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my-pjo-stuff · 1 month

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Alright this is going to be a sensitive question to ask but some of my friends have spoken about fics where luke (🍇) other characters, some even have said he’s done that to their own characters where they were underaged and since you’re the best person I know that can speak super well about Luke, I was thinking do you think Luke would be capable of doing such thing to underage characters or ocs?

TW: DISCUSSION OF UNDERAGE RAPE, PEDOPHILIA, GROOMING AND UNDERAGE (ASWELL AS IN GENERAL) SEXUAL ACTIVITIES

So, I will start this off by saying thank you for comming to me with this anon. I know this is a very delicate topic. Which is why I want to say that I am more than welcome to have these discussions, since I think it's important to talk about these heavy things openly and seriously. That being said, my answer to that question is a resounding No. Luke would never even THINK about such a thing. Before we start (and this is by no means an attack on you or any other one of your friends) we need to remember that discussions like these are based in canon. Meaning that things such as "But Luke did it to my character" or "well Luke did it with my OC" are all worthless. Fact is I could also just aswell go and say "well Luke renounced Kronos and married my OC, he's actually loyal to the gods now for them!". But that also wouldn't mean that Luke is suddenly not the leader of the TA anymore or loyal to the gods. Now onto the real meat of it. Based on his canon actions Luke has never once shown any interest in anyone underage. He's had two semi-romantic relationships in the entire series. One with Thalia when he was 12 and she was 14, which was only ever implied and was immediately dropped and never picked up again when Thalia died. And one with Kellie, who was a fully grown monster and was more than eagerly consenting to a sexual relationship with Luke. I think the reason for this conversation all comes back to the Pedo and Groomer arguments we've had about Luke ever since TLO dropped- the rape being a continuation of that. Because, fact is- the only talk of Luke liking anyone underage we ever got only ever came from that one quote in TLO and other character's POV. The quote in TLO being the one where Luke asked Annabeth if she loved him, and she in kind responding that while she USED to love him, he's like a brother to her now. Which....I'm not going to lie, yeah that looks BAD. But what I see myself needing to point out here is that the question in and off itself does not need to mean romantic love. The whole theme of Luke and Annabeth always was family. Luke was laying dying, and in my opinion most likely just wanted to know if he and Annabeth still were family.

In that sense it would be logical for Luke to say love, as in- the love between family. The way Annabeth answered that was honestly stupid in my opinion, and I genuinly do not know what Rick was thinking. The reason why Luke never clarified anything was probably because he was actively dying and just didn't have the time for it. The second instance were other characters describing the relationship between Luke and Annabeth, and thus "confirming" that Luke had a romantic interest. Here I again have to point to the fact that A)it was only a statement, never an action. And B) It was from a different character's first person POV. Such POVs can never be fully trusted by the nature of being first person. I genuinly do not understand what Rick was ever thinking writing these things. Not only is it, frankly said- inappropriate for a children's book but would also ruin a core theme of Luke's character, family. The "Groomer" name has even less reason than the "Pedo" name. Grooming describes the action of an adult deliberately establishing a friendly relationship with a minor to manipulate them into certain actions or roles. I've mostly seen him being called a groomer in relation to Annabeth and Silena, which are both equally baseless. We first have to start off with the fact that Luke never really talked to them while they were a minor and he an adult. He met Annabeth when he was 14 and she was 7. He never once sook her out, their meeting was an accident. Even after meeting Annabeth he, on multiple occasions has expressed explicit platonic love. In The Diary of Luke Castellan he referred to himself as the "father" of the group after meeting Annabeth. Thalia in this context being the "mother". If anything that was more a hint at romance between Thalia and him than between him and Annabeth. During the main five books he also repeatedly called Annabeth his "little sister". That all also ignored the fact that Luke grooming Annabeth would mean that he got Annabeth to do something. Which never happened. Annabeth consistently does the exact opposite of what Luke wants her to do- that being fighting for the gods. Had Luke groomed her, Annabeth would have been in the TA. For Silena it probably comes from the fact that her saying that Luke was "charming" and "nice" as a reason for her joining and spying for the TA. Aswell as him blackmailing her to keep doing it. Again, Luke probably met Silena at camp purely by accident. Most likely while he too was a minor still. Is Silena's reason for joining the TA a bit weak? Definitely- but it also proves that it was her decision. There is no reason to believe Luke actively manipulated her into it.

The blackmailing was just that, blackmailing. Plain and simple- Luke did some fucked shit for his goals, which I'm not going to deny. But that certainly wasn't grooming. We also need to remember that it can be pretty harmful to excuse Silena's decisions as Luke "grooming" and "manipulating" her, as it strips her of her independence and abilities to make decisions for herself in the greater narrative. Having all that debunked, my personal theory as to why the fandom hangs so consistently onto these things is that they need reasons to villainize Luke. (A deeper dive into this here) Fandom as a whole seems to need a reason to justify their hatred of Luke- and the easiest way to do that is to make him a villain and evil. What is the easiest, most evil crime could commit? Easy, rape. Especially rape of children. So, with the abovementioned things combined, they just jumped to saying Luke is attracted to minors. And wants to do stuff with them even without consent. But coming back to your question, I have one last, extremely strong argument to make why Luke would NEVER do anything like that. Because, as hard as it may sound- if Luke wanted to rape someone, especially children, he would have done so already. He was the main caretaker of them at camp for a LONG time. He had minors of all ages lining up infront of him wanting to impress him, fully trusting him. Most of the minors having had bad homelives before getting there. Luke would have had an extremely easy time taking advantage of any of the campers. All while basically having free picking and choosing in terms of gender, look, age ect. And even if we say that he couldn't have done it at camp for some reason, he certainly could have done so in the TA. We all know Kronos wouldn't give much of a fuck if Luke had sexual relationships with the minors in the TA. He had a (most likely) sexual relationship with Kellie, which shows that Kronos allows romance. And he also doesn't seem to have a strong enough moral compass to stop Luke from going after kids would he want to do it. Not only would everything from above still apply in the TA, but Luke would also be their leader. Meaning an IMMENSE power imbalance between him and your average TA member. Luke, throughout all his life, was in a prime position to take advantage of children. Especially so in the TA where he had 0 consequences to fear. And the fact that he simply never did (like any decent human being if we are honest) proves in and off itself that he had no interest in anything like that. And would never even THINK of doing something like this.

#pjo #luke castellan #percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #luke castellan apologist #pjo fandom #pro luke castellan #luke castellan defense

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0lshadyl0 · 2 months

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Hiii !! can you write some generals yandere headcanons about flashy flash from one punch man please ? Nsfw or sfw or a mix of both it doesn't bother me ^^ Off course take your time you have the right to refuse the request, good health to you ^^*

I love ninjas and I really like One Punch Man (my favorites are Saitama, Sonic, Amai Mask, Flashy Flash and Zombieman), so much so that I have an OC for this series (which I'm still looking for a good name for her)

This request was definitely made for me

Flashy Flash Yandere Headcanons

Ok, as I mentioned before, I like ninjas and I like Flashy Flash, but let's be honest, his personality isn't the best, in fact, it sucks

This guy doesn't even consider people weaker than him, he doesn't pay attention to them and basically acts like they're stones in his way, he's proud, arrogant and borders on rude

So sorry to all the civilian darlings, this ninja won't even notice you beyond saving you and leaving you in a safe place

So at the very least, to get his attention you have to be an A-class heroine in the highest ranks (top 3) or be an S-class heroine like him, and even then it takes more than just power to get his full attention, with power you get his interest, but if it were only that he would have noticed Tatsumaki in a more romantic and not challenging way

This ninja's level of narcissism can rival Amai Mask, so in addition to being a strong heroine you must be very pretty, to the level of beauty that as soon as you appear in a room all eyes turn to you

Basically you have to be a mix of supermodel and strength equal to or greater than him, oh and you must also be incredibly fast because he doesn't wait for anyone

Having already specified how to get his attention, we are going to go to the behavior as a yandere, he is aware that his feelings are not normal, due to his upbringing as a ninja (where they were taught to suppress all emotion and become perfect weapons), but on the other hand, he feels that he has suffered enough and he also deserves to be happy and have a relationship (because first him, second him, third him)

His darling won't notice that he's interested in her thanks to his poker face and cold demeanor, she won't even notice that he's following her, because yes, he's a high-level stalker, when he wants to meet you to get closer to you he'll investigate your entire life and past so that there are no surprises for him

Also, it's a good way to know how to approach you and court you, even though he's terrible at it because he has zero experience in that field

When he finds out what city you live in, he'll patrol the area you live in so that both you (although it's not necessary since you're strong) and your home are safe from any monsters that decide to attack the city, consider it an act of love

Although he's a solo worker, you're a clear exception to the rule so whether you like it or not you'll work as a team with him (although he'll try to do everything just to keep you safe/impress you), basically you'll be there to cheer him on

At some point he would have considered kidnapping you if it weren't for the fact that you're strong and very famous, your disappearance would attract a lot of unwanted attention so he discarded the idea

He watches you at night when you sleep (when he has free time to do so of course), he knows by heart what your home looks like inside and sometimes he uses drugs to make sure you don't wake up so he can lay down next to you and on the nights when he feels extra naughty he can touch you inappropriately, he's a tits man so they'll get his most attention (size doesn't matter, boobs are boobs)

Even so, he'll wait for both of you to get into a relationship to initiate sexual relations (not because he's respectful or romantic but because he's a virgin with very little interaction with women and is just researching the female body)

#opm #opm flashy flash x reader #yandere opm #yandere one punch man #yandere flashy flash #shady talks #flashy flash #one punch man #one punch man headcanons #one punch hero

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factual-fantasy · 7 months

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26 ASKS!! :DD THANK U VERY MUCH!!🎨

Well that wouldn't be a good thing to do- Its very well known that I don't like fanart of my works..

If you wanna show that you like Bibi, just leave a comment please!

Seriously ya'll, just comments. Reblogs, tags, asks.. what ever form they may take. All I look forward to when posting artwork is reading all the responses. 👍

@solst1ce-sketches

WAAAHGAGAG THANK YOU SO MUCH!! AND HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!! 😭😭💖💖💖😭💖

@luna-purple454

Oh they're both fine! :0 Other than some angst ideas I had for them-- they're both still alive and well XD I just haven't drawn them in a while :/

@minnesotamedic186

I can hardly wait! :DDD (And yes you can XD)

@butterbreadsworld

Sorry, I don't take requests. Thank you though!! :}}

@i-v-y67

Blackmail XDD

@samcat2

I still like transformers! Though I'm not really interested in drawing it atm.. thank you though!! :DD

(Post in question)

XDDD fr tho--

:DD Thank youuu!! :}}}

@kiinther

XDD Blue is too big for that too! Though Seafoam might be able to give her a little peck on the cheek 👀 if either of them would just confess their feelings already <XDD

I know, and I hate all of it. :(

Also thank you so much! :DD

I was thinking that they're kind'a a cross between the two.

They pillage and raid other ships, but they don't normally go for "innocent" ships.. if they attack anyone, its usually other rotten pirates or slave ships maybe? "Bad" ships I guess you could say-

As for the voice claims. If like you explained- you happen upon an OC of mine and think "HE LOOKES LIKE HE SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE THAT OTHER GUY" Then feel free to send it on over to me! :DD

But don't go out of your way to find voice claims for my characters as a gift or a form of fanart. Remember! All I really want is comments. Engagement with my work means everything to me! <:)

@neo-metalscottic (Post in question)

AAAA THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! :DDD I'm so glad you like him!! :}} And that head injury was kind'a just a pose prompt. Though I might slap some lore on it and make it canon! :00

As for Papyrus.. its complicated.

Papyrus had accepted long ago that Sans and all his friends were gone. And that he was never going to see them again.. It really hurt. And it took him a very long time to accept that fact. But he did. He knows in his soul that his true brother is gone..

That didn't make seeing "Sans" again any less painful though. He probably saw a Sans through the trees in a new Snowdin. Man, I cant imagine how he felt.

The whole multiverse thing was explained to him by Frisk. He knows that's not his Sans. He knows its not him. But gosh. Its been so long since he's seen his brothers smile. What he would give to hear one of his silly puns again. What he would give to hear his voice.. to just.. to hug him one last time..

Frisk would grab Papyrus' hand, "Papyrus.. we need to go.. please, common.."

Seeing the other Papyrus walk into view and begin talking to that Sans.. He recollects himself. Its not him. Sans is gone. He's been gone for a very long time..

With tears streaming down his face, he would find the strength to grip Frisk's hand.. and turn away.

It never gets easier..

@jesterpiecethejester

Sorry, I don't take drawing requests! Plus the crews already pretty full as it is- <XDD

@bunny-coffee

I didn't intend to ever draw Frank and Eddie in a romantic light.. becuase yeah like you said, I just don't really like ships. Or honestly any romantic content that isn't my own OCs. Idk I just don't really enjoy drawing it--

But that's kind'a what I feared about the Welcome Home fandom if I'm being honest. I felt like people were really protective over Eddie and Frank. And if I revealed that I wasn't interested in drawing them as an item, canon or not? I felt like I would get a loooot of backlash.

But hey, I found a loophole. Just don't draw them together and there wont be any drama! :D It sucks though becuase Frank is a big part of Eddies lore and all his flashback shenanigans-

(Also thank you! :DD )

@beryl-shade

Oh! No no, its just made of seafoam! :0 Though whipped cream would make sense because he's a cookie- <XD

I do??

Huh.. I guess I do don't I..

What do I do with that power--

@sparkdrawsstuff

Well the strongest would be Blue Beauty by far- but looking at the smaller cookies? I think Seafoam is probably the strongest. But that's mostly due to him being so big. He's the biggest cookie on the crew and most of his strength just comes from packing more weight to his punch.

