#But she takes the steps anyway because to not do it is unthinkable

[stardustedknuckles]

I love that everyone in the Nein met with like, a buddy baked into their backstory. Fjord and Jester had been together for weeks, maybe months, Yasha and Molly had about two years, Caleb and Nott had their months together... and then there's Beau, who was literally picked up off the side of the road two days ago and has been unpleasant for both of them but also immediately taken on as a project by Fjord and a friend by Jester in early gestures of who they are and will become as well.

And by "I love it," I mean that Beau spent at least a year alone and wandering on that road, accounting for time for a letter to reach her about TJ and his age when we meet him, and her entire character arc is learning how not to be alone anymore. The others have known loss and isolation, but the center of Beau's story is wrestling with a true sort of loneliness that's been there from just before the very beginning.

[juliareed]

Tell me how does it feel When your heart grows cold? How does it feel? How should I feel? Tell me how does it feel To treat me like you do?

[skzcollision]

take the breath that's true | lee felix (1/2)

pairing: non-idol!lee felix x fem!reader

content info + tw: time travel, angst, fluff, felix is called yongbok in this, wrote this when i was sleep deprived lol, violence + bullying

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

It had begun as a small lie, really. A lie so good, you believed it yourself.

"I'm taking a semester off."

You would be doing a paid internship to fill that time, so it's not like you're not doing anything because god forbid you take a break from your studies to backpack through Europe or something so useless. Your parents would have a stroke.

And then, you did the unthinkable.

You dropped out of university.

Got a full-time job at a bookstore. Began living life peacefully, all the while deceiving your parents who lived a few hours away.

The liberation you felt by doing this was nothing you had ever experienced before.

Of course, it had its drawbacks. You were practically living a lie. Because you dropped out of school, you no longer saw your friends every day. They often hung out without you, and over the years, you eventually turned into something of a social recluse.

You had one good friend from work who invited you to go out every once in a while. Each time you declined because blowing out your eardrums whilst standing in a room packed with strangers either drunk or high on something never really appealed to you.

Soon enough, you reached a place of discontentment.

Would your life have turned out any better if you pushed through with school?

That was something you wondered about every single day.

"Are you eating well?"

The line fell silent, save for the distant sounds of your mother chopping up something on her cutting board. You could hear something boiling on the stove.

You stared blankly at the bowl of instant noodles by your sink.

"Yes."

Another small lie amongst all other lies.

"You sure?" She pressed, disbelief evident in her voice. "Why don't I come over there sometime, fix you up a proper meal-"

"No. Mom, you don't have to do that. It'll just be a waste of gas, I'll be really busy these upcoming weeks."

"Well, when is your break? It's been a while since you've last visited us, you know. Your poor father has been wanting to see you, he misses you."

Your mother knew just how to pull at your heartstrings.

"I know, I miss you guys too. I'll visit on my birthday, okay? In a couple of months, I promise."

Seven years ago;

They were at it again. The three biggest pompous assholes of your grade.

This time, it was this short, lanky kid. You recognized him from homeroom.

Your eyes flitted to his so-called friends, turning away sheepishly when he looked to them for help. Just one moment ago, they were all at their table, talking and laughing.

Why was no one doing anything?

Just as you were lifting yourself from your seat to inform a teacher - someone, anyone - another boy stepped in front of the smaller one.

The bullies were blocking him from your line of sight, but you could see that he wasn't much taller than the former. They were still towering over him.

"Isn't that Yongbok?" The girl behind you whispered to her friend. "He does taekwondo, right?

"Yeah... but there are three of them. And they're double his size."

You promptly slid out of your seat, gripping onto your metal lunch tray. Your friends glanced at you in a snap, all visibly concerned. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just..." You didn't get to finish your sentence as you neared the guys. Not that you knew the answer to that anyway. You were acting on pure impulse.

Now you could fully hear what they were saying.

"Rich guy, huh?"

They were apparently laughing at the boy's choice of accessories. He wore a gold watch on his wrist. It did look quite funny on him - only because it seemed a bit too big and grown up for the boy.

Something did surprise you, though.

If he was intimidated, he was great at hiding it. It was as if they were all having a normal and friendly conversation. On the other hand, the kid behind him was close to wetting his pants.

"So, if you're done talking to my friend, we would like to have our lunch now."

This did nothing to defuse the situation.

"What did you just say?"

Sweat pooled between the palms of your hands, the utensils clattering as they shook in your tray.

Your mind flashed to the first week of school. That kid, who got beaten up so badly he was coughing up blood.

Was this just going to keep on happening?

Without much thought behind it, you drew your arms back and flung your tray at them as hard as you could.

It made an audible plunk as it collided with the back of their leader's head.

There was momentary silence before the cafeteria exploded with stunned gasps and sputters of laughter. You remained frozen at your spot, arms still above your head. Your lunch was now on his white shirt, staining it orange.

"Who the hell-"

Everyone in the room was staring at you. Your gaze fell to the boy with the gold watch. He looked afraid now.

But not for himself.

You were so, damn lucky.

One second, you were receiving the deadliest stare from the scariest guy at school, and the next, a teacher had come to break them up.

For the next few days, you went everywhere with your friends. Needed to use the restroom? Needed to grab something from your locker? The whole group was coming with you.

You had never once been so scared for your life.

One afternoon, one of your friends had overheard the bullies talking. They were teasing their leader for letting you off the hook so easily. He apparently refused to bully a girl - a cute one at that.

"Oh my god, ew. Unbelievable." You shook your head with an expression of disgust. "There's no way. You made that last part up."

"He really said that!"

Your friend next to you released a wistful sigh, pursing her lips. "I wish someone would fall in love with me right after I'd just chucked a full tray of food at them, too..."

Things weren't so easy for gold watch boy, though.

He became their target. And he made it so easy for them, too. Every time any of them had a problem with anyone, he would be there, at their rescue. Taking their place. He didn't fight back either.

You just didn't get it.

How could someone possibly endure that much? That had to have taken a physical and mental toll on him. Yet you would see him in the hallways every single day, with that same bright smile. Despite the cut on his lip.

They kept getting interrupted on school grounds, so the bullies had made it routine to take him somewhere after school. You decided to follow them one day, and you were led to an alleyway just a couple blocks away from school.

Why didn't he just run away? You had seen him on the track. He was one of the fastest in your grade.

"... just not on my face, guys."

You ran and snuck up behind some stairs, peeking over the railing.

Whatever he had said earned him some scoffs.

"Pretty boy doesn't want his face ruined."

"What a vain little shit."

Yongbok blinked widely, almost innocently - as if it was all just one little misunderstanding.

"Oh, it's not like that at all. It's just my mom... I don't want her to know about any of this."

"Alright," the biggest of them all chuckled, lip curling smugly.

Your heart twisted in anger.

"We can have that arranged for you," he ambled towards the boy.

"Sike!"

His body turned, and his foot suddenly shot up out of nowhere.

You winced with your entire self as the boy stumbled back, holding himself up against the brick wall.

"Shit..."

From your angle, you couldn't tell what exactly happened. But you knew you had to do something before the situation escalated.

You could swear your whole life flashed before your eyes as you sped towards them, yelling. "Stop!"

"The hell?"

"It's that bitch that threw the tray!"

You stopped just a few feet from them, your thoughts racing a mile a minute. A deep sense of regret - then anger, at these stupid bullies, and at yourself for not knowing what to do next and just charging at them like an idiot.

Someone then yanked on your wrist, ending your train of thought. You were forced to move on your feet again as Yongbok dragged you with him through the alleyways. Several voices followed, hollering at you - but you couldn't register anything they were saying as you were focused solely on getting away.

It felt like it had gone on forever. Fortunately, you had run into some policemen, and that managed to scare the guys away.

You now sat at a convenience store, icing Yongbok's jaw where a bruise was starting to form.

"Man, what am I going to do about this?" He clicked his tongue as he stared at his reflection. "This isn't gonna go unnoticed - and I'm running out of excuses."

You were brimming with anger once again.

"Why do you let them do that to you?"

He stared at you, dumbfounded.

"If they don't pick on me, they'll just pick on someone else."

He had said it so plainly and simply. It was mind-boggling. You genuinely could not tell if he was the bravest and most selfless person you had ever met or just an idiot. Somehow, you felt he was both.

You walked away momentarily to pick up something from the cosmetics aisle, paid for it and went to sit back down again.

"So..." You began as you gently dabbed some coverup on the bruise. "You think this makes you like some sort of hero then?"

"Hadn't thought about it that way," his eyes darted across your face absentmindedly. "I'm sorry I didn't get to thank you, for the other day. In the cafeteria."

You waved him off, cleaning your finger on a piece of napkin. "You take their hits on purpose, don't you. I can tell."

He bobbed his head, looking down at his shoes.

"And you dodge some so you don't end up seriously injured."

You sighed through your nose in exasperation. "Why haven't you reported them?"

"You don't know, do you?" He gazed out the window. "Nothing will be done about it. One of them - his father donates large sums of money to the school."

"Doesn't make him untouchable."

"It kind of does."

You hated it. That deep down, you knew he was right.

Yongbok slid a packet of ice cream towards you. "Here," he grinned. "For saving me from the bullies, twice."

Present;

On the ride home, the car passed by your old high school. It did - every time you came back.

And you were always left wondering what ever happened to that freckled boy since you last saw him.

