#I need Gwen to step it up in season 2 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

aphroditesmoon · 1 year ago

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♡-;meadowlarks (I)

gwen stacy x fem!spidergirl!queen!reader (medievel au)

summary: when miguel accidentally sends gwen into a medievel timeline instead of her own after revoking her watch privileges, she sees it as a curse, but you, currently facing multiple challenges after the death of your father, the king, and the escape of a wild beast, finds that you'd appreciate the help.

warnings: hurt/comtort ,fluff, typical medieval sexism, trauma, kissing/makeout(INCOMING CHAPTERS), gore, grief, hesitant partners to friends to lovers, reader has fire powers, tiny bit internal homophobia, reader needs a nap, reader is touch starved, death, mutilation, witchcraft.

taglist; @kamaluhkhan @rissslays-parttwo @marytargaryen @darkstreaks @gwenisasilly @asher-kaden @macncheesemonster @miikshook @marianeski @reeags @goosetheluce @4cepink @yuennie

@primaviva

wordcount; 6.5k

a/n: testing out the waters w this one! 100 notes and I'll do a part 2 <33

▪︎ “AS THE WINTER TURNS THE MEADOW BROWN, YOU GO WHEREVER YOU GO TODAY” ▪︎

°°°°°

THERE ARE THREE thing anyone who’s lived in Old York Meadowlarks for at least a year would notice. The first, is that there had not been any Meadowlarks for nearly two centuries. The specific bird had been declared extinct. The second thing is that it never snows here. There are colder seasons sure, seasons where the winds could freeze you. But no one existing in the realm knew what snow even was. And finally, the third one is, there are no beasts in Meadowlarks.

The people survived through their fair share of thieves and criminals, and wild animals too. But monstrous beasts had remained a folklore. Bedtime stories to scare the children into doing their chores and stay off the woods past 8 O’clock.

And yet, here you are. Not a week after your father’s death, his only heir, now queen, and of course, the secret but very much known Lady Spider, standing inside a layered forest, currently covered in thick white flakes and ice-cold snow , meeting your fate against a minotaur.

Unlike the folktales, this minotaur doesn’t speak. He only growls and chases you to your death with incredible speed. “What the fuck?” was the only thing you’ve been asking yourself for the past 8 hours. You’ve caught mutants before, deformed humans, a consequence of their own black magic curse, but nothing completely inhuman as such.

What’s next? A unicorn?

The beast claws at the tree you’re currently hanging on, climbing up quickly despite his heavy weight, forcing you to latch on other trees faster. It wasn’t that you were incompetent, but merely confused. You wonder if you’ll just swing yourself at him if you tried to fight one on one. You weren’t taking the risk. Making sure he stayed chasing you, the path you were leading him on was into a bear trap. Something to keep him still for a while. Your fingers ache as they clench and unclench with your jumping from tree to tree.

Bold and dim as you expected the beast followed and fell into the hole with a roar, the net set immediately tying themselves around him. “Silly bull, should’ve stayed on all fours.” You muttered to yourself. It grumbles incoherently. Not a second of peace after, peasants from the further parts of the wood scrambles to view the dangerous state you were in. The bear trap being set off, including the terrible sounds the minotaur made, had called for attention. “Armageddon is coming!” An older woman shouted, shielding her son. The crowd makes a circle around you and the monster. Clutching their crosses in fear yet remaining like they're enjoying a circus show.

“Please, everyone. Unless you’d like it eat you first once it breaks free, run.” You yelled out, only gathering more people in. “Gods above, help me.” The minotaur growls again, tearing itself through the net. The people flinched and took steps backwards as the beast tosses and turned. “Move away or get burned.” You shouted, warning them for no less than a minute before blasting fire towards it. Smoke flew all around you as the children and their parents screamed while running off. That’ll do it, you thought as the air began to clear.

But gods no, the unconscious beast jolted, and your heart dropped. It’s fur and skin were already burnt off, but it’s still moving. You swung yourself on a tree above it, sword sliding off your hips into your hands. You hesitated at first, but once the creature’s eyes snapped open, You jumped. Your sword pushed through its right eyeball, earning a screech from it as blood flowed out from the now empty socket.

You pull your sword back out and flung your webs around him, tightening the trap.

The monster clawed at you then, from his restraints. The aggressiveness making you flinch and drop your sword to the ground. “Fuck.” Its arm stretches out against your web, and shoved you hardly off the net. Your balance fails and you a screamed a rare scream as gravity wins. Flinging your arms around, you panic when you found no stable source to swing yourself on. As quick as a flash, your heart lept when instead of banging your head on hard and now apparently cold snow, You’re swung hard to your left, making you scream louder before your hands make quick to wrap themselves around the body that just saved you.

“I’d love to just be fighting minotaurs all day, we don’t have that much in New york.” It was a girl.

And that wasn’t the most bizarre fact. She was wearing an apparel like no other, and she was swinging with you attached to her like a monkey, the same way you could. “Oh my god this is a dream.” It had to be. You must be hallucinating. The priests had told you it could happen. Grieve often leads to hysterics, especially for women.

But what the church and council didn’t know, is that you do not grieve your father or the man that he was. The man he could’ve been, maybe. But that was a different story.

You feel the wind howl harsher, the cold feels like a bitter sting at your skin. "This is not a dream, unfortunately for us both.” The girl spoke before she loosen her grip for you to swing yourself again. “This doesn’t make sense. Who are you?” You countered. Too many questions to ask. “I’m spider-girl, like you.” She answers simply, retangling the creature. “You’ve got any idea how to fix this?" Rationalizing enough remaining stabilty, you nodded. “Yeah.” You let her try to maintain the grip while you snatch your sword back up and move towards it, aim sharp.

“Back down.” You warned before slicing it through it’s neck, cutting off the minotaur’s head.

You land on your feet the same time the head falls. Your toes are freezing as it steps on the ground. The blood from the bull's decapitated head spreads all over the snow. It's body still inside the worn out net. That is a problem for the townsfolk to handle today.

The girl lands behind you, footsteps gentle when she moves. “A sword, pretty cool. Pretty heavy too huh?” You turn around to meet her. She wears a skin fitting white suit with a hood over her head, the type of clothing that would’ve had her burned as a witch a few hundred years ago. “If you’re not careful with your next words, you’ll feel just how heavy.”

She backtracks immediately, putting her hands up in defense. “Woah-hey, I just helped you kill that thing.” She reasons with you, hesitating to come closer. “That thing, came out of nowhere, and so do you. For the past 5 years, I’ve been the only Lady-spider here, how do I know that everything going on has nothing to do with you?”

You were fiercer than usual, maybe. But you would take no chances with the amounts of passings and tragedies your kingdom has gone through this past week. “Lady-Spider? That sounds old, no offense.” You frowned. “Look around, you’re in Old York!” Her shoulder drops. “Oh, yeah. That makes sense.” You realized then that she’s probably not a threat to you. But it does not mean she’s not the cause of all this.

Sighing tiredly, you cracked your knuckles and rubbed them together to ease the sharp winter it’s feeling. “Why are you here?” You demanded again as you begin to walk back out the forests, eyes tracking the dead beast's footprints againts the snow, now beginning to fade. Following from behind, You hear her talk distantly. “I’m…from a different universe. I wish I could give a better explanation, but that’s it. There’s a whole spider society of other spidermen like us in other universes, and I kind of accidentally got thrown here.” You stop in your tracks, turning to her again.

“Other Spidermen?” She nods. “So, you’re me?’ Her eyes widen through her mask as she shakes her head. “Oh no, not at all. I mean sometimes there’s a version of you somewhere else that is also Spiderman, but I’m pretty sure you’re not me.” You take a moment staring at her, trying to process the most insane thing to happen today.

“Take off your mask?” She cocks her head. “Take off your mask, and tell me your name. Only then I’ll believe you.” She scoffs at your words. “I don’t owe you anything, and what would I need you trust for anyways?” It was your turn to be amused now, smiling under your mask. “There is nowhere in this place you could roam freely, without my permission. And no, I’m not exaggerating.” You notice her hesitancy and waited for an answer. “My name is Gwen. Gwen Stacy.”

She would not take her mask off yet, but so far, her name would do. Giving the sky a quick glance, the sun burns a bright reminder for lunch. You wondered how much chastise you’d get from Alistair. “You’re coming with me, Gwen.”

^^^

You had made sure you’d be left alone after your coronation for grieving’s cause. The ceremony was a gloomy one for both you and the council. Dislike was etched all over their faces as the crown was fitted on your head. A 17 year old girl was not their idea of a good ruler. But everyone who knew the game of politics would also know well that the worst kind of law breakers are the ones who made the laws in the first place. They'd rather a corrupt man for their own advantages than a queen of peace.

Slinging back into your room with Gwen, you decided that grieve had to wait, for the worst part of all this was yet to come. She takes a seat on the edge of your purple sheeted king bed, eyes roaming around the rest of the large bedroom. Soon, you noticed how she focuses on the large painting of your late mother. Your hand instinctively went the long necklace with a single pearl on your neck that she had worn for the painting. “Maybe, this is your canon event.” You hear Gwen suggest as you change into a black dress with silver lines drawn by the waist. Your hood and leather jacket is tossed into your closet after you stuck your mask under a drawer.

Giving yourself a glance at the mirror, running your fingers through your dishevelled hair and hoping everyone else would excuse the red rims under your eyes for a state of mourning.

“Your father died, and not a week after, things you claimed to be impossible here, happened.” You trusted her words easily, though the terrible anxiety you’re feeling in the pit of your stomach worsens with the thought of something even worse was to come.

“Maybe you’re right. But that would still mean that there’s a cause for all of this, a starting point.” You could feel her stare as you fix your hair. Her existence was both nerve-wrecking and comforting. To play two roles in one life, is the kind of tiring not every person could understand. “So, are you like, a princess?” She asks finally. “Was” You clarified. “Oh…wait-“

You cut her off impatiently. “I’ve been queen for less than a week, and the worst weather phenomenon just happened, a non-existent mythical appeared, and there’s two spider women. Do you realize just how bad that looks for me, in the eyes of the people, the council?” You challenged brazenly, hands holding your waist as you stared at her. Gwen turns silent again, though her eyes held the same old sympathy that you hated.

“If…” You began, eyes moving from her back to the floor again. She raises a brow. “If I dared to ask for your help..” Her gaze brightens in understanding as she fiddles her fingers. “I would help you. At least until I figure out how to leave here.” Your body relaxes at that, finally seeing the shape of your plan. “I need you to pretend to be me.”

“What?” her voice was incredulous. “If I am to fix this situation, then I’ll need to be both the queen, and Lady-spider, which is impossible. So, I’ll need you to be me.” Gwen stared at you in confusion, “And what exactly will you and Lady-spider be up to?”

“That, will be explained in the meeting.”

The meeting was set that afternoon. The letter was sent the morning you woke up. An emergency meeting with the councils of the state from all over Old York. The men were easy to read. They had attended the meeting with the expectation of the queen’s begging for help and guidance. But you’ve already seen more than you should at a young age to consider yourself a lamb given to the slaughter. You could hear them from behind the doors before you entered.

She’s 17, and unmarried. What will the kingdom be with a child as a queen?

Her ruling is already cursed, It’s a fucking blizzard out there. Have you seen anything so white and cold?

A minotaur was killed by Lady-spider this morning. I would’ve thought it a lie if Jim himself didn’t see it with his own two eyes. A minotaur! What insanity-

The door pushes open with a loud creak as your guard, Alistair, announces your present loudly, stealing away the mayor and minister's attention from their gossiping. The room is silenced as they move to stand in honor of your entrance. Taking your seat at the end of the table, you meet their false smiles with your own. "Please, sit." 7 men are sat around the long table while a thick white candle is lits in the middle of it with the carvings of ’WITH GREAT POWER, COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY.’ written.

Till this day, you refuse to read upon the lines with any devotion or loyalty. You had carried the responsibility since you were born. What has it done for you in return?

Ignoring the changing glances shared right in front of you, you intertwine your fingers together, placing your fists on the table.

“I apologize for the late notice, and I thank you for being able to attend.” You said, with a pretense of gratefulness. They nod their heads in a respectful manner. “As you all can see, dark days are upon us.” Murmurs of agreements spread around the dark room. “If I was superstitious, I’d call it god’s wrath. But the falling out of this kingdom is happening too strategically, too clean. I’m aware I might not have seen this kingdom in it’s worst a thousand years ago, but I’ve been quite lucky to live long enough to know that only black magic could be the answer to this.” The table becomes a dash of confused expressions along with agreeable ones. You notice how some of them have taken to leaning on their wooden chairs with irritable expressions.

There's one thing men do not like than being told what to do by a woman, is being told what to do by a little girl.

“Magic is powerful, but it would take a terrifying level of sorcery for one to be able to summon impossible weather, and, mythical creatures.” Lord Jameson interjects with a raised brow. You could hear the tapping of the heel of his shoes on the stone hard floor amidst the eerily quiet room. It was like a small sign of defiance. "How are you so sure in something that's not even fully investigated yet?" You slowly spin your head at him, a glare embedded in your expression. “-Your majesty,” He adds too slowly.

”Yes, well, a powerful witch, given our kingdom’s track record, is much more believable than one of the gods purposely turning your bulls into beasts. And i'm sure if the gods were to punish us for our sins, they would have done it ages ago, it's not like we've been angels these past few years." You responded, reminding him of his slave trading scandal that happened two years ago. Snickers were heard from the other seats.

Glances were exchanged at your words and his, a gist of hesitance and cowardice amongst other things. “Word from my men is that this drastic weather change first started in the east, where most of our plantations are done in. Half of this year’s profit from it is gone, ruined. The people there will eat nothing but last month’s stock, and hunt their own animals, if they’re even lucky to find any in this weather. But afterwards it all went down like dominoes, snow, everywhere. And yet, the minotaur was found here, in town, 2 casualties, only because Lady-spider was quick enough.”

Lord Haycinter acts as the first to actually ask the question you yourself have been. “And what’s the correlation of those two?” The secret glances and talking stops, and all eyes are on you.

“Significantly? Nothing. But if you pay attention, both the town here and in the city have one similarity, their massive population.”You give the old men a few seconds to understand what you mean, the light switch in their brains finally clicking.

“Whoever is causing this, is trying to cause a purge.”

••••

Hours passed after the meeting, you’ve found yourself soaking in the tub for at least an hour now. Your fingers were wrinkly and the water had turned lukewarm. The rose colored walls of the bathing room were bringing back old memories, memories you can’t afford to remember.

So, you closed your eyes and think of the white snow again, and the blood the minotaur had splattered when his head fell off.

Tomorrow a scout of your men, alongside you and Lady-spider will be heading east. Food stock would be divided before an investigation started running. Lord Haycinter and a few others had triedbto persuade you to stay in the castle, let them and the given guard handle the investigation. But you needed the people to see their queen strong and contributing. You needed them to know thate whether they liked you as their ruler or not, you would not abandon them. The good and the bad, they are all under your responsibility.

The last time a deformed beast was made, it was by a witch who managed to create an group of brain eaters, solely to end her rival family’s bloodline. Aethella, old, wicked and spiteful. A long time witch of Meadowlark. Those were the stories spread of her. But you had met her, right before she was executed in your father’s order. She looked 60 in age, white hair clashing with faded black, a single gold tooth that made her look demonic when you see the whole mix of the look.

What would you do if all 8 daughters of yours were murdered with their hearts ripped out and hair shaved off for another man’s magic spells and joke. For another man’s ego and amusement, she has asked you at the ripe age of 15. So she killed his sons back in return. A punishment he deserved, but your father never gave. And she brought them back as the living dead and made them feast off of their father’s living body until he too, ceased to exist.

“But she’s dead now.”

How many witches are there in this town anyways? None as powerful to turn animals into mythical beings.

Your eyes are closed. The tiredness forcing it shut. What you would you would give to not have to carry the realm’s fate on your shoulders for a week. You flinch at a touch against your shoulder, slipping from unconsciousness to consciousness again. “Gwen.” You could tell. “You’ve been in here for 2 hours, I got worried.” Has it been 2 hours? It only felt like 1. Gwen kneels by the tub, palms remaining on your shoulder. You say nothing in response, too tired to speak. She wears one of your long dresses that you had given earlier. It was becoming of her, despite the clashing of the style with her odd hair.

Seeing how your knees buckle as you try to stand she slips an arm under yours and helped pull you out. Her eyes are trained on your neck until she could grab a hold of your robe and passed it to you. Tying it up in a ribbon, you give her a light push when she tries to help you into your bedroom, refusing it. You revel in the comfort of your dimly lighted room and it’s warmth, the candle by your bedside as the only source of light for you to get dressed. Feeling Gwen near, you say nothing until she’s walked over to your side.