Though another toughy on the ship would be Louis. He may not be very big. But boy that crab arm? He has a grip strong enough to break cookies in half. And enough upper body strength to take your pieces and chuck em overboard--- 💀💀💀I wouldn't mess with either of them tbh--

As for the bounty.. that's a good question. :0 I wanna say Seafoam because he's the Captain an all.. but I really like the idea of Cuttlefish having this dark past and a surprisingly huge bounty over her head- 👀👀

@wilmawillow

<XD I think you might have got those two words switched around. I don't take drawing requests! But I've considered going back to some old artwork and redrawing them in my updated style.. 👀👀

@danikoshi

Not really.. :( There have been times in the past where I have asked for drawing ideas/requests when I was feeling low. But now a days I have plenty of ideas to draw so I don't need to do that anymore-

And to be totally honest, when someone says "Hey draw this thing for me." It just makes me go-

@astaherussy

You can find all the lore you need about Papyrus in this ask post! Just scroll down a bit and you'll find all the links and a bonus paragraph <XD

As for the tags. If you wanna see my AU with Jevil and the gang, you can find that under my #deltarune tag. They're also tagged under #Undertale but that will also bring up my Refinedtale AU and other au stuff-- :00

As for the Octonauts question, bro I EAT questions like these! :DD

Its a very interesting prompt. Usually we think of Captain Barnacles as very level headed and calm. He seems like one to bounce back from any situation and keep leading the team no problem. But man. After something like that? That's gotta scare him to his core.

I can see Barnacles being more tense and not wanting any of the crew to stray too far from him or the Octopod. I can imagine that he would give Kwazii a lot of time to recover, a lot more than he actually needs. And maybe even going as far to forbid him from going on certain missions.

But after a little time and maybe a talk with Kwazii. I'm sure both Kwazii and the Captain would recover from the experience and continue on as normal.

(Also thank you! I hope this response was along the lines of what you were hoping for-- :00 )

I pictured it being like really dense soap bubbles. They smell nice and can be picked off his coat or head. But if you jumped on his coat foam you wouldn't sink through. It would be like a big cushion that you could sit on top of. If that makes sense?? <XDD

@danman22ful

Out my OCs? Probably Seafoam 🥺

Out of the game cookies? Uhhhm.. well, I don't really know/remember any of the characters.. But Tea Knight cookie looks really cool! :0 He gives me major Reinhardt vibes :))

Thank you so much!!!! :DDD

@insanityislife101 (I couldn't find the post in question :((( )

Oh fr??? Cool! He was in character after all! :DD

#my response #octonauts #undertale #deltarune #papyrus #cookie run #cookie run kingdom #cookie run ocs #my ocs #factual fam #welcome home

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azrielsshadows42 · 2 months

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A Court of Scales and Fire prologue

Eris Vanserra x Female oc

a/n: this is my first series that I will be attempting to write, and my first Eris fic, posting will not be consistent, (cause of school, writers block, general lack of motivation or perhaps I am reading. Yes, shock horror, sometimes authors read to) I only have a vague idea of how I want the story to go, it will be a slow burn, there might be eventual smut, there might not, I haven't decided, this is a test run to see if anyone would be interested in reading something like this. If you do want me to write this, please say so, it gives me motivation.

Character mood boards

Word count: 1.4k

Edited: 21/07/2024

It was dark, quiet. Not a sound to be heard, no paws stalking across the land, no birds flying over the forest or incessant buzz from insects, even the winds itself seemed to be holding its breath, whether in fear of what had happened or anticipation of what was to come... nobody knew. A leaf falling upon the soft earth would have been deafening.

Despite the eerie silence, there were two who had dared to encroach on the land, hoping their presence wasn't met with hostility, hoping their presence wasn't met at all. Wing beats that usually would have gone unheard seemed to echo loudly, the sound ringing in the intruder's ears. They landed and she dismounted, painfully aware of how much the softest of sounds blared like an air horn.

They both crept forward until they found an opening, it gaped ahead of them, entirely unwelcoming. It wasn't just dark; the shadows absorbed the light like a fire consumed oxygen; violently. It seemed unnatural for something to scream so obviously of danger and foreboding to be just like everything else here; deathly silent. Looking at each other, they discretely agreed to go inside, they needed refuge, desperately, they couldn't afford to scout out the place, or look for a better option. They could only go inside and pray that the complete lack of noise was a sign that this place was uninhabited. She walked in first, looked around with bated breath, katana in hand, blade gleaming in the scarce light and beckoned to her injured friend when she found nothing.

Her friend limped inside, wings slumped, exhausted from days of continuous flight with limited, unsatisfactory breaks and the aerial battle with an unknown assailant less than an hour before. Stumbling through the long, narrow tunnel, she had her hand braced against the wall to feel how it curved, the other guiding her friend. They cautiously walked for what felt like forever but was really about three minutes until the air shifted, and she slowly realised they had broken into open space. She wouldn't go as far as to say she had night vision, that wasn't one of her abilities, but she could see better than most, normally could at least get some sense of her surroundings, so this all-consuming blackness that left her completely blind was highly unnerving, though she dare not light a fire.

They slinked around to find a spot for rest that wasn't quite so... open, despite being underground, she got the sense the ceiling was high, not being able to see just how far it stretched, nor any walls, or even so much as her own hands left a bitter taste in her mouth. After many mini heart-attacks thinking they hadn't been alone, only to find that any sound made was by them accidentally kicking a rock, the vast emptiness causing tremorous echoes to ensue, they finally found a small alcove to curl up in. She blocked the entrance with stone and lit a fire with the copious amounts of moss she was able to scrape off the walls.

As her eyes adjusted, she began to relax. Her friends' leaf-like scales gleamed in the fire light, kind bright green eyes looked into her own: dark cerulean with hints of purple and a ring of amber around the pupil. Her friends' lithe body, bruised and dirty, curled around the fire, tail sweeping the ground causing dust to billow up. She beckoned to her with her head to join, the movement was sluggish as the last reserves of energy left. She sat against her friend and knowing she was nearby she laid her head down and closed her eyes.

She gazed at her, heart aching at the situation they had found themselves in. "We're gonna be ok Everest, I promise." She whispered in an ancient language not even the oldest of fae remembered, so old, they wouldn't even know of it ever existing in the first place. "Once morning comes, I'm going to go out, find some supplies and heal you" She stopped to look in the fire, to force herself to feel the warmth seep into her bones, to remind herself she was alive, that she had survived and she was here, free, never to be imprisoned by him, or anyone else ever again. No matter how many centuries passed she still had to remind herself. "Who knows, maybe this place is really nice when you can actually see, maybe we could call this place home, it's definitely going to be a fixer-upper but, we could make it work, what do you think?" The only response she got was a contented sigh at the prospect of being able to call anywhere home, laced with all the lost hours of rest.

She smiled, imagining what it might be like to stay in one place for more than a month or two at a time, what it might be like to live without fear as their constant companion. Yes, she decided. Her and Everest would be just fine, for they had something no one else did. Everest had a skilled swordsman faerie outcast, and Y/n had Everest; a fiercely loyal friend who took shit from no one (Except her), Everest with her wings and fire magic, her spined tail and near-impenetrable scales. Everest, who just happened to be one of the myths parents told their children about so they would come inside before dark.

Everest, the dragon.

And the only person Y/n would die for...

For now, anyways

---------------------------------------

Meanwhile in Velaris

Rhysand was hunched over his desk, doing paperwork that had been sitting there for far too long when he heard footsteps padding their way just outside the door. He hoped it was Feyre coming to distract him but knew she would still be at the art studio. Besides, her footsteps don't sound like that. Instead of his mate, Amren walked through the door, looking highly displeased. He sighed internally, knowing he wouldn't like whatever she had to say.

"Enjoy your vacation in summer?"

She gave him a scathing look, not even humouring him. This was serious. "What happened?" He asked, back straightening. She stared piercingly into his eyes and despite only being high fae now, she still had the same effect of whatever she was before. "Something has entered Prythian, Rhysand. Something powerful, I saw it, I felt it. I don't know what it was, but it's hurt, vulnerable, this is the best time to stop it before it gets out of hand"

Amren looked sincerely worried about this new potential threat, which made it all the more concerning "As you said, we don't know what it is, so how are we supposed to find it" She thought for a moment. "Last I saw, it was heading toward winter. Start there."

So he did. Let this be nothing, please Mother above let it be nothing. He, the rest of the inner circle and likely the entirety of Prythian, was to tired to deal with another threat

-------------------------

Eris's POV

It was late, he was tired, his body ached, and there seemed to be a constant throb in his head that no amount of tea or medicine could drown. Still, he had to finish the reports. Welcome to the life of a high lord, I guess. Rushed footsteps notified him that he should soon expect company. One of his sentries burst through the door, gasping for breath. He looked up, annoyed. "Well, what is it?" The fae gathered his bearings enough to pant out "Apologies High Lord, but something has been spotted on our border with summer"

Eris raised an eyebrow. "What was spotted?" He asked with barely restrained irritation. The soldier looked at him nervously " W-we don't exactly know" he stuttered out. Eris's eyes narrowed "What do you mean, you don't know, you said you saw it, did you not?" He spat out, rage threatening to boil over. "I- uh well um, yes s-sort of, we saw s-something and tried to shoot it down, b-but it was dark, w-we couldn't see properly, t-the only thing confirmed was that everyone felt the energy it gave off" Eris sighed deeply, he just solved the threat of his father, and now another appeared. "Find it" he spoke with a deathly calm. "Y-yes s-sir, r-r-right away" and the fae scampered off to track down whatever he and the other soldiers had seen.

Once gone, Eris slumped in his chair and massaged his temples. The Mother was not making his time as High Lord easy.

---End---

Chapter 1

#acotar #eris #eris vanserra #eris vandaddy #eris x oc #eris x y/n #maasverse #a court of scales and fire #eris fanfic #eris fanfiction #slow burn #series

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moonyasnow · 3 months

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My OCs in 'Dungeon Meshi'

What the title says: if they were in the world of Dungeon Meshi

Forgive Spike's…everything— I was in a moving car when I drew him. I also changed what race I wanted him to be halfway through, hence the two pairs of ears

I did not have access to an eraser when I drew any of these

More thoughts below!

How each of them would react to eating monsters:

Tomoe wouldn't be…hostile to the idea. She understands very well it not only saves money, things they'd need to carry, and how long it'd take to traverse the dungeon; practically eliminating the need to return to the surface unless something drastic were to happen. When she brings up the idea, she can already guess how each of the others would react to it. But she won't force anyone; she's understand unwillingness. As for her own feelings: before they begin to cut the monster up to prepare food, she thanks it for its sacrifice. She's…a bit reluctant to let herself admit it tasted good, though. But she decides to ignore it and instead focus on the 'sharing a meal with others' aspect. Partly so none of the others will get cold feet about it, which she definitely knows could happen if they saw their leader hesitant to her own idea.

Favorite monster meal: Griffin Soup

Veronica grumbles about it at first, but ultimately eats it, understanding they don't have much choice. And Tomoe framing it to her as a means of survival made it easier for Veronica to accept. Gotta do what you gotta do to survive to see another day. She gets used to it rather quickly. And she also quickly started to pick anything bitter off of Victor's plate and exchanging it with something else from her plate, like she always had. Despite how the gruesome the scenario was, she was happy to see him that happy; he hadn't had that look on his face in who knows how many years.

Favorite monster meal: Nightmares Steamed in Sake

Victor is thrilled. He's called first dibs on dissecting ALL the monsters before they eat them. He often saves little parts of them, mostly bones, to use for more undead minions medicinal reasons. He's particularly interested in the humanoid monsters, like mermaids, harpies and dryads. Also finds a lot of joy in studying monsters. He's sad the others wouldn't let him keep one in a bag to torture and experiment on study.

Favorite monster meal: Exorcism Sorbet

Irina would not be able to eat it at all if she saw it get killed, or it has an even vaguely humanoid face. It'd probably give her nightmares if she tried. The whole situation forces her to think more about the fact that all the meat she eats was once alive. It makes her feel incredibly guilty. She's never been picky with food, but she can barely scarf it down.

Favorite monster meal: Changeling Dumplings from Fairy Ring

Junia, lover of all things macabre and monstrous, is very open to the idea, and curious about it, thinking it'd be interesting to try out new recipes. She treats it the same as eating any other animal, and quickly develops favorites. But she's also sad they haven't found too many friendly monsters. She thinks Victor is just interested in monsters like she is.

Favorite monster meal: Jack-o-Lantern Potage and Sautéed Dryad Buds with Cheese

Spike feels kinda sorry for the monster, especially if it didn't attack them right away. But he knows he has no choice; it's a dog-eat-dog world, after all. Especially in the dungeons. And he's gotta eat lots to keep up his strength so he can help the others. But he just would not be able to eat anything he considers 'cute'. As well as anything wolf-like; that just feels like a step too close to cannibalism— both just feel too wrong! He thinks eating things like snakes or dragons is cool as all hell though and is very excited to try it.

Favorite monster meal: Red Dragon Meal

Artemisia has been so sheltered that the concept of eating monsters isn't any more strange to her than anything else she'd encounter in the dungeon, or even on the surface in regular life. Besides, she'd read books about monster cuisine before. She's the only one who doesn't know eating all kinds of monsters isn't common, so has 0 qualms about it. Asks Junia to teach her how to cook.

Favorite monster meal: Boiled Mimic

Lisle hates every single bite and wants to throw up. It disgusts him that he's making such gross, 'unclean' and monsterous— well, monsters, part of him. But since Junia always seems so excited to have him try it, he knows he couldn't turn it down, even on the grounds of 'being a vegetarian due to his compassion for all living beings' (lies, he does not care that much) without making himself seem less kind. So he eats it.