If he was happy, and if he was doing better than you now. You hoped so.

It was comforting how much had remained the same, as if you had never left - a time machine in a way.

You longed to go back.

To the summer before you began your first year in university. The last time you were ever truly happy.

Despite it being the night before your actual birthday, your parents had thrown an event for you. So many people had shown up - neighbors, old friends from high school that stayed back.

It felt very reminiscent of the past when everyone would get together, and you slept that night content for the first time in a very long time. You dreamt of your life before, how those warm memories felt closer than ever now that you were here.

Such happiness...

"Wake up, my precious girl~"

A grin was spreading across your face before you could even fully open your eyes. You ignored the ache behind them as the sun greeted you first thing.

Your mother smiled kindly back at you, her fingers gently combing through your bedhead.

"Mom..."

"Hm?"

"Can't I stay here..." You mumbled. "Stay here forever?"

She laughed softly, and your smile grew at the sound. "Don't you want to see your friends today? They must have something planned for you."

"My friends?" You rubbed at your eyes, still disoriented from sleep.

"C'mon," she stood, patting your leg. "Let's get up. I've prepared breakfast."

With your eyes half-shut, you felt your way out of the room and sat yourself on a wooden chair.

Your mother settled a bowl of soup in front of you on the table. "Happy birthday, sweetie..."

"I have something for you." Excitement shone in your father's eyes as he pushed a dark blue box towards you.

He didn't... again?

"Dad, you don't need to get such expensive gifts."

He chuckled heartily. "Can't I get something nice for my only daughter just this once?"

You flipped the lid open and grew puzzled at what was inside. It was a simple, silver necklace with a round diamond pendant. The one you wore every single day.

The one your father gifted you a few years back. It was the first time he had spent so much on a present.

"Do you like it?"

"Yes, but dad - isn't it..."

Everything felt eerily familiar.

You shot up from your chair, and headed back to your room.

"What's wrong?"

You searched for the necklace on your nightstand where you had placed it last night, then on the floor, if it had fallen by any chance.

It wasn't there.

As you rose to your feet, your eyes caught the screen of your phone.

What? It couldn't be right. Yesterday was Friday... so shouldn't it be Saturday?

"You guys aren't... playing some sort of prank on me, are you?"

Your parents glanced at each other with momentary confusion, then back to where you stood in the hall.

"Are you that surprised with my gift?" Your father laughed, then beckoned you over. "Come on, you can put it on now. Then we can eat."

It was happening again - all of it.

The things your parents said at breakfast, you wouldn't have been able to recall it but now that it was in front of you all over again, there was no doubt about it.

Everything was the exact same.

You looked in the mirror and had bangs again.

Your phone was blowing up with the same messages from your friends in that old group chat.

This only meant one thing.

He was still here.

⭒

[kanthonyficrecs]

Collection: Jealous Anthony

A Candle Snuffed by LiveOncePure Rating: T Status: Complete Summary: Upon return from Aubrey Hall, Kate is absent from events surrounding the wedding. The lack of her presence forces Anthony to a harsh realization.

A Slip of The Tongue by Kanthony_lilies (Marisol31180) Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: In which Kate may or may not have an inappropriate dream about Anthony, and he, of course, finds out.

at first i thought you were a constellation by collectionoftulips Rating: M Status: Complete Summary: Kate is Anthony’s mistress, but things get complicated as Edwina and Mary arrive in London for the marriage mart season and Kate has to try to keep her secrets from completely unravelling the fragile life she had built for herself in London

Burning at Both Ends by pacific1989 Rating: M Status: WIP Summary: A slightly drunken chance encounter in a crowded NY nightclub between Kate & Anthony becomes much more than either of them bargained for.

dowry by afreenafreen Rating: M Status: WIP Summary: What if, after Anthony proposes to Edwina, he immediately has a meeting to hash out the marital settlement with Kate? What if he rejects Edwina’s non-existent dowry? What will Kate do then?

fate will twist the both of you by tinyballoflight Rating: T Status: WIP Summary: The courtship between Miss Edwina Sharma and the Viscount Bridgerton gets delayed when a rather persistent cold befalls the lady in question as soon as she sets foot in his ancestral home.

Flint and Steel by collectionoftulips Rating: T Status: Complete Summary: Anthony decides that his friend Kate deserves a nice birthday for an array of reasons he can’t quite identify, hoping to impress her with her cooking skills.

Green in its many hues by BurnerrAccount Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: One week into their agreement, Kate and Anthony find new meaning in the definition of restraint. (Or, a post-canon fic on secret engagements, jealousy, and taking steps forward)

headstruck, heartstruck by ninzied Rating: T Status: Complete Summary: these hunts at aubrey hall never do seem to go quite as planned.

Heirlooms by WaterlilyRose Rating: M Status: Complete Summary: Kate gets the Bridgerton family ring stuck on her finger.

hunt you, unmake you by SarahRoseSerena Rating: M Status: Complete Summary: “I would hunt you. I would unmake you. So that you would know what true value is. You would be glad to be possessed by a woman like me. And proud to possess me in return.” Anthony has never been so utterly destroyed by a mere idea.

Kate’s Crush by Kendal_Lynne Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: At first, he thinks he’s just being paranoid. It’s easy to dismiss a one-time occurrence. Witnessing something happen on two occasions is slightly harder ignore. But when it happens three times…that’s when you know you have a problem. And Anthony Bridgerton certainly has a problem: his wife has a crush on another man.

Know Your Worth by WaterlilyRose Rating: M Status: Complete Summary: Kate decides she needs to forget about Anthony Bridgerton. It hasn’t happened. It will never happen. And Kate needs to stop dreaming it will happen because she can never let it happen anyway. Pity that Anthony is not good at taking hints…

Love and Scandal by LoveIsStrong Rating: M Status: Complete Summary: What happens when Anthony does not listen to Kate (canon divergence beginning at the end of Episode 5 Unthinkable Fate)

Rocks and Mountains by HarmonizingSunsets Rating: M Status: Complete Summary: 5 things Kate finds attractive about Anthony before they are engaged and 1 thing she falls for after.

Save The Last Dance For Me by collectionoftulips Rating: M Status: WIP Summary: the one where Anthony assumes that his parents plan on marrying Kate off to Benedict

Start anew by utterlycliche Rating: NR Status: Complete Summary: The courtship ends at Aubrey Hall, but Anthony and Kate continue their morning rides.

Surrender to the Sound by becangle Rating: T Status: Complete Summary: After Edwina and Anthony are engaged, Kate reconsiders her choices and seeks out her own happiness.

The Alpha Who Loved Me by RoxieRox29 Rating: M Status: WIP Summary: Because a Venn diagram of Bridgerton S2 and Regency Era A/B/O is actually a circle. With the edition of some rare omegaverse dynamics, ABO becomes a perfect lens for retelling Kanthony’s love story.

The Queen of the Night by honsandrebels Rating: M Status: Complete Summary: “I too enjoy the opera. My sister Kate is the one who introduced me to it.” A love story in three parts, from Kate’s point of view. In which Kate’s inner life and her relationship with Anthony is explored as they attend performances of three very different operas.

Uncertain Smile by INTPSlytherin_reylove97 Rating: M Status: WIP Summary: Anthony liked to believe he was a man of his word. So when he is strong-armed into becoming a summer camp counselor, he has no choice but to follow through. He just did not expect to fall for his co-counselor, Kate.

Would it truly be, so unthinkable a fate? by LoveIsStrong Rating: G Status: Complete Summary: What if Kate fell into the lake with Anthony (and Thomas)? Would Anthony have a similar reaction to the bee-sting, only now it would play out in front of the entire ton? What if Anthony heard Edwina’s half-sister remark? Would he come to Kate’s defense just like he did at the Sheffield dinner? Would these twists of fate make them reconsider what they deemed unthinkable?

[suckerforcate]

AGHHH ure literally my favourite writer on here right now!! u write so amazingly!!

could i request a brienne x reader where it’s a long while after what happened with jaime and reader comes into brienne’s life -u can decide how- and reader is sweet and really really likes brienne which is why reader is a bit clingy. brienne is understandably a little cold and has her guard up and one day lashes out at reader because they’re just gonna leave her too anyway. later she sees reader crying to pod and she feels bad and instead of her apologizing reader apologizes for pushing things and brienne feels even worse and brienne explains her actions so reader promises to never leave her. That’s all. Thank you so much!!

Picnic?

Pairing: Brienne of Tarth x Reader

Word Count: 1080

Warning: None, hurt/comfort

A/n: Thank you so, so much!! I really liked the idea and I hope I did it justice.

Brienne had been part of Bran Starks Kingsguard for nearly two years now, and she was very happy that Podrick had been knighted and taken in the Kingsguard as well. Even if she would never admit it she would have missed him terribly. Other than her, Podrick was really open towards new people and always found new friends.

And one day he introduced Brienne to you. She felt that she was instantly drawn to you, but she forbid herself to ever feeling something like that. She didn't want it to go downhill, just like it did with Jamie.

You however, also felt drawn to her and acted on it. A lot. You loved spending time with her. Watching her fight was your favourite thing. Whenever you saw her walk around you accompanied her. Grabbing her arm and happily telling her about your day.

