#I don’t necessarily have proof of this but I reckon they’re probably from around the middle of Cookie history

[quibbs126]

I feel like maybe in CRK the Witches are a bit too removed from the world and lore of the game. That’s not to say they’re completely absent, we know they’re worshipped as the Cookies’ creator, not to mention there’s a whole religion/cult (I’m not sure how much of it is one or the other) surrounding them, as well as the Common trio having met and escaped from a Witch, it’s just that the Cookies’ creation, as well as their initial interactions and relationship to the Witches feels so far removed from the current day setting

Like, maybe they could have had it so that the Ancient Heroes were from the time of the Witches? Like they have in fact interacted with Witches beforehand and were baked at a time when they were still a very looming presence and threat?

I mean sure you’d have to change a lot about White Lily’s/Dark Enchantress’ backstory and motivation, considering that in this scenario all the Ancients know what the deal is with the Witches and why they were baked, but still, maybe it would have been better?

Well maybe not better, I’m no game writer, but at least adhered more to how the series started with Cookies escaping from the Witch and her oven by having important characters who in this universe lived through that time period?

[vivithefolle]

Hi! First up, I want to say I love your blog and it’s so refreshing to read your analyses and find other people who love Ron, so thank you!

So, I’ve been thinking about the argument between Ron and Ginny in HBP and I wondered about another interpretation. When Ron says ‘do you think I want people saying my sister’s a...’, I wondered if he was also thinking about what happened to Hermione in Goblet of Fire with all the Krum and Harry business.

Schools are absolute hotbeds of gossip and rumours can spread like wildfire. And, let’s be honest, teenagers are arseholes. Ron saw what happened to Hermione with those rumours and he doesn’t want the same happening with Ginny. I wonder if that’s more his motive than slut-shaming her. It’s like ‘I don’t mind you dating, but please be careful, I don’t want you getting hurt like Hermione did.’ Of course, being a teenager himself (and also probably with the added shock of seeing her snogging Dean, which, let’s be honest, would probably shock anyone if they weren’t expecting it! If I had a sibling and saw that, I’d probably be gobsmacked too! Yeah, I know it’s happening; I don’t necessarily want to see it, especially unexpectedly. Plus, you know, it’s really awkward!) he doesn’t react in the best way. He snaps. But I think it’s partly because he’s worried and scared for her and that manifests as him shouting. (Honestly, I’ve done the same; been worried/scared for someone and gotten angry and snappy like that.)

(By the way - and I know this is more my issue than anyone else’s - I was more upset by Ginny virgin-shaming Ron than the rest of the scene. It just really reminded me of my peers at school doing the same to me. Mocking me for not having kissed anyone, teasing me for being a prude and uncomfortable with sex...it wasn’t nice.)

Again, love your blog and I hope I didn’t intrude! xxx

You’re not intruding hon, don’t worry :)

In fact, I think you’re on to something. He was probably recalling not only Hermione being shamed by the world in GOF, but remember that Ron himself was subjected to public humiliation and being the subject of mockery everywheree in fifth year with Weasley Is Our King. So in his mind he’s remembering this sort of humiliation and wants to protect his little sister.

But. But, but, but, he still expressed himself terribly and there was indeed an element of slut-shaming even if he didn’t mean it. And I do think he did mean it. Let’s remember he’s been raised by Molly Weasley, who is quite traditional (which is okay, she wants it herself), and given how young she was when she married Arthur and had Bill, it’s probable that Molly didn’t have one or two boyfriends like Ginny did, rather just dated Arthur straightaway. This would give Ron major “one true love” vibe, and while he’s all bluster and macho like “ha, yeah, pretty girls amirite” deep down he is also a big sappy romantic who sees his parents and sees the ideal couple, and his idea is that maybe somehow he’ll have the same love story as them, maybe somehow he’ll manage to ask Hermione out and they’ll get their first kiss together and then it’s happily ever after!

And so he doesn’t understand why Ginny is dating around. Because why is she doing that? Why did she throw away her first kiss when she could have shared it with Harry instead? And thrown away the second, and the third, and the fourth...

Ron doesn’t seem to understand dating for the sake of dating. For someone the fandom likes to portray as super sexual and macho he’s really a lot more prudish and romantic than he lets on.

And yeah, I reckon that as long as he wasn’t seeing Ginny “gallivanting” (he would totally “gallivanting” come on, he says “scarlet woman”, that silly goose) with her boyfriend he could at least pretend it was “out of sight out of mind, she never kissed anyone if I didn’t see her do it! La la la!” But then there’s the encounter in the corridor when he gets the BLATANT proof that nope Ron, your sister has kissed and is currently kissing boys, better get over it - it’s then that his delusion gets shattered by reality and he freaks out on her.

None of it was right. Well, Ginny was right to be kissing her boyfriend, Ron and Harry were right to be going back to the common room because uuuh yeah they’re gonna stay outside it’s cold outside, but the way they handled the situation... well only Dean (who fled) and Harry (who heroically T-posed in an effort to prevent them from fighting, not that it stopped them from drawing their wands) reacted maturely in that scene.

Also, can relate on the virgin-shaming front. But that personal bias doesn’t make what Ron said okay, obviously.

[scarlet--wiccan]

I don’t think Wanda’s mutant status actually matters nearly as much as it should for Billy and Tommy especially, mutants are born with their powers (though usually dormant), Wanda and pietro (currently) got their powers from the HE but the twins were seemingly born mutants. Either she made them mutants subconsciously bc she believed she was, or they’re the mutant children of a mutate (like Franklin Richards). Not defending the retcon and DEFINITELY not defending the way Wanda’s been treated and how weird that makes Tommy’s relationship status but I don’t think non mutant Wanda necessarily means Billy and Tommy aren’t. They should clarify, where Tommy’s powers even come from if pietro got his from THE especially confused me, but usually powered kids of mutates have been considered mutants.

