest in the jujutsu society. He knows he can't do everything on his own I mean why did he even become a teacher in the first place? Becuz he wants to make the next generation of jujutsu sorcerers stronger! No one asked him to do it he himself wanted to be a teacher even though at time he sucks at it.

He genuinely wants to do good not just for himself but for others as well. As interesting as the concept of Gojo becoming a villain it will never happen. Don't judge a damn book by it's cover even if it's a very attractive one hes just such an interesting character its shame most people don't see that.

[basingstokemercury]

so I'm trying to write an early musical/late opera. composing is hard but havent even done the libretto yet so

Act 1

Lochlainn (tenor) has made the mistake of courting two women at once, and both have presented him with an ultimatum; he must choose which to marry, or lose both their affection.

When the time comes, he proposes to Orna (soprano), the richer and younger of his suitors - and unwittingly brings doom upon himself.

The other woman, Ailbhe (mezzo), is secretly a powerful witch, and vows revenge on Lochlainn and the girl he chose over her.

Through Ailbhe’s spells, Seamus (bass), whom she hates for his campaign against witchcraft, becomes enamoured with Orna, pursuing her despite her wishes and his marriage to Madailéin (contralto). When Orna turns Seamus down, explaining that she is betrothed to another, he forms his own plots against Lochlainn, determined to have her for himself.

But Ailbhe made one miscalculation: Madailéin is herself a witch, and realises what has influenced her husband. Unable to break the spell and fearing its consequences, she tasks her brother Owen (baritone) with finding and killing its caster.

Act 2

Owen surprises Ailbhe and is about to kill her, when she casts off her disguise and he sees how beautiful she is.

Now in love with the woman he was ordered to destroy, Owen fakes Ailbhe’s death, unaware that his sister will know the truth when the spell remains unbroken.

Madailéin determines to do the job herself, but Seamus has fallen to madness in his hopeless love for Orna. Certain that his marital status is the only barrier between them, he murders his wife as she tries vainly to restore him to his senses.

This deed, however, only turns Orna more strongly against him, and Lochlainn challenges Seamus to a duel, realising only death will stop the latter from tormenting them.

Meanwhile, Ailbhe tells Owen how Lochlainn has wronged her. He is about to swear loyalty to her when news reaches him of Madailéin’s death. Love turns to hatred in an instant, as he knows Ailbhe’s magic is the cause.

Owen leaves Ailbhe, heading for the scene of the duel in order to warn Lochlainn of his true enemy.

Act 3

Lochlainn prepares to fight Seamus, impressing Orna with his martial prowess. Owen arrives in the nick of time, warning the couple of Ailbhe’s enmity and telling them her magic will surely bring Seamus victory.

Lochlainn, armed with this information, rescinds his challenge and offers Seamus his forgiveness, saying that they both have a different enemy to worry about.

Seamus appears to be convinced by this, and Owen leads both to Ailbhe’s lair.

When the men reach her, Ailbhe gleefully admits to her role in matters, terrorising them with visions and apparitions. Despite her magic, she is about to be overpowered…

But Seamus, unable in the end to break his magical hatred, turns on Lochlainn and kills him. This provokes Ailbhe’s fury - Seamus’ infatuation was only met to break the couple’s spirit, and she wanted to exact the final vengeance herself.

Enraged, she sets the place on fire, trapping and killing both Seamus and Owen.

Ailbhe’s revenge is not yet complete, however. She must destroy her rival as well.

Orla, searching for Lochlainn, finally comes upon the scene of the battle and her fiance’s body.

As she mourns him, Ailbhe appears and taunts her, revealing herself as the one behind Lochlainn’s death and telling Orna she has only herself to blame, as she was foolish enough to rob the witch of her love.

As Ailbhe gloats, Orna notices something - Lochlainn’s sword is still at his side, miraculously untouched by the flames.

She stabs Ailbhe through the heart, and sets off for home, singing of her grief. 

[beybladebladerboy999]

Dia means sun btw.

Lord Diavolo angst.

Maybe OOC LuLu, I just love soft, messy LuLu.

He regrets ever picking you for the exchange program. Because of you his life is ruined. He never planned to share Lucifer with anybody romantically.