Sure you had noticed her coldness and that she had her guards up at all time. But you didn't take it personally and thought she just needed some time warming up. You never knew how she was treated in her live. Not just the Jamie-thing but also the general resentment people had against her. For you it was unthinkable that anyone could not like her.

You tried everything to warm her up and to look through her guard. You gifted her flowers, you invited her and Pod for dinner, you asked her to accompany you in the city. Most of the time she said no, but sometimes you felt you broke through to her, and she said yes. Still you wouldn't tire and try again and again.

You really thought you were making progress until one day everything went wrong.

It was such a beautiful and warm day, and you had woken up with the idea in your head to ask Brienne put for a picnic. Who could say no to a picnic?

So you prepared everything and went to search for her. Your heart made jumps as you saw her, as an exception not in armour. So you happily approached her and looped your arm through hers. You felt her tense at that, so you respected the boundary and took a step back. But the smile didn't fade. You still beamed at her.

"Brienne, I thought it would be the perfect day for a picnic? Would you like to accompany me? Pod could also come if you'd like." You saw her look annoyed at that and already braced yourself for the coming rejection but what came next was something you never expected.

"No, (Y/n). I do not want to go on a picnic with you. Could you please stop annoying me all the time? I know you're just going to leave me anyway. So stop bothering and let me be." You had never heard her getting so loud and harsh. For a second you didn't even know what to say. But as you felt the tears prick in your eyes you mumbled out an apology and turned around on the heel. So no picnic.

---------------

You didn't even know where to go. The tears were now streaming down your face like a waterfall. Your first thought was Pod. So you went to find him.

"(Y/n), what has happened?" Podrick pulled you into a hug and sat you down next to him. You cried his whole shirt wet. But he didn't care.

"I- I thought I was breaking through with Brienne. It seemed like she wasn't as cold anymore, but I just asked her out on a picknick, and she completely lashed out. What have I done wrong? Why does she hate me Pod?" Pod looked at you empathically.

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you. She's just been hurt a lot and doesn't trust easily. It's hard for her to express her feelings."

"No, I pushed her too much. I'm sure she hates me now." You clung to Pods shirt and cried even more. What neither of you knew was that Brienne had also wanted to talk to Pod, and she had heard your conversation. She felt bad. Really bad. She didn't hate you, and she never wanted to be so harsh. She was just scared.

"(Y/n), I-" She came around the corner and in less than a second you were on you feet. Starting to ramble an apology.

"I'm sorry, Brienne. I shouldn't have been so pushy. You clearly aren't interested, and I should have accepted that." More tears fell down your cheeks, you couldn't even stop them.

Brienne took a step forward and against all her instincts she grabbed your hands and sat down with you. Podrick slowly left you to alone, knowing that you really needed to talk. Alone.

"There is no need for you to apologise, (Y/n). I am the one who should apologise. I had no right to shout at you and get so loud. I don't hate you. I really don't, please never think that. I just... In the past I have been hurt, a lot. From my childhood on people have called me names, made fun of me, bullied me or called me 'Brienne the Beauty'. Of course that was a joke. But because of that I have always been very reserved and, quite frankly, alone. But a few years ago I fell in love. For the first time ever I trusted someone, and I was instantly hurt. He left me for someone else and died protecting the Queen. After that I swore myself to never trust anyone again. I would be hurt sooner or later." To be honest, you were shocked. It had never occurred to you that Brienne could not be liked, that she could have even been bullied and called names. To you she was just perfect. And you told her that.

"I'm so sorry, Brienne. I didn't know any of that. I can't believe people are so cruel. But I can promise you: I will never leave you. To me, you are perfect and amazing. There is nothing about you to make fun of. Each little part and thing about you makes you special. Every flaw, every imperfection, every insecurity." You warmly smiled at her and stroked over her hands. Your tears long forgotten.

"Thank you, so much." Brienne tightly hugged you and even though it still took some time for her to fully grasp it all, she started to trust you more and more. And she even learned to get used to the physical touch.

[blasphemousclaw]

my sister is playing elden ring for the first time and she's convinced godwyn was in on the night of the black knives. her reasoning is that it's strange that a demigod known for taking part in a war against dragons would put up so little of a fight and that he doesn't seem like he would approve of morgott and mohg being thrown down a well, that marika doing that might've been enough to make him lose faith in the golden order. I don't know if there's anything in game that particularly supports that interpretation but I do think it's a very interesting characterization, that godwyn would allow himself to be killed to bring about the end of something he once supported but now sees as fundamentally corrupt.

As far as I could find, there isn’t really any hard evidence for or against this theory, so my feelings on this theory are solely character-based… while I do think it would make Godwyn’s character interesting, I actually think it would make Ranni’s character less interesting. 

The crux of Ranni’s character for me is her being willing to go through with the unthinkable because she believes it necessary to achieve her goals; how the idea of being controlled by a higher power against her will is so intolerable to her that she would choose to condemn another person (her step-brother, someone who was by all accounts a rather decent person) to a horrific fate, a fate worse than death, in order to avoid it. Godwyn being a willing sacrifice instead of a victim takes some of the blame away from Ranni and makes her choice less morally difficult, which makes her choice less impactful to me. 

I do like the idea of Godwyn becoming more jaded about the Golden Order as time went on though… It’s implied that Godwyn was close with Miquella and Malenia, and both of them ended up ditching the Golden Order. And we don’t have any evidence of Godwyn interacting with the omen twins, but I love the hypothetical of Godwyn regretting not being able to save his twins brothers, so he later becomes protective of his twin brother and sister? 

But anyway in conclusion I don’t really like the theory that Godwyn sacrificed himself solely because of how it would affect Ranni’s character. Hoping we’ll get more Godwyn answers in the DLC though 

[thebroccolination]

Question…. How do you feel about Win Hitting Team in the face after he saves him?

I wasn’t a fan of that part and I don’t know if I’m comfortable seeing it on screen. I know it’s a mix of emotions he angry, nearly lost him, but ……. I don’t know. Hope you understand .

I understand, Anon! It's a polarizing scene, and people don't need to have a unanimous opinion of it.

I personally really liked it in the novel! It was a moment of raw anger and flawed humanity from a character who's been composed and responsible ever since he got through a rebellious phase that mainly consisted of skipping class and body modification to get attention from his parents. Literally the tamest rebellion in teenage history. The punch is also framed as a mistake, and something he clearly feels guilty about almost immediately, since he then yanks Team into a hug. The novel describes Win as shaking like a frightened animal, which just underscores for me how primally terrified he was. After all, he was alone when he walked into the building and saw Team at the bottom of the pool, probably seconds from death. If Win hadn't acted as fast as he did, he would have had to watch Team die.

And Team put Win in that position through his negligence. Even worse, Team doesn't even have the grace to even act apologetically after he regains consciousness. He's dismissive and almost petulant, and while that's his whole thing, it's just not the time for it. Of course, Team's clearly suffering from a host of mental traumas, so it makes sense for him to diminish nearly dying, but from Win's perspective, he's probably imagining previously unthinkable things: would CPR and potentially breaking a rib have killed him instead? Who do you call to take a corpse? How would he ever swim again? Sleep again? I'm not arguing the punch was deserved, only that Win's so far removed from rationality at that point, he's just trying to get Team to understand the severity of the situation they're in.

Imagine how Win feels seeing Team shrug off his near-death. That could easily make Win believe that this could happen again. If Team doesn't value his life, if he takes risks like this again, if Win's not there the next time, if he doesn't take this seriously—

Anyway, that's why it worked for me. Plus, after the punch, after the hug, Win takes Team not back to the dorms, not even to his own dorm room, but to his own family's home. Win drives Team's car, stops at a convenience store to get ice for Team's face and snacks for him as a treat, literally feeds him at home, lets Team shower on his own to respect his space, and at the end of it all, he falls asleep with Team safe in his arms. Because this is who he is at his core. He's the one who talks Team down from intimidating Alex, and he's the one who gives rational advice to Dean. So I like that the novel shows that the only way to make him lose it completely is Team dismissing his own brush with death. Is it romantic? No, of course not. Is it healthy? Also, no. But I don't want a character to make the right choices every step of the way. Their mistakes and how they try to make up for them enhance their complexity for me. I mean, if Win were a real person, I'd be like, "He punched you?" but he's fictional, so I just see that scene as fascinating to explore his mentality instead.

ALL THAT BEING SAID, it works for me because it's that version of Win.

The Win we've seen in the series isn't the same Win we see in the novel. Boun made the decision in December of last year while they were filming the post-drowning scene for the pilot teaser for Win not to punch Team, and it works so well. Because it's Boun's version of Win. Novel Win didn't have a meticulous, restrained conversation about consent with Team before he slept with him the first time. Novel Win didn't even hook up with Team a second time. There are a lot of overlaps with Novel Win and Series Win, and they're both written by LazySheep, but Hemp Rope is a novel she started around 2017, and she had to take her time and a lot of consideration to adapt the novel into a script with 2022 sensibilities and growth.

So I think Boun was right to change it because he knows what this version of Win would do. And I think it says a lot in favor of Sheep and New that they saw the wisdom in his decision and allowed him to do so for the main series as well. (They show him raise his fist but switch to a hug in the trailer, just like the pilot teaser.) When directors understand and value the input of their actors, I'm always deeply impressed and appreciative. Collaborative art can be some of the most powerful, and I think Boun was incredibly smart to show that Win did have the impulse but decided against it. I think that's just as powerful for this version of him.