Favorite monster meal: Portable Meal Set for Adventurers (does that even count as a monster meal?)

#dungeon meshi #dunmeshi #delicious in dungeon #oc #ocs #oc art #moony's ocs #moony's art #🦢artemisia #🐚junia #🥊spike #🐰irina #🌻tomoe #🐝veronica #🩸victor #😇lisle

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bluetorchsky · 2 months

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How do your stick ocs interact with the canon stick characters? Are they besties with anyone? Is there anyone they hate? 👀

Ohh, let me see...this is gonna get long if I do all of my OCs (especially with how much I delve into every one of them), so I'm only going to do the husbands to start. This got really long so I'm putting it under a read more.

Accordion

You would think that the big guy wouldn't really have many friends for how quiet and imposing he looks. However, the first two canon Toppat friends he made were Matilda Ivy and Jack Doogan. In my AU, they're both siblings and they were tasked with training Accordion and Violin on how to use handheld weapons. Matilda was the first one to give him a nickname, Acorn, and he's gotten to know her and her brother more. He's also made friends with Carol Cross, which is a surprise for everyone since she's 1) An Elite Toppat so she can handle herself pretty well and 2) The only people she hangs out with are the other Elites and she will only interact with the lower ranked Toppats to get something that they owe her. It's a bit of a mystery on how the two became friends, one that Carol isn't too keen on sharing cause it could ruin her image.

Now there isn't any Toppat he hates, but he does get annoyed by Kabbitz's antics of trying to square up with him and Violin, just because they became the tallest Toppats to be on the Airship (beating him by a few inches). It's absolute pettiness from Kabbitz, that's pretty much it. Another Toppat that he gets annoyed by would be Sven Svensson. In my AU, Sven Svensson is pretty much an asshole and acts like a suck-up to the Elites and higher ups, in hopes he will be promoted to being an Elite one day. When everyone was weary of Accordion and Violin during the first year of being in the clan, he stoked the fires of the clan's worry, hoping he would get noticed by the chief, which ended up backfiring and ruining two relationships he had. Even when Sven has dialed back his attitude, Accordion does get snappy with him as he does not enjoy his company at all and he will remind him of that when the time calls for it.

Violin

Like his husband, the first Toppat friends he made was Matilda Ivy and Jack Doogan. But after that, he made friends with Earrings (she made Violin and Accordion's outfits), Howie Howitzer (saved his behind on one of his first missions), Gremlin (he humored her climbing onto his back to try and surprise attack him), Herb Stokes (he listened to Herb talk about his love for geology, mostly talking about coal), and Wallace Dogwood (he actually introduced himself to the husbands, finding them an interesting addition to the enforcers). Violin is more talkative and open of the two, giving off a friendly and relaxed vibe, to make it easier for the other Toppats to approach them.

However, Violin isn't all that friendly to some Toppats. Aside from Kabbitz and Sven Svensson, he's not very fond of Clement Warrantine (an elite Toppat that sometimes mentors other Toppats including Sven; he adds fuel to the rumor mill about Violin and is usually smug about it), Quincy Tattlemuffin (always rubs it in his face that he wasn't born rich and into the clan like he was, after learning of how Violin grew up poor), and Bartolomeo (just angry that Violin has a better singing voice than him, even though Violin has complimented his voice several times; it's mostly pettiness that he gets over at some point but it takes a really long time). Another one I would add would be Mr. Macbeth, but he was just annoyed by both Violin and Accordion messing up one of his trains during a mission, even if it helped saved a lot of Toppats. He goes easy on them once he learns of Sven's treatment towards them, since Sven and Earrings (siblings in my AU) were adopted by him. He makes up for his past attitude by teaching Violin how his trains work, which he does show some interest in it after some time.

Music Husbands

The only reason I'm making a section for both Accordion and Violin is because there some Toppats who do like being around both husbands. Like Thomas Chestershire and Geoffrey Plumb. They would be the one of the higher-up pairs that welcome Accordion and Violin warmly, unlike some of the others. In my AU, they're in a queerplatonic relationship and have been by each other's side since they first met on the Airship. They became quick friends when Geoffrey was detailing his latest plan for a heist, and the husbands made some recommendations to it. Thomas challenged their ideas, not as a way to bring them down but to see if they would stick to their guns about what they were thinking. Seeing their loyalty to each other and to the clan, despite being members for just a few months, made the duo stick by their sides more after that.

The Witch is also a friend to the husbands, as she doesn't have much information on Music Magic, so they help give her information and show some of their spells so she can record them. She also enjoys their company, as she always tell them that their combined aura always calms her down. Her brother, Burt Curtis (in this AU), is also a friend to the husbands since his mom, Calypso (my OC), is friends with them, but also because they were some of the few Toppats that have stood up for him, especially from Sven (who he has had some bad history with). Although he is quite the monotonous Toppat, he finds himself smiling when the husbands visit him and has, embarrassingly, asked if he could record them singing and playing so he can fall asleep more easily. There is some history that he and The Witch have with the Music Dragons, albeit as children, but it's not too big of a deal. He only remembers how their music and singing always put them at ease, and someone from the clan who convinced him to not run away from his new adopted family.

And before I forget, the husbands also make friends with Dave Panpa, when he gets taken in as a prisoner. The Toppats don't really have much ideas to do with Dave, aside from keeping him there since he saw something he wasn't supposed to, so they delegate Accordion and Violin to stand guard at his cell so he doesn't do anything. But because of Dave's cowardice, they see no reason to be there aside from being isolated from the clan. Dave ends up asking them questions first and it ends up as a full blown conversation, with the husbands sneaking food to him as what he is delivered isn't always enough. The husbands hadn't been caught for a long time, since Burt always made sure to not mention it (and he enjoyed hearing their conversations), but when it was time for the day for Reginald to decide what to do with Dave, the husbands actually made a case for Dave to not get killed, but to offer him a spot in the clan, based on the stories he told them about once being taught espionage. While Reginald is angered that they made small talk with a potential enemy, he does end up seeing what the husbands, and some other Toppats, are talking about. He decides to keep Dave in the Brig, but not as a prisoner, until they reach their secret base where the rocket is being built. From then on, Dave is able to hang out with the husbands a bit more but only has a limited area he can explore. His passion for being a guard reignites and he starts training under the husbands to be a future Toppat guard that patrols the halls (a sub-division that Burt helps lead as part of the main Airship/Orbital Station Division).

Wait, I forgot about Reginald and RHM. Ugh, and also Sir Wilford and Randy Radman, and to an extension Terrence Suave. Okay, so, let me start with Wilford, Randy, and Terrence. Randy is unfortunately the reason why Accordion and Violin’s wedding was crashed by Government soldiers, the loss of a substantial amount of Dragons members, and the reason why Accordion’s lower arms are gone. This made Randy incredibly guilty because the Toppat Clan and the Music Dragons Clan had a strange unofficial alliance, but they would still help each other out. When the commotion was settled, Wilford visited the Music Dragons and made a contract with Frankie and Gherry, to make up for what Randy brought upon their clan. Terrence had gone with him to observe the meeting as a witness, but he desperately wanted to be there by Randy’s side and anywhere but there. The terms of the contract was to allow Oliver and Trent to join the Toppat Clan with no questions asked. The reason for this was because Frankie foresaw the tension between their clans rising, fearing that it will cause a divide between them.

Frankie was right, unfortunately. After Sir Wilford disappeared and Terrence was made leader after the “death” of Randy Radman, he became delusional and made many questionable decisions. What caused the rift was when Terrence was on a heist with some Toppats and they got into a bit of trouble. Some of the Music Dragons saw this and jumped in to help out, but Terrence saw them as actual enemies and ordered his Toppats to shoot them down. It angered the clan and there would be some small fights here and there, until the Dragons chose to move to another place. When they moved, Terrence was overthrown by Reginald and RHM, two people who were his friends that had to make a difficult decision to stop his madness.

Now, Reginald and RHM have different views of Accordion and Violin. Reginald blames the Music Dragons for causing them a lot of strife, even though most of his reasonings are based on rumors and baseless evidence, while RHM is more cautious but welcoming to Accordion and Violin. He had been there on the day Terrence ordered the attack on the Music Dragons, but he also saw how they wished to help despite what happened in the past. Their interactions with the husbands will change over time, as more information of the unofficial alliance between the Toppats and the Dragons is uncovered, with Wilford’s contract being the starting step.

I'd be happy to answer any questions and/or go over anyone else

#bluetorchsky #bluetorchsky answers #thank you for the question!#the henry stickmin collection #thsc #thsc oc #henry stickmin oc #thsc accordion #thsc violin #oliver arc #trent coil #im not gonna tag everyone else im sorry #too many at this point #im sorry this took me a while #i really did want to add everyone else #but i am doing a lot of writing and i dont want to burn out #sirry about the long paragraphs haha

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notyour-valentine · 1 year

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Welcome to Downton, Mr Shelby 14 ~ Tommy Shelby x Crawley!OC (Series)

[Masterlist] [Taglist] [Series Masterlist]

Summary: No Tommy but Charlotte and Lizzie - Chazzie...Lilotte?

If interested, you can check out this post for more about Charlotte

All my writing is produced by an adult and created with an adult audience in mind (18/21+). You are responsible for your own media consumption.I do not consent to my work being translated, copied or posted elsewhere on this platform or any other.

Wordcount: 5140 words

Part 14

Charlotte felt like her head could explode any minute now. It was like a kettle ready to hiss and whistle just with nowhere for the air to escape, so it would shake and tremble more and more until the material would simply give in.

And her seams were ripping, as of course, this was the topic of conversation at dinner. How could it not be?

“Only a few years ago, this would have been unthinkable.”, her father said, his voice strained with suppressed outrage. Her father was not one to shout, and would not do in this instance. He maybe just wouldn't be too hard on someone that this matter brought to shouting, so deeply ran his resentment and shock.

“A field marshall assassinated at the Derby, in the presence of their Majesties!”

His voice almost cracked on the final word.

Yes, she thought. The King had been there too, and the Queen. She had almost forgotten. Then again, most of the day seemed like a blur to her now, a wash of white and brown and grey, in contrast to the inescapable.

“I’ve heard it was the Irish.”, Mary said over some wonderful creation of carrot mousse and seabass that tasted like nothing but cardboard to her and her alone, as she forced herself to choke down bite by bite. It was little enough, but the last thing she wanted was their attention on her.

If they look, they'll know. “How could it not be the Irish?", Edith argued. "After all he did to those poor people in Cork!”.

She said it as if it was something everyone would know, which naturally ticked Mary off.

For once, she didn't mind their squabble. Fight, she thought, fight so no one remembers I'm here.

She was too old to crawl in her mother's bed and disappear in her arms, to hide between her parents and let their warmth and love melt away her night terrors.

She was too old for that, and her terrors were worse and more shocking than any nightmare of hers had ever been. And since she could no longer melt into their embrace, she just wanted to disappear, to simply vanish until the world made sense again. “Whatever are you talking about?”, Mary snapped, almost rolling her eyes at Edith, who smirked in triumph.

“Don’t you ever read the newspapers?”, she asked. "Even you might learn something."

"Girls-", their mother warned under her breath. “It seems Branson has rubbed off on you.", Mary said, fighting Edith's smugness with performative disinterest.

Yet it was Charlotte who was cut by her words as the mention of his name only hammered down Sybil’s absence.

She could not run to her mother, could not confide in Mary, not in anyone - even Sybil was a stretch, but there was still a chance.

If anyone, then Sybil. But she wasn't here. She was across the sea, safe and untouched by all of this.

“It has nothing to do with him.”, Edith argued, not wanting to let this go “I don’t condone the attack, obviously, but we shouldn’t pretend like he was a saint either, now just because he is dead." “Edith,”, their father said sternly, “Russell has served this country during many wars, including the Boer War, might I remind you, with distinction."

Sir Richard scoffed.

“I hear he has a reputation for vulgarity.”

Robert shot him down with a glare. “He was a soldier in service to his king and this country and deserves every ounce of respect. And for him to be butchered by Irish terrorists is not only a tragedy but also a scandal for our nation."

The knife slipped from her grasp and clattered onto her plate, before sliding off and disappearing under the table.

“Apologies.”, she mumbled quickly, rushing to bend down to hide her face.

It was a small mercy and all she got, a split second to breathe and compose herself, to pretend the storm inside her wasn't raging.

“I think it’s far time to change the topic of conversation!”, her mother said at once.

Robert cleared his throat and looked over at her. “You’re right. This is no topic for the ladies.”, he said, his blue eyes softening with care and affection.

She quickly looked away. “It’s fine.”, she said, trying her best to sound convincing, at which she failed miserably.

“I know it’s ghoulish, but I am so relieved you left early.”, her mother said softly, shaking her head.

“Yes,”, Robert agreed, “How is Miss Stark?”

Cora had informed him that an acquaintance of Charlotte's had gotten ill from a heatstroke and that she had taken her home. He had been displeased at her absence, but the chivalrous compassion had eased his disapproval. Then of course, Russell's body had been discovered and the world turned on its head.

Charlotte swallowed hard and glanced at her mother.

Her eyes were wide alert, as if she was ready to jump in if she should fail, but still gave her the room to try.

“She is quite exhausted, so I presume she is asleep."

Not that she was in any state for dinner, despite it obviously being offered. Instead, Mrs Hughes had taken her a tray.

"She said she wanted to catch a train tomorrow after breakfast. I’d like to take a car to accompany her to the station.”

“Of course.”, Cora quickly said.

In the light of the ban on today’s incidents, the remaining conversation was rather limited, and the fact that she was permitted to remain in silence instead of being roped into the discussion was both blessing and curse.

But the quiet only made it worse, for that way all of Miss Stark’s words echoed louder and louder in her head.

Cora soon began to talk about the hospital garden fair, which only reminded her of the fact that her own hospital work, which had been lined up and planned meticulously. She hadn't wanted to put a foot wrong.