Then one day he asked to talk. He confessed he was in love.

With you.

Diavolo cried himself to sleep that night. As he remembered his friends smiling face. Of course he congratulated him and gave him advice while Barbatos prepared a special blend of tea.

He always thought he'd have Lucifer body and soul forever.

He should have never let you come here. You have the brothers in shambles, bowing to your every command.

You have all of them wrapped around your little finger and you don't even realize it. Out of all seven you had to pick Lucifer.

He was always supposed to be his Lucifer. His fallen Morning Star with eyes that shone like fire. Skin as pale as snow, with hair as black and shiny as ink. His Lucifer only belonged to him in name only. He was so beautiful, he deserved better than to be your plaything. Lucifer deserved a Queen's status, he belonged on the throne working with Diavolo side by side.

You see this needed to be revised immediately, that's why he killed you. It was to easy really, wait until you got back to the human world, slip some poison into your water systems, and make sure his Lucy was busy with work all day and night.

Why don't I take your D.D.D Lucifer, it will just distract you. The faster you finish your work the faster you can talk to MC. I'm sure she misses you.

He had to be discrete, if lucifer found out all his love would vanish, so not even you could know your killer. He sent you letter often and texted you, played the nice guy, the supportive friend. Now you were far away in the Celestial realm, forbidden from dating the Morning Star based on your angel status. Of course secretly delivered by Barbatos to Micheal.

Then I gave him my brightest smile and shoved more paperwork into his arms, the arms that should be wrapped around him.

He saved Lilith, he gave him work, a place for him and his brothers to stay. Lucifer should be his, and now he will be, now that your out of the way. Watching from the Celestial realm as your boyfriend cries into his shoulder. His hair loose and his school uniform buttons undone, Diavolo could fell his heart beating.

You were gone, Lucifer was his once more.

The cost well the boys will get over it soon enough, they don't even know who killed you. After all you were a good friend to everyone, his tears were real.

He really would miss you, but you crossed the line when you took Lucifer from him. Maybe he'll come and visit you when Lucifer is wearing his ring. When its safe for his heart to never fell that way about you again.

Diavolo hugged his friend and soothed his heaving sobs.

You see Lucifer loves me , he doesn't hide anything from me. Look at him falling apart on my shoulder, the all mighty Morning Star, reduced to tears and a shadow of himself.

"Diavolo" he whispered

"Yes my Lovely?"

" Does Barb know who killed her?"

He sounded cool, and broken. He sounded like a man who just had his heart shattered.

"An unfortunate accident. Her poison garden had a broken pipe, the poison seeped into the ground into her drinking supply." He sounded mournful as he spoke.

" You know how found she was with her deadly garden Lucifer, that's why she got on with Satan so well, always hungry for information."

Lucifer chocked back a sob.

He told you your obsession would kill you one day, and now look at you. Stuck under his Father's thumb in the blinding white of his old home. At least he could rely on Simeon to keep you safe.

For the first time in his millennia old life Lucifer regretted his fall.

At his back Diavolo smiled, finally mine he thought, finally finally mine.

"This is where you live dearest?" he said. Looking at you in wonder. A small cottage greeted him with flowers blooming around metal gates. A green house in the backyard, filled to brimming with toxic and deadly plants.

he stared at you as you put on little green leather gloves and pointed at every plant, the poison it obtained and what it could do it a humans system. You showed him leaf patterns and squeezed a pokeberry and watched the seeds spill out, showing him the poison as red as blood inside.

"Isn't it wonderful" you asked. You gazed into his eyes, yours were filled with an almost child like wonder as you gazed around your garden. For once you had almost rivaled your boyfriend in Pride. He could practically see the peacock feathers sprouting from your back.

" I just want you to look upon the true irony of your current situation." She smiles as Lucifer plucks a Manchieel apple from the tree and bit down.

"I love you Lucifer" Then she looked up at me threw her long beautiful lashes. I felt the blush  creep up my cheeks as my hand rose to meet my chest.

"I love you to MC"

I kissed her then, her lips were full and warm and she was alive. We kissed by the dying sunset, I pulled her flush aganist my chest and she wrapped her arms around my neck.

