#I took on the challenge and accepted the sacrifices to master skills for a new and improved and more secure career path

[lunasilvis]

I've never wanted to throw away a year into the trashbin as bad as 2024.

Yet at the same time I recognise it has been so important for my growth, focus, discipline, iron will and individuation process

[tundrainafrica]

Masterlist

This will serve as a personal tracker of all of the fics I have ever written, all of the books and series I have consumed etc. I wrote this out to help me organize my thoughts since I have time now to reflect on this closet hobby of mine. I also put it up just in case anyone has ever read my stuff and is curious about how these works are doing in my head space.

Some were written back when I was way younger so apologies for the quality.

ALEX RIDER

Come Home (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Memories don't keep people grounded in their present. They're the reason people think of what ifs and would haves, regrets and daydreams. Alex sees three dimensions of his reality and makes a decision. Set after Never Say Die.

Status: Done (I guess?), not posted on tumblr or AO3 yet

Killing (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Spoilers for Never Say Die. Killing is like learning to ride a bike as Alex is going to figure out very soon. For Spyfest 2017.

Status: Done (Oneshot), not posted on tumblr or AO3 yet

Transparency (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Although the bank robbery made national news, the young boy who saved the lives of all the people in the bank didn't. First hand witness accounts said the boy was a hero, the media said there was no young hero in the bank and one journalist tries to get to the bottom of it all.

Status:WIP (could probably still finish it, it’s almost done anyway), not posted on tumblr or AO3 yet)

Type II Error (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Written for Spyfest Week 3. Set before Ark Angel. The updates on payroll accounts and budgets lined up too well with mysterious deaths and undisclosed missions. An auditor working for MI6 decides for herself whether or not the orders of her bosses Blunt and Jones were worth prying into.

Status: Done (Oneshot), will post on tumblr yet

Unforeseen Circumstances (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

It's April, the time of year when most students start salvaging their grades. Missions had taken their toll on Alex's grades and he needs to start salvaging soon or risk repeating the year. Nature wasn't on his side though and it turned out that his devil's luck had just run out.

Status: WIP (8/15), On hold, not posted on tumblr yet

ATTACK ON TITAN

Levi and Hange’s Relationship in Erwin’s POV (Status: Completed, not posted yet)

A Tale of Two Slaves (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)  

"Soulmates don’t exist. Fate doesn't exist. Everything is a choice. At that moment, Levi could only watch as she made the choice for him."

Levi remembers everything from their past life. Hange doesn't.

Status: WIP (6/?)

A Free Spot (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)  

Slight AU! Levi sacrifices himself in Chapter 132 instead of Hange and Hange deals with the consequences years later. Written for Levihan Angstober Week 4. Prompt: Free Spot 

Status: Done (Oneshot), not posted on FFN yet

Division of Labor (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)  

"The past years, we have noticed a lot of our fresh high school graduates knew nothing about responsibilities the that awaited them outside high school and even college. Many students do not master budgeting, taxes, household planning, loans and we hope to raise a generation who can navigate the adult world without the consequences of bad decisions they are bound to make going in blindly..."

Paradis High school starts a program incorporating adulting into their curriculum and Hange and Levi are paired together.

Status: WIP (1/?)

En Prise (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Hange already had the innate analysis skills and the quick wittedness to excel in the classroom. Chess should have come easy for her. As she processed her fifth loss to the man in front of her, she started to understand that there was more to the game than meets the eye.

College AU! Levi is a little too good at chess and Hange gets roped into studying the game further.

Status: WIP (1/18), will try to create a backlog before I post more.

Heroes or Victims (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Post Chapter 115, Hange reflects on emotions, relationships, war philosophies, and a future while taking care of a severely injured Levi.

Status: Done (Oneshot), not posted on FFN yet

Household Planning (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

"It was Levi's household. The plates were arranged and sorted by color and use, the way Levi liked it. The cabinets and the storage were arranged in a way which would be efficient for cooking, or at least the way Levi would have wanted to cook."

Levi gets sick and Hange is left to navigate household chores.

Status: Done (2/2)

Passion Project (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)    

Levi tries to ignore Hange but it never seems to last. A ficlet detailing the development of Levi and Hange's relationship before canon.

Status: WIP (1/3) Timeline written, Chapter 2 rough draft complete, not posted on FFN yet

Rough Day (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

It should have been apparent to Hange by the weight gain and the sudden lack of red days. Somehow, Levi noticed it first.

Status: Done (Oneshot), not posted on FFN yet, will probably write more fluff similar to this

Sugar Rush

(AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Marley brings the celebration of Halloween to Paradis. Hange and Levi go trick or treating with their child for the first time and start to realize how much the world has changed since the war.

A Halloween piece for the Levihan spookfest one year late.

Status: Done (Oneshot), not posted on FFN yet, will probably write more fluff similar to this

Would You Cry? (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Hange asks an innocent question and Levi finds himself reflecting on his emotions and his relationship with Hange. Written for LeviHan Week, Angstober 2020. Prompt: Silence/Screams

Status: Done (Oneshot)

Vulnerabilities (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Slight AU! Although Levi is humanity's strongest soldier in the battlefield, his rough childhood had left him weaker and more vulnerable to illness. Levi had always taken measures to prevent sickness nit anyone who has ever been close to him caught wind on it anyway. A series of oneshots throughout the story focusing on Levi's chronic weakness and others taking care of him.

Status: Sporadic updates depending on mood, not yet posted on ff and tumblr

Big Hero Six

Deal with the Devil  (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

When mourning becomes too much for him, Hiro finds himself resorting to prayers and deals to bring back the brother he lost. The devil may have had pity on him but he never promised to let Hiro go unscathed.

Status: WIP, on hold, probably could get back to it just need to rewatch the movie, not yet completely posted on AO3 and tumblr

Fatal Flaw  (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Grieving may be a long and painful process but in time most people do recover. For Hiro Hamada though something probably went wrong along the way because from what Aunt Cass could see, he was moving on yet at the same time, he wasn't.

Status: WIP, abandoned, completely forgot what I was planning, not yet posted on tumblr 

Coco

Dares, Pranks and Curses (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Written for the Coco Valentines Fanwork Exchange. The night of Dia de Los Muertos, Miguel ends up staying out late to play a little game with his friends in the cemetery. Hector, Imelda and Miguel reunite through a game of Ouija.

Status: Done (Oneshot), not yet posted on ff and tumblr

Somewhere between Life and Death (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Dia de los Muertos isn't the only day the dead can visit the living. Miguel is reunited with Hector, Imelda and his other relatives from the other side but in one of the worst ways possible and he finds himself caught in a struggle between life and death.

Status: WIP 9/20, on hold, timeline is complete just need to get it written, need to fix tumblr tags

Crossovers

Quest for Origin: Ranger’s Apprentice x Percy Jackson (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

A young boy gets washed up on the shore of Camp Half Blood with no memories whatsoever of his life before. How did he end up there? Is it all just a coincidence? Or is it a message from the Gods? What's with his uncanny skill with the bow?

Status: On Hold (25/35), timeline complete, will probably continue with PJO TV show comes out, not yet posted on ff and tumblr

Kingdom Hearts

Coded Connection  (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Post KH3. If Kairi keeps Sora's memory alive, he'll eventually call out to her right? Then it will be her turn to find him, hold him and never let go.

Status: Done (Oneshot), not yet posted on tumblr and ff

Kuroko no Basuke

Yellow, Red, Green, Blue and Purple  (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Collab with friend back in high school. All Kise wanted to do was complete one more level of Flow Free before practice starts. When you have teammates as lazy, eccentric, hyperactive, sociopathic or invisible as the Generation of Miracles though, sometimes the things that sound the simplest, can be the hardest to do. Crackfic

Status: Done (Oneshot), not yet posted on tumblr

Ranger’s Apprentice

Being a Ranger’s Wife  (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

As Will leaves on a suicide mission, Alyss ponders on her choice to have married him.

Status: Done (Oneshot), not yet posted on tumblr or AO3

Danger Zone (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Rangers are human. Humans make mistakes. The difference though between an ordinary human and a ranger is the consequences they'll eventually face for past mistakes. Will should have known that for rangers, this included being on the run from an angry group of pirates with his silver oakleaf on the line.

Status: Probably Abandoned, first fanfic I have ever written lmao, completely forgot where I was going with this, not yet posted on tumblr or ffn.

Farmer’s Apprentice  (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Will lied to Mr. Chubb about stealing from the kitchen years ago. How did that small decision change the course of the young boy's life? AU Crack fic.

Status: Done (Oneshot), not yet posted on tumblr or AO3

Masters, Apprentices and Sons (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Gilan accepts Morgarath's challenge in the Plains of Uthal and Halt is left to care for his apprentice in the aftermath of the battle. Halt wonders why it took him this long to realize that there was no fine line between an apprentice and a son.

Status: WIP. I have written out all the way until chapter 5 but I completely lost the files. I don’t know if my current frustration will allow me to continue this.

The Fall of a Hero  (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Will had fallen from his place as one of the top rangers in the corps and one of the top figures in Araluen and it's up to his friends to help pull him back up. Recovery Fic.

Status: WIP, timeline not written, could probably still continue this, just need to catch up to the series

Prince of Tennis

A Break from Ingenuity  (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

Timing is everything. Fuji gets his timing wrong, makes one misstep then finds himself facing a career ending injury. Maybe, that's when everyone will realize that he's human too.

Status: WIP. Will probs continue if new POT content comes out.

Yuri on Ice

Surprises  (AO3/Tumblr/FFN)

With all the stress piling up for the Japanese National Championship and more importantly, the World Championship, one can expect an athlete to get injured. To have the coach be the one struck by a career ending injury during practice is another story. That's exactly how Victor surprised the crowd though, maybe for the last time.

Status: WIP (3/?), not yet posted on tumblr

[warriorssurvivalandstuff]

Thinking about a non-bender Zuko AU that changes things up for the Fire Nation by a lot, Zuko is the one majorly altered to start a butterfly effect here but I haven’t written that much about him, actually. Full text with musings under cut.

Summary: Ozai yeets Zuko out of the palace, family, succession as he was a non-bender. Ursa manages to keep him somewhere relatively safe but they are still separated. Azula no longer has a punching bag that always distracts her mother from her and instead receives the blunt of the consequences from Ozai’s little show to usurp the throne, she is to capture the Avatar, a dangerous, time-consuming, and generally seen as impossible feat. Vehemently trained by her father and accompanied by her mother, the princess sets out on her mission. During so, she meets many faces, the Avatar, some old friends, and a mysterious figure wielding swords who seemed to defend both the Avatar’s team and her.