Essentially, I appreciate the novel scene for what it is, and I like that the series has presented a different version of it with unique nuances influenced by an actor who loves his character tremendously. <3

[strawwritesfic]

Bard x Female!Reader: Angst

Summary: Victory, though sweet, can always be tinged with the bitter taste of despair.

Rating/Tags: T (Soap Opera Disease; character death; during canon; not canon compliant; not anti-Bard’s canon wife; reader is not Bard’s canon wife; The Hobbit; human reader)

Challenge: “160 Collective Drabbles” challenge by BobaPop on Lunaescence Archives.

Tag List: @imaginesfire​

Notes: Please take note that I wrote this long before -- Oh. The Hobbit trilogy started coming out in 2012? Well, it doesn’t matter when this was written as compared to the movie releases, because I never saw the second or third movies anyway. The point is, I’m sure that things were portrayed very differently in the movie than I have portrayed them here.

Angst

It was over. At last Bard could release the long-held anxiety that burned within his lungs. It was over. All was quiet, save for distant crying. All was still, save those already sifting through the rubble. All was peaceful, save for the fires that continued to lick through broken windows. The dragon was slain. Laketown was safe. It was over.

Ash continued to drift from the slowly clearing sky, sticking to his dark hair and lashes as Bard stood in what remained of the town square. The taste of smoke and soot hung heavily in the air. No helpful breeze blew through to clear it, nor to cool the sweat beading his brow. He could have moved, perhaps, and felt something other than heat against his skin, but he did not. For the time being, he could do little but allow his mind to reel.

“Bard!”

The voice of the town healer stabbed through the haze like a dagger. Bard turned to see the man running toward him, stumbling on fallen boards as he went. There was something about that and his tone of voice that Bard did not like. His heart thundered, though he knew not what could be more terrible than staring down a dragon.

“You must come now,” said the healer, and Bard heard it for certain this time: panic.

He was falling into step beside the man to race back the direction he’d come from before Bard even thought to ask, “What is it? What’s the matter?”

“It’s…” the healer hesitated, then finally finished with a quiet, “[Name].”

There was no need for further explanation. Bard’s heart gave a great leap once more, then seemed to fall dead inside his chest. Unthinking, he picked up his already considerable pace still further. “Is she worse?”

“Considerably so. All the smoke and the excitement. I-I do not believe she will be with us much longer.”

They had reached Bard’s home. It was not your home, but the building was closer, and it was there he had sent you earlier that evening when you had so boldly strode into the midst of the battle. He pressed his hand against the door, but found he had not yet the courage to step inside. 

“There is nothing you can do?” he asked quietly.

“Nothing more.”

“Then leave us,” said Bard. “I will send for you when…when I am ready.”

“Of course.”

Bard did not wait to see his orders followed. They would be, he was sure of that. Already the people of Laketown were treating him differently. It was not exactly what he had envisioned for his simple life of smuggling, but face the change he would–and face it as he always did: alone.

Grim-faced, he slipped through the house’s narrow dark halls. He ought to have been grateful that this building continued to stand, that you could be comfortable in your final moments now that your home was in flames. Grateful was the farthest emotion from Bard’s person just then, however. All he could think about was that blasted dwarf king and that cursed dragon.

“You made it,” came a hoarse voice from inside the bedroom.

Bard entered to find the snug room lit with the last scrap of candle wax to his name. So be it. He could think of no better use for it, and, if he had his way, that so-called King of the Mountain would be paying enough to have Laketown swimming in the stuff in due time. But that was a thought for a different time.

“I made it,” he agreed as he settled into the empty stool the healer had pulled up by the bed. “Did you think I would not come?”

You smiled the same soft smile he had fallen for at first sight, the same smile that had made him wonder if love could come twice into his life somehow. Even now, it reached your eyes. 

“How is everything?” you asked.

That was not an answer to his question, but Bard didn’t push. Instead, he reached for your hands that rested on the covers. Already your fingers felt cold. 

“The battle is over,” he said as he rubbed his thumb across your knuckles. “Smaug is dead.”

“The town?”

“Still standing. Most of it.”

“And the children?”

“Safe,” he answered. It hurt his heart to think about them. Sigrid, Bain, and Tilda had already lost their mother. Now on the cusp of finding someone to fill some of the hole left by her, that someone, too, passed on. Bard knew Tilda would take it the hardest; he dreaded telling her the news. “They will miss you.”

“I’ll miss them. And you. Most of all you.”

“You should not have come into the thick of things.” Perhaps Bard shouldn’t have said it. What was done was done. There was no changing your decision now, and you knew even better than he the fruits of your effort. “You were becoming well. Had you stayed put–”

“And burned alive without seeing you again? While the rest of the village died defending the town without me?”

“Smaug has been vanquished without you, and yet you lay dying,” Bard answered hotly.

He should not have been feeling so angry at your deathbed, but Bard could not help himself. Only now was the cold horror of seeing you out of bed, eyes blazing brighter than the fires the dragon spewed out, sinking in. There was nothing he could have done once he saw you; your death had been imminent from that point on. Only the thought of killing Smaug had distracted him.

Bard bowed his head. “Is this to be my reward? Losing you when everything should be rescued?”

A rough laugh spilled from your throat. “Maybe you’re right,” you said. “Maybe I just wanted one last adventure.”

Had you not seen him weep before? The tears had not yet sprang to his eyes, and still it was hard to force them up again. You smiled. Had Bard not watched you waste away these past months, he would not have known the pain you were in, would not have understood how close you were to fading away from him entirely. Your smile sweetened.

“I didn’t have much time left anyway. I’m glad to have spent the last of mine helping you, Bard. Not dying quietly in my own bed.” Slipping your hands out of his, you lifted one to cup his face. “You will be a magnificent king.”

“I never wanted the title.”

“I know. But now it is yours. I love you. I shall pass your love on to your wife when I see her.”

One of his hands lifted to hold yours against his cheek. He could not blink his tears away now, though his eyes were merely wet. Missing seeing you go would be unacceptable.

“I love you as well, [Name],” he said softly. “And I thank you. For everything.”

Grinning, you brushed your thumb against his skin. Over and over, and over and over, and over…and…over. Then nothing. The spark in your eye disappeared.  His breath came slowly in and out as he looked on, still grasping your hand. All warmth inside it was gone now. Bard closed his eyes before slowly lowering your hand to the bed. 

But he could not stay as he wanted. He could not even take the time to mourn. As you had reminded him, there was much work to do, and he was now the one to do it. He would not let your final words to him echo in his mind in vain.

[the-berf]

It was hot as balls. Summer in Chicago was exceptionally brutal that year and the AC in the kitchen of The Beef was, to put it politely, had seen better days. Much better ones. As a result working there was becoming quite the challenge. Smoke breaks were gone in favour of water breaks in the walk-in chiller. It was an unspoken agreement that they took turns in there or, for a super quick cooldown, the walk-in freezer was employed. In for a minute to bask in the shocking cold then out. To actually need something from either walk-ins was a blissful treat.

Carmy had been by the stoves, too warm to even curse. Why he thought becoming a chef then working in a shitty little place like The Beef was beyond him. Everything was grating on his nerves and going outside for a much needed smoke was unthinkable. As much as he craved it, facing yet more heat was beyond sanity. So he'd not smoked since early morning, was jittery as fuck, too warm and in desperate need of a break.

"Get in the walk-in," Richie snapped at him.

"No time."

"Then the freezer. Just looking at you gives me heat stroke."

Syd was already next to him, ushering him out of the way for a much needed break. Annoyed, Carmy march away because if he stayed, if he argued, he might just punch someone. Wrenching the door of the freezer open harshly, he stalked in, relishing the slamming of the door. For a moment it didn't feel too cold, even as his breath curled in the air. Fuck but did the change in temperature feel good. Running hands through his hair, Carmy let out a groan, eyes shut. Maybe he had needed the cold break. Should probably get a drink too. He truly was the master of "do as I say, not as I do".

A shiver running down his spine, Carmy walked back to the door and tried to open it. Nothing happened. Giving it a shoulder shove, all Carmy got was the promise of a new bruise. Thumping on the door, he yelled.

"Yo! Cut it out!" There was no answer. "Yo! Cousin! This isn't funny!"

After a moment he slapped his hand repeatedly against the door, hissing at the chill that was seeping through him. Fuck the freezer and regulation temperatures.

"Cousin?" Richie's voice was filled with annoyance. "You trip and twist your knickers or something?"

The handle rattled but the door didn't budge.

"Carm, stop being an idiot. Come on out!"

"I'm trying, jag-off!"

"Then try harder!"

Carmy pushed while Richie pulled to no avail. The door wouldn't move. On the outside a commotion was growing as more and more of the staff tried to help open the door. Nothing seemed to be working and, as the minutes ticked by, Carmy paced the short few steps back and forth, teeth chattering. Goosebumps decorated his bare arms, the sweat that had been making his t-shirt cling to his back was starting to feel a little crispy.

"Hurry the fuck up! I'm going to literally freeze my balls off in here!"

"Not like you were using them anyway."

Richie's answer was a little muffled but it got Carmy seeing red. The anger at least gave him the illusion of warmth as he spun and snarled at the door. "Fuck you! You wanted me in here! Is this what you did to Mikey too? So desperate to take this shithole from us. Well guess what, dickhead! This will always be a Berzatto family restaurant and you will never be a Berzatto."

