#If you see this — hi! You are a legend! This book is incredible! All of your books are! But THIS IS JUST WOW

[rochenn]

DOOKUDOOKUDOOKUDOOKUDOOKUDOOKUDOOKUDOOKUDOOKUDOOKUDOOKUDOOKUDOOKU

AHAHA! YES!!!!

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

I've gushed to you about Disco Elysium a lot and, MAN, Dooku's mental gymnastics must be something to behold. What I wouldn't give for a DE style political intrigue game where you just get to CRAWL through his brain and all his deepest most fucked up mechanisms. I NEED HIM AS A FUCKED UP, LARGELY UNRELATABLE PROTAGONIST. IT WOULD BE SO GOOD. Like. A game about his time right after leaving the Order and starting to work for Sidious. Pure gold. He's no Harry Du Bois but whatever he's got going on in his noggin can be its own little freak show. Ya know??

cut here for the other questions

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

I don't talk about this often, but I really like his relationship to Qui-Gon. The guy doesn't seem to behave like anyone Dooku - prim and proper as he is - would ever respect. And yet, Dooku raised him and let him be that way. He always loved him. He's so proud!! Qui-Gon was the one person he wasn't (consciously, intentionally) ready to betray, and you can really tell how that messed with him. Ten years later, and he's still indirectly seeking that validation from Obi-Wan. "See, I loved him so much, and you loved him so much, we loved him the same, so join me." It's just crazy. He did NOT get over it.

Generally, all his relationships with his students and student-prospects are incredible. Idk what they put in Lucas' water when he made Dooku this way but 1) they should've put in more and 2) I CAN'T GET ENOUGH

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

LOVE LOVE LOVE PUTTING HIM THE FUCK DOWN. ON HIS KNEES. OR IN A PUDDLE OF HIS OWN BLOOD. Idk, just any situation where he ain't high and mighty. You've seen it. He thrives down there. He's so entertaining like that.

On the other hand, writing him competent and scary and smooth is just... *chefs kiss* as well. He can do both. He SHOULD do both. He's terrifying and powerful and so so so hurtable. It makes my brain foggy. I'm normal

there's nothing i dislike writing about him idk he's just perfect like that

26. What's something the character has done you can't get over? Be it something funny, bad, good, serious, whatever?

oh. So Goddamn Much. Slamming my head on the table. Breaking it into splinters. Picking the splinters out of my forehead and eating them etc

Where do I start? Betraying Sifo-Dyas. Betraying Asajj. All of that is so haunting, and the latter especially because we SEE him getting that order... his eyes... he didn't want to, but he did it anyway. It's just so AAAGHHH. Him falling to his knees after killing Yaddle. OUGHH

But honestly, basically everything Dooku ever did falls in this category. One underrated thing are his zoom calls with Rush Clovis, I think - he's having FUN with that. You can just tell. He knows he's dealing with a naive, ambitious little rat and he's trying out his grandpa charm, he's toying with him. "Come, come by boy :D" ok old man. I love you. Manipulate that bastard <3

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

I'VE SAID THIS MANY TIMES BUT: HAGEN FROM THE NIBELUNGENLIED BABY!!

Backstabbing old cunt? Knight of some sort? Tall? Intimidating? Graying? At some point played by an actor with endless brown eyes? Incredible swordsman? Nobility? Manipulator? Goes against a prophecy that can only end in his own doom? Gets beheaded with his own sword while on his knees under humiliating circumstances? Hell fucking YEAH.

Only difference between them is that Hagen managed to talk shit before he died. And he didn't betray the people he loved most. AND he has canonically huge tits 🫡🫡🫡 What a legend, rest in pieces

23. Favorite picture of this character?

The one and only and the monumental serve <3

[overmorrowpine]

42 pages into servant of the shard and. this is what's happening here right

[image ID: the "randy your sticks" meme. it is edited to read:

jarlaxle: hey guys im gonna learn the powers of this cool crystal shard remind me to check on my human in a bit

readers: jax your lieutenants are plotting murder check on your human

jarlaxle: oooo crystal has so much magic 👀

readers: [in large text] JAX YOUR HUMAN

end ID]

@theaviskullguy pointed out this is what was happening there and it's so right

[thatbitchmabel]

just finished reading Long Live Evil by @sarahreesbrennan and. I am now in shambles. What the fuck. So much laughter. So many tears. So many poor little meow meows I’d die for. Please read this book y’all. It’s amazing

[wingsofmud]

The Thrice-Born Twins

I'm starting my WoF rewrite project with the Darkstalker Legend. The book is honestly fine, but I want to see if I can turn it into more of a tragedy where Darkstalker is known to be an animus from the start, Fathom flees the Seawing Queendom after the massacre, Arctic isn't a complete abusive asshole, and Clearsight and Darkstalker were never meant to cross paths.

Here are my Darkstalker and Whiteout designs/redesigns

Design info + minor ancient nightwing fashion hcs + designs without accessories below:

Darkstalker:

I find it incredibly boring that Darkstalker looks exactly like a Nightwing and that Prince Arctic likes Whiteout more because she looks more like him.

The only Nightwing aspect of Darkstalker is his dark scales. Everything else from his body structure, to his wings, to his face says Icewing nobility. In fact, he bears a striking resemblance to his grandmother, Queen Diamond, even inheriting her signature twisted horns. He has a teardrop scale behind each eye and a round scale on his forehead that denote his mind reading and prophetic abilities.

As is expected of any noble Nightwing, Darkstalker is very intelligent and very charismatic. He was always going to be a key pawn in the Nightwing court by virtue of his birth, but when he was born on the brightest night, plans started to shift. Then, to Arctic's dismay, he presented as an animus when he was a dragonet.

Darkstalker is betrothed to Queen Vigilance's daughter and spends his time learning to become the perfect prince. He and all those around him see nothing but glory in his future, at least until he bumps into a strange Nightwing one night.

Darkstalker is always in fashion. Like many noble Nightwings, he wears a cool colored cloth around his body (the more translucent the better). He wears a matching set of bracelets and a tail band as well as silver bands on his horns and spines. The earring he has on is part of a pair gifted to him from his betrothed. He unfortunately doesn't have a nose horn or he would wear a ring on it, he wears one on his wing thumb instead.

.

Whiteout:

Though her egg turned silver, Whiteout hatched the morning after the brightest night, which is unheard of. Unlike her brother, if you painted her fully black she'd heavily resemble a Nightwing, sans some spikiness. She has Foeslayer's eyes and horns. She's shorter than her brother, but a lot more stocky. Whiteout is regarded as strange, quiet, and a pain in the tail to make wear anything.

Whiteout doesn't speak much and the words that she says are either very blunt or don't make much sense...at first. She's sensitive to a lot of stimuli and rarely changes her expression. She was very difficult to teach, regardless of how many private tutors she had, and continues to be unable to assimilate into Nightwing nobility. As a result, she's generally dismissed and escapes Queen Vigilance's eye. She very talented in painting.

Whiteout wears a triple piercing earring with a blue, star-shaped gem on the end as well as a onyx bracelet matched with a nose-horn ring studded with lapis lazuli. She does not wear any clothing outside of formal events. All of her usual accessories have been enchanted by Darkstalker to not bother her.

.

Designs w/o accessories:

[vivwritesfics]

In Bloom

Chapter One

Max wasn't like other Hogwarts students. He was having to live with the terrible things his father had done. Everybody expected him to turn out like his father, but he was the furthest thing from. He just needed two people to see that

Lestappen X Reader

6.7K

Okay so this follows the basic plot of the Harry potter books (from memory), with some major differences to fit our drivers. A list of which Harry potter each driver relates to can be found HERE

Series Masterlist

Max Verstappen could still remember the dread he felt as he stepped up to the sorting hat at just eleven years old. Everybody avoided him on the train, and he'd waited at the back of the queue to be sorted.

Not Slytherin, he thought as he climbed those stairs. Anything but Slytherin.

It came as no surprise that he was sorted into Slytherin. His entire family had been, and he was no different. 'There wasn't a witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin,' he'd heard somebody say before the sorting.

But even Slytherin didn't want him. He went to sit down and everybody shuffled away from him, giving him plenty of space. Even in his newfound house, even with the people that were supposed to be like his family, as professor Vettel had said, he felt alone.

Unable to look past his own dread, Max had failed to notice something. He failed to notice the boy with his hair covering his forehead and eyes, definitely impairing his vision. Even when the boys name was called, Max didn't notice.

He shouldn't have been surprised to hear the name 'Leclerc Charles' called. He was the boy that had defeated his father, after all. The whispers began as soon as his name was called. Gryffindor, his new house, cheered as he ran to join them. The same thing happened for Max just moments later, but without the cheering. They were like mythical creatures to the other students in the hall. Well, Charles was. Max was more like a circus freak.

First year for Max Verstappen was incredibly lonely. All anybody wanted to talk to him about was his father. They were all questions he couldn't answer because he didn't know his father. He had been destroyed when Max was only a year old.

Flying lessons were Max's favourite. He'd grown up watching Quidditch with his mother, even playing it sometimes. She'd played it for her entire life, up until she met Jos. It was in Max's blood. Max was determined to show Professor Button just what he could do to be put on the Slytherin team. No first year had ever made it onto the team before, he was determined to be the first.

Max tried to act shocked when Professor Button went to Professor Alonso, the head of Slytherin house, and begged him to put Max on the Qudditch team. "He's the best thing this schools ever seen!" Professor Button insisted.

Professor Alonso gave him a trial period. One match to prove he could keep up with the older kids on the team. For Max Verstappen, it was the easiest thing in the world.

This was the stuff of legend in Hogwarts. But it was overshadowed by Charles Leclerc and his idiot friends.

Max didn't know what happened to Charles, Esteban and Pierre under the school. It was all speculation and rumours. Nobody know whether they fought a dragon or found the legendary philosophers stone. Only Professor Schumacher knew that. Professor Schumacher and Charles.

Max heard all of the rumours. He ignored them as best he could. But there was one rumour that he couldn't shake. "Someone said that it was your dad Charles was fighting under the school," said Nikita, a fellow Sytherin and a massive dickhead. "Said he killed him, again."

Max couldn't stop his reaction. He leapt out of his seat in the common room and swung his fist at Nikita, hitting him square in the jaw. Nikita stumbled back, holding his jaw. Shock played on his face, but it soon turned into a smile. "You're going to regret," he started. "Didn't you know my father is close, personal friends with the minister?"

"I didn't ask, Nikita," Max spat as he walked away, leaving the common room all together.

First year wasn't all bad for Max. No, he made history on the Quidditch team and he made a few friends. Lando and Daniel, two Hufflepuffs with the widest smiles and hearts of gold.

He met Daniel first. He was maybe the first person Max had ever properly gotten along with. He found a kindred spirit in Daniel. He was maybe the funniest person Max had ever met.

Daniel had introduced Max to Lando halfway through their first year. Max had never had that connection with anybody. He finally knew what it was like to have friends, and it felt amazing. For the first time since arriving at the school, Max was himself. He was happy, funny, bubbly. Every joke Max cracked had Daniel folded at the waist, hands on his knees as he laughed.

Their friendship continued into Max and Lando's second year. Daniel was just that little bit older, going into his fourth year.

Second year was the first proper run in that Max had with Charles Leclerc. It had been a shit day for Max, Nikita was being an ass and his potions test scores were less than perfect. He was pissed at himself. His escape was the quidditch pitch. It was supposed to be empty. He could fly around, weaving in and out of the stands and goal hoops as much as he liked.

But he wasn't alone. No, somebody else was opening the box of quidditch supplies. Max hung back, watching to see what Charles did. He watched as Charles tucked the quaffle under his arm and mounted his broom.

He wasn't even on the quidditch team for his house. What was he doing there? But, the more Max watched, the more he understood. He watched as Charles flew around with skill. He did what Max was going to do, weaving around the stands and through the goal hoops, all with the quaffle tucked under his arm. It was no easy accomplishment. Max was thoroughly impressed.

He gave Charles a nod as he mounted his broom and flew around. They stayed away from each other that time, practiced without disturbing one another.

As soon as Max was done, he rushed to Professor Buttons office. He was still in his quidditch robes, his fingers a little frozen as he held his broom. "Professor," he called as he knocked on the door. "Can I talk to you?"

Max would never tell Charles Leclerc that he was the reason he was on the quidditch team. They hadn't spoken two words to each other yet, Max couldn't imagine a time where they'd be that friendly.

In his second year of Quidditch Max proved himself to be better than anyone expected. But, with the addition of Charles to the Gryffindor team, Slytherin finally had some real competition.

But the year wasn't all sparkles and rainbows. Not when the attacks started. Muggleborns being petrified, it was terrifying.

When the chamber of secrets was opened, everybody turned to Max. His father had opened it last time, hadn't he? So it only made sense that he opened it this time.

Those were the first words Charles Leclerc spoke to him. "Did you open the chamber of secrets?"

Mac couldn't hide the shock on his face. "Are you kidding me? Why would I want to attack muggleborns?" One of his best friends was muggleborn, for goodness sake.