That being said it probably doesn’t matter bc Sc*rletVisi*n is probably going to make all of them mutants point blank so the comics will shift to accommodate that. Apparently Peter from the xmen is going to come in and bring mutants somehow which sounds horrible (and though ATJ still shouldn’t have been playing pietro as a white man he was at least semi recognizable as quicksilver from the comics and Jewish. I hate xmcu quicksilver A LOT more than mcu QS even though neither is good) and ridiculous but the leak has gotten a lot of crap right so far.

I’m assuming the plan is to retcon the retcon with this krakoa event but they’re waiting until the big tv reveal because unfortunately the movies/shows are their priority now. I think the only good think is that krakoa seems so far divorced from any status quo (mcu or otherwise) that making the maximoffs mutants (again) will have to be completely divorced from the mcu so there’s a chance the storyline might not be terrible? I don’t want the whitewashed maximoffs to have any more of an impact on the comic characters, even though I know that’s impossible.

Well, for one thing, they just retconned Franklin as a "false" mutant, too. I'm not saying that was a good choice, but if we're talking about the current status quo, he definitely doesn't hold up as an example. The definition of "mutant" has shifted over the years, but, generally speaking, when we talk about X-Men mutants, we're talking about people with a specific genetic feature, the X-gene. I suppose that a child of a human mutate who inherits superhuman or abnormal genetic traits from their parents would be, by definition, a mutant, but if they don't have the X-gene, it's not the same thing. Are there a lot of other characters like Franklin, who were allegedly born with the X-gene because their parents are mutates? Because I can't think of any off the top of my head.

Anyways, this is a hard point to debate because the 2015 retcons were poorly executed and poorly justified-- it's, like, impossible to retroactively view Wanda and Pietro as non-mutants when, in the past, their mutant status was an integral part of their characters and a key plot point in several major events. House of M, Son of M, and AvX literally don't make sense if they aren't mutants-- Pietro was depowered by the "no more mutants" spell, and Hope was able to mimic Wanda's powers. Neither of these things would be possible if they weren't real mutants. The explanation can't just be that Wanda believed herself to be a mutant, and so her magic functioned accordingly-- if that's how it's supposed to work, the reveal in Axis never could have happened the way it did. Do you see what I mean? I'm running circles around myself trying to make it make sense.

That aside, Billy and Tommy's status as mutants has always been a little nebulous-- I don't think they're ever clearly identified as such in any Young Avengers titles, although they were definitely described as mutants in some of their other appearances-- Secret Invasion always comes to mind. You could argue that their powers are a factor of their magical resurrection, rather than being genetic, but, as I've said in the past, I do think that the twins are genetically continuous to their original incarnations. More to the point, their "mutations" match Wanda and Pietro's almost exactly. This is taken as proof of their connection to Wanda, so, based on that significance, I'm inclined to say the nature of their powers should also match, mutant or not. Plus, don't you think it'd be a weird coincidence if they had the same abilities, but from a different source?

[As a disclaimer, I do tend to think of/refer to the entire Maximoff family as mutants when I'm not directly addressing the retcons. This is because they were written as such for decades, so they are still mutant characters within most of the existing material.]

__________________________________

I have heard some of those leaks and rumors, and I agree that if the Axis retcon is going to be reversed, even partially, it will probably happen if and when MCU!Wanda comes to be known as a mutant. As I've said, I'm not invested in that character and I don't think there's any way, at this point, to fix the problems that she represents, so I don't really care where she ends up in the movies. I will say that I'm not terribly worried about the films influencing Wanda's appearance or characterization in the comics-- even after the Axis retcon, which was clearly motivated by IP concerns related to the movies, the changes she went through had nothing to do with MCU!Wanda and actually differentiated them even further.

That said, while Hickman's treatment of Wanda may be a red herring or set-up for some big reveal, I don't trust him, or Howard, with the character in any circumstance. More importantly, I care less about Wanda being a mutant than I care about the way Hickman, like Remender before him, is carrying on with the worst, most offensive aspects of her mid-2000s characterization. The levels of ableism and misogyny House of M, Disassembled, etc are too great to ignore. It is irresponsible for contemporary writers to refer back to those stories without acknowledging those problems, or at least attempting to shift the narrative for the better.

It's also really hurtful to me, as someone who sees their identity and history reflected in this character, to see her painted as pseudo-genocidal, or a race/class traitor, or a self-hating minority. Wanda has only become that character because gadjekane writers have chosen to project those those notions onto the image of a Roma woman. That sucks, and it sucks even more that so many fans, and industry pros, turn their ire onto the character, rather than reckoning with the real problem.

[ghostofbambifanfiction]

Jilytober Drabble 2 - Study

"That's my table."

Lily's quill halts mid-sentence. "Pardon?"

"That's my table," James Potter repeats, one hand shooting into his hair as soon as their eyes meet. His school bag hangs loosely over one shoulder, and there's a fleck of mud on his cheek—a remnant, no doubt, of the morning they'd spent planting bulbs in Herbology. "I study here all the time."

Her response to this is the obvious and uninspired, a disbelieving scoff and the lift of an eyebrow. "You're telling me that you study?"

"If that's the best you can do," he easily replies, "I reckon old age has robbed you of your wit."

"I reckon you're only two months younger than I am and never had much wit in the first place."

That bit of cheek elicits the slightest lift of his lips, and his hazel eyes seem to lighten behind his glasses, but his smile falls away before it has a chance to properly settle.