For a moment there was silence. An absolute stillness and even Carmy held his breath.

"I'm going to get you out," Richie said firmly. "Just so I can look you in the eye like a man before punching your lights out."

"Oi! Cut it out!" That was Syd, the voice of reason. She only served to irritate Carmy further.

"Are you in on this?" Because she had been there to take over and help get Carmy in the freezer. "What did he offer? 30% of the restaurant once I'm out of the way and Nat's refused to take over? Or 40% if you suck his cock once a week?"

"Jeff!" The outrage in Tina's voice brought him up short. "We're trying to help. You're not making it easy."

Which made Carmy question something. "Who the fuck is running the restaurant? Get back to work. You want to get paid? Get to fucking work! All of you!"

It was so cold. Carmy sank down to sit on the floor, knees pulled to his chest, arms hugging around them. His chin slotted perfectly into the divot between his knees. Shivering, he tried to ignore the noises from outside. It was pointless, they should prioritise the restaurant, make sure orders were being taken and filler. Not like he was going anywhere. Eyes closing, Carmy let his mind drift to anything other than the cold.

"Carmy? You okay?" Syd sounded closer and, against better judgement, Carmy shuffled closer to the door, leaning against it. His arm near enough burned from touching the metal of it.

"Yeah, hust fuckig fine. How're the orders?" Maybe his sense of time was fucked but he had only sat down a few moments earlier.

On the other side of the door was some muttering. He could just about catch snippets like "slurring?" and "keep him talking" and "hurry the fuck up".

"Uh, yeah, orders are good," Syd replied. "Got one in that I wanted to run past you. Guy wants gravy as dip. But wants it fresh and to the family recipe standard. Can you run me through the gravy recipe?"

"The fuck?" Carmy almost laughed, it even stopped his teeth chattering. "You hit your head and suddenly can't make gravy?"

"He's insisting. Wants the Berzatto special." From where she stood by the door, Syd shot Richie a glare as he tried to hold back laughter.

"Berzatto special baby gravy." The words burst from Richie right as Fak rounded the corner, ready to pull the freezer door apart.

Too tired, Carmy couldn't bring himself to rage at the stupid joke. He was too tired to do anything really. A nap sounded good. Really good actually.

"How long he been in there?" Fak asked the others.

"Too long," Richie said at the same time as Syd replied, "Coming up to half an hour. Regulations don't let you stay longer than fifteen and even that's with appropriate clothing."

Nodding, Fak discarded some of his tools. "So time is of the essence." More loudly he added, "I'll get you out in no time, Carm."

There was no response from inside the freezer. Alarmed looks were exchanged.

"Just get him the fuck out."

Tina had taken initiative and closed the restaurant. Nobody could focus as the wrong kind of tension mounted in the kitchen. They all crowded as close as sensible, just about leaving room for Fak to work. The entire door was coming off, hinges and all. Helplessness engulfed them. There was a sugar laden tea cooling on the side and someone had grabbed a throw from the office, along with a cushion.

Finally, the last bolt was out and, between Fak and Marcus, they managed to wrench it out of place, the broken lock slipping out of its socket with ease. As they moved, Carmy near enough spilled out of the freezer, flopped on the floor without the door to hold him up anymore.

Richie's excalamtion of "fuck" was coupled with him rushing to Carmy's side, rolling him onto his back. More pale than normal, breaths slow and shallow, Carmy was unresponsive.

"We need to move him, get him warm." Syd was on Carmy's other side hand hovering over him but not quite daring to touch.

"No shit, Sherlock." With that Richie scooped Carmy up, trying not to think about how cold he felt to touch. Thinking about heat, Riche set him down in front of the ovens, grateful that Syd was hot on his heel with the throw and cushion.

What followed were some agonisingly slow minutes. Nobody dared even move really, worried it might somehow set Carmy's warming progress back. At least the pallid colour of his cheeks was changing. Nowhere near rosy and healthy but better. Not to mention that the only time anyone had ever seen Carmy truly flushed was when he was red in the face from yelling in rage.

"Carmen?" Richie nudged him, desperate for a response but he got nothing. "Come on, cousin. Don't be a dickbag."

Reaching out, he patted Carmy's cheek, intent on annoying him into consciousness. To an extent it worked as Carmy left out a soft moan and tried to turn his head away. At least it was progress.

"Thank fuck." Ever the man of simple words, Richie sat back on his heels with a laugh. "Didn't think his insurance would have covered this."

Ever so slowly, Carmy returned to the land of the living. It started with a disgruntled little huff which turned into discomfort and pain as he turned to curl in on himself. At least he was shivering again by the time his eyes opened, blinking blearily at first.

"F-f-f-fuck."

"Here, drink." Syd held the warm tea while Richie helped sit Carmy up. Some of it spilled as Carmy got his hands around the mug, shivers making him shake violently. Before he could spiral, Syd was there with a steadying hand. "It's okay, just drink what you can. We'll take care of everything else."

A little cowed, Carmy let his hands be guided so he could drink the sugar laden tea, not ever recognising that the solid wall of heat behind him was actually Richie. At least, not until Syd was taking the mostly empty mug and a hand brushed fondly through his hair.

"Trust you to be the contrary fuck to get hypothermia in the middle of summer."

Too tired to care, Carmy shrugged and leaned back, content to let the others hold down the fort for the time being. Before he closed his eyes to relish the warmth he was surrounded by, Carmy managed a croaky "sorry" which was waved off. Whether he was apologising for getting stuck, for the shit he said or for just generally existing was hard to tell. But, in a way, it didn't matter because they were all family and forgiving each other was core to that.

[winterpinetrees]

(the gap years part 2)

This is 1500 words. Tumblr is infectious and the symptom is “write about your ocs and post it online”. I don’t think I’m even using consistent tenses, but it exists. @caliburn-the-sword and @lokiwaffles, this is for you and also your fault.

………..

There was no way that the computer on the table was making it to the end of the road trip. Sierra has her (heavily modified, like the car) laptop on open to a google map of West Coast highways. The rich kids have been arguing over it for half an hour. In that time, their acquaintance had (re?) introduced himself. His name was Martin, his family was somewhere in the elaborate network of power that the boys had grown up in, and details weren’t important. The important thing was where they were going next.

“We should go south to Los Angeles, and then west. That way we’ll be in the desert for the solstice and have the most hours of daylight.” That was Clay’s plan. He had a goal to visit as many national parks as possible.

“If we do that, we’ll be in the desert for the hottest part of the summer! We go north on route 101 and follow the ocean all the way to the Canada border”. Brian explains for at least the fifth time.

“You only want to follow the ocean because you’ll die if you go a summer without surfing” Clay replies.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing. We can go to Redwoods!”

“We live in San Francisco. We have been to Redwoods a dozen times”.

“And they rock! Those trees are thousands of years old. We can drive the car through a tree.”

Martin speaks for the first time in a while. “The hottest part of the summer isn’t the solstice. It’s a few weeks after that. Anyway, the Mojave desert will be miserable until October. You want to go north”. They’d almost forgotten he was there. It was a little shocking. The boy carried himself with confidence that didn’t feel like it should be ignored.

Clay immediately yields. “Fine. We go north to Redwoods.”

The boys put away their things and walk outside. Martin -Marin, whoever he is- follows behind them. Telling him to leave was unthinkable. Literally, the thought never crossed their minds. They walk down smaller, empty streets. Oddly empty. Well, it isn’t good weather, and that mild earthquake two days must have everyone a bit nervous. That must be the reason. Brian keeps looking over his shoulder though, especially as the fog grows and their visibility drops.

Sierra fidgets with the zipper of her sweatshirt. “Why is the fog so thick? It’s the afternoon?”

It shouldn’t have been a big deal, but there was also movement, and lights down a side street. Sierra’s vision flashes electric blue. She knows that humans sometimes see blue light when exposed to high amounts of radiation (It’s called Cherenkov Radiation, but where would it come from?) but she also remembers a rumor that a strange glow might be your only warning if supernatural danger is near. She reaches for Brian. The taller boy has already stepped away to stare down their strange acquaintance, but Martin looks even more afraid than they do. He swings the messenger bag off of his shoulder. “I’m sorry I dragged all of you into this. You need to run”.

Brian takes another step towards him. “Dragged us into what?”

Sierra finally grabs his arm. “I think I know. Run.”

By this point, Clay is already fifteen feet away from them. Brian does not run. Instead, he and his friend watch as -somehow- Martin reaches an entire arm into his small bag. He spins on his heels and draws an entire quarterstaff. His ears grow pointed, his hazel eyes begin to glow, and as if waiting for that signal, four figures step out of the fog.

They are from a different genre. That’s the only explanation. The soldiers around them hold glowing guns and shining blades and wear helmets that completely cover their faces. Lines of colored light run underneath the silver plates of their armor, which seems made for speed instead of true protection. One, tall and thin and wearing the electric blue that Sierra recognized, dashes at Clay fast enough that they are only visible as a blur. They have the human boy in a chokehold within a second. Another, more broad and colored pale yellow, turns to Martin and yells something in a language that is very much not English.

He throws his messenger bag at the remaining humans. “Grab the gun and turn the dial all the way to the left. We win or we die!”