But still, Charles wouldn't leave it alone. Things only got worse when Esteban was petrified. Charles cornered Max, demanded he fixed what he had done. All Max could do was express condolences and walk away.

But then Daniel was petrified. "Fuck," Max choked out when Lando told him. He followed him to the hospital wing and rushed straight to Daniels side. He wouldn't leave, not until his best friend was up and moving. The nurses were too afraid of him to pull him away.

Golden boy Charles saved the day. He found out who had been opening the chamber, a little first year who had no control over her actions. A cure for the petrifications was made using Mandrakes and Esteban and Daniel were on their feet just before the end of the year.

Max had been avoiding Charles. Ever seen his confronted him over Esteban, he wanted nothing to do with him. He and everyone else would always see him as the villain. It was so sad to learn that at just twelve years old.

But Charles found him. He cornered him once again, but this time, his expression was soft. "I'm sorry," he said.

Max looked at the floor, his jaw tight.

"It was wrong of me to assume that you're the one who opened the chamber. I realise that now," he continued.

Max let out something of a snort. "Just because my dad is a monster, it doesn't mean I am," was all he said. He pushed past him, trying to get away, trying to get to the end of year feast. But, before he could get too far, he stopped and turned back towards Charles. "If you want any chance of beating us in Quidditch next year, you should get a haircut, stop it from going in your eyes."

Just before the start of their third year, mass murderer Nico Rosberg escaped from Azkaban. Max remembered reading it in the paper. He read the headline out loud and his mother let the plate she was holding slip from her grasp. "Nico got out?" She asked as she rushed over.

Max nodded his head and showed her the paper. "I wanna know how he got past the dementors," he said with curiosity. He then turned to his mother. "Did you know him?"

It wasn't often she spoke about her time with Jos. From the little bits Max knew, it was awful and Max was the only good thing to come from it.

She shook her head. "He started Hogwarts just as I was finishing. I remember hearing his name a lot. He was always causing some sort of trouble with his best friend."

Max dropped the topic. The news article had said that Nico had been a supporter of his father. If he was out, maybe he was going to try and finish the job on Charles.

At the first feast of the year, a new teacher was introduced. Professor Hamilton, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for the year. But that wasn't all. Max watched from the Slytherin table as Lando walked into the hall, his arm around a pretty girl. He knew Lando had other friends, had seen him with this girl a few times. But he didn't know her, not at all.

It was indescribable how pretty she was. Max's eyes followed as she sat herself down between Lando and his other Hufflepuff friend, Max (Fewtrell).

Max tried really hard not to stare, but it was damn near impossible. She was his very first crush, and he didn't even know her name.

For the few classes he shared with Hufflepuff, Max tried to get Lando to tell him her name. Maybe it was because Lando wasn't the sharpest tool in the box, but he just wasn't getting it. Max was being as obvious as he could be, without saying anything at all.

The day he learnt her name was the same day that he watched her run up to Chatles Leclerc and plant a kiss on his cheek. Maxs face fell. She was his first crush, and she was with somebody else. That was just his luck.

She was with Charles, that was clear. Max saw the way he placed his arm over her shoulders while they talked with Lando. So, why the hell was Lando introducing her to Max in the middle of charms?

She held her hand out to him, a lovely smile on her face. "I can't believe you two haven't met before," Lando said as he sat on the table.

Max couldn't quite believe he was shaking her hand. He had no clue what to say to her and, in a desperate bid to make a good first impression, he made a terrible one

But it didn't matter. The next time Max saw her was care of magical creatures with professor Brown. As with every lesson, Nikita made an ass of himself. Max couldn't help but shut him down, and that seemed to impress her.

But Nikita didn't know when to quit. It was his fault the beast struck him. It was his fault he'd sustained such an injury to his arm.

It was all he could talk about for the next few weeks. Max didn't know what would happen to the beast that had 'attacked' Nikita. Nikita boasted about a trial, about the beast being put to death. Of course, Max didn't believe it, not until he saw her crying about it.

She was too pretty to cry, Max thought as he watched her across the hall. She sat at the Gryffindor table, leaning against Charles as he rubbed her back. That should have been him, Max couldn't help but selfishly think.

On the day of the beasts execution, Max followed her and Charles down to Professor Brown's hut. He stayed behind them, watching as she swung her fist towards Nikita. Good, he thought. It was what that prick deserved.

She and Charles didn't notice him as they stepped into Professor Brown's hut. But Professor Brown did. "Come on in, Max," he said, stepping aside to let her and Charles see him.

Charles didn't scowl, like Max had expected. He gave him a sad smile as she stepped towards him, holding him. "It's awful, Max," she sobbed against his shirt. "They're going to kill him because Nikita is an asshole."

Max stood there, looked at Charles over the top of the head. There was a minute before he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed slightly.

"I found something of yours," said Professor Brown as he guided her away from Max. He grabbed a shoe box and opened it up, revealing her pet rat.

She didn't show up to Hogwarts with an owl, cat, rat or toad. This rat she had found at the station and, in a bid of desperation, she picked him up. He was so tame, she figured he had to be a magical rat.

Before they knew it, they were being ushered out of the hut by Professor Brown. They hid behind shrubbery as Professor Schumacher, the head master, brought Bernie Ecclestone, the minister, and the executioner, down to the hut.

As soon as the three of them had their backs to the students, Max and Charles got her back to the castle. They got halfway there before the sound of the axe hitting something stopped them.

Her gasp rang in the boys ears and she turned towards Charles, burying her face in his chest as she cried. "It's okay, chérie. I've got you."

But, suddenly, he didn't have her. Suddenly she was on the floor, screaming as a vicious, hairy beast dragged her towards the womping willow, its jaws clamped around her leg. Charles screamed her name as he ran after her, but the tree fought back.

Fuck, Max thought as he ran after Charles. The tree attacked them however it could, keeping them away from the tunnel the beast had dragged her down.

Charles dodged those he could, but one smacked him in the chest and he went flying back, the air knocked from his lungs when he landed. Max had gotten closer to the tunnel entrance. He jumped over the trees limbs when they came towards him, getting to the tunnel entrance in minutes.

But he couldn't leave Charles behind. The tree didn't fight him as he ran back towards him. "Come on," Max grunted, grabbing Charles's hand and pulling him to his feet.

The tree once again tried to stop them. Max kept a hold of Charles's hand, pulling him around the attacking limbs. They ducked and dodged and jumped. But one limb managed to knock them both over. Max immediately grabbed the limb and Charles grabbed a hold of him.

They were lifted into the air, the tree trying to throw them off. But it was doing do in a pattern, one Max easily deciphered. "Hold on!" He shouted to Charles, who just squeezed him tighter.

At the right moment Max let go of the branch, falling into the tunnel entrance. Charles was right behind him, landing on top of him. "Sorry," Charles said, taking his hand and helping him up. He pulled his wand from his back pocket and held it out in front of him. "Lumos," he whispered and the tunnel lit up.

Holding his wand out in front of them, Charles led the way through the tunnel. They followed paw prints until they weren't paw prints anymore, but feet, the soles of battered shoes against the dirt.

When they got to a set of old and unstable steps, Max and Charles looked at each other. She was up there, she had to be.

"Nox," Charles whispered. The first step creaked under his foot and he nervously looked to Max. But they climbed the stairs anyway. The closer they got to the top of the stairs, they more they could hear her pained gasps. The two of them hurried.

Charles couldn't stop himself from kicking the door open. "Charles, Max, no!" She cried, grasping her bloody leg. "It's a trap, he's an animagus!"

As the door swung shut behind them, Max and Charles turned around. There he was, his striped jumpsuit tattered and dirty. The smile he wore was grim and his blonde hair was long and disgusting.

Immediately, Max and Charles put their bodies between her and Rosberg. The escaped convict's smile only grew as he took a step forward. "Move aside." His eyes were focused on Max. "It's not you that I want."

But Max stood in front of them protectively. "If you want to get to either of them, you have to go through me."

Rosberg laughed. "Stupid boy," he said through his laugh. "I don't want either of them, I want him," he said, pointing at her.

Her body tembled as she held her mangled leg. The rat in her pocket was squeaking uncontrollably. "I-I'm a girl!" She cried.

But Rosberg let out an exasperated sigh. He lifted his wand.

"Expelliarmus!"

Professor Hamilton, that years defence against the dark arts teacher, stood in the door way. It wasn't a surprise that none of them heard him coming up the stairs, not with the way adrenaline was running through them.

Professor Hamilton looked at the kids and then at Rosberg. And then he dropped his wand and stepped forwards, pulling him into his embrace. "Good to see you, old friend," he said, clapping him on the back.

"What the fuck?" Max couldn't help himself. He held his wand out in front of him. "I trusted you, and this entire time you've been working with him? You've been on my dad's side, too?"

"Max, you don't understand," Hamilton replied, holding his hand up. "This entire time I thought that Nico did all of those terrible things. But then Charles came to me and said he saw someone on the map that I believed to be dead. Sergio Perez."

"Well, the map was wrong, then!" Charles called. He had migrated over to her, crouching by her side. She wasn't okay and there was nothing he could do.

Hamilton shook his head. "The map never lies," he said. "It could only mean one thing, Charles. That Checo was alive and he was the reason your parents are dead."

Slowly, Charles stood up. He pulled his wand from his pocket as he walked forward. "That's not true," he said. "It couldn't have been him because he died. Rosberg killed him and all they could find was-"

"A finger! Chopped it off and escaped into the sewers, he did," Rosberg finished.

Hamilton looked past them as Charles tried to process everything in his mind. "Your rat, please," said Hamilton as he looked at her.

"What? No! What do you want with him?" She cried as she pulled him from her pocket and held him close to her chest. But Professor Hamilton was still advancing, reaching for the rat.

It was Charles that stopped him. He held his hand up, asking Professor Hamilton to just give him a moment, before crouching down to her height. "Please, chérie. I need you to trust me," he said, reaching for the rat.

For just a moment, she stared at Charles. He thought he was going to have to pry the rat from her hands and lose her trust forever. But she willingly gave the rat to Charles, who handed it to Professor Hamilton.

"We do this together," said Rosberg as he grabbed his wand from the floor.

"Expelliarmus!"

Once again, Rosbergs wand went flying out of his hands. Hamilton kept ahold of the rat as they wheeled around to find the head of Slytherin house.

"I told Schumacher," Alonso began as he walked into the room. "I said from the minute you arrived that you were trouble. And here you are, helping your old friend into the castle. Well, Lewis, you can have Nico's old cell once the dementors give him that kiss. I've heard they're looking forward to it. Got a cell in the tower waiting for you."

"Oh, piss off, little Nando no mates," Nico spat, but suddenly Fernando had his wand against his neck. Instantly, Nico stilled.

Fernando turned his attention to the kids. "You three, get back to the castle."

But they weren't going anywhere. Max knew it, Charles knew it, and she couldn't move.

Fernando quickly turned his attention back to Lewis and Nico. Before he could begin talking, Charles had raised his wand. "Expelliarmus!"

It was just meant to disarm Alonso, not send him flying back into the wall, knocking him out cold. "Shit, Charles," Max said through something of a grin. "You attacked a teacher."

But Charles didn't care about that. "Show me Perez," he demanded.

Hamilton and Rosberg were only too happy to oblige. Hamilton placed the rat onto the floor. He and Rosberg pointed their wands at the rat, sending silent spells in his direction.

The rat kept going, seemingly dodging the magic. But then, he wasn’t a rat at all. It wasn't clear which one cast the incantation, but a small-ish man in tattered clothing stood in the place of the rat. The most damning piece of evidence? His missing finger.

Charles couldn't quite believe his eyes. So Rosberg hadn't been the cause of his parents death. It had been Perez all along. Rosberg was an innocent nan, wrongfully imprisoned for all of those years.

"We do this together," said Rosberg. Hamilton nodded and, together, they pointed their wands at Perez.

"No, no, no!" He cried, scurrying across the floor. He quickly moved past Charles,towards her. "Girl, sweet girl," he said as she attempted to shuffle away from him. But, with her leg, she couldn't get far enough. "You won't let them hurt me, will you?"

Max pushed Perez away from her. "Leave her alone," he said through something of a snarl.

"Don't kill him," Charles said as he looked to Hamilton and Rosberg. "Take him to the castle. The dementors can have him and you could go free," he said, eying Rosberg.

Rosberg couldn't quite believe it. He cast a spell that bound Perez and lifted Alonso into the air.

"Oh, chérie," Charles whispered. He leaned forward to kiss her forehead before lifting her into his arms. She let out a small cry as Charles adjusted her, her injured leg brushing against his arm. But she locked her arms around his neck.

Max led the way. His wand was out, light coming from it as tye group of seven made their way back through the tunnel towards the school. Periodically Max turned around, looking at Charles as he carried her. That should have been him, he thought again.

Max climbed out of the tunnel first. He turned taking her body from Charles. One by one they climbed out of the tunnel. She stood on her uninjured leg as Alonso's still unconscious body was placed on the ground. Rosberg and Hamilton wandered a little way away from the group,the two of them looking up at the castle.