I remember the feeling of utter happiness as I help her aganist me. It was like a tight spring loaded in my heart.

I love you MC, I will always love you.

Lucifer's tears slowly drew to a close as Diavolo hugger him closer. You were always so  reckless, always attracted to things that could kill you whether it be plants or your choice of boyfriend. You never had a sense of self preservation, its how you two originally gotten closer.

After he realized Mammon was a horrible human babysitter he slowly faded into the role. Then after your true heritae was revealed, he couldn't stop himself from falling in love with you.

Ha look where that got him. Youe dead and his heart is shattered on the ground.

Even after all those pacts you still went to Celestial, even though your a desecandt of the angel my Father wanted elimanited.

Maybe this is a new tourment from my Father after all, he took away Lilith, and now you.

My darling little MC.

Lucifer was sure his heart would never be put back together again.

He missed your warm touches. Your random notes on his mountains of paperwork, little encouragments and silly heart on sticky notes.

He saved them all.

You come in with snacks or drinks in the dead of night just to remind him to eat.

"How could you possibly love  a demon, I'm a failure. A fallen angel." He looked downcast.

You confessed your love fo rthe first time that night. Heart shapped pancakes, on his desk after a particularly long meeting. At the time his first thought was "Beel didn't see these, how odd."

" I love you in spite of that. Lucifer you work hard, you sacrificed your  freedom for your family. You work like a slave to because of it. Your so strong. You saved your brother from the dungeon, and bore the burden of greif all these years." YOu looked at him admiration and a touch of saddness.

"'I love you because no matter what you come to face, you better yourself with it." his pride swelled, he took in your flushed face, your sparkling eyes, and your soft hair. He loved you for so long. He pulled you close and kissed away your tears.

Then you fed each other pancakes.

He didn't do any work that night.

The brothers made you a memorial behdn the House of Lamentation. Filled to the brim with roses spelled healthy, and pictures upon pictures from your Devilgram account. Soft teddy bears and the controller you used most when playing with Levi, a tube of your lipstick you accidentally left behind.

Lucifer went their that night, he sat in frount of you and cried himself to sleep. It was almost like losing Lilith all over again.

You were the one to comfort him when you felt like this. When he lost the battle of the darkness inside his heart, but you were gone, and nobody else dared approach him. He felt your absence in the very core of his being, he missed your hands grazing his horns or preening his wings.

" Their like clouds! So fluffy!"

" They were made from clouds dearest" He smiled at you and pulled you onto his lap."

" I miss you MC, my dearest one." A few tears dropped onto your tombstone. He rested his head agaist your picture.

" Lucifer" a soft voice whispered, hiding in the shadows.

"Simeon" Lucifer looked up and saw his friend under the tree. He looked forlorn and...was that dread?

" We need to talk... I have  a message from....her"

Lucifer sat up and gracefully walkes towards him. His uniform is covered in mud and he was an indent from your memorial but, he still looked prideful. Even if he didn't feel anything at all.

Simeon looked at him in a pitiful manner.

" She loves you Lucifer, and it wasn't an accident. She said she saw Barbatos, and the cop who was investagating, he was a demon who tried to eat her once. When she was with Satan at the library.

She says he lended over and checked her pulse after she drank the water. He said he was sorry, on all accounts."

Lucifer couldn't speak, he was falling once more in a pit of rage and despair.

" Are you sure?" disbelief coated his voice as he looked upon his best friend and companion.

" She's a mess about it, Barb came over and-" Simeon shuddered. "She's being peppered with questions about everythibg from Micheal, she saw a few of her deceased pets and started crying, she won't leave them be" he chuckled slightly.

Lucifer felt a stab of betrayal, but he also felt a sense of purpose.

"Thank you Simeon" he said cooly, buttoning up his unofrm, tying his belt, fixing his medals."Give MC my love from now until the end of eternity." Lucifer walked cooly back to your memorial. He touched your smiling face and took out his D.D.D.

The Demon Brothers (6) New (7)

Lucifer- Family meeting in the dining room, Five minutes

He shut off his phone and walked back into the house.

" Your so strong Lucifer."

"Your so beautiful"

" You'll always be my angel."

" I love you, and I'll always love you."