When dinner was over and they moved to the drawing room, Charlotte counted the minutes until she could excuse herself.

More than ever before, did she miss Sybil. If she could tell a soul, she could have told her…she could have and Sybil would have supported her, helped her, let her be angry or soothed her tears.

She didn't know whether she wanted to scream or cry, but right now she was allowed nothing. Just - terror. Thankfully most of them chalked her behaviour down to today’s events, and she was soon sent off to bed to get some rest. As if any sleep would come to her ever again.

That’s not even a lie, Charlotte thought bitterly, her hand trembling on the banister as she crept up, feeling more like a ghost than a person.

How much a world could change from noon to night.

Despite the hurricane of her thoughts, her feet proved reliable allies, carrying her to her bedroom.

It felt foreign to her now, from the pale mint green colour of the curtains, to the pillows chosen to match. The way the mattress dented when she sat down, the feeling of the sheets, the way the street lamps flickered in the distance - all of it was foreign. But was it the world that was foreign now, or her?

She could hear the sounds of her breath, her chest rising and falling with shallow, faint huffs as her hands trembled.

If only she was brave enough to scream.

But she wasn't, and so silence was her only option, silence and confused agony, like a hunted animal that didn't know where the arrows came from. Only she had already been struck, and was bleeding out by the minute.

She forced her eyes shut to banish her tears and the thoughts that caused them.

It wasn't even her place to be angry at herself or pity herself, or both. What did she matter in all of this? In all Miss Stark had told her?

Compared to her, what right did she have to the chest-tightening feeling of bottomless betrayal?

So there was guilt to add to all those feelings too.

When she heard the knock on the door, she flinched up as if someone had struck her.

"Anna.", she said breathlessly. "I didn't ring yet."

Anna shook her head.

"Milady, a Mr. Shelby came to the backdoor to speak to you. I thought you might prefer it not being announced by Mr. Carson so I told him to wait there."

Charlotte felt her stomach drop, and her heart with it until there was only an icy, bottomless pit inside her.

I can’t see him. I can’t speak to him. I don’t want to. I can’t.

Like a frozen flower, she would shatter in his mere presence.

But she couldn’t say that to Anna. She would have to explain herself, and she couldn’t.

She had thought keeping him there was a kindness, given all she had told her of her activities with his charity, or what he had made her believe to be that.

If she didn't comply now, Anna would have her questions why.

Worse, she might ask Mary, and her sister would stop at nothing -

Charlotte cleared her throat and looked down, smoothing down the fabric of her dress.

She had no choice.

Unless she wanted to say the unspeakable and explain the inexplicable, she had to go down.

"Stay with me?", she asked, her voice trembling just slightly, betraying her to someone who knew her for nearly all her life.

"Of course, Milady.", she said, offering her a small smile, but it didn't reach Anna's eyes. For that, she could read her too well.

So she quickly moved ahead, unable to stand the piercing gaze.

But every step felt like she was dragging the weight of the world with her.

Still, despite everything, she was a Crawley. She had to be brave. There was no other option.

The servant's staircase spared her the knowing and judging gaze of her ancestors on the walls, but instead she saw a few curious glances of the servants as Anna led her out.

Of course Anna had thought of bringing along one of her scarves.

She wore it like a coat of armour, because it was the only protection she could have.

Taking a deep breath, like poor Jane Grey stepping out onto the Tower Green, she opened the door to the back entrance.

She smelled the smoke before she saw the glimmer of the cigarette, and then the man flicking it away.

His tie needle reflected in the light of the lantern, then the blonde of his hair. “John.”

His name slipped from her lips like a cry of shock.

She had feared, but expected Tommy, and now on consideration perhaps even Arthur, but not John. Never John. He was the last one she had thought to come and seek her out.

But here he was, looking up at her with wide blue eyes.

“You live here?”, he asked surprised, his eyes wide with awe as he looked up the facade, the stucco, the countless windows.

“When in London, yes.”, Charlotte said, as she approached him slowly.

Arthur’s Arthur. He can’t help it, really. But John- John has a good heart.

He held his hat in his hands and shifted uncomfortably from one step to the other.

The hat, she remembered.

“Ahm, where is Lizzie?”, he asked, the way she imagined a schoolboy would inquire after his friend.

“Upstairs.”, Charlotte said. The mention of her sent a surge of defiance through her, like a second coat of iron out of the necessity of protecting the woman, but that also protected her in turn.

"She’s sleeping.”

“D-doesn’t she want to go home?”, he asked, glancing up as if he could look through the walls and windows into the guest bedroom.

“Not tonight.”

John nodded, taking a deep breath, his mouth contorting. “How is she?”, he wanted to know, barely glancing up at her. He couldn't meet her gaze fully, but he couldn't look away either. For that, he cared too much.

And Miss Stark cared about him too. She had told her as much, about John, and his children and the wedding. About how he still tried his best to care for her after. About how he was good, one of the good ones, Charlotte. One of the boys they sent. A boy, not a man. Not like Arthur and Tommy. Once she had feared the sharpness of his eyes, the cruelty in his words, the way he made her feel small and stupid and useless, but now Miss Stark’s assessment, as little as it was, was all she had to hold onto.

She cared about him, and he cared about her. So Charlotte chose to answer. “I don’t know. Hurt. Tired. Angry."

She sighed once more, leaning against the doorframe.

"She didn’t want to see a doctor.”

Perhaps he could make her see sense.

“Course not.”, he mumbled to himself.

Then his blue eyes met his. “Thanks, Charlotte. I know you and Lizzie…”

As he spoke, he turned his cap in his hands and when the light hit it right, she saw the light glimmer in the reflection.

Oh, she thought. Oh no.

She had forgotten all about that part, the fact getting lost in the tirade of terror, but it came rushing back, turning her stomach and making bile rise in her throat.

“That doesn’t matter now.”, she said quickly. “Anyone would have done the same.”

“They wouldn’t.”, he argued. “And I’m sorry for…you know.”

Charlotte nodded once more. “It’s fine.”

For a moment silence hung between them. “Tommy’s outside. He’s also worried about Lizzie.”

“I see.”, Charlotte said, the pain that was already pounding in her chest, getting even worse, so bad she felt her entire insides were ignited with agony. “I doubt Miss Stark will want to see him anytime soon.”

“And what about you?” I never want to see him again. I never want to talk to him again. I never ever want to think about him again! Granny was right. This was a terrible, terrible mistake.

If she could wipe him from her memory, she would in a heartbeat.

“I can’t go out now.”, she said, blinking away her tears. “It’s late and very cold.”

John saw right through her excuse.

“Has she…”, he began slowly, “has she said…”

“She told me enough, John.”, Charlotte said firmly, building herself up to her full height, “Miss Stark told me quite enough."

There was no sleep for her that night, and she guessed probably not for many nights to come. Her thoughts were too loud, the pictures Miss Stark painted too vivid and horrid and horrific to allow her much rest.

When Anna came with the morning tea, Charlotte was already up, with a scarf around her shoulders instead of her robe. She had left that with Miss Stark.

What a foolish, useless little thing in light of what had happened, what had happened to her.

"Has Miss Stark been woken yet?", She asked, avoiding Anna’s look. She felt the blonde woman would read her at any glance, would need only one look and see the truth of it all.

She probably knew about the real cause of Miss Stark’s distress already. That was why Mrs Hughes and her mother asked Anna for help. She was kind and discreet, and a soul they all could trust.

"About now, I think.", Anna said. “I’ve sent Lily up with a tray.”

"I think I will go and see her before getting ready for breakfast."

It was an improper thing to do, and so Anna helped her into a day-dress as quickly as she could, even skipping the stockings. She would only be going down the hall after all.

“There, Milady. Good enough I’d say.”, she said with her cheerful tone, as she smoothed down her hair just barely.

With that, she stilled her hands, her eyes finding hers in the reflection of the mirror.

“The last day has been quite distressing for you hasn’t it?”

It wasn’t a question as much as a medical diagnosis.

She had known her since she was a little girl and knew things about her that Mary and Edith missed. She had been taking care of her too long for her to miss things like these, even if she managed to conceal them from her sisters.

“Well, denial would be futile, so…”

She broke off and shook her head.

“I’ll just be glad to be home.”

That wasn’t even half a lie. She wanted to go home, to be back in Downton, to breathe Yorkshire air and be surrounded by her home as far as the eye could see.

“If there’s anything else you need, just let me know.”, she said, the words heavier than the normal empty courtesy.

"Thank you, Anna.”

But there are things I couldn't even tell you if I wanted to.

Leaving Anna to tidy, she left her room and walked the short distance to where Miss Stark had been put up in. She found her resting against the pillows, staring at the tea tray over her lap as if it was a wild animal ready to bite her nose off.

Charlotte made a point of not looking at the swelling of her lip.

Lily was with her, standing by the window.

"Good morning, Milady!", She greeted, dropping into a small curtsy.

"I was just asking Miss Stark what to do about clothes for today since she doesn't have any luggage."

No, Charlotte thought, there was no luggage, and the clothes she had worn, well, they had been reduced to tatters on the bathroom floor. Anna had helped her cover that up.

"She can have a pick of anything I brought.", she offered. “Try to pick out a few options of anything long.”

Miss Stark was a good deal taller than she was.

With that, Lily left with a gentle "Yes, Milady."

The door closed behind her, leaving Charlotte and the other woman alone.

The silence made her thoughts and the abstract fear they caused ring louder, echoing in her ears.

"Is this…normal?", Miss Stark asked, waving at the tray of tea, biscuits and orange slices.

"Well,", she said softly, sitting down on the chaise lounge. "Mine didn’t have orange slices."

Miss Stark huffed, and Charlotte couldn’t tell if it was a sign of success or failure at her attempt of lightening the situation.

When her fingers touched the porcellian, they trembled.

"How's the tea?", she asked, playing with the edge of her scarf.

"It's good.", Miss Stark mumbled, staring into it as if she hoped to see the future in the china.

"Did you sleep?"

She shook her head, which was understandable.

"Did you?"

Her response was the same.

What can I say?, She wondered, her chest tightening. What even is there to say?

The knock on the door surprised them both, especially when Charlotte saw who it revealed.

"Good morning, Mama!", She said, getting up from the bed and kissing her cheek.

Her mother looked to have had the same thoughts she had, to see Miss Stark as soon as she woke up. She wore a pale blue tea gown, the old kind with the wide cuts, flowing fabric and big pockets that was from before the war. It was far from the latest fashion but she had a preference for robes like these.

"Apologies, Miss Stark.", She said, "I heard you'd planned to take the early train and I couldn't let you go in good conscience without at least checking up on you."

Miss Stark was staring up at her with wide eyes, like a deer in headlights.

"Ahm- good morning.", She mumbled, before trying to remove the tea tray in order to get up in a rush.

“Oh no need for that!”, her mother said swiftly. “We’re the one invading your bedroom this morning, aren’t we?”, she said, taking Charlotte’s arm.

"I'm sorry for being a bother, Milady.”, Miss Stark told the teacup.

A sense of sadness washed over her mother’s face.

"Oh please, you could never be a bother, Miss Stark. You have all of us quite a scare. Are you sure you wouldn't prefer to see a doctor? We can arrange it, easily. Quietly. We’d take care of it all, and there would be no risk to your reputation.”

"No Doctor, please.", Miss Stark said sharply.

Her mother, Lady Grantham, sighed.

"Alright, but I'll send up Anna to see to your cuts again, yes? The same ointment Mrs Hughes gave you yesterday.”

To that, she agreed.

"Good.”, her mother said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Now what do we do about clothes?"

"Oh, Miss Stark- will borrow some of my things."

Her mother looked at her as if she had suggested something ludicrous. “Nonsense, darling. Miss Stark won't fit into your clothes. I'll have the maids take some of Mary's things."

"Mary will hate that!", Charlotte said. And she would demand to know why -

She already had far too much going on to dare getting Mary upset at her now.

"I'll handle Mary.", Her mother assured her, "Don't you worry one bit, Miss Stark. After breakfast, we'll have the car ready to take you to the station, whenever you need, whether that is this morning, today or tomorrow."

"Thank you, Milady.", Miss Stark said. "For everything."

"No need.", She assured her, before cupping Charlotte's cheek.

"I'm very proud of you, darling.”

In that moment, for a split second, the world was alright again, but as soon as her mother left, she felt herself falling into that icy pit again.

They wouldn’t be proud if they knew what she knew now. They’d be so enraged and appalled, shocked and horrified - just as she was now. And she felt so very stupid.

"Your mother's lovely.", Miss Stark said softly, once the door was closed again.

"Yes.", Charlotte admitted breathlessly. Lovely and completely in the dark of the foolishness of her youngest daughter.

Miss Stark shook her head, biting her lip as she did.

"Fuck.", She groaned, as she dropped her head into her hands. "Fucking hell, Charlotte!"

The swearing made her jump. But could she blame Miss Stark for her choice of words?

"What's wrong?", She wanted to know, rushing towards her. "What did I do? What did Mama do?"

"Nothing!", she snapped. "That's the whole fucking point."

She ran a hand through her hair.

"You're…you're not like us - fuck - I never should have said a thing.”

“No,”

Now it was her voice to add sharpness.

“It was far time I knew.”

All this pain, confusion and betrayal she felt was infinitely better than the puppet on a string she had been before, oblivious and foolish, pouring her heart, soul and energy into his castle of clouds that he conjured up only to lure her in.

It all seemed so obvious now, of course. So blatantly, tragically obvious. And the worst part was, others had seen it while she had deluded herself, and would have continued to do so if Miss Stark hadn’t told her.

Home did not bring the relief she had hoped for. Maybe, it even made it worse, as she had never missed Sybil more than now.