"How're you feeling, chérie?" Charles asked. He hardly called her by any other name. She gave a weak, pained smile. That was all Charles needed before he was pulling her body into his own, letting her rest against him.

Suddenly, Hamilton made a noise. A low, guttural noise, something inhuman. He looked away from the castle, his jaw slack and his eyes distant as he stared at the moon. The full moon.

"Shit," Rosberg hissed. Max stood to attention, placing himself between the changing werewolf and his friends. "Lewis, not now!" Nico cried wrapping his arms around him, as if trying to hold him together. "Any time but now!"

But Hamilton was still changing. His limbs were elongating, a thin layer of hair covering his skin. His clothes were shredded from his skin as his snout formed and hid ears sharpened.

Realising that he could do nothing, Nico let go out Lewis. He transformed into his animagus form, putting himself between the werewolf and the students.

At first, Hamilton barely moved. His breathing was heavy as he took just a moment to recover from the transformation.

As best as she could, she hopped forwards. "Chérie," Charles hissed in warning, trying to keep a hold of her.

She couldn't push him away, couldn't stand on her own as she looked at the werewolf. "Professor?" She called. "Professor Hamilton?"

The beast raised its head. The howl it let out echoed around the castle grounds. It was enough to rouse Professor Alonso from his temporary time out. "You!" He cried, pointing an accusing finger at Charles. Charles, who didn't much care, Charles, who was more concerned with getting her as close to him as possible.

When Alonso turned and around saw the beast, he threw his arms protectively around the three of them, keeping them behind him. There wasn't much else he could do but watch, his body shielding them, as Nico jumped at the beast.

The werewolf immediately threw him off, but Nico came back, this time doing damage. But again, the werewolf tossed him to one side. This time, Nico didn't get back up.

With his threat neutralised, the werewolf turned his attention back to the four of them. He got down onto all fours and slowly stalked forward. His slow pace only seemed to indicate that he was toying with them, that, no matter what they did, they were his prey.

Suddenly, from way in the distance, there was a howl. Hamilton turned towards it. He howled once more himself before he took off, running in the direction the howl had come from and completely ignoring his once prey.

As soon as Hamilton was gone, Charles passed her to Max. "Get her to the hospital wing!" He shouted as he took off running.

"Leclerc!" Alonso bellowed, but he made no move to go after him. "Get back here!"

But Charles was gone, disappearing off to wherever Nico was.

Her arms locked around Max's neck as he picked her up. Suddenly he was thinking quidditch for the useful muscles it had given him. "I'm sorry to put you through all of this," she whispered as her head fell against his shoulder.

He shook his head. "You didn't put me through anything," he replied. He so desperately wanted to kiss her head like he had seen Charles do. "Besides, if I wasn't here Professor Alonso would be carrying you. Do you really want that?" He asked and she let out a little giggle.

A small amount of pride blossomed in his chest.

At the hospital wing Max was asked to leave. But he refused. There was no way in hell he was just going to leave her. It was the only time he threw his name around to get his way.

At some point in the night Charles was brought into the hospital wing. He looked awful, like he had tried to drive a race car after suffering from appendicitis. But the nurse had confirmed that he was alive.

Max didn't sleep much that night. He stayed up, watching over his friends, recounting the events. It wasn't Nico Rosberg who had killed all of those people in the name of his father. It was Sergio Perez. Perez had gotten away in the commotion of their teacher being a fucking werewolf. It was crazy, but Max didn't know how he hadn't spotted it soon. Lupin took a few days a month off, Max just didn't notice that they were around the time of a full moon.

But Perez had gotten away, his father's loyal dog had gotten away, and Max would never forgive himsed.

He didn't know when he had fallen asleep. But, when he woke up, Pierre and Esteban sat around Charles. "I can't believe you went with him instead of us," Pierre muttered as he gestured to Max. Max simply sat up straighter, scowling in return.

"He saved her," was all Charles said as he nodded towards the girl sleeping beside Max.

The three of them continued to talk, and Max tried his best not to listen in. But it was harder than it looked when he constantly heard his name being dropped. They could fucking talk about him, he didn't care. By this point, he just didn't care.

When the doors flew open and Professor Schumacher strode in, Esteban and Pierre stood up. "Esteban, Pierre," the professor said. They said goodbye to Charles and walked past their head teacher. But, before they could get too far, Professor Schumacher grabbed a hold of Pierre. What he said to Pierre was too hushed for anybody else to hear, but it had him pulling something from beneath his shirt and striding towards the boys.

"Max, Charles," he said and Max left his chair, coming to stand beside Charles. Wordlessly, Professor Schumacher placed something over their heads.

Max picked up the necklace. "A time turner?"

"What's a time turner?" Asked Charles.

But Professor Schumacher didn't answer his question. "Two turns should do it," he said. "And you should be able to set everything right. Remember, don't let anybody see you," he said and strode out of the hospital wing.

Max turned the time turner. "How on earth did Pierre get one of these?" He asked as he spun it twice, and the room around them moved backwards. Professor Alonso carried Charles out of the hospital wing and Max took her back outside. Other students came and left, time still turning around them.

When it, at last, stilled, Max pulled the time turner from around their necks and placed it in his pocket. "Come on," he said as he grabbed Charles's hand.

As he pulled him out of the hospital wing, Max checked the time on his watch. "It's 5PM, where were we at five?"

Charles took a moment to think. "Ugh, I know I was taking her down to see Zac," he answered. "She punched Nikita."

Knowing exactly where to go, Max pulled Charles along. He pulled him through the halls, towards where they already were. But, suddenly, Max stopped. "Wha-" Charles began, but Max put his hand over his mouth, silencing him as he pulled him into an alcove.

The Max from before, the one that had been following Charles and her, turned for just a second. But, when she swung at Nikita, it distracted him long enough for the Max from the future to pull Charles outside.

"Max, what the hell?" Charles hissed as they watched Nikita and his friends run away. Charles from the past had his hand on the small of her back as he moved her along, heading to Zacs, Professor Brown's, hut. Max from the past followed. "That's us!"

"You're incredibly observant," Max quipped as he grabbed his hand once more. "I suppose you can see now you've cut your hair."

Charles let out a scoff, but Max was pulling him along once again, into the woods just opposite Zac's hut.

Nobody saw them, nobody but Rocky, the hippogriff. He raised his head and snorted, but quickly went back to sleep. "We can save him, too," Charles realised. "Him and Nico."

He strode forward and sent to grab the chain that kept Rocky tethered to the garden, but Max stopped him. "Professor Schumacher and the minister need to see him first, or you'll get Fred arrested," he whispered. Charles clenched his fists at his sides, but he nodded.

They watched as Fred pulled the rat from the box and handed it to her. There he was, Sergio Perez. Max and Charles looked at each other, their thoughts much the same. But they held back, and not just because the headmaster and the minister were coming.

They watched as the three of them left the hut. As the minister and Schumacher conversed with Fred, Charles and Max ran into the vegetable garden and grabbed a hold of Rocky's chain. "Come on, Rocky," Charles hissed, but the creature insisted on sleeping. It was only when Max bribed him with food that he followed them into the woods.

A sliver of satisfaction ran through them when the execution brought his axe down onto a bit of wood in anger. Rocky was safe, and all they had to do was wait.

It was surreal, watching everything that had happened. They watched as Nico, the dog, grabbed her leg and dragged her beneath the tree. They watched as they struggled to follow her.

"Can I ask you something?" Max enquired as he sat on the ground beside him. Rocky was behind them, playing in the trees. When Charles nodded his head, he continued. "Last year, you asked me if I opened the chamber. Do you really think I'm that much of a monster? Do you really think I'm that much like my dad?"

Charles let out an audible sigh. "I feel awful for that," he said as he lent back against the tree behind him. "All I know about your dad is that he's the reason my parents are dead. I'd met him in first year and, well, I still have nightmares about it. Of I had known you last year like I do now, I wouldn't have dreamed of blaming you."

They talked, actually talked, until Professor Hamilton came to the tree. "Did you have any idea he was a werewolf?" Max asked and Charles shook his head.

He pulled the time turner from his pocket. "Do you know why Pierre would have that?" Charles asked as he reached out to touch it.

Max shrugged his shoulders. "It makes sense, though. Pierre has been in so many classes this year, more than he should have had time for. This must be how he's being going to them all."

Next, Professor Alonso came by, and then, minutes later, they were all making their way out of the tree. "Thanks for looking after her," said Charles as he watched himself hand her to Max.

Max waved him off.

But it wasn't long before Professor Hamilton started his transformation. "Fuck," Max whispered as he watched Nico try and fail to protect them. What happened when they were up there? Something had howled, but no howl was coming. "Shit, get ready to run," he said to Charles before cupping his hands around his mouth and letting out a mighty howl.

The werewolf looked, but he didn't immediately begin running towards them. So, Max did it again.

The beast howled back and suddenly it was running towards them. "We're going to die out here," said Charles.

"Yep," Max agreed and the two boys took off running. But they didn't get very far, not before the werewolf caught up to them.

Their hearts were beating, blood so loud in their ears that they were sure the werewolf could hear them. Max squeezed his eyes shut, unable to keep them opened. He was incredibly grateful when Charles pulled him further around the tree they were hiding behind.

All they could hear was their werewolf Professor sniffing around behind them. It was the only indication that they were somewhat safe. But then, the sniffing stopped and the growls began. The two turned, almost paralysed with fear as the werewolf stood to its full height. "Professor," Charles began, but he was no longer human.

He moved towards them and they tried to back up. He raised a large, clawed hand, but he didn't get a chance to bring it down, to strike them. Not before Rocky jumped in front of them, using his large talons to fend off the beast.

Whimpering, the werewolf ran off. "Go Rocky!" Charles called as the hippogriff pranced in front of him.

Max checked the time on his watch. "Come on," he said, once again reaching for Charles's hand. Over the course of the evening he'd noticed just how much he'd enjoyed that, enjoyed holding Charles's hand. "We've got to get back to the castle."

But Charles ripped his hand away from Max. "We need to go and save Nico!" He called before he took off running. "Someone was there, Max! Someone cast a patronus and fended off the dementors! I need to know who it is!"

But, when they got to the lake, nobody was there. Just Charles from the past cradling Nico's body as dementors fed off of them. "Charles!" Max called.

"They're coming to help! I know they are!"

But Charles from the past and Nico looked terrible, close to the end. "Charles, you're dying. And nobody's coming," he said softly.

Charles bit his lip as he looked at Max. He sucked in one steady breath and ran over to the edge of the lake. He raised his wand, drew in a deep breath and bellowed, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

It was an incredible sight. Max knew Charles was capable of some serious magic, he just didn't realise it was this serious. All of the dementors left the scene just in time for Professor Alonso to lift the unconscious Charles and Nico away from the scene.

Nico, they could still save Nico. "Come on!" Charles shouted as he climbed onto Rocky's back. Taking Max's hand, he pulled him onto Rocky's back and he secured his arms around him.

Rocky flew them out of the woods. "Where would Alonso put Nico?" Max shouted over the sounds of the wind.

"When we were in the shack, he said something about the tower," Charles called back.

That was exactly where Rocky took them. As he landed them outside of the cell, Max slipped from Rocky's back and cast a spell to open the door.

Immediately, Nico ran out to them. "Thank you," he said to them. "Both of you. If it wasn't for your bravery, I would have lost my life."

"Quick, take Rocky and go, before the dementors come," Charles said. He helped Nico onto the Hippogriff's back. Immediately they took off, and Charles and Max began running, heading back to the hospital wing.

When they got there, Professor Schumacher was pulling the doors shut behind him. "We did it," said Charles, his hands on his knees. "We saved both of them."

Professor Schumacher looked at the both of them. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said and took his leave, leaving the boys standing there.

Charles released a breath. "I can't believe we actually did it," he said, grinning at Max. "Should we go and tell her all about it?"

Max nodded his head and Charles pushed his way into the hospital wing. He watched, frozen in place as he strode across the room, over to her. Suddenly, Max didn't feel so jealous as he watched Charles run his fingers through her hair.

That was when he realised, he liked boys, too.

Permanent Taglist (CLOSED): @biancathecool @rewmuslupin @prettiest-at-the-party @hellowgoodbye @not-nyasa @formulaal @minseok-smaus @andydrysdalerogers @hiireadstuff @darleneslane @urfavnoirette @goldenharrysworld @hrts4scarr @llando4norris @evlkking @lilymurphy03 @hollie911 @customsbyjcg-blog @honethatty12 @nikfigueiredo

[freedomfireflies]

hi baby! Could you possibly recommend some good Harry reads, both series and one shots! Sorry I'm in a bit of a reading slump and you're my fave writer so would love to see what you read :)

Omg of course!! I already know I’m not gonna remember everything but I will add on as I go!!

Anything by @moonchildstyles, @jawllines, @harryforvogue, and @songbirdstyles! Absolute legends and I cannot believe we get to read their works 😭💞💞

@gurugirl, @cherryjuiceblues, @fkinavocado, @0nlythrowharrybeaux, and @1800titz have some ADDICTIVE series that I eat up like a rabid animal AKSKAS

@cupid-styles, @justlemmeadoreyou, and @wrongplacerighttime have just started a few new stories that I can already tell are going to be BEASTS!!!

