#I love the warriors fandom you are stronger than I am. so many books

[controversial-blorbo-bracket]

i don't know anything at all about that cat warrior thing but every time i see a picture of a cat i feel inclined to vote love because look at that little kitty!!! i love them!!! i ultimately vote don't know because i'm honest!!! but i'm always shocked when there's more hate than love for cute cats

Same. Like I understand that bongwater or whoever cheated on his wife and did kitten genocide and canonically went to cat hell but counterpoint. He’s got a fuzzy little face

[vierss-herondale]

Please tell me your favourite thing(s) about Clace! I'm rereading TMI and I just am falling in love with them all over again. I'm at CoFA, they're FINALLY officially together, and their banter is ON POINT (they come by it honestly. Wessa, yk yk.) But YEAH . And also ramble about Sizzy too if you're into it, they're hitting SO hard this time and I'm in love in love in love with them.

Bestie, I don’t even know where to start 😂

The fact that during TMI most of the people saw Clary as this tiny little girl and they underestimated her but Jace realized very quickly how STRONG she really was! Like, he kicks her ass for real during training! He knows she can take it! And she’s the bravest person he knows!

And how everyone sees Jace as this strong warrior but Clary knows the fragility that lays underneath his tough exterior. Most of the people describes Jace as "hot/sexy" but Clary almost always thinks about him as ✨beautiful✨

Don’t even get me started on how Jace lacked love for so long in his life, even thinking that his heart was broken and he was incapable of falling in love… and then he met Clary, someone with such a big heart and with SO MUCH LOVE to give, and then they fell in love! ♥️

It makes me so sad that during TMI Jace had such a low faith in himself because of the way Valentine raised him. That he thought he had to be perfect or the Lightwoods would kick him out. Can you imagine that? Living with such fear of losing the love of the only family you ever know? 🥺🥺 That's why I love the fact that Clary's faith in Jace is so big and it NEVER lacks! And she makes sure he KNOWS it. That he can always count on her and her love for him.

And the fact that even when Jace was taught that love destroys you, he was never afraid of loving Clary! He said that loving her was the best feeling he ever felt. In many other books you see the male protagonist keep the girl away because they are afraid to fall in love but Jace never did that, quite the contrary actually.

I love how they complete each other, and how they helped each other to be better! Jace learned so much from Clary, and became a better version of himself, but Clary also growth so much after meeting him!

I also love how they pick on each other so much! They know how to have fun!

Listen, I know it's SUCH a big cliche and judge me all you want but I LOOOVE how Jace was mean to everyone but Clary lol In my defense I was a teenager when Wattpad was a hit and the bad boy trope was on every story 😂 So yeah, I like that he’s such a sweetheart with her and ONLY her 🫶🏻

How Jace looks at Clary as if she's his personal miracle 🥹♥️

I love that she NEVER slut shamed Jace! I have seen that some part of the fandom judge Jace for sleeping with other girls BEFORE HE MET CLARY. Like bro? It's his body and he was single, I don't see the problem and I love that Clary never judged him for that. She always knew that what they have is different from anything Jace could have had with other girls. I love a secure female character 🫶🏻

Also girl the way he's SO OBSESSED with her! He worships her so hard! I love those kind of male protagonist!!!

There's LOTS of things I love about Clace but I might never finish listing them so let's just cut it here lol

Now about Sizzy... I love that couple because they always seem like such a REAL LIFE couple to me.

Look I'm such a sucker for love at first sight couples like Clace BUT the reason why I love Simon and Izzy is because they are so real about the way their relationship developed.

In real life most people falls in love more than once in life and that's normal and it's okay. You can go through heart break and be hurt but that doesn't mean that you can't fall in love again and it be even MORE stronger than before! Simon represents that so well. He loved Clary so much for many years but then he realized they didn't work like that, and his love transformed into friendship love.

And then he fell in love with Izzy and it was a stronger feeling! This time he knew he belonged with her. That's just like real life is, you can fall in love more than once but it doesn’t mean that your previous love was less valid.

And Izzy is such an amazing character, she was the one that taught teenage me that you can wear makeup, dresses and high hills AND STILL KICK ASSES while doing so!

I think she's such a brave character because she carried the pain of her father's betrayal on her mom for so long... But she overcame it and she was brave enough to open up her heart to Simon. This comes from someone who went through something similar at a similar age and believe me, I KNOW by first hand how brave and strong Izzy had to be to let herself trust someone else with her heart. She’s so special to me.

And she opened her heart to Simon TWICE! They are a couple that went through a LOT and it makes me so happy to know that they are engaged now ♥️

[fortunemars]

Alright council i have SO MANY THOUGHTS but I started typing them in the tags before I realised how many I had... Good time to learn there's a tag cap... Anyway I'd love to world build on this a lot more bc this is interesting!!! This is so long that I have to page break it 😭😭 why am I like this

Okay tw under the page break: death, grief, a tiny bit of implied gore

So many things to explore with the different SKs and their reactions to discovering it, to the actual event of shad dying, to the aftermath where they'd be forced to give up their power and their immortality to end the pain of basically being suspended in the time between living and dying or deciding to keep the power as it slowly dwindles and destroys their bodies bit by bit. Torn to shreds because they were so full of greed. Living through every ounce of pain that came until it finally ended. A warrior to the end, no?

I'd love to see if I could write smthn with this concept. I'm thinking of all the options I'd have. Like how does laur find out? Through vylad (a comrade), before the fight? Or Gene in the middle of the battle, a shock that gives gene enough time to knock laurance down and remind him of everything he's gone through to get here, how much he's lost and how much hes had to give up for the ones he loves, how much he's been pushed to the side for the village's gain?

Would Laurance reconsider, turn on aph or Garroth? Would be hesitate to kill them, let gene do it instead and tell laurance it was his fault they died so brutally, that laurance could have done it himself if he wasn't so afraid? Or would he double down, get stronger, fight harder, and win? Why, because he thinks he's okay with dying for them? Or does he think it's the only way he can save them from every bad thing that laurance represents? Does he defeat Shad because he thinks it is the only way his soul could be redeemed by Irene, to be the end of her lost lover's reign of terror, to end the existence of these demonic bodies that were corrupted and twisted from their original forms?

Furthermore, how would aphmau and Garroth react? Would they find him before he fully died or would they find him after, slowly decaying with a peaceful smile stuck in his face? How would they tell the others, the village, the alliance? What would they say of him when he was gone, how would they celebrate him, how would they remember him? Would he be forgotten in the history books, another faceless admirer of the new Irene?

Some random other questions: would Laurance meet ungrith in some sort of limbo or would ungrith already be born again? Or would laurance's soul be devoured by the fates as a payment because of how long he kept it after he died? Maybe he becomes a ghost like Malachi, doomed to walk within the borders of Phoenix Drop unseen and unheard for years, decades, forever...

Would aphmau and Garroth grieve together or would they end up blaming each other, or themselves, for laurance's choice and for not knowing until it was too late? Would they ever know if he suffered as he died again? how long he was there dying, if it was cold and quiet in their absence or if the burning of the nether and screaming of the souls be the last thing he heard-- a demented lullaby to sooth his aching soul to rest...

Ahem as you can tell I think a lot about laurance... Please tell me any of this made sense...

Ps I literally can't fandom tag this other than aphmau and aphmau Minecraft diaries bc of HOW MANY THOUGHTS I HAD HELPPPPPP THERES STILL MORE BUT MY PHONE IS LAGGING SO HARD

This post is relating to the thoughts that @laurencezvahlslefteyebrow, @xerith-42 and I have been discussing. Somehow the brain rot has progressed to me completely losing my shit.

okayokayokay

We were talking about what would happen to Shadow Knights if Shad were defeated and he died. And I have sososo many thoughts.

But this ones a bit hard to explain.

Shad's presence is necessary for Shadow Knights to exist. His being is what keeps them in motion, so in turn, you'd think the Shadow Knights would die once Shad does.

I know @xerith-42 was thinking the difference would be between Premature SKs and Full ones. However, I think it's more dependent on how the SK was formed.

I think Shad's control is necessary for undead shadow knights. His spirit has to be around for Undead SKs to be "alive," seeing as he literally has to revive them. If Shad dies; and his spirit is gone, the undead shadow knights finally get to pass on. I think it would be more of a relief, even to those like Gene. Especially to those like Gene. He barely has any autonomy left, so once Shad is gone, he can finally think for himself, even if it's in some world beyond.

This is all different for transformed/living SKs. They are still alive, and still have life energy. Shad is only a part of them, not their entire being. So, once Shad is gone, they aren't shadow knights anymore. However, they aren't human. They are... something else. Something more empty. To be transformed, something is ripped from their soul, and replaced with something from Shad. So, when Shad is gone, that part of them is gone, and it's not replaced with anything.

So, Living SKs survive once Shad is gone, but they almost transform into something else. Something we haven't seen before. I'm not sure what that is yet. I really want opinions on what this would look like, especially in Laurance.

Council, your thoughts?

[watchathon]

Avatar: The Last Airbender, Series Finale: Sozin’s Comet

In case you’re finding this post just by browsing the tags I’ve used for this post, this is the Watchathon, a blog where I’m hoping to watch an episode of a TV show every weekday, with a short blog post where I write down my thoughts as I watch. Each new thought starts with a hyphen and a bolded first word.

- Like so. Now that the introductions are over with, it’s time to break that one-episode-a-day rule and finish off Avatar: The Last Airbender with the climactic grand finale, Sozin’s Comet:

PART 1: THE PHOENIX KING

- Okay, so, Katara in the intro is still saying “He has a lot to learn before he’s ready to save anyone.” I could’ve sworn they removed that part by this point... Maybe that was just something for the DVD?

- I like that the “Previously on” segment is so long. It really emphasizes how much buildup there was to this. How much the Gaang has been through to get here.

- I gotta say, I was not expecting a beach party in this episode.

- Somehow, for reasons I can’t explain because I don’t understand them myself, this ambush from Zuko made the audio of Nicolas Cage saying “Surprise attack!” in Into the Spider-Verse play in my head.

- Zuko’s really lucky that he earned Katara’s forgiveness before this violent pop quiz, seeing as just a half season ago... “You take one step backwards... one slip up... give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang - and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends right then and there. Permanently.”

- It never occurred to me that we didn’t get details on the war meeting before now.

- I’d bet hearing about this plan is the thing that tipped the scales and fully convinced Zuko to join the Gaang, and prevent the genocide of the Earth Kingdom.

- It’s so nice to see Zuko being welcomed into the group hugs. Especially when it’s Katara who invites him.

- I like that Zuko is teaching Aang to redirect lightning, the same way Iroh taught him.

- Even before it’s made explicit, you can tell that Aang’s uneasy about the idea of killing.

- Toph is just delighting in her role as Melon Lord, isn’t she?

- Someone out there has definitely written an AU fanfic where someone gets killed during this training and it’s Toph’s origin story as the malicious Melon Lord. If not, then I will write it myself, and it shall be the crackiest crack fic that ever cracked.

- Y’know what, I wish Toph could’ve actually gone on a life-changing field trip with Zuko too! Everyone else got one...

- This scene of Sokka climbing into Appa’s mouth is even more uncomfortable once you’ve... well, once you’ve grown up and... Okay, I tried to put it subtly, but I just can’t: Once you’ve been cursed with the knowledge of what vore is.

- Well, there’s a bait-and-switch if I’ve ever seen one: “Azula, you’re the new Fire Lord!” “=)” “But I am now the Phoenix King and still your superior who you will answer to.” “=O”

- Nice to see June and her Shirshu make a comeback.

- Does this mean Aang wasn’t running away on purpose? I honestly thought he was just going to that island to get some alone time, maybe meditate or contact the previous Avatars’ spirits.

PART 2: THE OLD MASTERS

- I’m not sure if this is something I forgot from June’s first appearance, or if it’s actually just never been brought up before, but I didn’t know her Shirshu had a name.

- It’s sweet that Zuko is seeking out Iroh’s help. Even if the method of finding him is, ah, well... unorthodox.

- Even Avatar Roku doesn’t know where Aang is. And here I thought it was some Avatar thing that had never been brought up before.

- It’s nice to see these people make a comeback. Bumi, Piandao, even Jeong Jeong and Master Pakku are here for the finale.

- I am surprised that we didn’t get an interaction between Toph and Bumi, though. The man Aang wanted to teach him Earthbending, the girl who ended up doing it... But I guess there’s only so much time, and I don’t think there’s any scenes that could be deleted to make room for it.

- It seems like Aang is just searching for confirmation of his beliefs, rather than actually seeking wisdom.

- I like that we get to see Bumi taking full advantage of the eclipse to take back Omashu from the Fire Nation, instead of just being told about it.

- It’s nice to see so many past Avatars beyond just Roku and Kyoshi, Avatars that we never heard of before, but now we hear their stories. But all of these past Avatars echo the same sentiment that Aang should kill Ozai, even an Air Nomad Avatar.

- What can I say about this scene of Zuko and Iroh reuniting? Forgive me for echoing a post I made on my main blog, but this is a scene that’s both sweet and sad.

Sad, because Zuko’s abuse at the hands of Fire Lord Ozai left him anxiously expecting furious punishment for crimes much less than what he did to Iroh. He can’t even comprehend the idea that Iroh would forgive him. His expression while apologizing to Iroh clearly shows he’s expecting the worst.

Sweet, because Iroh still loves Zuko like his own son, and doesn’t even need to forgive him because he never felt anger at Zuko’s betrayal: Only sadness and a worry that Zuko had lost his way, truly lost his honor. And Iroh is so clearly happy to see that Zuko has found his destiny, and joined the fight against the Fire Nation.

I could go on and on about this scene... It’s my absolute favorite scene in the whole series and it brings me to tears every single time I see it.