Martin turns back to his attacker and snarls a reply in the same language. He drops into a fighting stance and briefly flickers like a hologram. Brian catches the bag and they finally run, ducking behind a car parked on the street. He passes the bag to Sierra, who puts the entire top half of her body inside, “It’s bigger on the inside! ...wait”. (She refuses to die making a Doctor Who reference).

The bag is at least the size of their car. She hears the sci-fi sounds of guns firing outside and pulls the rest of her body in. Sierra grabs a gun, hopefully the one Martin told him to, and crawls back out. The gun is pretty big, more like a rifle than a phaser, and she needs both hands to aim it. It’s a difficult task. The five elves in the fight are all moving faster than they should, and her acquaintance (ha) keeps blinking in and out of sight. Sierra checks to make sure that the dial is to the left (Is that the stun setting or the kill setting? What is she about to do?) and fires the moment one of the faceless soldiers pauses for breath.

A blast of emerald green energy shoots out of the gun and nearly misses the figure. Instead, it hits the soldier just above the elbow and all but takes off their left arm. They fall to one knee, then disappear with a faint pop and a bit of cobalt blue light. Simultaneously, the kickback sends Sierra to the ground. Brian picks up the gun and fires a useless shot. He manages to stay standing, at least. Three enemies remain. The speedy blue soldier who knocked out (Brian can’t let himself think about the alternative) Clay, the yellow leader, and a short cyan one that has raised its gun at- oh no. Brian ducks back behind the car and reaches back into the bag as light sears the air right above his head.

The boys hiding behind the car look at eachother and reach a silent agreement. Sierra takes back the gun. Their inhuman ally seems to be winning, at least. He’s impossibly fast and is keeping up with all three opponents. With the cyan one distracted, Martin takes the opportunity and does something magical that leaves the soldier on the ground. They vanish with a pop, and unlike Martin, don’t come back. Clay, thank god, starts moving again. He makes eye contact with Sierra just as the blue soldier knocks Martin’s staff from his hands. The prince looks towards the humans behind the car. He seems terrified. The leader charges at him, holding their shortsword in a backward grip. They say something again, quietly, and Martin doesn’t respond. He tries to vanish again, but some magical pulse from the leader reveals his location. A blue blur knocks Martin to the ground and points its gun at his head.

Sierra tosses her own gun at Clay, and Brian vaults over the hood of the car towards the fight. He is still holding the bag in his left hand. The leader notices the 6’3”, adrenaline-fueled teenager running at him and turns away from Martin. Wild humans, even untrained ones, are very dangerous. Brian pulls something heavy from the bag as a sword swings at him. He dodges the weapon on instinct and feels the edge of a blade skim his chest. He lifts whatever it is he’s holding. A club? A crowbar? Brian holds it in both hands like a baseball bat and swings like his father is watching. The bat connects. He brings twenty pounds of pointed steel down with arms that can hit a baseball at 100mph. The armor over the soldier’s chest cracks- and so do the bones. They gasp and their armor begins to glow far more brightly. Brian is close enough to see two blindingly bright eyes behind their dark faceplate. Then a bolt of energy hits the soldier in the back and the light fades. They sway for a moment and fall with their sword still clutched in their hand. Clay glares at the body over the barrel of his gun. He adjusts his glasses without blinking.

The blue soldier is gone as well, also having been shot while Brian charged his enemy. The street is quiet again. The fog begins to lift. All four of them cautiously move towards the fallen leader lying face down on the pavement. Whatever these soldiers are, they bleed red just like humans do.

[deep-spaghetti]

i don’t want to annoy OP because i’m sure they’ve got a million smug idiots like me in their notes so i’m going to just subtweet them but if i was orpheus i absolutely simply wouldn’t turn around. not in the sense of like “what an idiot” but like as a magic gotcha contract through the lens of a world with thousands of years of fiction about magic gotcha contracts. like you quadruple check hades’ terms and conditions for any loopholes the magical entity could use to get one over on you. that’s just what you do. in a situation like that where he’s got your wife hostage anyways, the worst tricks he can pull are just not going through with it or taking your soul too. you take the deal and you hammer the rules, out loud, into your stupid tiny head for every second you spend getting out of there. yes, there are emotions at play at the thought of resurrecting your dead wife and a desperation to see her face, but your entire fucking life right now has to be the rules by even the most pedantic interpretation. you aren’t relieved and turning around unthinking once you’re outside of the cave but she isn’t, you made a deal with the fucking devil, assuming he even makes good on it in the first place you have to be so fucking careful that you’re doing exactly what he told you to. like the narrative is hsually that this is a euphoric moment of relief for orpheus, so overwhelmed by anticipation and emotion that he ruins everything. for me, this is like the farthest thing from a moment of relief, this is the fucking scary part this is the big moment where if you fuck it up now you look like a bumbling idiot. you become the guy remembered for just completely fumbling this bag on the one deity condoned respawn ever. even barring the idea of a legacy of a tragic 3 stooges level of blunder, for me this is a fucking paranoid, anxious moment, this is the moment where you go over your mental checklist a thousand times, hoping to be absolutely certain you’ve satisfied the literally single step of “don’t turn around until you’re both outside.” this is the moment where you stop dead in your tracks and try to cook up a counter-scheme, because SURELY hades is going to pull some shit. you find some place to stand where you physically could not have line of sight to the exit until she was completely out. you then spend like 30 minutes still not turning around, having a self-escalating mental breakdown, “what if he just fucking lied. what if hades (the place) got da janky ass hitbox and the minecraft pvp factions claim extends infinitely into the sky and we’re still above it. what if like a hair fell off still inside and that counts as her not being fully outside.” and this whole time you’re walking away from hades trying to make sure you’re as far from “technically not outside” as possible until you go “FUCK IT easy come easy go this is fucking bonus anyways she already died” and then you turn around and your wife doesn’t disappear and then you go home and fuck nasty happily ever after

[myrfing]

everyone says NL or nearl herself is mega neoliberal which throws me for a spin because I think of all the non viginette events it’s one of the only ones that says things can be better through great upheaval and that bears hope that the people themselves when mired in one of the most uh “late stage” capitalist countries in the game might actually gain like. class consciousness because of the ever-growing awareness in every corner of how deeply they’ve been robbed of their humanity under the current system.

a lot of people do the unthinkable. the adeptus intervenes just to save the child of an old friend she loved. margaret walks with dikaiopolis to the victory hall (which is for once, empty of reporters and cameras since the commercialization of knighthood <- MEANS SOMETHING) and MAKES IT because everyone just finally gets up to take the steps with her; she denies the spectators a clear victor to the endless competition and holds the crown in ambiguity. viviana, the secluded forever-outsider, literally physically threatens a kgcc official to let them go. Mlynar changes his mind and leaves, leaving the nearl household to margaret, and before that, actually brings in Toland to fight the armorless. before that nearl actually intervenes underground and fights off the armorless there too alongside pinus gang. the assassination is completely thwarted. Gravel is freed. Platinum does the unthinkable for someone so apathetic and entrenched and tries to unchain herself and run against all odds; and she survives, and makes it out; Centaurea is freed, unlike her predecessor. the voice on the phone says none of this matters, we still have control forever and ever but even malkiewicz finds the man who gave him his position in the country, and watches him kill himself after declaring he was right and kazimierz will never change, and vows to fight it anyways. maybe it’s because the voice on the phone is in the epilogue that it comes off as the final word, and it and darksteel remain safe and faceless and seemingly untouched, but I think that the kgcc is actually utterly underestimating its people and what this meant to many of them. what nearl did was that with her at their side, people stopped being afraid: to run, to leave, to fight, to want something better…she showed them you can struggle against these colossal forces and win if you do it together. the first step was made man!

my biggest criticism is that pinus sylvestris LMFAOOO gets merged into RI which is like…you know me it’s ironic I always criticize rhodes if anything for being “neoliberal” and always acting as a violent stopping force against change, often siding with police against protestors and with oppressive governments against “dissidents” and I personally think RI would really muddle their directives and spirit and bind them to goals that often hurt infected, which they even admit to themselves. but they do it anyways because RI offers short term safety for the few refugees. But otherwise every other event bar maybe i dont fucking know break the ice (which is about industrialization moreso than this stage of things) absolutely thoroughly fucking stomps on any sort of “idealistic impossible goal” and paints all its revolutionaries as either idiotic self-serving violent criminals or misguided naive losers who never even had a chance and NL is the one that says Yeah okay right now it’s possible. of course it’s not a certainty and we all know this game never hands over total victories like that to the point it reads often as a warning and a damper but like. AM I READING IT WRONG? i havent reread the entire event and it’s been a while so I might be missing some things so am I….🚶

[dragonmasterhiccup]

“But- but maybe they will go for that, you don’t know for sure, what every person w-wants.. Maybe they’ll all agree with Spitelout!” It was clear that her mind was running at a million miles a minute, going through all the ‘maybes’ and ‘what if’s.’

She sniffled, her breath hitching in her throat numerous times as she listened to him speak.

She nodded, rubbing her hand in her eyes to try and stop the endless flow of tears. “Okay, I will… I-I’ll try at least… but you know they’ll take me to the Great Hall, where you and mom are? Not- not anywhere else?” Because if they took her anywhere other than there, she would know that something was up and that she would need to fight back.