@1d1195 is just 🥹 wow!! I cannot say enough amazing things about Sam! She’s got SOOO many incredible stories to go through and each one has such a unique but sweet hook! A beautiful new take on a trope you might already know but will re-fall in love with!!

And of course @lukesaprince and @jarofstyles are ICONS!! They’ve got such extensive lists and it literally feels like Christmas morning to go on their page because I find something new every time and it’s AMAZING!!

I’m about to start going through @watermelonlovershigh, @justmystyles, and @justmeinatree lists and I’m SOOO excited! I kind of want to start a book club HAHA

I WAS GOING TO TELL YOU SPECIFIC STORIES but truly, I cannot pick just a few to recommend when they’re all SOO good?? So absolutely check them out and then we can fangirl over them together HAHAH 😭💞💞💞

[jerzwriter]

Strictly Professional (or not...)

It's Tobias's first day in his new position at Edenbrook Hospital, and Casey lays some ground rules about how they need to interact together. Let's see how long it lasts.

Book: Open Heart (Book 3 Timeline) Pairing: Tobias Carrick x Casey MacTavish (F!MC) Rating: Teen Words: 813 Summary: See Above

A/N: The incredible artwork is a commission by @/artbyainna on Instagram. I wanted to do an Open Heart "cover", but let's be honest, they wouldn't be able to keep their hands off each other long enough to pose!

Participating in @choicesjanuary2025 - Prompt: New Job

Casey turned the corner, dusting invisible lint off the front of her lab coat as she tried to act nonchalant, even as the sheepish grin on her lips made it clear: this wasn't any other day.

"Good morning, Casey," Bryce smirked, falling into step beside her. "Look at you all dressed up! No wrinkled scrubs today."

"Seriously, Bryce?" She asked, doing her best to feign annoyance. "It's not like I don't wear this outfit all the time."

"Sure," Jackie chimed in. "You wore it intern year, when you were trying to land Dr. Ramsey."

"JACKIE!" Casey hissed as Bryce doubled over laughing.

"Don't worry, Case," Bryce grinned. "Not only did you land him, but you went one further and landed his hotter frenemy. Total legend. They'll be telling your story in these halls for generations to come."

"Thanks, Bryce," she muttered, her cheeks turning red.

"Anytime," he said with a small salute paired with his signature mega-watt grin.

"Actually, I'm here early to talk to Tobias before shift. I know people are aware we're dating, we've told HR and everything... but I want to make sure we're on the same page. We have to be professional at work. No longing stares, no PDA..."

"No, sneaking off to the on-call room for an afternoon delight," Bryce snuck in as Jackie talked about miracles no longer happening in modern times.

"I'm serious," Casey insisted, unaware that Tobias was approaching from the other end of the hall.

Bryce folded his arms and glanced at Jackie, clearly amused. "What do you say? Thirty minutes?"

"Please! Fifteen, tops," Jackie countered.

"Twenty bucks?"

"You're on!" Jackie said, clearing her throat as Tobias joined them.

Casey turned toward him, a blush already settling on her cheeks. She had to admit that seeing him in the halls of her hospital dressed in an Edenbrook lab coat was even more pleasant than she had imagined, but she stayed strong.

"Good Morning, Bryce, Jackie," Tobias nodded before turning to Casey, disarming her when his sparkling blue eyes fixed on hers. He had a way of looking at her that made her feel like she was the only person in the world. It was effortless, and she was sure he didn't even know he was doing it. But he hadn't even spoken to her yet, and she already forgot her name.

"Casey," he grinned, reminding her as she tried to rebound.

"Oh, hey, Tobias... uh, Dr. Carrick," she stammered.

"You OK there, kid?" her boyfriend chuckled.

"Yes. I'm perfectly fine," she replied confidently. "I'm just happy to see you here!"

"I'm happy to be here. It's going to be great working together."

"It is," she agreed. "Edenbrook's lucky to have you. Besides, it will be nice seeing you around the halls."

"That's what I'm looking forward to the most," he winked.

"Oh, this is going to implode faster than expected," Jackie whispered as Casey cleared her throat.

"Yes, well, hon... uh, Tobias. I wanted to remind you, we need some ground rules. We have to remain professional. No longing stares, no improper comments, you know... nothing... inappropriate."

Tobias tilted his head, the hint of a smirk curling his lips. "Casey, I’ve been a doctor for over a decade. I think I can handle professionalism."

"Good," she said firmly, but the glint in his eyes made her uneasy.

"Of course," he added, his gaze dropping briefly to her figure-skimming emerald pencil skirt and form-fitting sweater. "If you wanted me to behave, you might’ve reconsidered your outfit today."

"Here we go!" Bryce whispered as Jackie stifled a laugh.

"This old thing?" Casey deflected. "I've had this forever."

Jackie was quick to jump in. "Yeah, since intern year, when you were trying to—"

Bryce slapped a hand over Jackie’s mouth before she could finish, earning a chuckle from Tobias.

"Relax, baby," Tobias said smoothly, his voice low enough for only Casey to hear. "I promise I’ll be on my best behavior. Mostly."

"Good," Casey said. "I'm glad we're on the same page!"

As she turned to leave, Tobias called after her with a casual smile. "Babe, can I get a quick hug before you go?"

"Sure," she said, then turned to embrace him viscerally.

Tobias couldn't help but chuckle, his arms encircling her and his hands landing a little lower than they probably should have.

"Except us," Bryce called out, raising his hand like a child in school. "And a twenty bucks richer, Jackie. You guys couldn't even make it to fifteen minutes!"

Casey glared at her friends, then Tobias, insufferably proud, chimed in. "Face it, babe," he said, still holding her in his arms. "We can do our best, but in the end... I'm irresistible..."

"Tobias!" she protested.

"Let me finish!" he laughed. "And so are you!"

"Edenbrook is about to get a lot of free entertainment, isn't it," Casey laughed.

"You better believe it!"

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics @openheartfanart

Tagging others separately.

[gffa]

hey i'm procrastinating writing by any means necessary so OBSSESS OVER SMALL DETAILS TIME and you seem to have every star wars resource at your fingertips so: do you think vader ever eats with his mouth, as opposed to some liquid-nutrient going directly into his system via the suit?

I know that feel. So I will help you with the procrastination as best as I can! Unfortunately, my books are all packed away in boxes right now because of reno stuff, so I know I have some of these to look them up myself, but I'll still get you what answers there are, I think. In Disney continuity, I don't think this has been addressed, as far as I remember--and if it was, I wasn't looking for it at the time. But if you're good with Legends content, they loved getting into the weird shit like this. 😂 So, Vader's evil hamster ball of doom is a hyperbaric chamber, which means it's unlikely he could breathe without the mask on, much less eat--or, at the very least, it would be incredibly inconvenient. Luke also says in ROTJ that, if he helps take Vader's mask off, he'll die. Thus, if he was going to eat without the mask on, it would have to be in the hamster ball and that seems unlikely, just for cleanliness' sake. I have a (Legends) diagram of Vader's suit, but it doesn't really say where his feeding tube would be, beyond that there's #14, "Supplemental nutrient storage" down by his ribcage.

Whether they run it through his nose down into the stomach like they do in our world while he's in the hamster ball (because he doesn't have it in ROTJ) or whether they have a port somewhere closer to his stomach, that's your choice! Also in James Luceno's Dark Lord (Legends) book, it basically confirms all that:

HOWEVER. WOOKIEEPEDIA HAS THE FUNNIEST MENTION AND I AM RENDING MY CLOTHES THAT I HAVE THE BOOK IT'S FROM, I JUST CAN'T GET TO IT RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I NEED TO SEE THIS SHIT WITH MY OWN EYES:

In the event that he did desire oral consumption, he would ingest RepMed vitapaste via straws located inside the grills of his facemask.

STRAWS ON THE INSIDE OF HIS MASK??? BUT THE MASK STILL HAS TO STAY ON, SO THEY HAVE TO CONNECT TO THE STRAWS INSIDE, RIGHT? WITH.... ANOTHER STRAW??? SO LIKE. ALL I CAN SEE IS:

JUST JAMMING THAT BOBA VITAPASTE STRAW RIGHT THROUGH THE GRILLS OF HIS MASK TO CONNECT TO THE STRAW INSIDE HIS MASK Anyway, this is what I'm choosing to believe, you can find something more boring if you want, I am choosing ART. Sometimes Star Wars can have rights.

[elspethdekarios]

Okay we all know about the Solas/Varric banter with the man on the island, but I was listening to DAI banter earlier (as one does) and now that we know about the titans/lyrium bodies/the blight there are several others that are SO GOOD and worth talking about so here goes. I might not be saying anything new here but I needed to get it out of my brain.

Trickster Figures in Dwarven Literature

Solas: By the end of Hard in Hightown, almost every character is revealed as a spy or a traitor. Varric: Wait, you read my book? Solas: It was in the Inquisition library. Everyone but Donnen turned out to be in disguise. Is that common? Varric: Are we still talking about books or are you asking if everyone I know is a secret agent? Solas: Are there many tricksters in dwarven literature? Varric: A handful, but they're the exception. Mostly they're just honoring the ancestors. It's very dull stuff. Human literature? Now there's where you'll find the tricky, clever, really deceptive types. Solas: Curious. Varric: Not really. Dwarves write how they want things to be. Humans write to figure out how things are.

So it's obvious in hindsight that Solas is asking about trickster figures because he is one himself, but now that we know what we know, I think it's incredibly poignant that he's specifically asking about trickster figures in dwarven literature. It makes me wonder if he's not only asking out of curiosity but because he wants to know if the dwarves write about him. Is he a trickster figure in their legends too? Now that so much time has passed since ancient Arlathan, do the dwarves have some twisted memory of the Evanuris like the Dalish do? Do they have a tale about Fen'Harel who tranquilized the Titans and severed the dwarves' ties to their ancestry?

I don't quite know what to think of Varric's last line: "Dwarves write how they want things to be. Humans write to figure out how things age." I wonder, though, if this eases Solas's concern about appearing in their mythology. If dwarven writing is idealistic/optimistic, there's probably a slim chance the truth will be revealed that way. Maybe the fact that humans write "to figure out how things are" gives him pause - but I think humans aren't concerned enough about the elves to write themselves into discovering his secrets, so I don't think Solas really has a reason to concern himself with trickster figures in human literature.

The Lyrium Trade

Solas: Is it true that the entire dwarven economy relies upon lyrium? Varric: Mostly. We've got the nug market cornered as well. Solas: And the dwarves of Orzammar have never studied lyrium? Varric: If they have, they certainly haven't shared anything up here. Why? Solas: It is the source of all magic, save that which mages bring themselves. Solas: Dwarves alone have the ability to mine it safely. I wondered if they had sought to learn more. Varric: The folks back in Orzammar don't care much about anything but tradition.

And here we have yet another attempt by Solas to see what the dwarves know about him without giving himself away. He wants to know if they're aware of what lyrium actually is, and, by extension, if they know about the history of the Titans and the Evanuris. There are several banters between these two where Solas is incredibly curious about Orzammar. Varric is like "wtf man, stop asking me about Orzammar, I'm a surface dwarf" and Solas gets frustrated that Varric isn't interested in his ancestry at all. This is partially because Solas places so much importance on ancestry in general, but part of his frustration has to be because Varric can't tell him what he wants to know. Also, imagine waking up after however many years and the dwarves are sustaining their economy almost completely on the literal blood of their ancestors - the ancestors you destroyed. That has to be horrifying. Harding brings this up at the end of her personal questline in Veilguard, when you return to Kal-Sharok and interact with the carvings on the wall. It's different for her, of course, because those are her own people, but the sentiment is the same, and the question is the same: would the dwarves sustain themselves on the lyrium trade if they knew the truth?

In the same lyrium vein:

Solas: I find the fall of the dwarven lands confusing. Varric: What's so confusing about endless darkspawn? Solas: A great deal, although that is a different matter. Dwarves control the flow of lyrium. They could tighten their grip on it. Varric: It's hard to get the attention of the humans when the darkspawn aren't up here messing with their stuff. Solas: You're active in the Carta. You know your people could tug the purse strings. You could claim sovereign land on the surface, or demand help restoring the dwarven kingdom, but you don't. Varric: You're not saying anything I haven't said myself, Chuckles. Orzammar is what it is.

I think this is Solas trying to ease his guilt by offering solutions. Is it a little egotistical of him to assume the carta/dwarves/Varric haven't already thought of this? Yeah, but he's Solas AKA Pride Personified. Anyway, I think this is Solas's way of assuaging his guilt just a little bit.

A Once Mighty Hero

Solas: I am sorry to have bothered you with my questions about your people Varric. I see so much of this world in dreams. Humans, my own people, even qunari. Dwarves alone were lost to me, save scattered fragments of memory where some spirit cared to watch. Now I know why I see so little. Varric: And why is that? Solas: Dwarves are the severed arm of a once mighty hero, lying in a pool of blood. Undirected. Whatever skill of arms it had, gone forever. Although it might twitch to give the appearance of life, it will never dream. Varric: I'd avoid mentioning that to any Carta, Chuckles. They might not take it the right way.