Sybil would listen, without laughing, without being shocked or horrified. She would listen without judging. No 'I told you so's, no 'you should have known's, no 'How could you be so foolish?'s.

But Sybil wasn't here. She was gone, off to Ireland with Branson - she could scratch his eyes out for that now more than ever!

Charlotte tried to write to her but every time she tried to put it into words she failed miserably. It never sounded right, it never captured her thoughts properly. And even putting these things in writing felt like a crime of their own.

And she burned each and every piece of paper until her room smelled of nothing but smoke.

She couldn't telephone her either. Sybil didn't have a telephone now and she couldn't dare being overheard. So she was all alone, alone with her thoughts.

She went riding before breakfast so as to avoid the conversation, and took long walks in the afternoon.

But no matter how fast or far she galloped, she couldn't outrace her thoughts. Her betters had tried and failed at that, her grandmother informed her with a sharp quip.

Sleeping was difficult as well, because sometimes she would dream.

The nightmares were bad, but the other dreams were worse, those in which it was just them together, those of work and pride, when her research bled into the realm of her dreams. In those dreams, they got along, which made her want to drown herself in her shame at her own mind’s betrayal.

Her family all thought she was upset about the field marshall, with her mother perhaps taking Miss Stark, Lizzie now as she insisted she call her, into account. And in a way they were right.

Tommy killed him.

Tommy shot him in the head with his own gun and killed him.

Tommy made Lizzie lure the man away, who hurt her and then Tommy shot him in the head with his own gun and killed him.

Because that's what Tommy does. He kills people. He hurts people. He blinds people. He uses his own brothers like soldiers.

Lizzie had told her.

That and so much more.

The man she admired, the man she had been so desperate to impress, the man who had made her feel more useful and valued than any other person in her whole life. And for what?

She hadn’t understood who the inspector was, or what that had to do with guns and the IRA and a barmaid. But she had known Mr Churchill - how relieved she had felt when hearing his name, a small sliver of familiarity in the chaos of Lizzie’s words, only for that to be turned on it’s head.

Advantage was what she had said. Insurance.

During the meals, she tried to keep to herself as much as possible and avoid conversation.

There was always something more important than her to discuss and she happily let them.

Right now, the topic of the week was the garden party for the hospital.

Now, with the war over, it has come up again.

"I doubt anyone would be comfortable after what happened last time.", her mother said.

What a different time that had been. What a different world.

"We don't need reminding."

"It gives the village an opportunity to show unity in support for the hospital, especially after the war.", Granny insisted.

"On that we agree.", Isobel said. "Speaking of hospitals- Charlotte, how are your preparations going?"

Charlotte glanced up, confused at what she was asking.

"Preparations for what?", her mother asked.

Isobel responded and in her answer, reminded her.

"Charlotte is set to meet with a few doctors for the children's hospital in Birmingham next week."

The wine in her glass trembled just slightly

That seemed a lifetime ago now. Or maybe a life that wasn't her own. One of make-believe and stupidity.

"I've been helping her prepare."

Isobel smiled at her and she tried to smile back, but the muscles in her face fought the motion.

"If I can give you one bit of advice, talk to the nurses. They know more about the day-to -day runnings of the hospital than the doctors."

"Naturally you would say that.", Granny quipped.

"When are you going?", her mother wanted to know.

Charlotte cleared her throat and glanced down at her hands. They were still trembling.

"The meeting is next Tuesday.", She said softly.

"Are you sure you should be going?”, Cora asked, a line of concern between her brows.

"I think she most certainly should.", Isobel argued. "It is her project and she is very well prepared."

"I disagree.", her father said said, "Charlotte should take some time to rest, especially after the shock."

Don't I know it, she thought bitterly.

"But some distraction might do her good.", Isobel argued.

"I agree with Robert.", Matthew said uncommonly forcefully, "besides, there are a great many causes and distractions closer to Downton. I've heard there is an organisation in Ripon that specialises in helping children with reading difficulties."

"Goodness- how intriguing!", Mary scoffed, her eyes finding the back of her head.

"The last thing Charlotte should do is take on another cause!", Granny argued. "She’s a lady, and they’re working her like a ploughhorse."

"Although I must protest your comparison, I agree that she already has a cause and a very worthy one at that.", Isobel said.

It was Edith who spoke up next.

"I'm sorry, but Charlotte, do you even want to go?”

That made them all fall silent and Charlotte wished they would have continued to fight, but now all eyes were on her.

The worst part was, now everyone knew that it was happening on Tuesday. And they would all wait for it.

"I, ahm, I don't know yet.", She said softly. "It depends, I guess."

That was an answer that made everyone at the table unhappy, giving neither side more ammunition, or another enemy to strike at.

Come next morning, she received a call just after breakfast.

"How are you?", She asked, like she had asked in every call.

"I'll manage.", The other woman replied. "What about you?"

"I'm trying to figure out how to manage.", She said truthfully, which made her chest tighten in shame. It should be the other way around. She had only heard of the bad things, Lizzie had been forced to live them.

"Look- about what I told you…"

"I'm glad you did, Lizzie, truly.", She said quickly.

There was silence for a while.

"So you went to work again.", Charlotte stated.

I wouldn’t have. I would have reported him to the police, and everyone else too.

"Yes."

"How was it?", She asked.

"He's walking on eggshells."

As he should.

Well, he should be in prison awaiting a trail at the King’s Court, not walking on eggshells, but that was the least he could do.

What he had done to her was cruel and so terribly heartless and Charlotte found it entirely unforgivable, but it wasn’t hers to forgive. It was Lizzie’s and so she kept her mouth shut in regards to the outrage she felt.

"Are you coming back?", Lizzie wanted to know after the screaming silence.

Charlotte sighed and rubbed her temple.

"I don't know, Lizzie.", She said truthfully. "I don't know anything anymore."

When she went out with the horse, she rode until she felt her lungs would burst, but neither the horse, nor the grass, trees or the wind could tell her an answer.

If Sybil was here, she could choose for me.

But she wasn’t and so Charlotte was all alone with her horses and the storm in her mind.

Thank you for reading - I'd love to hear your thoughts

Taglist

Overall

@lilyrachelcassidy @jyessaminereads @chlorrox @watercolorskyy @books-livre @quarterpastmidnight @lilyevanswhore @polishcrazyone @zablife @just-a-harmless-patato @stevie75 @flyingjosephine-blog @runnning-outof-time @cillmequick @babayaga67 @butterfly-skinnylegend @shelbydelrey @mrkdvidal1989 @raincoffeeandfandoms @midnightmagpiemama @adaydreamaway08 @kmc1989 @trixie23

Tommy

@knowledgefulbutterfly @babayaga67 @signorellisantichrist @lespendy @geeksareunique @look-at-the-soul @lothbrokcore @rangerelik @elenavampire21 @evanore

#welcome to downton mr shelby #charlotte crawley #tommy shelby #thomas shelby #tommy shelby imagine #thomas shelby imagine #downton abbey #peaky blinders crossover #peaky blinders downton abbey crossover #wtdms

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trans-queen-administrator · 1 year

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Worm Fanfic Recs

No rankings at play here, just my favorite fics that I think other are really good. There are fics I like that aren't listed because I have a bad memory, but everything here is something I really really enjoyed. I have biases obviously, this isn't objective.

The Fics

Our Private Crises - A nailbiting murder mystery with unique and well done POVs from a different character each chapter. The mystery and reveal at the end were stellar, and it got me attached to characters I never thought I'd care for. 29k words. Complete.

It's Cold Out There Every Day - Missy is trapped in a time loop on her birthday. Genuinely stellar characterization, it has the best Missy and Aisha I've ever read and its such a creative and well executed premise. 41k words. Complete.

Tilt - Unpowered homeless girl Taylor fakes a thinker power to get in the Wards and secure housing. She's even more self destructive and self deprecating than in canon. 10/10 characterization for a slew of POV characters including Taylor, every ward but especially Sophia, Rachel, Lisa, and a ton of other characters. Despite not going through all of what canon Taylor went through, this fic nails her character better than pretty much any others. 220k words at time of posting. Updating consistently.

Tear Apart, Stitch Together - Taylor triggers with Shatterbird's power and kills thousands. Short and sweet, everything that's there is great and it wraps up well I think. 13k words. Complete

Memories of a Simurgh Victim - The Simurgh attacks Brockton Bay. Has two storylines, one following Taylor and one following Amy and Vicky. Among the most fucked up things this fandom has to offer, a terrifying showcase of the Simurgh and her power. 62k words. Taylor's story is incomplete but the Amy and Victoria story is done.

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Pleasures - Cherish altpower Taylor tries to consensually fix Amy's incest fetish. A trainwreck I can't look away from, the worlds first psychological horror romcom. It's so fucked up and so amazingly funny, and has good well written characters. I don't like Pillbug and I'm not a big fan of altpowers, but this fic is still one of my favorites because it's so damn compelling so definitely check it out if you actually like either of those things. 211k words at time of posting. Updating consistently.

Roots - The Slaughterhouse Nine attack a small town with a roster of OC capes, but something is very off about the place. POV shifts every chapter, and the OCs are interesting and unique. The S9 are also wonderfully characterized here, I've never had a fic make me sad for Crawler of all people. 67k words at time of posting. Ongoing. Criminally underrated.

Roma Fade - Ciara and Fortuna both try to grow past who they were as capes and find themselves as people in a small town post Gold Morning, having found common ground posing as moms to a recovering Taylor. I'm sure fake dating would never end in real attraction, that would be absurd. Incredibly gay, incredible characterization for everyone, the best post-GM fic around in my opinion. 87k words at time of posting. Ongoing but currently on hiatus.

Case - Lisa and the Simurgh start a detective agency. It's just great humor and a lovely story and wonderful despite being short and deceased. 14k words. Dead.

Silence is not Consent - Taylor intervenes and saves Victoria from Amy and gives her a place to stay, Victoria massively struggles dealing with what happened. Amazing characterization, Victoria's POV is unique and incredibly well done, and her seeing Taylor from an outside perspective is interesting. Be warned that this is a very heavy fic emotionally, but it's really fucking good. 212k words at time of posting. Updating consistently.

A Word - Altpower Taylor is obsessed with writing a story. I don''t know how to describe this fic honestly it's hard to do justice, but it has perhaps the best conclusion to Gold Morning I've seen in a fanfic. 11k words. Complete.

Scarab - A fantasy AU where powers are thought to be magic, and the Faerie Queen takes an interest in Taylor. Filled to the brim with creativity and passion, this fic is teeming with fresh ideas and interesting depictions of canon characters. The worldbuilding is great as well, no other fic on this list has a map, so this is clearly a cut above the rest. 139k words at time of posting. Updating consistently.

Swallowtail - Ok I lied this one has a map too. Taylor with an incredibly interesting stranger power joins Faultline's crew. There is a truly astounding amount of AU elements and alternate powers for canon characters, it feels like a new world while still being recognizable and distinctly Worm. Has a large amount of alternate POVs and the first arc can be rough, but it's creative and amazing. 360k words. Ongoing but currently on haitus.

Soliloquy - Ex-Slaughterhouse 9 Taylor is in prison, bitter at the world and herself and especially her clone who saved the multiverse. A heavy fic about someone slowly recovering and becoming a better person when they're convinced it can't be done. Made me cry. 71k words. Complete.

TWNY - Post-GM Taylor finds herself in the world of RWBY with a pair of moth antennae. Multiple POVs, all very interesting despite me knowing nothing of RWBY. Probably the best characterization of Taylor in any post-GM crossover fic, she's heartbreaking in the recent arc, and it feels like the fic has barely scratched the surface of what it'll eventually cover. Also it's very gay. 136k words. Ongoing.

The Great Escape - Eidolon is struggling after his reputation is destroyed and Cauldron is revealed, and then the Birdcage opens. Amazing use of seldom seen characters, great POV with Eidolon, well done and interesting fights, has String Theory. 107k words. Ongoing but currently on haitus.

Happiness Is Inevitable - NSFW. The only damn erotic mind control Simurgh smut in the fandom somehow. Besides the porn (which is a lot of the fic, who woulda thunk it) the story itself is actually pretty interesting and has a lot of creative parts, and it has better characterization than most fics. 29k words. Ongoing?

Oneshots

Break me so that I can be whole - This accursed fandom is tragically bereft of QA / Taylor fics, but this one shot is great, love an eldritch take on shards. Probably fucked up but I'm not actually a good judge of that so be warned. 1.8k words.

Book Worm - Dragon helps teach Taylor how to read and speak and understand language post-GM. Bittersweet and lovely. 2.5k words.

Defiant Didn't Dox Saint For Nothing! - Taylor goes back in time and the first thing she does is kill Saint because he sucks. Cracky but I like it, fun little oneshot. 1.6k words.

Ruling Ash - Glory Girl flees Brockton Bay during the Slaughterhouse Nine and ends up living with Damsel of Distress. Cute, and Starsong before Ward is very interesting. 2.8k words.

My Sunshine - Leviathan goes worse and Brockton Bay is destroyed. Taylor and Victoria survive. Very somber, but well executed. 3.4k words.

Cherry on Top - A character study of Cherie Vasil, showing how she went from running away from Heartbreaker to joining the Nine. Extremely well written, absolutely incredible depiction of her character. It depicts abuse and actions typical of Heartbreaker and Cherie, so be careful reading. It's a lot emotionally. 12.7k words.

Devil in a New Dress - NSFW. Shatterbird / Reader, I'm not explaining myself on this one. Neat Shatterbird characterization, hot, pretty fucked up so be warned. 1.7k words.