Major events/points:

Ozai casts Zuko out

Ursa finds somewhere to keep him safe, but cannot keep him close

Zuko is raised outside Ozai’s influence

Iroh goes to look after him after Lu Ten’s death

Zuko fully relies on his swordsmanship, trains under Piandao still with word from Iroh

Would join Aang probably due to Iroh

Azula is basically an only child

She has most of both Ursa and Ozai’s attention

Ursa is still troubled and kinda distant but is still significantly closer to Azula than canon

Ozai is always subtly distancing the two however

Azula is more learnt on compassion and empathy, but really it’s mostly just soft manipulation compared to always using fear

There would be genuine friendship with Mai and Ty Lee however I imagine

So Ozai makes his move to replace Iroh and Azulon orders to sacrifice Azula

Azula hears it and confides in Ursa, who is reminded of Zuko

Ursa confronts Ozai, simmering with all the repressed ferocity 

Ozai wouldn’t do anything permanent to Azula of course, she’s too valuable

He proposes to have Azula sent on some dangerous mission

Azulon sets the mission as hunting the Avatar, who had been missing for nearly a hundred years and is very able curbstomp a child even if found

Ozai manages to bargain for training time for Azula before the mission

Ursa all but demands to go with her

She can’t firebend iirc and Azulon is punishing Ozai so he allows it, believing she won’t make much of a difference

Ozai isn’t too happy but having Ursa to look after Azula would be favourable to her survival

He does make it clear to not try anything and makes it his task to tell Azula

Ozai and takes over Azula’s training for the period and his grooming intensifies, her time spent with Ursa is taken over by training

After some time, Azula and Ursa set off on their hunt 

Some time into the hunt, Zuko would get involved

He would probably not fit into any side initially and only show as the Blue Spirit

He is against the capture of the Avatar but will not let harm come to Ursa and Azula

Possible for Mai and Ty Lee to join her after Azulon’s death 

I do not have the motivation to get further.

First, Ozai makes good of his word and has him out. Ursa manages to keep him somewhere away, but safe, either secretly or not, Ozai would probably find out some time anyway. However I think as he sees Zuko as absolutely nothing, nothing immediate is done. He makes sure Ursa knows what he can do and uses the knowledge to threaten and blackmail her. She is kept in the palace to separate them and Zuko is raised by some old friends.

I don't know when or how non-firebenders can be determined with high certainty especially with pressure from Ozai so Zuko might fully remember or have hazy memories of his past, though clearly remembers his mother. The two scenarios would lead to rather different development for him so I won't comment too much, but I believe he would have been rather young when casted out and he would not have as much influence from Ozai as canon so act kinder from the start. At some point Iroh might get involved after losing Lu Ten, though it wouldn’t be direct, maybe through Piandao and White Lotus. Zuko would still pick up sword fighting and hone it even more without the ability to bend.

Back at the palace, Azula is now an only child. There's no competing for affections but Ursa is troubled and still distant with her daughter, not that Ozai want her too close to his prodigy child anyway. With that said, I do think Ursa would still manage to have observably more influence on Azula than canon. That or there's no one so heavily antagonised by Ozai like Zuko always being around, Ursa may fall somewhere close but canon Azula does have an attachment when really young to her mother, don't think it could be severed that easily. 

Most important part is when Ozai makes his move after Lu Ten dies, Azulon would have ordered to sacrifice Azula instead. Ozai had indeed casted his actual firstborn away but Azula excelled both mentally and physically, referred to as a true prodigy and so cannot be compared to Zuko’s case. Azula still eavesdropped and learns of the Firelord’s order, she knew no matter how much Ozai took pride in her abilities, he could not defy the Firelord. She sought comfort from Ursa and she is reminded of what happened to Zuko, then determined to protect Azula from harm. She is aware that Ozai might save his own skin over anyone, including his prodigy daughter and prepares to confront Ozai on the matter.

Ozai expected her and states that he values Azula upon her entrance, stopping the worst case scenario Ursa thought of. She skips to enquire him on any plan he has for Azulon’s order and Ozai’s reply was to have Azula in a situation the Firelord could take as as good as gone, which he suggests to be some sort of grand mission. [On the alternate options of Agni Kai and assassination, I feel Ozai would’ve gone for Agni Kai to challenge Azulon if he could, though he was bent on making Zuko’s life hell, being commanded to kill his own child and just taking it seems kinda weak. With an Agni Kai victory he might as well claim the throne as well. Assassination was suggested by Ursa in canon, which was a rather desperate option she resorted to with about only herself unwilling to let harm come to Zuko. We don’t really know if Ozai had considered that, wouldn’t put it past him to consider it before Ursa barges in with a hand. So it could be similar to canon and the two have Azulon dead, just Ozai would be the one to raise it most likely... But that’s boring and I need to have someone go after Gaang, I doubt Ozai/Iroh has any reason to chuck Zuko off to find the Avatar or that he would try to capture the Avatar himself.] Ursa contemplates the plan and their other options, then makes a condition that she would travel along Azula should the Firelord accept the proposal. Ozai tries to brush her off and talk her out but Ursa wouldn’t back down and makes points on how she would be useful. At last, Ursa is triumphant and Ozai decides that he would mould Azula before the long time that she’ll have to spend away, when Ursa is sure to sow her own beliefs on their daughter and he would not be able to tell Azula otherwise, Azulon would make sure they are to have minimal contact.

Azula would most likely hear the discussion as well, I haven’t thought up if this would cause much impact, she would probably make some suggestions to improve it if she could. Unsure if she has a strong enough opinion on Ursa coming along to talk about it.

Ozai and Ursa presents the proposal to Azulon the next day with the most convincing tone he could muster, Azula is to be sent on a mission away from the Fire Nation with the company of Ursa, with some time allowed for training prior. Lu Ten had died in battle, and there’s no reason to just throw someone skilled like Azula away for nothing, she could do to help Fire Nation’s conquest. Azulon accepts and states his conditions, he would set the goal, only a minimal crew as company, Ozai is not to communicate with her during the mission, training is to be overseen by Azulon etc. He had expected similar requirements and does not object, then Azulon drops the bomb by setting the goal as capturing the Avatar. [I don’t really know much about Azulon so I didn’t complicate things on his end. Avatar hunt is basically a wild goose chase, disappeared for about a hundred years with no hint of location and expected to be extremely dangerous, perfect for getting rid of someone.] The prince and princess had expected something along those lines, but still tensed at the impossibility of what the Firelord set. Regardless, they had got what they bargained for, and Ozai prepares Azula for ramped up training.

Azula is a quick learner and has talent, but Ozai and Azulon’s training is enough to burn even her out in just a few sessions. She is pushed to her limits, expected to master multiple forms simultaneously at quadruple normal speed for one. Ozai is already tough on Azula and does not shy away from potential non-permanent injuries, but Azulon seems like he’s straight up going to murder her at times. [Something like this: Lightning 101, after they tell her about conjuring lightning, Azulon charges up a lightning bolt and just fires at her general direction without warning, then Ozai interrupts it with a bolt of his own. Azula is then expected to know to counter it at the next blast.] Training also shortened the time she was to spend with Ursa beforehand, which he fully took advantage of, emphasising strength and power. When Ursa did not seem increasingly impressed by her quickly widened set of moves, Ozai would tell her to ignore her mother, not to seek from her and continue training with him. [Ursa does praise her, but kinda repetitive in wording... and she isn’t familiar with bending forms to notice new things. I can’t describe it clearly but to Azula, it seemed like she was saying for the sake of it, and more words just made it feel smothering.] Azula soon gains her signature blue flames and lightningbending, but also grew apart from her mother and closer to Ozai. 

Training allowance passed, Azula with Ursa is sent away on her hunt. I have not thought about basically anything that would transpire with her hunting Aang in place of Zuko and with Ursa instead of Iroh to temper her dedication to the throwaway quest. Ursa doesn’t consider the possibility of actually finding the Avatar and awaits for Azulon’s day but Azula does ponder it and genuinely looks for information. [Ursa would have picked up some extra skills to help with the hunt, mostly for defence, on top of herbalist knowledge. It would be funny if they come upon Aang right when Azulon dies. Ozai sends them the note that they can return and he instead gets their report of having found the Avatar. Though for storytelling, it might be better that he does so after the events of season 1. Unsure if Iroh would ascend to the throne in Ozai’s place in canon, he would probably stop the war then and there, and Ozai might challenge him and take the throne anyway.] No particular points of interest come to mind as this gets to the start of the show. Azula would no doubt be more effective and ruthless, and the Zhao rivalry that happened with Zuko would not happen, but something else.

Back to Zuko, he would first make appearance as the Blue Spirit [not definitely the same chronological events] then be revealed to Ursa later down the line. He would start on the Avatar’s side but be held back once he recognises Ursa. Afterwards he would probably harbour some resentment for his situation and confront her one day. Ursa tells him the whole story with an apology and Zuko tries to convince her to drop the Avatar mission. Ursa thinks it’s unlikely for Azula to change her mind but does what she can.

No clue what happens next.

[choicessa]

It Was Love (Mr Sinclaire x MC)

Pairing: Mr Sinclaire x MC (Catherine Beckett)

Words: ~3500

Summary: After overhearing the talk between her stepmother and the bishop, Catherine can’t cope with all the feelings she’s having, all hope gone. Good thing that there’s someone there for her, who’s willing to do anything to make her feel better…

Note: I have no good reason for this one, okay? I just wanted to write something Mr Sinclaire related and since last chapter left me craving for the kiss that still didn’t happen I got this idea and I just went for it? It’s also an entry for my friend’s amaaazing November Challenge she’s hosting, today’s prompt was “Love”. So here you go @meeraaverywalker​! Hope you will like it and thanks for that challenge! <3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters here, just borrowing them. All rights go to Pixelberry Studios.

Permatag: @meeraaverywalker, @the-everlasting-dream, @drakewalkerwhipped​

 Betrayal.

That was the only thing Catherine could feel when she stormed out from Duke Richard’s home, right into the gardens, having to run away, away from the crowd awaiting her inside, away from all those pairs of prying eyes, away from the whispers, gossips, away from the people wanting to hurt her… The doors closed behind her with a loud bang and the cold evening air hit her bare shoulders, goosebumps appearing on her skin in an instance. But this cold was the last thing she could worry about right now… She crossed arms on her chest, feeling tears gathering under her eyelids, threatening of spilling, that feeling of betrayal almost like a dagger right into her heart.

She could still hear the talk between Countess Henrietta and Bishop, ringing in her ears, when her faith in Monroe’s decency, her hope that he will make a right choice resulted in nothing more than a heartbreak when one offer from her stepmother was enough to make this man gave up, the vision of money too tempting to care about the feelings of some poor girl, being nothing to him in that moment. The first tear streamed down her cheek and Catherine wiped it away, annoyed by its presence. She couldn’t cry, not here, not now; she couldn’t show any sign of weakness in front of all those people who just wanted to see her fail. She tried so hard for all this time she spent here, with her father. Learning so many new things and skills, polishing her manners under the careful eye of Lady Grandmother, trying to be the accomplished lady everyone expected her to be. And what was it all for? Why all these efforts, if they meant nothing now? No matter how much she tried, no matter how perfectly she mastered the dancing skills, no matter how flawless were her paintings, she could still feel out of this place, unwanted, always in the shadow of people shining in the society, like Miss Holloway. Maybe she wasn’t raised by any Lord, maybe she didn’t spend her childhood like other nobles here, but she most certainly had Earl’s blood in her veins. Wasn’t it enough? Not enough to at least give the smallest attempt to accept her? What else should she do, what else sacrifice to finally feel like one of them?

The sound of doors opening behind her startled her. She immediately wiped away all of her tears with both her hands, sniffing, trying to compose herself as much as she could. She couldn’t risk being seen right now, she couldn’t allow herself for another mistake, she couldn’t give anyone a chance to see her in a state like this.

“Miss Beckett?”

What was her relief to hear the familiar voice and the one who was most definitely friendly, belonging to the person she admired and always seek his company. But even Mr Sinclaire couldn’t help her right now, even his presence couldn’t be enough to make her feel better, not when everything she worked so hard for was going to crumble.

“Yes, Mr Sinclaire?” She asked, clearing her throat and turning around to look at him, thankful for the dim light in the garden, helping her to cover the tears still shining in her eyes.

“Miss Beckett, you’re going to catch a cold, it’s chilly and…”

“It doesn’t matter.” She said, shrugging.