Okay, Solas is definitely doing his twisting-the-truth thing in the first lines. He knows why dwarves have little to no presence in the Fade, because he is the reason, but he's so close to revealing the truth here. Not about him, and not about how, but about why. The image he paints of the once mighty hero in a pool of blood sounds metaphorical, but it isn't. The dwarves - so reliant on the lyrium trade, living where lyrium grows, mining it, their livelihoods revolving around it - are quite literally lying in a pool of their own blood.

Solas sees what the dwarves are now compared to what they could have been. They're an imitation of their once-great ancestors. And it's his fault (and Mythal's, but this ain't about her). In this particular banter, Solas seems to pity the dwarves, hence Varric's warning, but he's the only one alive who knows the truth. The dwarves don't pity themselves: in another banter where Solas asks Varric if he misses the stone, Varric responds with "How could I miss what I never had?" - and that applies here as well. The dwarves may "twitch to give the appearance of life" to Solas, but that's his guilt talking. Varric isn't insulted (as far as we know) because he doesn't place much importance on his heritage and he understands that Solas isn't trying to be demeaning, but he hears the pity in his statements - he wouldn't warn him about speaking to the Carta otherwise.

Anyway this was a lot of rambling and I'd love to hear anyone else's interpretation of these or other lines too!

[obsessioncollector]

Hi friends! Inspired by @librarycards I wanted to make a post celebrating Women in Translation Month! Anglophone readers generally pay embarrassingly little attention to works in other languages, and that's even more true when it comes to literature by women, so I will jump at any chance to promote my faves 🥰 Here are some recs from 9 different languages! Also, I wrote this on my phone, so apologies for any typos or errors!

1. Trieste by Daša Drndić, trans. Ellen Elias-Bursać (Croatian): An all-time favorite. Much of Drndić's work interrogates the legacy of atrocities in Europe, particularly eastern Europe. Trieste is a haunting contemplative novel centered on an elderly Italian Jewish woman whose family converted to Catholicism during the Mussolini era and were complicit in the fascist violence surrounding them in order to protect themselves.

2. Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, trans. Anton Hur (Korean): A collection of short stories that are difficult to classify by genre–speculative fiction in the broadest sense. The first story is about a monster in a woman's toilet, which sounds impossible to pull off in a serious, thought-provoking manner, but Chung does so easily—these are the kind of stories that are hard to explain the brilliance of secondhand.

3. Sweet Days of Discipline by Fleur Jaeggy, trans. Tim Parks (Italian; Jaeggy is Swiss): Another all time favorite! The cold, sterile homoerotic girls' boarding school novella of your dreams.

4. Toddler-Hunting and Other Stories by Taeko Kono, trans. Lucy North (Japanese): I think I read this in one sitting. Incredibly unsettling—these stories will stay with you. They often focus on the unspoken psychosexual fantasies underscoring mundane daily life.

5. The Complete Stories by Clarice Lispector, trans. Katrina Dodson (Brazilian Portuguese): I think Lispector is the best known writer here, so she might not need much of an introduction. But what a legend! And this collection is so diverse—it's fascinating to see the evolution of Lispector's work.

6. Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga, trans. Melanie L. Mauthner (French; Mukasonga is Rwandan): Give her the Nobel! Mukasonga's books, at least the ones available in English, are generally quite short but so impactful. Our Lady of the Nile is a collection of interrelated short stories set at a Catholic girls' boarding school in Rwanda in the years before the Rwandan genocide. These stories are fascinating on many levels, but perhaps the most haunting element is seeing how ethnic hatred intensifies over time—none of these girls would consider themselves particularly hateful or prejudiced, but they easily justify atrocities in the end.

7. Extracting the Stone of Madness: Poems 1962-1972 by Alejandra Pizarnik, trans. Yvette Siegert (Spanish; Pizarnik was Argentinian): Does anyone remember when my url was @/pizarnikpdf... probably not but worth mentioning to emphasize how much I love her <3 Reading Pizarnik is so revelatory for me; she articulates things I didn't even realize I felt until I read her words.

8. Flight and Metamorphosis: Poems by Nelly Sachs, trans. Joshua Weiner (German): Sachs actually won the Nobel in the 1960s, so it's surprising that she's not better known in the Anglosphere. Her poems are cryptic and surreal, yet deeply evocative. Worth mentioning that this volume is bilingual, so you can read the original German too if you're interested.

9. Frontier by Can Xue, trans. Karen Gernant and Chen Zeping (Chinese): Can Xue is another difficult-to-classify writer in terms of genre. Her short stories are often very abstract and can be puzzling at first. I think Frontier is a great place to start with her because these stories are interconnected, which makes them a bit more accessible.

[sunlitlemonade]

YOU WATCH F1 TOO?!?!?!?!???????!?? RAHHHHHHHHH🏎🏎🏎🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 can we plz get thoughts on drivers 👀🥺🙏🫣🫣🫣🫦

anon i know you sent this sometime around suzuka but that last emoji made me laugh every time i tried answering this. as for the drivers......... sigh. I'm swinging a very bedazzled bat at a swarming hornets' nest. pray for me.

under the cut because i yapped a LOT. also. uh. possible slander. so like.

Red Bull Racing

Max Verstappen: starting off strong here with my favourite guy of all time. He's Inevitable™. He's fast. He's amazing. He's sweet and blunt and gorgeous and I want everything good for him. He's phenomenal, he moves me, he makes it's so easy to root for him and yet, it's incredibly taxing to be a fan given the British bias in F1 journalism and the fandom, not to mention FIA occasionally losing it's goddamn mind.

Sergio 'Checo' Perez: I'm actually so fond of him. His recent performances leave more to desired, I know, but fuck if he isn't the funniest mf around. Also it's simply a matter of time when he gets back in form [the bias is STRONG here I'm aware]. Also he's an extremely good second driver because I for one think he knows how to handle a team built around his teammate. I don't think any other driver on the current grid would have gelled with Max and Red Bull's structure [and strategy to win] the way Checo has.

Ferrari

Charles Leclerc: Il Predestinato. Saint Leclerc. Curse bearer and curse breaker. He's made to be a dream. He can make the hopeless hope. I know I said Max is generational talent but we're quite lucky to be in this era where we have not one, but TWO generational talents because Charles..... this guy..... you have to be blind to not see the sheer talent and insanity this man holds. Ferrari get your shit together istg. I need a Verstappen - Leclerc WDC fight. IT WILL BE GLORIOUS.

Carlos Sainz: *cough* ok, so, I wanna start off by saying I do think he's a chill guy off-track, ok? I really do think that. He's funny, quick, hot [ofc]. As a driver though. I just. He's good --not as good as F1 media wanted you to believe after his win in Australia and the circumstances surrounding it [WDC material??? Any GP winner now is considered WDC material??? ok]-- but he whines A LOT and I would actually prefer if his aggressiveness on track is directed less at his own teammate and more on their opposition? That would be cool. Plus sometimes he forgets it's not 'yippee we are all friends haha' all the time and inevitably fires up when someone serves cunt on track and he's bearing the brunt of it. I call it the Mclaren syndrome if anyone is interested.

Mclaren

enough said [ignore the shit quality i grabbed the first template i could find sjskdjfke]

Mercedes

George Russell: HES SUCH A HILARIOUS DIVA!!!! WHO DOESNT LOVE THIS GUY?? He's so entertaining and fun and he is a very good driver! I feel like we still have yet to see all he can achieve and I am very excited to see what happens next.

Lewis Hamilton: Legend. I truly have nothing else to add. Forget his fanbase, forget his tunnel vision when it comes to winning [and this applies to almost every driver, most of all my favourite ones lol], he's seven time world champion for a reason. Since we're asking for my opinions here though, I'll tell you this: anytime he wins I'm happy enough to see it [though I will forever want to see my favs on P1], any time he doesn't I don't care much, if he has a bad race I will give it less notice- basically, he exists in the periphery of my vision. I have been in awe of him for years and admire him but I cannot call myself a fan. One thing I can't help but obsess over is how cunty and unapologetic he is [which is also something that I love about Max].

Alpine

Esteban Ocon: He's a good driver, he's grinded hard to be here in F1 and I love to see it. Also, he's geek! In my books, that's always a plus.

Pierre Gasly: He's actually one of the most unremarkable drivers on the grid currently. Like there's nothing wrong with him and every time he pops up in interviews or whatever he's fun to see but that's about it? Honestly he seems like a cool guy, a driver okay enough but doesn't stand out much to me in anyway skdjhsjd

Sauber

Valtteri Bottas: THE MOST UNDERRATED DRIVER EVER MAYBE????? I love this dude and I'm hoping he can get something better than the tractor he has this season, as unlikely as it is.

Zhou Guanyu: Again, he's a nice enough driver and I really enjoy his vibe but he's crawling on the track in the tractor Sauber cooked up and I don't really know what to think of him beyond what I have stated.

Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso: Anyone who has a problem with Mr. Alonso has a problem with me. This is a strict Alonso Stan account, I do not take criticism and idc what anyone else has to say about him. He's a legend, he's an icon, he's the spirit of F1. I'm quite literally obsessed with him. You know what. Max is the Only One for me BUT if Fernando happened to win a 3rd title........... Did you know that Adrian Newey was recently acquired by Aston Martin [MAKE IT HAPPEN NEWEY].

Lance Stroll: idc. truly idc. some hate this guy, some love him. im at the camp of idgaf. just complete indifference.

Haas

Kevin Magnussen: If you've noticed anything by now, it's that I love love love track terrors. Not the stupid bitches who divebomb everyone all the time and start barking when it happens to them. Nah, the ones who race. I fucking love them. I love Kevin. Hoping against hope that he gets a seat somewhere next year, I will miss him so much. He's incredible to watch. God. I will actually miss him so much. Fuck.

Nico Hulkenberg: Another underrated driver, he's actually quite skillful and entertaining to watch. I just wish he had better luck like 😭

VCARB

Daniel Ricciardo: I miss him. His performances had waned and yeah, it had been time for him to go but I will still miss him and idk man I will admit I wasn't his biggest fan a while back, which had hurt because at some point, years back, he was the main reason why I watched the sport at all. But he had slowly wormed himself back in my heart and fuck. His last race actually made my chest clench ngl. He was absolutely amazing.

Liam Lawson: Consider me sat. I'm SO curious to see how he performs. We know he's got potential but just how far can he stretch?

Yuki Tsunoda: How many times have I used the word 'love' already? I'm sorry but what else can I say? I genuinely love this fella. He's so good and exciting to watch on track and also, plain funny. I wish for everything good to happen to him.

Williams

Alex Albon: infatuated with his billion dollar smile. Now that that's out of the way let me also just say HES SUNLIGHT INCARNATE, also I COULD LISTEN TO HIM YAP FOREVER. Idk I'm actually really happy for him because he seems to be flourishing at Williams and I mean this in the best way possible: he shines at a midfield team. [Also, note me saying he's sunshine doesn't negate just how fucking sly & sassy he can be. I adore that about him.]

Franco Colapinto: MY BELOVED. I perk up like a sunflower under the sun when I see him. He's such an intriguing driver. I detect hints of track terrorism abilities brewing here and cannot wait to see more of it. Also! He's so refreshing to listen to. I know like 80 percent of the grid is no-nonsense and transparent but man idk how to say this. He's a fucking comedian. Not a thought that has any sort of filter at all in that pretty little head of his. Just. No PR training at all here.

Logan Sargent: This boy. He did not deserve even a smidgen of what he had to tolerate. I actually detest the collective treatment from the fandom and his own fucking team that he had to constantly weather. I hope whatever racing division he advances to, he fucking demolishes. I hope he has so much fun winning. I miss him and his reserved smiles.

Special mention:

Oliver Bearman: I mean he raced twice this season, I can't skip over him just like that. Anyways, he's a BABY [< girl who's half a year older than him sjedhbwje] and I WANT HIM TO DO GOOD. He's done relatively well till now in the limited time on track [in F1] we've seen him, we'll have to wait and watch how he does next year. This F2 season for him has been... eh but like I get why.

[unholly-reader]

Shadowcloacked // Chapter 1

Hello lovely people!

May i introduce my newest baby - chapter 1 of "Shadowcloaked"! As I have mentioned previosuly, thi story will revolve around Xaden's new love story with our new OC - Drina.

Fair warning - the updates might be slow, but the whole concept of it is written up until the end of the first book (yes, I'm considering making it a series), but this is the very beginning.

I do hope you enjoy it and as always - be merciful, english is not my first language and this is my first ever book written in english. Other than that I have no other comments.

For now enjoy the beginning of Drina and Xaden's story! More will come running to you soon!