#worm #parahumans #wormfic #idk why I spent two hours on this but I don't regret it #all my opinions are OBJECTIVE FACT #i have NO biases or preferences #I am simpley correct #made this because im so fucking sick of sifting through anime altpowers and woobified characters and the infinite period guy #so i might as well make it easier for others who may be sick of that #hope yall enjoy and maybe find a new fic from this #also full transparency #im behind on a few of the updating fics #but I loved what i read enough to rec them

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themoonisbeautifulisnt-it · 6 months

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Hey just saw your post about your TS Mcs if it counts for something I'm interested in any art and lore you want to share :)

OH MY GOD LETS GO !!!!!

Okay ! im going to try and summarize for the one i actually have lore for. im still making/fine tuning her lore and if you have anything cool to add on ill consider it!!! Just want to say that I kinda went crazy w the oc and even added worlding building and stuff around her lol

SO! MEET CELESTINE!

(Sorry for the crusty paper)

She was born on a special celestial event (I havent decide what yet) into a high society with equal power to the Senobium and for a point in time they were one/partner organizations. Her guild The Keepers of the Universe has a very self expanatory name, they keep the balance and order of the universe lol. There are many mages in this guild such as Mages of time, life, death, etc.

Due to some history altering incident a few generations ago, A mage of death went rogue(or maybe caused an accident I havent decided as yet) and caused a rift in the balance of the universe creating the soulless !! And because of this her guild, The Keepers wanted to banish all Death/"dark" magic and those mages were already rare to begin with. The Senobium was against this and this is what caused the spilt between the two. So whatever mage of death did not flee/go to the Senobium was killed by The Keepers.

YEARS LATER NOW, our girl Celestine is born and she is growing up in the society and which everyone is finding their calling in magic, she isn't good at anything (you could see where this is going)

And mind you, this guild works closely to the Universe it kind of acts like their god in a way. And the elders (As close as elders could be cuz i made ranks to this society and you need to master all magic including death magic to be in the top tier complicated ik sorry i couldnt help myself) speak to the universe that told them like in riddles/code that a new death mage was on their way, a real powerful one.

(think of the percy jackson prophecy i think it was a mirror)

and for years the elders were wary and due to some situation (i havent thought of it yet) but lets say some high stress situation, their guild is under attack and the power that was in Celestine dormant all this time got awoken by the Universe LITERALLY LIGHTENING STRIKING HER. like a lightening strike but the vast powers of the universe hence the scar on the right side of her face which i redrew (again sorry for the bootlegged drawing)

now she has this scar that looks like the starry sky and this star eye that looks like the whole universe is moving in it and due to this huge power she kinda wrecked a part of lets say sanctuary the ppl in her guild lives in for lack of a better description. Injuring a good few, maybe even killing one or two and now shes on the run!! Now she wants to get in the Senobium for answers. THATS BASICALLY THE SUMMARY OF MY OC. can u guess who im pairing her w plsss

ALSO heres a drawing of my other OC ! i dont have a name for them but if you do I would love to hear it! their pronouns is they/them and all I got for them rn is that they are on the same plane as Kuras with their diety-like powers.

sorry for the long post i got really excited! lol BUT PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS IM SO DOWN TO TELL YOU THE DETAILS

#mhin #touchstarved kuras #kuras #touchstarved x oc #vere #ais #touchstarvedgame #touchstarved leander #touchstarved game #leander

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sotwk · 1 year

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Hi, I was just wondering if you have any thoughts on Oropher’s wife/Thranduil’s mum? Is she dead? If so, how did she die? If she’s alive, is she still in the Greenwood or is she kicking about elsewhere? I have my own half-baked ideas but I wondered what yours were

Oooh thank you for asking for my thoughts on this! I got thoughts on everything, like a good Thranduil-obssessor. *pulls out my Notes folder* This dear, sweet lady never gets any attention, but she is certainly not forgotten by me!

I mentioned Thranduil's mother in this headcanon post about his birth, as well as my one-shot fic The Crown, but I am happy to provide more info below!

Thranduil's Mother in the SotWK AU

Oropher's wife was Lady Meluiel of Doriath, a Sinda from the same clan of Teleri that migrated into Beleriand, following Elu Thingol.

Apart from being Thranduil’s mother, she was also the younger sister of the great Beleg Cúthalion, which made Beleg Thranduil's uncle and mentor. (more HC info on their relationship here)

Meluiel was a trusted handmaiden to Queen Melian, and for a time also helped raise Lúthien Tinúviel during her childhood.

She was known for her sweet and cheerful disposition, contrasting with Oropher's more somber personality, but Oropher loved her so very deeply.

Thranduil was a bit of a rebellious child, with a wilder spirit than Lord Oropher would have preferred, so it was not uncommon for Meluiel to have to play mediator between father and son.

She would often encourage Thranduil to pursue the interests Oropher disliked, and behave according to his true self, rather than adjust his personality to please his father. Thranduil took this to heart and developed a fierce independence from his father (and his like-minded kinsmen) early on.

Sadly, Meluiel was among the many Elves of Doriath who perished in the Second Kinslaying. At the time, she was a lady in Queen Nimloth's court and was with her at the time of the attack. Meluiel was slain in a final stand trying to protect the young princes, Eluréd and Elurín.

For this reason, Oropher developed an unforgiving prejudice and hatred for the Noldor, which he carried with him for the rest of his life. This is also why he fought against Thranduil's love for Maereth (of direct Fëanorian descent--the horror!) for centuries before he finally (and reluctantly) consented to their union.

Thranduil was only 54 years old when his mother died; enough to have memories of her and to miss her terribly. As a result, he too was angry at the Noldor, and remained biased against them.

However, his bias was not strong enough to prevent him from fighting alongside Noldorin warriors during the War of Wrath. During this war, Thranduil befriended a few Noldor, some of whom he continued to associate with in the Second Age while he lived in Lindon. The most notable of these friends is Ivenil (a SotWK OC, appears in "Greenleaf's Day Out"), who followed Thranduil and his Sindarin kin to Greenwood. He eventually became an important member of King Thranduil's council.

Thranduil's openness of mind and ability to see past his own hate and prejudices in effect made him a stronger ruler than his father, since it allowed him to foster relationships with the other Elf-lords and peoples of Middle-earth--even the Dwarves!

His beloved mother would have been proud. <3

For more Thranduil/Mirkwood headcanons: SotWK HC Masterlist

Elves HC Tag List: @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @achromaticerebus @aduialel @asianbutnotjapanese @auttumnsayshi @blueberryrock @conversacomsmaug @elan-ho-detto-elan-15 @entishramblings @freshalmondpandadonut @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @glassgulls @heranintomyknife23times @ladyweaslette @laneynoir @lathalea @lemonivall @LiliDurin @quickslvxrr @ratsys @scyllas-revenge @stormchaser819 @talkdifferently6 @tamryniel @tamurilofrivendell

Other useful links:

Introduction to SotWK

Fanfiction Masterlist

Fanfiction Request Guidelines

#sotwk answers #sotwk headcanon #the hobbit #thranduil #tolkien #lotr #thranduil headcanon #oropher #mirkwood #greenwood the great #doriath

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sadalmostlesbian · 4 days

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D13: District Deep Dive

Idk if y'all are on TikTok and have seen Lucky Leftie's videos on each of the Districts, but she is amazing and really dives into the worldbuilding of each District and the importance of their industry in Panem. HOWEVER, she never got to D13. And since I've gotten a decent amount of asks regarding my thoughts (which OMG thank you all so much I literally love you all sm) i thought I'd make one.

Thirteen is probably the second most explored District in canon, so luckily I have a lot to go off of. BUT, a lot of this is comprised of headcanons that I attempted to connect to actual canon in the most realistic way possible. That being said, I reference my fic Just As it Was (ch 10 and onward) a decent bit because I had to world build 13 to write the setting for the later half of that fic.

Let's start with history and geography. D13 is located in what was once the Northeastern US and parts of Southeastern Canada. It includes parts of New England, Pennsylvania and New York, as well as Quebec. What I find really interesting is that there is an "underground city" aka RESO located in Montreal, Canada. It's essentially a shopping center, but also connects lots of hotels, and residences. Its HUGE. I think Suzanne Collins MIGHT have based the whole "underground city" on RESO. Katniss says the bunker in D13 was the work of centuries, and very valuable to the Capitol. It is also mentioned that they mine graphite (which is a used in nuclear reactors as a moderator or reflector). The Snow family, as mentioned by Coriolanus, held stock in the research labs and munitions factories in D13.

This gives us three industries to explore. I think, similar to District Two, there was a class distinction between the miners and those who worked in labs or produced munitions. Because D13 was the Capitol's main military stronghold, I can assume they were treated somewhat better than other districts due to their military advantage. This may have led to a relatively close relationship with the Capitol, similar to D2 at the time of the 74th games.

D13 is very close to two technologically advanced districts, D3 (technology) and D6 (transportation). I think before the first rebellion, they were able to collaborate and work together, which was terrifying for the Capitol. I think the development of the districts in terms of industry in Panem kind of mirrors the development of the United States. The more technologically advanced Districts are located on the east coast, where the west and central Districts are more focused on raw resource production. With the exception, of course, being the Capitol.

I think this is an interesting choice, but quite a smart play on the Capitol's part. On one hand, they have their most militarily equipped citizens far away enough to make a ground assault relatively impossible, and, incase they were attacked from the West and the Capitol was decimated, their weapons are stored far away, and those who survived had a bunker to confine themselves to wait out the enemy.

Which leads us to the first rebellion, in which 13 led and was then destroyed because of it. I think there was a lot at play here. I think D13 did not initially begin the rebellion, but they seceded to the rebels in neighboring, less fortunate districts and lent their weapons. But the Capitol recognized them as the leader because they are what made the rebels a legitimate threat. And that threat needed to be eliminated in order to quell any hope of a rebellion happening in the future.

So the Capitol bombed 13. However, I don't think that many of the citizens in 13 expected this because of their close relationship with the Capitol in the past. Which leads me to the first OC of mine, Arvada Coin (Alma Coin's grandfather). I think that 13 was headed by a General, rather than a mayor, because they're military. I think this general would not have accepted that their District was going to be destroyed. But some of his officers knew that the threat was not an empty one. Arvada Coin, who had lived underground his entire life because that was the industry his family worked in, pleaded for the General to issue a shelter in place warning and force everyone underground. When he refused, he defected from the military and began trying to get everyone to safety. In the end, he was able to save around half of the district, and the others all died in the bombings.

I think that's why the Coin family is so respected in D13. I think it was some initial forethought that ended up saving the lives of thousands.

Anyway, Coin is military, everyone under his direct command is military. They're all excellent at fighting, but none of them know anything about how to feed, clothe, and provide medical care for thousands of people. They have an excess of luxuries like electricity (nuclear reactors are INSANLEY good at what they do) and weapons but their citizens are starving because they've been cut off from all the rations from D4, D9, D10, and D11. Four whole districts are dedicated to food production and 13 has to find a way to cultivate crops with no arable land above ground and no sunlight. So they start with grain. They strip their hangars that used to house military equipment and devote them to agriculture. As I said before, they have an excess of electricity, so they are able to constantly power UV lights. So their food grows twice as fast, and there's no cold season underground. So they don't starve, despite the Capitol thinking they will.

But you can't eat only grain. So they turn to their allies. Just as the Plinths moved to the Capitol after siding with them during the war. I think some high ranking rebel officers and their families were allowed into D13 in order to escape the fallout from the failed rebellion. Two important people are Lt. Commander Finnegan, a D4 naval officer who served under Commander Harrington (Pup's dad) but defected and joined the rebels and Cera Hadley (Mrs. Hadley), wife of an important munitions dealer in D2 (who was Strabo's childhood best friend, but that's a long story). Commander Finnegan, being from D4, was able to create a fish farm in D13 (look up underground fish farms, THEY'RE SO COOL AND INSALEY EFFECENT). Cera Hadley knew the basics of gardening (thanks, Vesta (Ma) Plinth, for teaching her that btw. We're deep into the OC content now) and was able to cultivate plants important for resolving nutrient deficiencies, most notably, wood sorrel for treating vitamin C deficiencies. Limes, lemons, and oranges are notoriously hard to grow in cold climates, and orchards take up too much space. So they grew sorrel, and were able to modify their crops to grow underground and twice as fast.

And they survived, and grew more advanced with every year that passed, until they were able to become the powerhouse we saw in THG trilogy. But they stayed bitter, especially Coin, because of what they had to go through at the hands of the Capitol. So not only did they have a desire to protect the Districts, but also a desire for revenge which I think provided a lot of motivation for Alma (President) Coin.

I could talk about this forever, but I'll leave it at that! Thanks to @mr-nauseam, @maidstew, and @tumblingghosts for asking about this! I'm sorry if I gave you more than you asked for, but I simply have so much to say.

If your interested about D13 and learning about it in less "info-dumpy" way, please consider reading my fic Just As It Was. It's told through Sejanus's POV and is a Sejarcus fic, but the last half is set in D13 and dives into the character dynamics and specifics of all the people I mentioned in this post. Also I PROMISE I will update soon!

#D13 #tbosas #thg #district deep dive

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shelby-fangirl00 · 1 year

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Lie To Me-part one (oc x John Shelby x Tommy Shelby)

Hey y'all! I force myself to push this out but I have a lot of ideas for the story! This was originally a love triangle request. My internship is over BTW! I feel so motivated to get back to posting. Please leave comments on what you think of this!

Summary: Irene has been seeing John Shelby for a year now on and off. In John's absence, Irene begins to feel a pull towards Tommy.

Warnings: Language, no smut, talk of sex, fluff

Word Count: 3367

I groggily sat up to answer the light knocks on my door. It was definitely the early hours of the morning the sun wasn’t up yet. ‘Who the fuck is it?’ No answer.

I slowly lifted the covers and threw on the robe hanging off of the kitchen chair. The knocking became more insistent the longer I took.

‘Christ, alright!’ I yelled as I opened the door to find one very cheeky Shelby grinning from ear to ear.