“Pardon me?”

“I said it doesn’t matter. Me. Catching a cold. I don’t mind. Frankly, Mr Sinclaire, I am quite indifferent to what would happen to me right now.” She bit her lower lip, regretting words just spoken, knowing that they would only cause even more questions.

“Now why would you say such a thing, Lady Catherine?”

She hesitated for a moment, two sides of her trying to decide whether it was worth to tell him anything, or it was better to keep it all to herself. But when she felt another sting in her heart, new tears gathering in her eyes, she knew that she didn’t have much of a choice.

“Bishop Monroe…” She started, shaking her head. “He… He won’t support my claims to inherit Edgewater.” She finished, a long, heavy breath escaping her mouth.

“Look, my lady, you can’t be sure of it...”

“Sure? I am very much sure, Mr Sinclaire!” Almost involuntarily Catherine raised her voice. “I’ve just overheard the talk between my stepmother and the Bishop! She offered him money if he’d support her, not me!”

Her words, spoken with such anger, echoed in the garden, her raised voice so surprising both to her and Mr Sinclaire, who took a step back, almost like she had slapped him, his eyes widening.

“It… It can’t be…”

“But it is…” She sighed, heavily, shaking her head. “I truly thought that I will have a chance for Edgewater, that with friends, with allies that I made, the justice will be done but…” Catherine shook her head again, blinking furiously, tears threatening of spilling once again. “I forgot about one tiny detail, a thing, that I do not possess – money. It’s what rules our world, Mr Sinclaire, not titles, not favors, and most definitely not decency.”

“But I thought… I hoped… I was sure that Bishop would make a proper decision and that his support…” His voice trailed off when he understood that everything he was saying was a truth already known to her and that none of his words will help her feel any better in this situation. “I am deeply sorry, Lady Catherine… I can’t imagine what are you feeling right now, but believe me, if there’s anything…”

“There’s nothing… Nothing!” Catherine threw her hands in the air with frustration, before hiding face into her hands, trying to calm down, reminding herself that it wasn’t the right place, it wasn’t the time to let her emotions win over her common sense. “I just… I don’t understand what have I ever done to her…” She said quietly, once again crossing arms on her chest. “I’ve never spoken ill of her or wished her any bad luck…” Catherine shook her head with resignation, so stubbornly trying to find anything in her behavior that might have cause her stepmother to truly hate her.

“Sometimes people don’t need any reason to just be who they truly are.” Mr Sinclaire shrugged, clasping hands behind his back, his eyes never leaving Catherine’s face. “And most definitely in their cruel actions they don’t think of people they might hurt in a process…” His forehead frowned, when for a brief moment he was taken back in time, his memories taking him to that moment when his own heart was broken, when he was asking himself the same ‘Why me’? question over and over again… And never got any answer for it…

“I just…” Catherine shook her head again. “I still can’t believe she would do that…Sabotaging me like that, locking me in my own room, speaking ill of my father, who was nothing but the kindest man I ever knew…” With every word, every memory, she was getting angrier and angrier again, unable to tame it, all of her emotions wanting to pour out. “And that she dared to bribe Bishop! How could she even propose something like that? Does she have no shame? No shame at all!? She had everything she could ask for, a husband, a… a home, a true family and I? I had nothing of this, nothing! And now she can’t even give me the slightest chance for happiness! This… This sad, old… Wench!” Words left her mouth before Catherine had a chance to rethink them.

But as soon as she did, she realized her mistake, the words she spoke in her anger and the words that were most inappropriate, both for her to say and Mr Sinclaire to hear. Her eyes widened and she quickly covered her mouth with both hands, shaking her head, almost like it could help erase the memory of the word she has just spoken. Her terrified and embarrassed eyes moved up, looking at the man standing in front of her, when Mr Sinclaire just looked at her, raising his brow questioningly.

“I am deeply sorry, Mr Sinclaire…” Catherine spoke, still terrified by her outburst. “I… I shouldn’t have said that, it was most inappropriate and…”

“You don’t have to apologize, Miss Beckett. Frankly, I am sure that your stepmother deserves being called even worse…” He couldn’t resist anymore and his lips lifted in a smile.

Catherine looked at him, surprised that he didn’t scold her at all and seeing his face, she allowed herself to relax, breathing out the air she wasn’t aware she was holding, the corners of her lips twitching, almost smiling. But that ghost of a smile disappeared as quickly as it appeared in first place, leaving her face worried once again.

“If only she could understand I have no intentions of hurting her…” She sighed. “All I ever wanted was… a family…” her voice broke, when she tried to ignore that feeling of something holding her throat firmly.

It was true. When her mother confessed that her father was well and alive, all Catherine ever hoped for was finding him, finding the family he had, the family that was now also hers. She never wanted the Edgewater, the complications coming with it, or the titles. She would never expect or hope that her father will not only accept her as his true daughter but that he will also decide to give the whole land and their properties to her. Was she really to blame for the choices of her father’s heart? Was it her fault that he made this decision? Should she really be condemned by whole society, just because her stepmother couldn’t accept her like her father did? Was her one tender heart, wanting nothing more than a family, truly such a big threat, that should be ripped out of her chest?

Catherine wrapped arms around her body, suddenly very aware of cold evening and she moved, her legs carrying her even further into the garden. Half of her was hoping that Mr Sinclaire will go back to his own business and leave her alone, to let her cry over everything she has lost. But no. She could still hear his steps behind her, following her, almost like a guardian angel, not allowing to let her off his sight. Until suddenly she stopped, a huge stone fountain right in front of her, in a blink of an eye reminding her of another night like this, another garden, another party and another fountain. It felt like it happened an eternity ago, when full of despair after her father’s funeral, she unexpectedly found hope in the most desired company, found hope in the most unusual gesture, when she threw one coin into the fountain water, silently thinking of a wish, hoping with all of her strength that it will come true one day. Other night, other garden, other fountain and the other girl. That girl grew up, learned the harsh truth about the world; that girl was just a naïve child back then, hoping for impossible, hoping that her small wish will come to life somehow and that girl was no more. And now Catherine was standing in front of another fountain, her heart no longer hoping for the same thing, with no intentions of throwing another coin, knowing it will only end up with another disappointment.

“Miss Beckett? Can I ask… What’s wrong?”

“All I ever asked for was a happy ending…” She whispered silently. “Having home, family, friends, maybe…” She hesitated, her fingers barely brushing the surface of the water, causing wrinkles, spreading in every direction in soft waves. Maybe finding true love… She shook her head again, taking her hand back. “I guess making wishes by fountains is an entertainment suitable for children and young, naïve girls.”

“That’s not true.”

“No?” Her lips curled in a smile and she laughed shortly, but it was laugh full of pain, full of disappointment, when her once hopeful, joyful heart was now accepting the harsh, cold truth about the world. That a girl like her meant nothing and will never mean anything, no matter how much she will try to prove otherwise. “Have your wish came to life, Mr Sinclaire?” She asked skeptically, raising her brow at him. “The one you made that night?”

“No.” He admitted, taking a step towards her. “At least not yet, but… With a bit of luck, if fate will be favorable…” He hung his voice, coming another few steps closer to her. “I hoped it may happen soon.”

She raised her brow, shocked by his answer, shocked by the soft look in his eyes when he kept on looking at her.

“How soon?” She asked, clearing her throat.

His lips twitched, almost like he was suppressing another smile, when he leaned closer to her, his warm breath brushing the skin on her face one, his voice barely a whisper.

“Very soon...”

Catherine blinked, looking at him from under her eyelashes, suddenly being extremely aware of their proximity, of how close his body was to hers. Her own pride was telling her that his fountain wish must have included her somehow, that it couldn’t be just a coincidence. But at the same time she was trying to calm her beating heart down, making sure that she wasn’t going ahead of herself. Because what could possibly a man like Ernest Sinclaire wanted to do with her? Even if he wasn’t a noble, he was still a respectful gentleman and she? She was nothing but a liability, for herself, for everyone, just an ordinary girl trying to fit in a world she didn’t belong to. Why was her stupid heart hoping for so many things, the ones she could never have? Catherine was already opening her mouth, ready to ask him a forward question this time, to make him confess to the wishes of his heart, when suddenly he reached out to her, his warm hand resting on her cheek now, his fingers gently brushing her skin there, caressing it tenderly. Even against herself, against her own dark thoughts she allowed herself to lean into his touch and close her eyes, trying to remember that amazing feeling of him being so close to her, his one single gesture capable of taking away all of her worries, even if just for this one brief moment. She rather sensed then noticed that he shifted and her eyes shot open when his other palm rested on her left cheek now, both of his hands gently holding her face, raising it a bit higher, his crystal blue eyes meeting her dark ones.

“May I…” he started, his voice shaking strangely, when he tried to mask his nervousness. “May I kiss you, my lady?”

If it’s possible, her eyes widened even more, the shock caused by the question  making her speechless for a second. Until she met his eyes, so full of hope, strangely vulnerable, almost begging her to say ‘yes’. And Catherine smiled, her lips finally lifting up, for the first time this evening and a silent whisper leaving her mouth, giving him the answer he wanted so badly.

If it’s possible, he moved even closer to her, gently brushing away a few lost hairstrands from her cheeks, tucking them behind her ear, his soft gaze moving across her face, almost like he wanted to memorize it, every detail of it. Catherine couldn’t even properly breath, her throat dry, her mind empty, almost like a white sheet of paper when she could only look at his face, noticing how his gaze was moving across her forehead, her eyes, nose and cheeks until finally it stopped on her lips. She wasn’t sure if they were standing like that for seconds or maybe for minutes, when he finally leaned down, their lips meeting halfway. She needed a moment to fully acknowledge the fact that Mr Sinclaire, the man she was dreaming about for the last few weeks, was standing in front of her, holding her in his arms and kissing her. Kissing her. And oh, that kiss… It was everything she could wish for and even more. Soft, tender, sweet, but at the same time deeper and deeper with every passing second, his mouth fitting perfectly with hers, almost like they were two halfes, made for each other. Her lips were eagerly answering his kisses, moving slowly, with no haste, wanting to prolong that magical moment as long as she could, never wanting to part from this man, her arms reaching out to him, circling around his neck, pulling him even closer. Until finally the lack of air was too much and they parted, breathing heavily, their breaths mixing together. Her eyes were still closed, even when he already pulled back, almost like she was afraid that it was just a beautiful dream and as soon as she opens those eyes, it will all disappear, that they will disappear.

“My wish was granted…” He whispered against her lips, unable to hide a tenderness in his gaze, moving across her face, when Catherine finally dared to open her eyes. “And now it’s time to fulfill yours.”

“I… I don’t understand, I’m…”

“You are a true heir of Edgewater, Catherine. That’s what your father wanted for you and that’s what I, what we, all your friends, want for you. Your stepmother may try to say otherwise, she may even try to move heaven and earth, but you can’t give up. You are strong, my lady and can’t let anything and anyone make you turn back from the path you have chosen. Fountains wishes or not, you are the maker of your own fate. And if there’s a slightest chance of winning Edgewater – you should take it.”

Catherine was looking at him for a longer time, letting his words sink, finally understanding that after all - he was right. She was always taught that she should fight until the very end, no matter if it was a foolish race with Briar through the fields, a bet she made with a neighbor or a chance to win her heritage. She went so far, she had no intentions of giving up. Not now, not ever. She nodded, hesitantly at first, then more fiercely, fire in her eyes lit again.