Xoxo

(Un)Holly

*************************************************************

The entire ride to Riorson House was a frenzy of uncertainty and mixed feelings about meeting almost the royalty of all Tyrrendor. Truth be told Drina wasn’t exactly a stranger to manners and etiquette since her father was a highborn lord in his own right, but it didn’t change the fact that she was equally excited and terrified to get to know the highest ranking members of the Tyrroshi society. Barely over ten years old Drina was incredibly intuitive and smart for a girl of her age and the pride an joy of her parents. Losing her mother to a terrible sickness at the age of six and learning to live with her father as her only family was tough on the little lady of Sefrisgen, but she braved through it quite well. She was not alone in her struggles, that’s for certain. Her father, Lord Fenrys Vartell of Sefrisgen, was considered a cold and ruthless man but for his only daughter the was ready to burn the whole world around him just to make sure she’s happy and safe. After his wife, the late Lady Miriam Vartell, died so suddenly, he took it upon himself to raise their child to the best of his ability. He had no clue about raising little girls but he taught her everything he knew. He taught her how to read and understand the knowledge laced between the lines. He taught her how to handle daggers and swords. He taught her ancient languages so that she could understand more than the common tongue. He also taught her the importance of family, the strength of the bonds made with love, and not with pretenses.

- You need to remember, my little shadow. Family is everything. Whatever may happen along they way, you will always have your father’s arms to run back to. You’re the blood of my blood, Alexandrina Vartell. You’re the best of me and the best of your mother. You always have been.

Little Drina didn’t really understand her father’s words then, but she knew she would eventually. She was sometimes too smart and too curious for her own good, always pushing through to distinguish truth from deceit. Now that she was on her way to meet the most important person in all of Tyrrendor she had her questions already lined up in her little head, ready to attack the Duke with all her ten years old might. Watching the mountains and rocky landscapes outside the window of their carriage she looked amazed at the view. For an outside spectator the lands surrounding Aretia were nothing special. Just some mountain chains and little to no grass, nothing really eye catching or particular enough to take a moment to admire. But for a little girl learning everything there was to learn about Tyrrish history, culture and the legends surrounding the Aretian mountains riding through these terrains was more magical than any wyvern legend ever heard.

- How big is Riorson House, father? I read in the chronicles that the castle is monumental, but they never wrote how big exactly. I wonder…

- Gods be good, Drina - lord Fenrys laughed with a wide grin on his lips, turning to face his only daughter sitting next to him - Be patient. We will be arriving shortly and you can see for yourself, little shadow.

- But I need to know, father. It’s really important.

- And why is that?

- Because Duke Riorson needs to know I’m really smart. I want to impress him with how much I know about his home and about Tyrrendor history. And Aretia is Tyrrendor’s history so I really need to know.

Fenrys smiled once again, gently cupping Drina’s little face in his plam. Her pale skin looked like moonstone against his tan hand, almost as if she was sparkling from within. If it wasn’t for the colors the undeniable similarity of their faces some people might wonder if they were even related. Lord Fenrys’s features were rough, almost like they were cut in stone. Sharp jawline, a straight nose and bushy chocolate eyebrows surround his deep blue eyes were truly complimenting his tawny skin and dark brown hair cut short enough to fall behind his ear only a little. Looking into Drina’s big sapphire-like eyes he was alway reminded of his beloved Miriam. Not only did his daughter share her mother’s wit and kindness, but also her looks. Silky dark hair falling in soft waves on her back and the cupid-like lips curling into a gentle smile with every occasion were her father’s favorite features she had inherited from the beautiful Lady Miriam Vartell. A true gift from the heavens.

- I’m certain that the Duke will be as impressed as he can be when he meets you, my little shadow - Fenrys replied, hugging Drina to his side - There is no other way.

- How can you know that, father? - the girl asked with curious eyes nearly drilling holes in her father’s chin.

- Because I have already told him how special you are. Little Drina’s face lit up momentarily as she jumped her father’s side, clutching into his dark leather jacket crested on the arm with traditional Tyrroshi runes. She was overjoyed.

- Oh, thank you, father! Thank you so much! I will not let you down, I promise. I swear I will live up to everything you told the Duke about me. I will be polite and kind and respectful and…

- You will be everything he could ever imagine and more, my sweet - Fenrys replied, cutting Drina mid sentence.

She didn’t mind at all. Her father was her greatest protector and she knew he would never do wrong by her. So she just smiled playfully and turned around to admire the landscapes leading to Aretia’s most magnanimous building. Riorson House.

*****

It was known far and wide that the Riorson family was the wealthiest and most noble in all of Tyrrendor. Even the riches that the Earl of Lewellen prided himself on could not reach the bottom of Riorsons fortune. What most people didn't know was that the Duke of Tyrrendor was never a greedy man and first and foremost his duty, and consequently his fortune, was to serve his people. Being of noble birth combined with such riches in some people’s mind should have made him a prideful and imperious man, but instead he chose the fate of his subject before everything else.

There were rare occasions on which the Duke prioritized anything over his people and those were the moments he spent raising his only son. Little Xaden Riorson was a spitting image of his father and quickly he was becoming his shadow, following His Grace wherever he went. The only thing the young duke inherited from his mother were his eyes. Almost black, onyx one would say, speckled with dozens of tine golden flecks. He was a curious child from a very young age but didn’t act on his instincts right up. Growing up he had begun his strategy training even before his father was made aware of that fact. Using his size to his advantage, little Xaden used to sneak in on his father’s meeting with his advisors and listened in, remembering every detail he thought important at the time, such as where the Poromish soldiers placed their weapons or how to charm a lady in five steps or less. Really the most important issues regarding a young noble’s upbringing.

When he heard about Lord Vartell’s arrival, he wondered why was he bringing his daughter with him. It wasn’t by any means the first time that he had visited his father as they were close companions, but more importantly, Lord Fenrys was chief advisor to the Duke in his own right. It was known far and wide that his father, Lord of Sefrisgen and general Alister Tavis were the most deadly trio in the province. The sheer combination of Fen’s power, Alister’s wit and Fenrys’s shrewdness was so powerful that even general Melgren would come to tremble before them. What was interesting about this particular visit was the fact that Lord Fenrys was rumored to be staying for a few months, or maybe even permanently. That part was entirely possible for Xaden to unravel during on elf their meetings he would most definitely be listening on, but the daughter still intrigued him. It wasn’t like he had never seen a girl before, but he had never really met a girl of noble birth. Seeing as Lord Fenrys was the second most powerful man in all of Tyrrendor, Alexandrina was his heir in every meaning of this word. The Duke’s son was curious who would be sharing his home for the next few months, since beside Garrick, his company was limited to tutors, teachers and guards surrounding Riorson House inside and out.

The sun was almost setting behind the highest mountain peaks when the heralds announced the arrival of their guests. Fen chose to welcome his friend in person, seeing as his advice and companionship over the years placed Fenrys little higher in his ranks than any second tier advisor. Both he and Xaden stood tall at the gates to the residence, standing equally tall and proud in dark blue tunics and matching pants. The Duke glanced at his son, smirking slightly as he saw little Xaden’s combed hair and stern face.

Sometimes he forgot just how much his son reminded him of himself from his youngest years. He had his jet black hair and straight nose with tawny skin so nicely contrasting the gold in the boy’s eyes. In terms of looks nobody could ever deny that he was the Duke’s son, so there was only a question of the boy personality and wits.

When the carriage rode into the square, it was almost dusk. The light of the setting sun seemingly lit up the windows of Riorson House, making it look almost magical. The old castle looks almost idyllic in this light. Although on the outside it didn’t look as majestic as King Tauiri’s palace, it had its beauty hidden between the brick walls, dark gray rooftops and small yet vibrant gardens in the back. Once you walked through the gate separating the castle from the town and smallfolk, it was almost like entering a different dimension of the Aretian aristocracy. Four majestic towers standing at 60 feet connected by solid walls formed a kind of border of the residence, enclosing the perfectly preserved architecture of old Tyrrendor in the shape of a pentagon. As they rode in, Drina marvelled at the buidling with the excitement of a five years old child admiring a new shiny toy. Her attention was captured by the people standing in front of the stairs leading up to the main door of the residence, specifically the child standing next to who she believed was the Duke.

- Father, who is that boy?

- That's Xaden. He's the Duke's only son and heir to his throne.

- Is he fun to play with, father? - Drina asked curiously as they slowly reached their destination.

- You're gonna have to find out on your own, my little shadow - Fenrys replied with a smile, caressing his daugher's back - Now come, Alexandrina. It's time for you to meet the Duke.

When the carriage stopped in its tracks, Lord Fenrys opened the door and carefully stepped outside, immediately helping his daughter follow his steps. Drina gracefully jumped from the little steps of the carriage, standing tall next to her father. Fen smiled warmly as he made eye contact with his old friend. The guests stepped further, stopping barely five feet before their gracious hosts. Fenrys smirked, bowing before his Duke and Drina curtsied as a properly raised young lady should, gazing discreetly at the boy standing in front of her.

- Greetings, Your Grace. Your invitation is an honour for our family. We thank you for welcoming us to your home - Fenrys said graciously, glancing at Fen's face with a barely hidden smile dancing on his lips.

A moment of silence fell on the four of them as both men looked at each other with a sense of seriousness. But that didn't last long. Momentarily, both the Duke and the Lord of Sefrisgen laughed out loudly, embraicng each other in a bear like hug.

- For the love of Gods, Fenrys. How many times must I tell you to abandon this official greeting bullshit? - Fen asked, amused by his friend's performance.

- At least one more time, Your Grace - Fenrys replied mockingly, clapping his hand on the Duke's back - But since we're over the formalities, there's someone very special I want you to meet.

Both men stepped back and the Duke's attention focused on the little girl standing beside his friend. He smiled gently, glancing at her pretty face and curious eyes.

- Fen, this is my daughter, Drina.

- Father! You're supposed to use full names when introducing anybody to the Duke - the girl chided her father, curtsying once again, while keeping eye contact with Fen - My name is Alexandrina Verona Vartell, Your Grace. It's an honour to make your acquiantance.

Fen smirked under his nose but nevertheless did his best to keep a straight face looking at the very serious ten year old girl greeting him in accordance with all the etiquette rules he was too busy to abide by.

- The pleasure is all mine, Lady Vartell - Fen replied politely, bowing his head a little - Although I hope you won't mind if I call you Drina, like your father.

- Of course not, Your Grace.

- Wonderful. This is my son, Xaden. I'm sure the two of you will become great friends - Fen presented his boy with his left arm, gently pushing the little boy to step forward.

As Xaden took three steps towards Drina and their eyes first met, something clicked in their little heads. Bright blue, almost sapphire eyes of Fenrys's daughter met the gold-speckled onyx orbs of the future Duke of Tyrrendor. Neither of them knew the reason why or what for, but subconsciously they both realised they knew one another. Drina knew that there was a place in time where she held Xaden's hand and Xaden knew there was a time he learned every navy-coloured spot in her bright blue eyes.

You're all that I needed and more then I deserved.

A single sentence struck in the children's mind like an old melody. Both unaware the other heard the same thing they chose to ignore it and live in the moment present. Little Xaden put his hand forward, bowing his head slightly and Drina graciously put her palm in his, smiling kindly at the dark haired boy.

- I'm Drina. Pleasure to meet you.

- I'm Xaden and the pleasure is all mine.

And so the Gods placed their bets. Would the Onyx boy break the Sapphire girl? Or would they save each other in a war against darkness and deceit?

[misspelledwordswizard]

Chapter 22 - It's good to be able to sleep again

Previous chapter / Next chapter

I woke up with the sun on my face, bothering me enough to wake me from my previously desired sleep. Opening my eyes, I was blinded by the direct light and blamed myself for my stupidity. I ran my hands over my face, trying to shake off the sleep that was haunting me, as I sat up in bed. I looked around the room, it took me a while to start processing the information, where I was and what had happened, so intense was my nap.  

It was then that I saw Time, sitting in an armchair, not far from me, calmly reading a book. Suddenly the memories of the previous night came flooding back, making me want to bury my face in a hole in shame. I feel humiliated, I cried like a baby and revealed such personal things, and yet he stayed by my side and welcomed me. I am very grateful for that, but I can’t help but think that it was a little strange to talk to him, now that he knows my secrets. 

— Good morning, did you sleep well? – The older man’s voice caught my attention again. – You seemed calm while you were sleeping, even smiling, so I guess there wasn’t a nightmare, huh? 

I felt my cheeks heat up as the blond gave me a smug smile. Bastard, he’s making fun of me this morning after all the things I told him, that's evil, Time! Sometimes I forget that behind that older man’s posture he’s still that brat who likes to tease. The mangas were right. 

— Yes, I slept well. – His soft laughter at my answer only fueled my sullen face, which was probably the reason for the joke. – Thank you, Link. I don’t know what I would have done without you. 

The sudden seriousness in my voice, along with a certain melancholy, made a striking contrast with the previous mood of the room. When I looked back at the hero, I could see him with a sincere and comforting smile that calmed my nerves. 

— Sure, dear, I’m here for you, anytime. – He said and then stood up, putting the book aside and stretching after having spent so much time in the same position. – Now, you don’t have to worry about that, okay? I’ll be downstairs, come down when you feel ready. 

I watched him as he left my room, leaving me alone with my intrusive thoughts, which I blocked as quickly as I could. Time is an incredible man. He’s loving, caring, strong and protective, whoever his beloved is, she’s a very lucky woman. 