She let out a watery chuckle, taking the cloth and wiping her face with it. “You- you promise? I wouldn’t want to push you in the lake if you were just saying that to make me f-feel better.”

“I know you will…” she replied, her voice slightly muffled due to fact that her face was pressed into his shoulder.

Eventually, she let go, her sobs having died down to just small hitches in her throat and sniffles. “I-I’ll be okay…” she said, her voice with newfound determination.

———

Ivar and Arne had ended up finding Danny inside the cave. She didn’t mean to drop her dagger, she had just been clutching it so tightly to the point where her fingers had locked up causing her to clumsily drop it.

All previous confidence and determination had left her as soon as she saw the two men enter the cave. They were triple her size, and did not seem friendly.

She moved as far back into the cave as she could, only stopping when her back was firmly pressed against the wall.

All of Hiccups words of advice had slipped out of mind as her brain went into survival mode, and she slid her dagger back over to her with her foot, picking it back up and holding it out towards them.

The second they grabbed her, she instantly stabbed wherever she could, what ended up only being Ivars upper arm before he ripped the dagger from her hands and threw it away.

———

Spitelout, with what little respect he had left, let Hiccup speak without interruption. It would look bad for him anyways.

The crowd listened as well, taking in what Hiccup was saying with skepticism.

They immediately took note of how Hiccup had said she had been abandoned, and that had had barely turned thirteen when it happened. She was still a kid. Why did Spitelout have so much hate towards a child? But still… it was Dragos child…

They also took note of Hiccups apology. There was nothing by sincerity and earnestly being expressed. He also had a point; it would be borderline inhumane to send a young girl to fend for herself, that just wasn’t how Berk worked.

Eret nodded, stepping forward. “Those children did not have it easy, especially Danielle. You all might think that she was given a life of luxury and countless special privileges due to the fact that she is Drago’s daughter, but that is the furthest from the truth. From what I know and from what I have seen during the limited time I spent with her, and the rest of those children; food and water were rare, living conditions were harsh, and medicine was practically nonexistent. That was all Drago’s doing. If those children wanted to prove themselves to him, they had to survive the unthinkable, and do the unthinkable. Which Danny never did. She slayed dragons only when her friends lives depended on it, and she never took the life of another human being, even when she had every right to. She is a selfless, compassionate girl, who I can say, with full confidence, means no harm to Berk, in any way.”

Spitelout was furious. By the end of Hiccup’s speech, the rest of Berk seemed to be completely on his side.

He was about to speak up again, until, screaming could be heard outside the Great Hall.

It was Danny.

“Let me go! Get- get off of me!” she sobbed, desperately trying to pull away from the two men that dragged her into the Great Hall, throwing her to the floor in front of the table where all the council members sat.

She had been relatively uninjured; save from the red marks around her wrists from where Ivar and Arne had had to restrain her.

Spitelout, upon seeing the minor stab wound in Ivars upper arm, pounded his fist on the table, standing up, a yelling, “Look at that! After everything Hiccup and Eret have said about her not hurting anyone, she’s gone and stabbed another Berkian!”

Some of the crowd gasped while most of them glared at the young girl in front of them, causing her to cower in fear and scoot backwards until her back was firmly pressed up against the table, tears rapidly pouring from her eyes and a terrified expression on her face. Her breathing was becoming increasingly rapid as she took in all the Berkians that had weapons on them, and suddenly the sound around her was quickly becoming muffled.

“She has her father’s violence in her blood! His need for power courses through her veins! She is a threat, and must be taken care of!” All of the sudden, Berk was starting to agree with Spitelout once again, meaning Hiccup had to act, and fast.

Trying to reassure her, he shook his head. "No, you may be fourteen now, but you're still a kid, and they're not going to kill you, okay?" It may be the Dark Ages, but it wasn't that dark.

"The Great Hall is where we'll all be gathering, they'd have to take you there. Mom and I will both be there, I can assure you of that."

Despite the situation, he smiled. "I mean it. Just let me prepare a little first, alright?"

He hated doing this, but he didn't see another way.

"It's going to be okay, Danny."

He gave her an encouraging look, and Toothless nuzzled her before they left.

---------------------------

Hiccup watched the expressions of the crowd change as Eret spoke, feeling a small burst of hope.

He didn't care about how angry Spitelout was, it didn't matter.

But then he heard the screaming.

Oh gods, they found her...

He watched in horror as they dragged her in, throwing her down. Hiccup and Valka rushed over towards Danny.

As Spitelout raged, Hiccup could easily see how minor the wound was. It would easily heal within a few days.

"Clearly, she's terrified! Ivar and Arne are easily twice her size! In that situation, anyone would try to defend themselves." He moved to stand in front of Danny, placing himself between her and the crowd. Astrid walked over, standing by his side.

She piped up. "You know, if I were in her place, I'd have done a lot worse than a little cut, that's for sure." She eyed the two warriors, cutting them a glare.

Valka finally spoke up, "She is a child!"

The crowd quieted, and she continued. "Take into account all that's been said this day. Do not let the words of an angry Viking sway what you know to be true. Another important thing to note is," she motioned for Hiccup and Astrid to step aside, and Valka put an arm around Danny as she spoke. "Hiccup said that she is not responsible for her father's choices, only her own. Well, you know what she chose? To no longer be a Bludvist. She has chosen a different name, one that is Berkian through and through, and I am proud to share it with her."

Hiccup didn't know what to think, he knew this could easily backfire.

He decided to act quickly.

They had talked about the possibility that Danny would need to speak for herself, and that might just be what had to be done.

He moved, and Astrid followed, standing on Danny's other side, and saw the fear on her face, the terror in her eyes.

She was in no shape to address this crowd.

He would, instead.

"We are not defined by who we're related to, or where we're from. What defines us is who we are, and what choices we make. The choice I'm making is to give her a chance. Will that be your choice as well? Or, will you choose to sentence her for crimes she didn't commit?"

It was a risk, that last statement, but it was true. If they condemned her, it would be condemning an innocent life, and he wanted no part of that.

He waited as the crowd debated, heart pounding.

One hand held Astrid's, the other was also protectively wrapped around Danny.

[brunhielda]

I don’t have pics because I can’t draw, but I did, in fact, create a OC 🧚🏻 Princess Rosamund, Knight Champion and Lady of the Court of Wonder.

Imagine Glinda with rich forest brown flowing waves of hair. Usually in Rose pink shades for clothing, but fades to purple to black depending on the situation. She has armor made of shadow.

She is from the court of wonders and is OLD. Like, remembers the void before creation OLD. But not many people know that because she is so good at playing the social game and keeping up with things.

She is one of the founders of the house of WONDER. She is low key the fairygodmother archetype everyone else based themselves on. She decided to be number 2 because she didn’t want to be in charge, and in the last century has been kept out of more and more info, so had no idea about the schemes of season one. She used to be the Courts top ambassador/spy but now she has to do damage control and has no idea what all she has missed.

She is actually very distraught about the loss of the Court of Craft, as its founder was a dear friend. She slowly lost contact with her, and one of her first steps to fix the damage done is to go to Binx with condolences and ask for details concerning her.

Why has she been so out of the loop? Because she PREFERS to be a warrior. She has fought Major Hob in the battle field and respects his honor. She secretly admires the wildness of the goblins more than the stiff society of her own court.. She will stir up trouble with the BIRDS and let them take the blame. She is wild and dark and dangerous all wrapped up in polite speak and pink taffeta.

Her major asset, is when in the direst of need, she remembers how to be shapeless, formless, flowing intent of magic, and uses it to protect others. She is the Godmother that still answers prayers of real distress. She spends most of her days hunting dark shadows in the mortal realms, spear Iike wand in hand, starlight in her eyes, and the occasional goblin horde at her side.

(she is the one who set the tentative treaty between the two courts- one of the stipulations being that she would find scope for thier talents that would not distress the other courts. She was happy to oblige Hunting nightmares- magical or horrible mortal men- is what goblins where MADE for. 😈)

I just love the idea of all these dualities. The pink proper goodness that brokers negotiations and treaties and brings peace 🕊️- and this ancient Eldrich warrior being who hunts shadows in the dark because she herself is enough like them to take them out 👹. And most people only knowing about the perfect pink side, but each of her friends get a glimpse, a tiny tiny glimpse, of the horror beneath. Just facinating.

Also- as a hummus side note- girl is ACE. Girl is so very very ACE. She just went about her business and never bothered. And as she gained power, she accidentally created the “virginity is a power” trope? Like, both magically and mythically, the only reason anyone thinks virginity can be used for anything is because she started a rumor when the world was first made 😅😂. She tries not to let anyone know that was her fault. All those virgin sacrifices! 🫠 Whenever anyone brings that up as an ingredient in magic or marriage contract she gets VERY VERY uncomfortable. 🥴

She has managed to keep herself off the marriage market with this rumor though. To give her hand in marriage would be to give up her “power,” which no one would expect the Court of Wonder to do.

Anyways- anyone with artist skills can feel free to draw her. Like I said- Rosemund dresses in Rose Pink and is very Glinda- very Rose Quartz. Very big and beautiful and ball gowns and sparkles and proper- and can slowly meld into an unthinkably wild unknowable horror 😂. Have fun with that!