“I won’t give up.” She said. “I won’t let her win, not without a fight. Life… Life already taken away everything I’ve cherished. I won’t allow her to take away the last things on this Earth that matter to me.”

“You do that, Miss Beckett.” He smiled. “And remember, you are not alone…”

Catherine smiled to him gratefully, placing her own palm on his right hand, still resting on her cheek, taking all the strength and comfort she could from this one gesture, from the warmth of his skin against hers.

“Now go, my lady.” Reluctantly, he took back hands from her face, almost like he didn’t want to do that, not yet at least. “Go and show them what lady Catherine of Edgewater is truly made of…”

With one last grateful smile, Catherine turned around, ready to go back, just as he told her, when suddenly she stopped, once again looking at him.          

“Oh, Mr Sinclaire?”

“Yes, Miss Beckett?”

She hesitated, her mouth opening and then closing again before finally she shook her head, a strange smile on her lips.

“I made two wishes, back at the fountain.”

“Oh?” His brow lifted. “Isn’t this cheating, Lady Catherine? One coin, two wishes?”

“Maybe…” Her smile grew even bigger as she cocked her head to the side, still gazing at him. “But I will need you to help me fulfill the other one…”

“Oh?” If it’s possible, his brow raised even higher, a faint, almost unnoticeable blush appearing on his cheeks now. “May I boldly ask… What kind of wish requires my presence?”

He never had a chance to hear her answer. Catherine just smiled mysteriously, turning her back to him and slowly moving her way back towards the mansion, her back once again straightened, her head raised proudly, a perfect picture of a lady unafraid of anything and anyone, a lady he knew so well. Ernest smiled, looking longingly at the girl, slowly disappearing in the distance, a sudden realization striking him. That feeling? The one she awoke in him? The one he thought that was long gone? The one that vanished along with his first wife’s betrayal? The one which was now once again filling his heart, with a warmth he didn’t realize he missed that much? That feeling? He knew it, he recognized it, as soon as it crept silently into his heart, finding a welcoming place there. And now, watching Catherine’s figure disappearing in the distance, he finally knew. This feeling?

It was love.

[sanjuno]

That's ok! How about the MCU, or just the Avengers if the MCU is too broad. -Lark

(Oh shit, I have opinions about the MCU and the Avengers, my friend. So I apologize if this offends but not really.)

6/7 GoT Crossover Fix-Its: An Assemblage of Fire and Ice.

Anthony Edward Stark’s life was a battle from beginning to end. He fought the world, he fought people who claimed to be his friends, he fought honest enemies, and he fought every challenge life and the universe at large threw at him as he went. He fought the Ten Rings and became Iron Man, he fought public opinion and became a hero, he fought obstinance and fear and became a man who stood for accountability. He fought Thanos, and became the man known for mastering the Infinity Stones. When Tony Stark finally died in a blaze of glory more than 20 years after Iron Man first burned his way free of a cave in the desert, he left behind a legacy that would last for ages.

Eddard Stark is born bright red and squalling in the middle of a snowstorm where the sun shone through the clouds to birth lightning. The contradictions only continued as the boy grew, Ned Stark was a calm, thoughtful child but was occasionally taken by wild frenzies. One moment reading peacefully, or training seriously in arms, the next shouting at the top of his lungs and running off to the forge to make a new type of steel, or designing an aqueduct system that wouldn’t freeze. Rickon Stark took to sighing whenever Ned’s voice started to echo. Lyarra Stark laughed, and told her husband their second son had Ice in his veins and Fire in his heart.

Tony was actually rather pleased with this version of the Stark family. Sure, sometimes Brandon was a bit too much like Morgan for comfort, and sometimes Lyanna reminded Tony of himself during the worst moments during his rebellious teen phase, but the Starks were all loyal to one another and Tony had 200 years of people managing skills. Nudging Brandon to be a bit more responsible, to respect the women he took to bed, that wasn’t hard. Coaching Lyanna on how to protect her own interests, showing his little sister how to compromise for a result everyone could live with, that was simple enough. Tony was used to corralling teenage (and adult) superheroes, asking a few honourable nobles to think about things rationally wasn’t exceptionally difficult. Ben was the easy one. Mostly Tony just had to talk him down from the extreme choice, and the youngest was usually pretty reasonable about listening to a logical argument.

In one version of the song Lyarra Stark dies birthing her third son, in this world young Ned has been asking questions of the Maester, the herbalists, the midwives, and anyone else with an ounce of teaching in the healing arts how things work, why things work, and what do you do when it doesn’t work. So the healers of Winterfell have been pushed and prodded and challenged to raise themselves up and their skills reflect that. Lyarra will never have another child, but she lives. She is weak, and bedridden for moons, but she lives. So Rickon Stark’s ambitions are gentled, and his children’s happiness has a greater sway over his thoughts.

Tony is pleased and so, so grateful that his mother survived. The leading cause of death for women in pre-industrial societies is childbirth, and Tony was never the kind of doctor who could heal. Fix and augment, yes, but surgery and birth complications were out of his league. Thankfully he already knew what questions to ask in order to get the healers in Winterfell thinking and making improvements on their skills. All the women in the North would benefit, and eventually the new studies and knowledge would spread further than just the Northern Kingdom.

The Stark children are fostered out, of course. Still themselves but still slightly different. Ned and Robert make fast friends, but the Quiet Wolf is not the retiring second son he was in the first version of the song. When Mya Stone is born Ned shames Robert into taking proper responsibility. Robert’s daughter and the girl’s mother are dowered and set up to be able to live comfortably, and Robert is given a scathing lecture on consent and respect. “You don’t have to abstain,” Ned says, “but if a child results from it you need to step up and be their father.” So Robert, being Robert and thus allergic to responsibility, starts carrying a pouch of Moon Tea in his purse.

The Tourney at Harennhal happens, and Lyanna once again saves Howland Reed. Once again, the Knight of the Laughing Tree bids the unruly Squires to learn respect. Once again, the Mad King sees assassins everywhere and the Silver Prince comes across a young Lady in the Godswood. Only it’s different as well, because none of the Stark children are betrothed. Rickon Stark made the announcement when his Heir turned 16 that his sons would seek their own spouses for his approval when they came of age, and any who wished to court his daughter could submit their suit for approval when Lyanna’s own 16th age day came. So Lyanna is not desperate to escape an unwanted betrothal, and there is nothing gentling the public dishonour of Rhaegar’s attentions when he wins the joust. There is nothing romantic about a grown man betraying his wife for a girl not yet of age.

Tony wants to rage, wants to kill the Prince very, very badly when he sees how scared his little sister is. When the crown of blue roses lands in her lap, Lyanna Stark does what she’s always done when she doesn’t understand something. She turns to her middle brother and begs him to fix things. Tony knows exactly where this is going, if the Prince thinks he can bully his way through all the moral arguments saying his attention is unwanted. So Tony holds out his hand to Lyanna, and she brightens, putting the flower crown in his hands, and Tony promptly puts it on his own head. He meets the Prince’s eyes, and lets Rhaegar Targaryen see the Merchant of Death usually hidden behind the public persona of the Quiet Wolf. The Prince does not get to coerce Tony’s baby sister into any sort of relationship against her will.

Just as the Prince publicly shamed his wife, the girl he chose shames him in turn. Ellia and Aerys are, for the first time ever, amused by the same thing. Ned Stark wears the Crown of Love and Beauty for the rest of the Tourney. It gets him many, many dances from the Ladies in attendance during the feasts. Rhaegar, for all he was trying to quietly gather support to supplant his father, realizes somewhat belatedly that he just screwed himself out of support from Dorne and the North. The Northern camp closes ranks, especially around the women. From Lyanna Stark down to the common maids, none of the Northern women go anywhere without an escort.

Jaime Lannister still joins the Kingsguard, Cersei’s scheming fuelled by the proof that Rhaegar is loosing interest in his wife now that Elia is known to be barren. The younger son of a Dornish Lordship, Jaime Fowler, has blood from the Summer Islands and finds Ned Stark with the comment that he “must be made of Iron to mock the Prince this way.” And Tony replies with “it’s gold-titanium alloy, actually.” Rhodey just shakes his head, happy to have found his best friend again. Lysa Tully, who had overheard, tells them “I’ve caught you doing worse. Will this be all, Mr. Stark?” Pepper was just so very done with these shenanigans. The things Tony drags them into, honestly.

When the Tourney ends, Ned Stark goes to take over Moat Cailin, which he has been granted permission to restore. Accompanying him is his betrothed, Lysa Tully, and a Dornishman who is rumoured to share their bed. The South (minus Dorne) is scandalized. The North, well used to the Quiet Wolf’s particularities, just shrugs and moves on.

Rhaegar Targaryen is a man obsessed by prophecy, and few realize that he is just as mad as his father. Rhaegar is mad in the quiet, subtle way men go mad when they are left alone for too long with only their own thoughts for company. Lyanna Stark amuses King Aerys, and when the Pact of Ice and Fire is brought up he sees it as a perfect way to torment Rhaegar for overstepping, slight Elia for not being a real Targaryen, and punish Lyanna for thinking that she can refuse a dragon. Aerys announces that Rhaegar will take a second wife that is capable of bearing children, and that he has selected Lyanna Stark for the role.

There is not a single Great House in Westros who are not being insulted by this move. Lyanna is terrified, because she had grown up expecting to be courted by her future husband and even then not until she was 16. Lyanna, in this version of the song, was supposed to have a say in her choice of husband. Her wolf blood is howling, wanting nothing more than to rip and tear and devour. Once again, it’s Ned who steps in to fix things. It’s Ned, drawing on Tony’s many years of experience who talks her down from running away. It’s Ned, aching over the sacrifice his sister is being asked to make, who reminds her that their people will suffer if Lyanna makes a choice that will lead to war. It’s Ned, standing alone with his sister in the Wolfwood, who speaks quietly about allies, and secret wars, and that Elia’s brother is the Red Viper. Aegon was all but guaranteed to be free of Targaryen madness, given that he was only half. 16 years was not so long to wait for vengeance. 

A Second Hour of the Wolf was now Lyanna Stark’s goal. (Not Targaryen. Never Targaryen. She would only ever be a Stark in her heart.) The Stark siblings spend the night a seething Rickon sends his formally, frigidly polite acceptance of the betrothal to the Red Keep in the Godswood, praying to the Old Gods for a sign. (Tony still doesn’t like magic, but he’s old enough to know it exists. There’s no other explanation for how Extremis still lights up his skin in Arc Reactor blue when things get tough.) They leave the Godswood with a pack of Direwolves loping at their sides. A pack, because while Brandon, Lyanna, and Ben each have a single wolf, Ned has 7. Also they beg Ned to let his wife name their children because by the Old Gods, Ned is bad at choosing names for things.

Tony ignores them. He has his babies back. Dummy, You, and Butterfingers are as playful as ever. Jarvis is even more long-suffering, Friday is mischievous, Jocasta is sassy, and Ultron, his poor wayward son, is free of the corruption in his programming caused by the Sceptre. The warg thing is a bit of a surprise, because his siblings can all do it without the assistance of Extremis, but Tony rolls with it and teaches them what he knows about communicating mind to mind. Greensight is like a wireless connection, which took a while to figure out. Tony is so relived to be able to share his secrets with his siblings at last. For the first time, Tony lets his siblings watch him work in the forge, and their eyes are very wide as the blue-and-gold glow shines under his skin and sparks in the runes carved into the armour plate and blades he forges for each of them.