“We need to go over the plan.” You stated in a matter of factly tone. “Alright.” She agrees. “Tomorrow, before 9 possibly, we’ll ride to the east side of Old York, Fullmar. My people there are made of farmers, hunters, you get the gist."

"They’re the most independent of us. They live near the crops and mountains, so every year, their supply of food are always checked off first. But with the unexpected snow, a lot of the folks are not sure how to maintain healthy crops and plants, they’ve never gone through the extremes like this. So first things first, we’ll divide 10% of Meadowlark’s fruits and vegetables spring stock for them, and then afterwards, I’ll have half of my unit guards search the seaforest for any signs of wild animals or witchcraft.” Gwen listens carefully, her gaze never leaving yours as you continue to explain.

“I thought you said the beast thing only happened once this morning?” She asks in confusion. You shook yourself and gave her a sarcastic smile. “I thought so too."

Rubbing your hands on the back of your neck, you fought the urge to pass out. “An official letter was sent to me from the minister of Fullmar from three hours ago, who unfortunately could not attend today’s meeting, that apparently two girls who had gone missing 3 days ago have been found dead in the woods, their flesh chewed and bitten off.” Gwen grimaced, “fucking hell.” You pursed your lips tiredly. “You’ve got that right.”

You muster up the courage to sit on your own bed next to her, the soft cotton sheets calling you to sleep. Eyeing up Gwen as subtly as possible, you feel guilt crawling it’s way into your moral consciousness when you realized how tired she looked too. Her eyes were slightly red, as if she had been crying. You wondered if she noticed that you have too. “I’m going to figure out how to send you home.” You said aloud, making her laugh slightly. “That’ll be great,”

There was an unspoken bond made when the two of you met eachother. Something along the lines of, 'never actually mention your fathers, even though his name lies on the tip of your tongues.' She missed him, you could tell, despite her only mentioning him once that day.

You have not missed yours. In fact, you suffer in every second that you can't forget him.

“You mentioned something about a watch this morning, my Queensguard, Alistair is quite the technician. Perhaps he could help?” The blonde smiled sadly. And at that moment, all you wanted to do was wipe it off in any way you could.

“Thank you, but I don’t think your timeline’s technology are the same as Miguel’s or mine.” You hummed in understanding, deciding that you’d ask Alistair of it anyways. A sudden realization makes you jump as you quickly move to grab a pillow from your bed. “We should sleep. I forgot to tell you, you’ll be sleeping here for a while. I can’t risk the servant’s gossip of Spider-girl sleeping here, you can have the bed.”

Gwen makes a noise of disagreement, making you halt. “You do realize your bed is a bigger than an elephant, right? We could share, princess.” You feel your face physically heats up and frowned at her. “That is indecent, if we were to be seen even sitting on the same bed, the punishment is worse than tangling with a man.” Gwen’s eyes widen and her mouth hug open. “But that’s bullshit! What kind of man feeding patriarchy system is this?”

You shrug at the obviousness. “The kind that is a man feeding patrhiarchy.” She tilts her head and accepts the answer after considering it for a few seconds.

“Yes well, either way I’m not letting you sleep on the carpet. So we share, or I’ll sleep on the ground.” Her persistence was annoying. You can’t understand how she fails to see the problem in this. Women have been killed for far lesser sins. This was as if you’re asking to get tied to a stake. But her eyebags are deep and her back is hunched. So you put your pillows back down, and slipped under the covers next to her before turning the opposite side.

”You love your people.” She whispers out in the dark once you’ve blown off the candle. You could feel the slow rhythm of her breathing next to you.

“Someone has to. God knows my father and his father didn’t.” The both of you let the silence lingers between the space you make, concluding the conversations. “Goodnight.” She wishes, her voice caressed you like the soft winds that pushed through your lilac collored window curtains. “Goodnight."

You could feel sweat rolling down your forehead in an excruciatingly slow motion. The ice was beginning to melt as you ride to the east side with Gwen. The sun now had taken over in the case of extreme weathers. You fixed the shawl covering your head and face and presses your horse to move faster. It’s been at least an hour and a half since you started your journey. You made sure all royal sigils were hidden for now, not wanting to catch any unwanted attentions until the stock arrives.

Despite Alistair’s insistence on you riding in the royal carriage, you stuck through your horse, Merry anyways.

You decided to ride for an hour earlier than the food stock carriages to get some privacy with the investigation. And although you do not regret your choice, a 5 minute break in a carriage doesn’t sound that horrible now. The road was wet with melting ice and it stank of cow shit, but the fogginess from the cold had disappeared and the road seemed clearer. Gwen, who apparently has not rode on a horse for years, ended up behind you on Merry so you could save more time.

You could hear the amusing jokes the rest of the guards made about Lady Spider not knowing how to ride a horse and internally curses her for embarrassing your name.

Your loyal guard rides closer to you until he is side by side, and you could see him giving sideway glances to the girl behind you, judging her. He eyes her up and down. You raise a brow when he turns to you instead. “You know, I’ve been wondering since this morning when you announced that the infamous lone ranger Lady spider would join us, how did you two meet?” He asks, cocking his head at Gwen who’s currently holding onto your waist like her life depends on it as the horse gallops harder. “That’s none of your business, is it Ali?” He hums quietly, looking back on the path in front of me. “Forgive me for questioning you, your majesty. I just worry you trust easily.” You hear Gwen scoff as she sits up straighter. You would punch him in the face for saying those words, if you could. Being treated as a child by someone you trust was worse than being treated that way by a council of slagging, sexist old men.

“I know what I’m doing.” You silence him before giving your horse a light kick to move faster before it’s lunch time.

Alistair was 5 years older than you. He was assigned to you as a personal guard since you were 12. He was more like a brother than a bodyguard. And seeing how most days, he would be the only one willing to risk the king’s rage to save your arse whenever you’d sneak out or disappear entirely to do your job as Lady spider, his worry and protectiveness was warranted. And yet, as much as cared for you, he was still older, stronger, and still a man. He could not understand you if he wanted to. He was not made as you were.

Gwen eyes Alistair until he’s out of sight again, behind you. A glare embedded on her face. “Is he always like that?” You hummed positively. “He could use a smile and a less condescending tone.” She says sarcastically, making you smile.

“Don’t be offended, He’s like that with everyone I’m around. He’s just protective.” Gwen makes an ‘ooo’ sound and pushes you with more questions. “What, are you guys like, what’s the word?- Courting! Yes, see I know some slangs too. So are you guys courting?’ You were grateful that she’s behind you so she can’t see how wide your eyes are, hearing her question. “Heavens no.” You breathed out. “He’s like a brother to me, hell, I’ve once made him play tea party with me when I was 12.” Gwen laughs in surprise, eyes brightening. “Him? A tea party? What I would give to see that.” You hummed as an answer, trying to forget the insinuation she just made.

You were never comfortable with questions of courting or marriages. And it’s already terrible enough how much proposal letters you receive from many of the ministers and their sons, even the north King with already two wives had sent you a proposal. When it comes to marriage for politics, there was simply no one good enough or beneficial to help your kingdom so far. And in case of marriage for love, you just haven’t met any man you’re genuinely interested in.

The flat surface of the road was beginning to get bumpy, as are the short cut grass that’s mixing with overgrown weeds. If that wasn’t a sign that you have entered the borders of Fullmar, the broken and faded signboard that lays on the ground with the words ‘FUL M R’ is.

Your bend your neck and letting it stretch while you continue to ride on poor tired merry. “We’re here.” You tell Gwen who’s trying very hard not to fall asleep or fall of the horse. “Finally.” She mumbled back with a yawn. “Now, remember what I told you, no talking unless it’s completely necessary, no showing off your spider tricks, and no w-“ “No wandering off, yeah I got that.” She cuts you off in annoyance. “So do you guys talk like that all the time?” You frowned slowed down your horse. “Like what?”

“Like you’re in a Pride and Prejudice book?” You tilt your head up and try to remember a book with that title. “I don’t think I know what you’re talking about.” Gwen lets out a short laugh. “ Of course you son't."

You waited until the rest of the guards that came with you caught up. “what’s your call?” Alistair asked. “We’ll ride further east until we reach the seaforest, I’ll need at least two guard checking the waterfall area and the caves. Any prints of blood, any signs of hair or human body parts, you take it with you or you call me. Alistair, you search up the old church and the houses near there. Ask questions if necessary. Lady Spider, and the rest of you will be searching the rest of the forest with me.” A murmur of agreement and ‘yes, your majesties’ were said quickly before all 8 of you part ways as you’re told. You pull your horse into a left as you ride into the seaforest’s direction with 3 men behind you.

5 minutes more into riding, you finally reach the said forest. The seaforest was the most known forest of Old York, The trees there are a mix of greens and blue tints. It is known for growing rare fruits and plants mysteriously. Back during the age of witch burnings, is was rumoured that if you were to take anything without the forest’s permission, they would die before they could set foot outside the woods.

But you were sure that it was just an excuse to burn women who used the herbs they got for healing purposes from there without actual valid reasons. Still, you notice how your men quiver and flinch at any small noises of the birds and tree branches.

“Do not get cold feet now.” You attempt to motivate them weakly. “Oh wow, that’ll help them.” Gwen whispers as you help her off Merry after you. “Shut up.” The 5 of you spread ways, two of the guards headed to your right while the other one goes forward.

You were quick to your left, checking the condition of the bushes and trees to see if the extreme weather had affected them. They hadn’t. “Well this is odd.” You said to yourself.

“What? What did you find?” Gwen asks, basically sprinting from your right. “Nothing. Everything is fine.” She makes a face of confusion. “Okay…?” You ignore her and move to call your men. The three guards came quick to the center. “So far, everything looks fine where you were, yeah?” you questioned them, receiving fast nods.

“And what about snow? Has any of you seen even a bit of melted snow or ice, even a hint of it? Water?” You can feel the tension filling the space between all five of you when you said that. “None…” One of them spoke, the others not disagreeing. “Alright then.” You sighed in frustration. “If all of you are sure there’s nothing, we head over to the waterfall. It's all too good to be true.” The dark skinned guard who spoke up earlier raises his hand to speak. “You don’t have to- just, you know what, just speak.”

“Oh, right, um. Well, we can’t really call it a clue that, everything, is normal, right?” He asks. You shrugged at that and pursed your lips. “Perhaps not, but the fact that the forest is too normal, while the whole realm was in a shitshow of a snowstorm yesterday, is in itself very odd, yes?” The men make a face, considering what you just said. “Uh, I guess?”

“Good. Now let’s see if the others are going through something just as weird.” You spare them no more explanation, walking off to Merry with Gwen to help her on the horse.

The ride was short as the waterfall area wasn’t that far and is still inside the seaforest. You keep a straight face despite your awe in the colorful grown trees. The leaves are almost turquoise and from a far, the whole forest, illuminated by the brightly shining sun, looked almost as blue as the waterfall.

The heat was starting to get to you, you wiped you’re your shawl across the beads of sweat on your hairline, feeling how warm your face is. “I don’t see any of them.” You stated out loud. “Wait let me-“ One of the guards gets off his horse and sprints closer to the caves near the waterfalls. “Tristen?” You heard him call out. But Tristen, hadn’t went alone, he had another one with him too.

“Who was the other one with Tristen?” You ask one of your own. “Fred.” You frowned and looked back. Fred was a shitty name, did not fit him at all.

You watch the guard, Emery, disappear into the cave in search of his friend. A few second later, he exits it alone. “I can’t find him, your honor!” He shouted. “It’s your majesty, dingus.” The guard next to you yell. “Oh.” You ignore their banter, heart sinking at Emery’s earlier words.

“What about Frank?” “Fred.” The guard corrects you in a whisper, “Fred! Yes, not even a sign of Fred?” You can see Emery tilting his head with his mouth hung open in confusion. “Who’s Fred?” Gwen chokes out a laugh, quickly hiding it with a loud cough. You groaned loudly, rubbing your face with your palms. Sweaty and annoyed, you called for Emery to come back before he too, disappears.

Gwen squeezes your shoulder once she realizes how worried you actually were. "Hey, I'm sure they're just with Alistair." You huffed. "I told them to be here, not with Alistair." She says nothing, eyeing you worriedly. "I hope for their sake, they are with him." You sighed out before you rode to the church.

•••••

They were not with Alistair. The concern he looked at you with when you yold him that you couldn't find them, haunts you still.

You made sure the stocks were divided quickly, asking your guard of the news spread around here of the forsests and homicide tragedy that recently occured.

"The twins, Alia and Ana, both had their organs taken off, and their hair shaved. It's textbook dark magic." He exclaimed. And you agreed with his words. Witchcraft wasn't hard to spot. it's the witch, that is. "Their skin looked like it was bitten and chewed off by dogs, beasts. And that's not the worst part." He speaks in a grave tone.

"Their corpes was hung for all to see." You felt a closh shiver running down your spine. Their blood is in your hand. As a rulerr, you've failed. And now your own guards goes missing. "The air here is haunted, Alistair." You had told him after the stock dividing was done.

"There is a stench so foul, only some could smell. And an ugliness only some can see behind the faux magical looks of the forest." And yet, many times have you been in Fullmar with your father, but this time, something sinizter hasve found it's home in the city. He knew what you meant, he felt it too. "We'll camp by the church tonight, alright? We'll wait for Tristen and Fred." He pulls you into an embrace, and you ket yourself relax slightly. Whatever was to happened, you're not leaving anyone behind.

The 6 of you make camp a bit further from the church in the woods, but not in the seaforest. You made sure the spot you chose was still near to the church and streets, in case of medical emergencies.

The moon was currently making it's appearance, in replacement to the sun. The men are talking amongst eachother as they finish their portion of porridge, a fire made in the middle of your circle.

Gwen watches as you stand still by a tree, gazing out at the empty darkness, searching. She places her finished bowl by her pack before slowly pushing herself up from her crossed legged position to walk towards you. She was worried for you. The way you held yourself and your position was respectable, but how yoy deny yourself personal satisfaction and joy is harmful.

You could drive yourself to madness. You cared for your people, too much, to the point where you thought that you'd do a much better job as a queen if you cared for yourself less.

You flinched when you feel her arm on your shoulder. Somehow missing the sound of her loud footsteps meeting the noisy sound of leaves crunching together. "Princess." Your cheeks warmed at the title despite the situation. "Are you trying to cause a scene, starving yourself like this?" She scolds softly, pulling you by your arm to turn around and face her. "I can't eat when I'm too worried." You defend yourself. She raises a brow before dragging you to the circle again.

You don't fight against her, knowing that she's right. You were punishing your body for the mistakes you didn't mean to make.

But it had been 9 hours since your two guards vanished. You wonder if you had sent them to their deaths.

Emery and Yusof is singing together, a soft melody on their tongue to fill the uncomfortable silence and elephant in the room. "I thought I was going to die." Emery serenades slowly, dragging the last word. "But you taught me how to fall, before you taught me anything at all." Both he and Yusof sang.

Gwen is nodding her head to their singinv as she scoops a spoon of your porridge. "Open up." She wiggles her brows as the soon moves in a wavy motion to your mouth. "No! You're not spoonfe-" The words die at the tip of your tongue when she shoves the spoon in your talking mouth, making you swallow it by force. She grins proudly at her victory, making it hard for you to be angry at her.

You glare at her as she continues to feed you a few more times, enjoying the act of embarassing you. The group of 4 men are gently clapping their hands now, making a beat of their song. "I'll take first watch." Alistair announced. "Emery can take after me." The younger whined at that, earning a slap on his shaved head.

He meets your eyes momentarily before looking away at the same emptiness you had just gazed upon before. They're not coming.

Your eyes shut closebin frustration and painful acceptance. Gwens fingers finds yours, intertwining your cold hands and her warm ones together as she leans closer to you. "It's not your fault." She whispers in your ear. You open your eyes to stare back at her, your back against a tree. "They went there on my order." You replied, evidently.

"You didn't know what would happened, no one did." Her gand tightens on yours. "Gwen." You called out tiredly, fighting the urge to cry. "Yes?" She leans her head on your shoulder, her breathing hot in the crook of your neck. "Don't let go, please." She squeezes your fingers. "I won't."

You notice just how blue her eyes are when she's sitting this close to you. And so you fell asleep with her eye color as the last thing you thought off.

You weren't sure how long you had slept for. But when you awoke, it was still dark. You were shaken by the cold wind, jolting you up. Gwen was stuck to your arm, your fingers still intertwined.

