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austenpoppy · 1 year ago

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Comparison of Ron and Hermione's contributions in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I will willingly admit this post was written out of pure spite, tired that I was of seeing people claim Ron had barely contributed to anything in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, or at least way less so than Hermione.

So you know me, what do I do in this sort of case ? I decided to analyse closely what exactly Ron and Hermione did in the book, on different levels and in different ways to completely understand what went on.

Edit: I changed some scores slightly by adding or removing points, and had to recalculate everything, though it didn't change anything to my conclusions; changes are highlighted in bold

List of Ron and Hermione's accomplishments/contributions in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

So of course, to begin my analysis, I needed to list all of their concrete contributions and accomplishments. To be absolutely fair to either of them, I did not take into account feats of bravery that did not ultimately directly help or save anyone (so I did not count Ron begging Bellatrix to torture him instead of Hermione), but I did count elements in which one or the other protected, helped, or saved someone else.

I also listed any Duelling Feat or any fight Ron and Hermione had with Snatchers/Death Eaters/others that had to do with fighting against dark forces or people (I therefore did not include the fact that Ron punched Draco Malfoy during the Battle of Hogwarts).

Anything that helped Harry in the Horcrux Hunt or in getting Voldemort down was taken into account, however small, even if it was just knowledge regarding the Trace (this bit of knowledge allowed the trio to dispel the theory that Death Eaters had found them because Harry still had the Trace) or the location of the Lovegoods, or conjuring up a flask to get Snape's tears. I however omitted intelligent remarks that didn't move the plot forward directly (so for example, I did not include Ron's shrewd comment after he read Mundungus Fletcher's mind).

As Ron and Hermione's feats had to be concrete, I also omitted moments during which Ron was the buffer between Harry and Hermione, or during which one or the other recomforted/or tried to recomfort Harry/the other. I however judged that Ron leading the Horcrux Hunt for months was worthy of being listed, because he took on a major responsibility that helped the trio as they tried to move forward with the Hunt.

To make you understand how I proceeded, each point listed is a thematic element; so several actions from the same event can be listed as separate elements. The chapter in which the element listed happened/was referred to is mentioned after each element.

Ron

1. pretended to be Harry with the help of Polyjuice when he was part of the “Seven Potters” operation (“The Seven Potters”)

2. stunned a Death Eater right in the head from a flying broom (“Fallen Warrior”)

3. saved Hermione in the Tottenham Court Road Café when she didn’t notice that Rowle and Dolohov were going to attack the trio by lunging across the table and pushing her sideways (“A place to hide”)

4. cleared up the café on Tottenham Court Road with Harry after the fight, at Harry’s command (“A place to hide”)

5. gave information to Harry and Hermione regarding the Trace (“A place to hide”)

6. rugby-tackled Mundungus Fletcher when he tried to dive for the stairs (“The bribe”)

7. spied on Ministry workers with the Invisibility Cloak and heard that only the most senior Ministry members could connect their homes to the Floo network (“Magic is Might”)

8. convinced Harry and Hermione that Stunning three Ministry officials was not a good idea because a pile of unconscious bodies would be suspicious, and therefore suggested to use Fred and George’s products (“Magic is Might”)

9. snatched Red Cattermole’s bag without the latter noticing it before Reg Cattermole went back home (“Magic is Might”)

10. pretended to be Reg Cattermole with the help of Polyjuice Potion and convinced Albert Runcorn to take Nosebleed Norgat to ultimately take hair from his head (“Magic is Might”)

11. warned Harry and Hermione that Ministry officials knew there were intruders in the Ministry and that the trio had five minutes at most to leave the place (“The Muggle-Born Registration Commission”)

12. made the most of an uproar cause by the colleagues of some balding wizard to size Mrs. Cattermole and get her out of the Ministry through the fireplace, saving her and getting her away from the real Reg Cattermole – trying to deter other Ministry officials from scrutinizing the situation (“The Muggle-Born Registration Commission”)

13. prevented Harry and Hermione from saying the Taboo (Voldemort’s name) many times, after noticing that it felt like a jinx (“The thief”, “The Goblin’s Revenge”)

14. escaped from a gang of five Snatchers after being captured by them by hitting the one holding him in the stomach and grabbing his wand before Disarming the one who has his wand and Disapparating (“The Silver Doe”)

15. managed to steal a wand from Snatchers and brought the spare wand with him when he came back, which ended up replacing the one broken by Hermione (“The Silver Doe”)

16. saved Harry’s life by jumping into icy water to retrieve Harry who was drowning and by cutting the Horcrux to stop it from strangling Harry; also retrieved the sword of Gryffindor from the icy pond (“The Silver Doe”)

17. faced mental torture at the hands of Voldemort but won against Voldemort’s taunts, resisted possession and destroyed the locket (“The Silver Doe”)

18. learned about the existence of the Taboo during his time away and alerted Harry and Hermione that there was one (“Xenophilius Lovegood”)

19. knew approximatively where the Lovegoods lived (“Xenophilius Lovegood”)

20. led the Horcrux hunt for months while Harry obsessed over the Hallows, not only to search for the Horcruxes but also to gather the team’s spirit (“The Deathly Hallows”)

21. subdued Wormtail with the help of Harry, and took his wand (“Malfoy Manor”)

22. imitated Wormtail to reassure Lucius Malfoy that nothing particular was happening (“Malfoy Manor”)

23. Disarmed Bellatrix Lestrange with Wormtail’s wand (“Malfoy Manor”)

24. saved Hermione by pulling her from under the wreckage caused by the collapse of the chandelier detached from the ceiling by Dobby, and Disapparating after catching a wand thrown at him by Harry (“Malfoy Manor”)

25. was the one who suggested the trio should double-cross Griphook by swapping the real sword of Gryffindor with the fake and give the fake to Griphook to buy enough time for the trio to escape (“Shell Cottage”)

26. pretended to be Dragomir Despard during the trio’s break-out at Gringotts (“Gringotts”)

27. stunned a wizard who was lunging for Hermione’s throat (believing her to be Bellatrix) (“Gringotts”)

28. Stunned Goblins with Harry and Hermione (“Gringotts”)

29. helped Harry cast gouging spells to blast the ceiling apart and facilitate the trio’s escape from Gringotts, after they observed Hermione do it (“Gringotts”)

30. was the one who suggested that the students who were in the Room of Requirement could help them find the other Horcruxes (“The lost diadem”)

31. designed a plan to destroy the cup of Hufflepuff, by remembering the Chamber of Secrets had Basilisk fangs; told Hermione that she should destroy the cup of Hufflepuff (“The Battle of Hogwarts”)

32. managed to imitate Harry saying the word “open” in Parseltongue to open the Chamber of Secrets (“The Battle of Hogwarts”)

33. saved Gregory Goyle’s life by hoisting him on Hermione and he’s broom when the Fiendfyre conjured up by Vincent Crabbe engulfed the Room of Requirement (“The Battle of Hogwarts”)

34. grabbed Hermione with Harry to put her to the floor so she wouldn’t be hit with spells (“The Elder Wand”)

35. threw spells that collided with Harry’s and were cast to repel an Acromentula trying to get inside Hogwarts (“The Elder Wand”)

36. told Harry and Hermione to get back so they wouldn’t be hit by the galloping desks of Minerva McGonagall (“The Elder Wand”)

37. prevented Hermione from casting a spell on Grawp; had she done so Grawp would have crushed “half the castle” (“The Elder Wand”)

38. cast “Wingardium Leviosa” on a twig and waved it into the air to stop the Whomping Willow from moving around; he was spurred on by Hermione’s remark (“The Elder Wand”)

39. broke Voldemort’s Silencing Charm by standing up to him and yelling “He beat you!” (“The Flaw in the Plan”)

40. took down Greyback with Neville (“The Flaw in the Plan”)

Hermione

1. pretended to be Harry with the help of Polyjuice when he was part of the “Seven Potters” operation (“The Seven Potters”) (note: I did not consider that Hermione fought off Death Eaters - or managed to - during that operation because in my opinion, Kingsley Shacklebolt was clearly referring to his own actions when he reported what happened)

2. stole books about Horcruxes from Dumbledore’s study and told Ron and Harry what she had learned about Horcruxes from reading them (“The Ghoul in Pyjamas”)

3. packed elements that could be useful for the Hunt, including a batch of Polyjuice Potion that she stole from Mad-Eye Moody, clothes, the Invisibility Cloak, Essence of Dittany, Puking Pastilles, Nosebleed Norgat, Decoy Detonators, Muggle money, and the tent (“The Ghoul in Pyjamas”)

4. Apparated the trio to Tottenham Court Road (“A place to hide”)

5. Stunned Dolohov while she was underneath a table and out of Dolohov’s sight (“A place to hide”)

6. Obliviated Rowle and Dolohov at Harry’s suggestion (“A place to hide”)

7. cast “Diffindo” to free Ron from the ropes holding him, though she left a deep cut (“A place to hide”)

8. dragged the waitress from the café on Tottenham Court Road’s body out of sight of the windows at Harry’s command (“A place to hide”)

9. cast an “Hominum Revelio” at 12, Grimmauld Place to check whether the trio was really alone or not (“A place to hide”)

10. remembered that the locket was in the cabinet in the drawing room of 12, Grimmauld Place when the Order was cleaning the house (“Kreacher’s Tale”)

11. Disarmed Mundungus Fletchers at 12, Grimmauld Place (“The Bribe”)

12. put Phineas Nigellus’ portrait inside her bag as she remembered he could travel from Grimmauld Place to Hogwarts (“Magic is Might”); later cast a black blindfold with the spell “Obscura” on him to prevent him from seeing inside the tent (“The Goblin’s Revenge”)

13. spied on Ministry workers with the Invisibility Cloak and heard information that indicated where Umbridge’s office might be (“Magic is Might”)

14. Stunned Mafalda Hopkirk using a non-verbal spell (“Magic is Might”)

15. pretended to be Mafalda Hopkirk with the help of Polyjuice Potion and convinced Reg Cattermole to take a Puking Pastille, before yanking hair from his head when he started throwing up (“Magic is Might”)

16. pretended to be Mafalda Hopkirk with the help of Polyjuice Potion and convinced Albert Runcorn to take Nosebleed Norgat to ultimately take hair from his head (“Magic is Might”)

17. duplicated the locket with a “Gemino” spell so that Umbridge wouldn’t notice the locket was gone (“The Muggle-Born Registration Commission”)

18. cast a Patronus, though with difficulty, to help Harry deter Dementors from coming near the group comprised of Harry, Hermione and Muggle-Borns (“The Muggle-Born Registration Commission”)

19. Apparated the trio in a forest after casting a Revulsion Jinx on Yaxley because Yaxley had got hold of her and Hermione had unwillingly get Yaxley in the Fidelius Charm cast on 12, Grimmauld Place (“The thief”)

20. saved Ron’s life with Essence of Dittany after having Splinched him (“The thief”)

21. was the first to cast protective enchantments around the tent (“The thief”)

22. noticed that the locket was having a negative influence on Harry (“The Goblin’s Revenge”)

23. figured out with Harry that the sword of Gryffindor could destroy Horcruxes because it was Goblin-made and Goblin-made swords imbibe only that which strengthens them, in this case Basilisk venom, and that Dumbledore had made a fake sword of Gryffindor because he knew the Ministry wouldn’t let Harry have the sword if he put it in his will (“The Goblin’s Revenge”)

24. saved Harry’s life after Hermione cast a spell on Nagini to force the snake to get away from Harry; dived aside to avoid it from striking her and one of her spells smashed the windows; cast a Blasting Curse charm that “flew around the room, exploding the wardrobe mirror and ricocheting back at them, bouncing from floor to ceiling”, though it also broke Harry’s wand (“Bathilda’s secret”, (“The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore”)

25. took care of Harry by getting the locket, stuck to Harry’s chest, away with a Severing Charm; she also cleaned the wound caused by Nagini and put some dittany on it (“The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore”)

26. understood that the symbol of the Deathly Hallows was important after seeing it around Xenophilius Lovegood’s neck at Bill and Fleur’s wedding, on Ignotus Peverell’s headstone at Godric’s Hollows and in The Tales of Beedle the Bard (“Xenophilius Lovegood”)

27. designed a plan so that the Death Eaters who were at Xenophilius Lovegood’s house could see he was not lying about Harry’s presence: she got Ron to put on the Invisibility Cloak so that his presence wouldn’t be known, waited for Xenophilius to appear at the top of the stairs before Obliviating him and destroying the floor so that the Death Eaters could see the trio right before Hermione Apparated them away (“The Tale of the Three Brothers”)

28. cursed Harry’s face to make it unrecognizable so that the Snatchers wouldn’t see it was Harry (“Malfoy Manor”)

29. lied under torture done at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange that the sword of Gryffindor was fake (“Malfoy Manor”)

30. cast Glamour Charms on Ron to modify his appearance so he wouldn’t be recognized during their break-in Gringotts (“Gringotts”)

31. pretended to be Bellatrix with the help of Polyjuice Potion (“Gringotts”)

32. had to do most of the talking in trying to convince Travers and in trying to get the different Goblins to let the trio access Bellatrix’s vault (“Gringotts”)

33. cast a Cushioning Charm to soften the fall of the trio after they were thrown off the cart (“Gringotts”)

34. cast a Shield Charm to slower the people trying to catch the trio (“Gringotts”)

35. used “Levicorpus” to help Harry get the cup of Hufflepuff (“Gringotts”)

36. cast “Impervius” to protect Ron, Harry, the goblins and herself from being too badly burned after spells were cast on objects in Bellatrix’s vault (“Gringotts”)

37. Stunned Goblins with Harry and Ron (“Gringotts”)

38. was the first to cast gouging spells to blast the ceiling apart and facilitate the trio’s escape from Gringotts (“Gringotts”)

39. destroyed the cup of Hufflepuff (“The Battle of Hogwarts”)

40. Stunned Gregory Goyle in the Room of Requirement (“The Battle of Hogwarts”)

41. cast “Glisseo” so the trio would escape two masked Death Eaters (“The Elder Wand”)

42. cast “Duro” on a tapestry so the two masked Death Eaters pursuing the trio would face a wall (“The Elder Wand”)

43. cast a spell to blast Fenrir Greyback away from Lavender Brown (“The Elder Wand”)

44. conjured a flask and gave it to Harry so Harry could retrieve Snape’s tears (“The Elder Wand”)

Conclusions

From this you can see that in terms of sheer numbers, Ron and Hermione's contributions are roughly equal (40 for Ron, 44 for Hermione). Considering that depending on the way I managed the two lists I could have added some elements for Ron (e.g., telling Dobby to bring Dean, Luna and Mr. Ollivander at Shell Cottage in "Malfoy Manor") or removed items for Hermione (e.g., casting the "Diffindo" spell on Ron at the Tottenham Court Road café), I consider a 4-point difference to be negligible. For reference, I would consider a point difference above 8 (1/5 of Ron's contributions) significant.