Gosh... it’s gonna be so awkward going back to the jokes and little mundane thoughts after this, isn’t it?

- Okay, I have officially given up on the idea of finding out what the heck this island is.

- I like the smile on Katara’s face, when she’s asked to team up with Zuko and fight Azula.

- It’s nice to know that Iroh will get the opportunity to run that tea shop, even if Zuko won’t be there to work with him.

- Okay, okay, so the island was actually a lion turtle. Frankly, I’ve still got a lot of questions. Even some new ones.

- It’s nice to see that the Netlix subtitles aren’t ALLCAPS anymore.

PART 3: INTO THE INFERNO

- Gotta hand it to the music, it can make even a scene of Azula making a fuss over a non-pitted cherry rather unnerving.

- Azula’s... Azula-ness has gone straight up to eleven with her newfound role. Hasn’t it? What with all the banishments, even banishing the entire Dai Li.

- Sokka, Suki and Toph are the real dream team. 

- And we get a great final blind joke!

- I like that we get to see everyone doing their part in this final battle. All the members of the Gaang, even the White Lotus, get their moments to shine.

- The hallucination of Ursa shows that Azula, on some level, has an idea of what’s wrong with her. You can tell that they were thinking of a redemption arc for Azula come Book 4, though I am glad that didn’t happen.

- It’s chilling to see Ozai razing the forests of the Earth Kingdom like it’s nothing. And then to realize that this is what Aang will have to face.

- At first I wasn’t sure what Sokka’s plan was, but now that I see it in action, it’s really creative.

- I like the idea of a final one-on-one Zuko vs Azula duel(...a). It’s been a rivalry since Book 2, and it’s nice to finally see it get settled, even if I can’t imagine it’ll end up that easy: Otherwise, what would Katara do?

- It’s so cool to see Aang showing his prowess in all bending techniques, using them all in this final showdown.

- The background music during Zuko and Azula’s Agni Kai really sells it. It makes it sound almost tragic, and it is: two siblings pitted against each other, no choice but to fight to determine the future of the world.

- Azula might be slipping, but she’s still Azula, all too willing to cheat in what’s supposed to be a one-on-one duel.

PART 4: AVATAR AANG

- Netflix isn’t showing the intro for the individual parts, but I’ve gotta say... There’s no way that Katara’s still saying Aang’s “got a lot to learn before he’s ready to save anyone.” Right?

- I like that we get to see one last use of Metalbending from Toph in the finale.

- Dang, I hope this isn’t really the end for Sokka’s sword, or his boomerang. Especially when the sword was so cool, and one could say meaningful.

- I honestly wasn’t sure the Avatar State would ever be a factor again. But if there was ever a time, this is it. (ADDENDUM: This is probably the best time to clarify that I find and add the images at the start after writing the rest of the post.)

- And it’s so epic to see Aang bending all four elements at once.

- I like that Iroh got to burn down the Fire Nation flag.

- Since Zuko’s down for the count, I guess this means a battle between Katara and Azula, the latter powered up by Sozin’s Comet.

- To be honest, I could barely make out what Azula just said. “kjsdbksrbfkjvf family position to look after, kdcbkfh”?

- Katara may not be stronger than Sozin’s Comet-powered Azula, but she’s much more clever than Azula is right now as she loses her marbles.

- This is just the perfect kind of defeat for Azula. There’s no grace to it, no dignity, just writhing around, screaming and spewing fire as Zuko and Katara look on with pity.

- There’s probably a great practical reason someone could find for Spiritbending being a thing, but here’s why I’m glad it exists: Aang gets a happy ending. He gets to take down the Fire Lord, and hold true to his beliefs. If it weren’t for Spiritbending, if Aang killed Ozai, then he would be conflicted to the end.

And I don’t want that. I want Aang to get an unambiguously, undoubtedly happy ending, where the world is saved and that’s all there is to it.

Plus, Spiritbending is quite the spectacle.

- I’m guessing Sokka’s space sword and boomerang really are done for. But hey, there’s always headcanon. Maybe Sokka searched the forest and eventually found them.

- Weird to think that Ty Lee’s gonna be a Kyoshi Warrior.

- Again, I can’t believe Zukaang’s not the most popular Zuko ship in the fandom. Not a ship I’ll go to bat for, but it’s got all the hallmarks of a fan-preferred couple.

- It’s so nice to see Zuko’s coronation, and the official end to the war. It’s a happy ending for the whole world, the start of an era of peace.

- “Love and peace,” huh...? Now that’s funny to hear in the finale to this show, considering the next show I’m covering, come 2021...

- I like that we get to see one last confrontation between Zuko and Ozai. Even if Zuko’s question of where Ursa is doesn’t go anywhere (in the show, I know they touch on that in the comics), it’s nice to see the newly-crowned Fire Lord Zuko having evolved past a need for Ozai’s attention, or a fear of Ozai’s wrath.

- It’s nice to see the whole Gaang having fun at Iroh’s tea shop, in the end. And I stand corrected, this is where we get the final blind joke.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I’m lucky in that most of my childhood cartoons hold up as an adult. I watched Kim Possible, Phineas and Ferb, Code Lyoko, Courage the Cowardly Dog...

Still, there’s something special about Avatar: The Last Airbender. It had a unique aesthetic and world that no other show was quite like. It had a story that was like nothing I’d ever seen as a kid.

And it doesn’t just hold up, it’s even better.

When I was a kid, it was as simple as rooting for the good guys to win, and for the Firebenders to lose, except for Zuko once he turned good.

Now, as an adult (but mostly as someone with a DVD player/Netflix account so I’m not just watching whatever reruns I can catch) I can appreciate the character development, the arcs, the entire story.

I can appreciate how Aang grew from a little boy who does indeed have a lot to learn before he’s ready to save anyone, into a hero who could save the world.

I can appreciate how Zuko was an abuse victim who did what all abused children wish they could do and left his abuser.

I can appreciate... Gosh, Iroh’s entire character and dynamic with Zuko.

Some people say that Avatar “starts off as a kids show, then turns serious”, but I’d disagree. Avatar is a show where our heroes change, where they learn lessons, where they come of age and become the kind of heroes who can end a war that’s been going on for over a century.

As relieved as I am to be (mostly) done with these posts for the rest of the year, I am still oh-so-glad that I’ve rewatched Avatar yet again, and I know that I will be whenever I rewatch it in the future.

Now, with all that said... Farewell! Until the Christmas special, at least...

[cosmicbug379]

Ever Northward Gaze

Guys I made myself really sad with this one. Like so sad I cried writing it at 11 last night. It’s not my normal thing, but here we are. Also the title is actually from the book of Lord of the Rings! In the book, when Boromir dies, Aragorn and Legolas sing the Lament for Boromir and it’s really sad and I’ve been listening to the version on Youtube that Karliene did (she’s one of my favorite artists honeslty and she has some really good LotR and Game of Thrones stuff so definitely check her out, she’s amazing!) and I was being sad about it so here we are. It does not have a happy ending so be warned. Also, i picked some pieces from the book, and some from the movies and I combed through the timeline of the fellowship and looked up a lot of distances and stuff so the timeline and days is as accurate as I could make it and it’s literally only mentioned like 3 times so that’s fun. I also only tagged a couple people cuz I really honestly don’t know who even wants to read this. Okay sorry for the world’s longest Author’s Note.

Fandom: Lord of the Rings

Pairing: Boromir x reader

Words: 1496

Warnings: Major character death 

It had been months since you had last received a letter from Boromir, and you hated it. You understood why-the need for secrecy had been clear-but you still didn’t like it. The last letter he had sent was from Rivendell, he said he was joining a quest, a fellowship that was setting out to bring the One Ring to Mordor. You knew he left because Lord Elrond had sent word that it had been found, there had been a council called to Rivendell to discuss what to do with it. His father wanted him to bring it back to Gondor, so they could attempt to use it against Sauron, but the Ring was evil, it couldn’t be used against it’s master.

You missed Boromir terribly. He was supposed to come right back, instead it had been 241 days since he had left for Rivendell and 132 days since his last letter had arrived. He was only supposed to be gone a little over 100 days, and now it had been more than twice that since you had last seen your husband.

You had spent most of your time since Boromir’s departure in the Houses of Healing. Ioreth had taught you from a young age, and you quickly discovered you enjoyed it and you were good at it. Faramir always said you were the perfect balance to his brother. He was always the soldier, ready to fight; you always wanted to help people, heal them. 

When you weren’t in the Houses of Healing, you were in the rooms you usually shared with Boromir. You enjoyed painting, and you had a balcony that overlooked Pelennor Fields and you could just see Osgiliath in the distance. You also enjoyed singing, and Boromir insisted you had the voice of an angel, even when you told him he was wrong. You were writing a song for when he finally returned to you, but you were stuck. You had been on edge for over a week now, you weren’t sure why, but you had a bad feeling about something. Your sleep had been restless and your dreams troubled when you had them.

7 nights ago you had dreamt that you saw Boromir’s body in a small boat passing down the river Anduin. You were sobbing when you woke up, and stumbled your way to Faramir’s room. He said he had the same dream, and it made you even more uneasy. You were worried. A weight had come over you, you feared you would never see your husband again.

You sat in your room now, reading over his last letter again. The ink had started to fade and the edges were worn. You read his letters often, trying to remind yourself of him, but this was your favorite.

My darling wife,

It has been too long since I last saw you, and I fear it will be even longer still. I regret to tell you this will be my last letter for some time. I have volunteered to accompany a brave young hobbit in his quest to bring Isildur’s Bane to Mordor. I hope our path will bring us close to home and I will be able to see you, but I am not so sure. 

We are walking, it is best that way, horses will draw too much attention. It will be a long time before we pass into Gondor or anywhere close to the White City, but I will count the days until I can see you again. 

I miss you more than I can put into words, my love. I miss sleeping beside you and waking up with you in my arms. I miss your smile and the way your eyes shine when you do. I miss the sound of you singing to me, and I miss the sound of your laugh. I even miss the way you scold me when I distract you from your work. I cannot wait to hold you again, to kiss you again. You know me better than anyone, and I think you may even know me better than Faramir does. I miss you.

I must stop now, before someone walks by and sees me becoming a blubbering mess over a letter to my wife. Watch over Faramir, father is too hard on him. Don’t let him take anything my father says to heart. 

All my love,

Boromir

You weren’t sure when you had started crying, but a few tears dropped onto the fading words. It was a few moments later when you jumped, hearing the sound of a horn. The horn that signified someone was approaching the Citadel. Was Faramir back so soon?

You raced to the courtyard and saw a messenger there. He was carrying something wrapped in a cloth and he had a grim look on his face. The uneasiness you had been feeling for days crept up inside you, stronger than ever. The messenger looked at you and showed you what was wrapped in the cloth. The Horn of Gondor. Cloven in two. Boromir had taken that with him when he left for Rivendell. That means…

“I’m sorry, my lady,” the messenger said quietly.

You heard a scream of anguish, the saddest thing you had ever heard. It took you a moment to realize the sound had come from you. You weren’t sure how long you stayed there sobbing, but it was long enough that your handmaiden became worried. She and Ioreth found you and took you to your rooms, but you barely even noticed they were there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You knew Gandalf had arrived in the city with a hobbit that day, and you waited outside the throne room while they spoke to Denethor. You had worn nothing but black for 6 days, since news of Boromir’s fate had reached Minas Tirith. You knew you should put on a finer dress to greet your guests, but you couldn’t bring yourself to wear anything else. All your dresses were ones Boromir had bought for you.

You looked up as Gandalf exited, followed by the halfling. He stopped when he saw you and gave you a look of sympathy. 

“My lady… I wish we were meeting again in happier times,” he said quietly.

“As do I, Mithrandir,” you replied. Turning to the halfling you spoke again, “I know Gandalf, but we have not met, what is your name?”

“Pippin, my lady. You are Boromir’s wife aren’t you?” 

“Yes, Boromir was my husband… I understand you are a friend of his,” you said, waving away Gandalf’s attempt to scold the hobbit.

“I like to think so... He spoke of you often. He loved you, and he was right, you are indeed beautiful, my lady,” Pippin blushed a little and looked down. 

“Thank you,” you hesitated. You weren’t sure you wanted to know the answer to your next question, but you had to ask. “How did he die?” 

Pippin looked at Gandalf, as if asking permission. With a nod from Gandalf he turned from you again. 

“He died defending me and my kinsman, Merry. We were north of here at Amon Hen, near the statues of the old kings. There were many Uruk-Hai and he fought bravely to save us. He was pierced by 3 arrows before he fell.” he said.

Your slowly cracking facade of composure finally broke. You tried not to openly sob, but you couldn’t stop the tears leaving your eyes. That sounded like your Boromir. Fighting to defend those who could not defend themselves.

“Thank you, Pippin,” you whispered. “For telling me. I am glad he was at least able to save you and your friend. I hope I get to meet Merry some day.” 

“I hope we will see him again too, my lady,” he answered. 

“Gandalf? Watch over this one. He is brave and he has a good heart. Boromir would be proud of him,” you said with a sad smile.

Gandalf squeezed your shoulder gently before leading Pippin away. You watched them go, trying to keep your tears at bay. Yes, you could see why Boromir loved this little hobbit. Even from the short conversation, you could see it. 

You wandered to your rooms again, telling your handmaiden not to disturb you unless absolutely necessary; you wanted to be alone. You went through your wardrobe, looking for one of the shirts Boromir had left behind. When you found one, you held it close to your face. You could still smell him on it, you didn’t want to think about when you would no longer be able to. 

You collapsed onto your bed, sobbing into the shirt, clutching it tightly to your chest. 

Boromir was gone, and he wouldn’t be able to come back to you now. You wouldn’t kiss him again, or hold him or fall asleep next to him. You wouldn’t have children that you would raise to be healers and warriors. You would be alone now for the rest of your days, with nothing but his memory.