She snores slightly, mouth slightly open whem she's dozing off into a dream. You let yourself smile at the girl clinging onto you. Out of all the things you've done wrong, trusting her hasn't been one yet, so far.

Your daydream was shooked away when a sudden sound or rusting leaves makes you flinch. You turn to your front, seeing none other than Alistair. He has his back towarfdyou as he's staring far up front. "Ali?" You called.

He stands still, voice low when he finally speaks. "Do you hear that?" You frowned. "Hear what? And how long have you been up?" He turns his face to look at you. His expression was full of the deepest fears. His hands were trembling. "I've been hearing that for an hour now, but I can't find the source." You say nothing, trying to listen to what he mentioned of.

"Come here." He beckons you in a whisper. You shook your head. "You're scaring me Alistair." He sighs. "I'm sorry, I- look, I'm serious, I heard something, but you can only hear better here." Your fingers squeezes Gwen's arm, making her mumble in her sleep. "Come on." He repeats, stretching out a hand to you. You move from your position to slowly crouch betore standing up, taking his hand.

He walks slowly to where he stood, shielding you as he walks front first, a protective hand still holding yours. "Now, listen." He whispers. And so you follow.

You try to clear your mind as best as possible, searching for the sound he told you off. And right when you were about to tell him off, you heard it. A howl. You gasped and meets his eyes. "Wolves?" You asked. He shook his head. "That's not an animalz that's human. And it's too visible to be far in the seaforest."

You understood then what he meant. "We need to see." He takes a deep breath. "I know but-" you huffed aloud. "No but, I'm going." You push off his grip on you as you stride towards the deeper parts of the woods, with only your missing guards' condition in my mind.

"Damnit, wait!" You hear Alistair curses before foorsteps were hearf getting more far from you, he was waking the others.

"Tristen? Fred?" You whisper yelled. A howl of pain, alike to a scream was heard, louder. Oh my god. You called for them again. Your hands hold onto the tree barks like walls in the dark, the trees being too tall, limiting the moon's light. You curse yourself when you accidentally tripped on a stick, hands finding a tree bark immediately. "Gods sake- Tristen!" You yelled out once more.

"Princess." You jumped at Gwen's voice. Her eyes were droopy and hair messed up, and yet as she watches you longer, her eyes beginnto widen. "Princess. " she repeats, slower. "Gwen." You breathed out in relief. "You scared me." She says nothing, eyes moving up before it remains staring above your head. Her lips quiver as she stutters out incomprehensible strings of words. "I-I heard them." You explained plainly before following the arrow her eyes pointed at.

Your body detaches itself from the tree, and a hysterical scream escapes the deepest parts of your chest and throat.

On the stealthy branches of the tree you held onto just now, were two naked men, with the middle parts of tbeir body torn open, and hung on it. Their blood smears the leafs and bark, and it drips still, falling down onto the grass. Their faces stayed intact, and you recognizes the looks of Tristen and Fred easily.

#gwen stacy fanfiction #gwen stacy x reader #spider gwen #ghost spider x reader #atsv #spiderman across the spiderverse #across the spiderverse #gwen stacy

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morri-draws · 2 months ago

Text

Gwaine x Reader - 'The Threads That Bind Us' - Chapter 14

Story Summary:

You, a humble dressmaker from Camelot’s lower town, are commissioned to make a new gown for Queen Guinevere. Impressed by your skills, she offers you the position of Royal Clothier. During your time in the castle, you catch the eye of one of the knights of King Arthur’s inner circle, Sir Gwaine. What starts as a sweet courtship is turned upside down when misfortune strikes and you must deal with the aftermath, as well as an unwelcome visit from Gwaine’s unpleasant sister.

Rating: Mature

Tags: Female Reader/Gwaine, set between seasons 4 and 5, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort

Words: 5,847

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6

Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9

Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Read on Ao3

The day before the feast, you add the finishing touches to your gown and remove any stray threads you missed, until at last you can call it finished. You pack away your sewing things, regularly glancing at the gown to admire your hard work. Once all your tools are neatly tucked inside, you snap shut the lid of your sewing box when there’s a knock at your door.

“Just a moment!” You call out, bundling up the dress and taking it to your room, throwing it onto the bed before rushing to open the door to Gwaine.

“Harvest feast tomorrow,” He grins, clapping his hands together.

“And I have finished my gown,” You reply excitedly.

“I suppose I’m still not allowed to see it?” Gwaine quirks a brow.

“You need only wait one more day,”

“Then I await eagerly. But I have news of something before the feast. It has come to my attention that there will be food stalls and games in the tournament grounds during the day. I wondered if you might like to go together and see what it’s all about?”

“That does sound interesting… and I have no other plans,”

“Shall I come get you after breakfast then?”

“Sounds perfect,” You smile.

“Oh, and wear something you don’t mind getting dirty. The tournament grounds are muddy this time of year,”

“I’ll wear something that’s already brown,”

Gwaine chuckles. “I’m afraid I can’t stay, I’m meeting Percival at the tavern. See you tomorrow,”

Having requested water be brought up to your chambers that evening for bathing, and having paid the servants handsomely for their trouble in this busy time of year, you submerge yourself in the bathtub. You wash your entire body thoroughly as well as your hair, determined for everything to be perfect for tomorrow.

Once the water becomes tepid, you step out of the bath, dry yourself and get dressed, before tidying up for the night. Once your hair has dried some, but is still slightly damp, you apply the rags to your hair as Gwen showed you, and head to bed.

You rise the next morning, washing your face before getting dressed and covering your rag-wrapped hair with your regular cap, not wishing to reveal the new hairstyle until the feast tonight. You have breakfast and wash up, putting the last of the dishes away as there’s a knock at your door.

“Good morning,” Gwaine greets you, wearing his casual clothes. “Shall we?” He offers his arm to you with a grin.

You take your cloak from the hook beside the door, put it on, slip your arm through his and head out.

The tournament grounds have been transformed, the muddy ground hardly visible between the food stalls, tents, and other attendees. The grounds are already bustling with adults and children alike, with various mouth-watering aromas wafting through the air.

“Ah, here’s a good game,” Gwaine steers you toward a small tent with a bearded man, of about middle-age, standing by it. Under the shelter of the tent, you spot variously sized pails, each marked with a number, and by the tent’s opening, another pail is filled with apples.

“Welcome gentleman and gentlelady,” The man says cheerfully. “One silver for a turn, what do you say?”

Gwaine looks to you, brows raised in question.

“I’ll try it, if you support me from the sidelines,” You say.

Gwaine unfastens a pouch on his belt and removes the required coin, handing it to the gamemaster, who pockets it and nods his thanks.

“Has the lady ever played before?” He asks.

“I’m afraid I haven’t,” You reply.

“That is all well and good, for I shall explain the rules. To play this game, you shall take an apple,” He picks one from the nearby pail. “And toss it to the buckets yonder. As you can see, the smaller buckets toward the back are worth higher points, and the closer, larger buckets are worth less. Throw the apples until there are none left, trying to score the highest number of points you can. The more points you earn, the better the prize. Is the lady ready to begin?”

You look to Gwaine, who gives you an encouraging smile.

“I’m ready,” You reply to the gamemaster, fishing an apple from the pail.

It’s bruised and marked, clearly having been used for the game several times already. You toss the fruit with an underarm throw, and it bounces off the rim of the nearest bucket, into the mud. You grimace and grab another apple, using a little more force this time. It lands in the nearest bucket, worth ten points. On your third throw, you earn another ten points.

“You should try for the ones at the back,” Gwaine encourages.

You attempt it, your fourth toss overly forceful, the apple flying over all the pails and landing somewhere behind them, out of sight. You try again, but the apple bounces off the rim of one of the pails.

You look to Gwaine with a grimace. “Perhaps I should settle for a smaller prize,”

You throw the sixth and final apple, which lands in the pail worth twenty points.

“Forty points in total,” The gamemaster announces. “A good effort for the lady’s first time. Wait here a moment, I’ll get your prize,”

He turns and steps toward a wooden crate a few feet to the right of the pail of apples. Reaching into the crate, he removes a small item which he passes to you.

“Made by my wife,” He says. “To keep ladies’ clothes smelling nice while they are stored,”

You inspect the small prize in your hands. It’s a drawstring bag, made from a sheer fabric, with flower petals within it. Raising the bag to your nose, you inhale the floral aroma of roses.

“Please pass my compliments on to your wife,” You say. “This is a lovely prize,”

The gamemaster smiles widely. “She will be very pleased to hear it,”

After wandering through the grounds a while, taking in what the fair has to offer, Gwaine stops by another game tent.

“How about this?” He asks.

“I believe it’s your turn for a game,” You grin. “I shall cheer you on,”

Gwaine agrees and approaches the gamemaster, handing him a coin. Peering into the tent, you see a table at the far end, with ten cups stacked upon it in a triangular formation.

“What’s the aim of this game?” You ask.

“You take these,” Gwaine leans down to a hay bale beside the tent’s entrance, on which is a small pile of little sacks. He picks one up and bounces it in his hand. Judging by the sound of it, it’s filled with grain. “And toss them at the cups, trying to knock as many over as you can,”

He pulls his arm back and throws the sack. It hits the cup on the bottom right, but the cup only shifts slightly.

“I did wonder,” He murmurs.

“About what?” You ask.

“The cups are filled with water to make them harder to shift,”

“Ah, sneaky,” You smirk.

“Luckily, I’m the strongest knight,” He grins and grabs the next sack, throwing it with much more force this time.

Three cups tumble off the table. He throws the remaining sacks, knocking over eight cups in total. The gamemaster congratulates him and leads him to a small handcart nearby to choose a prize. Gwaine returns to you a few moments later, placing something into your hand.

“For you, my dear,”

Your heart flutters at the term of endearment and you look into your open palm to see a small whittled horse.

“Oh, that’s so sweet! I love it,” You smile.

You continue through the grounds and find another game to play, which consists of a tub filled with water, containing small wooden fish, each with a metal ring attached to it. With a miniature fishing rod (a hook attached to the end of a string, tied onto a stick), you’re given three chances to hook a fish, each marked with a number on the bottom which cannot be seen until it is caught. From this game, you win a handkerchief, embroidered with a simplified version of the golden dragon from Camelot’s crest.

After Gwaine purchases lunch for the both of you from one of the food stalls, you head back to the castle.

“Thank you, Gwaine,” You say once you reach your chamber door. “That was fun,”

“There’s more to be had tonight,” He smiles.

Slamming footsteps echo through the corridor, the sound causing you and Gwaine to turn your heads in unison to see Merlin rushing toward you. He skids to a halt a few feet away and pants.

“I saw you both coming this way,” He says breathily. “Just wanted to let you know that Erika won’t be coming tonight,”

Gwaine quirks an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“She’s come up with a terrible rash, all over her face and everything,”

Gwaine presses his lips together into a line, but his eyes hold a twinkle of mirth.

“I see,” You say steadily, attempting to hide your relief and triumph from your face.

“Have a great time tonight!” Merlin beams, before turning on his heel and rushing back the way he came.

You and Gwaine catch each other’s gaze and chuckle.

“Well, I hope that eases any worries you might have had,” He says.

“As uncharitable as it may sound to admit, it really has,”

“It’s not uncharitable at all, considering who we’re speaking of,” Gwaine says. “Besides, her affliction won’t be anything that Gaius can’t clear up in a few days,”

“I suppose you’re right,” You nod thoughtfully. “Have you much to do before tonight?”

“Just polish my armour until it gleams,” He grimaces. “I already had my cloak laundered earlier this week, and you’ll be pleased to hear it’s still in top condition,”

“I am pleased to hear that,” You agree. “Well, I will let you attend to your armour and I shall see you tonight,”

“I’ll come and get you at six?”

“I will be ready,”

Gwaine reaches out a hand, cupping your face. Your heart quickens as you think he might kiss you, but he strokes his thumb gently across your cheek before pulling away, giving you a warm look and departing.

Once checking over your gown again, you idle away the next few hours, the sensation of Gwaine’s hand on your cheek still present. You have been yearning for his touch since his sensual hand kiss outside your chamber a few days before, finding yourself hoping for more every time you see him.

At last, the evening approaches. You go to your room, remove your clothes and swap your stockings, since the current pair is flecked with mud. In just your shift and clean stockings, you pull up a chair to the basin mirror and take off your cap to begin removing the rags from your hair. Once they are all removed, you begin the lengthy process of brushing through the fresh curls to tame them. Once you are happy with it, you slip into your new gown, using the mirror to aid you with fastening the side lacings.

The basin mirror too small to offer a full view, you move to the tall mirror in your main chamber by the work tables. As you gaze at your reflection, your chest swells with pride for your creation. The silver gown hugs your form to your waist, where it flares into a full skirt. The narrow sleeves on your forearms peek out from the wide scarlet sleeves of the over-robe, which forms into a cape at the back, and is secured at your throat with a gold clasp.

You finger the ends of your hair, anxiety about your appearance returning as the hour draws closer. You start to wish you had made some kind of head covering after all as a backup, but it’s too late now, you have no choice but to be seen like this.

You return to your bedchamber to brush through your hair again, manipulating it with your hands to form it how you want. Once that’s done, you apply some perfume to your neck and wrists before sitting on the edge of your bed, your stomach squirming with anticipation.

There’s a knock at your door and your mouth turns bone dry. Is it six o’clock already? You stand and lift your skirts to walk swiftly to the door. You open the door a crack, Gwaine looking back at you through the small gap.

“Are you ready to go?” He asks with a smile.

“I… suppose so,”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m afraid I’ve been stupid,”

“Stupid? How do you mean?” His brow creases with concern.

Seeing nothing else to do but show him, you swing the door wide open. He looks you up and down, lips parted, and you have the overwhelming urge to shrink away and hide, but before you can make any move, Gwaine rushes toward you, his hand cupping your cheek as his lips crash into yours. Your body goes rigid with shock and he pulls away, wide eyes searching yours.

“I’m sorry, I –”

Flinging your arms around his neck, you pull his face toward you, your lips enveloping his, tasting him as he wraps his arms around your waist, pulling your body firmly against his. His hair brushes against your face as he deepens the kiss and your body goes slack in his embrace. You realise how much you’ve wanted this, needed this, to be so close to him, his arms around you, his actions, not just his words, showing how much he desires you.

You slowly pull away, eyes searching his to gauge his own feelings.

“(Y/N),” Gwaine says breathily. “I –”

“Took your time?” You suggest with a sly smile.

He laughs. “I suppose I did. I just,” He takes your hands into his. “Didn’t want to rush into anything. “Especially with everything that’s happened,”

“Let’s not dwell on falsehoods that were spoken about us. We know the truth,”

“You’re right,” He smiles, and takes a step back, looking you up and down. “You look magnificent. Your gown – knight’s colours?”

You nod.

“Give me a twirl, then,”

You chuckle, recalling your command to him to do the same when you made his new cloak, and spin around on the spot, your skirts flaring around you with the movement. Gwaine applauds and steps toward you, extending a hand to stroke your hair.

“I love it,” He says in a low tone.

“Really?” You look up at him. “You don’t think the other ladies will laugh at me?”

“I don’t think so. But if there’s anyone who does, they will suffer my wrath,”

“Your wrath? Goodness, will you strike them down where they stand?”

“I might, if pressed,”

“Well then, let’s hope you remain thoroughly un-pressed throughout the evening,”

Gwaine grins, before exclaiming. “Oh, I almost forgot,” He fishes in his pocket and procures a small item which he places in your hand. “I got you a little something,”

You look at the item in your open palm. It’s a small and ornate metal box. It’s oval shaped and engraved with a pattern of swirling leaves and flowers, a deep blue gemstone set in its centre.

“I thought maybe you could store your sewing needles in it,” Gwaine says. “Or whatever you prefer,”

You look up at him with a smile. “Thank you, Gwaine. It’s beautiful, and is the perfect size for my sewing needles. But I didn’t get you anything,”

“Don’t worry about that. You’ve done more than enough for me,”

You step forward and embrace him, the box still clasped in one hand.

“Shall we head to the feast?” He asks, his thumb rubbing small strokes on your back. “Or is the plan to be fashionably late?”

You pull away to see his smile, before you take the trinket box up to your room and place it on the bedside table. You return to Gwaine, who offers you his arm. You slip your arm through his and you both leave your chambers for the great hall.

The heavy double doors of the hall are propped open, allowing the golden candlelight to spill out to the corridor. Gwaine leads you within, where long tables line either side of the hall, the benches behind them already mostly filled with guests. At the far end of the room is another table, shorter than the rest, facing out, where the king and queen are seated, overlooking their guests.