I sighed, feeling more relaxed than I had in a long time, all that accumulated fatigue had had certain effects, I can see, and this rest was more than welcome. Opening the window and letting more light in, I was graced by the warmth of the sun that reached me, I could also see that it was high in the sky. Damn, I slept too much, it must be about ten 'clock in the morning.  I left the room, after checking my appearance and fixing my hair, and went down the stairs of the academy, only to bump into Wind on the way. Literally, because he came out of the room just as I was passing by and we ended up bumping into each other. 

— Ah, you’re finally awake! – He said excitedly. – Everyone has already eaten, but I can keep you company in the kitchen if you want, I have nothing to do anyway. 

The boy said and shrugged, he spent the last few days exploring Skyloft, but I think this place is a bit small for someone with his adventurous spirit, he must be dying of boredom. I couldn’t help but laugh lightly at the thought of it, and also since he was proposing to spend time with me instead of his brothers, that’s cute, so I don’t feel so alone either. 

Heading to the aforementioned place, I was surprised to see that one of the boys was still there. In one of the corners, distracted by something he was reading, was Legend. I thought he hadn’t even noticed our presence, so I was taken aback when I heard him talking to us, still without looking away from the book. God, is this place boring enough that Links would suddenly become interested in reading? 

— Sky has already taken Warriors to the surface, the next one to go when he returns will be Rancher. 

My attention turned to him, more focused on the information itself than on the boy himself. So, they’ve already started going down, huh? I can’t help but feel a little strange about all this, I think I was already getting used to the calm of Skyloft, to think that now we’ll have to go back to walking for hours without stopping, dealing with monsters and whatever else comes, it’s kind of distressing. 

I mean, I was learning to deal with all this before, but this time of peace ended up unaccustoming me and I went back to square one of the whole thing. Suddenly, an anxiety at the thought of others ending up discovering my secret also hit me, especially if it happens during a moment of tension down there. I hope Time really is right, and knows the best way to do this. 

— You... – The Veteran’s voice caught my attention again, while Wind went to the kitchen to look for food, oblivious to the conversation. – Time stayed in your room all night, and only came out a little while ago... 

As soon as he spoke, I could notice a certain irritation in his voice, my brain worked to process this statement, and I finally understood what he was really asking, blushing like a tomato and completely indignant at this suggestion. 

— What!? I was having trouble sleeping, okay? The old man just helped me with that. – I felt myself getting sulky about it, and the blond just snorted and turned his face away at my answer. 

— If that was all, you should have asked for my help, I know what it’s like not to be able to sleep, it would have been much more useful. 

— If you want to know, I didn’t even ask for his help either, he offered it himself and didn’t let me refuse... 

I found myself saying this, a little quieter and calmer than before. Why the hell am I trying to explain myself? I just snorted and walked away from him, it’s too early for this. I mean, not that early, but I just woke up so I don’t feel like it either. 

I just gave up on talking to this complicated boy and went to the kitchen, looking for something that could satisfy my hunger and end Wind’s munchies, who even after breakfast still wanted to eat something else. 

◇ 

 The sun was shining high in the sky, and it felt warm on my skin as I walked around the lake with the Sailor. I had seen some of the boys walking along the path, apparently, they were just as bored as we were, so it was no surprise when I saw the Champion and the Traveler approaching where we were. 

— Good morning, did you get any rest? I saw that you seemed tired yesterday. – Rulie, who I hadn’t seen yet today, said with an empathetic smile. 

— Oh, yes, I had the best night’s sleep in ages! – I found myself saying with a silly smile. It’s amazing how being rested puts me in a good mood. 

— That’s good, because soon we won’t have the opportunity to rest so well for a while. – Wild commented, kind of complaining about what was coming next. 

I laughed a little, hiding how disappointed I was about it too, and turned to see what the child was doing, only to find him poking around in the dirt looking for bugs. I’m sure it was Sky’s influence. What am I going to do with this kid? Early in the morning and he’s already getting dirty. 

— Wind, take your hand off the floor, you’re going to get all dirty! – I complained, like a nagging mother, making him startle a little at my sudden call and get up, wiping his hands on his clothes. 

— Oh, it’s okay, I’m not even clean, I’ll take a bath when we get back to the academy – The blond answered me, as he came back to me. 

— What? When was the last time you took a bath?! 

— Hm, yesterday... no, it was the day before yesterday! – He answered while thinking, trying to remember, leaving me completely indignant. 

I pulled him by the arm closer to me and smelled his hair, which just by looking at it I could tell how dirty it was. The smell was terrible, worse than I had imagined. I know that children in general tend to be lazy about taking showers and such, but who in their right mind can stay dirty and smelling like that for so long? Oh dear, these heroes of the past are unaware of the importance of good hygiene. 

— Ew, boy, you look disgusting! – I complained and he even had the audacity to laugh at my reaction. – Lord, have mercy... 

Before he could react, I grabbed him under the arms, lifting him into the air momentarily and then threw him into the lake next to me, making him let out a cry of surprise. Proud of my attitude, I held my hands, as if I were cleaning the dust, with a sense of job done, at least until I heard laughter coming from beside me. 

I turned to look at the two boys who were laughing at the youngest, that is until I pulled Wild closer too and sniffed his hair, making him stop laughing when he noticed my disgusted face. 

— Look, we can do this for better or for worse, the choice is all yours... 

Before I could finish, the boy was already taking off his boots and jumping into the lake too, along with the third of them who followed his brother’s wise example. Good. Very good, I’m not going to spend time around smelly people. These heroes, now just because you have a world to save doesn’t mean you can do it smelling bad! 

The sound of laughter ended up catching the attention of Four, who was passing by at the time. He stopped next to me while judging his brothers without understanding the reason for all this. In order not to break character, I pulled the short boy closer and smelled his hair just like I did with the others. It was no surprise to me that he smelled super good. The Blacksmith is very clean and organized, when he’s not all sweaty after working in the forge, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity.  Before he could question my strange actions, I repeated what I had done with Wind, grabbing him by the arms and quickly throwing him into the lake, making him let out a surprised little scream while I laughed immaturely. 

Well, since we’re in this situation anyway, I guess there’s no harm in participating. Following the example of the last three, I took off my shoes and threw myself into the lake, being graced by the cold water that hit my skin, bringing great relief on this hot sunny day. 

The three started to take it more as a joke. Well, this wouldn’t be much of a bath considering it’s a lake, they went in fully clothed and will probably only come out smelling like wet dogs – no offense to Wolfie – but at least it will force them to take a full bath as soon as they leave here. In a short time, this game in the lake ended up turning into a mess of water being splashed everywhere, fun attacks, swimming competitions or even who splashed the most water when jumping back into the lake, between the Champion and the Sailor, while I and the other two acted as judges.  The rest of the afternoon was spent like this, before I decided it was time to leave and force everyone to go back to take a hot shower and avoid a collective cold. 

◇ 

— Rupee for your thoughts? – I said as I approached Time, outside the academy.  

It was night, I had gone out to get some air before dinner, it was then that I came across the hero of time outside, observing the night landscape with a thoughtful and worried expression. I hadn’t seen him since morning, I was really getting worried, worried if something had happened, or maybe that the reason for his distance was everything that happened yesterday.  

His blue eyes turned to me. He didn’t seem surprised, nor uncomfortable with my presence, but that didn’t make him seem any less thoughtful than before. I don’t know how, but he seemed to read my thoughts and worries, giving me a reassuring smile as I got closer. 

— Hm, there are a lot of them, are you sure you want to hear them? 

— Don’t think you can get rid of me so easily, old man. 

— Hm, right. That’s the last thing I’d want. 

— So, what’s bothering you? 

Silence prevailed for a moment, the older man’s expression hardening, followed by a tired sigh. 

— You know, that night I had time to think about everything, with all the things you told me, there was a lot to fit in and process, luckily, I had plenty of time for that. 

— Thank my heavy sleep then. – I heard him laugh at my unfunny joke, and that alone made it worth it. 

— Yeah, it was really welcome at the time. A lot of things started to make sense after that, the fact that the Shadow was so interested in you, the attacks, maybe that was even the reason why we met. But there’s still something there. I feel like there’s something big behind this. I can’t imagine that the only reason you’re involved in this is because you know us, especially because, from what you told me, a lot of other people do the same, right? 

I nodded, confirming the information. He’s right, I’ve caught myself thinking about it several times, since I reincarnated, actually. Why me? Of all the people, of all the big Zelda fans, what makes me different from them?  When I saw that I wouldn’t get any answers, I just gave up, but thinking about it now, maybe I’m closer than ever to those much-acclaimed answers. And even so, I’m still very far from them. 

— Well, trust me, don’t rack your brains trying to find logic in this, I’ve spent my whole life doing this and haven’t gotten any results. But, from what I’ve seen recently, the best thing to do is keep going, eventually things will start to fall into place. 

— Yes... I think you’re right. But I can’t help but worry, especially when it could mean you’re in danger. – He sighed, straightening his tense posture. – Well, I guess I’ll just have to double the amount of care I have for you then. Get ready for at least two of us to keep an eye on you at all times! 

— Oh, Noooo! – I dramatized, earning a sincere laugh from the man. 

— Just kidding, dear. I’m not going to invade your privacy. Well, I can’t say the same about the others, they can be quite nosy when they want to be. 

— Well, then I think it’s best to keep all this as confidential as possible, hm? 

— Yeah, it’ll be our little secret. – I felt shy with the wink Time sent me. Unfortunately for me, this guy is a natural born tease, and I have a weakness for handsome men. 

— Now, since you mentioned last night, shouldn’t you be sleeping now, sir? 

— Nah, I slept the whole afternoon. 

— Ah 

That explains why I haven’t seen you all day. Come to think of it, I’m not going to sleep any time soon either, considering how late I woke up. Although the day was tiring, after swimming for so long it’s no surprise that I fell right to sleep the moment my head hit the pillow. Oh, who would have thought, I guess it actually worked. 

— Time, I don’t think I’ve been able to thank you enough yet. – He shook his head in denial, as if it were no big deal. – No, seriously. I hadn’t noticed until now, but all that irrational fear of sleeping and dreaming that was haunting me has gone away, I don’t feel anxious when I think about going to sleep anymore, thanks to you... Thank you, really. 

— That was nothing, I didn’t even do anything. And don’t minimize your pain like that, your fear was completely fair. Know that if something like that happens again, you can come straight to me, I’ll take care of you. – I could feel the sincerity in his voice, which only made me even more grateful. – And besides, the experience wasn’t bad at all, you look cute dreaming, you know? 

I playfully patted his shoulder, reprimanding him for all his teasing, while he just laughed at my reaction. Yeah, it really is great to get to know this side of Time.  He acts like we’ve been friends for a long time, and that’s nice, it’s comforting. I found myself caught in his gaze, his beautiful blue eyes staring at me so intensely, there under the moonlight, he seemed so ethereal. Suddenly he was no longer Time, the leader of the group, an imposing man, a strong and serious hero. He was Link, a friend, a confidant to whom I could reveal my secrets and who I knew would help me, not as a hero who helps everyone, but as someone I care about and who is there for me when I need it. I hope he can see me that way too. 

Both of our attention was cut off by the sound of the door opening right behind us, making us pull away and look back in surprise. There, standing in the doorway, was the Veteran, he looked at us for a moment, his lips parted, as if he was going to say something, but nothing came out, instead he just scowled sullenly as he looked at us, getting irritated for some reason. 

— The Cook said to let you know that the food is ready, hurry up! – He said, entering again and slamming the door behind him. 

— Geez, what’s gotten into him? – I commented and Time just sighed tiredly. 

— Sometimes I don’t even understand. We better go in quickly, before he comes back even angrier. 

[beauty-and-passion]

TBOB PART 1: OF BILL’S POWERS AND DIMENSIONS (1/2)

FINALLY.

It took me an eternity to finish this post. And not just because I have 32 pages of notes about this goddamn book, but also:

life in general

summer in specific

if I’m supposed to relax, then why do I have so much stuff to do

the goddamn thisisnotawebsitedotcom that I stupidly thought was just a simple website like it was for Lost Legends, ahah how big could it ever be. OH BOY HOW WRONG I WAS WHY DO I KEEP UNDERESTIMATING ALEX HIRSCH WHY

And so here we are, with the first post about this big topic I wanted to talk about. I know that any additional info coming from thisisnotawebsitedotcom can add/disprove my points, but in that case, I’ll just write one more post. I already wrote more posts than I originally planned, so writing a few more isn’t such a huge difference by now.

So, let’s start by analyzing a little closer how Bill’s powers work, how they are related to dimensions and let’s ask ourselves some more questions. Because of course there are still questions: it wouldn’t be Gravity Falls, if there were no mysteries left.

_________________

Obligatory disclaimer

I will talk about the entire book and make spoilers

I will mention all codes (thanks to the Gravity Falls wiki for being so efficient)

I will use any sort of language, but hey, if you have this book I suppose you won’t be shocked by a couple of swear words

I will also mention some of the info available until now on thisisnotawebsitedotcom - or at least the ones I found HERE

And now, let’s start.