‘You’re only…6 hours late tonight!’ I mocked at John, crossing my arms over my chest in defense.

He rolled his eyes and threw his head back in laughter. ‘Can you forgive me?’ he tore his cap off and placed it over his chest, batting those big brown eyes at me. Trying to avoid his goofy (but also adorable) gestures, I whipped around, leaving the door open as an invitation for him to come in.

John quickly shut the door, coming up behind me. His hands found their way to my hips and squeezed tightly. He craned his face into my neck, attacking me in small kisses. ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…’ He whispered after each kiss, tickling my neck. His familiar scent filled my nose and I knew I was a goner. Why did he have to be so damn charming?

I smiled weakly. Forgiving him is too easy. We’d been seeing each other on and off for a year. Well, we aren’t together, but I’m definitely not pursuing others. John, on the other hand, is. Of course, it fucking hurts, but I would never admit that to him. I keep trying to tell myself that it’s just sex, even though sometimes, it feels deeper than that. But my freedom means more than this relationship with John. I know the price of being exclusive with John Shelby. I would never be fully free again. I don’t have any interest in being a wife either. My space and independence are sacred.

I moved in next to the betting shop a year ago, still live here now. Almost instantly, John caught my eye. The first thing I noticed was his childish smile. His charisma was contagious. I was quite smitten when he showed interest in me. Aside from the sex, he’s been a great friend.

‘Where were you this time?’ I turned around and took a step backwards.

He frowned down at me, taking a step forward. ‘I just got the chance to sneak out of Tommy’s clutches. Had me and Arthur running around all of fucking Small Heath. You know how it goes with him, Irene…I really did try.’ He let his fingers intertwine in mine.

‘I do know how it goes with your tyrant brother.’ I huffed out, resting my arms on his shoulders, a sign of defeat. He chuckled as his callused fingers found their way to the knot in my robe. In one motion, he loosened it and pushed the fabric slowly off my shoulders. As the robe softly hit the wooden floorboards, I covered my chest shyly, like he hadn’t seen every inch of me already.

He laughed in that menacing tone. ‘Don’t hide from me now.’

He pushed my hands down, replacing them with his own. I couldn’t help but softly gasp in response. When he touched me, I couldn’t reject him even if I tried. To most people, John was an intimidating man. I’ve never found that to be true. I couldn’t be more at ease around him. I could say whatever I felt with no judgment (because he’s in no position to do so). I laughed and smiled more when he was around I feel the child within me being heard and nurtured whenever were together. And then he leaves, sometimes for weeks, with no word. Like he never existed, only in my head. Until he finally comes back again.

‘You’ll just have to make it up to me then.’ I giggled as his eyes traced the curve of my body. Instantly, something devilish flashed through them. In one swift motion, he bent down and threw me over his broad shoulder effortlessly, making me squeal. I playfully smacked his ass in protest. Almost instantly, his palm landed a much harder smack down to my ass. I couldn’t help but groan out in pleasure at the pain.

‘You’ve done it now, Irene.’

God, I needed this. I missed him constantly it was almost pathetic. The feeling of his strong arms wrapped protectively around me. The way his pouty lips molded over mine. Our bodies moved to the same rhythm. They knew each other so well at this point, but the bubbling excitement in my stomach never went away.

He plopped my body onto the mattress and found his way between my legs quickly, kissing down my body, making me tremble. I relaxed back into the mattress. My hands fell into his golden-brown hair as he nibbled at the inside of my thighs.

He looked up from between my legs, smiling deviously.

I was so lost in the sensations of his lips on my skin. I almost missed my front door swinging open.

My eyes shot to the door to see Tommy standing in my doorway. What felt like in slow motion, I kicked John off of me and pulled the thin white sheet over my chest.

Tommy’s piercing eyes were on me the entire time. He assessed my disheveled state for a few seconds longer than seemed appropriate before turning his attention to John. What the fuck was that?

John now stood at the end of the bed, adjusting himself in his pants before studying my face and laughing again. ‘What’s wrong, love? Worried my brother snuck a peak?’ He slapped his cap back on his head. Gone again.

I’m certain my face turned red. I was completely naked under this thin white sheet. I looked over John’s shoulder to see Tommy staring over at me again, no sign of embarrassment or uneasiness in his face, just the same cold expression he always wore. For him to stand there, silently, after busting open my door in the middle of the night. He invaded my fucking space and privacy. The only place that I used to escape, to find peace in this loud town. Who the fuck did he think he was?

I stood up, the only thing covering me was the long sheet. I was so overcome with fucking rage at his intrusion. I stomped right past John, walking straight up to Tommy.

‘I don’t give a shit who you are, this is my home. I swear to Christ, Tommy if you do that again, I’ll fuckin shoot you! Now fuck off!’ I said coldly, pointing my tiny finger up into his face as I scolded him. I didn’t raise my voice, but I practically spat the words at him.

His lips twitched and I knew he was holding back his anger. His eyes didn’t lie though. He was furious, too. That made me feel a smidge better. Before I started to coward back, I gave him one last shitty look before walking into the bathroom and slamming the door behind me.

I could hear John muffling his own laugh at my outburst from outside the door. I couldn’t care less at this point. I finally got John back again, the only person I ever wanted to see. It all felt like too much at once. I went from total bliss to dread, embarrassment and anger. Angry for not having privacy with John. Angry at John for always leaving. Tears streamed down my face as I strained to hold back sobs coming from the back of my throat.

I could hear John sighing on the other side of the door before coming, strutting over to me at the sink.

‘I’ll come back tomorrow night, cross my heart.’ John whispered to me in a way that helped sooth the sobs. He rubbed his hands over my arms, making me lean into his chest. I looked up and smiled lovingly, squeezing one of his biceps in my hand as a sign of affection.

‘Please don’t promise things to me unless you can keep it, John. I-I…it’s not fair to me.’ I said weakly, letting my guard down. He used his thumbs to wipe away the stream of tears running down my cheeks.

He flashed his teeth with a smile before leaning down to kiss me one last time. I pulled him closer by his coat, forcing him to stay just a few seconds longer. He happily grabbed the back of my head, leaning over me, controlling my mouth with his in a hasty kiss. For a quick second, I looked up from the kiss and into the hallway through the open door. My eyes landed on Tommy seemingly staring at the two of us. When I had caught him looking, his gaze averted to the ground. His hands rested in his pockets as he began to walk towards the door. The fuck is he staring at? Did he hear all of the pathetic shit I just said?

Tommy was way out of my league. He seemed untouchable. He is undoubtably the most beautiful person I have ever encountered. He was nice to look at, but he was so intimidating, that staring at him was mostly all I did. I had been around Tommy often in the past year. John would drag me out to bonfires or to the pub to drink with him and his family. I stole quick glances and prolonged stares when he wasn’t looking every now and then. I couldn’t help it. I am a woman with eyes for god’s sakes.

But he’s also an ass. Extremely closed off. His walls were so high up that I could never tell what he was thinking. I was curious about him, at first. But I quickly understood that he is incapable of letting someone in, I’m sure of it. I steered clear of him for that reason alone.

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The next night, I waited up for hours. I wasn’t surprised, but I was disappointed. Every minute that passed in my waiting, I questioned myself over and over again. Why do I care so much if he doesn’t show? I don’t understand this constant validation I need from him. Deep down I know it’s about me. My own insecurities about needing to be wanted and needing to be desired. John quickly fell into the role.

I slouched against the big sofa, letting my eyes fall shut. I listened to the embers in the fireplace crack. I snuggled in and tried to forget about the past couple of nights.

Then there was a knock at the door. My eyes shot open and all of the worries and insecurities seemed to fall off of my shoulders (pathetic). Thank God. I creeped up to the door, taking a deep breath before swinging it open.

‘Evening Irene.’ Tommy stood in the door way. I was suddenly very aware of what little clothes I had on. I was expecting John, so I was in nothing but a tight nightgown that didn’t cover much of anything.

‘It’s late Tommy, what are you doing here again?’ He looked exhausted, like he hadn’t slept in days. His eyes were heavy but still so intense as he held my gaze.

‘Can I come in? Just for a moment, I promise.’ His voice was low and raspy. What the hell is happening right now? I have never been alone with him before, especially trapped in my tiny flat, in the middle of the night.

I thought about slamming the door in his face for a few seconds before his eyes practically moved the door open for me. I watched him walk inside, shedding his heavy coat, leaving him in his perfectly fitted black suit. His hair was a bit more disheveled than what I was used to. He seemed a bit more human alone like this with me.

He sat down at the small kitchen table casually, taking out a cigarette and lighting it with a match from his pocket. I watched every movement of his hands as he did so. He had a way of owning any room he walked into. ‘He is stunning’ seemed to be the only thought running through my head. Finally breaking the silence, I sat down in the chair across from him, not bothering to offer him a drink.

‘Right, so what is it?’ I asked him, placing my hands in my lap.

‘I wanted to apologize.’

There was a pause.

‘You sure of that?’ I laughed before leaning over the kitchen table and snagging the cigarette he was holding daintily between his fingers. As I did so, his eyes darted straight to my chest. I was practically spilling out of the thin lace covering my chest. A not so small tinge of excitement stirred in my stomach. I quickly moved back in the chair, taking a long drag.

‘I shouldn’t have barged in here the other night. I was pissed at John for leaving Arthur alone on the job and I just acted on instinct.’ That was more than you ever expected from him, sadly, because it wasn’t much.

‘Tommy, you invaded my space. It may not matter to you, but this place is important to me. I value that I can be fully…undone here. I can’t be that way anywhere else. So, when you came in and saw me and John…it made me feel crazy. I understand he ran off on you, but Jesus, do you not know what me and John do when he’s here?’ I laughed.

He nodded his head slowly the entire time, his eyes never wavered. He took a few moments to take it in.

‘I’m sorry I violated your privacy, Irene. Your anger was justified.’ He said, and to my shock, it sounded so sincere, it almost sounded like it pained him.

I stood up quickly, handing him back the cigarette before answering.

‘It’s water under the bridge then. Now, do you want whiskey?’ I said walking towards my kitchen sink, changing the subject quickly.

I could feel his eyes on the back of me as I went through the motions of grabbing two glasses and bringing the entire bottle to the table.

‘It’s quite late for you, isn’t it?’ He chuckled out, but not declining.

I shrugged as I placed the bottle and glasses on the table and took the seat beside him instead of across from him now. He smiled sheepishly as he watched my movements and noticing my choice in seat.

‘I was already awake, so why not. Unless you have somewhere else to be at…2 in the morning?’

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It was now 4 a.m., and Tommy was still here. We had moved far past the point of awkwardness. We were chatting and joking like two old friends. At some point in the night, our seats had scooted only inches apart from each other, but neither of us seemed to notice or care. It was strange to say, but it just seemed natural like this. He asked me about my life before Small Heath. I asked him about his upbringing and growing up with siblings, since I had none. We also gossiped like two little girls about some of the people in town. He shared silly stories about John that made me laugh. I was having fun.

I could tell Tommy was comfortable too when he had shed a layer of protection. He was now only in a white button-up. The cuffs were rolled up his forearms, exposing skin I had never seen before. I tried not to stare.

We were nearly ¾ of the way through with the bottle. I don’t know why he was still here entertaining me; this was supposed to be a quick conversation. But I didn’t mind…not at all really.

‘Can I ask you something?’ He seemed to stiffen a bit. He fussed with his empty glass, tracing his fingers around the brim.

‘Yes?’ I almost asked, scared of his shift in tone. I didn’t want the ease of this night to end just yet.

‘Were you waiting up on John tonight when you came to the door?’

I rolled my eyes in annoyance. Not at his question, but at the thought of John’s empty promises to me.

I sighed before pouring both of us another drink.

‘I know, I’m pathetic. Not delusional though. Just pathetic.’ I was alluding to the fact that I knew he was seeing other people outside of me, I wasn’t stupid.

‘If you know…then why do you wait around still?’

‘I dunno I just…John is the only person who has made me feel…wanted since I moved to Small Heath. It’s only been him for the past year. When he’s here…its perfect. But when he isn’t, which is often, I just feel alone here sometimes is all and he helps.’ I tried to play it off as if this wasn’t a big deal to me.

He was listening and studying me as I talked, his eyebrows scrunched up in question.

‘Have you ever let someone else keep you company? It’s only fair to yourself, Irene. He’s my brother and a good man, but he’s young and still…figuring it all out.’ My stomach fluttered, more persistent this time at his words. Was he suggesting that I let him keep me company or was he just giving advice out to me? Either way, I was beaming on the inside with admiration for him in this moment. There was a prolonged moment of silence as we both studied each other.

‘But what do I know, eh?’ He chuckled off as he downed his drink. I finally took a deep breath in as he stood up and began to roll down the sleeves of his shirt, preparing to leave.

Dread filled my stomach. I didn’t want him to leave but I would never tell him that. It may have been all of the alcohol, but I felt a bit infatuated with my fuck buddy’s older and more mature brother.

‘Leaving already?’ sounding a bit too desperate, I stood up with him. As I did so, his eyes slowly fell down all of the exposed skin in my nightgown, with no hesitation. His eyes lingered on my chest and my breath hitched, making my chest rise and fall heavily. He watched in amazement before returning to my face.

‘Is there a reason that I should stay?’ His voice was suddenly deep and sultry, a new tone that sent sparks through my core. Was this actually happening or was I just making assumptions?

‘I suppose not.’ I chuckled and he slowly went for his jacket, not bothering to put it on, slinging it over his arm.

‘Thank you, Tommy. For keeping me company tonight. I’m glad you came.’ I smiled softly at him as he stood in front of the door, inches away from me.

He gave me a small smile back. ‘My pleasure. If you ever need someone to drink with again, I’m always the next door over. Alright?’

