#Xander is a sweet little man who is very polite and has a lot of catholic guilt

[lilyinwaiting]

Meet Xander, our paladin!!

[theajaheira]

celia’s buffy rewatch: the witch

lots of thoughts on parents this episode! i am discomfited by how accurate my perception of joyce was as a kiddo; i was so hoping that she would be better than i remembered. i am, however, touched to see so much buffy and giles.

"i'd say [giles] should get a girlfriend if he wasn't so old" always made me smile at fourteen and still makes me smile now. we're counting that as a jenny mention. i'm feral enough to count it as a jenny mention.

xander's "yours always" bracelet is...such a profoundly shitty moment for him. i say this very specifically because in that scene where buffy calls him "one of the girls," she goes on to ramble about how any other guy giving her a bracelet like that would want to date her -- and while the scene then peters out, my heart really goes out to buffy in season one. that little throwaway line establishes exactly how dear xander is to buffy, and how his friendship really is worth a lot to her, and how painful it has to be for her when he inevitably confesses. the fact that xander takes buffy not being interested in him romantically as this huge cruelty when she cares about him so very much, and finds so much comfort and relief in the concept of a platonic male friend...my heart really goes out to her.

it's also worth mentioning here that i still do not really find myself on the xander vitriol train! a lot of the stuff he does is pretty much garden-variety teenage boy shittiness, which is perhaps why it inspires so much anger in so many women who watch the series. he represents the kind of self-involved bullshit that women have to deal with in real time, and the narrative very clearly sympathizes with his plight. i'm not saying that he gets off scot-free -- he does not -- but it's still framed very much as "poor xander, he's such a sweet guy but buffy doesn't like him" when i really think it needs to be "poor buffy, her best friend doesn't understand the inherent worth of a platonic connection and is harboring resentment towards both her and her boyfriend for not liking him back." xander is cruel here. buffy loves him very much as a friend. that's worth something.

buffy immediately springing into action to save flamey cheerleader girl! what a sweetheart.

giles & his extreme enthusiasm for the supernatural again jumps out at me -- always, when i see it this early, i think of how it is absolutely gone once jenny is killed. also, i was hugely reminded of wesley initially, especially in the episode's first scene -- giles's overblown horror at buffy's disdain for her calling, his pathetic attempts to "appeal to her common sense," his meaningless threatening to enact discipline, all of that is very much season three wesley. thing is, though, wesley's puppyish excitement crumbles into fear in the face of the very real threats they are facing, whereas giles starts in with the giggly glee whenever people start talking about murder or monsters or spontaneous combustion. giles is morbid as all hell. there's a bit of a Strange Streak there.

as i continue to try and reconcile sweet puppyish giles with the more grounded, careful version of giles we start to see after the dark age, i wonder again if something can be said about the show's perspective evolving as buffy does! she sees giles as a green, stumbling, one-dimensional watcher until prophecy girl, at which point his desire to learn and grow beyond the restrictive council teachings becomes incredibly apparent. searching for any sign of a man who raised demons in his twenties, i find myself observing that giles is stiff and awkward and a little bit of a space case but also very sweet. it's hard to even imagine him capable of cruelty, simply because he seems so disconnected from the world around him. he's a relic. it feels a lot like he has locked the most vital parts of himself away and has very politely distilled himself to the most functional aspects.

i like that reading, too, because it places him shoulder-to-shoulder with jenny yet again, which we all know i LOVE. she doesn't seem to have any connection with the dutiful soldier she is expected to be, and that parallels the impossibility of seeing ripper in giles so NICELY. looking for a gentle, loyal, obedient daughter in early jenny feels as implausible as looking for a vicious, street-savvy rebel in this early giles. they continue to be soulmates.

again, we get buffy trying to stop willow and xander from jumping into the fray -- and again, they refuse to let her! it's touching to see that trend continue, especially as her resistance begins to carefully give way. i think it's still interesting that she's clearly under the impression that she is Letting Them Help rather than considering them as full-fledged members of the group, and i can see why this could become something of a sore point that eventually evolves into a festering wound by season four.