“Magic is terrifying,” Ned tells his siblings, “and I never wanted you to fear me. But you all have magic of your own, and you need to learn how to use it. If things are waking up, if the Targaryens want the North in truth instead of just in name, then we need to be ready.” So Ned shows them how to work the runes, how to connect to their wolves and to the other animals around them, how the send their Greensight through the trees. They only have a year, because Rickon was only able to negotiate a delay until Lyanna turned 16, hoping that the Mad King would change his mind in the interim. Unfortunately, the raven demanding Lyanna come to King’s Landing for her wedding to Rhaegar comes within a moon of her 16th nameday.

Rickon and Lyarra Stark remain in the Northin subtle protest, but all their children go South. The smallfolk gathered along the streets in King’s Landing hoping to see the heathen wildling Princess from the savage North do not dare jeer. The Starks ride atop the backs of massive wolves, each one as large as a horse. Their armour gleams like ice in the light, and their fur mantels make them look natural among the wild beasts they command. The eyes of the welcoming party in the Red Keep are very wide, and Rhaegar looks like he’s regretting all his life choices.

Lyanna Stark’s smile is a snarl, teeth bared and sharp as blizzard winds. She all but ignores Rhaegar entirely and instead puts considerable effort into charming Elia. (Tony had long suspected that his sister preferred her own gender over men, and thankfully Elia was Dornish enough to be flattered by the attention. The fact that it irritated Rhaegar to see his wives seek out each other instead of him was just extra entertainment.)

Thanks to greensight and warging, the Starks all remain in close contact that no one else knows about. Benjen moves further North when he comes of age and takes over both Gifts with the intention of supporting the Watch. He doesn’t join them, because he feels the need to pass on the Stark Magic that’s in his blood and that requires a wife, but he still serves the Wall in his own best way. Brandon takes on his duties as the Heir to Winferfell, travelling around the North to meet all their Bannerman. Ned rebuilds Moat Cailin even grander than before, and moves on to restructuring the trade routes and methods in the North. Lyanna drives Rhaegar insane with passive aggressive undermining of his schemes. Luckily, Aerys is entertained by Lyanna enough to be distracted from his usual pastimes.

Following Ned’s advice, Lyanna goes to Rhaegar every night for a fortnight one week after her moonblood comes, and is pleased a moon later when the Maester tells her she’s pregnant. (”Treat him as he thinks to treat you.” Ned had said. “He thinks to make you a broodmare for his seed? Nay, instead let him be the stud you use to get your own children, sweet sister, and go to him only when you wish to make use of that service.”) Lyanna is quite pleased to be able to tell Rhaegar that he’s served his purpose for now and she has no more use for him until after the babe is weaned. So she’ll call for him again in about two years. (Elia loves her sister-wife, you have no godly idea how much Elia loves her sister-wife.)

Brandon Stark marries Ashara Dayne, and even if she’s not of the North the Bannerman are content with her having the Blood of the First Men in her veins. Benjen Stark manages to seduce a Wildling Chieftess into marriage on a trip North of the Wall and her tribe agrees to serve him in return for being allowed to settle South of the Wall. Ned Stark has a brood of children with his red-haired Tully wife, and if it takes a bit of magic to ensure that they all have Stark grey eyes and Summer darkened skin that’s no one’s business but their own. Lyanna has her first son in pace with Lysa’s first son and the realm celebrates the birth of the second dragon prince. Rhaegar gives his very, very Stark son a Targaryen name, and Lyanna promptly starts to call the boy Jon just to spite him. Aerys is not pleased that Jon is so very Northern, and goes back to burning people alive in his throne room.

Lyanna is appalled, notices that no one is going to do anything to stop what’s happening, and proceeds to consult with her brothers. Ned’s husband is sent to visit family in Dorne and stops in King’s Landing to visit Lyanna on his way back. No one notices the wicker basket among the many gifts Jaime Fowler brought for the Northern Princess. No one notices the Princess’ eyes go all-over white as she sits in her bedchambers, alone for but her infant son as a King Cobra slithers through the Keep to leave two more punctures among Aerys’ many scabs. No one notices the tradesman from the Northern Marshes on his way to Dorne collect a sealed wicker basket from a maidservant before setting out to see with the tide before sunrise.

Everyone notices when the King is found stone dead in his own bedchambers, having died during a fit in his sleep. Rhaegar is crowned King, Elia and Lyanna being crowned with him. Lyanna loves her wife, even she’d rather drop her husband down a well. Still, Elia is an Andal, and it’s the Blood of the First Men that gives the Stark their magic. Jon is taught the secrets of his birthright by his mother while they sit together in the Godswood, joined in time by Aemon and Visenya. When Jon is nearing 16, Lyanna’s wolf disappears for a few moons, only to return heavy with pups. The Starks living in the Red Keep all have direwolves now, and Rhaegar is oblivious to the fact that none of his children think of themselves as Targaryens. That’s what happens when you ignore your children in favour of self-fulfilling prophecies.

Benjen has slowly been converting the Wildlings to the aggressively peaceful coexistence the Northern Lords and the Hill Clans favour. Then comes the time he starts to hear of the dead walking again to kill the living, and the Wildlings are suddenly afire to accept Benjen and Vals terms. The Gifts are soon full up, and the Castles along the Wall are being repaired and manned by volunteers from among the Free Men, and several Tribes are being sent further South to various Hill Clans to be settled in, and yet more are taking over long abandoned settlements to build them back up. Benjen scrambles to keep up, to keep his siblings informed, and he’s so, so grateful that Brandon and Ned are there to help disperse in massive influx of people around the Northern Kingdom. Thankfully Ned’s trade structures have grown enough that there was a demand for workers, and there’s wealth and space enough to go around.

Benjen is set upon by a White Walker, and his skin glows blue-and-gold in his desperation to survive. Benjen burns the way his older brother once showed him, in Extremis, and he survives to pass the warning on. The Others are coming, and the dead are marching on the Wall.

The Starks prepare for a war against the Long Night.

/…/

Tyrion Lannister is born a dwarf, but thanks to new knowledge passed down from the North his mother survives the birth. He was a very intelligent child, but had the unfortunate tendency to pick fights he had no chance of winning over the smallest of slights. Joanna despaired of him ever learning his limits, and despite Tywin’s best efforts to temper Tyrion’s foolishness the boy inevitably ends up picking the wrong fight and dying for it. Steve Rogers is always born to a physical disadvantage in hopes that he will eventually learn to compromise. A dwarf body is stunted, but he was healthy and clear headed. He could make something of his life if only he tried. Steve Rogers still needed to learn to reign in his impulses and keep unwanted opinions to himself. Not every argument needed to be settled with fists.

Margary Tyrell was much like her grandmother, and was likely to be the new Queen of Thorns when Oleanna finally passed away. Natasha Romanova enjoyed the simplicity of a new life where she didn’t need to kill anyone for a living. Still, she kept a wary eye on the Starks. They were advancing at a rate that was familiar to her, and the last thing she wanted was to be on Tony’s bad side again.

Denys Arryn was the darling of the Vale, but what few people knew was that his preferred weapon was the bow. Despite being from a poor house, he remained humble and courteous to all. Clint Barton regret nothing as much as he regret leaving Laura and his children to fight Stark over a stupid piece of paper. This time around he was committed to staying with his wife and raising their kids without any stupid running off. Seeing the Stark with Tony’s too-sharp smirk running around the Ayrie for a few years only cemented that decision in his mind.

Stannis Baratheon was a humourless boy, too smart and too serious by half. Although his anger, when roused, was mighty enough to tear down stone walls. Robert learned not to upset his younger brother the day he tormented Proudwing, and Stannis beat his elder brother bloody for harming the bird. Bruce Banner was resigned to the legacy of warning people “you won’t like me when I’m angry.” But really, Ours Is The Fury was just a bit too on the nose for him to be amused by it.

/…/

Rhaegar Targaryen felt very foolish indeed as he stared at his little sister. “You what?”

“… I hatched the dragon eggs you got me for my nameday.” Daenerys looked a little sheepish. “Lyanna and Elia helped me figure out how.”

The Dragon has Three Heads. Rhaegar felt faint as he stared down at the three squalling hatchlings cradled in his baby sister’s arms. His wives were laughing at him, he knew they were. Dragon’s had no gender, a Prince who was Promised could just as easily be a Princess, and sometimes a dragon is just a dragon.

“By the way, husband.” Lyanna mentioned idly from where she stood with a snickering Elia. “My brother Benjen tells me the Night King is awake again. The North is getting ready for a Long Winter, and to fight back the Others. You might want to start preparing the rest of the Kingdoms for that.”

Stiffly, Rhaegar turned his head to stare at his Winter Queen. “… What.”

And so the Prophecy of Fire and Ice is proven true.

[jasonwentcrazy]

Dear Nick

In 1986, 23 years after the death of Sylvia Plath, 56-year-old Ted Hughes wrote the following letter to their 24-year-old son Nicholas Hughes:

“Dear Nick,

I hope things are clearing. It did cross my mind, last summer, that you were under strains of an odd sort. I expect, like many another, you’ll spend your life oscillating between fierce relationships that become tunnel traps, and sudden escapes into wide freedom when the whole world seems to be just there for the taking. Nobody’s solved it. You solve it as you get older, when you reach the point where you’ve tasted so much that you can somehow sacrifice certain things more easily, and you have a more tolerant view of things like possessiveness (your own) and a broader acceptance of the pains and the losses. I came to America, when I was 27, and lived there three years as if I were living inside a damart sock—I lived in there with your mother. We made hardly any friends, no close ones, and neither of us ever did anything the other didn’t want wholeheartedly to do. (It meant, Nicholas, that meeting any female between 17 and 39 was out. Your mother banished all her old friends, girl friends, in case one of them set eyes on me—presumably. And if she saw me talking with a girl student, I was in court. Foolish of her, and foolish of me to encourage her to think her laws were reasonable. But most people are the same. I was quite happy to live like that, for some years.) Since the only thing we both wanted to do was write, our lives disappeared into the blank page. My three years in America disappeared like a Rip Van Winkle snooze. Why didn’t I explore America then? I wanted to. I knew it was there. Ten years later we could have done it, because by then we would have learned, maybe, that one person cannot live within another’s magic circle, as an enchanted prisoner.