Tags: @rzrcrst​ @longitud-de-onda​

[raywritesthings]

Once Upon a Star (City)

My Writing Fandom: Arrow Characters: Laurel Lance, Oliver Queen, Sara Lance, Nyssa al Ghul, Damien Darhk, Ted Grant, Quentin Lance, Malcolm Merlyn, Dinah Lance, Robert Queen, Raisa, Tommy Merlyn, Thea Queen, John Diggle, Dr. Fate, Zatara, Zatanna Zatara, John Constantine, Olivia Queen, Willima Clayton Pairings: Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen, Nyssa al Ghul/Sara Lance Summary: King Robert and Lord Lance enter their eldest children into a betrothal arrangement, only for the celebration to be interrupted by Damien Darhk. Will Lady Laurel fall victim the curse upon her, or will true love prevail? *Can be read on AO3 or FFN, links in my bio*

Long ago, the kingdom of Star had a very special year. Queen Moira was expecting a child, an heir to the throne. With this event quickly approaching, King Robert had his mind on the future. When it came time to meeting with the various nobles who had pledged fealty to the kingdom, this mindset went with him, including in his talks with Lord Quentin Lance.

Lord Lance was a prickly sort whose loyalty and sense of right could not be bought with money or simple gifts. He commanded a measure of respect among the common folk who tended his land and who he protected in times of strife. Good relations with the nobleman meant peace within his kingdom, and Robert thought he saw the way.

“Lord Quentin, I wish you well and congratulate you and your wife on the birth of your daughter.”

“Thank you, your Grace,” Lord Quentin answered with a short bow of his head. “We’ve named her for her mother. And it’s my hope she’ll grow into a true lady of the kingdom.”

“I am certain of that. It’s why I am prepared to make you a conditional offer.”

Lord Quentin frowned. “Conditional how?”

“On the birth of the new heir to my throne,” King Robert told him. “Should the infant be a boy, as I’m hoping he will be, I wish to propose a betrothal between your daughter and my son.” He could see the shock on the nobleman’s face.

“You’re serious?”

“I am interested in focusing on my people, Lord Quentin, not on the lands of others. The future Queen should be one of our own, and I can think of few families finer. But we shall wait for the birth before making any final arrangements.”

Prince Oliver arrived to much merriment, and the two families planned a grand feast to celebrate the births and the future union of their houses into one. All the kingdom was invited, save one.

The day of the celebration, three of the kingdom’s most respected and sought-after Sidhe were in attendance to bless the future union and the infants individually. First were the gifts bestowed upon the Prince, starting with the one called Fate.

He rose half a foot in the air with both arms held out as he spoke. “To the young Prince, I give him strength of body and strength of heart, to endure the hardships of the crown. Where others falter, he will lead.” Thus spoken, he lowered back to the stone floor of the great hall.

“Show off.” Constantine was the second of these Sidhe to step forward, striking a match against the baby’s crib. “I give the Prince what some may call the gift of diplomacy. With his wit and his humor he will charm those who seek war and and soothe those with rancor against the crown. And with this gift, he will woo the fair lady to which he’ll find himself wed.” That said, he stepped back and lit a smoke.

Last if the three was Zatara, who held a hand over the crib as he said his own piece. “To the future king I give a warrior and a hunter’s skill. No weapon wielded by his hand shall be bested, and thus restraint shall be the true measure of his ability.”

With these gifts given to the Prince, the Sidhe turned their attentions to the Princess-to-be. Again, Fate took his turn first.

“To the child, I give the gift of beauty, within and without. Her face shall inspire the poets and her kindness shall inspire the people.”

Constantine breathed out a trail of smoke before speaking. “I give the little lady the gift of a strong voice. Raised in anger or song, all will hear her and all will listen, or quickly learn their lesson,” he added with a smirk.

Zatara stepped forth, but before he could speak a tremendous wind threw the doors open and blew out every torch in the hall. The King, Queen and Lady Lance all drew back in horror.

Damien Darhk, most feared of the Unseelie, stepped through the open doors to several gasps. “Your Majesties, Lords and Ladies. Forgive my tardiness. I only just learned of this happy celebration today.” He walked up the aisle of people that parted at his approach until he had nearly reached the dais upon which the two ceremonial cribs sat. “I’m sure the messenger with my invitation has a good explanation for it.”

Lord Lance stepped forward, a frown on his face. He had never appreciated Darhk’s encroachments upon the kingdom nor his veiled threats. “There wasn’t one sent.”

The Unseelie drew back, face transformed into a mockery of shock. “Not sent? But that means… you didn’t want my presence at your celebration. Such a shame. After all, I only wished to give the dear little girl a gift of my own.”

“You did?” Lady Lance asked hesitantly.

“Why yes. Do listen.” He raised a hand. “The future Highness will indeed be beautiful and kind, loved by her Prince and all that feel her kindness. But—” And here his voice turned from pleasant to cold and hard. “Before the Earth completes its turn past her thirtieth year, she will fall to an arrow, and die.”

“No!” Quentin lunged, but was held back by his terrified wife.

“Seize him, before he harms the Prince as well!” King Robert declared. His guards charged, but the laughing Darhk merely disappeared in a flash of light and smoke. When it cleared, all were left in confusion and dismay. A celebration that had quickly turned to a time of mourning.

“Do not despair just yet,” Fate told the families. “For Zatara has yet to give the final gift.”

“You mean, you can reverse what that monster’s done to her?” Quentin didn’t dare to hope as he looked upon the Sidhe.

Zatara bowed his head for a moment. “Not reverse entirely, but lessen. With my daughter’s help, our magic can divert the course of Darhk’s prophecy to some degree.” He beckoned a small dark-haired girl to stand with him, and the father took the lead. “Dear child, though others wish you harm, I give you this final protection. Should the arrow pierce your flesh, death it will not bring, but sleep.”

“Peaceful sleep eternal,” the young Zatanna repeated. At her father’s urging, she continued with a brighter gleam in her eyes, “Though many may try to wake you, only one way will they find: the kiss of true love, a power stronger than all the darkness of this world, will end the evil curse upon you and bring the happiness once promised to us all.”

A faint glow seemed to emanate around the Sidhe and the cribs, sealing the magic before dimming once more.

“Thank you, Zatara,” King Robert said. “But there is nothing else that can undo this wicked trick?”

“None, save hiding the child away, which is what I would do if Darhk set his eyes upon me,” Constantine remarked. Then he turned and walked away. The other Sidhe soon followed.

The Lances were both crestfallen at this announcement; they could not simply abandon their station to seek a hideaway nor could they expect to keep their daughter safe from the threat of arrows within the kingdom. Lord Lance, however, was loathe to trust the power of something so intangible as true love’s kiss, and so he resolved to have his daughter hidden away from everyone, even himself.

The task was entrusted to a retired knight who held the highest honors: Sir Ted the Wildcat. His wilder nature, already tempered with age, would soften even further in the presence of the sweet child he would raise as if his own. He even gave her a new name to better hide her from Darhk’s spies: Laurel. In the dark of night, he slipped away with the baby deep into the woods in a tiny cabin, as removed from the pomp and circumstance she might have been raised in as one could get.

Lord and Lady Lance produced a second daughter they named Sara. The nobles and the royals decided the betrothal agreement between their families would go on, this time without a special celebration to commemorate it. And though they raised the young prince and the young lady with this idea in mind, their children proved far more inclined to pursue their own fates…

---

Fourteen years later, Prince Oliver of Star rode through the woods. “Ollie, come on! Stay on the path.”

He looked back at Tommy, his closest friend from childhood, and laughed. “You stay on it if you want.” He urged his horse on and soon found himself hopelessly lost, which was probably what Tommy had been trying to warn him about. Oh well. He enjoyed being out in the woods where he wasn’t the King’s son, heir to the throne and all that. He could waste a day away out here if he wanted.

Not far away in a tiny wooden cabin, Laurel was preparing for a day out with a book to read and a basket for collecting berries, herbs and anything else that caught her fancy. “I’ll be back to make dinner, Ted.”

“Don’t go too far,” he cautioned her, as he always did.

Laurel smiled and shook her head. He was such a worrier. She stepped outside and shut the door behind her, humming under her breath. As she went further out, confident in her complete isolation from even Ted, her humming turned to song. First under her breath, then louder as her confidence grew. She liked her voice, but she’d grown shy of sharing it when she hardly had an audience.

Yet that was about to change.

Oliver looked up, pulling the reins to slow his horse to a trot, then a walk. Had he heard something?

Then it came again, off through the trees. The most beautiful voice he’d ever heard. Like a siren’s call, perhaps, it beckoned him. And so he went, riding quickly and jumping over brambles and fallen logs in his path.

He slowed once again to listen, then swung off his horse and walked the rest of the way through the trees that separated him from the owner of such a voice. When he at last lifted a branch aside to see into a small clearing, he was momentarily stunned. “Lord…”

A maiden with long, blonde hair and sparkling green eyes swayed her way this way and that. Her clothes were plain and she’d forgone stockings and even shoes for the moment as she seemed content to feel the grass beneath her feet as she moved to the music of her own making.

Heedless to any observer, Laurel continued her approximation of a dance, the little she had gleaned from her books of how one was meant to dance. If only she had a real partner instead of her daydreams to help show her how it was meant to be.

And then, quite suddenly, she did.

Oliver had tied the reins of his horse to the branch, stepping forward just as her back had turned to catch her hands and guide her in a spin. The surprise on her face mirrored what he felt at his own daring; he hadn’t been able to resist.

“Oh!”

Instantly, he released her and stepped back hands raised. “I’m sorry. You looked a little lonely there.”

Laurel backed up into a tree, eyes wide as she took the young man in who was standing before her. She’d never met a man in the woods before; she was usually so much more careful.

“I wasn’t lonely. In fact, I’m meant to be alone,” she argued. “Or at least, not with some stranger.” There was no need to make him think she was all by herself, after all, even if she feared she was very much out of Ted’s earshot.

Oliver shook his head. “We can’t really be strangers.” He didn’t want this encounter to end so soon.

Laurel stepped away from the tree she’d half-hidden behind, intrigued despite herself. “Can’t we?”

He thought quickly, then asked, “Haven’t you ever dreamed of meeting some handsome fellow?”

Laurel ducked her head and blushed. “Yes.”

Oliver spread his arms. “Well then, here I am.”

“You’re very confident about that,” Laurel teased. “I didn’t even say if he was blond.”

For a moment, he seemed stumped. But Oliver quickly rallied. “Some have described my hair as a very light brown. I’m adaptable.”

“Are you,” she replied, grinning so widely she thought her cheeks might hurt. She wasn’t meant to find strangers so charming, but there was just something about him, as if they really had met in some dream of another life. “Who are you, really?”

He grinned. No one ever asked him that question. He found he liked it. “You can call me Ollie.”

She thought he might be a hunter of some sort. She’d heard them pass by her home a number of times but never seen one so close. And his clothes were of a much finer weave than any she might have expected a common hunter to wear. But whether he was or wasn’t, she didn’t find herself terribly worried. So she curtsied and said, “Well, Ollie, I’m Laurel.”

He bowed in turn. “Laurel. A beautiful name to accompany such natural beauty as I’ve found here.” He was happy to see her pretty blush again. “Shall we continue our dance?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t learned the rest.”

“Then I’ll lead. Trust me, I know them all.” They’d been drilled into his head by tutors, and though he’d been irritated at the time, he appreciated the excuse now to be nearer to her. Laurel allowed him to take one of her hands again as he guided her other hand to his shoulder before placing his own at her waist. He nodded to her once and they were off, dancing around the clearing.

Laurel could hardly believe this was happening. She’d rarely met anyone in her life besides Ted, and now she was dancing in someone’s arms. Ollie guided her less sure movements and never complained or asked why she didn’t know them. He was a perfect gentleman.

Although as they slowed in the middle of the clearing and his arm slipped around her waist instead of resting at the side, she remembered herself. “Wait!”

Oliver, who had just been about to give into the temptation of kissing the beautiful maid, stopped. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not sure I should — it’s just that, before they died, my caretaker promised them I would wait for my true love to have my first kiss.” She had no way of knowing, of course, that the story was partly a lie; the Lord and Lady Lance still lived.

Oliver, for his part, was saddened to know her life had been marred by such a tragedy so young. He stepped back to allow some space between them again. “I see. But, if you don’t let anyone kiss you, how are you meant to find your true love?”

She shook her head, smiling. “I’d yet to find anyone until today, so I’ll have to let you know some other time.” She scooped up her basket. “I’m behind on my errands. I should say goodbye.”

“And wander through the woods with no escort?” He offered his arm. “Please, allow me.”

With only a moment’s hesitation, she took it, walking along towards the berry bushes she knew would yield the best results for Ted’s cooking; she could not seem to produce food of any quality on her own, but she knew what went into it.

“What is your book?” He asked, nodding to her basket.

“Today, it’s a collection of decrees by the King. Not many apply all the way out here, but I find them fascinating. Like a glimpse of the world beyond these woods.”

“How did you and your caretaker come to dwell out here?” He couldn’t help thinking that Laurel belonged in the palace with all the amenities and comforts such a life provided.

She shrugged. “I’ve lived here my whole life. I think it was a woodcutter’s cottage before it became our home.”

“Laurel?” A voice called, one familiar to her but not Oliver.

“Oh, Ted,” she whispered. She pulled her arm away from Oliver and smoothed her dress. “You have to go. He can’t see you.”

“Alright. But when can I see you?”

“Sometime,” she promised distractedly. Ted had called for her again. “I’m always out here for this or that thing. Just come find me — coming, Ted!” She stopped and turned back to Oliver, grasping his hand with both of hers. “Goodbye. And thank you for showing me the dance.”