willow casually mentioning that she and amy used to hang in middle school caught my attention! i've been thinking a lot recently about how willow really doesn't have a girl best friend, and wondering what the in-universe explanation is for that one. obviously outside of canon they needed willow to be bestie-free so that she and buffy could become as close as they do, but willow having no female best friends still feels straight-up strange. has she just been spending her time hanging with xander and jesse? how did that happen? i am left with more questions than i started with.

that said, xander and willow's bestie banter is adorable and remains adorable forever. i wish we knew more about the xander/willow/jesse dynamic, but it is a profound delight to know that xander and willow are always as close as they are.

i beamed at buffy's slayer sense picking up on something with cordelia! i'm pretty sure it's the first time we see it happen, even if it's not named as such. pretty much all buffy sees is cordelia walking a little weird and she is already on the case. i love her so very much.

cordy's shitty driving also ends up being a plot point later in prophecy girl! i appreciate that.

i am watching willow with wide eyes every episode. her snarky little comment about people wanting to harm cordelia "because they met her" is immediately followed up with a shyly nervous "did i say that?" there's this real vitriol under the surface from the very beginning, but it's softened by her very real compassion, her ever-present patience, and how consistently bashful she is. it's hard to notice unless you're looking for it, but i'm looking for it! and it's there! and i honestly think it's the finest character work going on thus far, however intentional or unintentional it might be -- that even in season one, willow is cruel to people. it's just muted, and directed at people who the narrative agrees deserve it.

this episode is very very much about parents! both joyce & giles! buffy mentions it with amy too -- the amount of pressure a parent can lay on you (as said in the library)

the doctor gregory cameo delighted me!! i miss that man. i don't know what it is about being a good teacher that gets you killed, but pretty much every good teacher we see gets killed. doctor gregory, stephen platt....Someone Else...

xander's bracelet being what enables there to be a curse on buffy -- bouncing off of my thoughts about that bracelet, i kinda like that too. that the poison enters buffy through xander's gesture, which she interprets as friendship but which he is attaching meaning to. (can you tell i greatly did not enjoy him excitedly talking about her wearing the bracelet like they're boyfriend and girlfriend, despite buffy never consenting to this? yeah.)

loopy buffy!! cutesy buffy! my beloved! <3

xander being "one of the girls" is actually really pertinent, i think, when it comes to the kind of guy he is! he's emotive, sweet, and playful. he's willing to gossip and hang and cuddle. the problem of course is that he sees being "one of the girls" as a bad thing -- as a failure on his part -- and this really prevents him from growing in a positive direction. he has the ability to foster meaningful friendships, TWO really incredible girls who consider him a sweet and valued friend, and at this point in time, he's fixated on buffy and getting her to like him, because he wants to be a "boy" who is desirable. he wants to know with certainty that he's valuable to buffy, and the only way he can see himself being Valuable is as her romantic partner. he does not consider friendship "enough" because a girl's friendship is not supposed to be "enough" for a boy, despite there being a very real and deep platonic connection there. basically i am as always very fascinated by xander and how he's hampered by toxic masculinity, and while this episode in my opinion was a HORRIBLE look for him, my attachment has not softened. he's a dumb teenage boy. that's pretty much it.

also very much worth noting: willow being like "i can help you with your witchcraft" hits hilariously different with the knowledge of what's coming later.

i really think that amy would have made a way cute scooby! she's sweet and acerbic and smart in a way that would have jived well with the group dynamic. i wish we'd gotten more of that.

buffy is amy's constant advocate in this episode, and i find that incredibly intriguing, especially when juxtaposed with the way she is treated by joyce in this episode. buffy is the one who informs everyone that "[amy] only became a witch to survive her mother" WELL before we know the truth about amy, and well AFTER people have been harmed by this witch. buffy is constantly trying to reach out to amy, and understands amy's conflict without hesitation. buffy has this insane level of understanding and empathy towards a girl with a shitty mom, even as that girl is causing problems. i don't think i need to spell it out any more than that.