I stepped even closer to him, reaching my hand out and squeezing his big hand in mine. The contact made my head fuzzy and warm. It was a simple gesture of affection. I wanted him to know I really did enjoy his company.

With a tired smile, he leaned down and came face to face with me before turning and planting a soft kiss to my cheek. His lips touched my skin and I nearly gasped. My face turned the color of a damn tomato at his sweet gesture.

‘Goodnight, love.’

Before I could even react, he opened the door and closed it shut behind him. I stood there alone, speechless at his last move. The whole night was unexpected. I would be a lying if I said I didn’t feel a pull towards him. Was it so bad if I wanted Tommy? It’s not like John is my boyfriend. For some reason, I felt dirty and like I did something wrong, even though I know I didn’t. Is it wrong to want both of them?

Taglist: @lyarr24 @forgottenpeakywriter @casa-boiardi @tigernach575 @crabat-the-queen @adaydreamaway08 @trixie23 @sunset24t @star017 @oizyss88

#peaky blinders #tommy shelby #tommy shelby fanfic #thomas shelby #tommy shelby x reader #peaky blinder fanfic #tommy shelby smut #peaky blinders x reader #john shelby #john shelby smut

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malarkgirlypop · 10 months

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MEDIC! Part 17 (Donald Malarkey x Fem!OC)

Well we finally made it out alive, so far! Thank you to everyone who has been reading my story! I just want to say I love this community so much and that all of you are so kind and supportive. It's been amazing to meet all new people who share the same interests as me, and that I can just be authentically myself here without judgement. There is plenty more to come and I hope you all enjoy! So here is chapter 17!

Based on the HBO show and the actors who portray the characters, no hate to anyone involved.

Tag list: @next-autopsy, @panzershrike-pretz, @xxluckystrike

Don was right, it was easier. The guilt I felt still haunted me like a thick fog, but I was able to see through it. I didn’t even have time to think about it, we were moving out. We had hoped that since we had taken Foy we would be pulled back for a break, but it wasn’t to be. We needed to keep moving forward as ordered. We moved to Rachamps, the attack was successful. Minor casualties from the assault. We spent the night in the convent, the sister’s brought in their choir to sing for us. It was one of the few moments I felt calm. I looked around the room at the men who filled it. A small group. We had started with at least 100 plus soldiers, but looking around the church at the men, the loss was noticeable. I sat next to Don as we listened to the women sing. It was heavenly, their voices so ethereal echoing around the room.

“Emily, a word.” Speirs appeared in front of me. I nodded standing from my seat and following the Captain. He walks us into a side room shutting the door, he motions for me to sit on one of the seats in the room, he does so too, sitting across from me. He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together.

“I’m going to mention to Captain Winters what happened the other day during the assault.” He speaks first. I sigh with relief, I was worried about how my actions would affect my position in the company.

“But if I ever catch you using a weapon, not in self defence, I will have you back on a ship faster than you can blink you hear me.” He said sternly. I was being given a warning.

“Yes, Sir.” I stated. He sighed, rubbing his face, his eyes softened.

“Listen Emily I heard about what happened before Foy, I know you saw Muck and Penkala die.” He says in a more gentle tone.

I stiffen. The flashes of their final moments play in my head.

“I also understand that the men thought you were fine. But I have heard otherwise from some of the soldiers you are closer with, that you didn’t handle it very well. Is that correct?” He asked, I tried to hide the pain on my face.

“I did the same thing I did when my mom died, I pushed everyone away.” I said quietly he nodded.

“Does your family send you letters, Emily?” He queries.

“No Sir, I don't have any family.” His brows furrow.

“Friends.” He asks.

I shake my head. A concerned look crosses his face.

“You know you can go home if you want Emily.” He offers, I’m sure he thinks it’s what I want.

“No, I would like to stay.” I blurt. He’s surprised by my answer, sitting up straighter in his chair. He regards me.

“Emily, can I ask you what you were doing before you joined?” He implored.

“Studying sir, to be a nurse. I hadn’t quite finished yet, I was in my last semester.” I tell him the truth.

“What are your plans for when the war is over?” He continues, watching me carefully.

I’m stumped by the question. I have no clue. If the war finishes does another shimmer appear to take me home? Or do I stay here? If I stay here what the fuck am I going to do. I don’t exist. I have no house, no money. I’m technically not even an American citizen, I have no passport, no birth certificate, no identification. I didn’t think that far ahead, right now I am just trying to get through the days. The question throws me for a loop. Ron waits expecting an answer I can’t give him.

“I’m-I’m not sure, sir.” He looks at me confused.

“Will you not go and finish your degree?” Ron suggests.

“I quit. I don’t have the money to go back and study.” I shift on my seat, I’m sure he doesn’t mean to but his questions are making me nervous. No one has asked this much about me, not about my future, or where I live or what I want to do. I don’t even know myself. If I was to stay here in this time, how would I even go about slotting back into reality, because it isn’t mine.

“You have no savings?” He says shocked.

“I spent everything to come here.” I lied.

“Where are you living?” I freeze. I can’t answer him. I open and close my mouth.

“I was living in the dorms when I was studying, but I guess now I’m homeless.” I say slowly.

“You have no one you can stay with?” I shake my head.

“Emily, what about your possessions?” He seems frantic at this point, he sounds worried for me.

“The only things I have sir is what I came here with and the clothes on my back, which technically aren't mine since I have to give the uniform back. I sold everything for a ticket to europe.” I wring my hands together, throughout the conversation growing more clammy.

He looks shocked. “That’s why you don’t want to leave?” I nod, “I have nothing waiting for me back home, sir. I want to stay with the Easy men, I want to see it through till the end.”

“Right, well, you’re staying, but I think we will discuss the other matter later.” He seems very concerned for me, he seems stressed. He rakes his fingers through his hair, taking a breath, he moves to stand.

“Please don't tell the men. I don't want them to know about my situation.” I say quickly before he leaves. He turns to look at me.

“Emily, I thought you would have more confidence in me. I would never.” He smiles gently. He stands and leaves the room, leaving the door open for me to follow after him.

“Thank you, sir.” I mutter softly even though he has already left.

I made my way back to my seat, “Em.” A voice called to me, my eyes searched the room wondering who had called me. Lieb raised his hand waving at me. I walked over standing in front of the pew he sat on.

“Hey Joe.” I smiled at the man, he sat next to Grant and Russo, Babe was perched behind them talking to the men he sat with.

“You alright kid?” He leaned forward as he spoke, resting his arms on the front of the wall he sat behind.

“I’m ok.” I smiled, he nodded looking up at me.

“Em, we don’t think of you any differently.” He starts, he reaches out his arm taking my hand from my side, holding it in his. “I should’ve noticed.” He shakes his head, his thumb tracing over the back of my hand.

I shook my head. “Joe I made it so you didn’t. Even if you had, I wouldn't have accepted the help.”

He sighed giving my hand another squeeze before letting it go. “Next time Emily you ask for help. Got it?” I chuckled, nodding. He gave me his signature grin. I said goodnight to the men. I sat down beside Don, who looked exhausted.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to be inside but these goddamn seats are so uncomfortable.” He wriggled around on the seat trying to find a comfortable position. The pews were very uncomfortable, the seat part was so small you could barely lie down sideways without falling off and the back of the chair was so upright there was no way to slouch or lean. They were also wooden, hard and slippery. If you sat in one position for too long you could feel yourself slowly sliding down the seat. I laughed nodding. My butt hurt from sitting.

“Well I think they’re made with the intention to keep you awake through mass.” We laughed together.

“The old people find a way to do it though.” He said in a hushed voice as to not disturb the others.

“Yeah but they’re old, they can fall asleep anywhere. Have you ever seen an old person sleeping in a comfortable position?” I asked, he looked baffled by my question.

“I mean I don’t go sorting them out.” He chuckled.

“Don think of your grandparents, where do they fall asleep?” I tried to get him to imagine it so I could get my point across.

“Sitting up in their arm chair.” I nodded, my point being proven.

“One time when my Nana was getting older, she had taken out her hearing aids and fell asleep. I thought she was dead. I yelled at her for so long and she didn’t move. Then I went up to her and shook her, she almost booted me in the head.” I recounted the story to Don as we both laughed.

“My Granddad fell asleep with his false teeth still in and they started whistling, so loudly in fact that the dog actually came.” Don and I covered our mouths trying to keep quiet while sharing our stories.

“The dog jumped on his lap and then stole the teeth from his mouth cause they were hanging out.” I wiped the tears from my eyes as he continued.

“What did the dog do with them?” I asked, trying to catch my breath.

“He ate them.” I covered my open mouth, laughing at the thought.

“You’re kidding?” He shook his head while he giggled.

“No, we had to wait till the dog shit them out again.” We were getting glances from the other men for being too loud, I pressed my face into his shoulder trying to muffle the noise.

“The best part is once the dog did shit them out he washed them and kept using them. He said he paid so much money for them he wasn’t going to throw them out.” I scrunched up my face in disgust as he laughed.

“Oh ew!” I pretended to gag.

God I hadn’t laughed like this in a while. It was a normal occurrence with the four of us, but since Skip and Alex had passed I hadn’t laughed since. There wasn’t a time with them we weren’t laughing, they were so funny. Alex, Skip and Don together was pure entertainment. Then when I got closer to them it was absolute chaos. I always found myself in the foxhole with the three of them. We were either playing games, cards, making stupid bets, talking shit or telling the worst jokes. It was like we were in another world when we were all together, I could forget that I was having the worst day ever and was absolutely freezing. I missed them so much, but it felt so good to hear Don laugh again. I smiled at the man who had finally stopped laughing, he smiled back.

My heart fluttered. I have never been in love, but I think this is what it feels like. His smile could pull me from the darkest depths. His touch soft and gentle made my whole body come alive. His laughter made me smile so hard my face felt like it could crack. He made me happy. I wanted to spend every day next to him, if I wasn’t with him his name would still be on my lips, his face would still linger in my mind. I couldn’t stop the pitter-patter of my heart everytime he said my name, smiled at me, laughed with me. Like I was floating, weightless. He lifted me up but somehow grounded me. He still made me nervous, my stomach flipped when he was near. The amount of times I had to hold back from just kissing him. I would forget that we weren’t a couple and have to stop myself from kissing him goodbye when I left, or saying I love you when he looked at me in a certain way.

I was falling in love, or maybe I had already fallen. But one thing I was certain of, I was completely and utterly in love with Donald Malarkey.

“Do you want to try and get some sleep?” I ask him, his eyes drooping. He nodded.

“Here lie down, rest your head on my lap.” I didn’t need to convince him, he lay down immediately placing his head in my lap. He crossed his arms over his chest, whispering a goodnight. I ran my fingers through his hair in a soothing manner, his breaths quickly turning even.

I admired his sleeping face, lightly tracing my fingers over his features. I traced around his face, then his eyebrows, his eyes, his nose, his mouth and his chin. Painting a picture in my mind of the man I was in love with. I mulled over the thought of when to tell him. My brain quickly takes me to the worst case scenarios, what if he doesn’t love you back, only loves you platonically, what if he laughs in your face and tells everyone what you said.

I shook my head at the silly thoughts, Don would never. Even if he didn’t like me he would be gracious and kind in letting me down, it wasn’t in his nature to be cruel. If it turned out he only loved me platonically I could be happy, I just needed him in my life, and even though it would hurt to see him fall in love with someone else I would still be happy for him. His happiness is mine, and that’s all I wanted.

Then another nagging voice crept from the back of my mind, you’re an imposter, this isn’t your time, what happens when you need to leave? How would you explain this to him? He’s going to think you’re insane. You have nothing here, it won’t work. Those thoughts shook me to my core, am I going to have to leave this all behind, what would happen if I stay, would there be irrevocable damage done? Can I stay without everything falling apart? Then I will just have to make the most of the days I have left with him, and the rest of Easy company. I won’t take anything for granted.

The thing that annoyed me the most is that I don’t have the answers to my questions. There are no books I can read, no one I can ask. It’s not as if someone asked me to come and then sent me through the shimmer. The shimmer just appeared there was no sign, no instructions. I didn’t even know if it was meant for me, was I the only one who could see it? If someone else had been there before I did would they be in this position I am in now, or would they go somewhere else.

I groaned internally, this was too much thinking, I could feel a headache starting. I pressed my fingers into my temple, rubbing small circles to relieve the pain. I could dwell on that another time. But for now I just needed to rest, we still weren’t out of the woods yet. The soft snores from Don lulled me to sleep.

I sat next to Don in the back of the truck as we bounced along the road. We were enroute to Haguenau. We had all thought we were being pulled back but they needed us to hold the line, as per usual. Lip sat across from me looking pale, I had asked him earlier if he was ok and he told me he was fine, but I could see the exhaustion etched into his features. He looked ill. He tried to hide the wet cough from me but I heard him. Even when we were sleeping last night in the convent he coughed in his sleep. I needed to get him to rest but the man was so persistent it was hard to get him to stop.

“Hey, look, it’s 1st battalion.” George said, pulling me from my thoughts about the sick Sergeant.

I looked to see the soldiers walking down the street.

“Hey! Hey!” George turned around yelling at the men as they walked. I looked at him confused.

“What do you want?” One called back.

“Yeah, thanks for crapping in our foxholes, ya shitheads!” He shouted at them. I burst out laughing.

“Hey, it’s our pleasure!” The man called back.

“Enjoy the walk boys.” Bull called to them, popping his cigar back into his mouth. I shook my head as I chuckled. I leant into Don smiling at him. He gave me a smile, taking my hand in his. I scooted closer to share the warmth. Watching Lip and George smoke their cigarettes.

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Chapter 18

#MEDIC!#My oc #band of brothers #band of brothers fanfic #hbo war #donald malarkey #fanfic #bill guarnere #dick winters #emily lane #emarkey

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