_____________________

“Dimensional powers”

In the “Reality is an Illusion” in TBOB page, Bill says two important things:

Reality is made of code and madness and microscopic “legos”

Everything big is made of something small and the small stuff can be manipulated

This is a nice reference to the string theory. To put it very VERY simply, this theory suggests that the smallest elements at the foundation of everything are called strings. Strings are incredibly smaller than quarks and, depending on how they vibrate, they can make everything in the universe.

Related to this theory there’s also the M-Theory: to put it even more simply, the strings are not all similar, one-dimensional elements, but they vary depending on how many dimensions they contain, from one to eleven. (Beware: this is an oversimplified explanation. For more details, please check the experts’ ones)

Why those theories are important? Because I think they may offer us an explanation of how Bill’s powers work.

From all I saw in the series and until now, it looks like Bill’s powers are all related to dimensions. If there is a dimension of some kind, Bill can enter, alter or influence it. So if the entire reality and everything in the universe (living beings included) is made of strings and strings have dimensions, than this explains how why Bill was able to:

enter and modify other dimensions (including Earth during Weirdmageddon)

modify other living beings

possess other creatures

see the Third Dimension while he was in the Second

This also may explain the ciphervoyance: if Bill can see the third dimension, then he can also see all other possibilities - and if these possibilities are higher dimensions, then he can see them too.

And yes, this explains pyrokinesis too: if Bill can look into other dimensions and modify them, why couldn’t he modify the strings of one dimension enough to “start fires with his brain”?

_____________________

But what about dreams?

Dreams should be different, right? How can Bill look into them? Dreams are not a dimensions, right?

Please, allow me to introduce you to this part from Flatland: the Sphere is talking to A Square about something very specific:

"For I, who see all things, discerned last night the phantasmal vision of Lineland written upon your brain."

It looks like the Sphere has been able to see inside A Square’s dream. A 3D creature has been able to look into a 2D creature’s dreams.

Since Bill’s entire story is heavily influenced by Flatland (we will talk about it extensively in the next series of posts, don’t worry), I think this supports the theory that Bill’s powers are “dimensional” indeed and that dreams are another dimension entirely. That’s why Bill can enter them and possess/read other people’s minds: it’s because that’s an entirely different dimension he can look at, enter and modify.

And, as we saw from the string and the M-theory, it doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a higher or lower dimension: Bill can still look at, access and modify it.

And if you’re not convinced yet, consider that Bill talked about the mindscape as a “liminal basement”. So it’s a sort of “bridge” between dimensions - or a “bridge dimension” that connects the unconscious to the conscious. So if he can enter dimensions, there’s no reason he can’t enter dimensional bridges.

_____________________

Powers that would “eat you alive”

All of this seems pretty cool and fun, doesn’t it? We saw Bill using these powers to wreak havoc at O’Sadleys after his breakup with Ford, to switch the function of every hole in Preston Northwest’s face, and to alter reality during Weirdmageddon.

But we also saw him speeding up Ford’s mind when it’s sluggish, calm him down when he’s anxious and rewiring his optical never to see a new color.

And that was exciting, because that’s what I wanted to see. How’s possible that this guy could just enter someone else’s mind and possess it, but not mess in any way with the delicate, complex system of human brains? Humans have a lot of areas and neurons and everything: it’s a perfectly complicated, complex mechanism. Why would Bill miss the chance to do something inside it?

And then, Bill showed Ford a speck of what he’s really capable of:

And that… ooho yes, that’s EXACTLY what I wanted to see. Those are real threats. Rewiring the optical nerve again, not to help, but to entirely alter your perception of reality. Play a tone louder and louder until it drives you insane. Burn neurons, delete memories, push enough switches to make you forget your own name. That’s the fucked up stuff I wanted from Bill! That’s the stuff that makes me think he’s right, when he said the monster “would eat you alive, Sixer”.

Even more messed up, when the next page he said “Oh, those were just practical jokes”. 200% messed up, I love this little psycho, he deserves to burn everything and attend more therapy.

_____________________

The questions of how

So let’s recap: Bill is a two-dimensional living creature who has dimensional powers. He can look at, alter and destroy all kinds of dimensions - no matter how big (universes) or small (strings) they are.

Now the rightful question is: how the fuck did he get all these powers? Is this something usual, for 2D creatures to have such godly powers? Of course not, considering no one in Bill’s home dimension was able to do/see what he could.

At this point of my reasoning, I also asked myself: how did he manage to not just look into a dimension but also alter it? Looking into is something, altering is different…

But then, I though about myself. I am a three-dimensional living being. I can look into a 2D world and I can alter it too. I can destroy a flat surface. I can add things inside it. I can intersect it with my shape. I can do a lot of stuff to it. I cannot live inside it like a two-dimensional being, but I can modify it.

So can Bill. He can look and modify other realities - but he can also enter them. Something I, a 3D being, cannot do.

In addition to that, consider that since I am 3D, I cannot enter, see or alter the 4D world. I can figure out a hypercube and try to wrap my head around its shape and how it’s supposed to work, but I cannot actually see the fourth dimension and all higher ones.

Bill, on the other hand, can see any dimension, no matter how high or small it is. He can see them all, alter them all and enter them all.

How? How can a 2D creature do it?

_____________________

The lack of a physical form

In the “MY WEAKNESSES” section in TBOB, Bill says something about not having a physical form.

Even in the show, Bill talked about not having a physical form: in fact, as soon as he enters Earth to start the Weirdmageddon, the first thing he does is get a physical form.

That implies he didn’t have a physical form before. But he was also living in the Nightmare Realm, which is “a space between spaces”, a place with no consistent laws “physical or judicial”, and a place in which the realms of physics and reality make no sense. So yes, even a being without a physical form can live inside it.

And even in this book, Bill often talks about himself as “an idea” that never dies. He sees himself closer to a concept, than an ordinary, living being. Keep that in mind for now, we’ll use it for later.

However, now we can ask ourselves another thing: fine, Bill was an idea/had no physical form when he lived in the Nightmare Realm. But what about before that? What happened before the Nightmare Realm?

Before that, Bill destroyed his home dimension.

_____________________

In conclusion... for now

I know, it’s evil to end a post like this but stay tuned, because the next one will have the biggest Theory That Might Be Wrong I developed until now.

We've just started.

Next post ->

(How about a coffee? ☕)

_______________________________

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[zahri-melitor]

So I've read the opening story of Tim Drake: Robin.

The opening issue is solid, highlighting a lot of Meghan Fitzmartin's skills as a writer. She picked up threads neatly from her earlier stories, showed her hand to the audience, and did do a fair amount of subtle character work. If I'd picked it up with no background knowledge of the fandom conversation about the title, I'd have been very excited for where it was going.

I liked the links back to how part of what prompted Tim to move out was Bruce being fussy over Tim having been shot in the throat in Batman #125. That felt realistic and a nice little link between titles.

As far as a story goes: I didn't mind it. Parts of it were very obvious, especially when you clued into the themes - if I'd actually been reading it as it came out and had a month between issues for things to soak in, I probably would have been tapping my toes over the reveal of who Moriarty was disguised as.

I would like to specifically dunk on both Meghan Fitzmartin and Moriarty for the detective novel writer selections, because...hmm. Kinda misogynistic there. Fitzmartin uses 6 writers for this, and 6 specific stories/franchises:-

Edgar Allen Poe – Murders in the Rue Morgue

Mark Twain – The Stolen White Elephant

Arthur Conan Doyle – Sherlock Holmes

Raymond Chandler - Goldfish

James Gelsey – Scooby Doo

Wilkie Collins – The Moonstone

What do you notice about this list, that I immediately noticed? They're all men. Who is an immediate name that comes to mind, who even had public domain stories as of 2022, who probably should be on a list like that and who also has incredible influence over the direction of the genre? Oh, I don't know, maybe Agatha Christie? (Also Dorothy L. Sayers is also right there and available, but skipping Christie?)

And once she'd built up this "it's all the detective stories" premise, Fitzmartin then went for a book code (cool!) from non-existent books (not cool). If you've just spent all this time glorying in how this is all related to Specific Classic Detective Stories, why not...use a real book code and refer to their actual stories? You've already done it for the plots! Commit to the bit!

Also I spent a good chunk of issue #4 staring at the page going "Carol Donovan? You mean Deb Donovan's judge daughter who recently appeared in Mariko Tamaki's 'Tec run? Tim, how are you missing something this straightforward? Also she's dead?" and then it never came to anything. Maybe do a quick check if anyone else has been using the name you just invented for the story.

"I even tried making a new costume for myself. It doesn't fit." - I did find it interesting that Fitzmartin was once again playing with the "is it time to move on" themes for Tim that were popping up around here in various conversations. Especially given she had Tim and Dick relitigate their conversation from Urban Legends #10 and similar themes in DC:YJ. It does suggest to me that she was working her way around to getting Tim into a new identity, but cancellation has once again left that in the 'not happening' basket.

In terms of the art: Riley Rossmo was the wrong pick for the title, but I do see the thought process that led into him getting the nod for the opening story, given the whole claymation villain set. It was very 2D animation style. I don't mind Rossmo (and interestingly he's developing a whole line up of detective stories he's done art for, given he's also had a Martian Manhunter book and got Wesley Dodds, he did one of the Batman/The Shadow crossovers...) but his highly malleable art style loses a lot of background detail or makes what is there harder to parse.

I did very much appreciate the way Rossmo drew Tim's detective work, though. I liked the technique for highlighting details and clues, and it actually very much reminded me of how some computer games present clues (including how it's done in Gotham Knights, in fact).

I know everyone has said this, but Bernard needs to develop a personality AND to commit to whether or not he knows Tim is Robin. Because sort of hinting that he knows, while Tim worries about hiding things from him, but not actually confirming either way is only really acceptable if you actually do build up to a big reveal moment where the whole drama has been paid off.

I did appreciate that MegFitz had clearly taken feedback and returned one of Bernard's two pre-existing personality traits (conspiracy theorist who thinks the Bats are urban legend cryptids), because one of the weaknesses of using Bernard, a side character with 6 preboot appearances, is that at lot of his existing personality was sketched in. He was a conspiracy theorist, and he desperately wanted to be popular but wasn't, so he presented himself as having a Cool Guy's Personality (see: 'your step-mom is hot'). Now, Meghan Fitzmartin wants us to read into that second trait as a facade that Bernard was putting up to deal with the fact he was gay and hiding it, probably even from himself, at the time. Which, fine, it's a perfectly reasonable reading of Bernard (and to her credit, MegFitz has Bernard spell it out a little on page in TD:R), but the problem is...you've just lost one of the two identifiable traits of 'Bernard' and it hasn't been replaced with anything else. And while 2004 in comics was still trying to hold onto the Urban Legends reading for the Bats to an extent (though it was failing), 2022 comics has so long since abandoned it that Bernard having kooky theories about Batman's connection to Mothman or whatever is very...why?

And because both of these pre-existing personality traits are under strain from the context, it really is sort of necessary to give Bernard something else about him for people to latch onto for his personality. And it doesn't really seem to be there yet (as of #6). It's the same complaint that people have about Jon/Jay and a whole host of other partners for recently out superheros: they're generically pleasant, supportive and bland, with about the depth of a mirror. Give me some of the toxic drama the 30 year old lesbians are allowed. Where is my breakup over custody fights with an ex and one of the two getting seduced by a vampire.

[to-shards-you-say]

hi! i’m new to the stormlight archive fandom, any good blogs I should follow? the jasnah soulcaster you made was incredible! she’s my fav character so far

ahhh thank you for messaging, that's so kind!!! a lot of people will post about sanderson's other Cosmere work as well as stormlight, so you may see mistborn, warbreaker, secret project posts etc as well! i'm gonna shout out upfront to @cosmereplay who tags books / spoilers like its a sport, since if you're still reading spoilers are going to be a big deal.

@onlycosmere is a collage of our best (and worst! 😏) content - so even if what they're sharing is broader than stormlight, they'll be a good way to find people making stormlight posts.

and once you're not worried about spoilers @cosmerelists and @thesitcomarchive (if they ever post again. come back to me legend) are hilarious.

we have an awesome artist community here, i'll obviously fail to tag everyone (sorry!) but off the top of my head, @taravangians-storming-balls @comiclysmic @smeegamae @sadibadimadi @stivya @virtualtear00 @nauti-ca @stormlight-archive @lilaeleaf @starling-illu @transkholins @emily-e-draws @duckngk have all made amazing fanart for longer than i've been around on here. and a special mention to @lamaery for both her fanart and her licensed work on both the Words of Radiance leatherbound and the upcoming stormlight rpg!

and while my standards are sadly low, we've got some of the best discipline with screenreader accessibility that i've seen in a community on tumblr, so many thanks to those over at @cosmere-described for all they do in helping us keep that up.

we love when people post about their readthroughs, so if you want to start finding people to talk to i encourage you to record your reactions and share them here!

as for anyone else to follow, if your blog is spoiler-safe, sound off in the notes please 🙏