Weighting-analysis of Ron and Hermione's contributions

Of course simply listing their feats and contributions was not enough, since all of them are not as impressive, were not as important, had unwanted consequences, or were the result of negligence, a mistake, or something else. So I also had to weigh on each of the items listed. To be fair to Hermione, I also added two "mistakes" for Ron that were not part of his contributions.

My point system is of course very subjective, but I think most will consider it fair. I calculated Ron and Hermione's points separately and only did the total in the end to try to be as unbiased as possible (though I did check that the number of points I would grant to one was equal to the number of points I would grant to the other for a contribution of similar nature).

Point system

+ 0.25 = small contribution

+ 0.5 = medium contribution; small duelling feat; small or medium element pertaining to the protection of others and/or reaction time in a dangerous situation and/or evaluation of a dangerous situation and/or defence or escape against unwanted forces

+ 1 or + 2 = important contribution; duelling feat; important element pertaining to the protection of others and/or reaction time in a dangerous situation and/or evaluation of a dangerous situation and/or defence or escape against unwanted forces

Bonus points

+ 0.5, + 1, + 2, or +3 for skill or particular display of intelligence or creativity (more bonus points can be added depending on the situation)

+ 1, +2 or +3 if the situation is risky and/or required particular bravery (more bonus points can be added depending on the situation)

+ 2 or + 3 if the element listed had to do with saving someone’s life, protecting someone from danger, or taking care of someone else

+ 5 for destroying a Horcrux

Malus points

- 0.25 or – 0.5 for a small mistake (especially one that hurt another person or could have endangered them)

- 1, - 2, or – 3 for a bigger mistake (especially one that really hurt another person or could have really endangered them)

Ron

1. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was very risky; Tonks and Ron were continuously and furiously followed by Bellatrix Lestrange)

2. + 2 (impressive duelling feat) + 3 (the situation was very risky; see above) + 3 (for skill)

3. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (he saved Hermione and sacrificed his own safety to do so) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 0.5 (for his rather quick reaction time)

4. + 0.25 (small contribution)

5. + 0.25 (small contribution)

6. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

7. + 1 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was risky)

8. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (for the creativity and intelligence shown in the design of the plan); however - 0.25 (the plan backfired slightly due to Reg Cattermole's dedication to being present for his wife, though it's very likely this would have happened even if the trio had stunned him, since Stunning Spells wear off)

9. + 0.5 (medium contribution) + 0.5 (for the skill it took to take steal somebody else's bag without them noticing)

10. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

11. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 2 (for his ability to get the information to Harry and Hermione rapidly)

12. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was very risky) + 1 (he got Mrs. Cattermole away from the Ministry) + 2 (for his quick-thinking)

13. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (this is one of Ron's very underrated contributions to the Hunt; think that literally every time Ron prevented Harry or Hermione from saying the Taboo, he prevented the Trio from being captured: what's more, it happened at least three times on screen, but there were undoubtedly dozens of moments like this one) + 1 (Ron's intuition told him something was off with Voldemort's name because his brain had picked up on a pattern even though he couldn't pinpoint what was amiss exactly)

14. + 2 (he escaped from Snatchers on his own) + 2 (the situation was very risky) + 3 (for the mad skill it took to escape five assailants, retrieve your wand and steal one of theirs)

15. + 2 (I already counted Ron's skill in the item above, but this was for having thought about bringing the spare wand)

16. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (he saved Harry's life) + 3 (he did so at great risks to himself) + 2 (for thinking about taking the sword of Gryffindor at such a moment)

17. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (had to endure mental torture and had to show great bravery) + 3 (he had to resist possession) + 5 (for destroying a Horcrux)

18. + 2 (important contribution)

19. + 0.25 (small contribution)

20. + 2 (important contribution)

21. + 2 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was risky) + 1 (for his synchronisation with Harry and for thinking about taking his wand)

22. + 2 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was risky, considering Lucius Malfoy suspected something was wrong) + 2 (for his quick-thinking) + 2 (for the skill it took to credibly imitate someone he'd barely heard)

23. + 2 (impressive duelling feat) + 3 (the situation was very risky) + 3 (for the skill it took to Disarm Bellatrix Lestrange; another underrated moment for Ron because people dismiss this considering Bellatrix was surprised, even though she had time to turn toward Ron...what do people think duelling is, exactly ?)

24. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (he saved Hermione's life) + 3 (he did so at great risks to himself, considering that he didn't have any wand at that point and had to quickly take Hermione from under tons of broken glass)

25. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (because this was a great plan)

26. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky)

27. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (he protected Hermione from being attacked and hurt) + 2 (the situation was dangerous) + 2 (for his quick reaction)

28. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky)

29. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

30. + 1 (important contribution) + 1 (because this was a good idea)

31. + 2 (important contribution) + 5 (for designing the plan that ended up with the destruction of the Horcrux) + 3 (the plan was brilliant)

32. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (for the skill it took to credibly imitate a word he had heard twice in a foreign language he didn't understand)

33. + 3 (the situation was very dangerous) + 2 (he saved Goyle's life and he alone made that choice since he was holding the broom, but other people influenced or could have influenced his decision) - 2 (he risked Hermione's life in doing so)

34. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky, spells were flying everywhere) + 2 (he prevented Hermione from getting hurt) + 1 (for his quick reaction time)

35. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky and he had just lost his brother) + 2 (for his quick reaction and skill)

36. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (he prevented Harry and Hermione from getting hurt) + 2 (for his quick reaction)

37. + 1 (important contribution) + 1 (he probably protected people from terrible unwanted consequences) + 2 (for his quick reaction and his quick-thinking)

38. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

39. + 1 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was very risky) + 3 (for the sheer nerve of standing up to Voldemort)

40. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was very risky) + 2 (Greyback was a tough opponent, but Ron was not alone when he took him down)

Supplementary malus points:

When he Disapparated after he left the Horcrux Hunt and ended up in a gang of Snatchers: - 1 (and reminder for everybody that the person writing this does NOT hold Ron responsible for what happened with the Horcrux and for leaving the tent); it could have had very negative consequences for Harry and Hermione but effectively it had none

When he nearly yelled Dobby's name at Malfoy Manor: - 0.5 : it could have had terrible consequences had the other Death Eaters head him but effectively it had none

Total: 183.5

Hermione

1. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was very risky; Kingsley and she even got followed by Voldemort for a short while)

2. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the information was essential, getting her hands on the books required creativity on Hermione's part and required for her to plan ahead and think about what the trio would need)

3. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (all the elements that Hermione took in her bag ended up essential in the following months and demanded that Hermione plan ahead and think about what the trio would need; stealing Mad-Eye Moody's whole stock of Polyjuice Potion also required creativity on Hermione's part)

4. + 0.25 (small contribution)

5. + 1 (duelling feat, but she was out of sight) + 2 (the situation was risky); however - 1 because her slow reaction time forced Ron to push her aside, which means he didn't have time to defend himself) - note: if you want to know more about why I say that Hermione had a slow reaction time, I suggest you take a look at my analysis of Hermione's flaws in the last book

6. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (for the skill it took to succeed in doing a spell for the first time)

7. + 0.25 (small contribution); however - 0.5 because she cut Ron deeply

8. + 0.25 (small contribution)

9. + 0.25 (small contribution) + 1 (Hermione's caution was warranted and wise)

10. + 2 (important contribution)

11. + 0.5 (small duelling feat)

12. + 1 (important contribution) + 3 (for the intelligence shown in having thought about it)

13. + 1 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was risky)

14. + 0.5 (medium contribution) + 2 (for skill, considering she used a non-verbal spell)

15. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

16. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

17. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was very risky) + 3 (for the intelligence shown in having thought about it)

18. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 2 (this helped protect others)

19. + 0.5 (medium contribution) + 0.5 (small duelling feat) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 1 (for her quick-thinking); however -0.5 because the reason Yaxley got hold of Hermione is in my opinion because her reaction time was too slow to begin with; Harry was the one who had to take her hand to get away in the first place

20. + 2 for saving Ron's life (I'm only counting +2 because what really helped Ron was to have thought about packing Essence of Dittany, and I already took that into account) + 2 (for not completely losing her wits) ; however - 3 for having Splinched him in the first place

21. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (though Harry and Ron might have thought about it, those Charms were really important in protecting the trio and she was the first to think about it)

22. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (had she not realised it, who knows what could have happened ?)

23. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (deducting those elements were essential for the next part of the Horcrux Hunt, and showed great intelligence)

24. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (she was faced with Nagini) + 3 (she directly saved Harry's life) + 2 (though not a duelling feat, her knowledge of spells and quick-thinking ought to be rewarded); however - 3 for breaking Harry's wand

25. + 2 (took care of Harry when he was delirious)

26. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (for having made the link between the different elements she had found)

27. + 1 (important contribution, but didn't have to do with the Hunt directly; the trio could have left without it impacting the Hunt) + 1 (the situation was risky, though the trio could have gotten away before it getting risky) + 2 (her plan probably protected Xenophilius Lovegood) + 3 (the plan was brilliant)

28. + 0.5 (medium contribution, it ultimately had very little impact since the trio was brought to Malfoy Manor and Bellatrix Lestrange recognized them anyway) + 2 (the situation was pressing) + 1 (this helped protect the trio if only a little) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

29. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was awful, and she had to endure torture) + 3 (for her quick-thinking) + 3 (for the sheer nerve of lying to Bellatrix Lestrange)

30. + 1 (important contribution)

31. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky)

32. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 3 (for having pulled off the Bellatrix impression)

33. + 1 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was dangerous) + 2 (she prevented the Trio from getting hurt) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

34. + 2 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was pressing) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

35. + 2 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was pressing) + 2 (for creativity)

36. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was dangerous) + 2 (she prevented the trio and goblins from getting hurt)

37. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky)

38. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was pressing) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

39. + 2 (important contribution) + 5 (for destroying a Horcrux)

40. + 0.5 (small duelling feat) + 2 (the situation was risky)

41. + 2 (this helped the trio get away from Death Eaters) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

42. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

43. + 2 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was risky, but she was under the Invisibility Cloak) + 3 (she probably saved Lavender Brown's life)

44. + 0.25 (small contribution)

Total: 170.75

Conclusion

While factoring other elements such as the importance of the contribution in helping taking down Voldemort or fighting against dark forces in general, the level of dangerousness in which the contribution happened and the levels of bravery and/or sacrifices required to accomplish the feat, the level of intelligence or creativity involved, quick-thinking, quick reaction time, the level of skill involved to accomplish the feat, mistakes... You can see that Ron and Hermione's contributions are still roughly equal (according to my point system, Ron has 182.5 points and Hermione has 171.75... This is probably due to the fact that Ron not only destroyed a Horcrux but was directly responsible for designing the plan that allowed Hermione to destroy another -granting him + 10 points directly-, and to the fact that Hermione made more mistakes with rather terrible consequences - so Hermione has more malus points), and the point difference between them may seem important, but as I said I consider a point difference to be significant when it hits the bar of 1/5 of the lowest score (here 1/5 of 171.75 = 34.35, yet the point difference between the two scores is 12.75).

Nature of the Contributions

Ron and Hermione are different, and contributed differently to the Horcrux Hunt. I decided upon 8 categories: Strategy/Tactical Thinking; Research, Planning, Knowledge; Deductions; Duelling Feats and Fights; Quick Thinking in dangerous scenarios (which does not correspond to situations requiring a quick reaction time, those are counted in different categories depending on what it ended up doing, but is more akin to "presence of mind"); Resistance against Evil; Protection of others; Leadership. I thought that to really understand Ron and Hermione's profiles, I would put each item listed above in one or more of the categories but also count the points I attributed to each item in my weighting-analysis. There are in the end certain items that did not fit any of the category and that I thought best not to include.