which is of course a GREAT way for me to transition into my big point about this episode -- it hits WAY different now that i'm not fourteen, and now that i have a whole lot of emotional and physical distance from some of the stuff i was going through at the time with my own mom. this episode is very much about mothers -- about mothers and daughters, specifically, and all the different flavors of resentment that moms end up harboring, and how that can so brutally fuck up a teenage girl who does not have half as much power as her mom is so ready to imply. obviously the show is highlighting the fact that amy's mom is worse than buffy's, but joyce...this is not a good episode for joyce. i am beginning to wonder if there is going to be a good episode for joyce.

i want to dissect some of the moments that jumped out at me with regards to joyce. the first one, of course, is the fact that she just straight-up doesn't remember that buffy is trying out for cheerleading. the show really does want to push this idea of "joyce is a stressed single mom who is dealing with a lot," but joyce herself consistently contradicts this -- she is constantly trying to push buffy in these very specific directions, CONSTANTLY reacting with rigid indignance to buffy's "willful" requests, and then totally ignoring anything buffy tells her that isn't inflammatory or disobedient. joyce, from her perspective, has a delinquent daughter who isn't communicating with her -- would she not want to scoop up any scrap of information that she is given, that might help her understand buffy better?

and yet here we see what happens when buffy extends the olive branch. buffy tells joyce what's up in her life, and joyce isn't listening. buffy shyly insinuates that she'd really enjoy for joyce to share this cheerleading thing with her by helping her coach, and joyce responds that she's too busy. which, again -- yeah, sure, stressed single mom, but when joyce's big complaint is that buffy isn't trying to communicate or cooperate, this moment becomes particularly hard for me to watch.

it's also hard to watch joyce try and push buffy towards joining the yearbook, buffy saying "i do not want to do this" in a way that is the average dickish teenage girl kinda thing, and joyce immediately volleying back with "you don't get to choose what you want to do anymore. you don't have that right after you fucked up your whole life." it's of course so much smaller than what amy is going through -- her mom has LITERALLY taken that choice away from her, whereas joyce never does any such thing -- but buffy and amy's parallel experiences are really intriguing because there is this determination to let joyce off the hook in-text. the episode ends with joyce basically saying "i've come to the conclusion that i don't understand you because i'm not a teenager," buffy saying "mom, you don't want to be a teenager, right?" and joyce saying "i absolutely do not." it's supposed to be a touching moment, emphasizing the fact that joyce does not ACTUALLY want to live vicariously through buffy in the same way that amy does, but there's also this feeling of ... joyce has no interest in understanding buffy, and we're supposed to see that as a positive thing to some degree.

and i think it is not always an awful thing! people are hard to understand, especially in a parent/child dynamic. it's just that joyce's lack of understanding always seems to be paired with this total lack of empathy that can make her interactions with buffy really uncomfortable. her focus seems always on making sure that buffy is Normal, and on being upset that buffy isn't Normal, and that never really alters as the show continues.

also, buffy openly saying she's a vampire slayer in front of joyce and joyce largely ignoring it becomes really uncomfortable with the retconned institutionalization. but that one i think is more the fault of the retcon than anything.

to bring up buffy's other parent: there's a little interchange between giles and buffy that i think really sums up what is happening between them in this episode. she inquires "did we find?" and he responds, without hesitation, "we found." he is very literally responding to her in her dialect, despite being a british man in his early forties who up until this point has shown a kind of detached disdain for buffy's whole "american teenage girl" schtick. this episode is in many ways about giles stepping up as a parent -- he is doing what joyce does not. he is showing a willingness to adapt in order to try and understand buffy better. though he's confused about the cheer culture, about the girls, about buffy herself, his initial indignance gives way to him listening attentively as the kiddos explain high school hierarchy to him. he is, at this point in canon, primed to learn and grow. he WANTS to learn and grow. (it hurts to think about the fact that he has this potential now and excises it from himself later. knowing where giles and buffy end, it is so hard to see where they start.)

[prose-for-hire]

Btvs Headcanons:

Hc: You work in a store they frequent, meet them that way, and feelings develop. How each character would show you that they care about you/ask you on a date after getting to know them. 