"Seriously, though," he says, shifting the strap of his bag so it sits higher on his shoulder, "I’ve got that essay to finish for Sluggy and this is my spot. I can't get anything done in the common room with those first years running around like wild animals."

"There are plenty of other tables in the library, and I don't see your name on this one."

"Actually," he replies, with a barely repressed note of arrogance, "you'll find my name right there." He leans forward, closer to her, bringing with him the scent of something clean and boyish and distractingly pleasant, and drops a finger to the table. "See?"

There, proudly engraved into the otherwise smooth oaken surface, is a small, roughly hewn James P.

Lily blinks at it.

"Ta-dah," says a smug James. "Game, set and match, Evans."

"So, what? You think now I should reward you for your act of vandalism?"

"What else are you going to do, deduct points and give me a detention for something I did in fourth year?"

"I could if I wanted."

"After we’ve just pulled ahead of Ravenclaw?"

"Well, fine, if it gets you to stop lurking around me like a ghost." She gestures to the empty chair on the other side of the table. "Sit down."

Instead of flinging himself gratefully into the proffered chair and thanking her for her kindness, he remains where he is, teetering rather dangerously to one side.

"Where are you going to go?" he asks her.

"I'm not going anywhere," she says. "We can share the table or you can leave. Your choice."

James expels a loud huff of breath, as if to indicate that she has caused him some great inconvenience, but does as he’s told and sits down, dropping his bag to the floor beside his chair, so Lily returns to her homework.

Except he doesn’t start to unpack, doesn’t load the table with books and quills and rolls of parchment, doesn’t do anything.

He just looks at her.

For a full minute, maybe longer, try as Lily might to pretend she can’t feel his eyes boring into crown of her head.

Finally, unable to pretend she hasn't noticed what he’s doing, she pulls her gaze up to meet his, and he rewards her with a grin which tells her that getting her attention was his plan all along, a grin that makes her feel… rather a lot, actually.

He makes her feel a lot. He always has, and though a lot didn't necessarily encompass particularly positive feelings, once upon a time, now it's all flip-flopping tummies and thumping hearts and pesky butterflies fluttering away whenever she catches his eye.

"Those bloody first years, eh?" he says, as if they're enjoying a spot of idle conversation over lunch. "Making us resort to using the library to work, of all places."

"They're noisy little shits," she replies, unable to help herself.

"They get worse every year, you know. We definitely weren't that bad when we were eleven."

"I wasn't that bad, and you were almost certainly worse." She points her quill at him. "I thought you had a Potions essay to finish?"

"I do," he says, "but I don't do well with distractions."

"What's distracting you?"

He answers, not in words, but with a meaningful nod in her direction.

Lily's heart leaps for joy.

She’s got too much pride to admit that, though, so she feigns an annoyance she doesn't really feel. "All I'm doing is sitting here quietly, Potter."

"I know, and it's mightily distracting."

"My sitting here quietly is mightily distracting?"

"You’ve got a very pretty face," he says, so bluntly, as if this completely justifies his lack of productivity. "Not that I blame you for my being distracted, that’s entirely my fault and you’re just sitting here quietly, but my plan kind of hinged on you getting up and leaving."

"You really thought I'd get up and leave?" she retorts, rather than tell him the truth, rather than admit that she finds his face distracting, and that he’s really very lovely, and that they should probably use their time more productively and snog for an hour, or something.

"Why not? I've shown you irrefutable proof that this is my table," he says, tapping the smooth, blank stretch of wood just above the crude engraving of his name, "so you're just being stubborn at this point."

"Oh, I'm being stubborn?"

"As a mule."

"Fine, then," she says, and bats at his hand. "Move."

James jerks his hand away from the table and Lily leans over it, scratching her quill across the blank space above his name, her mouth set in a firm, determined line.

She doesn't look up until she's finished, and the nib of her quill has been sacrificed to a fresh, neatly carved Lily E, pettily done in cursive to offset the sloppy mess that sits below her name.

"There," she says triumphantly, and lets her quill fall across her parchment, "now it's my table, too."

He blinks down at what she’s done as if he can’t believe she’s done it.

Neither can Lily, really. Goodness knows what she would have said if Pince had caught her.

Goodness knows what she will say when Pince notices.

"You defaced a desk," says James, looking up at her after a somewhat prolonged silence.

"Yes," Lily airily agrees. "I did.

"You’ll have to give yourself detention."

"I think that nearly six years of winning back the house points you've lost us has earned me one reprieve."

"And that's what you do with it?" His eyes flick over the engraving again, then he lets out a quick, short laugh. "You realise what that looks like, don't you?"

She looks down at her freshly carved name, now coupled neatly with his, and feels a sudden warmth rising in her cheeks.

"In hindsight," she admits, "I can see I’ve made a mistake."

"It looks as if you've written our names together—"

"Yeah, I got that, you don't need to explain—"

"It looks as if you fancy me—"

"Nobody's going to think—"

"No need to clarify, I understand you perfectly." He straightens his posture, drawing himself up, and pretends to adjust a nonexistent tie. "Yes, Lily Evans, I will marry you, but I think we should wait until we're done with school, or at least until I've also come of age. From an entirely legal standpoint, I'm technically still a child for another three weeks."

"I agree, you are a child, but I don't think turning seventeen is going to cure you of that." Beneath the table, she finds his foot with her own and gives it a quick, harmless little kick with the toe of her shoe. "Now, for the sake of my sanity, be quiet and finish your essay."

He grins at her, nudges her foot in return. "Will you look it over when I'm done, Potions genius?"

"Yes, of course. Will you give me a hand practicing human Transfiguration?"