Elyan spots you and Gwaine as you enter and approaches.

“Gwaine,” He says, giving his friend a playful smack on the arm. “Late, as always,” He turns to you and bows. “Good to see you, (Y/N),”

“Good evening, Sir Elyan,” You reply with a smile. “I’m afraid the blame for our lateness lies with me tonight,”

“Well, any extra time spent in preparation has paid off, (Y/N). You look stunning,”

“Thank you,” You smile. “You’re very kind,”

“Just stating facts,” Elyan winks.

“Go and woo someone else’s lady,” Gwaine shakes his head with a smile.

“Perhaps I will,” Elyan says with a grin, and returns the way he came.

“I didn’t realise Elyan was a flirt,” You remark.

“He’s not really, he just likes to rile me,”

“And are you riled?”

He chuckles. “No, it just makes me feel even luckier to have you on my arm,”

“Sweet-talker,” You nudge him playfully. Glancing to the front of the hall, you see that Gwen has spotted you. “You can greet your friends if you wish,” You say to Gwaine. “I would like to speak with the Queen,”

“Alright, I’ll save you a seat,” He unthreads your arm from his and kisses your hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before letting go.

You approach the royal table and Gwen stands, walking around to meet you, pulling you into an embrace as you approach.

“You look gorgeous, (Y/N),” She says. “Your gown is breathtaking; you are a true artist. And your hair looks beautiful,”

“Thanks to you,” You reply. “I wouldn’t have known what to do without your help,”

Gwen smiles and hooks her arm around yours, leading you around the hall.

“Sir Gwaine looks very dashing tonight,” She says, giving you a sly look.

“He looks just as dashing as he always does, only his armour is shinier than usual,”

Gwen chuckles. “It is a bit monotonous having the knights just wear their uniforms for special events. Perhaps I could submit a petition to change it? But then I foresee I’d receive some resistance from those who prefer not to have to think how to dress themselves,”

“Perhaps we should leave it then,” You reply. “So we need not witness any crimes of fashion. Monotony is more bearable than that,”

Gwen laughs as you turn at the front corner of the hall, approaching the knights’ table.

“I shall leave you with your dashing knight,” She stops behind an empty space between Gwaine and Sir Leon.

“Dashing knight?” Percival turns his head from beside Gwaine. “You must mean me,”

Gwaine elbows him before scooting over slightly, allowing you room to step over the bench and sit down, smoothing your skirts.

“Have fun,” Gwen smiles, before heading back to her place.

Shortly after, the hall goes quiet as the king stands, goblet raised in one hand. He expresses his gratitude and thanks to the kingdom’s farmers for a bountiful harvest, and urges everyone to enjoy the feast. Once he’s seated again, the chatter resumes and servants flood into the hall, bearing platters of food. The royal table is served first, then both the guest tables simultaneously.

“Can I get you something?” Gwaine asks, once another round of servants place down plates and cutlery in front of every guest.

You glance over the abundance of food laid out before you. “A bit of everything within reach,”

Gwaine grins and begins to load up your plate. A minute or so later, he places your plate, now covered with a mountain of food, back down in front of you, before attending to his own.

“Would you like something to drink, (Y/N)?” Leon asks from your other side. “There’s ale, wine and mead,”

“Oh,” You purse your lips thoughtfully, as you remember the delicious and warming drink you shared with Gwen during the intermission at the jousting tournament. “I’ll have some mead, thank you Sir Leon,”

“Just Leon will do, we’re all friends here,” He smiles and reaches for a flagon, bringing it forth to pour some of the golden liquid into your goblet.

You thank him and take a sip of the rich drink, before starting on the pile of food in front of you, sighing at the wondrous flavours that bless your tongue.

“Good, isn’t it?” Gwaine leans in to your ear to be heard, his warm breath tickling your skin.

“You must invite me to every feast from now on,” You reply.

“I was planning to,” His eyes twinkle in the candlelight.

You finish your plate, declining Gwaine’s offer of seconds only for fear that your stomach might burst. When the feasting is finished, conversation flows more steadily throughout the hall, guests’ mouths no longer occupied with chewing.

While you have some conversation with Gwaine and Sir Leon since they are beside you, you can’t manage much more above the noise. Your mind wanders to what occurred only hours ago. You glance beside you, watching his mouth as he brings his goblet to his lips, and you wish you could retire early and head back to your chambers, just the two of you. Gwaine catches your eye and you give him a quick smile, attempting to disguise the nature of your thoughts, before reaching for your own drink and draining the rest. You ask Sir Leon to pass you the mead flagon and refill your goblet before the king stands, the hall going quiet again.

“I have called in the minstrels, so the dancing may begin!” He offers his hand to Gwen, and she takes it and stands, the king and queen making their way around their table and to the middle of the hall.

Noticing movement in the corner of your eye, behind the royal table, you spot a small group of minstrels seated together. The king and queen get into position, the king turns his head to the minstrels and nods, and they begin to play. The king and queen dance as the guests, including yourself, look on, however your focus is not so much on their dancing, but their faces. Their love and adoration for each other is clear to see, and it brings a smile to your face.

A few minutes later, the music ends and the king and queen return to their seats, as members of the nobility gather in the centre, and the minstrels play another tune. The music is pleasing and you find yourself lightly swaying with the rhythm.

“Would you care for a dance?” Gwaine asks from beside you.

You chuckle. “Oh no, you’d better not ask me; I don’t know how,”

“There’s no one else I’d want to ask,” He replies and glances to the dancers ahead. “I haven’t danced like this for a long time, not since before my father passed. But I’m sure it’s all still in here somewhere,” He taps against his temple with the tip of his index finger. “I can teach you,”

He offers his hand to you. You glance between his open palm and eager eyes with a grimace.

“Not in front of everyone,” He clarifies. “There’s a quiet looking spot over there,” He inclines his head to the front left corner of the hall. “We can dance our own little jig with our own rules. What do you say?”

You look to the aforementioned corner, seeing that it is unoccupied, and out of the way. Surely no one would look there, when all the goings-on are happening in the centre of the hall.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… I accept your proposal,” You slip your hand into Gwaine’s.

He grins, and you take two large gulps from your goblet before you allow Gwaine to guide you from the table. When you reach the chosen dancing spot, Gwaine lets go of your hand.

“Right, let’s see… first, we must stand apart,” He takes you by the shoulders and gently guides you a few steps back.

You stay in position as he retreats a few steps away and turns to face you.

“I bow, and you curtsy,” He continues, and you both do so. “Now we close the gap and take each other’s hand,”

You follow his lead as he approaches and extends his right arm, and you take his hand in your left. He turns his body and encourages you to do the same, so you are both facing the same way now, standing side-by-side and hand-in-hand.

“We take some steps forward,” Gwaine says, and you follow his lead as he talks through the steps. “And some steps back. Then, hang on, I’ll show you,”

He lets go of your hand and hops forward, then alternates between hopping on one foot while the other is extended slightly in front, leg bent, then does a larger hop with a flourish, before doing the same movements again, but moving backwards this time.

“I don’t know how I’m going to remember that,” You frown.

“It’s not so bad,” Gwaine replies. “Let’s go through it together slowly,”

You stand beside him and watch as he goes through the movements slowed down, before attempting to copy him. The two of you go through the slowed down version a total of three times, before Gwaine suggests to try it at full speed. You feel slightly foolish but laugh your way through the steps.

“You’ve got it!” Gwaine exclaims with delight. “Now do it while holding hands,”

You go through the steps again, your fingers enclosed in his.

“And now,” Gwaine says. “We do the same steps while moving in a circle,”

Gwaine guides you, doing the same leg movements as before but gradually turning as you do, until making a full rotation.

“And now, the really fun part,” Gwaine says. “We face each other,” He turns to you and you do the same. He puts his hands on your waist, your heart fluttering at the contact. “Now put your right hand on my shoulder,” He instructs, and you do as he says. “We do the same movements while turning, but on the fourth count, I lift you into the air,”

“You what?”

“Lift you,” Gwaine grins as his hands grip your waist tightly and the next moment, you’re about a foot off the ground.

You squeal with a mix of terror and delight, blushing on your return to solid ground when you notice some of the other guests are looking your way.

“And we do that four times,” Gwaine says. “The part after that is a bit complicated, so we can leave it out. Shall we do it all together now?”

“In a moment, I need some refreshment after all that!”

You return to your place at the table and drain your goblet, finding the flagon and refilling, taking a few sips from that, before returning to Gwaine.

“Nothing like a bit of liquid courage,” You remark.

Eying the dancefloor, you see the noble couples dancing, their movements fluid and graceful.

“Don’t worry about them,” Gwaine says, following your gaze. “They’ve had years of instruction from dancing masters.”

“Did you have a dancing master?” You ask.

“I did back in the day, if you can believe it,” He chuckles. “It’s all part of being from a noble family. You’re lucky you didn’t have to waste so much time attending lessons,”

“Lucky until today, where I have no idea what I’m doing,”

“But tonight, I am your dancing master,” Gwaine gives an exaggerated bow.

“I don’t think you’d be a good dancing master for me,”

Gwaine clutches his chest in mock offence. “Why would you say such a thing, dear lady?”

“Because… I wouldn’t be able to focus on the dancing,”

He smirks. “You’ve managed well enough tonight. Shall we put my instruction to the test?”

The minstrel’s tune finishes with his sentence, and you nod before taking position. The minstrels begin a new tune and you watch for Gwaine’s signal and begin the dance. You move in time with the music, though you stumble through the hopping steps, laughing as you do so. After the section where the steps are performed in a rotation, you face Gwaine and he grips your waist, lifting you into the air. In the next moment, you’re on solid ground again, doing the leg movements, then you’re in the air again, down, up, down and up, you feel giddy and light as air, looking into the face of the man who has become so dear to you as he smiles, the corners of his eyes crinkling in the way you love.

After the fourth and final turn, you and Gwaine laugh, breath laboured from the exercise. Though you’ve reached the end of the steps you’ve been taught, the minstrel’s tune continues. Not wanting the dance to end, you move your hand from Gwaine’s shoulder around to his back, pulling yourself closer to him, so your body is against his. His hands shift from the sides of your waist to the small of your back and you both sway with the music, slowly turning on the spot with small steps. You relish the feeling of his body against yours, wishing you could stay like this forever, when the tune comes to an end. You pull apart slowly, as if waking from a dream.

“You danced well,” Gwaine says softly.

“My gown hid my terrible footwork,”

He smiles. “My favourite part was the bit you improvised at the end,”

His gaze is so tender, his words so sincere, you feel a blush creep onto your cheeks. You take his hand and return to your seats, Sir Leon giving a knowing smile as you sit down. You take another sip of mead as the minstrels begin their next tune. You watch the dancers, chin resting on your palm. If you could dance like them, you think you should want to do it every day. You conjure an image of minstrels set up in the corner of your chambers, playing a tune while you and Gwaine dance.

“You alright there?” Gwaine’s amused voice pulls you back to reality.

“Just daydreaming,”

“What about?”

“Silly things,”

The music stops and the minstrels stand and bow, marking the end of their performance. You join the other guests in applause as the minstrels gather their instruments and quit the hall.

“They were wonderful,” You comment. “There should be music every night,”

“I’ll bring it up to Arthur at the next council meeting,” Gwaine smirks.

“Then we shall have daily music and crimes of fashion,”

“What?” Gwaine chuckles.

“Oh, nothing. Just something Gwen and I spoke of,”

Laughter erupts from the opposite table, in response to some unheard jest. Glancing down your own table, you see Sirs Percival and Elyan arm wrestling. The murmur of chatter fills the hall again now that the dancing and music has come to an end, and your head buzzes from the hours of noise and recent physical activity. You sigh as fatigue hits you.

“It��ll probably be mostly drunken antics from now on, if you wish to retire,” Gwaine murmurs in your ear.

“Perhaps I should, if you don’t mind,” You drain the remaining contents of your goblet. “We wouldn’t want to add my own drunken antics to the display,”

Gwaine stands and offers his hand, aiding you up from your seat. You express your desire to say goodbye to Gwen before you leave, so Gwaine escorts you to the royal table.

“We’re leaving now,” You lean down to speak in Gwen’s ear. “I had a lovely time,”

“It looked like it. I enjoyed your dance,” She smiles between you and Gwaine.

The king leans out to speak from beside the queen. “I hope you enjoyed your first feast in the palace?”

“Very much, sire. I’d never tasted such delights before tonight,”

“I’m glad to hear it,” He smiles.

“We shall bid you goodnight now, sire,” Gwaine says to the king. “My lady,” He bows to the queen.

You and Gwaine walk arm-in-arm down the length of the hall and through the double doors into the corridor. The sound of the festivities fade as you turn into a passage and climb the first flight of stairs.

Once reaching your chambers, you head inside, leaving the door ajar behind you. Feeling no presence at your side, you look back and find Gwaine still standing just outside the entrance.

“Come inside,” You beckon him, extending a hand, which he takes and closes the gap between you.

You cup your hand on his cheek, brushing against his short beard, lightly pulling him closer to plant a soft kiss on his lips.

“My dancing master,” You sigh with a serene smile.

“As a general rule, I don’t think you’re supposed to kiss your dancing master,”

“I suppose not. But I am supposed to kiss my…”

Love. You shift your gaze from his as you think the unsaid word. You feel it with all your heart. You love him. But if he is not there yet, not ready to return the words… you do not want to force him into an awkward situation, or worse, have him say the words when he might not mean them.

“My sweetheart,” You settle for the lesser word, returning your gaze to his.

He smiles. “That, of course, is allowed,” He leans in and kisses you.

The sensation of his lips on yours sends a warmth through you, and once he pulls away, you wrap your arms around him. He does the same, cradling the back of your head in one hand.

“It feels so good being in your arms,” You sigh. “Though your armour is a bit hard and cold,”

“I don’t think they had embracing in mind when they designed it,”

You simply hum in response, feeling as if you might drift off in his arms.

“You need to get some rest,” Gwaine rubs your back.

“I’m not tired yet,” You lie.

“Yes, you are,” He laughs “You should get yourself off to bed,”

“But I want to stay with you,”

“You’ll see me again soon enough. We do live in the same castle,” He grins. “I’m going to go, then you can change in to your night things and go to bed,”

You sigh. “Alright,”

Gwaine pulls back to look at you. “Thank you for a wonderful time this evening,” You smile up at him as he plants a tender kiss on your forehead. “Goodnight,”

He lets go of you and heads for the door, stopping to look back from the doorway.

“Goodnight, Sir Gwaine,” You blink sleepily as he closes the door behind him.

#gwaine x reader #sir gwaine #gwaine #merlin fic #bbc merlin #merlin bbc #bbc merlin fic #reader insert #reader x gwaine #my writing

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polyhexian · 3 months ago

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Just saw your recent Darius posts and you've managed to put into words exactly how I feel about him. There is clear evidence of his heel turn in canon, and by the end of the series it is very apparent just how much he cares about Hunter. But before that he was Not Nice, he actively contriubuted to the heavy isolation that Hunter was under. You already described why the head chop scene was not as cute as it appeared at face value, but giving him a scroll and telling him to make connectins outside the castle was So Dangerous. He told a kid who was being violently abused to blatantly disgregard his abusers rules.

To be clear I do like Darius' character, he's screwed up badly and made phenominally bad choices, but so did Lilith, so did Gwen. Owl house is good about showing characters making bad mistakes and showing the steps they made to come back from them. With Darius I was looking forward to seeing the development of his and Hunter's bond, to show how damaging Darius' prior bevatior was and showing Darius working hard to make up for it. But then the show just kind of...didn't.

Again, I like Darius' character a lot, but I feel a ball was dropped when it came to writing his and Hunter's relationship.

I agree. Like I know I come across as a hate but I've written! Hundreds of thousands of words! At this point! About Darius and Darius self driven redemption and absolution! I am deeply invested in him! I write Lilith with similar baggage! And I write a WILDLY specific Raine! I'm not a hater. I love Darius. I just also love him knowing his a mean piece of shit who has some extremely serious flaws and actions he needs to apologize and make up for.