Lucifer stared at his brothers' gathered in he dining hall. He tuned out their questions and held up his hand.

He stood up the chair moving soundlessely on the carpet.

He placed his hand over the R.A.D badge, then he ripped it off. The stitches popping and metals clanging on the table.

He threw it to the floor.

"Who here wants to start a rebellion."

Yay my first aganst! So who wins that's up to you! Comment please I love reading them.

This is my girlfriend's story and I wanted to post it here and she let me so go check it out on wattpad

@sparkleshinegreen

[justanartsysideblog]

Your Queen!Rhaenys looks very interesting, it changes so many things. For example, does Tywin push for a marriage between Viserys and Cersei? Are Viserys or Aegon considered for Rhaenys'husband? What happens to the rebels ? I'm sorry, I have a lot of questions but I love AUs.

Oh thank you! It’s just a little AU to dabble in between working on A Tale of Sand and Smoke, but I’m having fun with the implications of it. So many different paths to take!

Also I put this under the cut because it got rather long. XD

Tywin does push for a marriage between Viserys and Cersei, and both of them are utterly miserable for it. Viserys is someone who wants power, who will never be satisfied without it, and who likely will always feel cheated. As much as he disliked Rhaenys he felt like he should have married her and been made king. He probably contemplated trying to deligitimize Rhaenys by saying she wasn’t a real Targaryen, but he would have had Aegon to deal with (who is very obviously Rhaegar’s son) and so it would have gotten him no closer to the throne either way. So he feigns loyalty and glowers and secretly calls Rhaenys “the Queen of Sand” as an insult to Cersei who has zero patience for her husband and is just as bitter as she’d have been marrying Robert. She knows how to manipulate Viserys though, he’s easy to control in his own way, so she has the run of Dragonstone while her husband mopes. 

Luckily Dany is sent to King’s Landing to be a playmate and confidante of Queen Rhaenys growing up so she doesn’t have to deal with Viserys much except when she goes home to visit. She and Rhaenys get along swimmingly. 

---

I think Tywin would have considered having Viserys and his mother killed, just to tie up any loose ends where the Targaryens were concerned but decided against it in a grab for solidifying his power. He would never have considered Viserys for the throne, though, not when the boy had showed at such a young age that he was incapable of listening to advice and rotten to the core.

As cruel, callous, and scheming as Tywin Lannister is, he wants there to be a competent ruler on the throne. In canon he was stuck with Joffrey and tried to make the best of it and likely didn’t mourn when Joffrey died and he was able to mold Tommen as he saw fit. So he would have taken one look at Viserys, who was coddled by his mother and the Mad King, and realized that he was already ruined as far as kingship went.

And Rhaenys listens. Rhaenys is good at listening to advice and using it, and being fair-minded without letting herself be manipulated. She has a mind of the military and the big picture, and Tywin would be impressed despite himself. Rhaenys was no his first choice, obviously, he’d have wanted Aegon on the throne, but when Elia had reached out to him with this alliance and plan, she had made it clear that Rhaenys would be the heir. 

Tywin quickly made it clear that Rhaenys would not be marrying a Targaryen for several reasons. First, it quelled any fears of another Mad King scenario. Everyone knew that the inbreeding between the Targaryens had caused the madness, and no one would have been welcoming of the idea of more of the same. Regardless of what side anyone had taken during Robert’s Rebellion, all of them had feared the Mad King and his cruelty. 

Second, it opened up the possibility for alliances through marriage to the majority of the great houses of Westeros. A chance to have any of their sons as a Prince Consort meant many were more than willing to bend the knee when they’d been uncertain before, or to change sides during the Rebellion and pledge fealty to the young queen who was being reared under the tutelage of Tywin Lannister. 

Third, it solidified Rhaenys’ position as THE Queen, as opposed to the wife of whoever she were to marry. Tywin had made a deal and knew that the only course of action to solidify his new position and power base was to make certain that Rhaenys was considered the true and rightful heir to the Iron Throne.

Fourth, it made certain that Dorne would fully support the throne.

---

The Rebellion went...poorly for Robert’s side after Rhaegar’s death and Rhaenys’ coronation. 