Ron

Strategy/Tactical Thinking: 8 (4.75 points), 25 (5 points), 30 - knowing how to use people to one's advantage - (2 points), 31 (10 points), 37 - spatial reasoning - (4 points) = 25,75 points

Research, Planning, Knowledge: 5 (0.25 points), 7, (2 points), 11 (3 points) 15 (2 points), 18 (2 points), 9 (0.25 points) = 9.5 points

Deductions: 13 (6 points) = 6 points [reminder: this is not a representation of Ron's capacity for deduction, since there are many intelligent remarks I did not include in my analysis; this category only shows deductions that moved the plot forward)

Duelling Feats and Fights: 2 (8 points), 6 (0.5 points), 14 (7 points), 21 (4 points), 23 (8 points), 27 (5 - 2 points - I deduced the points granted to him for protecting Hermione for that category = 2 points), 28 (1 point), 35 (6 points), 40 (7 points) = 43,5 points

Quick Thinking in dangerous scenarios: 3 (5.5 - 2 - I deduced the points granted to him for saving Hermione for that category = 3.5), 9 (1 point), 11 (5 points), 12 (6 points), 14 (7 points), 16 (10 - 3 points - I deduced the points granted to him for saving Harry's life for that category = 7 points), 21 (4 points), 22 (7 points), 31, (10 points), 32 (5 points), 34 (7 - 3 - I deduced the points granted to him for saving Hermione for that category = 4), 36 (5 - 2 - I deduced the points granted to him for saving Harry and Hermione = 3), 37 (4 points) = 66 points

Resistance against Evil: 17 (13 points), 39 (7 points) = 20 points

Protection of others: 1 (5 points), 3 (5.5 points), 12 (6 points), 16 (10 points), 24 (8 points), 27 (8 points), 33 (3 points), 34 (7 points), 36 (5 points) = 57,5 points

Leadership: 20 (2 points) = 2 points

Hermione

Strategy/Tactical Thinking: 27 (6 points), 34 (5 points) = 11 points

Research, Planning, Knowledge : 2 (5 points), 3 (5 points), 6 (5 points)- I'm referring to her knowledge of spells -, 13 (2 points) 14 (2.5 points) -idem-, 21 (4 points), 26 (4 points), 30 (1 point) -idem- = 28.5 points

Deductions: 10 (2 points), 12 (4 points), 22 (4 points), 23 (5 points), 26 (4 points) = 19 points

Duelling Feats and Fights: 5 (2 points), 11 (0.5 points), 19 (3.5 points), 24 (7 - 3 points - I deduced the points granted to her for saving Harry's life for that category = 4 points), 37 (3 points), 40 (2.5 points), 42 (6 points), 43 (6 - 3 points - I deduced the points granted to her for saving Lavender's life for that category) = 24.5 points

Quick Thinking in dangerous scenarios: 17 (6 points), 19 (3.5 points), 27 (7 points), 28 (5.5 points), 29 (11 points), 32 (7 points), 33 (8 - 2 points - I deduced the points I granted to her from preventing the trio from getting hurt for that category = 6 points), 34 (5 points), 35 (5 points), 37 (7 points), 38 (5 points), 41 (6 - 2 points - I deduced the points I granted to her for allowing the trio to escape for that category = 4 points), 42 (6 points) = 78 points

Resistance against Evil: 29 (11 points), 39 (7 points) = 18 points

Protection of others: 1 (5 points), 18 (5 points), 19 (3.5 points), 20 (1 point), 21 (4 points), 24 (7 points), 25 (2 points), 36 (7 points), 41 (6 points), 43 (6 points) = 44.5 points

Leadership: 0 point (I did not count what happened at the Lovegoods as "Leadership" because trusting one person at one given moment to carry out a plan does not show, to me, that they are "the leader"; otherwise I would also count other plans made by Ron as examples of him being a Leader).

Conclusion

This to me so clearly shows what Ron and Hermione's strengths are. In terms of "Resistance against evil", both have roughly the same amount of points, while the point difference in "Quick Thinking in dangerous scenarios" is not significant according to my arbitrary cut-point (above 1/5 of the lowest score), showing that both Ron and Hermione are strong-willed and are quick-thinking in dangerous situations.

Hermione is in the lead in the categories "Research, Planning, Knowledge" (with a 19 point difference, the 1/5 of the lowest score being 1.9) and "Deductions" (with a 13 point difference, the 1/5 of the lowest score being 1.2). For the first case, the reason is obvious: out of the three members of the trio, Hermione is the one who thinks about what kind of knowledge, what tools, what objects they will need. She's also generally better at casting spells/ doing magic. The second case offers a bit less insight, because Ron's observations that did not directly make the Horcrux Hunt progress/had no real impact were not included even though many of them were brilliant. However, I think it does show that between Ron and Hermione, Hermione is the one who makes deductions that help move the plot forward.

Ron is in the lead in the categories "Strategy/Tactical Thinking" (with a 14.75 point difference, the 1/5 of the lowest score being 2.2) and "Duelling Feats and Fights" (with a point difference of 19 points, the 1/5 of the lowest score being 4.9). Again, not surprising. Despite people's inexplicable tendency to think Ron only showed his Strategic skills in Book 1, Ron is a very good tactician and strategist (Hermione is a good strategist when it comes to politics, but not war). Ron, unlike Hermione, is a fighter/soldier, with quicker reaction time and more impressive duelling feats. It shows in the sequence at Malfoy Manor when Ron and Harry are fighting together; the two are completely synchronised.

Ron being ahead in "Leadership" is only a reflection of the fact that Ron is Harry's second-in-command.

The category that I was most interested in was "Protection of Others" since Ron ended up being slightly ahead, too (with a 13 point difference, the 1/5 of the lowest score being 8.9). I think it mostly reflects the fact that Hermione has knowledge that helps protect people and or save them while Ron goes above and beyond to protect people in the heat of the moment (which means Ron got more bonus points).

Overall conclusion (for now...)

The hypothesis presented that Hermione contributed much more to the Hunt than Ron is quite absurd indeed.

#hp #ron weasley #hermione granger #harry potter and the deathly hallows #yes i am that petty #i regret nothing

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writeforfandoms · 1 year ago

Text

Warrior Song 7

Find the series masterlist

Okay we are still playing real fast and loose with canon. In fact, a lot of canon rules have gone out the window by now. Just roll with it. It’ll be fun.

Blue Team plus medic and Fernando experience some unintended side effects of an unknown pollen.

Warnings: Cuddle pollen, swearing, medical jargon, discussion of touch starvation.

Word count: 2.9k

Master Chief/John-117 x f!reader

Blue Team made surprisingly good company. Sure, they didn’t talk a lot, but they were all easy with each other, and took instruction well.

Because of course you took charge of making camp and making sure everyone actually ate. Since your expertise as a medic wasn’t needed, this was close enough.

It had been a week and a half since you all started on this quest. So far, there had been four more bases and some searching for clues. Despite the lack of actual progress, Blue Team didn’t seem disappointed.

If anything, they seemed to be relaxing a little, slightly more open with you and Fernando both.

“They’re heading back,” Fernando told you, standing lookout behind you.

“Okay.” You dug out one more wild onion and put it in your basket before you straightened. “At least we’ll have a good dinner tonight.”

“I still can’t believe you caught one of those things,” he muttered, referring to the rabbit-like creature you’d managed to snag for dinner.

“Just because they can eat MREs until the end of time doesn’t mean I want to,” you shot back with a prim sniff. You brushed off your knees as you stood, gathering up your basket. “Are they very far?”

“We’ve got time to get back to the Pelican.” Fernando smirked and started walking. “As long as you don’t lag behind.”

“Hey!” Pouting, you jogged to catch up to him. “Just for that, I’m not going to give you any of this delicious soup.”

“Aw, come on, you like me too much to deny me.”

“We’ll see about that.”

The friendly bickering continued back to the Pelican, where you set Fernando to chopping up the onions while you worked on the meat. This had turned out to be a good spot - quiet and open enough to see any potential problems coming, with a small river in the opposite direction the Spartans had gone. You’d even gathered up enough firewood to keep a fire going all night.

The meat was in the stew pot by the time Blue Team trudged up, all of them half-covered in bright yellow pollen. Your mouth dropped open.

“What the hell happened?” you asked, blatantly staring.

“Some flowers threw up on us,” Kelly answered, dry and vaguely disgusted.

“They ejected all their pollen at us,” Linda corrected, though she also sounded vaguely disgusted.

“We’re going to wash,” Fred added.

“You want some rags?” You were already standing to get some for them, poking the meat one more time to be sure it would be fine for a minute.

“Might as well.” Fred waited while you grabbed a handful of rags, tossing them over. With a lazy salute, he went after the others in the direction of the river.

“They look ridiculous,” Fernando said once they were probably out of hearing range.

“Right?” You couldn’t help but snicker. “Seriously, I thought they went rolling through a flower field or something.”

Fernando cackled. “I will cherish that mental image forever.”

You finished adding everything to the soup and gave it one more stir before you nodded. “Well, soup just has to sit and cook for a while, the longer the better. Think we should go help them scrub, or leave them to it?”

Fernando made an exaggerated thinking face, rubbing at his beard. “I suppose we should help,” he agreed on a sigh. “Or they’ll be out there all night.”

“Copy that.” You smirked at Fernando’s huff of laughter, and the two of you headed after the Spartans.

All four of them were in the river, scrubbing at the armor, which still had pollen clinging stubbornly.

“This might be easier if you take it off,” you said, planting your hands on your hips and surveying their progress critically. “Fernando and I can help that way.”

Fred waded back to shore, pulling his helmet off and handing it to you first. “Thanks,” he mumbled, looking faintly embarrassed. “The pollen is more… resilient than anticipated.”

“We’ll get it off. Eventually.” Setting down his helmet away from the potential splash zone, you and Fernando helped him take off the chest and back plates, and you each got scrubbing.

“The hell is this made of?” Fernando grumbled, glowering at the chest plate.

“Something very stubborn,” you huffed, raising your clean hand to rub under your nose briefly. You made a triumphant noise as you scraped the last of it off the back plate, and set it aside. “Kelly, I’ll get yours next.”

Kelly walked over obediently and helped you get her chest plate off, which was practically coated in pollen. You sat to work on it while she scrubbed at her legs.

“Joy, you made note of these flowers, right? And have labeled them as avoid at all costs?”

“I did,” the AI confirmed. “I’ll upload the information to your tablet as well.”

“Thank you.” You wiggled your nose as it itched again, dipping your rag in the water to get rid of the pollen before getting back to scrubbing.

“You’re up next, Chief,” Fernando said far too cheerfully. “And don’t object, Fred is helping Linda.”

John sighed but relented. He even took off his helmet, the last to do so, as he let Fernando wrestle the back plate off. You couldn’t help but snicker at the sight.

“Boy am I glad dinner is cooking,” you muttered.

“You cooked?” Fred whipped around to look at you.

“Look, I don’t know how you live off of MREs, but I refuse. Yes, I cooked.” You set the chest plate aside and motioned Kelly closer to help scrub the leg armor.

For a few minutes, everyone was silent. You noticed Fernando shifting closer to you until he was pressed back to back with you, and you pressed back into him. Oh that felt nice. You could probably nap like that.

And then Fred sat next to Fernando, armor off, radiating warmth. And he pressed into your little tangle.

That was even better, and you hummed a pleased note.

“Joy.”

The almost-sharp command from John made you look around, immediately wary.

“I’m on it,” Joy agreed. On what? You didn’t see anything. Linda settled near you, hands twitching.

"How do you feel?" John crouched in front of you, looking you over quickly. He even started to reach for you, but checked himself.

"Okay," you answered slowly, frowning. His concern was making you concerned and was quickly spiraling into outright anxiety. "A little jittery? A little cold? Kind of tired?"

Fred made a little noise behind you and pressed against you, very nearly toppling you with accidental strength.

"Everyone up," John snapped, getting to his feet. He hauled you up after with very little apparent effort.

"Chief, whatever this is, it isn't poisonous. Vitals are all holding steady," Joy piped up from his helmet.

"Back to the Pelican." John's voice was hard, allowing for no argument.

Nobody actually complained, just grabbed all the gear and started walking. You ended up carrying two helmets - John's and Linda's. There was also a gun. You definitely hadn't picked that up, and had no idea where it had come from.

That sounded like a later problem.

You were getting cold, shivering as you walked. Fernando, walking ahead of you, didn't seem to be much better off.

But it wasn't far to the Pelican, and everyone was quick to set things down.

You were the first to crack. You inched closer to John until you could lean into his side, and then you sighed as you started to warm up, already feeling better. Fernando nearly jumped to join you, squishing you just a little between the two men.

"The hell is that?" Fred asked, even as he was sandwiched between Linda and Kelly.

"Well, if I had to give it some kind of a name, it seems to be… cuddle pollen?" Joy sounded caught between amusement and sheer regret.

"Cuddle pollen?" The question from Fernando was slightly muffled because he refused to lift his head from your shoulder.

"Well, you all seem to need to be touching," Joy explained slowly. "But your vitals are all fine! Some minor temperature fluctuations, but everything else is within standard ranges for each of you."

You shrugged. "Cuddle pollen. Huh." You huffed a little. It was getting harder to actually think. "I vote dinner first, then bed."

Nobody actually opposed you, so you tore yourself away from the absolutely divine warmth of John's side to serve the soup. John very nearly grabbed for you, but restrained himself at the last moment. Fernando, on the other hand, was quite happy to take your place. Traitor.

Dinner was silent. Not the same kind of silent as usual, but the kind of thick silence that comes from a whole group of people who can't think straight enough to hold a conversation. You ended up on John's other side, with Kelly's feet on one of your thighs. Which did eventually make you grimace and pluck at the undersuit.

"You all should get changed. There's spare clothes for you."

"Spare clothes?" Linda lifted her head like a predator scenting prey.