So take this new opportunity to look about and fill your lungs with that fantastic land, while it and you are still there. That was a most curious and interesting remark you made about feeling, occasionally, very childish, in certain situations. Nicholas, don’t you know about people this first and most crucial fact: every single one is, and is painfully every moment aware of it, still a child. To get beyond the age of about eight is not permitted to this primate—except in a very special way, which I’ll try to explain. When I came to Lake Victoria, it was quite obvious to me that in some of the most important ways you are much more mature than I am. And your self-reliance, your independence, your general boldness in exposing yourself to new and to-most-people-very-alarming situations, and your phenomenal ability to carry through your plans to the last practical detail (I know it probably doesn’t feel like that to you, but that’s how it looks to the rest of us, who simply look on in envy), is the sort of real maturity that not one in a thousand ever come near. As you know. But in many other ways obviously you are still childish—how could you not be, you alone among mankind? It’s something people don’t discuss, because it’s something most people are aware of only as a general crisis of sense of inadequacy, or helpless dependence, or pointless loneliness, or a sense of not having a strong enough ego to meet and master inner storms that come from an unexpected angle. But not many people realise that it is, in fact, the suffering of the child inside them. Everybody tries to protect this vulnerable two three four five six seven eight year old inside, and to acquire skills and aptitudes for dealing with the situations that threaten to overwhelm it. So everybody develops a whole armour of secondary self, the artificially constructed being that deals with the outer world, and the crush of circumstances. And when we meet people this is what we usually meet. And if this is the only part of them we meet we’re likely to get a rough time, and to end up making ‘no contact’. But when you develop a strong divining sense for the child behind that armour, and you make your dealings and negotiations only with that child, you find that everybody becomes, in a way, like your own child. It’s an intangible thing. But they too sense when that is what you are appealing to, and they respond with an impulse of real life, you get a little flash of the essential person, which is the child. Usually, that child is a wretchedly isolated undeveloped little being. It’s been protected by the efficient armour, it’s never participated in life, it’s never been exposed to living and to managing the person’s affairs, it’s never been given responsibility for taking the brunt. And it’s never properly lived. That’s how it is in almost everybody. And that little creature is sitting there, behind the armour, peering through the slits. And in its own self, it is still unprotected, incapable, inexperienced. Every single person is vulnerable to unexpected defeat in this inmost emotional self. At every moment, behind the most efficient seeming adult exterior, the whole world of the person’s childhood is being carefully held like a glass of water bulging above the brim. And in fact, that child is the only real thing in them. It’s their humanity, their real individuality, the one that can’t understand why it was born and that knows it will have to die, in no matter how crowded a place, quite on its own. That’s the carrier of all the living qualities. It’s the centre of all the possible magic and revelation. What doesn’t come out of that creature isn’t worth having, or it’s worth having only as a tool—for that creature to use and turn to account and make meaningful. So there it is. And the sense of itself, in that little being, at its core, is what it always was. But since that artificial secondary self took over the control of life around the age of eight, and relegated the real, vulnerable, supersensitive, suffering self back into its nursery, it has lacked training, this inner prisoner. And so, wherever life takes it by surprise, and suddenly the artificial self of adaptations proves inadequate, and fails to ward off the invasion of raw experience, that inner self is thrown into the front line—unprepared, with all its childhood terrors round its ears. And yet that’s the moment it wants. That’s where it comes alive—even if only to be overwhelmed and bewildered and hurt. And that’s where it calls up its own resources—not artificial aids, picked up outside, but real inner resources, real biological ability to cope, and to turn to account, and to enjoy. That’s the paradox: the only time most people feel alive is when they’re suffering, when something overwhelms their ordinary, careful armour, and the naked child is flung out onto the world. That’s why the things that are worst to undergo are best to remember. But when that child gets buried away under their adaptive and protective shells—he becomes one of the walking dead, a monster. So when you realise you’ve gone a few weeks and haven’t felt that awful struggle of your childish self—struggling to lift itself out of its inadequacy and incompetence—you’ll know you’ve gone some weeks without meeting new challenge, and without growing, and that you’ve gone some weeks towards losing touch with yourself. The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated. And the only thing people regret is that they didn’t live boldly enough, that they didn’t invest enough heart, didn’t love enough. Nothing else really counts at all. It was a saying about noble figures in old Irish poems—he would give his hawk to any man that asked for it, yet he loved his hawk better than men nowadays love their bride of tomorrow. He would mourn a dog with more grief than men nowadays mourn their fathers.

And that’s how we measure out our real respect for people—by the degree of feeling they can register, the voltage of life they can carry and tolerate—and enjoy. End of sermon. As Buddha says: live like a mighty river. And as the old Greeks said: live as though all your ancestors were living again through you.”

[sky-scribbles]

The Adaar Backstory, part 2

The saga of Inquisitor Talan Adaar and his family continues, with added angst and drama! First part is here. 

Part Two, in which everything goes wrong.

Happiness can’t last forever in any backstory I give my OCs.

When Meraad came into her magic, her family tried very hard to keep it secret. In Rivain, apostasy wasn’t quite as unforgivable as in other provinces, but they knew they might be shunned by their neighbours - their only source of coin - if people found out. Templars and prejudiced neighbours weren’t the only problem; Aban and Issala had always been taught that mages were ‘dangerous things,’ and while they didn’t believe for a moment that their sweet, shy daughter could corrupt anyone, they knew she could be vulnerable to demon possession. They also had no idea how to help her.

They considered leaving their home and travelling to find one of the famous Rivaini hedge mages, who might give Meraad some training, but it never came to that. One of their neighbours was, in fact, an undercover Ben-Hassrath agent who had been posted in the village to keep an eye on the family. The Adaars lived close enough to Qunari lands to be considered a potential threat, even though they didn’t raid and cause trouble like most Tal-Vashoth, so they were kept watched. The agent worked out that Meraad was a mage, and reported to the Qunari, who sent an Arvaarad to deal with the problem. Even if it was outside their official territory, they wouldn’t allow a Saarebas so close to their own lands.

Now, the Arvaarad in question was, as his kind go, not a bad sort. He genuinely respected, even cared for, the mages in his care, admiring their struggle against corruption and doing what he could to help them. He saw them as perfect embodiments of the self-sacrifice demanded by the Qun. When ordered to deal with this Vashoth mage, he didn’t choose what most Arvaarads in his position would have - just killing her and getting it done with. Instead, he decided that the girl should have a chance to be brought to the enlightenment of the Qun and serve her people. His superiors were willing to give him a bit of free reign, because he always got good results with the Karataams he commanded.

So Arvaarad led a small party to the Adaar settlement and demanded that they hand over Meraad. Naturally, the family refused. They tried to fight, but Issala - who had no combat skills - was killed quickly, and Aban was seriously wounded. When the Arvaraad grabbed Meraad and wrenched her away, Talan knew his best chance was to stay and heal his father rather than keep fighting and inevitably be killed himself.

As soon as Aban was healed, father and son set off together to find Meraad. Talan had to say his farewells to Aisha - who was heartbroken, but who completely understood that Talan needed to save his sister, and that it was too dangerous for them to ever return to the village. Years later, I think she’ll get wind of the fact that her former boyfriend is now Inquisitor, and will travel to Skyhold to see what she can do to help. She’ll end up as an assistant to the Quartermaster (she’ll end up doing half his work for him), and maaaybe will eventually get together with Cullen.

Now for a completely new bit of backstory.

In my most recent Inquisition playthrough, I found myself chatting with Bull about Seheron. For some reason I don’t think I’ve had that conversation with him before - I must have somehow just missed it - so when he started talking about the Fog Warriors, I was suddenly struck by something. Fog Warriors use alchemy to create fog, then attack from stealth.

Talan Adaar is a Tempest rogue, a talented alchemist, and a stealth master. He, along with his father, also spent years tracking Meraad across Par Vollen and Seheron. He despises the Qun-loyal, and knows how to survive in the wilderness.

It suddenly seems obvious to me: Talan and his father ran with the Fog Warriors for some of that time. That was where Talan went from someone who whipped together useful potions for his family to sell, to a man who used potions in combat. That was where he learned to melt into shadows, despite being six foot nine and built like a mountain. The Adaars probably had a mutually beneficial exchange with the rebels - they fought with the Warriors, and the Warriors helped them get information about where Meraad might be.

Talan found a second love with the Warriors - one of their number, a young woman whose name I haven’t decided on yet but will possibly be called Hasa (and there’s a slim chance of me someday creating her as an Inquisitor.) She was born a Fog Warrior, knew Seheron and the art of alchemy-aided fighting like the back of her hand, and was rather amused by Talan’s ignorance. Though a little snappish with him at first, seeing him as having lead a soft and easy life while she’d been fighting since she was a child, she took him under her wing and taught him the Fog Warrior arts. Thus, Talan became a dual-wielding rogue and gained the abilities he’d one day adapt into the Tempest arts. He and Hasa shared a deep love, but for a painfully short time. The Warriors unearthed a lead about Meraad, and Aban and Talan had to leave to pursue it.

So, what was going on with Meraad all this time?

The Qunari brought her into he Saarebas life with double their normal force, believing they had to stamp out the taint of her having lived in the world outside the Qun. Meraad, crushed and suffering both physically and emotionally, accepted what she was told about being a monster and her magic being a vile destructive force... but she never forgot her family. She didn’t forget that she loved them, and while she never harboured thoughts of rebellion or escape, she refused to forget her childhood. She even created a secret method to remind herself of her former life: every night, she recited the Qun chant (as best as anyone can whose lips are sewn shut) that includes the words, ‘meraad astaarit, meraad itwasit, aban aqun.’ To her Arvaarad, it seemed she was just being an obedient Saarebas reciting the Qun, but she was of course reminding herself of her real name, and that of her father. Often she’d add, on finishing, ‘this is the truth, and all else is dust’ - thus working in her brother and mother’s names, too.

She lived like this for five years, until Talan and Aban tracked her down using the Fog Warriors’ information. She and her Arvaarad were being sent, along with a small military force, to take out some troublesome Tal-Vashoth bandits. It was the first chance the Adaars had had to rescue her when she wasn’t accompanied by other mages - they knew that killing her Arvaarad would lead to any Qun-loyal mages in her Karataam killing themselves, so they had to wait until Meraad was the only mage in the group.

Thus, as the party travelled, the Adaars interrupted them en route with some alchemical fog. While the Qunari were blundering about in it, Talan and Aban took out a few of them with some well-aimed stealth strikes, wounding the Arvaarad; then Aban managed to lead the bulk of them away. Meraad, knowing she was expected to stay with her Arvaarad at all times, stuck with him while the rest of their group rushed off after Aban. It was the perfect opportunity for Talan to break his cover and challenge the Arvaarad.

When Arvaarad saw what he thought was a Fog Warrior looming out of the mist, his first thought was to protect his Saarebas charge. He jumped in front of her, tried to parry Talan’s blows, but quickly realised he was at a disadvantage. He shouted to his Saarebas to help, and she obediently raised a fireball to do so - and it was in that moment that Talan shouted her name, and she finally recognised her brother.

Without really thinking about what she was doing, she directed her fire at the Arvaarad instead.

A moment later, she was utterly terrified by what she’d done, but Talan was able to calm her enough for him to destroy her control device and unlock her chains. Moments later, Aban joined them, but he didn’t have much of a lead on the Qunari - they’d finally realised he was trying to distract them. The Adaars ran for it - but as they did, an Ashaad (maybe even one of Aban’s former comrades, for maximum angst) hurled a spear at him that struck him in the back.

Aban wrenched it out, hurled it back at their pursuers, and told his children to run. He knew that with his wound, he’d only slow them down - so instead, he stayed, and bought Talan and Meraad the time to escape with his blood.

With the stealth skills he’d been taught, Talan was able to get Meraad to safety and lose the pursuing Qunari. Their struggles, though, were far from over.

Part 3

[recentanimenews]

The Crucial Friendships of Cardcaptor Sakura

Cardcaptor Sakura, created by the acclaimed CLAMP, is a story about a girl named Sakura and her quest to become the Master of the Clow Cards, magical cards whose power she can call on to do amazing feats of magic. If you aren't familiar with the series, read this article about the story up until the Clear Card Arc before you go any further! The series is famous for its relationships, focusing especially on friendships and how they can support you through various trials in life. Honestly, it's not a theme that's unique to anime in general, but Cardcaptor Sakura really takes it to the next level, creating complex relationships between characters that are crucial to Sakura's ability to catch the Clow Cards and, later on, transform them into Sakura Cards.

  Without her friends, Sakura wouldn't ever be dressed to the nines, she would probably be lost AND confused more than she already is, and wouldn't have any healthy competition to fuel her drive to become a great magician. Ultimately, though, her friends push her through emotional growth as a person, and support her physical growth as she becomes a stronger user of magic. Without them, we wouldn't have the series we know and love and Sakura would never have been able to accomplish all that she did in the first two arcs that follow her journey to become the Master of the Clow Cards.