“It was my pleasure. I’ll come find you again, Laurel.” He held onto her hands as long as he was able before they slipped from his grasp and she was hurrying away through the trees. Such a strange but captivating young maiden. He longed to be with her again already.

Oliver went back to his horse and rode for home. He evaded all questions of where he had been and what he had been up to, excusing himself to see his betrothed. Though, truthfully, he considered her far more a friend.

Oliver and Sara had courted for a time, and indeed still did to keep up appearances. But Sara had confessed she didn’t wish to settle down and be Queen with all the expectations that came with it, and Oliver, young and uninterested in commitment himself, had agreed to the ruse with little hesitation. So she was the only person he felt he could safely tell his secret to. He told her everything from the voice he had heard to the lovely maiden and the dance and conversations they had shared. “I never knew meeting someone, even for a moment, could change so much. But I think I’m in love.”

“After only one meeting?”

“I’m going to see her again. And I’ll keep seeing her the whole rest of our lives if she wants. I can’t explain it, Sara,” he told her. “I just know this is right.”

“It sounds wonderful, Oliver, it does. But you know your parents will never let you marry a common girl even if they let you out of marrying me.”

The reality of his position caught up to him once more, and his shoulders slumped. Laurel was everything he might have longed for in his love, and he was sure the whole kingdom would find her a most beautiful, intelligent and kind Lady. Even a Queen, someday. But it would never be.

“Then I simply won’t marry,” he declared. There would be two lives for him. One, Prince Oliver, heir to the throne of Starling; the other, Ollie, Laurel’s sweetheart and companion. It was the only way.

---

For years, their clandestine meetings continued. Whenever the Prince could catch a few moments of privacy, whenever the Lady could escape her minder for an hour or so in the summer sun. Winters were long and lonely as they had no place to see each other that protected them from the elements. Campaigns with the knights to protect their borders occupied nearly five years of his time as well, though the fighting kept him from having to answer his parents’ increasing demands to settle down.

And Laurel was growing impatient as well. “Haven’t we waited long enough, Ollie?”

“I thought you were worried about leaving Ted?” Her caretaker had grown quite old in the intervening years, after all.

“We wouldn’t have to abandon him. But I want to make a life with you. A home, a family. We’re already thirty. How much longer should we wait?”

He sighed. It was wrong of him to keep delaying and never explaining why, he knew that. But he was convinced that he had lied for so long about his title of Prince that she might reject him if he told the truth now.

The other complicating factor was that he wasn’t sure he even wanted to be Prince any longer. Oliver cared about his people, but he felt lost trying to fill his father’s shoes. And knowing he would only be allowed to rule without the woman he loved at his side left him defeated and uninspired.

Perhaps he wasn’t meant to be a great King like his forefathers. Thea was of age and a bright young girl at that. She could provide the kingdom with guidance, couldn’t she?

“I’ve loved you for nearly half of my life, Laurel. Is this absolutely what you have your heart set on?”

“It is.”

Oliver nodded. It was time to choose, and he already knew his choice. “Let me return home and make arrangements, gather provisions. We’ll leave tomorrow on your birthday and make our own way in the world.”

Laurel beamed, throwing her arms around him in a hug that he returned, nearly lifting her off her feet. “Thank you, Ollie. I’ll wait for you at the cottage. We can tell Ted and get his blessing.” She leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek — the closest intimacy they’d yet to share — and then they parted to enact their plan.

Once home, Oliver gathered his most trusted friends. This included Sara, Princess Thea, Tommy and Sir John, his most loyal knight and de facto advisor.

“Some of you know parts of this already, but I’ve finally made up my mind. I’m going to abdicate the throne.”

“What?” Tommy cried.

“Is it for your lady?” Thea guessed with a knowing smirk.

“Definitely gotta be the lady,” Sara agreed.

“Your Highness,” Sir John began with a frown. He had figured out some years ago that Oliver had been purposefully slipping his guard to go somewhere, but had never quite glean the location of the tiny cottage. A fact Oliver was grateful for, as it would have rather spoiled the whole thing. “What about the kingdom?”

“The kingdom is still in my father’s capable hands. And I’m sure Thea will make a better heir to the throne than me.”

“Whoa, who said I wanted to?” His sister asked.

“Ollie, just think for a minute. You’re going to leave your friends and family completely behind just for a woman you’ve met up with every so often?”

“And who you’ve been lying to,” Sir John pointed out.

“It’s not lying if I’ll no longer be the Prince,” Oliver argued, even as guilt twisted his insides. Maybe he would tell Laurel once they had gotten safely away, but he knew doing so right now would only complicate things, so what was the point? “I’ve made up my mind on this. Laurel is more important to me than anyone, so if I can’t have the life I want with her here, I’ll make one for us elsewhere. I just didn’t want you all to worry about me.”

“I say you should follow your heart,” Sara recommended.

“Yeah, but… we’ll miss you,” Thea added. He stepped forward and gathered her in a hug for a moment.

When he offered his hand to Tommy his friend reluctantly shook it before taking his leave. Sir John did not even offer his own hand.

“I suppose you’ll need to be making preparations, Oliver.”

Oliver sighed. He knew the knight thought he should be doing more for the kingdom, but he had served it for his whole life. Did he not deserve some of his own happiness?

Tommy returned to the wing of the castle set aside for him and his father, the advisor to King Robert — and Queen Moira’s lover, though only a very few within the castle knew that. Though he loathed his father, Tommy knew that leaving his authority meant losing his status in the castle, and he was prepared to admit he could not survive as a commoner. Though Oliver’s impending absence from the castle made it a far less appealing alternative.

“What has you in a sulk today, Tommy?” His father asked, sounding faintly amused at his expense.

Well, he had news that would likely knock the wind out of his father’s sails. “Ollie,” Tommy answered him. “He’s leaving his crown to spend his days with a girl he’s been seeing. I’m sure she’s beautiful and a terrific singer and everything else he’s said, I just—”

“She’s a singer?”

“Yes,” Tommy repeated slowly. “Not professionally, she doesn’t travel with the minstrels or anything. Just lives out in the woods with some cranky old guy named Ted.”

“I see,” said Malcolm, the wheels turning in his mind. 

What Tommy did not realize was that his father was not content with simply being the King’s advisor; he was hungry for ever more power, and if his suspicions were correct about the identity of this maiden, he believed he had a way to get it.

“I shall have to think on what this means for the kingdom,” he said out loud, excusing himself from the room. He stopped by the royal armory to retrieve a particular item, then descended deep into the dungeons until he entered a secret room which contained only a stone idol. Malcolm knelt before it and waited.

After a moment, a blinding flash of light emitted from the idol, then standing in the room was the Unseelie himself: Damien Darhk.

“You call upon me, Lord Merlyn?”

“Yes. I believe I have information on the Lady you have long sought. And I know how it can help us both achieve our own ends.”

---

In the old woodcutter’s cottage, Laurel had just finished packing her things when a knock sounded at her door. Drawing in a breath, she called out, “It’s open, Ted.”

Her old caregiver entered the room, raising his eyebrows as he noticed the state of her things. “You’re ready?”

Laurel blinked. “Well, yes.” How did he know? Was he just guessing, or had she been too obvious in her attempts to sneak away to see Ollie? “I’ve been meaning to tell you. I just hadn’t figured out how.”

Now Ted was the one confused. “Tell me what?”

“About my leaving to start a new life. I’ve met someone, Ted. Someone wonderful. And he thinks the same of me. He’s been a man of distinct honor,” she stated, as she could see his face already start to fall. “I kept my promise to you about waiting. But I — I really do think he might be the love of my life.”

To her disappointment, he only shook his head. “I should have kept a better eye on you. I didn’t want to restrict you to the house, that just didn’t seem healthy.”

Laurel frowned. “Ted—”

“It’s not your fault. You don’t understand. But Laurel, you can’t be with him.”

She felt the color rise in her cheeks as she marched forward a step. “And why not?”

“Because your marriage has already been arranged!” He exclaimed.

Laurel’s mouth dropped open, and Ted sighed.

“You are the Lady Dinah Lance, named for your mother who still lives. Her and your father, a prominent Lord of the kingdom of Star.”

“My parents? They’re still — but why—”

“At a ceremony commemorating your birth, an Unseelie cursed you over a petty disagreement with your father. The curse was said to take effect by your 31st birthday, but Lord Lance entrusted you to my care, to keep you safe and away from the evil seeking to find you.”

Laurel couldn’t even think of what to say. She’d been cursed? What even was it a curse of? Was it in effect now?

Ted continued. “At that same celebration, the kingdom was also celebrating the birth of the new Prince. It was decided by your parents that he was to be your betrothed.”

“I’m promised to the Prince?” Laurel managed to shake her stupor enough to ask. She didn’t even know who the Prince was! King Robert’s son, she supposed, but the books they had in the cottage were old and made no mention of him. What was he like? Surely nothing like her Ollie.

“When is your young fellow coming here?”

“Tomorrow. For my birthday,” Laurel answered numbly.

“Then we’ll leave immediately to reach the castle by sunset.” He raised a hand when she opened her mouth to protest. “It is better to not involve him. For your own protection.”

She didn’t know what to feel. Her parents were alive? She had a family who had sent her away, but were waiting for her. She was a lady — but betrothed to another man!

It was this that finally caused her to sink onto her bed, her head resting in her hands.

“This isn’t fair,” she cried, her shoulders shaking.

“Life often isn’t,” Ted said simply, though she knew he meant it as a comfort. “And your life has been harder than most.” She heard his footsteps shuffle to the door and back again. “I purchased this from a traveling caravan. It might not be the standards of the court, but I thought it might better suit a lady of your standing than what I’ve been able to give you all these years.”

Laurel raised her head to see the blue gown he held out to her. It was the nicest thing she’d ever had to wear, and all she could think was that she wanted it out of her sight.

“For your birthday, huh?”

Laurel stood slowly, ignoring the dress in favor of hugging her caretaker. “Thank you, Ted. I just wish… but wishing won’t do any of us good.”

Ted nodded and left her room to allow her to change, taking her packing with him to prepare for their journey.

She would have to return tonight to see her parents; they had sacrificed so much to ensure her safety, she felt an obligation to at least assuage the worries they had to have held all these years. Once done, she could explain her situation and how she simply could not go through with the marriage they had arranged for her. Even if it was to the Prince? Surely they would understand.

If they did, would she be able to find Ollie again? How long would he wait at their cottage until he had decided she had left him? She couldn’t see any easy way out of this.

With defeat in her heart, she put on the gown and descended the steps. She felt strange, almost out of her own body in the formal dress. Ted took her hand and led her out to a horse he must have arranged for. He helped her onto it while she figured out how to ride side-saddle, and then he took the reins to lead the animal in a slow walk. To her, it felt like a funeral procession; the end of her old life and dreams.

They continued through most of the night. Sir Ted was wary of stopping for too long on the open road. But eventually, their horse needed to stop for water, so he helped Laurel off while he brought the animal to a small stream.

Laurel stared out at the trees while she waited, wishing for all the world that something might forestall this unexpected change to her life.

Then something did. A green glow off in the distance that was at once captivating and entrancing. It called to her, nearly sounding like the voice of her dear love. Laurel walked toward it, unable to help herself.

Sir Ted turned the horse back around for the path, but stopped as he discovered his charge missing from where he had left her. “Laurel?” Off through the trees, he just caught sight of her back and the green glow drawing her like a moth to flame. “Laurel!”

Laurel was heedless to his shout, hypnotized as she was by magic — for it was Darhk’s magic guiding her steps, closer and closer. She believed herself to be reaching her beloved Ollie, and therefore raised not even a hand to defend herself when the Unseelie stuck her side with an arrow from the Prince’s own quiver.

Sir Ted crashed through the undergrowth just in time to watch his dear charge collapse into the deep slumber the Sidhe had predicted. “No!”

Damien Darhk laughed to see his revenge at last carried out. He dodged the knight’s enraged strike with ease before throwing him against a tree. “You mortals thought you could outwit me, did you? Let this be a message to you all. Of course, I haven’t finished my fun. There’s a Prince I need to see to next.” With that, he disappeared in a flash of blinding light.

Sir Ted crawled towards the fallen maiden, despair filling him at the sight of her still form. “I failed you. Lord forgive me…” His arm outstretched towards hers, he fell insensate for a time.

Sir Ted roused at the sound of hooves against the dirt path. “Prince Oliver!” A voice shouted. “Prince Oliver!”

“Help,” Sir Ted mumbled weakly, before rallying his full voice. “Help, please!”

A number of guards led by Lord Merlyn himself found them. “What has happened here?” The nobleman asked, directing his guards to help both the older knight and the young lady off the earthen floor. “Speak quickly.”

“I am Sir Ted, the knight Lord Lance sent with his daughter years ago to protect her from Damien Darhk. But this night, I have failed my sworn task. Darhk appeared to her and lured her into a trap where she met with the arrow that he foretold.”

“The Prince’s arrow,” Lord Merlyn said, picking the offending weapon up from the ground. “And the same night that he has fled the castle. There has been some treachery at work tonight.”

“It was Darhk, I tell you,” Sir Ted tried to explain.

“Lord Lance must be informed, and the kingdom prepared,” Merlyn said, ignoring the retired knight. He snapped at a pair of guards. “Bring the young Lady Lance. She should be allowed to rest with her family at last.”

They carried her away before Sir Ted could voice another protest. He hurried to his horse, determined to follow the group. Even if he had failed to stop the dark prophecy from unfolding, he refused to abandon his duty to Laurel.

And he sensed a kind of treachery indeed.

---

Within the court at Star, the Lord and Lady Lance were preparing a massive feast, for it was finally the day their daughter would return. Only the older servants truly knew this, though; Quentin and Dinah had long forbidden any mentions of their lost baby, for fear it would incur the interest of the Unseelie who lurked their lands.