"Uh. Yeah." Suddenly embarrassed, you ducked your head. "Thought people might need them. At some point."

A moment later you were lifted off the ground in a bear hug. Fred didn't set you down again for a few moments, and then he lumbered inside to change.

Joy definitely had to prompt you and Fernando to put out the fire and to change into dry clothes, but that was fine. Actually, that gave Blue Team time to rally, and rally they had. Every pillow, bedroll, and blanket had been combined on the floor of the Pelican into something resembling a comfy sleep space.

Fernando was quick to cuddle up between John's back and Linda. John himself was sitting up, watching you.

At least until you got within grabbing distance.

One moment you were trying to figure out where to join the cuddle pile, the next you were in John's arms being manhandled with your back to his chest. With a satisfied rumble, John laid down and curled around you, a protective barrier between you and the rest of the world.

Well. A protective barrier between you and the Pelican, since the ramp was up and the ship was entirely closed off.

"Was that really necessary?" Linda asked, sounding more amused than aggravated.

John didn't answer, just tucked his head against the back of yours, clearly intent on holding you.

There was a bit of almost drunk-sounding giggling from… Fernando? And a grumble from Fred.

And then a soft snore.

Warm and relaxed and utterly content with this arrangement, you laid your hands over John's arms and closed your eyes.

Soft talking woke you, and you blinked rapidly. You were warm, your head pillowed on something surprisingly firm and warm. A careful shift of your weight confirmed that there was someone behind you.

“Morning, sunshine.” Fernando crouched in front of you with a shit-eating grin.

You made a rude noise at him and rolled away from the person behind you to lay flat on your belly, hoping to ignore everyone and everything for a little while longer.

“You need to drink something.” Fernando set a bottle down next to you. You knew it was a bottle because he put it right next to your head, so the chill of it seeped to your skin.

“Why.” You didn’t lift your head.

“Prevent dehydration. Also, I bet Chief needs to get up by now.”

That made you squeeze your eyes shut. “Tell me I didn’t cuddle him all night,” you whimpered.

“It was adorable.” That came from Kelly.

You swore softly but sat up, grabbing the water bottle and refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. Movement to the side of you got you to glance at John, still dressed down in the shirt and soft pants you’d picked up for all the Spartans.

“Don’t worry, Linda is an aggressive cuddler,” Fernando stage-whispered to you. “I’m just glad nobody kicks in their sleep.”

“Fred used to,” Kelly piped up. “As a kid.”

“Not for long,” Fred grumbled. “Why do you even still remember that.”

The two bantered back and forth, and the bantering helped to put you more at ease. Although, really, now that you were awake you felt great. You didn’t feel tired or achy at all. That was quite possibly the best sleep you’d had in… months.

Which got you thinking about why. Human contact. It had been ages since you’d cuddled with anyone, let alone the human heater that was John. You still didn’t get a lot of hugs, not on the Halo with things as they were.

A quick look showed Fernando looked better too, the circles under his eyes already fading, shoulders more at ease. The Spartans were harder to read, but they certainly seemed more relaxed this morning, willing to banter.

Everybody in the Pelican seemed to be suffering from touch starvation to some degree, and the cuddle pile had actually helped. You hadn’t even thought of it, had never even considered, and yet. Proof sat before your eyes.

Setting your water aside, you focused on Fernando. “How do you feel?”

“Fine. Good, actually.” He shrugged. “Good night’s sleep will do that.”

“And you?” You looked at Kelly next.

“Fine.”

“Fine, or better than fine?”

She hesitated, which was as good as an answer. So you looked at Fred, who shrugged but also looked down as the bridge of his nose went pink. Linda met your gaze with a little smile.

And John… John held your gaze, something warm and affectionate there.

“Huh.” You chewed on your lower lip for a moment before you stood. “Joy, where were those flowers?”

“You’re not going to find them?” Fernando leaned closer to you, squinting at you. “Did you overheat? Are you feeling okay?”

You waved him off, turning away. “I feel great, actually, which is what I’m trying to investigate. That cuddle pollen actually seems to have had a positive effect on all of us, even if only through lowering barriers so we could sleep in a pile and put a dent in our undoubtedly massive touch starvation debt.”

“Touch starvation?” This time Linda asked, watching you with interest.

“Humans are pack animals,” you told her, searching for your shoes, one of which had vanished. “Hugging actually reduces cortisol, among other things, allowing for better sleep. Helps block stress hormones. Boosts oxytocin. All that good stuff.” With a triumphant noise, you grabbed the wayward shoe and stuffed your foot in it. “There have been dozens of medical studies about the positive health impacts of hugs, cuddling, all of that. So, conversely, people who go without touch for a long time become touch starved, it can be pretty serious.”

“Still doesn’t explain why you want to go find the plants.” Fernando put himself between you and the ramp, arms crossed over his chest.

You paused, tapping your fingers against your thigh. “I’ve never seen anything like that pollen. I don’t know if it could be helpful, medically speaking, but probably. I’m not on the R&D side, I don’t know. What I do know is it’s something new and therefore worth documenting, at least.”

“You’re not planning to sprinkle it in our food or anything, are you?” He eyed you almost warily.

You jerked back, honestly hurt. “I would never! Look, I may do some ethically questionable things, like shouting my more stubborn patients into submission, but I would never do anything like that.” You hit the button to lower the ramp a little harder than normal, turning away from Fernando. “I want you all to have breakfast and drink a full bottle of water, just in case.”

And then you left, stepping around Fernando and ignoring his verbal stumbling, hopping off the ramp before it had even finished lowering.

You didn’t slow down until you heard footsteps behind you. You paused and then shrugged. Whoever it was could catch up to you if they wanted.

Of course, you’d also left without a way to talk to Joy. So you just… wandered off the way you’d seen Blue Team go yesterday, and hoped for the best.

“You need to head more west.”

You paused long enough to let Linda catch up to you. She was without armor, since you’d left so hurriedly. Come to think of it, you had no way to even gather some of the pollen if you did walk to the plants.

“Sorry.” You grimaced. “This is silly. We should go back.”

She shrugged. “In a bit.”

You let your shoulders drop, looking away. “Well. I’m glad you lot slept well, at least.”

She nodded slowly. “It was… nice. Odd. But nice.”

“Maybe you should make it a new Blue Team tradition,” you offered, half-joking.

“Pretty sure John won’t want to restrict it to Blue Team.” The look she gave you quite clearly indicated something you weren’t ready to admit just yet.

“Yes, well.” You shrugged. “That sounds like a John problem.”

Linda dipped her head to acknowledge the current stalemate. “Take your time,” was all she said.

You weren’t sure how to respond to that. So you didn’t, not really, just turned away to see if you could find any other useful plants here.

And if you desperately wanted to crawl back into that makeshift bed with John, you kept it firmly to yourself.

#warrior song #master chief x reader #john-117 x reader

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happilysmythe · 2 months ago

Note

hey queen!

you already know what I’m here to request!

could we get some Freddy x photographer action plssss;)

- ❤️ ky

hi queenie!

guys i'm back [proud]. who cheered?

i had the worst writer's block you could imagine and school was kicking my ass.

anyway, i started writing this back in june and i finally finished it tonight, so i hope this is still up to par with the rest of my stories :)

WARNING: smut under the cut!!

- - -

he was a forbidden fruit, and she was eve.

Ah, Sunrise, Florida.

The perfect destination spot for a relaxing vacation. Lots of retirees, warm weather, beautiful scenery—what more could anyone ask for?

Of course, to your crowd, it was the home of the Florida Panthers. And you were there on a business trip. But unlike most professions that required a trip, being a sports photographer allowed for tons of leisure when traveling.

It was a beautiful night—a crisp 65 degrees in the middle of February, unlike Boston’s whopping 30. You finally had the chance to sit down after the game—not before taking a shower, of course—and had to go through the extensive process of sifting through your photos to determine which would be published. One unique aspect of that process was that you often liked to hear the players' opinions. They were your acquaintances, some even your close friends, and it gave more perspective to your work when the subjects helped publicize it.

So you frequently had the guys moving in and out of your workspaces—whether it be an office at Warrior or the varying hotel rooms across the country—huddling over your computer screen as you showcased and picked through your work.

You plopped down into the desk chair in the corner of the small hotel room and opened up your laptop, pushing the chair in and setting up the space as the screen booted up. You leisurely scrolled through the photos you snapped a few hours earlier, sipping on a late-night refresher and deleting the duds.

Trent Frederic, the feisty 26-year-old forward, dumped the puck in the net twice that particular night. It was safe to say that he was the subject of numerous pictures.

Not that you'd complain, of course.

A telling grin pricked at the corners of your lips when you saw them. Alright, maybe it was slightly unprofessional to look at them that way. You knew that. But what was wrong with having a little bit of a work crush, for lack of a better term? Nothing, as long as you didn’t treat him differently or act on anything. Hell, if you were being honest, at least 80 percent of that team was good-looking—so there was nothing to worry about.

At least, that’s what you told yourself to be able to sleep at night.

Regardless, you’d have to set aside whatever it was because you had pictures to sift through. And with your hands-on way of doing things, he’d be in that very hotel room within the next ten minutes.

in my room looking through pics. stop by and run through them?

You quickly shot him the text and sat back, awaiting his response. You had a system in place—they would have ten minutes to reply, and if they didn't, you would move on to the next or go to sleep yourself. They knew not to show up past the mark.

Then, your phone dinged.

Be there in 5

So you waited again, taking the time to prepare yourself (as you usually did). Although you wouldn’t admit it, you took a few extra seconds to dial in when it was him. And this time? Well, you’d need it. All of those pictures didn’t take themselves.

Especially the one that had been open on your screen for much longer than necessary.

The knock on the door interrupted your witless staring and you quickly minimized your screen. You took a breath and stood up. Opening the door revealed Trent standing behind it, curls still damp from his post-game shower and white shirt hugging his upper body. You swallowed, no doubt offset by the sight, and promptly cleared your throat to disrupt the silence.

“Hey, Fred,” you put on a smile. “Come on in.”

He calmly followed you over to the desk, eyes roaming around the room before focusing back on you—now sitting back in the chair as you were before. “Is there another chair?” he finally spoke.

“Oh, shit. I don’t think so,” you answered, lips flattening into a line. “Here, uh.” You stood up and looked around—there was no good substitute, and likely no room for two people at the desk. “Let’s just sit on the bed instead. More room, anyway.”

“Alright.”

Thankfully, he helped move your computer to the bed and keep the camera on the desk, which sped up the process and made it less stressful. With the laptop at the foot of the bed, you both rested flat on your stomachs. You left some space between, but you were still apprehensive about his proximity. You couldn’t help but feel like a teenage girl with a crush at school.

“So,” you finally began, scrolling through, “there were a lot of throwaways. Just borderline unpublishable.”

He laughed, “As usual.”

“But I think some of the best ones were from the first goal,” you maximized the size to see the array of photos from the goal. “This one,” your cursor hovered above, “—you were in the corner with the celebration. That’s pretty good.” You focused on another, moving the cursor over to it. “Celly line. You had your leg popped. Might be cool for the socials.”

“And in this one, you had Pat there in the hug,” you pointed to another. “He’s become a good fan-favorite, so that could work,” you clarified.

He nodded, listening to your ample breakdown of each shot you decided not to delete before he came. “What’s that one?” his finger pointed.

To your unpleasant surprise, the image was all too familiar. It was the one you stared down earlier until he knocked on the door.

It was between whistles. Late in the second—not that it mattered. He was conversing at the face-off dot and waiting to get into position. From your angle, it seemed as if he were laughing—likely at something a teammate said—and your finger snapped the picture almost subconsciously from the sight of his smile. At that moment, it was nothing—but having him beside you brought forth your underlying embarrassment.

“Oh, it’s just,” you hesitantly clicked on it, “—I took it in between whistles.” You swallowed, discreetly side-eyeing him and trying to gauge his reaction.

“Yeah?”

“…Yeah.”

“Thought it would be cool for one of those ‘post-game smiles’ posts,” you lied. “Sometimes they post ‘em on Twitter and Instagram. They get good traction from the fans,” you began to ramble.

You almost made it through without slipping up.

“—And you looked cute.”

Almost.

He turned to face you. “Looked cute, eh?”

You looked back over. Of course, he was grinning—he was…sort of arrogant sometimes. Not in a way that made him an asshole—you found him to be one of the friendliest on the team—but sometimes, you could just…feel the cockiness radiating off of him. Truthfully, it might have only been when he was with you because you were poor at hiding things.

“Yeah? You know, for the pictures.”

“You lying?”

Silence.

Your focus shifted back and forth between his eyes. Then around the room and back to his face. Your eyes flitted down to his stretched lips and back up, studying his features, hoping to find some sort of belief in his expression. You already knew you were fucked.

But for some reason, you weren’t feeling so rattled anymore.

“Yeah,” was what you decided on.

His eyes narrowed and you felt him drawing closer. The heat from his body radiated onto yours. In a similar manner to yours, his eyes moved down and trailed back up.

“You’re not slick, you know,” he whispered, lips slightly upturned.

“Never claimed to be,” you retorted. You were moving closer—leaning forward as if your body were in control instead of your head, and maybe it was. Warm breath fanned your lips, his white teeth peeking out, and intruding thoughts of grazing your tongue along them disrupted your already-faltering composure.

“And maybe I wasn’t trying to be.”

His lips finally linked with yours, together moving in a slow, sensual rhythm. He wrapped an arm around your waist and settled his palm in the small of your back, allowing him to effortlessly pull you into his body—turning you on your side in the process. His other arm reached outward and closed the screen of your laptop. The faint thud as it dropped to the floor caused your body to jolt and he tugged you closer.