"Anything for you, darling wife."

She shakes her head and returns to her homework, but she can't quell her smile, nor the flush that steals across her cheeks, nor the silly, telling butterflies skittering wildly in her tummy. "Thanks, husband."

Lily knew it was his table. He studies here every day.

She wouldn’t have sat here otherwise.

[robininthelabyrinth]

Fic: The Swiftest Course (Ao3) (Chapter 7/8)

Fandom: Flash, DC’s Legends Pairing: Barry Allen/Leonard Snart/Mick Rory, Eddie Thawne/Iris West Summary:

Barry of Allen is on his way to the capital of Tortall for the final part of his knight training, hiding a secret that could threaten his career there. He’s determined to keep his head down and not get into trouble.

He isn’t expecting to meet Len, Corus’ Rogue, or his right-hand man, Mick. Or meet Princess Iris and his new friends, Cisco and Caitlin.

He certainly wasn’t expecting to be roped into adventure.

(It’s the Gods’ fault, really.)

A/N: For joyous-lee, who purchased one of my stories for the FandomTrumpsHate event. She requested a Tortall AU, with Barry as Alanna. Thank you so much for your patience, and I hope you enjoy it!

——————————————————————————————–

When Len told the group they needed a distraction, he was already planning on involving fire but, he reflects, perhaps not this much fire.

Of course, with Mick involved, he really ought to have known better. Mick's answer to everything is fire, more fire, bigger fire.

In this case, a few carefully placed blazes in Len’s plan turns into “burn down part of the knights’ court” in Mick’s execution.

Len's slightly amazed that Iris agreed to the whole burning part of the plan, but judging from Cisco, Caitlin and Barry's avid agreement, it's clearly a part that no one has much affection for.

Also, Len has to admit that Mick's idea for avoiding the Provost's Men is...ingenious. While still being somewhat traditional.

"We're going to summon all the rats of Corus to run through the palace and burn it down," Mick explains to a fascinated looking Iris. "Like how the Wild Mage summoned the rats of Carthak port to lend their life energy for the Rampage of the Bones."

"But we don't have wild magic," Iris objects.

"We don't need it. We have Faithful. Faithful will explain to the rats what we need to get done."

A moment of silence.

"Really?!" Iris bursts out. She's beaming like a small child. "Your Faithful is the Faithful? The Cat?"

"The Rat, at the moment," Mick says cheerfully.

"I knew it!" Barry crows.

Len's glad they're all happy about it. He's just going to continue being even more bitter about the fact that Faithful sometimes liked to stay in the room while he and Mick were having some precious downtime together.

Faithful liked to squeak at - inopportune moments.

Though, to be fair, he didn't make a peep when they'd finally gotten together with Barry.

Len still glares.

He swears the rat is snickering at him and no, Mick, he is not going to believe that he isn't really doing it this time. The time for excuses is over.

"Does everyone know what they're doing?" Len asks the group instead of throwing something at the rat. That would be undignified.

Everyone nods.

"Go. I'll raise the streets as a fallback."

With Barry by his side, getting back to the Dancing Dove is a snap.

The next part is - probably easier than it ought to be, really. Power shouldn’t be concentrated in the hands of the few, but Len supposes if it has to be, better in his hands than anyone else’s.

"I need a crowd," he tells his bully boys.

"What, in midday? What about the Provost's Men?"

"Let them come," Len says. "I've identified the caster of the Sickness, and I want everyone to know that a reckoning is coming."

The bully boys peal out of there at a run, devotion glowing in their eyes. Len reflects with some amusement that Barry's remarkable nose for trouble might have done more to help Len establish his standing among his men than any plot or plan that he might've accomplished alone.

"You think we have enough time to wait for a crowd?" Barry asks him. He's clutching that basket of dolls like he's afraid someone will run up and grab it, which, fair. Len’s gotten him to cover it with a cloth for the moment.

"The others need time to set up," Len points out. "No, Barry; we're going to give them all the time we need and signal them when we're ready, and we're going to do it by marching a goddamn mob to their front door."

The bully boys do their jobs well - within half an hour, the street in front of the Dancing Dove is packed full. It's not a broad street by any means, so it's only a few hundred people that Len can see, but Len's certain that it's enough.

Nothing travels faster through the streets of Corus than gossip - not even speedsters.

There’s a little platform for public addresses, just outside the Dove; it was installed when the Rogues’ role expanded.

Now - for the fun part.

"People of Corus," Len shouts.

They roar back. The poor, the dependent, the homeless, the criminals of Tortall - they know who he is, they know what he stands for, and they know as well as he does that if he calls on them in vain his neck will be on the chopping block.

"These last few weeks, we fought not just a disease, but men,” he says into the crowd, letting his drop in volume force the crowd silent, a sudden hush that makes his voice ring all the louder through the empty air. “Men who don’t care what price is paid in their pursuit of power; men that sent us a curse that kills our families, our friends, all to try to throw down the current system in order to line their own pockets. The Sweating Sickness killed lots of us, all in the name of making us distrust the king – but we don’t fall for that, do we?”

The crowd roars a negative.

“Of course not,” Len says with satisfaction. “People of Corus, we’re the backbone of this country; we and we alone are the final arbiters! Only we can march upon the palace to make the demands of those that are forgotten!”

The crowd makes even more noise.

“We found the source of the Sickness,” he shouts, raising his voice at last. “We tracked it to its source and freed our city from its clutches: from now on, we fear only disease, and not spells!”

The sound of the crowd is now nearly deafening.

Len raises his hands for silence and, after a few moments, they give it to him.

“That’s not all we found,” he tells them. “We have found worse – proof of treachery! A bespelling, to hide its caster – bring forward now what we found!”