Darius and hunters relationship is such an odd one. Most major issues like this are because of season 3 getting shortened, like hunter didn't get his arc finished. Like he basically WAS done, he escaped and we were seeing him bloom away from that control. But then they decided to have the whole possession thing which ITSELF I think was fine and even like a sick ass scene. But also. That starts an entirely new era in his arc. Escaping his abuser did not end his trauma; abusers often reenter your life, or even when dead that trauma can well up within you and poison you later. And I like flapjacks death for FLAPJACKS character arc. But for hunter at that point it becomes messy because. That's the end of that arc basically. They try to... Do something? In for the future with Willow but. That's nothing tbh. We finish with hunter still retraumatized and paranoid and grieving with no... Like... Actually processing it? No end to that arc. So as much as I actually DO like the possession scene- if they couldnt finish that plotline, I don't think they should have started it.

But Darius and hunter??? That's season 2. And Darius was always going to be a puppet until the collector was turned and likely Belos defeated even with a full season. So even with that full season we probably wouldn't have had any more Darius and hunter interactions at all. Like again, the timeline immediately after labyrinth runners with hunter is a little unclear, and I think he was staying with Darius but ????? Who knows dude they don't even say. So like. Season 2 they had all the time they needed to plan out the arc of that relationship and ALSO it was never going to have any more meaningful screentime, so. Uh. Uh? The hell was that

#and thats why hunter noceda is real #its the only parental relationship for hunter they actually gave any screentime to #not even counting all the reasons i think its better #just #thats the one they put on the screen lol

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rosered2018 · 10 months ago

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The Magnus Protocol

I know I should have posted something before now. After all, we are five episodes in, and not a word have I written.

So, here's my take on the characters.

First of all, Samama Kahlid is a treasure and should be protected at all costs. He is a ray of sunshine that the OAIR's night shift desperately needs, but he also has a connection to the old Magnus Institute. It may or may not be tied to the breakdown that brought him there, but whatever it is, I think he's looking for answers.

After listening to today's episode, I think Colin is in the same boat as Jon was in TMA season 2 - twitchy, feral, and paranoid. I think he's seen or experienced something that sent him straight over the edge, and I'm guessing that Chester, Norris, or Augustus were at least partially involved.

Alice, as a friend of mine said, throws off some serious Spiral vibes. I think she knows more about what's going on than what she's saying, but I'm not sure what her motives are. On one hand, she could see the job as nothing more than a paycheck, but on the other hand, given her reaction to even the mention of the Magnus Protocol, she may have reasons for beihg there that haven't come up yet.

Gwen, at this point, intrigues me. She doesn't strike me as this world's answer to Elias, and I think she sees herself as the Lone Sane Person in the office. She is focused, she is meticulous, and she is ambitious, and for some reason, she thinks that becoming the manager of the OAIR office would be the start of a stellar career in civil service. I think she is looking for information, though on what, I don't know. If she is related to Elias, she's probably his neice or his daughter. And If Elias worked at the Institute in this timeline, then he is either dead, or he blinded himself to escape. If that's the case, Gwen may be wanting either answers as to what happened to him, and possibly vengeance.

Lena, I think, is probably as close to an analogue of Elias as we're going to get. She's manipulative, she knows that something is wrong in the office, and rather than take steps to deal with it, she's letting it continue, and probably enjoying the show. Frankly, she's throwing off the same vibes as Jonah did when Jon got kidnapped by the Circus in TMA Season 3. Whether she turns out to be as violent as Jonah Magnus, we'll have to see.

And now, we get to the voices.

The end of the Eyepocalypse in the original timeline was roughly a year before Chester, Norris, and Augustus made their appearance in the OAIR's computer system, and I'm inclined to believe that they are what's left of Jon, Martin, and Jonah. I don't think they're ever going to regain any kind of sentience, but I like to think that Jon and Martin, at least, have counterparts in that universe who are out there living their best lives while that world's version of Jonah Magnus has been in his grave for more than 150 years.

Although, given what happened to RedCanary when they went exploring in the Magnus Institute ruins, I doubt it.

I think Jonah Magnus, or whatever he became in this world, is still out there and is extremely dangerous.

#the magnus protocol #the magnus archive #samama khalid #gwendolyn bouchard #alice dyer #colin becher #lena kelley #jon sims #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #jonah magnus #tma #tmagp #gwen bouchard

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fakecrfan · 2 months ago

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TMAGP 30 Thoughts - Overall

This episode was pretty good-- but it was also just "pretty good" to me, which in itself is disappointing. I attribute this to the pacing.

Every single individual element of the episode is entertaining. The fed up custodian, his statement, Alice freaking out, the bored cabby, Gwen's triumph and smugness, Celia's betrayal--all of it was excellent individually. But the way it came together left me feeling a bit miffed.

Again, this is because the pacing sucked.

Instead of the frenetic, climatic pace of the season finales in TMA, this one was very slow and had a lot of unnecessary elements. For example, Alice arguing with the cabby was fun, but a mistake. It slowed the whole pace down, and added no information that we didn't already have. We already knew that she was chasing after them, did we really need to see every individual step of her journey along the way? Did we need to hear her questioning the cab guy?

It would have been much more effective for her to have the phonecall with Colin where she decides to go after Sam instead, and then to cut to her finding the custodian melted into the concrete. Seriously, are we supposed to be frightened at any point during this horror show, or aren't we? Cut to the scary bits already!

This underlines a greater tendency to waste Alice's screen time on stuff that is repetitive and unnecessary.

Another problem was--for once!--the GWEN bits! I did love to see her triumph and to see her utterly cold and smug reaction to it. But the stuff with her absolutely slowed the whole episode down. Especially since we cut from Colin's almost certain doom and Alice unknowingly making a Sophie choice between him and Sam--to Gwen.... getting what she wants, and laughing about it.

And then we cut from Alice finding a guy melted into the concrete--to Gwen having a conversation that doesn't give us any new information and only reinforces what we already learned from her convo with Lena.

All of these choices underline a more fundamental problem I have had with the way TMAGP has set itself up. Every time something exciting happens, it undercuts the building tension with 1) something boring 2) something slightly funny but unnecessary or 3) something that we already heard before. Usually Alice's plotlines have gotten the short end of the stick from this writing method, but in this one Gwen's plotline was actually the drag. We DO need to see the culmination of Gwen's season plotline, but it was in entirely the wrong place.

Here is I would have done it: Have Gwen's moment first. We don't need both Trevor and Lena to confirm that she both got the power she wanted and now is mega fucked, either. We only need one scene for this. One. Stop. Repeating. Information.

Then we can cut between Alice and Sam + Celia for the rest of the episode. Cut down the unnecessary transitional scenes. The cabby conversation was funny, but cut it. This is a finale. It's not time to add a bunch of cute banter if it doesn't naturally fit in to the action.

This episode was good, but it did not need to be 40 minutes and was not served by being 40 minutes. The TMA season finales were much more exciting with much less material because they knew to only give you the most important and most adrenaline pumping moments. That serves horror much better.

....but since this is how the entire series has been thus far, I don't have high hopes that this is going to change. I'll resign myself to what the show actually is. It's not bad, like I said. And I like enough individual elements to keep listening.

This also might sound overly critical, but this isn't because I dislike the series. It's more that I like the series, but not as much as I could have, and I am making note of why so that I can use it to improve my own writing in the future. Maybe if you're reading this, you really liked the slower pacing that is padded with tangential incidents! If so, feel free to share your own breakdown.

#tmagp opinions

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lolotheparagon · 10 months ago

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Sofia the First Season 2 in a Nutshell

Two Princesses and a Baby - 10/10

Amber wishes she wouldnt have to share her birthday with her twin James, so he gets magically turned into a toddler. Hijnks ensue. Another brilliant moment of character growth for Amber and showing how much she really cares for James, despite them being polar opposites.

The Enchanted Feast - 9/10

Miss Nettle returns disguised as a visiting sorceress in order to steal the amulet but Sofia is having none of that shit so she gets her critter army to stop Nettle. Also Snow White is here in properly the best media appearance she will ever get since Kingdom Hearts

The Flying Crown - 3/10

Sofia befriends the brooding jock Prince Hugo cos apparently she doesnt have a life. Look, I know you need to work with him to do your flying derby race, Sof, but dont bother with this Hunter expy.

Mom's The Word - 10/10

Its Sofia's first Mother's Day in the castle and she gets left out when her mother is spending more time with Amber and James. One of the show's core themes is teaching kids about blended families and Sofia struggling to adjust sharing her mother with her step siblings is very potent.

The Silent Knight - 4/10

Aunt Tilly falls for some NPC knight, when Cedric is right over there. Like show, if you were gonna ship any couple. I want sorceror failhusband and chaotic adventurer wife. Or hell, the drama teacher Miss Elodie for a gay option.

Enchanted Science Fair - 7/10

James, Amber, Vivian, Khaled and Desmond fight each over a science project but they all realise that Sofia is always right and they would all be dead without her.

King For A Day - 6/10

James tries being king to see what its like and yknow, this episode's hilarious to watch in hindsight cos its revealed James isnt even the heir to the throne lol

When You Wish Upon a Well - -4/10

Amber does something incredibly illegal but gets off the hook cos Sofia and their dad are enablers

Gizmo Gwen - 8/10

Aw cool, a castle maid who's also an inventor and engineer! What a wonderful addition to the ca-annnnd she's not gonna appear for the rest of the series, is she?

Sofia the Second - 10/10

Sofia learning about how to keep promises even if it means giving up something else? An evil Sofia clone who's a delightfully evil gremlin? Sign me the fuck up!

Mystic Meadows - 8/10

Sofia's girl scout group goes to a wizard retirement home where Cedric's parents live and she helps Cedric win his dad's approval and stop his micromanaging bs. Also, Hell canonically exists in Sofia the First and that fact alone is both disturbing and hilarious

Princesses to the Rescue! - 9/10

James and his friend Jin get captured by a discount Tai Lung and their dads end up being captured too cos theyre that stupid. So its up to Sofia, Jun and Amber to save the day. Also Mulan is here and its a nice touch they gave her the armour she worn throughout most of her original movie.

Ghostly Gala - 7/10

On Halloween, Sofia befriends the undead and convinces everyone in the castle that they're not seeing things, honest. Seriously, this girl could befriend Eldritch monsters and convince everyone that they're chill.

The Emerald Key - 10/10

A Hawaiian princess has lost a precious heirloom and washes up on the shores of Enchancia, calling for help. Another Hawaiian princess shows up, declaring shes the real deal. The Enchanican royal family immediately decide the best way to tell these two indigenous princesses apart is to get them to partake in white royal etiquette and activities and automatically assume the one doing the best at all of them is the real princess. Sofia realises that the imposter is always the whitewashed one.

Scrambled Pets - 5/10

Pet hijinks: the episode

The Princess Stays in the Picture - 3/10

Man, after Amber became a good person, the writers really doubled down on making her friend Hildegarde the new alpha bitch. Supposedly this was the episode to humanise her but honestly after watching this whole series, she really hasnt improved since this episode so it feels like lightning in a bottle we will never get again. The highlight was definitely Sofia yelling at Hildegarde's constant know it all attitude.

Baileywhoops - 8/10

Finally, Baileywick gets a good episode. I love the idea that Baileywick is such a good steward that EVERY OTHER STEWARD IN EVERY KINGDOM WANTS TO BE HIM OR WANTS HIS JOB. He's like the Alfred of this show.

The Curse of Princess Ivy - 10/10

Amber steals Sofia's amulet out of jealousy, unleashes an evil princess by mistake and now all hell's broken loose. Sofia really rakes Amber over the coals in this special and its glorious. Again, another episode that develops Amber as a character and its great to see the message of earning forgiveness and actually putting the effort in to change, instead of putting pressure on the victim to just enable their abuser's behaviour. Rapunzel's there as well with a banger song.

Winter's Gift - 8/10

Sofia meets a fawn named Autumn, who freezes everything she touchs and she fucking hates it. (Hmm, wonder why Elsa or Anna didnt show up in this ep?) However, Autumn fears the witch who gave her the powers in the first place won't do it cos she hasnt got her a nice enough gift in return. Turns out the witch is super nice, actually.

The Leafsong Festival - -8/10

Clover's dragon friend Crackle gives up her fire powers so she can be in a talent show but she has to get it back or THE ENTIRE KINGDOM WILL FREEZE TO DEATH AND APPARENTLY A SMALL DRAGON CAN MELT A KINGDOM'S SIZED COAT OF ICE.

Substitute Cedric - 10/10

Cedric begrudgingly decides to be substitute at Sofia's school for a day but turns out he really enjoys teaching and helps the kids practice magic on some wizard bullies. Cedric becoming more of a cool uncle is the best. Also, Sofia yelling the phrase "prank day is over!" to the wizard bullies as a war cry is really badass.

Clover Time - 4/10

Clover acts like a shitty roommate to Sofia, which is weird cos I thought Clover already lived with Sofia. Yknow, him being her pet and all.

In a Tizzy - -5/10

Ruby gets her own fairy godmother to help her build a cart and practice for a go-cart race. Thats neat! And yet, this all could've been solved if Ruby's mum was in the episode

A Tale of Two Teams - 6/10

I love how despite being a royal for like a year now, Sofia always chooses her old friends whenever she can. Neat how this is the episode where Jade actually needs glasses as her vision is causing her problems during kickoff. Amber also learns to manage and be a good coach. Man, the writers really put their all into giving Amber little intricacies with her character and James has...knight stuff

The Littlest Princess - 7/10

Sofia befriends a group of freeloading spirites who cause havoc in the castle and has to find a way to convince them to leave since that's the only way to get rid of them. I like how Sofia's flaw of being too trusting to everyone she meets causes trouble and Miranda gets to shine as being the best parent/role model in Sofia's life.

Buttercup Amber - 10/10

For some reason, Amber joins Sofia's girl scout camping trip and unlike the last experience with Baileywick, this one is actually fun. Seriously, Amber brought her entire wardrobe of dresses to camp and the girls inspire her to create a huge tent out of them. Nice to see Amber has changed a lot since Season 1 already.

Carol of the Arrow - -8/10

Ah yes, I love watching Sofia the First talking about anti-royalism, despite being set in a world where the royals are super friendly and interventionalist, there is no classism between the royals and commoners and that colonialisation doesnt exist. And yet we have a non-furry Robin Hood trying to help the common folk and Sofia's standing there like 'oh she's my fave celeb i cant be a royal!! i'll pretend to be a commoner again so i can show her royals can do something' but SHE'S GOT NO REASON TO HIDE HER IDENTITY COS SHE'S A FAMOUS PRINCESS AND ISNT EVEN HIDING HER NAME AND APPARENTLY FEM ROBIN HOOD FINDS OUT ABOUT HER AND REALISES OH HEY MAYBE ROYALS ARENT LAZY GOOD FOR NOTHINGS AFTER ALL. WASNT THERE A SCENE FROM TWO EPISODES AGO WHERE THE ROYAL FAMILY WAS GIVING AWAY FREE GIFTS TO ALL THE PEASANT CHILDREN IN ENCHANCIA. WHERE DID SHE GET THIS PRECONCEPTION FROM? ASPFSCEVRH WHAT IS GOING ON??!

Sidekick Clio - 3/10

Hildegarde acts like an abusive bitch to her friend Clio but instead of Clio leaving her and finding a new group of friends, she forgives Hildegarde after one apology. Oh and before you ask, Hildegarde doesnt retain her lesson from this in later episodes. I feel so sorry for Clio. Especially since she has a lot of fun potential as a side character.