When you asked him to come down to your room, you didn’t intend to have his tongue in your mouth. But sometimes that’s just how the cards fall, right?

Your fingers weaved into his dark red curls, still damp from his post-game shower. And you couldn’t resist sliding the other hand under his white t-shirt to feel the warm skin beneath it, trailing upward to the chain you knew was concealed by the cotton material; you were present the morning his compression shirt was ripped at the chest and it never quite went unnoticed after that.

Trent’s hands tenaciously gripped your sides and pulled you on top of him. He rolled onto his back, head at the foot of the bed and hair dangling over the edge. You were then sitting in his lap, his hands keeping you grounded, and although it was wrong—and so jeopardizing to your job—it felt so right to give in to the insatiable need for him that you’d been harboring for far too long.

Contrary to your own beliefs, you were rather good at hiding your attraction to him. He and you had been good friends—similarly to the rest of the team—and he shockingly wasn’t aware of how you felt until you gave yourself away just moments ago. His earlier accusation, in his mind, was baseless.

You bent down and captured his lips in another kiss, tongue slipping past them again as his fingers pressed into your hips. His hands slid under the thin t-shirt you often wore to bed and began to lift it. It remained bunched up at your chest until you lifted your arms and the fabric was no longer on your body, but instead discarded to the floor. A faint hum of approval left his mouth at the sight of your bare torso—of course, you hadn’t worn a bra to bed—and without a second thought his arms crossed over one another and peeled his shirt off his body.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” he hummed, fingers tracing the waistband of your pajama shorts, eyes drinking in the sight of your body and committing each inch of it to memory.

“I know,” you finally responded softly. “But we’ve already gotten this far.”

Nothing’s wrong with having a dirty little secret, right?

So that’s what you mutually agreed on—it was going to stay a secret. And it was going to be a one-time affair.

Even when he so easily had you wrapped around his finger. Even when you found yourself molded perfectly in his lap like your legs were tailor-made to wrap around his figure. Even when the last remnants of your clothing were removed and the length of his fingers, slick with your arousal, pushed into your core and brought you to your first release.

Even when his fingers were coated in white, it was going to stay a secret.

“Fuck, Trent,” the words tumbled from your mouth like a mantra. It was the first time you'd ever called him by his first name. And it was only ironic that it was through a moan. Your legs trembled and your palms rested flat on his toned stomach. Had you not kept them there for support, you likely wouldn’t have been able to keep yourself up.

With one hand on your hip and the other rising to his lips to clean its fingers with his tongue, Trent felt himself straining beneath you. It was the warmth of your body; your hips that were grinding in his lap just moments ago. If he wasn’t inside you in the next five minutes, he was sure he wouldn’t see the light of day again. And you could feel it, too. So you leaned back and reached for the drawer in the nightstand.

“What,” he half-whispered as he looked over, “what are you��”

Before he could finish his sentence, your hand popped up with a small box—still sealed—between your fingers. “Someone left this here,” you stated before frantically ripping it open and taking out a condom.

Trent wasted no time forcing his sweatpants down his legs. He couldn’t be bothered to take them off fully.

Dainty fingers tore the foil open and tossed it to the floor before slipping the rubber on him. The moment he was sure it was secure, the pads of his fingers dug into your hips and lifted you.

The next few seconds seemed to pass in a haze, because you barely remembered anything before you were back in his lap with him buried to the hilt. The sting of him stretching you out lasted only for a moment, yet your hands were already grasping at anything they could find; his chest, his biceps, his sides—anything. Your head lulled back and your mouth hung open. Meanwhile, he was holding on by a thread. He made every possible attempt not to focus on how fucking tight you were.

“Jesus Christ,” he finally vocalized, pressing his fingers firmly into your sides. He used his remaining strength to drag you down, leaving you chest-to-chest. Your trembling hands slipped around his neck and found purchase at the nape. Trent took this as his cue and began to move your hips. He gauged what you could take and set the pace.

He felt good. Really good.

In a way that made you aware of all of your senses. The feeling of skin touching skin. The taste of him as his tongue rolled over yours. The sound of his breaths occasionally coming out as a groan. The sight of his tensed-up face, and the smell of his after-shave wafting in the air around you.

As your consciousness slowly came back, you were able to take control of your movements. Your fingertips skimmed his arms and wrapped around his biceps, holding them for stability. It was in a moment like this that you were thankful he played hockey. It was like his body was made for it—his perfectly sculpted muscles, the warmth he radiated, the sheer thickness of his figure—and it was only natural that he could envelop you entirely with his presence.

He was everything you could’ve imagined. And although it would only—could only—be for one night, he was so attentive, as if you were so much more to him than that. And perhaps you were, but all you could be was nothing more than a photographer; his inferior.

Regardless of how much you both wanted that to change.

“Trent,” his name descended from your lips in a whisper. To your surprise, his hands glided up to your cheeks and held them in what could only be described as an intimate gesture. Before he could second-guess it, you pressed your forehead to his, fingertips pushing firmly into the flesh of his arms as your hips rolled in his lap.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, you felt the tension in your stomach. The same tension that made you tighten around his fingers earlier, only this time it was around him. And he could feel it.

His thumbs grazed your cheeks as he pulled you into him, and suddenly he was kissing you again. You could only be thankful for the gesture afterward, recognizing that he was absorbing the sound of your moans as you felt the coil in your stomach snap. Pleasure ripped through you in an exhilarating wave, and the mere sight and sound were enough to pull him over the edge with you.

The intensity forced your body to fall limp atop his. With his remaining strength—which was astoundingly little—his arms wrapped around your midsection and kept you in place. And in response, you found yourself nestling your face into his neck as if you were used to this. Maybe it was just in the heat of the moment (and likely not so), but he didn’t seem to protest it.

Trent finally broke the silence with a quiet sigh. His thumb rubbed your back in little circles, steadying your breaths and soothing your nerves. “You okay?” he half-whispered, and you nodded slowly in response.

“Mhm.”

“Good,” he carefully sat upright and brought you up with him. His arms remained enveloped around you to keep you stable, and he brushed a strand of hair behind your ear. “Am I staying here or leaving?”

It was a simple question. Of course, you wanted him to, but your mind was hazed with what-ifs. What if someone caught him leaving the next morning? What if someone had already heard, and this would only dig you into a deeper hole? But letting him sleep with you? It would be anything but casual. So you took a beat to think about it and gave him your answer.

“Staying.”

You’d deal with the repercussions in the morning. After all, everything was still surreal to you. For so long, that stupid little crush was controlling your life. You hoped this would put it to rest and give it some closure. Just one night to get him out of your system.

What you hadn't known was that that “one night” would continue to control your life, because you’d unknowingly be spending the rest of it with him.

#trent frederic #boston bruins #hockey #boston bruins imagine #trent frederic imagine #trent frederic fic #trent frederic smut #trent frederic x reader #t. frederic

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tippedarrows · 3 months ago

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Ohhh, I have lots of ships like Gabriel X Fred (I call them Frebriel usually), and none of them make sense tbh, For example Hadrian X Gabriel (yeah, I have A LOT of Gabriel ships because I love dis man), just imagine how Gabriel gonna try and help Hadrian become a better person, because he's super sweet and stuff and Hadrian just cannot help but feel weak for this man. And then New Order finds out and Jesse tries to hold Ivor back because "Jesse! Lemme go for gods sakes Gabe doesn't know who he just befriende- WDYM YOU ARE DATING!?" I think it'll be hilarious to see how everybody thinks Hadrian helds Gabriel hostage while it literally other way around and Warrior simply wants his bf to be with everyone as good as he is with him.

This ship is kinda the same as Jesse X Aiden or Axel X Aiden expect Gabriel is sweet, sweet and dumb while Hadrian is.. well.. Hadrian? If that makes sense in some way. Silly me, but thanks for reading all this stuff<3

I've previously talked about Frebriel here earlier, so I'll primarily focus on Hadrian and Gabe.

Gabrian... Hadriel...??

Everyone freaking out is the funniest thing ong. IVOR THINKS GABRIEL IS INSANE. Jesse's like.. ivor deep breaths... GABRIEL YOURE INSANE

And Hadrian, still cocky as ever with an arm around Gabriel like, " What, little man? You couldnt happen to be .. *jealous* of us? Why would I ever date anyone else! Gabriel here isn't a loser! " And gabriel knocks hadrian on the head with his sword like shut up you fool!!!

Hadrian is Gabriel's fool. Gabriel is Hadrian's winner. His star. His number 1! His BOYFRIEND! HAHA TAKE THAT HADRIAN'S THE REAL WINNER AND HE'S GOING TO BRAG TO *EVERYONE!!!!!!*

Gabriel watching Hadrian rant to himself about definitely not morally correct things and just "uhuh. Yes. I bet. Wait wait no wait back up I didnt just agree with you. "

Gabriel has Hadrian on a kiddie leash. Hadrian *loves* the attention he gets when Gabriel takes him into public. Of course it's all Gabriel's publicity but did you know Hadrian is DATING that idiot? Ha! That's right, back up!!!

Hadrian is such a jealous type too... His soft boyfriend should watch out! ;)

#mcsm #minecraft story mode #lukas rambles #gabriel mcsm #gabriel the warrior #hadrian mcsm #mcsm hadrian #mcsm gabriel #spleef #mcsm games #crackship #gabriel x hadrian #Gabrian #Hadriel #ask me anything #signing open!

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whataboutsimple · 1 month ago

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Apologies for being annoying but your idea for villain Fred is giving me ideas in the context of Oceanlove and Violetcrystals

We first have Gabriel and Fred being a cute couple and whatnot but Gabriel starts to pick up that things aren’t right and tries to get to the bottom of it but the admin’s been super secretive about it, referring to it as a surprise.

When him and Fred reunite, Fred was so happy to see him again but was saddened to hear what happened to Gabriel and his friends which only affirmed his beliefs. He showed what he was working on and his plans to make a better happy land. Gabriel is rightfully horrified with all this and tries to convince Fred to stop but Fred doesn’t listen, thinking that Gabriel just needs help to be ‘fixed’ and teleports him to the plains, though a more comfortable part of it that he set up for themselves.

Gabriel while Fred’s out, finds the others and helps them break out but chooses to stay behind so as to distract Fred and pretend that he’s been brainwashed while the rest try and get help. Romeo meanwhile after being found learns about Gabriel staying behind and since he knew Gabriel, he knows it’s only a matter of time until Fred gets to him. After the events of everything, Romeo sticks with Gabriel to help him heal from Fred, the two bonding with each other in the process and healing from the trauma.

Then we have the opposite spectrum where Romeo and Gabriel were in a relationship. As Fred started to become more controlling, Romeo gets worried and sent Gabriel a warning, his final message; ‘Gabriel. Fred’s become too dangerous, I’m gonna try and stop him but I don’t know when I’ll be back. Whatever you do, PLEASE AVOID FRED. Don’t even look for me. Don’t try to find me. If Fred comes after you, run. I’m sorry. I love you. Yours, Romeo.’

Gabriel is of course worried but he did as he’s told, he knows Romeo well enough to tell that he was desperate and as much as he hates to do it, he doesn’t look for his lover. It crushed him and he even dreads thinking that he’s dead and mourned.

But then, as he was travelling, Fred found him. Gabriel tried to run but Fred captured him easily, telling him that Romeo would be so happy to see him and could improve once the warrior’s there. While Gabriel’s relieved that Romeo is alive, he’s slightly angry with Fred for imprisoning his lover and tries fighting back but of course, it’s useless. Fred decided that Gabriel needs some ‘correcting’ before he sees Romeo and takes him to the plains, but this time he’s supervising his correction. Gabriel’s Romeo’s lover after all, he needs to be happy and well for when he reunited with Romeo and Fred won’t accept anything less than perfection. Romeo later gets wind of this and is absolutely infuriated, so much so that he didn’t hesitate to help Jesse and the others take down Fred. It’s a race against time for Romeo as he and everyone else try to reach Fred before he brainwashed Gabriel and everyone else.

Bonus for Ivor getting caught up in all this and being absolutely worried for Gabriel, secretly helping him keep his sanity in both cases.

Don't worry for being annoying even for you second, cause you're NOT, dear Anon!

This is what we love to see: drama, angst and broken heart.

We can also imagine more soft way, where Gabriel's successed at trying to convince Fred he's doing wrong.

We can also make it worse by doing Fred X Gabriel X Romeo, where Gabriel's actually stuck between two crazy men.. maybe they can't decided on which way to rule the world, but they can definitely decided on the fact that Gabriel deserves better than whatever Old Order gave him.

So, like, Gabriel becomes Romeo's champion and Fred's perfection. On one side he is an unstoppable fighter, dealing with every Romeo's challenge. On the other he is a purest soul, an example of how "good human" should behave.

So both Fred and Romeo uses the same tactic of manipulation on Gabriel to keep him near both of them.

"You don't want to upset your lovers, right?"

"I-i'm not, I just don't think we should-"

"We absolutely should, honey. Look at them all. Their behavior is unacceptable. They should be more like you."

But as soon as Gabriel does what they want him to do, they praise him so much it's almost too much.

"Dear, that was excellent! You've done such a great job, I can't believe it!"

"It was just a few zombies-"

"Don't put yourself so low, honey. They are still monster and you dealt with this incredibly good."

And constantly remind him that no one else was so good with him.

"Last time I checked this 'Ivor' friend of yours tried to kill you with WitherStorm."