Barry steps forward, is practically pushed forward, until he’s by Len’s side.

Len yanks the cloth off. “You know what this is,” he shouts the crowd. “You grew up on the stories of Alanna, same as me!”

The crowd goes totally nuts.

“I give you names!” he bellows. “I give you Thawne Eobard of Bergen! I give you Master Damien Darkh! I give you Malcolm Lord Merlyn! And more than that, I give you justice!”

Mother Flame, but Len loves his job sometimes.

The crowd starts chanting.

It’s not just a few hundred people anymore. Len still can’t see them all, but their voices flood the nearby streets.

They’re chanting Justice.

“Come with me,” Len shouts. “Come with me to the palace, where we will demand their heads!”

The crowd rushes forward, arms up, and it’s only Barry’s burst of speed that saves Len from being literally hoisted into the air on the arms of his people.

Good.

Len hates it when they do that.

"Mob, check," he tells Barry cheerfully. Barry shakes his head, but his cheeks are flushed and he's beaming.

"You're something else, Len," he says. "Let's go."

"Slow and steady."

"I know that! I don't always zip around, you know - I kept it secret for years, I'll have you know -"

"I'd zip around all the time if I could," Len says.

"No, you wouldn't," Barry replies, infuriatingly sure. "You'd get bored at how easy it would make thieving."

The sad part, of course, is that Barry's right.

Oh, well.

The mob is still chanting – Justice, Justice, Justice – and their numbers are growing as people come out of their houses and join them in the street, engulfing Len and Barry and pulling them along with the crowd, the whole mob arrowing straight for the court proper - the king's court - and gathering up even more people as it goes.

They're singing songs that mostly end in "head on a pike" or some very clever slant rhymes involving Eobard and bastard.

Times like this, Len remembers how much he loves his city.

They make it to the palace, which is already on fire in parts.

Excellent.

Len slides through the crowd like only a thief can and gets to Barry's side.

"Now or never," he tells him.

Barry swallows hard, but nods. "Let's do this."

They make their way inside, the guards yielding to the Rogue in return for him ordering the crowd not to attack them. Len's happy to do it – he's never liked hurting people who are just doing their jobs, though he's not squeamish about it, either.

Even inside the palace, the crowd outside is audible, but the sudden decrease in the noise is immediate and noticeable.

Len and Barry exchange looks and head for the main hall.

Inside, King Joseph – he prefers "Joe", but Len isn’t feeling on friendly terms at the moment – is on his feet, shouting for order, as people scurry around trying to obey his instructions. His wife isn't present - she was hit pretty bad by the Sickness - but his son, Wally, is there, looking tired and still sickly.

"What's going on out there?!" the King roars, with some pretty impressive lungs for royalty. "I want answers, not excuses."

Eobard is on his left, Darkh and Merlyn on his right.

Well, then.

Len brings his fingers to his mouth and whistles the loudest and most piercing whistle he can, and he was born on a fishmonger's street. He can pierce stone if he puts his mind to it.

The room flinches, all together, and turn to look at them.

Len focuses his gaze on the King, who he's pleased to see recognizes him immediately.

As the room begins to speak again, the King throws up his hands. "Quiet!"

They go quiet.

"The Court of Tortall welcomes the Rogue of Corus," the King says formally. He knows what it means for the Rogue to raise a mob and come to court, even if he doesn't necessarily like it. "What is your grievance?"

"Not a grievance," Len says mildly. "An objection, and a favor done - to you."

"A favor? From the Rogue?"

"From your own knight," Len says. "In training, but whatever. Barry?"

Barry steps forward.

"Barry?" a woman, richly dressed, standing beside the king, asks. She has the same warm features as Barry - this must be Nora of Allen, the King's Spymaster. "What's going on?"

"You've been bespelled," Barry says, and pulls off the basket cover. "All of you."

Murmurs break out.

Everyone knows what the dolls stand for. They know their history.

"It was Thawne Eobard," Barry says, meeting the other man's eyes. Eobard doesn't look worried, though, which worries Len. "And his allies - Master Darkh and Lord Merlyn."

King Joe’s eyes narrow. "Is this true?" he asks them.

"Afraid so," Eobard replies, smiling slickly. "Not that it matters."

Len doesn't see what he means to do in time, but Barry does, dropping the basket and zipping across the room in time to pull King Joe’s out of the line of Eobard's rapidly vibrating hand.

"So you do have the speedster Gift," Darkh says, looking annoyed. "And you're wasting your time training as a knight?!"

"Well, for one thing, I don't see it as a waste," Barry shoots back.

"You're a mage?!" Nora exclaims. "Barry, why didn't you tell me?"

Barry opens his mouth to respond, but Eobard lunges forward again, forcing Barry to yet again pull King Joe back from the danger zone. This time, there can be no doubt as to Eobard's deadly intentions, and that seems to rouse the King out of his shock.

"Knights of Tortall, to me!" King Joe shouts, but none of the armed knights in the room move.

"Sorry about that," Merlyn says. He doesn't sound sorry in the slightest. "The binding from the spell is all well and good, but I've bound them with loyalty and oaths - they're my knights, now."

"Not all of them," Cisco shouts, and pushes his way through what used to be a mirror and is now, unheard by anyone in the room, a blackened passageway. Len honestly doesn't want to know - sometimes he thinks Cisco's talents are wasted on both weaving and knighthood, and that he ought to have gone into smithing and inventing instead.

Cisco and Caitlin have a fairly large number of knights behind them.

Len grins. That'll make this a little more even.

Merlyn snorts. "My knights are far superior to yours," he boasts.

"They're traitors," Caitlin says. "We're not - and there's more of us."