Yet in the midst of their preparations, a servant showed in a most auspicious guest along with two of his guard.

“Lord Malcolm,” said Lady Dinah, curtsying low. “We are honored by your presence tonight.”

“I wish I could say the honor was mine, Lady Dinah. But I fear I bring you both news of a tortuous sort. My men encountered Sir Ted the Wildcat in the woods on his way here with a young lady. The one you have been waiting for, I believe.”

Lord and Lady Lance both held their breath. Unknown to them all, Lady Sara had stopped just outside the room, curious and straining to listen in on this conversation.

“She was struck down by an arrow just as you have feared these thirty years,” Lord Merlyn told them at last.

“No!” Lady Dinah’s legs could not support her, and she fell back into a chair.

“What’s more, it was done by the Prince’s hand.”

“What?”

Lord Lance’s exclamation covered his daughter’s own gasp. Oliver had killed some young woman? He would never! And anyway, he was on his way to the woodcutter’s cottage to run off with his lady friend.

“I have begun a search for the Prince. We have no idea what he plans to do next, but it is clear the royal family has turned on us if they have seen fit to rob you of your daughter on the eve of your reunion.”

Daughter? Sara mouthed the word to herself. What did that mean? She was right here.

“I cannot believe this,” Lord Quentin said. “After everything King Robert promised. That his son would — it’s unthinkable!”

“He’s gone mad.” Lady Dinah turned to her husband. “Quentin, if he struck down our eldest, what of Sara?”

“Lord Malcolm wishes to offer protection for her,” a guard stated.

“Thank you,” Lord Quentin said. “I would ask that you protect her and my wife. Lord Malcolm, I wish to join you in your search for the Prince so that my firstborn will be avenged.”

“Wait.” Sara came out into the open at last, startling the group. “What is going on? You’re all talking like I have a sister.”

“There isn’t time, dear,” her mother said. “Go with Lord Malcolm’s guards and I’ll join you once I’ve seen to the servants.

“Come, Lady Sara,” a guard said, taking her by the arm and having to drag her out of the home where they were joined by even more guards.

“What happened to her? Why did you lie to me?” Her whole life, she’d never thought she was anything other than an only child. Why would her parents have sent one of their own away, and why would Oliver ever do something so cruel as to harm her before Sara even got to meet her? This didn’t make any sense!

“Let me go!” Sara struggled to free herself from their hold, but they outnumbered her greatly and had weapons besides. So it was to her surprise that her captors suddenly stopped.

“Move off the path!” One of them ordered.

“I will not,” said a woman’s voice, powerful and vaguely foreign-sounding. When Sara peeked over one of the guard’s shoulders, she caught a glimpse of the stranger; cloaked and with a scarf over her nose and mouth, what struck Sara first was her dark and piercing eyes. Then the sword at her side.

“You will release the maiden and tell me where I may find Lord Merlyn.”

“We’ll do no such thing. Seize her!”

What happened next, Sara could hardly believe. The woman ducked and weaved through the guards, cutting them down with practiced ease until none remained standing. Then she was suddenly standing right in front of her, but Sara found she was the one breathless.

“Come with me if you wish to be safe from those men.”

Sara took the woman’s hand without question, being pulled along away from her family’s castle, through the village, and into the surrounding trees.

“Who are you?”

Her rescuer looked back at her. “I am Nyssa, Heir to Nanda Parbat. I have been sent to settle a quarrel my father has with your kingdom’s advisor.”

“So why save me?”

“Because you required it. Is it not common for those on a quest to rescue beautiful ladies in your land? I had read as such.”

“Um, yeah, it’s common,” Sara replied, feeling her face heat up. She thought she could see the outline of a smirk beneath the scarf still adorning her rescuer’s face. “I’m Lady Sara,” she said, rallying herself. She wasn’t usually so shy, but then, she’d never been saved by a gorgeous lady before!

“Lady Sara,” said Nyssa al Ghul, bowing low over Sara’s hand and pulling her scarf down at last in order to kiss it. Sara has been right; she was gorgeous. “Do you know where I may find Lord Merlyn?”

“All I know is he’s leading my father and a bunch of men to try and capture my friend, the Prince of Star. He’s claiming Oliver hurt my sister or something — he’s claiming I have a sister in the first place, which is already news to me.”

“The fabled Lady, cursed by Darhk, perhaps?” When Sara stared at her blankly, Nyssa elaborated. “My father’s sources told him of a Lady in the court of Star cursed upon birth to fall into eternal slumber after her thirtieth year. She was secreted away from your kingdom to protect her from the Unseelie they call Damien Darhk — but it seems to me this plot is one of Lord Merlyn’s design.”

“Eternal slumber? 

Sara wished she could have a minute to just process all of this, but her eye had caught upon an older-looking knight riding in on a horse with some sort of jungle cat embroidered upon his tunic. She pulled Nyssa along toward him.

“Sir Ted?”

“I am, yes. Forgive me, but I must find Lord Lance. I have news for him.”

“He knows about his daughter already,” Sara told him. “And I’m her sister.”

The knight’s face fell, and he dismounted. “I am sorry I could not protect her. But there has been a grave error made. The Prince was not her attacker. I must tell the court the truth, and then return to the cottage to see if I may find Laurel’s love waiting for her there. He may be her only hope.”

“Then it is true love’s kiss which breaks the curse?” Nyssa asked.

“My sister’s name is Laurel?”

Sir Ted looked down. “I called her such for thirty years to better hide her, yes. Her true name is Lady Dinah, the betrothed of Prince Oliver and therefore the future Queen of our kingdom. But if the man she met on her own is her true love, then nothing can stand in the way of bringing him here.”

“No, but my friend, Oliver, he’s the Prince. And he met a girl out in the woods years ago. He’s planning to meet her at her cottage and run away, and her name is Laurel.” Sara gasped. “Ollie’s Laurel. He’s walking into a trap!”

“Then we will attempt to intercede,” declared Nyssa. “I must borrow your horse, Sir. Come, Lady Sara.” Nyssa helped her step into the stirrups, then mounted the horse behind Sara, bracketing her with her arms as she reached for the reins to spur the horse into a gallop. 

“Find Laurel!” Sara called back to the knight. “We’ll bring Ollie to her!”

She could only hope they reached Oliver before her father and Lord Merlyn did.

---

As Oliver approached the woodcutter’s cottage for the first time, he observed his surroundings and slowed. The air was still, the trees quiet. Not a single creature making noise, and no candles were lit inside despite it being just after daybreak. Something was amiss.

The door swung open, and a man with nearly white-blond hair stepped out. “Oh fine, don’t fall for it. I can improvise.”

Oliver reached for an arrow in his quiver. “Who are you, and what have you done with Laurel?” He could tell by the man’s voice that this certainly wasn’t her caretaker Ted.

“I am Damien Darhk, the infamous Unseelie. And what I’ve done to your beloved is what I promised to do thirty years ago as thanks for the slight her father Lord Lance dealt me.”

Oliver froze. Lord Lance was Laurel’s father? But she’d told him she was an orphan, and Sara had never made mention of an older sister.

“I can see the wheels struggling to turn,” Darhk remarked with amusement. “Allow me to explain. When you were a baby, your parents entered you into a betrothal arrangement with Lord and Lady Lance’s daughter. Their eldest daughter. The whole kingdom was invited except me. Kind of a harsh way to find out you’re so disliked, right? So I cursed her to die before her thirty-first birthday.”

Oliver had been taught about the Sidhe and Unseelie by his various tutors, but this seemed unconscionable. “You cursed an infant for something she had no control over?”

“Yes. I am evil, that is the idea,” Darhk replied. Just as Oliver nocked his arrow on the bow, the Unseelie raised his hand and he felt himself frozen in place. “I wasn’t done talking,” Darhk said, his voice turning cold for an instant.

Try as he might, Oliver couldn’t seem to break the spell over him.

“Now, the dear girl’s parents hoped to keep her safe by hiding her out in the woods, and it might have worked. Except you told your good friend Tommy all about your sweet maiden with the beautiful hair and stunning voice, and he complained all about how you were leaving him behind to his father, Lord Merlyn. Who works for me.”

Anger, white hot, burned in his gut. His father’s best friend had betrayed them all?

“And see, this has all worked out even better than I could have planned. Your love now sleeps forever unless she can be awakened by true love’s kiss, which is you. But right now, Lords Merlyn and Lance are on their way here with a small army because I may have borrowed an arrow from your armory to do the job. Whoops!”

If he had his voice, Oliver would have uttered a thousand curses and oaths at the Unseelie by now.

“So, you get to battle your way through your own kingdom’s people on your way to the kingdom for your true love, who you may awaken with a kiss assuming you don’t die or have to kill her father or something else horrible,” Darhk said. Then his grin turned sharp. “Or I could just end it all right now and ensure the lovely lady never wakes up.”

He closed his hand into a fist, and Oliver suddenly found his breath stopped. He was choking on nothing.

An arrow shot past him and very nearly embedded itself into Darhk’s eyeball had he not grabbed it at the last second, breaking whatever hold he had on Oliver. “Hm, craftsmanship suggests Nanda Parbat…”

Oliver did not hear anymore. He went crashing through the trees, knowing he needed to put as much distance between himself and the Unseelie as possible if he was to ever reach Laurel.

To his right cane a shout. “There he is!”

Guards normally under the command of his father descended down a slope with swords drawn. He struggled to outrun them and knew they would soon be upon him—

“Ollie!”

Sara’s voice had him looking round. She was holding the reins of a horse while an unknown woman holding a bow swung off the back.

“How did you—”

“Come on!”

“Rescue your love,” Sara’s new friend ordered him. “And leave Merlyn to me.” She stride past him to face the oncoming guards.

Sara reached out a hand to help pull him up. “How did you figure all this out?” He asked her.

“I’m kind of learning as I go. Now you have to go wake up my sister so I can finally have one. I can’t believe you never brought me to meet her.”

“I didn’t know!”

“Sara, what are you doing?” Lord Quentin yelled upon seeing his other daughter preparing to take off with the man he believed to have harmed his eldest.

“You’ll understand later, I promise!” She snapped the reins, and the horse took off.

Lord Merlyn sent some of his mounted guards after them, led by Lord Quentin. Then he approached his adversary on foot. “Nyssa. I suppose I should have expected this.”

“And yet you made no preparations. How thoughtless of you.” She exchanged her bow for her sword, watching as he did the same.

“You think by beating me you will finally win your father’s elusive approval?”

“It matters not. You have conspired against a dear lady and her family.” She readied her stance. “For that alone, I will be glad to rid the earth of you.”

At once, the two charged, meeting in the middle with a clang of swords. Though Merlyn possessed great height and strength, Nyssa was his equal if not better in skill. She had prepared her whole life for the warrior’s path, and her fury at what had been done to hurt Lady Sara and her sister propelled her to new heights. They exchanged blow after blow, circling the small clearing again and again, until at last, Nyssa’s sword caught Merlyn’s and flung it out of his reach.

He held up both hands. “Nyssa, wait. I’m a father, the only family my son has left in this world.”

“Yet you ally yourself with those who would steal children from their parents.” Unwilling to hear his pathetic pleas any further, she cut him down.

Meanwhile, Sara and Oliver’s progress through the woods was greatly impeded by a forest of thorns spontaneously growing in their path every which way Sara turned the horse. “It’s Darhk,” Oliver realized. “I’ll have to go on foot. Hold off your father. Try to explain.”

“Alright, but hurry, Ollie.”

The Prince plunged into the brambles, hacking at them with his sword over and over, slowly but steadily cutting his path. They tore at his clothes and his skin but he battled through the pain, knowing that at the end of all this was something he wanted more than life itself.

He fought off beasts, transformed and monstrous with Darhk’s magic, and forded streams that had turned into raging rapids threatening to flood the land. When at last he spied the gates of the kingdom, he was forced to dodge a volley of arrows from the guards at the ramparts. Oliver used a back way he and Tommy had discovered as children to sneak over the castle walls and into the place he’d called home.

The castle itself was quiet and still. The sudden upset of the coup seemed to have all on edge. Nevertheless, he snuck his way to the kitchen where he hoped to find aid.

“Raisa?”

Sure enough, their old cook still busied herself by the fireplace, though she jumped in alarm at his voice. “Prince Oliver!”

He shushed her, and she glanced around before engulfing him in a hug.

“I’m so relieved you’ve made it home alive. But if you’re seen—”

“Some allies of mine are dealing with Lord Merlyn and the guards. What’s become of my family?”

“The Queen and the Princess have been confined to their rooms. No one is to go in or out, save select servants. I am one.”

“And my father?” He asked, dreading the answer.

Her crestfallen face told him the truth before her words. “Slain by Lord Merlyn. The servants all know it was him.” She wrapped him in a second hug, this time one of comfort which he gladly accepted. “I fear for your life as long as you remain here.”

“I have to put an end to this, Raisa. I have to break the curse, so that peace can be restored and the truth known. Tell me, do you know where they are keeping Lord and Lady Lance’s daughter? I don’t mean Sara.”

“So it is the lost Lady,” Raisa breathed. “I brought water and bread to a knight long retired from his duties. He has hidden himself in the highest room of the tallest tower, where he guards the young lady you speak of.”

“Thank you, Raisa.” He left the kitchens and made his way to the tower. Oliver took the stairs at a run, knowing he was trapping himself the higher he climbed. If he was discovered before reaching the highest room, it might all be over.

At last, he cleared the final stair to find a locked door. He knocked, calling out, “Sir Ted?”

For his part, Sir Ted has done as Lady Sara requested and found her sister. The guards had placed her sleeping form on a cart while they discussed their orders to shoot the Prince on sight, only leaving one guard to watch Laurel. Ted has chosen not to engage the younger man in formal combat and instead punched him out before securing his charge and hiding them within the unused room in the tower. He had hoped to spy the return of Lady Sara, Nyssa and Prince Oliver, but the forest of thorns had obscured his sight. Now, he rose and answered the door.