"That wasn't his intention-"

"You're too kind for your own good, honey. He's not a friend of yours. But don't worry, you don't need him or anyone else, you have us. It's enough, right?"

He would go through so much trauma and brainwashing with two of them. And while Xara was around, she saw that shit and somehow tried to keep him sane by teleporting him back to the surface from time to time or just talk, so he won't feel so alone even though he's never alone.

But as soon as they put Xara to Moonlight Plains (she needs to be fixed and become their friend again), he feels alone yet again.

He's alone, what can he do? Maybe accepting their love fully is the only option now..

#mcsm #minecraft story mode #mcsm gabriel #mcsm fred #mcsm romeo #mcsm xara #mcsm violetcrystals #mcsm oceanlove #mcsm charmingtrio #yep im calling them that #mcsm gabriel x fred #mcsm romeo x gabriel #mcsm fred x gabriel x romeo #simpletalks

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dustedmagazine · 9 months ago

Text

Dust Volume 10, Number 2

Ballister

It’s a leap year, so we all get an extra 24 hours to listen to February music. Why not try some of these selections from our endless piles of when-i-get-to-its? We’ve got unhinged beatmakers and noise-addled Canadians, smashing, grabbing jazz men and psychedelic post-punk. And really a lot more. February always seems long. This year it’s even more extended. Use your time wisely. Play records.

This month’s contributors include Patrick Masterson, Ian Mathers, Bill Meyer, Bryon Hayes, Tim Clarke, Jennifer Kelly, Jonathan Shaw, Jim Marks and Andrew Forell.

8ruki — POURquoi!! (33 Recordz)

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This ain’t your mother’s TTC. Bilingual Parisian 8ruki takes most of his cues from Atlanta, acting with a whole lotta Whole Lotta Red in mind and squeezing 22 songs into his third album — about right for contemporary hip-hop in this vein, which frequently abandons ideas after less than two minutes and leaves a trail of incomplete sketches in its wake; like others his age, 8ruki has evolved to consider this less a bug (especially for stans forever thirsty for the next “project”) than a feature, the default mode of working. I don’t know what good it would do to comment on a song called “Andrew Tate!!” or “Elon Musk!!” at this stage other than to suggest the guy’s just being (what the French call) a provocateur, but peek elsewhere and you’ll find an unexpected beat switch on “VAris//PIENna,” not to mention a world-shrinking reference to the Golden State Warriors; the high-pitched squeaks of “CA$h!!” and “GIVENCHY MARgiela!”; the string sample and rolling bass of “EDQuer!!”; and a whole lot more to enjoy. Ignore the annoying tendency to turn caps off halfway through a song title; this is a fun record with a lot going on that’s even better if you more than half understand it.

Patrick Masterson

ALL HANDS_MAKE LIGHT — “Darling The Dawn” (Constellation)

The credits for this duo’s second release are deceptively simple; Ariel Engle (La Force, Broken Social Scene) as just “voice” and Efrim Manuel Menuck (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt Zion) as just “noise.” But there are whole worlds contained in voice and noise, and there’s a sonic, emotional, and political complexity here that makes it feel much weightier and more elaborate than the work of any two people. (It also had one of the best song titles of last year in “We Live on a Fucking Planet and Baby That’s the Sun.”) There are distinct songs here, even some refrains, but the whole of “Darling The Dawn” also feels like one long ebbing and flowing movement, culminating in lovely, shattered grandeur with the closing one-two punch of “Anchor”/“Lie Down in Roses Dear.” Shoegaze without guitars (although not without occasional strings or drums, from Jessica Moss on violin and Liam O’Neill, respectively), emotional noise music, kosmiche played in a paupers’ graveyard; it’s hard to know what to call what ALL HANDS_MAKE LIGHT does, other than impressive. Maybe voice and noise is enough description after all.

Ian Mathers

Ballister — Smash And Grab (Aerophonic)

In Chicago, the smash and grab game is strong. People aren’t just breaking windows but driving vehicles through them. Ballister apply that spirit of aggressive enterprise to performance on this memento of saxophonist Dave Rempis, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love’s reunion at the Catalytic Sound Festival in Chicago in December, 2022. The reeds wail and probe, the strings splinter and scrape, the drums smash rhythm in the air and reshape them. And that’s just in the first few minutes. Over the course of the set, they find ways to apply that assertive spirit to quieter passages and slower passages, fashioning rough thickets and inconsolable laments from the same rough material. While Dusted does not recommend literal application of the album’s title when acquiring it, we confidently predict that you’ll find the record sticking to your fingers, obliging you to return it to the playback device for another go around.

Bill Meyer

Cuneiform Tabs — Cuneiform Tabs (Sloth Mate)

The Sloth Mate label is the psychedelic tendril sprouting from the flourishing vine that is the modern Bay Area post-punk scene. There’s certainly an affiliation with Famous Mammals, Children Maybe Later and others of that ilk, but there’s a tendency to stray from traditional idioms that is unique to the Sloth Mate catalog. Violent Change, headed up by the imprint’s owner Matt Bleyle, is at the center of this sub-underground cabal, coming across like a garage punk band noisily banging out Face to Face-era Kinks jams after gobbling some mind-altering flora. Sterling Mackinnon’s The False Berries on the other hand is a lo-fi ambient electronic project that recalls the early beat-inclusive work of Christian Fennesz. Bleyle and Mackinnon collaborate remotely under the Cuneiform Tabs moniker (the latter musician is based in London, England). The cross-pollination works incredibly well, with the most listenable aspects of each unit rising to the forefront. When it appears, Mackinnon’s Dan Bejar-meets-Marc Bolan warble acts as a foil for Bleyle’s deeper crooning. Similarly, the former’s atmospheric tendencies highlight the beautiful melodies hidden beneath the latter’s noise-baked tunesmithery. Cuneiform Tabs’ psychoactive sonorities require work to decipher, but the endeavor is certainly worthwhile.

Bryon Hayes

Mia Dyberg Trio — Timestretch (Clean Feed)

It’s tempting to take the title of Timestretch ironically, since this Scandinavian trio compacts a lot of action into 43.18. There are 14 tracks, all but three composed by bandleader and alto saxophonist Dyberg. But more likely, it addresses this paradox; while the music never feels like it’s in a hurry, there’s a fair bit going on. Tonally, Dyberg shifts easily between slightly sour and just sweet enough, and her phrasing is mobile, but never busy. On a few unaccompanied tracks, she unburdens herself more directly, mourning for those laid low by conflict. Bassist Asger Thomsen anchors the music with stark, strategically placed notes, and adds dimension with occasional sparse, bowed comments. But it’s drummer Simon Fochhammer who gives the music shape, sometimes with a quick rustle, other times by building an eventful structure around his partners.

Bill Meyer

Kali Malone — All Life Long (Ideologic Organ)

Swedish composer and organist Kali Malone takes a rigorous, structured approach to making music, crafting deliberately pared-back and laser-focused pieces that make the listener acutely aware of the shifting harmonic dynamics within thick layers of sound. This 78-minute album presents an intimidating edifice to a casual listener, but it is organized to allow curious immersion in more easily digestible sections. The longest tracks are organ pieces stretching to around 10 minutes in duration, aching with melancholy. However, there are also shorter vocal and brass pieces that deviate away from held drones into more spacious, overlapping progressions that are, on occasion, almost buoyant. All Life Long feels like music for a less easily distracted age; to be patient enough to bear witness to its full, solemn unfolding requires commitment, but how often do you hear music this awe-inspiringly pure?

Tim Clarke

Michael Nau — Accompany (Karma Chief)

Accompany rides the line between cosmic country and garden variety indie pop, its gentle melancholy enlivened by radiant runs of twanging guitar. “It’s an impossible life to get over,” Michael Nau croons in “Painting a Wall,” sounding beaten down but not quite broken, grounded in the ordinary but yearning for transcendence. Nau, you might remember, fronted the indie chamber pop Page France in the early aughts and the slightly more countrified Cotton Jones in the late ones. This fifth solo album hits its peak in plaintive “Shape-Shifting,” where an otherworldly echo sheathes both Nau’s voice and the rumble of piano, and a glow suffuses everything, making it more.

Jennifer Kelly

Note — Impressions of a Still Life EP (The North Quarter)

Manchester’s Note hasn’t been around all that long — the earliest traces of his Soundcloud only reach back to October of 2021 — but just within the last year, he’s demonstrated a knack for fusing airy, sultry R&B moods with the breaks n’ bass of UK dance music’s storied past. Late January’s Impressions of a Still Life EP out via The North Quarter imprint, helmed by Dutch producer Lenzman (himself a veteran of labels like Metalheadz, Nu-Directions and Fokus), is another fine example: Aside from the stirring “Vespertine” that debuted last summer and features poet and spoken word artist Aya Dia, plus “Cold Nights” that came in November, Note fills out the EP with three additional songs of varying speed and mood. The best might be “EVR,” which again features a vocalist, this time singer-songwriter Feeney. Employing deep bass, fluttering percussion and featherweight piano flourishes, the production here is top-notch Brit-inflected R&D&B. Watch this space.

Patrick Masterson

Plaza — Adult Panic (Self-Release)

The novelist and rock critic (and one-time Dusted writer) Michael Fournier spent the pandemic on Cape Cod with his wife Becca, he learning the bass and she the drums. Adult Panic collects 11 spiked and minimalist cuts from this experiment, almost entirely instrumental (there’s a shouted refrain on “(The Real) Mr. Hotdog”) and rife with lockdown agitation. The drums are pretty basic, a skitter of high-hat with snare on the upbeats, but the bass parts wander and jitter intriguingly. The title track has a Slint-ish post-rock open-ended-ness, repeated riffs left to linger and shift in the air. “The Tomb of Santa Claus” moves faster and more insistently, letting surf-like bent notes flare from rickety architectures. The whole experience is rather dour and claustrophobic, right up until the end when “(The Real) Mr. Hotdog” clatters into earshot and the two Fourniers seem to be, finally, having some fun.

Jennifer Kelly

Caroline Polachek — Desire, I Want to Turn to You: Everasking Edition (Perpetual Novice)

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I’m not gonna sit here and tell you all about how big Caroline Polachek’s 2023 was; if you were paying any attention to the conversation, you already know Desire, I Want to Turn to You was universally, justifiably acclaimed. The Everasking Edition tacks on seven additional songs, five fresh out the box, one an acoustic rendition of “I Believe” and one a cover. Regarding the latter: Anyone paying attention to the machinations of the modern music business will know the name Jaime Brooks, who was half of Elite Gymnastics and now works as Default Genders in addition to unflinching commentary on whatever the fuck is going on with Billboard charts and the ugly realities of how no one’s getting Spotify royalties. “Coma” was originally theirs from Main Pop Girl 2019, a beautiful, delicately skipping adrenaline rush of a love song. Polachek doesn’t radically reinvent what’s already great; instead, she leaves the music alone and takes ownership of the rendition with her lower pitch and breathy delivery. A heartfelt nightcap on an imperial year, you couldn’t have scripted that Valentine’s Day release any more perfectly.

Patrick Masterson

Proton Burst — La Nuit (I, Voidhanger)

When the wife of storied French comics artist Phillipe Druillet died in 1975, Druillet poured his grief and rage into an idiosyncratic graphic narrative, La Nuit (1976); it’s full of mutant biker gangs, Druillet’s signature fever-dream architectural forms and hair-raising violence. French thrash metal weirdos Proton Burst loved the book, and in 1994 they produced an album-length project, part response, part soundtrack to the comic’s maniacal intensities. I, Voidhanger has given that Proton Burst record a deluxe reissue, including the original music, an extended live performance of it from 1995 and a booklet including eye-popping images from Druillet’s comic and an essay. If you’re in this for the music, the real treat is the live set, which is nearly as unhinged as Druillet’s illustrations. The band rages, rants, foments and froths—and is that a harp? Who knows. Like the original graphic narrative, what matters here is the volatility of the feeling tone, more so than any sense-making (or sonic) throughway. Lose yourself in the violence of it. Maybe that feeling of dislocation gets closest to the irrational agony of loss Druillet drew La Nuit in the teeth of, some 50 years ago.

Jonathan Shaw

Mariano Rodriguez — Exodo (self-released)

Mariano Rodriguez is an Argentinian guitarist in the Takoma school tradition with a large and high-quality back catalog. He often focuses on playing with a slide but is equally adept at playing without one and sometimes incorporates experiments with sound, as on Huesos Secos (2020), and fuller traditional instrumentation, as on Praise the Road (2017), into his recordings. Exodo, released late last year, is a set of mainly guitar soli. The playing is typically inspired, impressive without being flashy, and the compositions are tuneful and well-developed. Included is a 12-string anthem (“Lazaro”), Rodriguez’s signature slide work (such as on “The Desterrados”), bluesy 6-string meditations (“Diaspora”), and a couple of experiments with studio effects and overdubs (“The River and the Blind”) and drone (“Mother of the Road”). Over all, Exodo is a fine set of tunes that flows cohesively.

Jim Marks

Twin Tribes — Pendulum (Beso de Muerte Records)

Pendulum by Twin Tribes

It’s unclear precisely which tribes are twinned here, but if the music on Pendulum is any indication, it’s the deathrock freaks (with their long-standing romance of moldering, undead bodies) and the coldwave kids (who like to dance in place, furiously, disaffectedly, bodies frosty for entirely different reasons). Twin Tribes hails from the bastion of moody electronic music that is Brownville, TX, and somehow these Latinx fellows have managed to survive their local cultural climate long enough to release three LPs, a live tape and a whole bunch of singles and remixes. Pendulum refines the essential sonic template laid down in 2019’s Ceremony: tuneful, shimmery synths; snappy, brittle rhythm tracks; baritone vocals about zombies at the disco. If that sounds like fun, it surely is—but you’ll have a hard time convincing the kids in black eye makeup to crack anything like a smile. This reviewer can’t help it. The songs are too good, the vibes are way too goofily gravid. Dance, you flesh-eating misfits, dance.