#sofia the first

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world-fire-entity · 9 months ago

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Tmagp ships rating (2/25/24) >TMAGP7

Up to TMAGP 7 because im going mentally unwell waiting for thursday. Legit all the ones I've seen while deep browsing through twitter. (/traumatic)

Chester X Norris - 10/10 Canon tbh The worst computer Viruses They beat up Jonah Magnus in the computer and that's why he doesn't talk much

Alice x Collin - 9/10 Collin can pine for Alice, I will die before Alice pines for Collin Alice is way out of his league Collins the type of guy to act like season 2 Jon but then also get haunted by worms, the circus, the stranger, and the lonely while Alice scrolls on pinterest to alt Alice x Gwen - 50/10 Bouchard has a SUCH a chance compared to Collin but I will never let Alice pine so she's gonna have to do the leg work. Which I think she'll be fine with because rich noble people Honestly, Alice knows more than she lets on and Bouchard is hungering for knowledge. Ones uptight and the others chill. They can help eachother out and it'd be cute. I think this could be toxic on both sides Collin x Gwen - 3/10 None of them are pining I can only see them having a marriage of convenience (Taxes, Family pressure, money, etc), and then interacting once a week because they work in the same building. I can imagine Bouchard shooting Collin for some reason. Alice X Lena - 4/10 No clue how old Lena is but age gap in Lesbians is rare enough that I'll take it I feel like Alice and Lena are the only two people in the workplace that knows more than they let on so ig they could bond over that? I think they'd whisper cryptic hints to eachother of what they know to see which one breaks first to ask what the hell the other one means Sam x Collin - 8/10 They can become the two work nutcases together (They encourage paranoia and insanity in eachother) Nutcase x Nutcase They can combine their skills of IT derangement and plausible social skills to break into the magnus archives Sam x Alice - 7/10 Alice just trying to stop Sam from doing things she knows he'll regret Sam 100% feeling betrayed by Alice at some point Cute but in a, The whole relationship just feels so casual that it might as well not be there kinda way Chester x Collin - 4/10 Idk why you would ship this but I guess Collin being terrified of Chester and Chester potentially interacting with him regardless is a good work dynamic Augustus x Violin - 10/10 It was in r34. A friend sent me it and I sat there in DISBELEIF. Needles x Police officer - 9/10 Surprisingly cute Like needles comes to try and scare him the the police officer is not giving him the reaction he wants Idk maybe they team up to scare people to feed needles since needles is doing a shit job at it. Sam x Gwen - 7/10 I feel like Sam would lean into Bouchard's need for authority and through that get alot closer to her. And later on when the job gets too hard for Gwen to handle, Sam can step in. I think their personalities could mesh togehter Lena x Gwen - 3/10 Again, Age gap lesbians ig I think like a partners in crime duo? Mentor x Mentee Chester x Augustus - -1/10 Literally just for the Jonelias shippers but Elias doesnt have the hot voice anymore ;-; Or the body Or like, interactions with Chester In the future maybe

Gwen x Alice x Colin x Sam - 100/10 Poly

#the magnus protocol #tmagp #rantrantrantrant #IMGOINGINSANEE

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tiodolma · 10 months ago

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Hello. I have seen your Merlin crit posts and they seemed to be really interesting. However, I wanted to ask your opinion about something in the show (not anything political or such)

What is your opinion on the fact that in s5, the friendships Merlin had in the previous seasons with Gwen and the Knights are non - existent? Who do you think would be capable of helping Merlin during the season, apart from Gaius and Killgarah (he was mostly useless but still)?

What is your opinion on the episode "Lesson in Vengeance"?

@fanficwritinggremlin

At s5x07, merlin is running on fumes and is directionless.

See s5x05: The Disir MERLIN It won't always be like this. One day we will live in freedom again. MORDRED (looks up hopefully) You really believe that? MERLIN I do.

He has A Political Goal which is "one day we will live in freedom again" but still has no idea of the following:

(1) how to get there:

(2) what it actually looks like.

-->By s5 Merlin still has no concrete plans nor timeline and no step-by-step agenda to achieve his Political Goal™

And due to various previous circumstances, he had been cut off socially (or by rank/class), emotionally, psychologically and physically from everyone who used to genuinely care about him or want to see him at his best.

Now... how is someone else supposed to help the dude:

who have been conditioned in the past 8 to 10 years that he alone could fix thirty years of worth of genocide, the propaganda surrounding the genocide and its far-reaching side-effects?

who've had everyone he loved dead because they protected him or he have had to sacrifice them (without their knowledge) for the greater good?

who even now, never tries to negotiate properly with his opponents on equal and honest terms?

who has lied to the state repeatedly and thus destabilized it from the inside because of his withholding of important state secrets?

..........................

The only thing Merlin had left was a real show/display of his own power in public. A magic reveal.

why?

because Merlin does not have any real court power. He was never advanced socially in rank by his sovereign bosses. He has no true allies who can actually help him get near his Political Goal.

Merlin really really needs to have political power if he wanted his Political Goal to be achieved. Since his sovereign king and queen never gave that to him, at season 5, then he needed to show why he deserves some.

Therefore at s5x07 the only one who can actually and efficiently help him is himself.

.....................

Consider his narrative equal and foil, Morgana.

What they both have in s5x07

advanced use of magic

dragons

fortified kingdoms under their control

justification

What Morgana had that Merlin didn't have

name, reknown, fame, a political kind of "brand"

support of almost all armed non-magic and magic factions and entities that want to destroy camelot

legitimate claim to the throne

money, machinery and people after 1-2 years of regaining everything from scratch

What Merlin had that Morgana did not have

just some vital pieces of information.

support of a dwindling indigenous faction who will never take up arms

You see what I mean? Morgana had allies, strong allies, who helped her plan her strategies and support these plans at every aspect. This is because they knew her and they trusted what she could do. And she got to trust them too.

Morgana did her best to gain as many allies as she could through any means, because Morgana knew she could never overthrow Camelot on her own.

Merlin had none. Even in his relatively safe location inside Camelot, he never built a network of other entities who can actually support him. Gaius kept forbidding him to reach out to others. Kilgharrah advised against it many times. Merlin was made to believe that fixing everything thru only his own power and alone was the best way to do things.

That's why Morgana was perfect foil to him. She had huge political influence and power. Moreover, she was systematic and delegated a lot of revolutionary/rebellion tasks and activities to her allies. They were empowered and did well because she rewarded them too.

Merlin had a lot of advantages as her but Merlin's indoctrination and training did not allow for him branch out and step into a prime political position just like Morgana did. He took the lone wolf path too far and was surprised when over time, nobody in Camelot was truly left in total support for him.

......................

The bottomline is... Merlin reveals himself -> he gains much needed political power and court influence -> he is closer to his Political Goal.

............

addendum you might ask: what if arthur executes him??

-> that's merlin's problem for being so treasonous in the first place. if he's really destined to become the most powerful warlock kingmaker and advisor, then he can talk and live through any threat arthur would give him.

#bbc merlin #mergana #bbc guinevere #bbc morgana #bbc arthur #merlin crit #thots #its an extremist vs extremist game #wars of truth and privilege who would win #kingmaker merlin #you have no idea how challenging this was to articulate #added note: pls read any of monmouth up to malory if possible #if u know the merlins in those texts then you will understand why i reply like this #also merlin bbc is an inherently political show #coz we're talking kings and successsions even you cant be caught unaware -lion king

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hjcoolartnerd · 8 months ago

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TDA Rewrite Episode 2 Alien Resur-Eggtion

A/N: I'm placing a Pause on my TDAS rewrite and My fan Season of TDC so I can write TDA, TDWT and TDROTI and establish what i wrote in TDAS about some characters and change a few things.

Previous Episode: Monster Cash

Recap Voice Over:

"Last time on Total, Drama Action! 17 returning teenagers, 1 new fresh blood, one engaging host, a dilapidated film lot, and a whole lot of coin. Ka-ching! Oh, and did I mention a remote-controlled monster?" Chris laughs "I love this show. Some Fared better than others. Owen ran for his life, but didn't make it very far until he chowed down on fake food props and scored the reward, first pick of the cast trailers. Shockingly, Owen picked the wrong one. The girls hope of victory were crushed, a long with their new digs. Who will be one step closer to the million bucks? find out on another thrilling episode of.... Total! Drama! Action!"

[Intro]

Dear Mom and Dad I'm doin' fine, You guys are on my mind. You asked me what I wanted to be and now I think the answer is plain to see, I wanna be famous.

I wanna live close to the sun, Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won, Everything to prove, nothing in my way I'll get there one day. Cause, I wanna be famous!

Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na! I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous (Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na!) I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous (Whistling in tune)

[End Intro]

The camera fades into black as it begins to pan a close up towards the Craft services tent, The day wasn't hot but it wasn't cold. The Crew mates were going to have breakfast. Heather was holding her food tray as Chef served her the food. While the rest of them where in line. Down the line was Geoff and Bridgette making-out "Keep the line moving, love birds" Duncan said to them as they moved out of the line, Eric leaned towards Justin "We aren't turning like those two right?" He asked "Oh please, We won't This season we came to win not to make out" He said as Eric agreed. "More eggs and Bacon for me." DJ said holding up his tray "Keep 'em coming, Chef!" Bryan's eyebrow raised at DJ, Chef just growled as DJ move out of the line "How can you guys eat this food!" He said looking at the serving of eggs served on his plate. "This is just what i needed to start my diet...." He said moving from the line "Forgot how hungry I got last year, eating on Chris's wrecked schedule" Duncan said as Chef served him the slop of eggs. " i know!" Gwen began "Got to the point where I'd Kill for Chef's disgusting food. " She said as she walked forwards as Duncan moved "No offense, Chef." She replied to Chef as he stared at her with a glared "None. Taken" He serves the Eggs on the floor. She moved from the line towards Duncan "You can have my burnt toast Big mouth." Duncan said with a smirk "Judging from that gut, I thought you'd be all over the extra carbs." She replied as Duncan laughed "Nice. " He said as Trent walked towards them "You can Have my toast, Gwen." He said smiling "Thanls, but I can't take enemy toast." She replied to Trent smiling. "Enemies? We're not enemies" He replied. "In this game, We are all enemies" Bryan smirked from his spot as he then glanced at Eric "even brothers" Trent, Gwen and Duncan looked at him and he feels the tension so he moves on.

"Wow Tough crowd. I need to win some allies fast." Bryan crossed his arms "Being the new one on the cast means that I'm a stranger to them which is a double edge sword.... I just have to use the edge that wont stab me right back!"

"He might be new but he is right" Duncan said once Bryan was out of their circle. "Except for me and Gwen." Trent quickly said "I'll always have her back, no matter what." She smiled "Right back at you babe." Gwen said smiling. Eric rolled his eyes at that interaction as He moved to take a spot, It was choosing to sit with, The love birds, or Cody, or the BFFs Lindsay, Ezekiel and Beth or Heather and Bryan.

"This feel awfully familiar, Trying to chose where to sit during lunch time. with the loner simp, the bad seeds, the love birds or the establish BFF group where I'd be an outsider." Eric said sighing.

Eric chose to sit with the Girls and Ezekiel. He kindly smiled at Eric as he sat down. While the girls talked about make up and Nail polish. Just then It's Owen's turn to get food "ugh." He said walking forward "No eggs and bacon for me, Chef. I'll Just have this" He said grabbing the bowl of prunes. nice bowl of prunes "Everyone gasped in shock to Owen picking the prunes over the eggs and bacon. "What?!" Owen asked as everyone was staring at him

"Is it the end of the world? Owen just picked the prunes over Eggs and Bacon!" Cody was shocked "What's next Heather actually Being nice?"

"My, uh, plumbing's been clogged, ever since I ate all those fake food props. Pressure build-up's killing me." Owen said trying to fart as his stomach rumbles. "Come on Colon! don't fail me now!" He hears a squeck "Oh! I hear bells."

Everyone is sitting In one table we have Harold, Bridgette and Geoff, Izzy, Leshawna, Justin, Heather and Bryan. On the other table we have Beth, Lindsay Ezekiel, Gwen, Cody, Trent, Duncan, Owen, and Eric as They finished their food. "Welcome to day two of Total! Drama! Action!" Chris said as entered the Craft services tent. "Are you gonna do that every time?" Duncan asked "Yes. Yes, I will" Chris replied with a smile "All right then" Duncan answered "That won't get boring at all" Bryan said with sarcasm. "Today's Movie Genre... Aliens!" Chris said "Our unpaid interns have been hard at work\ figuring out what makes an alien movie successful." He explained "Chef?" Everyone Turns to Chef "You got three basic rules." He began "Aliens want to take over the world and start making lost of baby aliens. People fight back" He continued "Then the military's called in." He flicked a green goop from his spoon which hits Owen. "My pops ain't never shown me no fancy pictures of Aliens!" Ezekiel said from his spot "He told me they are real, eh" He said as everyone turned to him "Don't be silly homeschooled" Bryan spoke "Aliens aren't real" He added "Yeah! They've ruined pops crops back at the farms, eh" He replied to Bryan. "I believe in Aliens too" Lindsay said. "Oh me too" Beth said smiling. Eric exchanged glances with Gwen, Trent and Duncan and then shrugged. "Yo Chris! Where's my paycheck at?" Chef spoke taking the attention away from the BFF trio and Bryan. "Its... in the mail!" Chris replied lying as Chef glares "Today's challenge " He pulled out a map from the bag "Find an alien egg and return to home base before mama alien finds you" Chris explained "The two fastest get to pick the teams this season." He explained "Seems easy enough" Bryan smiled "And you just doomed us idiot" Eric replied to Bryan. "I figured one of you would say that." He said laughing "Mama Alien would be played by non other than..." Chef walks back in from the kitchen in an Alien suit "You call that Slime? Make-up! More slime over here" He shouted as someone poured slime over chef. "Oh great we are running from chef for a third time in this game... fantastic." Eric sighed. "I hate my life" Chef said "Here are your GPS devices" he said tossing the devices "Complete with maps of the film lot. Find the eggs, but be careful 'cause today you're all on the Chef's menu." Chris finished explaining as Chef laughs.

They then are in the Alien movie set as all walking in a straight light together. not breaking the simple rules of a horror/survival movie, that apply to alien movies too,. The sound of leaking, the beeping of the GPS' and their foot steps on the metal ground echoed on the Alien set. "Hey Follow me!" Izzy began breaking the tense silence "I know aliens. uh-huh" She said "I've been abducted loads of times. There is a tracking device in my neck." She pointed to her neck "See?" Harold takes a closer look at the Tracking device " does it hurt?" He asked her "Only when I hiccup" Izzy said and just on cue she hiccupped and the Tracking device hurts her "Ow." She exclaimed. "See! guy!" Ezekiel said from next to Lindsay and Beth directed to Bryan "Aliens are Real, eh!" He said as Bryan rolled his eyes "Oh please. We all know Izzy is Crazy and her stories are as real as the food Owen ate yesterday" He said as Heather agrees with him. Just then Leshawna stops right Infront of a door and stares at it. she shudders "Oohh! Can you feel that?" She asked the rest of them "It's like there's something in there, cold as ice, with no soul." The camera pans inside the room to show Chris inside there sitting on a chair "Thanks!" He laughed "Now take that!" He pressed a button that released some steam. The steam scares Izzy, Harold, Leshawna and Owen as Harold jumped to Lashawna's arms

"I've already told that skinny little tadpole that things between us aren't meant to be." Leshawna said as she looked at her nails "Guess he can't get over the lusciousness that is Leshawna"

"I'm Pretty sure Leshawna isn't over me yet. I see the way she looks at me, like she is unpantsing me with her eyes" Harold said as he smiled like an Idiot "Her beautiful brown eyes, like chocolate almond-- ooh"

The big group kept walking in a straight line, the atmosphere being the same as before as they kept walking. "How come we're the only dot's on the screen!" Heather said frustrated "Where's chef?" she added "Here let me help you" Bryan said taking the GPS from heather as he analyzed it. Justin stopped and turned to them "How did you get into our group?" He asked her Eric smiled

"Did I said I like when Justin actually says something like that? Especially to people like heather?" Eric smiled happily sighing.

"There are no groups yet." Heather replied to Justin then Bryan came to her defense "Plus! there is only one way we can go." He said pointing to the direction they were going.

"Even though Heather is really mean, that doesn't mean we should be mean right back, right?" Beth said before looking at Lindsay and Ezekiel "Buddha says you can lead a sheep to water, but you can't make it nice." She said "That is so deep!" Lindsay replied with admiration "And, uh, ain't that the truth, eh? You know, back home with our sheep, it's just like that," Ezekiel added, nodding knowingly.

The group kept walking and now added to the beeping, Leaking and Metal footsteps was the sound of slurping. Everyone stops once they hear the sound. "Shh" Gwen turns to all of them just as a fart escapes from Owen. "Ah, Yes!" He exclaimed "First one!" He laughed "Smell it!" everyone glared at him "Sorry" He then apologized. Then the slurping grew louder "What is that?" Trent asked concerned. Automatically everyone turned to look at Beth. "Ever since I got my braces off, I don't do that sound anymore." She explained. "Chris! That you?" Leshawna asked. "It must be Chef." Duncan exclaimed "You wan't to run?" He asked. "Or you want to kick some alien butt?" He asked "I prefer running Thank you" Cody said from beside Eric. "Let's kick some Alien Butt!" Gwen said and at the same time Cody and Trent said "Yeah, let's... kick some alien butt!" they said "So, who want's to go first?" Harold asked "Please, Please, After you?" Leshawna said "Oh no no Bryan you go!" Eric smiled "Prove to Heather you are worth her time" He added but only Bryan heard him. The slurping continued "What? NO" He said and turned to DJ "Let the Big man go" HE said "After you" Dj turns to Owen "I insist" He said as Owen turned to Izzy "Don't Worry Izzy. I'll protect you" He placed his hand on Izzy's shoulder and she grabbed his hand and with easy flipped him to the ground. "It's Kaleidoscope. E-scope for short." She said Yes sir! E-scope sir!" Owen saluted from the floor. "Okay!" DJ said "Let's do this!" He gets infront of the camer "Mama, If you are listening. You can have my limited edition Raptors Draft Cards." He said. "They are worth some serious coins. " Bryan crossed his arms at Dj. "I didn't suffer through eight years of Braces, headgear saliva spittle and the ridicule of my peers" Beth began saying as she stopped towards the front of the group. "So I can Hide from life!" "You go, Girl!" Leshawna Encouraged her as the slurping continued. "Watch out, alien Chef, 'cause here comes Beth!" She said turning the corner to find.... where the slurping came from. Bridgette and Geoff sucking faces. "oooooh.... It's just Bridgette and Geoff!" She called out to the rest. Duncan walks to Beth's side "Ugh, Nice. Don't you two ever get sick of sucking face?" he asked them as everyone rounds the corner and Bridgette and Geoff Keep making out. "I'm thinking that's a not." Owen said "Enough messing around!" Gwen spoke "We've got Alien eggs to capture." She said as Eric walked closer and Stood next to Trent who was lowly counting to 9.