"Why?" King Joe asks. “Why betray me?”

Len snorts. "Power. Obviously."

"Not wrong," Eobard says. He's eying Barry. "You're powerful, and very fast, if you defeated the Sickness."

Barry shrugs.

"Let's see how fast you are."

With that as his only warning, Eobard darts forward again, and then all that can be seen are two bolts of lightning, Barry's yellow and Eobard's red, going across the great hall and then out to the palace around them.

Len pulls out his crossbow. He'll have a trick of it, getting Eobard without hitting Barry - though perhaps if he hit them both, he could use the momentary advantage to assist Barry even if he's a bit icy –

"As fun as this all is," Darkh says. "I'm afraid you have nothing to counter me."

He raises his hands and a ball of flame appears between his hands. Darkh is the King’s Mage because of his tricks, but that was a matter of impatience, not because he wasn't capable - he has one of the few remaining manifold Gifts, fire and moving things without touching them and even transmutation.

"That's not true," Iris' voice rings out. She's at the regular entrance, Mick by her side, and she holds in her own hand the Jewel, blazing purple, and around her grow a multitude of creeping, flowering vines. "I will counter you."

"The Dominion Jewel," Darkh says, and his eyes are avid and greedy. "That was thought lost."

"It was lost," Iris says. "But in the time of Tortall's need, it was found once more."

Darkh considers this for a moment, then - without warning - throws the fireball straight at her.

"Iris!" Joe and Wally both shout, panic evident in their voices - unnecessary panic, since Mick takes half a step to the side and takes the fireball dead on.

His clothing isn't even singed.

Mick's grin, as he pulls out his own crossbow, is particularly gleeful.

Len sighs a little to himself. Years of telling Mick he has to be careful when he uses that damn heat crossbow, all now useless because Mick's discovered that he's apparently fireproof now. He definitely wasn’t before – that new skill is no doubt some magic mumble-mumble nonsense about coming of age and accepting his heritage or some rot. Mick'll be intolerable about it, too, Len just knows it.

"Merlyn!" Eobard shouts from where he's chasing Barry. "Don't just stand there! Do something!"

Merlyn grins. "My knights! The time is at hand!"

"For Tortall!" Cisco shouts, drawing his own sword. Caitlin and the other knights echo the call, and both sides charge each other, the nobles that had filled the room before wisely fleeing to the corners where the likelihood of getting skewered is lower, those with knighthoods grabbing whatever weapon they can manage to lay their hands on and join the fray on whatever side they prefer.

The majority side with their rightful ruler - and the Dominion Jewel - but far too many take up arms against.

Worse, the mess will make it even more difficult to help Barry - or even to keep an eye on him.

But Len's always been good at crowds.

Len takes careful aim and fires.

He hits Eobard right in the heels, forcing him to stagger and slow down.

"Use the sword," Len calls to Barry, who nods and draws Lightning.

"What use is a sword against a speedster of superior ability?" Eobard scoffs.

Barry grins and runs.

Eobard chases, only to run straight into the lightning bolt Barry casts from the point of his sword.

"One of the ancient Conté swords," Len hears Merlyn say, his voice just as greedy as Darkh's had been. "Just as predicted."

Predicted?

Speedster Gift.

Len researched all the writings on that form of Gift once he realized that that was what Barry had - in between dealing with Sickness related crises, of course - and he's seen a few references to speedsters being able to use their Gift to see the future.

Damnit, no wonder they weren't worried - they predicted this battle. Everything that Len planned, they knew - the Dominion Jewel, Lightning, the mob, everything.

In fact, even as he's thinking it, more of Merlyn's knights pour through the doors, cutting off Cisco and Caitlin's unit, aiming for the king.

Len's eyes narrow.

Well, that just won't do.

He holsters his cold crossbow and looks around the room to see what, if anything, he can change. Something unplanned. Something different than expected.

His eyes light upon the basket of dolls Barry so carelessly dropped - useless, now that its victims had seen the dolls, the spell rebounding back harmlessly against their knowledge of reality.

Len grins.

Not quite useless.

After all, in their arrogance, the casters haven't bothered to cut off the spell working.

He reaches down for Eobard's doll - the largest one in the basket, the focal point - and picks it up, looking for Eobard in the crowd.

It takes a second, but then Len sees him - standing in front of Nora of Allen, his hand vibrating fast enough to split wood, laughing at Barry's horrified expression as his mother's sword is easily knocked aside and Eobard steps forward, murder clearly on his mind.

No time to lose, then.

"Hey, speedster!" Len shouts, somehow making himself heard over the noise. "Eobard!"

Eobard turns to glance at Len, sneer fixed firmly on his face. He doesn't think Len's a threat - not like they obviously think Iris and Mick are, not like they think Barry is, not even like they think Cisco and Caitlin are.

After all, Len's just a thief. He’s not a speedster or a demi-god or a princess or even a knight.

Len smirks. The only good thing about being underestimated was showing people just how very wrong they are.

He holds up the doll. "Say hello to the Black God for me."

Eobard's eyes go wide. "No!" he shouts, and tries to run towards Len, but Barry's right there, grabbing him around the waist in a tackle, keeping him back.

Len snaps the doll in two.

[ansatsu-database]

Korotan C Rough Summary/Synopsis (Part 4)

June 2016? My goodness, it’s been that long!? Sigh, my work life...

Previously on Korotan C: Princess Lea of Norgo Kingdom visits Kunugigaoka for a Debate Rally, but she's decided to sneak out of her hotel and into the city. Upon saving her from an assassination attempt, Class 3-E and Asano Gakushuu are now bodyguards on a mission to escort her to safety.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Spoilers beware, and remember, this is not intended to be a full word for word translation. This is only so that you have an idea of what is happening.