Jonathan Shaw

Volksempfänger — Attack of Sound (Cardinal Fuzz / Feeding Tube)

Attack Of Sound by Volksempfänger

Attack of Sound’s swirling boy-girl harmonies instantly call to mind shoegaze luminaries Slowdive, but Volksempfänger’s noise-strewn guitar latticework is more aligned with The Jesus and Mary Chain. Furthermore, the Dutch duo’s melodic flavor is as sweet as 1960s AM radio. Ajay Saggar (Bhajan Bhoy) and Holly Habstritt combine these disparate sonic strands to create tidy noise pop gems, which they wrap in Phil Spector sonics. The wall of sound approach imbues each song with a pulsating thrum. This is the beating heart of their sound, underpinning the delightful vocal harmonies, shimmering guitar melodies, and waves of coruscating feedback. The pair attains a balance between saccharine and savory aromas: dream pop wistfulness (“What the Girl Does” and “Your Gonna Lose Hard”) interchanges with propulsive garage rock (“How We Made It Seem” and “Damned & Drowned”). The album closes out with the kaleidoscopic psychedelia of “You’ve Lost It,” introducing yet another aspect of Volksempfänger’s oeuvre. This last-minute shift in mood adds a quirky sense of quietude to an otherwise exhilarating journey.

Bryon Hayes

Ian Wellman — The Night the Stars Fell (Ash International)

The Night The Stars Fell by Ian Wellman

Recorded in the fire swept forests and deserts of Southern California, Ian Wellman’s The Night the Stars Fell plays like a Disintegration Loops for natural disasters. Wellman’s treated field recordings encourage the listener to subsume themselves in the natural rhythm of the wind that fanned the wildfires much like Basinski’s seminal work. While Disintegration Loops drew its potency from the association with 9/11, Wellman’s project is a more deliberate meditation on destruction. He coats his field recordings of deteriorating human structures — railcars, homes — and landscape ambience with short-wave radio static and decaying tape loops. There’s a concentration on both the violence of the destruction and the desolation of the aftermath. Huge swells of sound are interspersed with howls of wind, coruscating swathes of static and the creak and crank of burnt timber both natural and manufactured. The Night the Stars Fell is an absorbing evocation of nature’s power.

Andrew Forell

Wharfer — Postboxing (Self-Release)

Postboxing by Wharfer

Wharfer’s Kyle Wall has long made the kind of shadowy, pared down indie-folk singer/songwriter music that elicits comparisons to Bill Callahan and Will Oldham. This time out, however, he ditches vocals and verse chorus structure entirely and enlists Chuck Johnson (pedal steel), Ian O’Hara (acoustic bass) and Duncan Wickel (violin) for a set of ambient, piano-forward reflections. These tracks are quietly riveting as, like “Wishing Well in White Noise,” the blend the chalky, elegiac tones of the piano’s upper registers with limpid pools of sustained pedal steel. Not quite ambient, the piece swirls and rounds to its own subtle rhythms, a faint thunk of bass ordering it forward. “Alto” brings the long, bowed vibrations of violin into the mix, then a sprightly sprinkle of pizzicato strings. And in the title track, a ritual voice flickers in and out of focus, but only as tone and texture. The piano carries the narrative, as string washes build and bass notes drop in and seagulls cry in the distance. It’s a subtle but powerful voice on its own, and you don’t miss the words one bit.

Jennifer Kelly

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maxemilianverstappen · 1 year ago

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I’m not a fan of Charles but I don’t mind him. I also don’t see a WDC for Charles in near future and I doubt Fred will make a big difference everyone hopes for👐🏻I know Charles is young and have a lot of years to win but it’s crazy for me how Ferrari ruined his reputation in nearly two years, people rather put him in same calibre with Carlos and George(both an ok drivers but nothing special or outstanding to me) rather than Max/Lewis.

Some people are looking at the statistics and seeing the number of wins and all other jazz and making a list mostly based on that. I don't give a damn about that kind of "outlook" at the sports. Charles is talented and it is highly acclaimed both by his peers and by the gurus in the industry. What a keyboard warrior might say or think about him, actually about any of these drivers, do not matter at all.

As I said before, talent and hardwork is of course, the first ingredients of a champion, but also that guy needs to be at the right place at the right time and also the right car.

Seb, for example... Since 2012, almost every year there was heavy rumors about how Mercedes wanted to sign him, how they had a pre-contract or whatever. He possibly got offers from them, but chose his path differently. Which costed him the opportunity to get another two or three WDCs in theory. He was never an "average" driver as some people tried/still try to paint him as.

Charles isn't an average driver either. He has some weaknesses, but that's due to him trying to compensate for the car and taking greater risks.

I don't believe this "if he is a great driver he should adapt" thing. I don't think after 20 sth years of doing some shit you can find the same edge in every set up and in every type of car. Lol, you can't "that" easily change your second nature and hope to be equally as good as before.

Even Max and Lewis and Seb struggled in different amounts in cars that they didn't find to their liking. But everyone immediately screamed "they should adapt". Look, I am not a Chirlie either, but, cars make champions, too. Maybe more than the drivers' talents and hardwork can ever.

Seb tried so hard in 2020 to drive a car with no rear end (which was his preferred balance) so, out of anyone, if Seb couldn't find a way to be faater, then sorry but nobody could because that guy's work principles parallel no one's. That car suited Charles's style, so he drove it well. Later years, the car's rear got more stable and had more understeer, which didn't suit him. Even then, he drove those cars to poles. But Ferrari has always sucked at race interim since Seb and Kimi's times, mostly because they have never solved their tyre use issue. But whatever.

What I mean is, to show your talent, you also need the machine that reacts to you the way you want it to. When Charles gets a car like that, he is no less than Max or Lewis or Seb or Nando or other WDCs. But stars must align as Ferrari must suddenly decide to stop clowning and live up to their "image".

I am not holding my breath about Ferrari getting their ahit together soon, but if Charles really can't win at least one WDC, it will be such a waste of potential.

#eri.exe #i answer things

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home-from-hogwarts · 8 months ago

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Book Recommendations for Gryffindor

I'm just making these for fun! I'm looking for adventure books, or stories with a high emphasis on courage/chivalry/honor.

Nonfiction/Memoir:

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. The story of Louis Zamperini, who was an Olympic runner prior to WWII. He was later drafted and survived both being on a raft for over 40 days at sea, and then being held in horrible conditions by the Japanese as a prisoner of war. In light of Gryffindor specifically- his childhood antics and pranks are hilarious, and might remind you a bit of Fred and George. But more than that, he showed incredible bravery throughout the course of world war two.

Hons and Rebels by Jessica Mitford. I actually read this because JK Rowling said it was one of her favorite books! She's a socialite who rejected her (largely fascist) family in favor of communist politics, and ran away to marry her second cousin Esmond Romilly- who had himself left the family to join the Spanish Civil War. Basically everything about this book is hilarious, and I've read it multiple times. Bits of it will make you cringe, but it's absolutely worthwhile. After the book ends Jessica became a muckraker and worked in a civil rights organization. The story of a socialite running away and standing up against fascism (while at the same time being a bit young and immature) might remind you of Sirius Black, ngl.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. Being real... it's his mother's story, almost more than his. But she's definitely a woman to admire in my book! The book follows Trevor's life growing up as a mixed-race child under apartheid, as well as living in the shadow of an abusive stepfather. It's written in a very episodic way, and things aren't necessarily recounted consecutively. As you'd expect from a comedian, it's written in a very humorous and exaggerated way.

Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals. She was one of the Little Rock Nine, and her endurance during her years at Central High is amazing. I think on a conceptual level I understood the facts of what had happened before reading this, but I never really imagined what it would be like to sacrifice your high school years (and what should have been a happy time of your life!) to a cause greater than yourself like this. Her classmates treated her horribly, and reading this book makes you admire the entire group's commitment.

Fiction- Classic Lit + Modern:

Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green. Ok, the book was targeted at kids... But the charm of it is really in how old-fashioned the writing and sentiments are. It has a lot of emphasis on chivalry and courage, and both Robin Hood and Marian are the types of "paragon" characters who give you warm fuzzies to read about. Maybe try the Howard Pyle version if you want something that feels a little more adult- I've only read the L. Green edition, so that's what I'm recommending. (I'll add on that if you like this to try reading a version of King Arthur- it's the same Gryffindor feeling with its emphasis on chivalry and honor. I didn't want to recommend it because I haven't read it all the way through since middle school!).

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. Full disclosure- this is the only book in this list that I haven't finished. I'm reading it rn and I'm only a few chapters in, but I love it! This introduced the idea of a "masked hero" to literature, and the vibe of it- rebelling to stand up for the lives of other people- is very Gryffindor.

The Martian by Andy Weir. Wonderful story about an astronaut who gets left alone on Mars, and uses his ingenuity to survive. It could be a Ravenclaw book for that reason, but I think that the adventurous feeling will probably appeal most to Gryffindor type personalities.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I read this a few years ago, but I read it in just one day (which is a high recommendation!). The main theme is basically the intense rivalry between the greasers and the socs, and the fallout as a result of it. If I remember correctly the boys in it were all very loyal to each other, and I think the drama in it will probably appeal to those in Gryffindor house. You'll also understand this reference: "stay gold!"

Bonus: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Included for three reasons- a) another of JKR's favorite authors is apparently Jane Austen, b) the romance kind of reminds me of Jily, and c) Elizabeth is definitely a Gryffindor. I think this manifests mainly in her clear self-respect, particularly her commitment to only marrying for love even in the face of potential poverty. She doesn't try to be something she's not. This is a "bonus" because Jane Austen's subtle wit means that it could very easily be a Ravenclaw book.

#harry potter #book recommendations #gryffindor #bookblr #Hogwarts houses #hogwarts #classic literature #books #memoirs #fiction #novels #book recs #book recs by Hogwarts house #part 1/4

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fredfilmsblog · 2 years ago

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Best of Original Cartoons: Bravest Warriors

FredFilms Postcard Series 8.7

This latest series of limited edition postcards celebrates our great creators and showrunners. In this case, the phenomenon of Bravest Warriors. While the original short was created by Pendleton Ward during Random! Cartoons, he was busy with Adventure Time (very busy!) and he suggested his friend Breehn Burns to run the show when we brought it to Cartoon Hangover. Breehn gave us his fantastic pitch, and we couldn’t say no.

While Pen’s short was merely a sketch of what could eventually happen, it was up to Breehn to flesh things out to make it series worthy. And he did not disappoint in the least.

And then, of course, Breehn’s crowning creation... it’s Catbug!

PS: our great friends at Ludoko Studios created a wonderful Catbug iphone game. It’s where this illustration is from.

.....

From the postcard back:

You are one of 125 people to receive this limited edition FredFilms postcard!

www.fredfilms.com

Bravest Warriors Created by Pendleton Ward Written By Breehn Burns premieres on Cartoon Hangover November 8, 2012

Illustration by Ludoko Studios Michael Lee and Dan Lin

Executive Producers: Breehn Burns, Eric Homan, Kevin Kolde, Fred Seibert

Best Original Cartoons Series 8.7 [mailed out January 11, 2023]

#FredFilms postcards #Series 8 #postcards #Bravest Warriors #Best of Original Cartoons #Pendleton Ward #Breehn Burns #postcard

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writingsofwesteros · 1 year ago

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I just came up with a whole backstory for Ramsay and Neira pre-got canon.

So basically Neira's family were distant relatives of the Boltons, a lower serving House. She was the middle child and only daughter, of course, she was only treated as a tool by her father to get strong alliances in the future. She was educated to be a good little wife, but when no one looked, she rebelled against it and did anything in her power to piss off her father. The only person she cared for was her mother, who even thought she loved her, the woman was too weak to fight her husband. She was politically astute and aspired to be a great Lady, to rule her own land with iron fist, and be powerful enough so no one could tell her what to do again.

She meets Ramsay as a kid, during a feast arranged by House Bolton, and the boy happened to be there too. They didn't speak, but they didn't forget each other. During that feast, she found out she was set to marry Domeric Bolton in the future and become Lady of Dreadfort.

They meet again as teens, after Domeric's death. Only Roose Bolton and herself suspect the truth, but she's actually happy to have been fred from marriage. However, her happiness doesn't last, since her father doesn't hesitate in selling her to House Bolton's new heir, Ramsay. None of them want this marriage, but Neira's parents wish for nothing more but strengthen their position and Roose was already promised a good-daughter. Neira was set to marry the future Lord of Dreadfort, whoever that might be.

The relationship is tense at first. He's impulsive and dangerous, but so is she. They crash, they fight, but they also bond over their shared hatred for their fathers. They try to get along since they know they can't break this union, and just a year after the wedding, she gives birth to their child, a girl. Somehow, this improves their relationship.

Enemies to lover ensues. They eventually find a common ground and develop strong, passionate feelings for each other as they grow and navigate this marriage. They become partners in crime and corrupt each other even more. While Ramsay is the warrior and war expert, Neira is the politically smart and the diplomatic one, the only person capable of taming the sadist Bolton.