Tywin was cutthroat in his culling of the rebels. Dorne fully joined the war at that point under the banner or their new Queen, and several of the houses that had stood with the Baratheons now secretly pledged loyalty to Rhaenys Targaryen, and Tywin Lannister planned for the final battle of the Rebellion.

The battle at the Tower of Joy never happened, because the members of the Kingsguard had returned to King’s Landing upon learning that the Mad King and Rhaegar were both dead, and their new queen Rhaenys demanded they return to bend the knee.

The heavily pregnant Lyanna Stark was sent to Sunspear as a hostage, per Tywin’s orders. Tywin sent out a decree that Lyanna would be returned to the North if the Starks withdrew from the battle and swore fealty to Rhaenys, and that all the noble families that swore fealty to Rhaenys would be pardoned...save for Robert Baratheon, who would be executed for killing Rhaegar, and Lyn Corbray for killing Lewyn Martell (per the demands of Dorne), but their families would be spared.

The Rebellion fractured at that point, with many of the noble houses leaving the Baratheons as they saw the tide changing, and figured that Rhaenys would be a far better queen then the Mad King.

Eddard Stark, who had rushed to King’s Landing per Robert’s orders upon the death of Rhaegar, was held there to “make a decision and rest from his arduous journey”. He was informed of Lyanna’s fate as well by Ser Arthur Dayne...and of her pregnancy. 

Robert refused to bend the knee to “Rhaegar’s little bitch” and demanded Lyanna be returned to him. When he was denied, he mounted one final attack. It ended poorly for him. Eddard Stark and his main host were being held in King’s Landing, and many of those that had pledged their service to him had fled while he’d recovered from his injuries at the Battle of the Trident. 

Robert rushed to Storm’s End, to end the siege and gather his forces with his brother Stannis.

The final battle was a bloodbath. While initially it seemed that Robert Baratheon would pin the remaining loyalist forces against the walls of Storm’s End, he was not prepared for an army of Dornishmen from the west...for the one to learn the news was Jon Arryn, who was betrayed by his bannermen of the Vale, specifically Lord Lyonel Corbray who felt that his father and brother, Lyn Corbray (who slew Lewyn Martell) had betrayed their oaths to their true king and were fighting a losing battle...and who was also promised the Eyrie in exchange for his loyalty. 

Lyonel Corbray and many of the nobles of the Vale unfurled their new banners, those of Rhaenys Targaryen, and joined forces with the Dornishmen and slaughtered the remains of Robert’s army. The Seige of Storm’s End promptly ended, and the remaining Baratheons were forced to surrender.

Robert did not survive the battle, nor did Jon Arryn. Lyn Corbray was sent back to King’s Landing in chains to be executed, and Stannis Baratheon was called to King’s Landing to bend the knee.

Eddard Stark, upon hearing of his friend’s death and that of his mentor Jon Arryn, and fearing for Lyanna’s safety, pledged his loyalty to Rhaenys. It is said that his decision was made when Elia Martell expressed her sadness over the unjust way that his older brother and father were killed by the Mad King, and little queen Rhaenys had said, “my grandpa was a mean man. I’m sorry he was mean to your family too. I promise I won’t be a mean queen.” and the sincerity of her childish vow moved him. 

The full fallout of the rebellion would take another post entirely, I think. XD But Eddard goes to Dorne to take Lyanna home. He is with her when she dies in childbirth, when she makes him promise to look after her child. Tywin Lannister allows Eddard to name him and claim him as a Stark, with a signed decree from Queen Rhaenys that legitimizes the boy as a Stark and not a Targaryen. He will, however, become a ward of Casterly Rock before he will be sent to King’s Landing to be a playmate of the young prince Aegon when he is old enough, and his true heritage cannot be known to anyone.

Eddard agrees, and the only ones who knew that Lyanna was with child were Tywin Lannister, Eddard Stark, and the three members of Kingsguard who had initially been tasked with guarding Lyanna by Rhaegar (Ser Aruther Dayne, Ser Oswell Whent, and Ser Gerold Hightower). The three members of the Kingsguard, now a part of Rhaenys Queensguard, were told that both the mother and child perished in Dorne. 

Thanks for the ask! I love answering questions like this!