I have no guarantee that these are 100% accurate

Chapter 4

Taxi would be the quickest way to reach the embassy, but should their enemies discover them, it’ll become easy to mark and ambush. Thus, Karma suggests that they use methods that include crowds of people to make things harder for them.

They’ll use public transport whenever they can, and switch the mediums of travel too. From here, they can take the bus, then switch to train at the station. Of course, some of them have to stay with the princess.

Nakamura then suggests maybe it’ll help if the princess wears a different outfit. Like, she can put on a Kunugigaoka uniform, then someone else dresses in the princess’ outfit.

That idea will put the person dressed in the princess’ outfit in danger of being assassinate though. “Well, even if I say that, you’ll still do it anyway,” Karma quickly realises.

“Same hairstyle, same colour, isn’t that just right? Exactly like the princess who’s being marked! Incidentally, you better protect me, my meat shield!!” said Nakamura.

“Hey! How many times are you going to use me as a meat shield!?” retorted Terasaka.

After Nakamura and Lea swapped their clothing, Yoshida brings the princess a knit cap for her to completely hide her blonde hair.

“Class E keeps on demonstrating an unfathomable level of prowess, whether at the Athletic Festival or the 2nd Trimester Finals, just where did your strength came from?” questioned Asano.

“Well… it was probably… the result of us fighting to the death at the precipice that was Class E…” answered Isogai.

“Isogai-kun… is getting better and better at lying…” remarked Kayano (probably)

“Well… it’s not like he can say that it was all thanks to a Mach 20 superbeing,” replied Nagisa (probably)

Unbeknownst to everyone, someone is spying on them from the shadows.

“Everyone has matured well, getting more and more reliable. Should anything happen, Sensei will be there to help, so just go along with your own daring ideas!”

Suddenly, a dog barks from behind the octopus and he screams. Karma and Asano both heard him, to the former’s exasperation.

The students travel in 2 groups, with Lea grouped together with Asano, Nakamura, Karma and Terasaka. En route to the bus station, Lea gives the ambassador a call, telling him that everything’s fine, and she’s heading now to the embassy.

When the bus arrives, Karma and Asano boarded first to make sure passengers are OK, with Nakamura and Terasaka keep up their guard from behind.

Karma sits at a window seat closest to the emergency exit, with Lea next to him, and Asano standing next to her. Nakamura and Terasaka then sit to her front and rear, completing a cross-formation that defends Lea in the center for their travel.

But during the bus journey, Karma decides to lighten things up with small talk, to Asano’s chagrin.

“Hey, don’t you forget that we are supposed to be protecting the princess! Don’t relax your guard, we’re not here for sightseeing!”

“While keeping up your guard is important, it’s still a long way to the embassy, so there’s no way to maintain such a high tension for the whole trip.”

“It’s because you carry such optimism like so many others who’ve given up on hard work that you…”

“Besides, if you want to pursue perfection in being a bodyguard, then before the princess made her suggestion, you should’ve taken the first step, so being adaptable is another essential skill to have.”

“I don’t need you to teach me how to be a bodyguard! And on the social side of things, I have plenty of experience.”

--

Lea watches with amusement at the banter between the two.

She remarks that “Karma” is an odd name, is it common in Japan? He reckons he’s the only one in Japan to have it, it’s a name that his always-travelling parents with their strange tastes came up with.

Isn’t that lonely, what with his parents not being at home? He thinks he’s actually freer this way, as long as they don’t mind his business he’s got no objections. Lea feels envious at the relationship the Akabanes have.

Karma then brings her attention to Asano’s family. Normally, if you have the school’s board chairman for a father, then you would get all sorts of special treatment, and everything is fine and dandy, but not for Asano-kun. Never mind special treatment, the way he kept working hard to stay at the top is considered “that’s how it should be”, that’s just…

[“You know nothing! Can you cease with your blabbering! Since ancient times, the only ones who become rulers are the strong. That is my father’s compass of education, and one that I believe to be correct. I never yearned for any warmth between father and son, and I have no interest in discussing such relationships with someone who likes to gossip like Akabane. So whether it’s this guy, or my father, I will rule over you all, over all of humanity. That is my calling, and I take joy in living in this calling.”]

[“Pfft,”] blurted Nakamura. [“So cool, Asano-kun! But I think that’s just a load of hubris.”]

[“There’s no helping it if it’s seen as hubris, although, I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing to be undeterred by the gazes of others and stick to your beliefs. But if it were me, there’s no way I would ignore how others around me sees things, or the expectations from my parents or my citizens. I would stick with my beliefs while carrying all the pressure and responsibility, and I would hate to act like I’m losing to that pressure!”]

[“Indeed, running away is no good.”] (Don’t know who says this)

Seeing his retaliation, Lea lightly pats him on his upper arm.

[“Let’s not talk about this anymore, Gakushuu is too perfect, it’s boring.”]

[“Expectations from others is proof of your worth, and as for how this strength is to be used, it’s completely decided by me, by my freedom. I decide where my life leads to.”]

(He was so serious that Karma and Nakamura opted not to tease him here)

[“From now on, I shall etch your words into my heart.  I will believe in myself and do the things that I believe in, and I shall not falter and continue forward, no matter what those around me say. But conversely, please remain in contact with me as much as possible.”]

[“Then you had better keep up with my growth.”]

Seeing how the two have been using such tough language against one another, Karma can’t help but feel excited. [“My oh my~ Don’t you think those two suit each other a lot?”]

[“Can you not make such low-levelled jokes!?”] Asano angrily stares at Karma.