"I wasn't worried about Chef, Alien costume or not. I mean, I did place second last year." Gwen said as she crossed her arms smiling "I know Exactly what I'm doing."

"Looks like Trent began his 9 obsession again" Eric said sighing "I caught him multiple times last season doing things 9 times since the merge and Even may seem helpful to him.... it seems weird."

Gwen now had one of the GPS as she looked at it and everyone was staring at her as they waited. "Good thing we are all lined up in a row, huh?" She said "Yeah, Ready for Chef to pick us off one at a time." Trent replied. "I think we should split" Eric said "Even if it's the wrong option we can cover more ground than if we are together and Chef can't be at multiple places at once" He explained. Suddenly an alarm repeating the word Danger begins to sound from their GPS. "Let's get out of here!" Heather said frightened "Which way do we go?" Justin asked "North is nice, but east is least" Lindsay began "West is best!" She finished "Can't argue with that!" Leshawna said "Wouldn't even know how to." and just like that Leshawna, Justin, Lindsay, Beth and Ezekiel went west. "Well if they are going west. I'm going North." Eric said as he began to walk. "Wait up!" Cody said following Eric. "The map says the boiler room is east from here." Gwen said "Alien eggs are always in the boiler room" Duncan replied. "Uh, Yeah totally. East it is." Trent said as He, duncan, DJ and Gwen went east. Duncan stops and turns to Bridgette and Geoff, Just as Heather, Owen, Izzy, Harold and Bryan left another way. "Where do you think you're going?" He asked them "With you to the boiler room." Bridgette said "Sorry, but the love birds, are on their own" he said as he walked away from them and they gasped.

"In any alien flick, the kissing couple's always the first to go." Duncan explained "There's no way Romeo and Juliet, are gonna ruin my chancer at a million big ones, uh-uh"

The camera changes to Heather, Owen, Izzy, Harold and Bryan walking together as Owen, Izzy and Harold stopped as the heard the kissing from Geoff and Bridgette. "Everyone!" Heather began snapping her fingers "snap out of it. If we don't band together, we are gonna lose this challenge." She said her hands on her hips "Now who is with me?" Bryan smiled nodding at her words "Uh, it's hard to say" Owen began "Um... does being with you imply some sort of an Alliance?" He asked her " 'Cause we don't like you." Izzy replied after Owen as Harold just stared. Bryan crossed his arms "Okay forget being with her" He quickly said trying to save heather for the hole she dug herself. "Who's willing to walk beside her. in mutual pursuit of our goals, with no commitment of any kind?" He asked them as Heather looks at everyone who agreed to what he said. Just when Chef fell behind Harold "Did Anyone else hear that?" He asked

"I may not be the best-looking guy, or the best dressed, or the most buff" Harold said "But I get my butt Kicked a lot so my senses are totally heightened. I can sense when something's coming." He does karate hands "Nothing gets by me."

Owen, Izzy, Heather and Bryan's face contort as the see Chef behind Harold. He was doing Karate hands when he feels someone tap his shoulder. He turns around and there is Chef holding a paintball gun "Say hello to eternity." Chef said as He shot the gun sliming Harold. "I'm Hit! I'm Hit!" He said as Owen's Gut rumbled "Aagh. It's Time" He said as he runs to Chef "Take me out! I beg you! It's an emergency!" He said as Chef looks at Owen before shooting him. "Oh thank you! Thank You!" He said shaking Chef's hand then running off with a trail of Farts as he left a Fart that makes Geoff stop kissing Bridgette and dropping her.

"Ah Man! I didn't think I was gonna Make it" Owen said and Laughed "But these Bowels never let me down. Great Job Guys!" He then farts "Oh! Ha-ha! I think there's more" He runs out "Coming through!" He leaves as a hand spays air freshener.

Chef stalks towards Heather, Bryan and Izzy, as Heather Hides Behind Izzy and Bryan Looks terrified of Chef. Chef begins to laugh, Heather uses Izzy as a Shield "I am not going down with out a fight," She began "You glorified dung beetle, lozard, Whatever!" She said Chef glared at them "One of us isn't getting out of here clean" She pulled out a paint ball gun. Both Bryan and Heather backed away. "You call that a paint ball gun?" He asked as he pulled out a bigger gun "This is a paint ball gun Izzy laughs "Fun! I love this game!" She pulls out a bigger gun as well. "Okay, Well, I'll just let you two have at it" Said Heather as She and Bryan left them to fight. The two tried to distance themself as much from Chef as they could "This is not How I envisioned my Run for the money" He told Heather as she rolled her eyes "Well You should have expected that after seeing last season from Home Bryan!" The stopped running and kept walking "Yeah I saw. Eric was plain gullible to fall for your trick" He laughed as she smiled "Man I wish i could have been there, he would have gone home sooner too" He added. "well he was lucky to make the final 5 due to his... friendly nature" She said as they bumped to Chef "Oh... C**p" Bryan said. as the began to run from Chef Heather was in front of Bryan as He served as A shield for her. Chef followed them and held up his Gun "First take care of her body guard" He said shooting and hitting Bryan causing him to fall. "Dang it!" He said.

"Yeah I could have ran faster than Heather, But I need her trust. seeing that most people are realizing Eric doesn't trust me that will probably cause people who he is close with to also no trust me." Bryan said smiling "And I have a contingency plan in case of that"

Chef ran toward Heather passing By Bryan "Run Heather Run!" He shouted at her. "This is for last season!, when you put laxatives in my brownies!" Chef said following Heather "The only thing that should give people the runs is my undercooked meat!" He said shooting at her. and The slime hits her making her fall as her wig flies off her head. "My wig!" She exclaimed as It begins to fall down the holes of the floor She tries to get the Wig back but fails. "No!" She yells "Don't look at me!" She tries to hide her bold hair

"Ever since my head was shaved last season, my hair is growing in all patchy and uneven" Heather said her arms on her hips "I have tried everything lotions, lasers, Traditional burmese medicine" She takes a sip of a cup and then spits it "Oh! Loser Shaman!"

Lindsay, Justin, beth, Leshawna and Ezekiel walked into a room with a dead end "Um... How did we get here?" Lindsay asked as she looked at the other "If we Knew, We wouldn't be lost" Justin replied "You are so smart, Justin" She said smiling "And Gorgeous!" She added "What a Knockout!" Leshawna said Swooning. "Totally Gorgeous" Beth also agreed. Ezekiel grinned widely, his eyes lingering on Justin. "Man, ain't he just... uh... mighty fine? Like, jaw-dropping fine," he said, a hint of infatuation in his voice, echoing the sentiments of the girls. Justin smiled at the compliments he was receiving as the Door was closed. "I hate to be the bearer of big bad alien news, " Leshawna said pointing to the door "but I think this may be a trap." they all went to hug Justin for 'protection'. When suddenly From the ceiling it began to rain slime on to them "Gross" The girls exclaimed. "oooh!" Justin said as he passed his arms over his slimed body "Feels so.. good" He said "Looks even better,"

"Uh, well, um, you see, uh, Justin, he's, uh, really, uh, well, uh, you know, he's like, uh, really, uh, attractive? Yeah, like, uh, super attractive. I mean, uh, not that I, uh, don't appreciate the other, uh, girls, but, uh, Justin, he's, uh, just, you know, different. And when, uh, that slime started raining down, uh, it was like, uh, kind of gross, but, uh, then, uh, Justin, he, uh, said it, uh, felt good, and, uh, I couldn't help but, uh, agree? Yeah, uh, he's, uh, just, uh, something else." Ezekiel could barely say his cheeks flsutered.

"You know what?" Beth said "Models are people too. We stare at them, but they've got feelings just like the rest of us. They've got hopes and dreams. My dream is to marry Justin.... Even if I already have a boyfriend back home named brady" She smiling even more "My mom says that if I concentrate really hard, one day all of my dreams will come true!"

Cody and Eric found themselves wandering aimlessly without a GPS. "I shouldn't have given my GPS to Lindsay… Now we're completely lost!" Cody lamented as they passed the same corner again. "And isn't that the corner where Bridgette and Geoff were making out, leading to our separation?" Cody pointed out. "Wait, you mean… we went in a huge circle?!" Eric's frustration was palpable. "Well, that's just great. Back to square one," he sighed. "I think the others went that way," Cody suggested, pointing east. "Let's try it. Maybe we'll stumble upon someone who isn't Chef," he said, hoping for a stroke of luck. "I wonder how many players are left in this challenge," Eric pondered aloud, oblivious to the fact that they were being followed by Chef. They walked for a while until they eventually heard DJ cheering in the distance. "Hey, that's DJ! Maybe they found the eggs! Let's hurry!" Eric exclaimed, and they broke into a run. Suddenly, Chef swiftly pulled out his gun and shot slime at them, hitting them both. "What the?! Where did he come from?!" Eric exclaimed, startled. "Was he following us? Did we lead him straight to the others?" Cody wondered aloud as Chef dashed past them.

"Great! Taken out right close to the end! This is pathetic!" Eric said, his frustration evident. "But maybe it was my fault for not having a GPS. So, I can't be too upset."

"Eric's a great guy, but what he did wrong was leading us in a big circle without a GPS. That was his biggest mistake," Cody said, shrugging off the disappointment.

After Being take out the two guys returned to the cast trailer, where they saw everyone who had been taken out. Eric sighed as he walked closer to them. Then they waited for the remaining people on the challenge. They were both edging to see who were the two winners of the challenge. Eric was standing between Justin and Cody as they waited. They were all each doing their own thing, Bridgette and Geoff kissing, The BFFs talking, about Justin. Not long after Trent and Gwen arrived with the eggs "We have our two winners!" Chris announced following behind them with a slimed Duncan right behind him. "Our only two winners! The rest of you really stink. " He said as he turned to Trent and Gwen "As our winners, Gwen and Trent will now be able to pick their team," Chris explained "Which means they'll be competing against each other this season." Trent and Gwen's Smile faded as Chris said that. "Oh, Dude, No!" Trent quickly said not liking it. Chris just laughed "Bet you didn't see that one coming!" He then continued "After we vote off two cast members in the most thrilling Gilded Chris ceremony yet." Everyone gasped "Yes, you heard me. I said two." He smiled wider I'm liking the twos today. Must be Tuesday." He said as everyone rolled their eyes at his joke. "Yeah, I don't get paid to write this show" He said shrugging.

The Gilded Chris Theme begins to play as It's now dark and People begin taking their seats Like previously people took random spots, Lindsay and Beth sat at either side of Justin and People running from Ezekiel as if he had the plague, Eric sat next to him and a few feet's from Eric sat Bryan. Chris entered the stage wearing a blue Tux. "It's time to cast your votes! Under your seats, you'll find your voting devices." He began explaining "Just press the button of the person you want voted off" Everyone had their voting Device "Oh and No peeking or it's 'Na-na! na-na-na-na! Hey, Hey! Good Bye!' " He laughed as everyone then casted their vote "The votes have been cast!" Chris said as Chef walks in wearing a pink dress that was transparent on the bottom half. Everyone laughs at Chef. "If you Get a Guilded Chris, it means you're safe for now." Chef glares as Chris continued "And the Gilded Chrises go to..." he began "Trent, Gwen" He announced as Chef tossed the first two Gilded Chris. "Harold, Duncan, and Izzy" he said as Chef continued tossing the Gilded Chrises "E-Scope!" Izzy corrected as She grabs her Gilded Chris "Fine. E-Scope." Chris replied "Lindsay, Justin Beth are also safe" He said as Both Lindsay and Beth cheer hugging Justin, just when the Gilded Chrises go their direction Beth and Justing Catch them as Lindsay is hit with hers. "So Is Owen! My man!" Chris shouts as he catches the Gilded Chris "Ah, Thanks, Chris!" He laughs "And Thanks, Chef For doing what the prunes couldn't" Owen added. "Next is Dj and Cody" Chris announces as they catches it. "Eric, Bryan," He said as Chef tossed the Brothers their Gilded Chrises "Surprisingly Heather." He continues as Chef gave Heather Hers "Even More Surprising Ezekiel," He said as Cheff tossed another and Ezekiel was also shocked as he catches it "I'm really Safe?" He asked not believing it "Nice dude!" Eric smiled placing his arm on Ezekiel's Shoulder "You get to stay!" He smiled at a shocked Ezekiel "Egh" Bryan replied rolling his eyes. "And, Least but not least..."He say as he extends the tension between Geoff, Bridgette and Leshawna. "...Leshawna!" He finally said as She cheered and hugged Bridgette and Geoff "Yeah!" She said before stopping "Oops. My bad" She said as She catches her Gilded Chris "But- But, I thought everyone like us" Bridgette said " 'Liked' Being the operative word" Duncan said "Any final words?" Chris asked them as the began kissing and walking towards the Lame-o-sine as the left the Film lot

"Who will Gwen and Trent pick for their teams? Will Izzy ever answer to her actual name? How Long will Ezekiel last This time? Will Owen finally get some lunch?" He said as Owen Spoke from his seat "Thank you!" "Tune in next time, for another exciting episode of... Total! Drama! Action!" The camera begins panning back Showing the full Gilded Chris Stage and Chef who then walks out of Frame as The camera fades to black.

[Outro]

[End Outro]

TDA Exclusive Scene: Geoff and Bridgette in the Lame o sine.

Next Episode: Riot on Set

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tulipfantasies · 1 year ago

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Hello!! I love your Gwen x fem readers! I was wondering if you could do one where Gwen is comforting a stressed out overworked female reader. I’ve been struggling so bad with college and it’s not the vibe 😭 I swear I’ve cried like 10 times this past week. Thank you🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

hi yes ofc i can! i hope things get better for you with college.

stress relief ✩ g.stacy

pairing; gwen stacy x fem!reader

summary; you were riddled with stress so gwen takes it upon herself to help you destress and relax.

characters; (mentions) a lecturer/professor.

warnings; fluff for my girl, established relationship, (mentions) overworking and r procrastinated (relatable), gwen plays with r’s hair and no usage of y/n.

my notes; thank you for requesting (it's my first one hehe), i hope you liked it. the layout/pictures are messing around and it's pissing me off, sorry 'bout that.

word count; 1.8k ao3

You felt as if you were suffocating with the never-ending amount of stress you were under.

It was exam season, and like any person practically wanting to fail their course, you had chosen to procrastinate and actively avoid the idea of knuckling down and studying for it.

A stupid idea.

So in a mad dash to absorb any information you possibly could, you gather any handouts they have given you, your class notebook, and a crap ton of stationery.

Your desk, which looked as if a bomb had gone off on it, was littered with coloured pens, highlighters, and many unorganised papers.

5 hours and 3 cups of coffee later, you were sitting at your desk with your head in your hands as your eyes frantically glanced over the neon pink highlighted paragraph.

You found yourself re-reading the paragraph over and over again for what felt like the umpteenth time in one hour.

None of the words on the pages made sense, no matter what colour they were highlighted in.

You immediately drop your head from your hands and let it rest on your desk with a small thud, following it with a loud groan of frustration.

The papers you rested your head on clung to your forehead briefly before dropping lightly back onto the desk.

"How many cups of coffee have you drunk so far?" Her voice breaks the forced silence, causing you to jolt ever so slightly in surprise.

You didn’t even need to look to know who the voice belonged to; it was Gwen, your girlfriend.

"I don’t know, maybe 2 or 3?" you mumble as you lift your head off the desk so you can rest your chin on your folded-up arms.