“My Prince,” he said, bowing his head slightly. Then, with a wary look down the stairs beyond, he opened the door another few inches to allow Oliver inside, taking his place on the stairs to watch for any guards and to grant the couple a moment’s privacy.

Laurel rested on the room’s only bed, her hair like spun gold fanning out over the pillows. Her chest rose and fell slowly, the one indication that she was not totally lost to this world.

Oliver walked forward, kneeling at her bedside and taking one of her hands. “Lady of the court or not, betrothed or not, you will always be the love of my life. I still need you, Laurel.” With this declaration, he softly kissed her lips with his own, pulling back to look at her with his breath held.

Her eyelids fluttered. That was the first sign. Then the color returned to her cheeks. Her fingers curled around his, and her green eyes blinked open.

“What? Where am I… Ollie!”

His eyes felt strangely wet for the wideness of his smile. “Prince Oliver of Star, actually.”

Laurel’s eyes widened. “You- you knew this whole time?”

“Not about this!” He hurriedly clarified. “I didn’t know you were really my betrothed who was cursed by an Unseelie or that I needed to break the curse by kissing you — but I’m glad at least about the last part.”

Laurel touched a hand to her lips. “You kissed me?”

He nodded. “Sorry. I would’ve waited for you to be awake, but that was kind of the problem.”

Laurel shook her head. “I cannot believe we were really supposed to be together this whole time.”

“I can.”

She smiled at him, shaking her head a little as she brought both arms around his shoulders to draw him closer.

But a flash of light startled them both and announced the arrival of Darhk himself. Angered by Malcolm’s and his own failures to impede the young lovers, he sought to take revenge for himself — until Lady Laurel released a scream from her mouth that threw him from the window of the tallest tower and to the ground below. He remained there, unmoving.

Laurel placed a hand over her mouth as Oliver checked this, and both turned upon Sir Ted rushing back into the room. “Laurel!”

“I’m fine, Ted. We both are. I just…”

“The Sidhe’s gifts,” Sir Ted concluded. “They are known to work in mysterious ways.”

Down below came a series of shouts. Loudest among them, the voice of Lord Lance. “Lay down your weapons! We’ve been tricked, all of us, by Lord Merlyn! The Prince is not our enemy!”

“I must tell your father the curse has been lifted,” Sir Ted explained, leaving through the door once again.

“My father,” Laurel echoed, standing to watch the people rushing about down below.

“That’s him there,” Oliver pointed out for her. “The young lady beside him is Sara, my friend. And your younger sister.”

Laurel gasped. “I have a sister?” A tentative smile rose on her lips. “And who’s her lady friend?”

Oliver watched the woman with dark hair who had taken on Merlyn as she followed Sara’s every step like a keenly devoted shadow. “I… don’t actually know yet. But they seem pretty close.”

“You’re the Prince. I’m betrothed to the Prince, which means… I’m going to be a Princess.”

“Not exactly.” When she looked at him, Oliver explained. “Merlyn killed my father, which means I have to succeed him on the throne.”

Laurel stared at him. “I’m going to be a Queen?”

“If you would. I was prepared to run away just to have a life with you, Laurel. I could never imagine doing this without you by my side.”

Laurel’s heart felt warm and nearly overflowing, to the point where all she could do was nod.

“We’ll worry about the details after you’ve had a chance to meet your family,” he promised her.

“And after you’ve had a chance to mourn yours,” she added, taking his hands. He was glad for that measure of comfort and support, and gladder still when she guided his hands to rest on her waist.

“For now, I for one believe I am still owed a kiss.”

“A kiss?” Nevertheless, he obliged.

Though the kingdom was in some disarray from the sudden upheaval wrought by Darhk and his conspirators, the emergence of the young royals would help to soothe the pain of King Robert’s loss for all. King Oliver, helped by his friends and advisors, would work to improve the lives of all the peoples of his kingdom. The most salient advice he found nearly always came from his Queen, whose own experiences growing up outside the courtly life often proved invaluable. 

Her sister, Lady Sara, would go on to be the kingdom’s emissary to the land of Nanda Parbat, which made both Sara and Nyssa very happy. The Ladies Lance would also quickly grow close and exchange letters and visits often. And even when Sara was away, Laurel found she had her father, Oliver’s mother and sister, Sir Ted and always Oliver himself to provide the companionship and belonging she had often craved in her youth.

And they all lived happily ever after.

---

“More, more, more!” Chanted four year-old Olivia Queen, still as wide awake where she bounced on her bed as when he’d brought her up here for her story.

“More?” Oliver let his mouth fall open in a gape. “But that’s it! That’s all that happened.”

“Nooo!” Olivia cried, the word drawn out. “They gotta bring peace to the kingdom and get married and go on dates with Lady Sara and her girlfriend and find a nice house for Sir Ted—”

“For the record,” said William, standing in the doorway, “it doesn’t make any sense for Sir Ted to have taken Laurel to the highest room in the tallest tower. How was he going to escape if he needed to?”

“Well,” Oliver said, floundering for a moment. “He didn’t need to.”

“An’ it’s special,” Olivia told her half-brother. Oliver gave her an approving nod.

“You mean it’s Disney?”

“Hey, we don’t support the monopolization of the entertainment industry in this house,” Oliver reminded, pointing a finger at his eldest. “But fair use is fair use, so—”

“I am not hearing snoring children,” Laurel’s voice came in partial sing-song from down the hall before she stopped behind William. “You nitpicking your dad’s storytelling abilities again?”

William shrugged. “A bit.” He wasn’t quite out of the teenage years, clearly.

“Mommy, you were a Princess!”

“I was? Well, that’s news to me.” She stepped around William and walked to the bed, guiding their daughter to finally lie down under the covers instead of hopping around on top of them.

“Uh-huh. And you were asleep an’ dad kissed you.” Olivia giggled, clearly thinking the idea very silly.

“Well, now it’s your turn to get some rest, Sleeping Beauty,” Laurel told her. “I can’t promise you a true love, but I can promise your dad’s pancakes in the morning before we take William to the train station.”

“Does Will have to go?” Olivia whined.

“Yes. We can’t hog him from his mom all the time.”

“Okay,” Olivia agreed, subdued.

“We’ll see him in two weeks,” Oliver promised, meeting William’s eyes and getting a nod from him. Then he stood and joined Laurel to finish tucking their daughter in. “And we’ll do a new story, then.”

Olivia smiled up at him before yawning wide. “I love you, daddy.”

And damn, that really always did something to him. Oliver blinked back the stinging at the corners of his eyes and bent down to kiss her forehead. “Love you too, beautiful baby.”

Laurel and William each exchanged similar good nights with Olivia before they shut all but her Flash-symbol nightlight off and left her room.

Laurel loosely draped an arm around William’s shoulders as they all moved down the hall. “You all packed?”

“Pretty much. Just, you know, toiletries and stuff.”

“Okay, good. Go get some rest, honey.”

“Goodnight, Laurel. Night, dad.”

“Goodnight.” Oliver watched his son head into his own room for the night, breathing in once and letting it out again with a distinct air of contentment.

“Sleeping Beauty? Really?”

He looked down at Laurel. “Why not? You’re beautiful, even when you sleep.”

Laurel swatted at his arm. “Why pick the story where I have to be asleep though?”

He shrugged. “You were only asleep for a little bit. And it kind of, I don’t know, mirrored our lives. The, the life support,” he muttered quietly, still finding it hard to talk about that horrible time she’d been hovering between life and death at the hospital.

It had forced him to grapple with his feelings for her and the conviction he needed to finally do right by her, but he would gladly pay any price never to have to live through something like that again.

Laurel seemed to sense his spiraling mood, for she stepped in close and wrapped her arms around him, fitting herself against him in that perfect way they had. “Hey, I’m fine. We both are.”

He held back a smirk hearing her unknowingly echo some of the lines he’d given her in the story. They really did know each other too well sometimes.

“We have a beautiful family, a city that’s on the mend even if it still needs some help here and there. And we have each other.” She tilted her head back to meet his eyes. “That’s my idea of a fairytale.”

“And here I thought you’d groan if I used a ‘happily ever after’ pickup line.”

Laurel’s forehead dropped against his chest. “I am groaning. That’s so bad.”

He grinned unabashedly. “So bad it’s good?”

“...if I say yes, does that get you into the bedroom?”

“It’s a safe bet.” He allowed Laurel to start pulling them along without an answer.

Fatherhood had certainly given him the opportunity to polish his storytelling skills, but it had also taught him not to let a quiet moment go to waste. And if that was one of the biggest challenges to his day, he had to agree with Laurel that they really were living their once upon a dream.

[marquiswrites]

Out of Time [6/25]

Masterlist

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

Characters: James “Bucky” Barnes, Sam Wilson, James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Shuri, Doctor Strange, Original Female Character/OC

Relationship: James “Bucky” Barnes/Reader,

Rating: MatureWord Count: 1098

Warnings: Language

Author’s Notes: This chapter had me stuttering over how to move the story forward again without giving absolutely everything away. It honestly had me stumped for the longest time. As always for @panicfob​ ‘s 25 days of fics

Chapter 6: Christmas Cocktails

They assumed you were crazy of course. 

The daughter of a figure of their legends. Something must have happened while you were under the ice, brain damage or something of the like. There was a reason you usually talked around such questions. An inherent danger to honesty.

But you had also known that their benevolence would only extend so far without answers. Especially Sam and their sorcerer. 

Of course, it was most likely for him to understand, when it came time to talk about it in truth. You had agreed to an evening with the entire group, talking, opening up about yourself. It was a foolish hope to believe that there might be camaraderie, as much as you quietly prayed for it. 

It would be lonely as you waited for the years to pass. For another life. Another chance. 

The chatting turned to gentler things. With you asking about various things that had changed while you were under. Cars and telephones specifically had come rather far in terms of humans. And their music was foreign and familiar all at once. Some melodies drifting through the air as you shopped. Sam helping you pick out a few items for the others, graciously paying, though he said that each of them had an account set aside that was almost inexhaustible. 

Rhodey was quieter, but his quips often made you laugh, easing the mood for each of you as the day passed. His often dry humor a neat match to Sam’s eye rolling and snorts of laughter. Sam was still wary about you, but he was warm, welcoming. 

You wondered what had hurt him so thoroughly to craft him into someone so kind.

Upon your return to the compound, you found that the team had gone the full mile in regards to this party idea Sam had produced. Obviously they had contacted the others somehow, likely by the texting that Rhodey had attempted to explain to you. 

Still sounded like sorcery if they asked you. 

Music played through the lounge room, a mixture of songs that you recognized from before you went under the ice, and things that were foreign but put a buzz through your body. Making you want to sway to the rhythm. 

Sam slid past you and behind the bar. “Alright Christmas Cocktails coming right up, tis the season.”

 Shuri waved a hand while plopping down onto the couch. “As I am neither legally allowed to drink in your country, nor interested in making myself an idiot. I will happily catalogue all the idiocy from right here.” Lifting her phone to start taking pictures and recording. 

You laughed brightly before accepting an extremely bright red drink from Sam. Sipping at it and humming. “This is amazing.”

“Just a little recipe from back home.” Sam winked, then moved to grab a more archaic bottle from the top shelf. “And for our resident super soldier, courtesy of Thor. He’ll be flying in within the next few days, says he wants to learn more about our mystery girl here.” 

Bucky accepted the bottle, pouring himself a dram. “I’d be surprised if everyone didn’t decide to stop by for a visit or two.” 

“If Loki had not passed in the fight, I would say that he were likely to be of use.” Strange accepted the glass of scotch from Sam, sipping at it while looking to you. “You are rather a conundrum.”

“Yes. I am that indeed. Among other things.” A smile playing coyly at the edge of your lips.  “She also says that she’s the daughter of Morrigan Le Fey… Like from the old stories about Arthur and Camelot.” Rhodey took the stool beside you. His own drink matching the sorcerers. 

“It would explain a great many things.” Strange dipped his head slightly, then hummed to himself. “Specifically why she seemed to recognize you as Ser Gawain, Barnes.”

Bucky huffed at that, shaking his head. “Think Lancelot was the name some dames used to tease me with now and then. Not Gawain.” Offering a wry laugh, though you could tell that it was laced with something more. 

“Lancelot was an idiot.” You turn your gaze to your drink for a moment, gazing down at it from beneath lowered lids. “Pure of heart, certainly, brave beyond measure. But an absolute idiot at times. Much as Arther loved him before the betrayal.”

Then all stared at you in silence for a moment. 

“Alright girl, you’ve got to be pulling our legs. You could have read that in any story book abou them.” Sam scoffed, sipping at his beer. “I mean, history is full of stories about Arthur and the knights of the round table.”

Meeting his gaze, you roll your eyes. “Technically I was born after the fall of the round table. Though in Avalon, time means little. Many of the knights joined us there. After my birth, I was given to the Tuatha de Danaan, and their druid followers. It was they who taught me to wield the magic of my blood.”

“Tuatha de Danaan… A race of gods, much like those of Asgard, believed to have made their home on the isle of Avalon.” Stephen informed the others, nodding to himself with a frown. “But then… why would your magic be so similar to Asgardians?”

You raise a brow to him. “There was once a tale of a woman born of winter and time…” Trying not to glance to Bucky, to ignore what reaction he might have to the old tale. It had been so long since you had heard it properly. “Whose touch would freeze even the bravest and boldest of warriors… But who was cursed to walk forever unchanged.”

Each of them shared glances once more. Suspicion growing as a heavy blanket over the mood.

Then came the familiar voice, asking an all too familiar question. “That wasn’t your first time in the ice, was it?”