[“Aha, he’s angry now~ Asano-kun is so cute~!”] [“He does like the princess huh~!”]

Asano’s strong tone only got Karma and Nakamura more fired up.

[“When this is over, if you dare to spread this sort of rumour, I’ll use all the power in the school to massacre you!”]

[“So scary~”]

She may’ve been the butt of the joke, but Lea holds in her laughter and turns to the windows. The appearance of her excitedly gazing out at the scenery of the passing streets presents a temperament of both girlish innocence and royalty. Asano involuntarily looked at this from a side view, but when he suddenly sensed a devilish gaze coming from Karma, he hurriedly turned back towards the front.

“Hey! Can’t you all speak with some simpler English? I couldn’t hear a lick of it!” said Terasaka.

“Man, you just had to do it, breaking up this lovely atmosphere?!” retorted Nakamura, as the bus slowly approaches the train station.

--

Meanwhile, the second group had already taken another bus, arrived at the train station and got into formation. Some went to check the surroundings for any assassins that may be in hiding, while others remain nearby gathering intelligence on the situation.

In front of the station, Nagisa and Kayano are throwing out snacks to the pigeons nearby, with more and more gathering, and even landing on their heads and shoulders and pecking at the snacks in their hands. Isogai and Maehara, on guard nearby, wonder if they’re alright, but it’s part of Karma’s plan, what can they do?

The “escort” bus now arrives at the station. Maehara spotted that one of the people waiting in line to board is dressed in black and reading a newspaper. And as the passengers gradually exit the vehicle, he leaves the queue and approaches them.

Isogai can see that the man has something in his hand, probably a syringe. He calls out to Nagisa before the duo runs towards the bus.

“CLAP” With a sound from Nagisa’s hands, the pigeons all flew towards the airspace around the bus. The man in black was distracted for one moment, and when he looked back, he’s face to face with his target. Well, someone who was supposed to be his target, smiling.

“Eh??? Did you see the princess?” Seeing Nakamura’s grin, the assassin knows that he messed up, and Isogai takes this chance to bat away his syringe with a rolled-up notebook. Not giving him any leeway, from behind Nakamura, Asano sends a kick his way and knocks him out.

The assassin had two more accomplices, and after seeing his defeat, they retreated to their car. But when they opened the door, they saw that the wheels had all fallen down to the side of the road. Next thing they knew, they’re strapped to their seats with duct tape.

[“You are under arrest.”] Nearby the station was Korosensei, dressed in police uniform while chewing bubble gum and playing with the duct tape roll. Next to him is Yoshida with a wrench and Muramatsu with a carjack, snickering that the assassins were way too obvious with their black clothes, black car and bubbling bloodlust.

“Korosensei, did you come to help us?” asked Nagisa. Having heard from Karasuma and Kataoka, at first Korosensei wanted to bring the princess to a safe place at Mach speed. But since he’s not allowed to do that, he can only support the kids, ensuring that the princess makes it to the destination and that his students are safe as well.

By the way, he took the chance to clean away the pigeon feathers and droppings on Nagisa. “Wha? When did that happen!?”

As thanks, he gives the leftover snacks to a delighted Korosensei. In exchange, he gives his bubble gum to Nagisa before disappearing at Mach speed.

[flippinoptimist]

sgrub question: will running work; i have left the planet and live in space, but i still have the moon dreams; which is concerning. signed, someone who does not want to play sgrub

theres mixed opinions about this, an it depends whether youre in camp “fuck destiny” or camp “makin destiny fuck off is hard and i prefer possible tasks an mornin naps”.  long story short, youre gonna have to get involved in some sgrub shit, but you might be able to cheapskate your way outta shit like the universal apocalypse, dyin repeatedly, or all that magic immortality gunk.  the harder you fight it the harder a time youre gonna havve, but i personally think we can choose to do Anything.

main problems youre gonna run into are this:

if you have moon dreams, there IS a session, and you ARE involved.  figure out your title and the names an titles of anybody else who has a dreamer in the session.  the time player (or other time dudes) might try to strongarm you into playing like youre supposed to by lining up events outside your control.  talk with them, get them on board w/ your plan, because otherwise every possible coincidence a time traveller could engineer is going to drag you back into the game.

there IS a session, youve seen proof of that, but that doesnt necessarily mean that there’s a reckoning.  you might be able to save the universe you currently live in if you can 1) prevent the reckoning from starting, 2) prevent all people in your universe from ever, ever running a copy of the game, 3) ensure your mini-you gets made and somehow ends up on your hiveplanet where they’re supposed to be despite the lack of reckoning, and potentially 4) get a doom or time player to undoom your timeline if you fuck up and aren’t the alpha.

getting all of the above to happen is bullshit and hard, so youre probably gonna need help from people who played the game in their timelines, and ended up w/ either powers or cheat guides for the game, who can do on-the-spot shit to help you avoid traps, or circumvent challenges.�� evading the game is gonna be a lot like trying to complete a no-upgrades speedrun of a normal videogame.  so cheat.  a lot.

youre naut gonna be able to escape SGRUB havin an effect on your life, but you might be able to keep it out of your waking world if youre careful as shit.

get smart, get informed, come up w a plan, and know that destiny itself is going to fight you fuckin hard on this one.  odds are, 99%, you’re gonna end up playing to some extent -- but don’t let it decide what the game is about or what winning looks like.  thats your call, and you can dictate terms.

sgrub tries to fool you into thinking its in control, but it cant make you do things you would never do.  all it can do is arrange the world around you so you Think there isn’t a choice -- and trick you into doing what “destiny” wants that way.

be yourself, kick ass, and do naut give up.  im rootin for you!