Look, I'm not saying it's mandatory but if y'all don't make A Court of Fey and Flowers OCs/Sonas if it gets a season 2/spinoff like you did for Fantasy High, I will be a little disappointed because it is in fact mandatory. I don't make the rules but I do. I wanna see sexy fey in royal, high-fashion, regalia. If you don't, not only will I be disappointed, I know @quiddie would wanna see it too <3

[nevermindirah]

I hope Simone Biles gets to curl up in the fluffiest blanket and hear the funniest jokes from her very favorite people today.

She's 24 years old — she's an adult, and damn did it show today when she was put in the position of announcing to the world that mental illness symptoms caused her to withdraw from an Olympic event. But fuck, 24 is so young. The idea of being forced to disclose what are probably very severe mental illness symptoms to a global audience while those symptoms are happening, my heart just breaks for her.

The media talks about Simone Biles like she's a superhuman. And hell yes, she's the most exceptional gymnast in history! Rave about her all day long! But she is a goddamn human being. I'd forgotten that Larry Nasser abused her, because the media attention is so laser-focused on her historic talent. The media didn't let me forget that asshole abused Aly Raisman.

I just, the human mind was not built for the intense scrutiny this young woman is facing. And so many of our institutions were built specifically to extract money from the dehumanization of Black women. I just really, really hope all the people who love her are holding and protecting her.

Simone Biles makes stunning withdrawal; U.S. women’s gymnastics takes silver

American gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from her final Olympics team competition in Tokyo on July 27, which ultimately lead to Team USA taking silver. (Allie Caren/The Washington Post)

full article under the cut

By   Emily Giambalvo Today (Tuesday July 27, 2021) at 1:39 p.m. EDT

TOKYO — When Simone Biles soars through the air, her skills flow in an effortless rhythm that makes the extraordinary seem simple. She’s been superhumanly dominant for nearly a decade, even with a load of pressure and expectation always resting on her shoulders. But as Biles pushed off the vaulting table Tuesday night, her first flight of the evening, a peculiar sight emerged: She looked lost and shaken as she flipped and twisted, unable to perform the skill she intended.

So Biles did the unthinkable. She stepped away from the meet and her role in the United States’ quest for another Olympic gold medal in the women’s gymnastics team competition.

After her unusual vault, Biles scurried out of the arena with a medical staffer by her side. She said she realized she wasn’t in “the right head space.” When she returned to the competition floor, she pulled her sweatsuit over her leotard and hugged her three teammates, who suddenly became aware they would have to compete without her.

At first, they were stressed and in tears. Ultimately, they earned a silver medal, placing second to the Russian Olympic Committee team.

At 24, Biles is the veteran on the women’s team. But she says she doesn’t trust herself as she used to. The sport doesn’t feel as much fun, she says. Nerves bubble to the surface, especially in the high-stakes environment of an Olympic gymnastics team final. And on Tuesday, it all became too much for the world’s best gymnast.

“I know that this Olympic Games, I wanted it to be for myself,” Biles said afterward, tearing up. “I came here, and I felt like I was still doing it for other people. So that just hurts my heart that doing what I love has been kind of taken away from me to please other people.”

Biles stands among the world’s most popular athletes. She holds power to spark change with her words. She’s been an outspoken critic of USA Gymnastics, the national governing body she represents, and how it failed to protect gymnasts from sexual abuse. Biles is the only self-identified survivor of former national team doctor Larry Nassar’s crimes still competing at the elite level.

After the United States qualified for the team final in second place on Sunday, Biles wrote on social media: “I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times.”

When asked about those comments following her decision to withdraw from the team final, Biles said: “Yeah, that s---- heavy.”

Five years ago, when Biles led the United States to a gold medal at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she probably wouldn’t have made the choice to withdraw, she told reporters. She said she might have pushed through, attempting dangerous skills while second-guessing herself and “fighting all those demons” that occupied her mind. In 2021, she said, withdrawing was the right option — for her safety and even for the team’s medal chances.

“We want to walk out of here,” Biles said. “Not be dragged out of here on a stretcher or anything. So it's like, got to do what's best for me and that was what was best for the team.”

Biles arrived in Tokyo with the expectation that she could earn up to five gold medals. Now she has a silver and a spot in five individual finals — the all-around competition, as well as the final for each apparatus. But she doesn’t know what lies ahead for her at these Games.

“We’re going to take it a day at a time and we’ll see what happens,” Biles said. She confirmed that she had no physical injury, “just my pride is hurt a little bit.”

With the all-around final Thursday, Biles admits that there will be a quick turnaround. Annie Heffernon, the vice president of the U.S. women’s gymnastics program, said USA Gymnastics has a plan in place to help get Biles the professional support she needs. Biles said in the past, therapy has helped with mental health challenges. But this high-stress atmosphere of the Olympics made the struggle on the competition floor too much to overcome.

“Going into the next couple days, it’s like …” Biles said, pausing to collect her emotions as her teammates wrapped their arms around her. “Sorry,” she then said. “It is what it is. Whatever happens, happens.”

Biles could return to herself — a dominant gymnast who understands that her performance here is secondary. Or she might not feel comfortable enough to compete again. Biles said her goal for the rest of the Olympics is to “focus on my well-being and [that] there’s more to life than just gymnastics.”

As Biles trained for her second Olympics, she said she wanted the Games to be about herself — not about what others thought and not all those otherworldly expectations that she can somehow usually meet anyway. As these Games approached, she said, she felt that mind-set drifting. The struggles seeped into her training, prompting mental errors. The vault in the team final was the first public sign that something was not right, but her teammates had witnessed similar episodes in practices.

“She was giving us a little heart attack,” teammate Jordan Chiles said.

“It just sucks that it happens here at the Olympic Games, because it can happen any other time,” Biles said. “But with the year that it’s been, I’m really not surprised how it played out.”

As Biles stood on the sideline Tuesday night wearing a white sweatsuit and cheering for her teammates, she processed the drastic decision she had made on the sport’s biggest stage.

“At the end of the day we’re human, too,” Biles said, “We have to protect our mind and our body rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do.”

[yandere-vale]

Yandere Ororo Munroe/Storm Headcanons.

Warning: Normal yandere stuff but you should know that if you read my writing anyways.

This is for The-Broken-Truth! Thank you for the request!

(I move like a snail in the winter! Hope this meets your expectations! Sorry for being late!)

"Do not worry little one, you are safe here...safe with me. The world out there is scared of us..fears us. But here..I won't let anything hurt you."

Storm has always been a role model for the students of the Xavier Institute and many students(even though they would never openly admit it) see her as a motherly figure in their lives. And why wouldn't she be? Storm is caring, intelligent, confident, strong, and brave. Always willing to put herself between anything that puts those she cares about in danger.

You don't know how important you are to Storm's mental stability. Her powers are tied directly to her emotional state and the only thing that and keep her calm is you. Storm constantly worries about you when you aren't with her, hell it's even the same when you two are together. Worries and self-doubts always flow like crashing water through her mind about everything and anything she does or says.

Did her words offend you? Do you want her to come closer? Further? Do you hate her? Do you love her? It's a never ending stream of worries that keep her on edge or at least speed her towards the cliff of the unthinkable. She needs you to be safe if she ever hopes for her thoughts to simmer down. Storm is careful as much as she can be with keeping her powers in check, normally what gives her emotional state away is the flickering of any lights nearby.

Storm would instantly take the spot as your mentor and only teacher once she's informed that you have powers just like her. She can't have someone rough like Logan or as careless as Scott to look after you. She needs to be the one to have you in her line of sight at all times. She does this by taking the spot of a mother figure for you as many mutants have issues with their parents; being the common reason for them to arrive at the institute.

Why isn't she teaching you the cooler things of controlling the weather? It's a question you want to ask her because when she's teaching you, she never ventures into the 'scary' side of the weather. Focusing on cloud shifting and making it rain(but only lightly.) When you do ask or try and voice your concerns she all but throws out the victim card. You know about how she was manipulated and used in the past and she always voices her worries of someone(not her) manipulating you. She tells you that she's only doing this because she wants to make you prepared for when you are ready to face the outside world. It will just be when SHE'S ready for you to face it.

You like how Storm is so willing to care and teach you how to better use your power but her..behaviour is a fair bit odd. You like the help she's always so willing to give but it feels like she's hovering around you, waiting for the second she can step in and take over the situation. On one hand she's stopped you from being bullied and is always there when you need some comfort in. But you find yourself feeling odd around her. You actually end up feeling like walking on eggshells because you've seen her anger flare and the lights pop and shattering.

In this school only one person can really help you with the concerns you have, Professor X. It's not like he hasn't been aware of all that's been going on either. From Storm's racing thoughts that grow more and more concerning as the weeks pass, to how uncomfortable you were getting due to the cracks in her behaviour. If he was your normal every day person, he might have a talk with Storm about how she's acting. He might, but he won't. He's a smart man and it doesn't take him long to weight the options he has in front of him. And, he's figured that it's much easier to 'smooth the edges' of the worries you've been feeling.

You aren't even aware of the mentally tampering going on in your mind. You can't even remember why you had been stressed out. Xavier only feels a small amount of remorse in his part in all of this but it's not like it can be helped. He has many things on his plate and the feelings and emotions of two single people isn't something he wants to waste time on. He'll try to talk to her about calming down but if it works is all up to luck.

Either way you have the love of one of the world's strongest mutants even if you never asked for it. As long as you can 'weather' the 'storm' is all up to how strong you really are.