“No… No it wasn’t.” You turned in your seat to meet his steel blue gaze. Watching him as he searched your face for any sign of a lie that did not exist. “I have lived a hundred lifetimes. Traveled through a thousand universes. And I always return to the ice when it is time. Such is the curse that I live with. That I have always lived with. My mother explained it to me once, but honestly, the explanation was a bit beyond even my understanding.”

Bucky nodded, frowning to himself before his expression was softening. “Damn doll, and I thought I had had it rough. Stronger than I gave you credit for.”

[kindabraveandlittlestupid]

It seems Disney underestimated the power of the Dark Side of its fan base with the box office failure of Solo: A Star Wars Story. It shows a fracturing among viewers and how future movies will be received (or not received) by audiences around the world. The major issue with the fans isn't that people outright hate the new direction of the series but many are upset that the universe they know and love for long is changing before them. Some of those changes are for the better with new stronger female leads in the movies (which was needed) and then there are changes that for the worse such as changing the established lore of the force and cutting back the extended universe, which ironically took dozens of strong female characters with it. So yay! Progress?

So I plan to make the case for being critical of the new movies. I plan to also chastize those jerkoffs who decided to attack female actresses for being role models for young girls. I plan to make a rational argument for the removed content cut away by Disney writers. I also plan on talking about how we can bridge these divides and bring everyone back together. You might not agree with everything I say or maybe you will. Most people almost never share 100% of their opinions with another person which was kind of the problem in all this... dissent was widdled down to either or and those fans with legit criticisms were pushed into the camp of those assholes who hate women and the concept of social justice/equity. Because there was no discourse or room for dissent, Disney Ultimately gambled on that disgruntled fanbase not being as influential as it is and they were wrong.

No Room For Dissent

This is a common problem in society these days, where we view things in absolutes; be it politics, movies, religion and so on. Perhaps we have always been like that (I only been around since 1985) but it feels pretty bad these day especially in regards to politics being so divisive or movies that look to present more female roles and ethnic roles in their casts taking so much flak. While I might make some political parallels to create examples, I intend on focusing on the cultural divides taking place in these popular movies.

There is plenty of blame to go around for the tribal mentality that comes when critiquing a movie. Studios benefit from having a cultural high ground because it's easier to say “You’re being sexist or racist” instead of handling a critique and having to answer for poor choices they made while making the movie. I imagine this is what happened in the case of the Ghostbusters reboot, some people asked why the black character wasn't the scientist and the studio reacted with “Why don't you like women?” A kind of deflection mentality that avoided a valid critique of the movie and shames the critic from raising his or her voice again.

The blame also falls at the feet of the very worst patrons of our society. On one side you have the army of trolls of the web who are by far the worst people the interwebs (and the world) has to offer. These are the sort of guys who see any female lead role as an insult and seek out to harass them in the real world forcing the said actresses to abandon social media. These sort of people (most of them male) leave me gritting my teeth because this isn't so much a passion of a fandom they want to protect as it is a lifestyle of attacking people who are not them. Everything is a fucking battle and anything that progresses or enhances another race/gender/sexuality beyond their own is considered a threat to their manhood.

On the other side, we have people who you would call PC and they are sometimes PC to a fault. I tend to find myself agreeing with people on this side more often than not but even then we have our moments where I am wondering what the fuck the objective is. They become advocates for a worthwhile cause but become blinded to valid points or arguments. Back to Star Wars, I wondered why Admiral Holdo was even in the movie because she was killed right away and Akbar or Leia could have had the noble death. The response is defensive of the female role simply because it's a female role. Studios obviously love these advocates because they still don't have to answer the questions and its a private army of people to protect their franchise.

The last group is fans which is a wide spectrum of people from little girls who see Rey and get excited to see a girl kicking ass on the screen to long-term fans who have questions about the lore of the movies being changed or questions why the movie changed directions. Most of us reside here between the two extremes; the PC movie defenders who see the film as a tool to improve society and those little troll fuckers who want to see the world burn.

The failing in this discussion about the movie is the fact those two polar opposites dictated the discourse for the rest of us. You either accepted the movie as it was and enjoyed being on the moral high ground or join the trolls if you have any small critiques of the movie whatsoever. Perhaps we more moderate critics failed a bit by letting the trolls become the loudest voice in the room and let them write letters where they basically bashed women became the only thing people could see. Much like a peaceful protest where 97% of the people are there to say their piece with civility and clarity but its those 3% (the Trolls) throwing trash cans thru the window that get the cameras on them and they define the protest with the media coverage. 

I blame also the Directors and Disney for playing this absolutist mentality where they say anyone who is complaining about the movie is a baby, sexist, racist or some other insult. They didn't seem to want to have any criticism and why would they?! Having a golden franchise that can basically prints money and where you can say anyone who dissents against us is a bigot of some sort, is a hell of a defense. No one wants to be with the trolls and be labeled as chauvinist or racist but because there was no spectrum or room for dissent they ultimately pushed critics and concerned fans to that side.

Respecting The Lore/Establish A Vision

Disney may not realize this but they fucked up pretty bad by cutting away the extended universe. I understand WHY they did it; thousands of characters, hundreds of worlds, dozens of stories to consider compiled over 40 years? I imagine the collective writers of Disney who saw the scope of what other people had built together and collectively shit their pants. It's a massive undertaking to try and apply the lore in a way that fans might enjoy or explore plots that we would love to see executed. The problem is instead of looking at this expanded universe as a foundation to build their movies on, they decided to slice it away and leave nothing but the core movies and a cartoon. I will try and break down why that was a mistake.

Fans Invested Most of Their Time Into The SWEU

What they may have not realized is the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy was not where fans invested most of their time. Yes, we loved those movies for being the gateway into this great fictional universe but ultimately watching the 6 films would take only 13 hours. Knights of the Old Republic a single game of that Star Wars Universe (that they cut away), takes at least 28 to 48 hours to complete. Then you add on other games Knights of the Old Republic 2, The Old Republic MMO, Shadows of the Empire, Battlefront 1/2, The Force Unleashed, Rogue Squadron, Empire at War, Dark Forces, Jedi Knight, Jedi Academy, Republic Commando and so on you are now looking at hundreds of hours invested to a single play thru or more likely THOUSANDS of hours for true gamers play each game a few times.

This is where the true long-term fans who buy Star Wars merchandise over a lifetime instead of a holiday season reside. It stays fresh in our minds as books, comics, games, and yes the movies become part of regular media diet. Disney perhaps felt overwhelmed by it or perhaps wanted to reboot the universe decided to take the vast majority of where our love resides in the Star Wars Universe and scrapped it. Like it or not this is where they lost most of their following and since they did it just before the release of the The Last Jedi they have since been dealing with the fallout of loyal fans who feel betrayed and I am not talking just about the bitchy trolls from online either.

Removal of Strong Female Roles

I like seeing Ray as a strong female character and we all, of course, we all love Leia as well. There is no doubt the Star Wars movies while centered around some strong female characters have been pretty much been male-dominated for those first six films. So the change is not only warranted but welcomed.

What is a shame as while that was true for the movies it was far from the truth for the SWEU content where there were literally dozens of strong female leads they could have been explored by Disney.

Meetra Surik

Mara Jade

Bastila Shan

Mission Vao

Juno Eclipse

Iden Versio

Jaina Solo

Maris Brood

Visas Marr

Jan Ors

And so many more...

These women come different walks of life being the daughter of Han and Leia (Jaina Solo), plucky engineers who travel with a Wookie (Mission Vao), former Sith turned to the Light Side (Mara Jade), former Imperial Pilots and Soldiers fighting for the Rebellion (Juno and Iden), or even one of the most powerful Jedi’s in the Galaxy (Meetra Surik). I suppose what is best about them being fictional is that they still exist and if Disney wants to start mending bridges they should star readapting these characters into the canon universe.

The Best Stories Exist Before And After The Movies

I suppose for some the story of Skywalker family struggle was enough for them but the bigger stories existed long before the Empire/First Order and greatest conflict took place years after. The Mandalorian Wars, where warriors raider world after world forcing the Galactic Republic to step in. The Great Galactic War pitting the Sith against Jedi across the galaxy. The Invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong leaving trillions dead across hundreds of worlds and nearly destroying all life.

These stories are part of that extended universe and far more compelling than the recycled Death Star plot we saw in 4 of the 10 Star Wars movies. The audience craved to see the Jedi at their peak when they maintained peace across the universe, or they wish to see the Sith exist not in pairs but as an Empires themselves. If Disney wants to explore this franchise than embrace the stories that have not yet been shown on screen.

Establishing A Vision

Disney has enjoyed great success with the MCU and dozens of movies its created. They also managed to get their mittens on the Star Wars Universe and seek to milk it much the same. The problem is they don't seem to have a clear idea where they want to go with the movies or what they should do with it. I already discussed how complex the universe is with all its lore but you (Disney) have control over the movies. The rights to the toys, games, books, comics and films an like it or not we are at your mercy of where you decide to take it. 

I suppose I am advocating having a vision for the future of this series. Marvel Cinematic Universe works because the stories were planned out with a sort of climactic point to be explored (IE the Infinity Wars) so we know you can practice good foresight. On the other hand... John Carter, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and the Lone Ranger display a carelessness of other franchises. Not trying to be mean, just stating a fact. We saw it happen with other movies like Batman in the 90′s where the objective was selling toys and not making a quality film that could encourage people to buy merchandise for decades. I guess what I am trying to say is Harry Potter this franchise, treat it with love and care that the fanboys and fangirls so we can go with you on this adventure into a galaxy far far away.

A Letter to You Troll Douchbags

Some of us critics truly love movies. We see the flaws as they are and we want to be able to say our views with other people around a table. I had my issues with the magical properties of the heart-shaped herb in Black Panther. I wish they continued Ghostbusters 3 with Oscar (Jason Gordon Lovitt) taking over and having some young black scientists (played by Donald Glover and Jessica Williams) being the Ghostbusters (and Role Models) in the movie. I have some issues with The Last Jedi and how they changed the flow of the movie from one director to the next but you little bitches keep making these debates about race and fucking gender every fucking time. You see a woman on screen and you write up a review of a movie that isn't even out yet because you’re somehow afraid of the 50 movies released over the year you somehow won't be represented.

Cut your fucking shit out you little pricks. We cant make honest critiques now because you’re the first fucking twits to review a film and all you spew is the vial fucking hate raging against everything that isn't you. Honestly, the rest of us just want to enjoy ourselves, we are grown up enough to know white isn't the only skin color in the seats of the movie theater and male isn't the only gender of a hero (we call them heroines) in movies.

I picked these movies on purpose because they were topical and I had my issues with them (and I have my issue with every movie save Shaun of the Dead which is fucking perfect). I wanted to write reviews that were balanced because I want to believe we can have that discourse again where we can chat why a movie works or doesn't work without the risk of having labels like sexist or racist applied to us because you want to act out. So please for the love of god either commit to shoving your head further up your ass so we can't hear you or pull your head out and join the rest of the world. Either way, I am tired of having to apologize and denounce your rhetoric... it's honestly fucking exhausting.

Regards Michael California

[secretlyatargaryen]

Sansa being praised as a good victim and Sansa fans putting down other abuse victims part 2 (because people keep telling me this doesn’t happen)

Companion to this post.

http://secretlyatargaryen.tumblr.com/post/162004630567/im-so-glad-im-not-the-only-one-who-doesnt-like

i'm so glad i'm not the only one who doesn't like lyanna. tho tbh i hate rhaegar 1000x more. and i absolutely despise how much they're romanticized in the fandom. i still don't understand how 11yo sansa gets so much hate for her dreams and mistakes in the beginning, but not the older, "wiser" lyanna for supposedly running off with a MARRIED southern prince. i mean neither should entirely be at fault bc they were both young girls who imo were taken advantage of, but it's some food for thought.

For now I am not a Lyanna fan at all. I try to sympathize with her and I can’t. I try to find similarities between her and Sansa and forgive her actions but again I can’t. We don’t know a lot about Lyanna so maybe I will change my mind in the future but for now just the thought of her leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

What I don’t understand is how Lyanna gets almost no blame for what happened to her family even though a 11 year old Sansa gets blamed for her father’s death.

http://secretlyatargaryen.tumblr.com/post/70714078551/i-am-loyal-to-king-joffrey-my-one-true-love

Okay, but this is bullshit because Tyrion’s big mouth is always getting him into trouble. He can never shut his sass up. Thus and therefore, Sansa is approximately 1,568% better than ur fave….especially if it’s Tyrion. Ugh.

http://secretlyatargaryen.tumblr.com/post/53455177515/exitpursuedbyasloth-you-should-learn-to-ignore

“You should learn to ignore them.” -Sansa Stark, First of Her Name, the Queen of Survival, the Unbroken, More Alive Than All Your Faves, Protector of Lemoncakes, Patron Saint of Songs and Broken Men

Hey Tyrion, you might want to fucking listen to Sansa right now. Tyrion? Tyrion, are you listening to Sansa? Oh, no, you’re threatening Joffrey’s life right in front of his mother, Tywin, and Varys. Oh, wow, that’s going to end really well for you you are a clever one aren’t you I am sure there will be no unwanted repercussions from that no sir.

https://www.facebook.com/EverythingGameOfThrones/posts/610986598973846

Would you rather she behave like Cersei, or perhaps Margaery? But she is learning fast and is stronger than she appears. Would you be strong enough to keep a straight face when the enemy comes to tell you they slaughtered you mother and brother? Or to keep your mouth shut, not uttering a curse or threat as Joffrey is having you beat bloody? Or to treat him with kindness and respect after he threatens to rape you?

http://www.snarksquad.com/2014/04/game-of-thrones-s04-e03-this-fucking-episode.html

I do not think Arya would have lasted as long as Sansa, had she been caught before fleeing King's Landing. I think Arya would have had a hard time keeping her mouth shut and "behaving wisely" and I think she might've got herself killed or tortured by Joffrey.

https://www.accesshollywood.com/articles/game-of-thrones-qa-sophie-turner-on-sansas-escape-146456/

I think Sansa is one of the strongest people because the thing about this world that people don’t realize is that, yeah, there are these cool fighting badasses like Brienne and Arya, but the real easiest way to survive is to keep your mouth shut and do what people want you to do and Sansa’s like clicked on to this and that’s why she’s gone on for so long. People aren’t scared of her, people don’t suspect her. I think it’s a very brave and very intelligent thing to do.