    SPOILER WARNING: All that follows contains spoilers for the Cardcaptor Sakura manga and anime. If you don't want to spoil yourself this way, go read the manga or watch the anime (which you can see right here on Crunchyroll)! 

  The following information will primarily cover the events of the manga, with small asides to remark on differences in the anime. The two are different, though not overwhelmingly so. If you're interested in reading or seeing the source material before the new series begins, the manga is light, easy reading, and the anime has more of everything – more filler, more cards, and some off-script additions.

    Tomoyo Daidouji

Tomoyo Daidouji is Sakura's best friend and also second cousin on Sakura's mother's side. They met for the first time in third grade, when Sakura gave her an eraser to use in class. Since then, the two became fast friends. Tomoyo is sweet, kind, caring, and mature for her age (remember, this story begins when they are both in fourth grade). Her mother is the head of a toy company and Tomoyo is frequently accompanied by a team of female bodyguards to protect her wellbeing. Her hobbies include music and fashion- she is a talented musician and singer (which sometimes puts her in peril), as well as a great seamstress. The latter skill comes in great use, as she singlehandedly provides Sakura with her battle costumes (all of which tend to be absolutely adorable AND sometimes themed to the battle at hand. I mean, come on, Tomoyo developed a rubber outfit for Sakura when Sakura was battling the Thunder card so that she wouldn't get electrocuted).

  Because her mom has access to new technologies, Tomoyo has lots of opportunity to try out new and developing tech, which comes in handy when she helps Sakura out with her adventures to capture the Clow Cards. She often acts in the supporting role during Sakura's battles with the Cards, providing her with communication technology, like headsets, so that they can talk to one another during the fights, as well as recording Sakura's battles on a camcorder. A few times this has put her in peril- she was targeted by rogue Clow Cards, which inspired Sakura to work even harder to protect her.

  But her role is often more than just sidekick. Despite her own and very real love for Sakura, she encourages Sakura's own crush on Yukito, and later Syaoran. She is remarkably selfless and seems to genuinely care about Sakura's health and happiness, often putting Sakura's feelings before her own. However, she is never depicted as being upset about the fact that Sakura doesn't show any regard for her in a way that isn't just as a friend. As long as Sakura is happy, Tomoyo is happy, and that's enough for Tomoyo. 

  In a lot of ways, Tomoyo is the perfect sidekick, but also the very best friend- selflessly loving Sakura without feelings of resentment. Sakura depends on her for emotional as well as physical support. Tomoyo helps her to stay safe during battles, but also lends a non-judgemental ear to Sakura when Sakura needs to talk about her feelings. It is unquestionable that without Tomoyo, Sakura would not have been able to accomplish all she was able to do. 

  Syaoran Li

  Syaoran Li is Sakura's Cardcaptor rival-turned-romantic interest. He comes from the Li Clan in China, and is a distant descendent of Clow Reed, the originator of the Clow Cards and the greatest magician of his time. As such, when he and Sakura first meet, they are fierce rivals. He is portrayed as being very independent (I mean, he moved to Japan to live BY HIMSELF in the FOURTH GRADE) and aloof, looking down on Sakura and her attempts to catch the Clow Cards. When he first meets Sakura, he is socially awkward, cold, and mean. At this point in their relationship, he serves as the antagonist, causing Sakura to doubt herself and, by extension, dig more deeply into her own powers, leading to her eventual success in capturing the Cards.

  It isn't until she is declared the Master of the Clow Cards that Syaoran lightens up and begins to befriend her. He is a talented magician himself and was trained to be a comptenent user of magic in China. So, when Sakura is tasked with changing the Clow Cards to the Sakura Cards, he serves to help her in battle by using his own magic to help her overcome challenges and tests of her power. As he works more closely with her and Tomoyo, he begins to develop feelings for her, which only serve to develop his devotion to helping Sakura further her own magical abilities and grow as a character. Several times, especially in the second arc, Syaoran puts his life at risk for Sakura, and gets hurt in some of the battles while trying to help her. His willingness to help, even at the risk to himself, motivated Sakura a great deal and pushed her into seeking victory so that his sacrifice for her wouldn't be for nothing.

  Towards the end of the second arc, he has completely warmed up to Sakura to the point that he confesses his feelings to Tomoyo and seeks her advice in sharing his feelings with Sakura. He tries multiple times to confess his feelings for her and doesn't succeed until after she has completed her task of transforming the Clow Cards to the Sakura Cards, again, with his help in the final battle. His confession and admission that he will be moving back to China confuses and frustrates Sakura, as she can't understand why she's so upset about his leaving. After a short period, his own confession forces her to realize her own feelings for him, in many ways paralleling her final battle against Eriol. Just as she as able to come into her own as a magician, Syaoran's confession pushes her into realizing her real feelings, and she is able to grow as a character and confess her own feelings for him right before he departs.

  Their relationship, first as rivals, then as friends, then finally as romantic partners was one of the longer developing relationships, but all the much more important for the time it took. These two fought together, worked together, and won together, uniting them in many ways and teaching them both the values of loving and caring for another.

  The Guardians of the Clow - Cerberus and Yue

  Clow Reed, creator of the Book of Clow and the Clow Cards, also created two magical beings whose duty it is to protect and look after the Book of Clow and the Master who controls them. Cerberus, or Kero-chan, is aligned with the Sun, and is tasked with choosing the new Clow Master. Yue, aligned with the Moon, is tasked with judging Kero-chan's candidate to determine if they're worthy to take on the position. Kero-chan, whose full form is a massive winged lion, is funny, outgoing, and adores sweets and video games. During most of the series, he looks like a little lion stuffed animal with wings. Yue is much more reserved in character, and much more loyal to his previous master- he is overall very unwilling to accept a new Master of the Clow Cards. Similar to Kero-chan, Yue has two forms- his full magic form, in which he looks like an angelic man, complete with wings and long flowing silver hair. His temporary, or secondary form, is that of a boy named Yukito, who also happens to be Sakura's brother's best friend (more on that later).

  Kero-chan is very eager to elect a new Clow Card Master, and therefore is very accepting of Sakura. After all, he is the one who chooses her to recapture the Cards and starts her off on this journey. To Sakura, he takes on the role of mentor and friend. He teaches her how to use the magic of the Cards and gives her advice on capturing them, but at the same time supports her in her decisions and lets her take the lead on sealing the cards. He, Tomoyo, and Sakura all work together to get the cards back under control, and his support really helps Sakura to use her best judgement and try new ideas when it comes to capturing the cards and later unravelling the mysteries of the town's troubles in the second arc. 

  Yue, on the other hand, is not accepting of Sakura, even after she becomes the Master of the Clow. It is his job to judge the candidate of their worthiness to essentially become his and Kero-chan's new master and he takes the job seriously. He doesn't reveal himself to Sakura until the end of the first arc and it becomes clear very quickly that he holds Clow Reed in very high esteem. He both doesn't want a new master and doesn't think Sakura is capable of taking on the responsibility. Winning him over becomes Sakura's first big emotional challenge as a character. Up until meeting Yue, she worked on her magical ability and developed her skill, but to win him over she had to demonstrate all she'd learned emotionally from her friends and the other Cards to convince him she'd be a good Master. She is eventually able to placate him by confessing she'd rather be his friend than his master, allowing him to accept her as someone similar to, but not a replacement for, Clow Reed.

  Without these two as Sakura's guiding points, she would not have been able to capture the Clow Cards or, later, transform them to Sakura Cards. They bring essential wisdom about the nature of Clow Reed's magic and his magical creations, and help her understand her own powers. In them she finds friends, mentors, and teachers. Through them she also learns how to get along with others, and how to learn from mistakes and try again.

   Tōya and Yukito

Tōya, Sakura's brother, and Yukito, Tōya's best friend, play minor roles in Sakura's many friendships, but important ones. Tōya, of course, is a bit self-explanatory. He's in high school at the start of the story, works many different jobs, and picks on his little sister mercilessly. His main relationship with his sister is a supportive one- he looks out for her, and is initially suspicious of Syaoran and Syaoran's developing feelings for Sakura. He has some idea she's involved in events a bit out of the norm for an elementry school kid and has some very slight magical ability as well, which allows him to see ghosts (or so he says). 

Yukito, Tōya's best friend, is also the temporary form of Yue, Sakura's guardian. Weird, huh? Though Yukito is Yue's alternate form, Yukito is very much his own person (funny, charming, outgoing) with his own feelings. He is also Sakura's biggest crush throughout the series. At the start of the story, she is head-over-heels for him and spends a lot of her time trying to bump into him and chat with him. Syaoran also incidentally develops a crush on Yukito, but his crush is explained as his subconscious attraction to Yue's magic.

Some of Sakura's crush starts to wane when she realizes Yukito is Yue's alternate form, but due to her lingering feelings, she initially misses a lot of clues about Syaoran's own feelings for her as they begin to change throughout the Sakura Card arc. Thus, without Yukito around, we can feasibly say that Syaoran and Sakura would have confessed a lot earlier and we could have avoided the drama altogether. But, hey, that's the fun stuff, right?

Her crush on Yukito was important in Sakura's later realization of her own love for Syaoran. Her crush on Yukito taught her what it was to have feelings for another and this, coupled with time spent with Syaoran, was what ultimately brought them together. Furthermore, her crush on Yukito is what allowed her to win Yue over with love and companionship instead of with force. Initially, when Yue challened her to the Final Judgement, she refused to fight because she didn't want to hurt Yue and, by extension Yukito, with her magic. This forced her to find a non-violent resolution to the Judgement, which ultimately worked in winning Yue over and in reinforcing her own sweet and pure-hearted morals.

Relationships in the Clear Card Arc...

  While we can't say for sure what exactly will happen in this arc, what will be really interesting to pay attention to are the new characters and relationships that have been introduced, as well as how old ones continue to develop. Many fans are eagerly awaiting canon Sakura and Syaoran relationship development, for obvious reasons, so it will be intereting to see how they are able to balance their love for one another with Sakura's developing magical ability. Will Syaoran still be able to support her without jealousy as she further transform's Clow's magic to something totally unique to Sakura? 

  Tomoyo will be another character to watch as well. She has selflessly loved Sakura and pushed Sakura towards her own love interests rather than trying to force her feelings on her best friend. Given Sakura's past reliance on Tomoyo's unflagging support, her relationship with Tomoyo will be crucial in the face of whatever new challenges await!

  Finally, the new relationships will be pivotal. Relationships with other characters, and how Sakura chooses to treat those people have defined the plot of each arc in many very influential ways. The new characters we meet in this new arc will undoubtadly be important, and the conflicts they bring with them will no doubt define the character development Sakura will go through. 

  Look forward to the new seaon of Cardcaptor Sakura to watch for these relationships, and please comment below with your own interpretation of how you think each relationship might change as the characters go through new experiences in middle school!

    I hope you enjoyed this post! Check in next week for another recipe. To check out more anime food recipes, visit my blog. If you have any questions or comments, leave them below! I recently got a Twitter, so you can follow me at @yumpenguinsnack if you would like, and DEFINITELY feel free to send me food requests! My Tumblr is yumpenguinsnacks.tumblr.com. Find me on Youtube for more video tutorials! Enjoy the food, and if you decide to recreate this dish, show me pics! :D

  In case you missed it, check out our last dish: Wing Gyoza from "Food Wars!" What other famous anime dishes would you like to see Emily make on COOKING WITH ANIME?