You could see Gwen shaking her head in disappointment in your peripheral view.

In your stressed state, you let it slip from your mind that you and Gwen had previously made plans to hang out with each other.

You didn’t make massive plans, but you both agreed on watching several movies with a crap ton of snacks to choose from.

Movie night with Gwen sounded like the one thing you needed most right now, but you can’t let yourself push it back more.

Gwen sighs and pushes herself off of your door frame so she can step further into your bedroom.

She plops down on your bed and silently watches, with a frown curling onto her lips, as you dive back into studying.

"You are going to make yourself ill with all this coffee and stress," She comments quietly as she folds her arms over her chest.

She wasn’t disappointed; she was worried.

"Gee, thanks, Captain Obvious, for that observation," You unintentionally snap back at her with a roll of your eyes.

Stress mixed with a lot of caffeine can make you agitated and prone to snapping. Gwen knows this. "I would’ve never figured it out on my own."

Her obvious comments didn’t help your stress much, and neither did your side job, which was writing news articles for The Daily Bugle, which was constantly adding and changing your shifts, forcing you to work unreasonable hours.

You were studying for a journalism degree, and yet you would’ve never thought you’d be writing all those ‘Spider-Menace’ articles about Spider-Woman.

You sigh heavily as you think over your poor choice of words before letting the regret immediately begin battling with your stressed emotions.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m not thinking straight.”

"It’s okay, babe," Gwen replies calmly as she begins making her way over to where you are sitting.

She slowly snakes her arms around your shoulders and rests her chin on top of your head. "You are under a lot of stress, and on your third, no doubt fourth, cup of coffee, you were bound to snap."

Being used to the comfort of her touch, you immediately melt beneath her embrace and silently thank every star that glistens in the inky black sky that you have someone like Gwen in moments like these.

A shoulder to lean on when things get rough. "Tell me all about it, honey." She adds on in a quiet tone.

Those words were all that was needed for the floodgates to open and the unstoppable rambling to begin.

You told her every little detail, right down from the journalism exam you have to cram all the studying into how much of an awful man J. Jonah Jameson is for making you write horrible things about Spider-Woman (all Spider-Woman was doing was bringing safety to New York).

You didn’t want to work there for much longer, but you loved writing columns for newspapers, so you were torn.

Throughout your rambling, which ultimately lifts a weight off of your shoulders, Gwen’s fingers work on moving strands of your hair from out of your face and behind your ears, her hands pulling it up into a loose ponytail so it is well out of your face a second later.

She leans down to place a soft and sweet kiss on your cheek before placing her hands on the back of your chair and swivelling it around so you are now facing her.

"You need to take a break, babe," She says calmly, though it sounds like she is demanding it.

She slips her hands in between yours and gently pulls you out of your chair and onto your feet.

"Ms Wright won’t be happy if she finds out that I’m not studying enough for the exam, Gwen," You mumbled tiredly as you gently squeezed her hands, which she reciprocated immediately.

"I can’t take a break; I need to study for my exam."

"What Ms Wright doesn’t know certainly won’t hurt her," she replies as she begins to very slowly walk backwards in the direction of your bed, dragging you along with her.

"You need to take a break before you make yourself worse."

You let out a sigh, both in frustration and relief, before nodding your head and dropping your hands from hers so that you can climb on top of your mattress and comforter.

Gwen follows your actions, but this time she has your laptop tucked underneath her arms and shifts to place the laptop on the mattress in front of you.

She lets you sign into the laptop and pull up the search engine before nudging the laptop back in her direction so she can scroll through Netflix for a film that you can both watch.

After several minutes of disagreeing on what type of film you want to watch, you both agree, and soon the opening credits of the film are rolling.

You let your heavy head gently drop onto her shoulder before sighing lightly and nuzzling in closer to her.

Without giving it any thought, Gwen wraps her arms around you as her eyes remain on the laptop as she watches the film, which has not yet started.

"How much sleep have you gotten?" She whispers above the dialogue of the character on the screen.

"Few hours max." You reply quietly.

Now that it was brought up, your eyelids were feeling very heavy, as if something was weighing them down to the point where they were almost drooping closed.

"How on earth you are still standing is beyond me," Gwen mumbles over the dialogue before letting her hand drop into your hair so it can comb through very slowly, despite the fact it was in a loose ponytail.

Your eyes flutter shut in relaxation as her hands brush past each small knot and tangle in your hair.

"Not fair," you whine softly at her touch on your head. It was so relaxing and loving. "You know I like it when you play with my hair. You are trying to get me to fall asleep."

Gwen chuckles at your soft whine before smirking to herself. "It’s working, isn’t it?"

"Yeah, it is," you mumble tiredly as you let your eyes flutter closed from exhaustion.

At this point, the movie served as background noise for your quiet conversation.

Thankfully, you’ve both watched it before, so you weren’t missing out on much.

A tidal wave of comfort and warmth washes over you as she continues to brush her hand through your hair.

She is lulling you to sleep.

"You know, I have every faith in you, honey," she whispers as she places a soft kiss on the top of your head, which causes you to smile softly. "You are going to pass your exam with flying colours."

"Yeah, you think so?" You whisper back as you very briefly lift your head off of her shoulder to look at her.

She smiles warmly down at you and nods firmly.

You lower your head back down onto her shoulder and let her words settle in.

"I know so, babe," she says, shrugging her shoulders, which makes you chuckle tiredly at the sudden movement of her shoulders.

She leaned down so her hot breath was brushing onto your skin and that her lips were ghosting yours. "You’re too smart and unbelievably gorgeous not to."

"Shut up, you dork." You blush at her words before reaching up to gently and playfully push her face away from yours, making her chuckle.

"I’m your dork," she murmurs before lightly pressing her lips against yours.

Her hands continued to brush through your hair, ultimately messing it up so it was back in front of your eyes. "Now, try and get some sleep, alright?

You didn’t need to be told twice.

Your eyelids were too heavy to disagree with her, so after fighting back the urge, your eyes soon slipped closed, and your breathing went shallow and steady.

An indication that you had fallen asleep on Gwen’s shoulder (which she’d never complain about).

You had finally let yourself relax after stressing yourself over studying for your exam, and Gwen couldn’t be happier knowing that her attempts to relax you worked in an instant.

Knowing that she couldn’t do much more with you laying your head on her shoulder, Gwen decided to join you in sleeping.

She slowly leans forward and logs out of your laptop.

She pushes your laptop away from the two of you before wrapping both of her arms around you and slowly shifting so the both of you are now lying on your backs with your heads on the pillows.

Her head slowly drops so it is resting on yours before she lets herself fall asleep.

Together in each other's arms, where it was safe.

You passed your exam with flying colours (just like Gwen said) and even received the highest mark out of the class.

Gwen was ecstatic when you told her that you passed, so much so that she practically suffocated you with the hug she gave you.

And as for The Daily Bugle, you quit the second you got a chance and went into a far better job that paid far more and got you writing much better columns for their papers.

Every single day, you find yourself thanking every star that glistens in the inky black sky that you have someone like Gwen.

She’s your rock and the one you love the most; you’d be lost without her love and support.

#*ੈ✩‧₊˚ my take #𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅ my works #gwen stacy x reader #gwen stacy x fem!reader #astv x reader #spider verse x reader #spider man: across the spider verse #across the spiderverse #spiderman astv #spiderman into the spiderverse #spiderman itsv #spider woman #spider gwen #fem!reader #gwen stacy

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thenerdyindividual · 2 years ago

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Okay so I actually like this episode and we may have to agree to disagree here, but I do think Arthur’s struggles in it are consistent with his character for two reasons. One of Arthur’s greatest virtues is wanting to be a worthy king for his people, and he cares deeply about their opinion since as he said in season 2, he is just as much their subject as he is theirs. In season 3, when he was still just a prince he was willing to run away with Gwen but that was before he felt the true weight of kingship, and even then he hoped to return to Camelot to rule and his people would accept him back. Secondly, Arthur is deeply insecure. There are multiple occasions where he lashes out at someone because of his pride, and someone who is genuinely confident in themselves will allow insults of their character to go unremarked upon because they know it doesn’t matter. Pride and insecurity are linked. We also hear from Arthur himself that he was worried that he was nothing but a big disappointment to Uther. There are also multiple occasions in which Uther moved the goal posts concerning Arthur’s worthiness. He completes a dangerous quest in s3 to prove his worth, but Uther still says Arthur has “truly proven he is ready to be king” in s3e11 (The Gili ep) because Arthur allowed him to win during a tournament.

Basically Arthur isn’t ever sure that he’s ready to take the throne, and then he’s unceremoniously shoved onto it in s4 due to Uther’s health, and never really gets confirmation from Uther or the people that he’s worthy.

Agravaine’s advice holds weight for Arthur because Agravaine is older and is stepping in as a father figure, knew Arthur’s mother and can speak to her opinions, and presumably knew Uther as well and can speak to Uther’s opinions if Arthur is unsure. Agravaine is so particularly hateable because he exploits Arthur’s insecurity, and he does it masterfully in this episode in particular. He even leverages the “your father would have” argument against Arthur, and Arthur who is both dutiful to Camelot to a fault, and desperate for approval falls right into that trap. Which leads to the execution of Caerleon. Arthur is still reeling from Uther’s death and wants to be as strong as he was. So that little trick Agravaine pulls about strength and what Uther would have done works a treat.

Arthur’s shown multiple times that he wants to do what’s right for the people (ie s2 where he refuses to collect the taxes). Agravaine has already successfully preyed on Arthur’s loyalty and insecurity once that episode by claiming he needed to execute Caerleon to protect Camelot, and as of yet the consequences for the execution haven’t reached Camelot, so it makes it easier to successfully prey again. This time Agravaine specifically leverages the will of the people against Arthur rather than the memory of Uther because he already knew that Uther didn’t approve of Gwen so it wouldn’t work. However, he does know that Arthur does not wish to impose his own will on the people but instead work in tandem with them to bring peace and prosperity, so he says the people don’t wish to see a common Queen.

Arthur obviously does not want to break up with Gwen, we see that by how reluctantly he says the words and how close he comes to tearing up. However, he is under the impression that Agravaine was already right once that episode and has his best interests at heart. So he takes the advice that was given and breaks both his heart and Gwen’s because as king he believes Camelot and it’s people should matter more than his own happiness. It’s not that his relationship to Gwen is weak, it’s that he believes it to be in conflict with his rule, and unlike when he was a prince there is no one to rule and protect Camelot if he runs away with her. He has to make a choice based on responsibility.

I think this is the first time we really see him feel the difference in responsibility between prince and king, which is why he also pushes Merlin away. Merlin has always advised Arthur to be true to his heart, and Arthur feels as though following his heart puts him in conflict with his people.

I think he does learn his lesson by the end though. He refers to Merlin as old friend after diminishing their friendship, remains consistent in his desire for peace by sparing the champion, and tells Gwen that his heart is one thing no one else will have a say in.

It’s just harder to see the lesson he learned because the next several episodes are Merlin centric adventures. Which if you wanted more of the hard in on the political stuff, I would totally see that being frustrating. I personally happen to like the break from the politics to focus on Merlin, and then some good old fashioned fun monster of the week.

Then we get the episode of Gwen’s betrayal, which I do think shows Arthur’s growth. He stops to ask Gwen why she did it, if there were doubts, looking for any logic in her actions even though Agravaine tried to set it up to look like a drawn out affair. That Arthur did not execute her even though he was within his rights and specifically says Uther would have done so, shows that he still cares for Gwen deeply and is starting to pull away from advice he feels to be wrong. He’s starting to trust his gut. Again, we’ve seen how he reacts when his pride is wounded and nothing will wound his pride more than being cheated on. He’s set up to make his worst possible choice then, when heart broken and embarrassed, and he still chooses mercy. That he was willing to forgive Gwen for it later I think shows that his love for her is strong and won’t be rocked easily.

Where I think we really see the pay out for Arthur learning to trust himself and not seek validation from others is in early season 5. Death Song of Uther Pendragon is when we finally get that cathartic moment of Uther throwing everything Arthur struggled with in His Father’s Son back in his face. Arthur finishes out the episode by telling his father’s ghost that he doesn’t need his approval, which is lovely bit of metaphor there.

Merlin Episode Rant–His Father’s Son

Wow. Wow wow wow. This show istg.

His Father’s Son is perhaps one of the most cohesive, easily understood episodes of the show. It’s complex, it’s interesting, but it lacks one thing that they always lack: Character continuity and just in general having a strong grip on their character relationships. Meaning, Arthur’s decisions, and his character literally contradict each other in this episode. He normally (character) is brave, has conviction, and above all else, loves really hard. Like really hard. Think of the formative stages of Arthur/Gwen! He literally tries to relinquish his kingship for Gwen. I actually really like that moment on its own, if the rest of the relationship didn’t have useless roadblocks or if Gwen actually still was a good character in 4 and 5. Instead, in this episode, he bends like a pipe cleaner to whatever Agravaine is saying, disregards Merlin’s counsel (which, believe it or not, he actually does listen to normally and frequently seeks out), but most importantly, he literally breaks up with Gwen.

Now, if you’ve been following me for a bit, you’d know that I’m not the biggest fan of the Arthur/Gwen relationship mainly because it doesn’t really change either of them as characters in a good way (The show-runners remove Gwen’s personality for some reason and Arthur stays the same). But, I think this should have been a breaking point moment. Why, oh my god why, does he break up with Gwen?

Agravaine so easily convinces him to go and cut things off with her, even after the show blares at us that they are “so in love” and that they “are each other’s forevers” but then they have him just go and break up with her because Agravaine thinks so? And not even that—because its not appropriate????????? mmEXCUSE ME???

AND THEN

He seems to believe it. This, for me, shows two things:

The writers have no idea what they’re doing with these characters

If the writers truly understand this decision, then they’re basically telling viewers that Arthur and Gwen’s relationship is so fragile that he would break up with her if his random uncle told him to. Like what the hell.

Also, I want to address what is going on between Arthur and Merlin this episode. I actually think its the most nuanced their relationship has been for a bit in this season. They are not seeing eye to eye on something, and Arthur is pushing him away, but we constantly see that Arthur comes back to Merlin, for everything, after everything, because he needs him. And this is really beautiful. I think Arthur should have made a pinnacle decision in this episode, for both of his relationships.

Here’s how I would fix it

For Arthur and Gwen moment: When Agravaine tells Arthur that his relationship with her is inappropriate, this should have been a wake up call for Arthur. If he truly loves her that much, if he needs her that much, then this relationship should be much stronger than counsel from his pushy uncle. AND, this would actually move the plot forward, as well as strengthen Arthur and Gwen’s relationship. We could have a regroup moment with Arthur and Merlin, where he realizes how much he needs Merlin (maybe not to a full extent to keep up with the pace of the show), as well as his friends and their advice. So, Arthur would decline Agravaine, he would start trusting him less, and this could still progress to that final scene with the fight and Arthur showing mercy and there would be a LOT MORE CONTINUITY in arthur’s character!

I actually like the idea of Arthur killing the king of Caerleon mainly because it forces his character to go through something difficult like getting it wrong. Plus, it makes sense for him to bend to Agravaine in this situation since he’s genuinely new to making these sorts of decisions.

Also I’m such an advocate for apologies on tv. It seems like on Merlin especially, they really milk the idea of Merlin getting no credit or gratitude, but in this situation, there is nothing to do with his magic or anything. SO, Arthur should have sort-of (in his way) apologized for not trusting Merlin with the Caerleon thing (at least in that scene where Merlin has just gotten all the knights to come and tell him life-affirming things, I think it would have been nice if Arthur had just given some sort of indication that he recognizes that Merlin did tell him, and was trying to help)

Anyway, this is in my top ten Merlin episodes, in terms of it having some sort of weight and making sense on its own, but also, it has so many problems. Plus, there isn’t any real continiuity in Arthur’s character after, and he doesn’t really change at all.

Also, at the end of the episode, when Arthur and Gwen have that romantic moment, I just feel awkward because it would feel cute and romantic if Arthur hadn’t just easily broken up with her because someone told him to. Like I get that he told Merlin to give her his ring, and that he’s sorry, but like, you did it so easily?? Why wouldn’t you do it again?

This show dude.

#bbc merlin #Merlin meta #op im so sorry for the ramble I truly didn’t know I had this much in me #i have a lot of opinions #and apparently #very little chill

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bellarkeselection · 3 years ago

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Daughter's Matching

Request by @kaymudd Beth sets up a date for her dad with her friend whose younger than him. The pair are both nervous but realize they have a lot in common. (set after season 4 episode 4.)