 And if you think about it, Arya, if she had stayed in King’s Landing, she might not be alive, because she wouldn’t have been able to keep her mouth shut.

So Sansa is really the best person to be in that situation if you had to have one of the Starks there.

http://www.xojane.com/entertainment/sansa-stark-feminist-superhero?page=232

Because, while Sansa still initially falls into the problematic “traumatized woman” trope, she ends up breaking it by handling her trauma in a way that most characters like her do not. She doesn’t become a hardened warrior, or hide behind fire-tongued abrasiveness. How many female characters do we know that hide behind spunk, brashness, and typically “male” behaviors to cope with their feelings of hurt or abandonment?

http://artnalism.com/game-thrones-sansa-stark-apology/

Consider this though: Arya’s tendency to action and violence would have had her killed in King’s Landing. Sansa stayed alive because she knew there was no way to escape without help – and she’s not given enough (or any) credit for that. Sansa’s strength comes from her ability to survive.

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/124198-why-do-people-hate-the-kick-ass-character-that-is-arya-stark/

I’m not gonna root for [Arya] doing that while she is destroying her soul in the process

http://jaimebrienne.com/topic/30003647/88/

If any of the Starks are going to live, I think it probably will be Sansa. Unlike Arya who's main focus is revenge, she just does what it takes to survive.

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/126817-about-sansa-and-arya/

HOWEVER, I believe that Sansa's fate could be more tragic than any of those listed above. Sansa could die, and it may be because of Arya.

[...]

This would mirror innocent Lady being sacrificed in absence of the real culprit Nymeria.

https://www.quora.com/Would-Sansa-make-a-better-queen-than-Daenerys

Dany's arc is one in which a princess who's been brought low gradually rises higher, whereas Sansa's arc is one in which a privileged lady is brought low and must be resilient and creative in order to rise higher and rebuild herself. At this stage of the story, Dany has so much and yet also struggles so much that you might wonder just how much a person could need to finally move. If three dragons, a bunch of sellsword companies and the Unsullied aren't guarantors of stability, what is? If Dany can't figure her stuff out with all of that, then how talented is she? Whereas Sansa has been a prisoner since her father's death and has had to navigate a situation where she's not empowered at all, and while she hasn't completely climbed her way out yet, there are clear signs that she's poised to do so. In terms of direction and overall vision and sense of purpose, Dany has stumbled while having mind-boggling resources, and Sansa has succeeded despite having nothing but her own damn self.

[...]

Sansa is gentle and merciful, wanting everything to be music and lemon cakes like in the stories. Even when she's been wronged, she just wants people to be good to each other, rather than wanting revenge.

Dany has (justifiably or not) burned and crucified people, breaking contracts and seeking vengeance on people who wronged her. She has entered conflicts with no exit strategy, and she's very prideful.

[...]

Sansa would understand and forgive, and not cast them aside for one mistake that this person has already been trying to rectify ever since they realised they were wrong. And last but not least, Daenerys is actually quite evil

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.855926-Game-of-Thrones-Sansa-vs-Daenerys

Daenerys on the other hand almost out the gate is a strong aggressive woman who knows what she wants and is eager to take it. However, this is actually not a point in Daenerys's favor. Sansa has room to develop and change. She can start out as a "stupid little girl" whose head is full of silly ideals such as chivalry and honor, and then she can become a badass political schemer who still holds a bit of a softer side. Where as Daenery's becomes the "mother of dragons" by the end of book one and is so full of piss and vinegar that some people suspect that the only place she can go is crazy town.

[...]

What does Daenerys lose? Kahl Drogo? Really? Khal Drogo was a barbarian warlord who used her as an arian f@#$ puppet. Sure they eventually obtain a more mutual relationship because she can do it cowgirl style, but she doesn't even speak his language for most of the time spent with him. Furthermore, by book 5 she seems totally over him. She is all over her sellsword boyfriend and is even getting freaky with some of her serving girls. Meanwhile, Sansa is being creeped on by a guy who was in love with her mother. Things go far too well for Daenerys.

[...]

Dany on the other hand, despite coming from similar circumstances, is everything wrong with an idealistic person and she only learns lessons and changes when it conveniences her. She's Joffrey's antipode in almost every way, but she's just as bad because she's as flawed as he is.

She isn't even a nice person in person because she's haughty and arrogant and mindful of her rank and her position on top.

https://winterfelland.tumblr.com/post/159370019542/the-pro-daenerys-and-pro-sansa-meta-no-one-asked

if you ever want to write something again with the delusion of not pissing off Sansa fans… don’t you EVER dare write down the fantasy of Daenerys Stockholm syndrome Targaryen who started randomly enjoying being raped every night giving sex advice to  ‘poor Sansa (who) has not had a positive sexual experience yet.’

[rokurookajima]

once again filling my evening answering questions nobody asked

cherry turnover:  who do you live with? 

i’ve lived by myself for three months now!! it’s cool and there are some things that are really nice about living totally alone like truly never bothering anyone with the shit you’re doing. but im tryna move in with evie soon and we’re hoping to have a place by mid june!!!! we just looked at some today and im jazzed  bananas foster:  do you believe in soul mates?

yes absolutely but like in a specific sense. i don’t believe everyone has like one singular soul mate, and i don’t believe soul mates are exclusively romantic. but i completely believe there are people you’re cosmically supposed to meet, and that sometimes the odds are all against you meeting but you still do, and when you finally meet there is some kind of feeling like you’ve either known each other way longer, or you instantly know they’re going to be so important to you. i think i’ve met more than one soul mate by that definition in my life. one was the guide of a travel group i went on a trip with when i was 16, and i only knew him for a week but we both connected so strong and instantly, and both were clearly affected by it i think we both walked away differently. i’ve never seen him since then and i cried a lot the last day of that trip. but like it definitely wasn’t romantic?? it was just some kind of deep soul connection. i also think you can have friendships that are gonna last forever and those are pretty close to soul mates too. basically i have a lot of very romanticized ideas about people you meet in your life  glazed donut:  would you rather visit a zoo or an aquarium?

prob an aquarium  pumpkin pie:  what were your interests as a child?

i really fuckin loved dinosaurs when i was rlly young, like preschool and kindergarten age. i liked cool rocks a lot too, i had a ton of geodes and crystals and those little stones you could buy at like museum giftshops that i kept in boxes and would just look at all the time. i was rlly obsessed with harry potter when i was like 8 i think that was when i first read the books and there were only five at the time. late childhood (like 4/5th grade) i loved cats on probably a weird level bc wow yeah i was a warrior cats kid, also loved pirates a lot  lemon tart:  how many languages can you speak?

just one unfortunately. i wish i knew a second language but alas  chocolate mousse:  how is your relationship with your parents?

it could probably be better, but i guess it is a lot better than a lot of people my age have. i love my parents but they’re rlly problematic people, and even tho they didn’t mean to, they are the biggest reason i have a lot of the issues i have, and they still do shit that perpetuates it. it’s better in some ways that i don’t live with them now, bc i think some parts of my mental health like my self image are better bc i’m around way more supportive people than them. but also i feel bad bc i don’t make as much of an effort to talk to them as i should since i don’t see them every day. me and my mom have always been pretty close, and i don’t want to lose that. they try sometimes  creme brûlée:  describe your style

american apparel lmao which i can only keep saying for like the next YEAR before that won’t define anything for people. but 4 real a good portion of my wardrobe is from american apparel, and when i shop else ware, it’s still pretty consistent with that style. like very basic cuts and colors of things, only pattern i ever wear is stripes, highwaisted everything, cropped everything. i only wear black white gray and green i am a stereotype  cheesecake:  have you ever visited a sex shop?

lmao yeah more than once. there’s a couple around where i live that i’ve been to a few times, and one in columbus. i’ve never bought anything at one, or gone there with like the intent to purchase stuff. they’re just honestly so funny to walk through and be horrified by the enormous dildos  raspberry sorbet:  favorite clothing stores?

wow i can’t say american apparel anymore im so sad. so uh. i honestly don’t know where im gonna get most of my clothes now. forever 21 and h&m are always good places to find some cheap stuff. i wanna thrift more, but i never seem to have very good luck at finding stuff  green tea ice cream:  who was your first crush?

lmao it was milo thatch from atlantis. but i assume we are talking about a real person that i actually y’know like. could speak to. which was my tumblr boyfriend that i met when i was 17. i met him in a fandom chatroom i ended up in through some other tumblr friends, then kinda started getting some feels when he posted a selfie after we’d already talked in the chat and i was like oh no he’s hot. so wowie a tragic tale of star-crossed lovers  chocolate chip cookie:  how has your life changed over the past year?

i can’t even start to say how much my life has changed over the last year. truly, i don’t think there’s ever been a year in my life that i’ve looked at and been so in awe of how many things happened. but yeah last spring-this spring i went through so many life experiences and firsts and personality changes and struggles and some of the happiest days of my life and by far the fucking worst days of my life. since april last year, i fell in love for the first time, had a real relationship for the first time, became a lot more social, got really close to some of the people i’m now closest to, got high for the first time, lost my virginity, went to big parties, got a lot more social, met a lot of people, saw a lot of new sides of life, questioned a lot of my own beliefs and came to new ones, left the country without my parents, traveled out of state completely by myself, got my heart completely destroyed for the first time, attempted suicide, thought my life would literally not make it to this point, moved out of my house, lived on my own, got stronger, figured some shit out, hooked up with someone at a party, had casual sex for the first time, now i’m hoping to move again in the next few months. i know some of that is like. not actually that exciting, and a lot of it was shit that most people do for the first time in high school, but it was a lot for me. i ended up in a world and lifestyle that i used to write fiction about and romanticize the hell out of, and never thought i’d actually live it first hand. so rlly this last year was fuckin wild for me and in a lot of ways i feel like i’ve aged 60 years, and i��m tired from that much all in one year, but i’m also still kinda naive and clueless so what can u do  berry trifle:  first & last concert you went to?

so wow i don’t go to real concerts. the first was probably some christian band with my family. the last. does the american murder song wake tour count? that was kind of a concert  tapioca pudding:  favorite animated characters?

WOW let me fuckin TELL u my favorite animated characters. number one will always always always be revy from black lagoon. i have never loved a character that much in my life, everything about her is so good. she’s such a goddamn disaster and so well written and complex and so much more than just a typical bad ass female archetype. i love that it’s not just headcanon to read deep into her personality, it’s a huge point of the series. i love that on the surface she is just like. a bad ass with no feeling. then u actually get to the end of the series and she is actually a CHILD inside who is so fuckin insecure and she LOVES ROCK SO MUCH i wanna die. also lust from fullmetal alchemist esp the 2003 anime fuck me ALL THE WAY UP. ed elric, and truly everyone in fullmetal alchemist what a series what a cast of characters.  fudge brownie:  do you like your name?

sometimes. i used to really hate it when i was younger, now it’s changed some. i like still don’t like it when i say it out loud probably bc people 100% of the time think i said cindy and i have to correct them every dang time. but like that i can shorten it to syd which i also used to hate bc toy story (i was a kid ok) but now i like it. there are also those times where people you like say your name and it makes u feel some type of way??? i like it then. so i guess i like it most when other people are saying it u feel me strawberry shortcake:  are you good at keeping secrets?

i mean if it’s my own, absolutely not what the fuck is a secret i am a tragic over sharer about my own shit. but other people’s, yes i’d say so. i feel like a lot of people feel comfortable enough to tell me things they might not tell other people, and i don’t ever feel like it’s a burden to keep a secret y’know?? so it doesn’t like eat at me and make me wanna tell people  tiramisu:  are you daring when it comes to makeup & clothing or do you like to play it safe?

uh i guess somewhere in the middle. like the way i dress isn’t rlly how everyone dresses and i guess in some crowds would be considered pretty different, but i don’t know if its daring bc its not like....that adventurous or out there. esp bc i only wear neutral colors lmao. same with makeup, for the most part, it’s pretty simple but every now and then i like to do something fancier. i feel like the most daring things about me appearance wise are like having a lot of piercings and tattoos??? so y’know make ur daring shit permanent i guess im not that edgy lmao oreo milkshake:  do you sleep a lot?

i feel like i sleep a pretty average amount. i wish i could sleep more bc i’m tired all the time, but way more i wish i could sleep less. i love the idea of being able to just naturally get up early and have so much time in the morning to do shit and enjoy the morning. and i like staying up late. but i’m always tired and even tho i have to get up early most mornings, it’s still a constant struggle and i wish it wasn’t. i’ll sleep pretty late when i get the chance tho

apple crisp:  how do you relax?

guess it depends on what i’m feeling. i like to take baths a lot, or just chill and watch movies and stuff. i love having relaxing hangouts with friends, like just chilling watching movies with people and not needing to do anything else. i wanna do more quote-unquote relaxing stuff, like read and write more, go to yoga classes, shit like that carrot cake:  who is your celeb look alike?

i’ve been told more than once i look like krysten ritter so i will go with her. it’s the bangs macaron:  what is your ethnicity?

white af cinnamon bun:  favorite salty snack?

wow salty snacks are my VICE i love salty shit way more than sweet things. fuck man i love chips of all kinds, i’ve been eating way too many hot cheetos lately, french fries, mcdonalds hash browns, i’m gonna have blood pressure issues from how much i love salt