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[courtneysharell-blog]

Patience!

Hello everyone! I hope you all had another great week! Okay, Let’s do this.

Last week’s topic was about perspective: your attitude towards or interpretation of a situation. Last week, I challenged you all to create and maintain a perspective on negative circumstances such as a bad grade, or a missed class, or a poor relationship with a family member. Overall, I maintained a positive perspective about me and mom’s poor relationship this week. For the first time, I actually wasn’t stressed about it because I kept my mind focused on the friendships and family relationships that are currently thriving in my life.

The topic I’d like to discuss this week is patience: the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. According to author Devon Franklin, it is “the ability to delay instant gratification.” This is a concept that I’ve struggled with on a daily basis. I lack patience when it comes to waiting in line at Walmart or ordering take-out from McCalister’s. I ESPECIALLY lack patience when I’m driving throughout Houston. Anyone who’s ever driven in Houston knows that driving on 59, 45, or I-10 can often be far from a pleasant experience. I’ve noticed that when I’m impatient, I don’t think as clearly and make emotional, spontaneous decisions that usually produce negative effects in the long-term. One time, on the way home from school, I was absolutely fed up with the traffic on 59. So I decided to take the back streets all the way home. I regretted that terribly. It took me an extra hour and a half to get home! I realized that if I had a bit more patience, I could have made it home wayyy sooner. I also noticed that I sometimes am impatient in my friendships. For example, I get frustrated when I’m telling my friend a story and she misses an important detail and needs me to start all the way from the beginning. Most people don’t like to repeat themselves, but patience would definitely help alleviate frustration.

In search of inspiration, I decided to read a book titled, The Wait by Meagan Good and Devon Franklin. In this New York Times bestseller, the Hollywood power couple candidly share their courtship and marriage, and the key to their success—waiting. They emphasize how waiting through celibacy helped them develop a patience that transferred into other aspects of their lives. This spiritual dedication helped them thrive in both their spiritual/personal and professional lives. Meagan and Devon have no doubt that their decision to “wait” is the reason why their relationship with each other is so strong. It forced them to get to know each other past a physical level. They also attribute their “wait” to their success in the entertainment industry. God saw the sacrifice they made and, in return, showed them divine favor by blessing them with opportunities in Hollywood that have propelled their careers to the next level. Personally, I’ve been struggling with my “wait” if you know what I mean. It’s so difficult, especially because of the sexual mainstream culture that I live in. But I don’t plan to give up. I want to master the skill of delaying instant gratification so that I too can live my life to the fullest personal/spiritual and professional potential.

So this week, I want you to examine those areas in your life where you know you lack patience. And take some time to reflect. Are you living your life to its fullest potential? Do think there’s room for growth? Could you benefit from the “wait” too? Talk with me in the comments below. We’re on this journey together!

Until next time:)

[julesrenee]

THE KEY SCENES DUN DUN DUUUNNNN

Illusion of the perfect world OR Glimpse of home world:

This is where we see the characters at their starting point. Rapunzel in her tower, Harry living with a family who hates him. An illusion of the perfect world can be an element of this, if you choose. What she/he wants:

This isn't so much a scene as it is something built into your opening. Harry wants a family who cares about him. Disturbance:

This is when something rocks the home world. Flynn Rider shows up in the tower. Owls start delivering letters. That sort of thing. Call to adventure:

An opportunity presents itself to go on a journey of some kind. This doesn't have to be a literal journey. Someone doesn't want to be type of girl who wakes up Sunday morning and can't remember what happened last night. So her call to adventure is more subtle then, say, the call of Bilbo Baggins. Refusal of the call:

This isn't in every story, but you'll notice it in a few. Bilbo initially turns down the opportunity to travel with the dwarves. Luke initially doesn't go with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Betrayal or realization:

Again, not in every story. But if the call is initially refused, we need some reason for the character to change their mind. The home Luke Skywalker grew up in is burned down, which changes his mind about if Obi-Wan's cause is worth personal risk. Rapunzel is yelled at by her mother that she's not going to be able to leave the tower ever, and Rapunzel realizes she'll have to make it happen herself. Supernatural aid:

This typically comes from another character who gives your character what they need to accept their challenge. Rapunzel forces Flynn into a supernatural aid role. He provides what she needs to start out on her journey. The awakening:

This ties into your character's external goal, to what they've decided to pursue in the face of the disturbance. In The Hunger Games, the last thing Katniss wants is for her name to be drawn in the reaping. When she volunteers for Prim, however, her external goal becomes to come home alive. Character chooses to accept the invitation:

This scene might blend with the awakening. Katniss chooses to volunteer for Prim. Rapunzel chooses to disobey her mother and leave the tower. Harry chooses to go with Hagrid to Diagon Alley and enter the wizard world.

Test 1—the first piece of armor is stripped away:

Your character has gone into this journey thinking, "I have this and this and this so perhaps I'll come out of this journey unscathed." These tests are about stripping away your character's securities. ”Oh, boy. This is hard.”

Shortly after your character chooses their journey, it can be very effective for them to have a moment where they realize this is going to be harder than they thought. Maybe before they made this choice, they suspected it was going to be hard, or maybe they knew for sure, but now they've had a taste of it for real. In Tangled, Rapunzel walks right into one of her biggest fears—a roomful of "thugs and ruffians." When your character is on their journey, what's the first event that tests their resolve. You'll notice in many stories that after the first test comes the first deepening of resolve. The character is forced to dig deeper, to invest more, and to decide yet again if they want to pursue this path. In Tangled, when the others at the pub recognize Flynn Rider as a wanted man, Rapunzel has to think quickly or she's going to lose her guide before they've even really started on their journey. She tells the others that she needs him because without him she'll never see the floating lights and she's been dreaming of them her entire life. What does your character learn either during their test or shortly after that keeps them pursuing their goal?

Inner goal is revisited:

A moment of, "Wait, why am I doing this? Oh, yeah. That's right. For this reason." Brave step forward:

"Now that I've thought about why this is a good choice, I will do this bold thing." Test 2—a complication:

Bad shit happens. Showcase best virtue/worst flaw:

An example of a scene might be Katniss decorating Rue's body. That showcases something unique and tender about Katniss. Test 3—Midpoint (A glimpse of the character's core):

Your midpoint scene should be something big. A highest high or a lowest low. A scene that changes the trajectory of the story more than other scenes have. This scene is also a great moment to give the reader a glimpse of the character's core. When all pretense and pride are stripped away, what is it they're really after? One of the most famous midpoint scenes is Gone With The Wind, when Scarlett is on her knees proclaiming she'll never go hungry again. Renew the goal/regroup:

Frequently the midpoint scene is a low moment. Highest highs happen too, but not as frequently as lowest low. Character will need a chance to formulate a new plan.

A momentary victory:

Yay, something goes right! ...

Confident action:

… And that gives your character confidence to do something big. Atonement / sovitus:

This doesn't have to be so literal, though it certainly can be. But it's a moment of healing in a relationship. It's especially effective, I think, if it ties in to the wound that your character starts the book with. Your character likely entered the story with scars from another character. Typically for this scene we're talking about a parent or a guardian of some type. Test 4:

What your character brings into their journey that they believe will aid their victory? Another way to phrase this is, "What is it that your character takes from their home world or their old life that they believe will help them achieve their goal?" It could be something physical. Katniss is good with a bow and arrow. She knows how to hunt. Those are tools she takes with her into the arena. They make her feel like she could survive this. I like to think of these tools as armor because the way characters use them to deflect conflict. Armor has become one of my favorite things to brainstorm because as you figure them out, scenes of the story unfold in your imagination. You're not just brainstorming the character's armor, you're brainstorming what will strip it away. When I realized my character believed herself innocent, I immediately started brainstorming a scene in which she discovered her own guilt in the conflict. Going back to The Hunger Games example, while hunting and archery skills certainly help Katniss during the games, they aren't what save her in the end. She strips herself of the bow and arrow when she realizes she can't live with herself if she kills Peeta. She'll have to find another way to defeat the enemy during the final battle. Whiff of death:

I can't remember right now who first said it, but all books are about death in some way. The death of a person, of a dream, of a country, of a way of life. The chance to go home:

I've become highly sensitive to this moment in a story. It's when Rapunzel goes back to the tower with Mother Gothel after she thinks Flynn has traded her to the Stabbington brothers. Or when Anna is back at the castle with Hans, and Kristoff leaves to return to his regularly scheduled life. The character goes back to where they started—or at the least, has a chance to go back—but the old life doesn't fit anymore. Test 5:

Look at test 4.

Dark night of the soul:

This is when all hope is lost and our main character is clearly going to lose. Like when Anna is locked in the room and the fire is out and we know in minutes she's going to turn to solid ice.

Cavalry:

Someone unexpected swoops in to help our main character. Olaf's carrot nose picks the lock on the door. Or when Maximus brings the thugs from the Snuggly Duckling to rescue Flynn. Spiritual epiphany—insight into purpose:

Sometimes this element is subtle. And it often blends with this moment: Goal is renewed:

Often due to the cavalry, our characters realize, "Hey, we still need to bring back summer/destroy the ring/take down Voldemort." And this is something that should be made deeper and more purposeful through the moment of spiritual epiphany. We're not just bringing back summer, we're discovering what it means to love someone. We're not just destroying the ring or taking out the bad guy, we're taking a costly stand against evil. Crazy plan is formed/carried out:

In Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows this is when Harry is walking out to confront Voldemort on his own. Or when Katniss and Peeta both take a handful of the poisonous berries and prepare to eat them. I've often found this scene to be the hardest to write because you want it to be creative and unexpected. Test 6 - final battle:

This might be a literal battle, if you're writing that kind of book. Or it might instead be a different kind of battle.

- I want to show readers that my character has really, truly changed.

That the journey I took my character on was worth it because they will now struggle through this test and come out on the other side a victor. (And "victory" doesn't necessarily—maybe, even, shouldn't—mean living "happily ever after," exactly how they always imagined it would be.)

- I want to bend or twist the plot in a way that surprises my readers.

Hunger Games: Katniss and Peeta have a literal final battle and wind up the remaining two tributes in the games. Because they're from the same district, they've been led to believe that they can both win. Then the Game Master announces the rule has been revoked and there can only be one victor.

Katniss could kill Peeta and win, and she once believed she would do whatever it cost to get out alive. Instead, Katniss gets creative—if they both eat poisonous berries, they'll both die, and the capital won't have a winner. She thinks the Game Master will stop them, but she can't know for sure, and her willingness to sacrifice herself rather than kill Peeta shows growth.

Final push to victory:

Sometimes this blends with the final battle scene (and even with the crazy plan forming scene, depending on the pacing of your story) but basically your character emerges triumphant. Even if there's loss involved or the journey didn't end the way they wanted it to, there's a sort of victory that can be pulled from the battle. Like in Cars Lightning McQueen doesn't win the Piston Cup, but he achieves something far greater when he helps The King cross the finish line.

Denoument / loppuratkaisu:

It's roots are in the words for knotting, apparently, but basically it's the outcome. The final glimpse of our characters now that they're in their new reality. If you're writing a final book in a series or a stand-alone book, think of Harry and the crew at King's Cross Station with the next generation of Hogwart's students. Or Anna and Elsa ice skating together, once again close friends. If you're writing a series, we still need a satisfying conclusion, but there's a sense of future complications as well. Like the final scenes of The Hunger Games between Katniss and President Snow and Katniss and Peeta.