LOVE ALL OF THIS! It's stunning. Sweet thing loving her mother but fighting against the norms of the time thank you.

Love how they didn't get on straight away...they are so similar but enough differences as well

#captured she wolf

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thevampirediariesuniverse-1864 · 1 year ago

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Stucky x warrior princess prt 1

Summary : au king Barnes and tigers come to stark kingdom in search of their promised wife princess Yn stark only to find out she’s not what they anticipated

Warning: arrange / forced Margie old timey sexism

Princess Yn stark was the greatest warrior of all times the legends that surround her name the fear and respect it instills in people , she could bring down kingdoms single handedly . Girls looked up to her and men frowned upon her or terrified of her in the battle feild . But of course her father king tony stark had to sell her off to the kingdom north of them Winter America kingdom . Ruled by king rogers and Barnes .

( princess , ur father requires your presence ) ur servant says

( tell him I am busy with my training ) u say

( miss he say and I quote tell her to get up here or I’ll ring her neck )

( fine ! I’m going ) u say putting ur bow down and putting your dagger back in you boot .

You walked up to ur fathers study ( father )

( come Yn , sit I have exciting news !)

( what is it ?)

( your to be married to king Barnes and king rogers this week they are arriving tomorrow )

( father !!! How could you ! I have told you I never wish to be married I want to become queen of stark kingdom and care for my subjects be the queen they deserve fight for them protect them !! Your taking away my life my will to live my fight if you do this !! )

( daughter let me make this simple , I don’t care … honestly you parade around like a hero ! A wanna be man ! Because a woman is worth nothing but property ! U won’t make it ! I won’t allow you to continue to embarrass me ! Go …. Prepare your thing after the wedding you shall live with them … your there problem them ! )

You stormed out of the room crying your eyes out ! “No this can’t be happening it can’t be ! I’m free I’m meant to be free I can’t live caged up I need to escape ! “You though …. “But I can’t not till tomorrow when everyone distracted no one will be worried about me in the chaos “

As you fell asleep morning came all too soon . You put on your armor , no way in hell we’re you actually going to dress up for the worst days of your life we’ll soon to be the best when you escape and run away .

You went out to the stables grooming your horse making sure she was ready for the run always cause you might be chased after if worse comes to worst . Until the trumpets sounded it was wakanda arriving for the wedding . You went out to greet king techalla

( hello your majesty … long time since we’ve fought side by side )

Techalla wraps you in a hug

( too long my good friend … for what it’s worth I give my apologies for this … I know you never wanted it )

( thank you … I appreciate it come make yourself at home … what’s mine is yours )

Wakanda went into the palace . Putting their horses in the stable .

You went back scoping out the best way to escape which road and such until you were forced my servants to enter and intertwined guests . Soon you heard drums … winter America… the worst thing ever ever s happening to you now .

Your forced up to your throne beside king tony your father

( Yn ! Why on earth are you wearing that armor?!!! I told you to wear the dress !! Look like a lady stop embarrassing me !! You wench !! )

You said nothing as king rogers and king Barnes walked In . And came up to the throne tiny stood up ( king Barnes king rogers ! So glad you could make it !) he said bowing . Then as you did both standing straight and talk face cold as stone . Tony elbowed you in the knee ( bow ! U ignorant child !)

Steve looks confused at you … his kingdom was the most powerful and feared everyone bowed for him and Bucky ….

( why are you not bowing ?) Steve asked not agerly just curious…

( I bow for no man !)

Bucky stood amazed and stunned at your bravery and courage which was to be suspected as the legends he’s heard of you the most powerful wartior in all the kingdoms …. Steve was impressed at your strong will and Fred spirit and very pleased

That’s when queen Natasha came in with her kingdom . ( excuse me .. I have more important people to see ) you said and ran past Steve and Bucky to Natasha . You bowed to her

( my queen … you look stunning as ever ) u say

( get up Yn !!! And hug me !)

You did so ! And kissed her cheek

( how Ive missed you Yn )

( as have I nat …. But I need your help I’m runnning away tonight and I need you to distract the guest and give me as much time as possible)

( consider it done .. I knew I was right in coming I almost could y bring myself to see them break you like that but I should’ve know better no one break the wild mustang like you )

All meal your father constantly tells you to do stuff a certain way stop doing this stop doing that … smile .. sit properly … behave like a lady !… you never listened thou . The meal continued and Steve made conversation

( so princess … do you like anything ?)

( war and freedom …) you said coldly with a terrifying smile

Bucky says ( of course I expect nothing less for the the legend of Yn stark )

You glance at him ( what do you know of me )

Bucky says ( conversation for another time )

He fiddles with a necklace that looked strikingly familiar to that you gave to a wounded soilder you cared for for months stranded in the cold mountains … but it couldn’t be … he … he died you him fall off the train … there no way .. you still kept your half of the broken locket with his photo in it as he had the price with your photo in it

You glared at Bucky again .

The dinner was over and now it was time for the ball the dancing .. your time to get away . But Steve held out his hand to you. You shook your head but your father looked at you so madly .. so you took his hand . (

I know you don’t want to marry us ) Steve said

( if it wasn’t obvious)

( but I believe you will be happy with us )

( I don t want to be happy !! I want to be free … do not ! Mistake my kindness for weakness I will it hesitate yo kill you and Barnes if you try anything!)

You grabbed your sword and held it at his face to make your point .

He stepped back with his hands up .

( I need some air ) you said as you ran out of the room . You ran to the stables singling for Natasha to distract. You grabbed your horse and started walking her out ( come on rain wind … we can do it ) you said yo her only to see Barnes standing there

( going somewhere princess ?)

You say ( none of your business )

( bravo ! Bravo ! I applaud your performance with Steveie back in there .. he had goosebumps )

You say ( good he should be scared of me )

( now come on doll … dont you remember me ? )

#stucky steve rogers Buckybarnes

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writeforfandoms · 1 year ago

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Warrior Song 10

Find the series masterlist

Well here we are. Getting to some actual plot. This is entirely speculation and, again, I play fast and loose with canon so. Keep that in mind.

Warnings: Brief violence, we're going beyond canon now, Blue Team in danger, shit's going down

Word count: 1.5k

Two days later found the entire team back on the Pelican, on your way to the next objective. Another part of the installation, Joy had told you. One they hadn’t visited yet at all, and were hoping would reveal more information.

Honestly, you were expecting this would be like every other time Blue Team went - you and Fernando would mind the Pelican and shoot the breeze, Blue Team would do their thing and come back with questionable stains on their armor, and off you’d go again.

But not this time.

“Echo-216.”

“Here, Chief.”

“Is the LZ secure?”

“Yeah, all quiet here,” Fernando confirmed. “Need a pickup?”

“We’re heading your way,” Chief said without giving an actual answer.

“Copy that.” Fernando looked a bit puzzled. Understandably so. That was something new.

“What do you think that’s about?” you asked quietly, leaning your weight against the back of his seat.

“Not sure.” Fernando frowned out the front viewscreen of the Pelican. “At least he hasn’t thrown himself off something this time.”

You snorted and shook your head, sinking carefully into the copilot seat. “This time.”

Fernando tapped his fingers on the control panel before he glanced at you. “Ever flown one of these before?”

“Me?” You snorted. “Absolutely not.”

“Want to learn?” He smiled, but there was something more in his eyes.

“Fernando…”

“Never hurts to learn a new skill, right?” He tipped his head at you, waiting to see if you tried to defy his logic.

You puffed out a breath but obediently watched as he fired up the Pelican, explaining to you as he went.

Fernando hit the button to lower the ramp. “Let’s go see what Chief found this time.”

You got to your feet carefully and made it to the main area. Fernando hovered next to you but let you pace yourself, which you appreciated more than you could say.

Blue Team walked on board and Chief immediately made for you and Fernando. “We need to go.”

“Made a few new friends, big guy?” Fernando asked, even as he threw himself back into the cockpit and into his chair.

“Not exactly.” Chief stopped next to you, one heavy hand on your shoulder guiding you to sit.

“We found evidence of activity further in the ring,” Joy piped up. “Recent activity.”

“Could be more Banished,” you murmured, though you frowned.

“Or worse.” Chief didn’t say anything else as the Pelican lifted off.

A quick glance showed Fred, Kelly, and Linda all sitting, though they were all on alert.

You clenched your jaw as the thought of worse caught up with you. Well. That could definitely be bad. You swallowed hard, glancing at Chief. But he didn’t show even the remotest sign of nerves. Which, honestly, of course he didn’t. Especially not with the helmet on.

“It will be fine.” Chief kept his voice low, for the two of you, his hand squeezing your shoulder lightly.

You nodded once but didn’t reply otherwise, brow furrowing. His confidence was bolstering, but not quite enough to keep your worries at bay.

The trip was otherwise silent, although you could hear Fernando and Joy talking quietly in the front. You just focused on breathing.

“We’re here.” Fernando’s statement was quiet but it didn’t matter - everyone heard him. The Pelican landed with only a little bump.

Chief was the first off, gun in hand, sweeping the area visually. The rest of Blue Team followed, and you went only as far as the end of the ramp, looking around.

Like the rest of the ring, this place was beautiful, with long grass and trees, studded with rocks. It was almost peaceful, except for the tension the team carried with them.

But you could see a cave entrance up ahead, a faint blue light coming from within. That must be part of the Halo structure, leading inside somewhere.

A hand fell on your shoulder, not as big as John’s but just as comforting. “They’ll be fine,” Fernando murmured to you, standing next to you. “They’re Spartans! And they’ve got Chief!”

“They’re human too,” you murmured back, twisting your fingers together. “I just… worry.”

“Yeah.” Fernando sighed, squeezing your shoulder. “So do I. They need people to worry about them, I think. Keep them human.”

“Good thing they’ve got us,” you agreed, tipping your head to smile at your friend. “Well. Let’s see what we can get done while they’re hunting, hm?”

Fernando shot you a grin and nodded. A couple hours passed in companionable work.

And then the ground started shaking.

Fernando slammed himself into the pilot seat, hitting the button for the COM. “Chief, what the hell is happening?”

“We found the Endless,” Joy spoke, sounding anxious and a bit distracted. “But not just them.”

“Get to a safe distance,” Chief interrupted.

“Copy, Chief.” Fernando started up the Pelican, and you more or less plopped into the copilot seat. “Hold on, this might get bumpy.” He handled the controls like a pro, guiding the Pelican up away from the ground and further away. You held on tight to the safety straps, watching below you to see what was going on.

The ground below cracked and split open. For a moment, you had the wild hope that this was the worst of it.

And then things started to fly up out of the crevice, which was slowly growing larger as the ground gave way at the edges. Most of them ignored you, flying off in one direction.

But a few turned to look at the Pelican, drifting closer.

“Shit,” Fernando breathed, eyes wide. “Hang on.” He turned the Pelican sharply and retreated.

“Think they’re following us?” you asked quietly, as if speaking too loudly would summon them.

“Just two.” Fernando clenched his jaw, hands tight on the controls. “If they’re what I think they are, we’re in trouble.”

“Well… I’ve gotta warn you, I’m not the best shot.” Your own hands clenched around the straps and you swallowed hard against the rising fear.

“We’ll figure something out.” Fernando swerved the Pelican around a cliff, clearly hoping the two followers would get bored and move on. Almost idly, you noted that some of Chief’s relentless determination must have rubbed off on Fernando.

With a triumphant noise, Fernando maneuvered the Pelican into an alcove in the cliff face. You both held your breath, hoping the two would ignore you, or miss you altogether.

For once, luck was on your side. The two moved away, back to the others, which Fernando silently pointed out to you on the screen.

And you both sagged into your seats.

“That was too damn close,” Fernando breathed.

“Can we wait here? Safely, I mean.” You levered yourself upright to get a better look around the alcove. It wasn’t much bigger than the Pelican, really, at least from what you could see.

“Think so.” Fernando shrugged, the corners of his mouth pinched. “We’ll find out.”

The Pelican set down with a bump, and you grimaced. Still wasn’t your favorite way to travel, but it was sometimes convenient.

Without a word, Fernando stood, motioning you with one hand to stay put. You watched outside carefully, gaze flicking back and forth to the scanner, while he rummaged around in the back. There was a soft swear or two, but other than that, just quiet.

He sat next to you again and held out a gun. A handgun of some kind - you were far from an expert. “Do you know how to use this?”

“Yes.” The answer felt ripped from you, but your hands didn’t shake as you took the gun, double checking the safety. “Like I said. I’m not a great shot. But I know how to shoot.”

“Let’s hope we don’t have to use these.” Fernando kept hold of his own gun, shoulders tense, mouth a thin line under his beard.

“Think they’re okay?” you asked quietly after several long minutes of tense silence.

“They have to be.” Fernando rolled his shoulders, staring outside. Not that there was a lot to see - grass, rocks, trees. Not much else.

Neither of you spoke again until Joy contacted the ship.

“Fernando, we need a pickup.”

“Right, okay, I’ve got a lock on your location.” Fernando moved quickly and confidently, getting the Pelican moving again. “Everyone okay?”

“For now.”

Foreboding slithered down your spine like cold water, and you wordlessly got up and moved to the back to drag out the medical supplies.

“What the hell happened?” Fernando asked, pushing the Pelican to go faster.

“It’s… I’ll explain when we’re all on board.”

“Copy. We’re a few minutes out - are you secure?”

“We’re okay here for now.”

You swallowed hard when the Pelican juddered a little under your feet but you refused to move. You had potentially injured Spartans to tend to, after all.

#warrior song #john-117 x reader #master chief x reader #f!reader

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