Edited to include Oz. [Jenny Calendar hc is separate here ]

Warning: one small mention of sex. and in one hc the store is a butchers

I thought this would be fun, maybe a little different than my usual. You can request some people that aren’t on here if you like. Or a different job or scenario where you would meet them.💜

Spike:

- you work at a 24 hour store, he comes in at weird times of the night

- You catch Spike stealing and take pity on him, letting it slide (he looks a bit gaunt, maybe he’s not eating properly)

- There’s no cameras the place you work is crappy so you maintain eye contact and just nod at him, allowing him to take whatever it is he’s concealed under his leather duster

- He’d start to come in and either blatantly steal so you would catch him and talk to him or buy lots of stuff he didn’t need with money he had ‘borrowed’ from one of the scoobies

- He talks a lot and appears to be trying to impress you, it makes you smile

- But also he’s very attentive to you and asks you things about yourself, wanting to learn everything he can

- He starts waiting for you, watching through the glass, going through whole packs of cigarettes making sure you’re okay and no customers are being nasty

- He will come in and threaten to drain them dry if they say one more horrible thing to you, it’s happened twice

- He follows you home before eventually offering to walk with you

- He’ll probably bottle all of his feelings up for a long time, professing his love in a very heartfelt speech and crashing his lips to yours before actually asking you on a date

Angel:

(I’m so sorry if you don’t eat meat)

- You work at the butchers and Angel used to come in all the time really early before the sun rose

- You were embarrassed such an attractive man saw you in your overalls smelling of raw meat

- Too embarrassed to ask yourself why he wanted so much animal blood

- You soon had his regular order ready and waiting for him, he always seemed to be in a rush. This meant there was a little time for you to talk because he already had his order

- You instigated, asking him lots of questions with you getting one word answers (you think he’s not interested and stop)

- But he’s just trying to keep his distance, he knows what happens when he gets too involved. Things seem to go wrong

- He eventually bumps into you after work one evening, not able to stay away completely

- You work long hours so he’s trying to make sure you’re getting home okay by hanging back in the shadows

- Eventually starts to offer to walk you and you happily agree, chatting nonstop about the delivery or what you were taught that day about slicing into something

- He enjoys just hearing you talk, not able to help smiling at the way you animatedly recount your day to him, eventually one day he’ll offer for you to visit his place making a date out of it

Xander:

- you probably work with him, one of the many jobs he took on after high school

- you both work at a pizza place, he delivers you make the orders

- he acts really weird around you at first, dropping things and stumbling over his words when he speaks to you

- he cracks some childish jokes but you laugh along with him, finding him sweet

- he grins wide when you start to joke back, pulling funny faces behind the manager’s back when it’s turned

- He’ll be thinking of asking you on a date for a really long time, probably since he first met you

- He’s nervous and he doesn’t want you laughing in his face, he probably doesn’t think he has a shot with someone as great as you

- But he just rushes out and says it one night when you’re both grabbing your jackets to leave

- You smile, scan his face to check he’s joking, then nod and say you’d love to

- You go to the Bronze, have a contest to see who can catch the most peanuts in your mouth (if you’re allergic, it’s some other competition, maybe who can finish their drink the fastest)

- He might let you win and then just lean straight in and kiss you when you celebrate

Buffy:

- Buffy comes into the late night store you work at for gum or snacks (something she can carry while she patrols) she recognises you as her regular cashier after a few months.

- I feel like she has a lot on her plate, forgive her for not noticing you straight away

- She’s probs trying to get over someone atm or struggling to trust after her last relationship

- You’re extra friendly with her and she realises after talking it over with Willow that you were actually flirting

- Realises the brief interaction she gets with you makes her feel happy. Real happy and she doesn’t have to be responsible for anyone but herself when she’s chatting away with you

- Starts to ask you questions about yourself enjoying your company. Every time without fail she asks when you get off work, she’s concerned you’re always walking home in the dark

- starts to loop back past your store when she’s on patrol, pretending she was still in the area when you got off

- offering to walk you home a lot, accidentally dropping a pile of weapons once and having to pretend she was doing a woodworking class

- she eventually asks you on a date, encouraged by her friends to make the first move, and you’ll go to the Bronze, dancing and laughing the whole time

Faith:

- you work at the convenience store near the Mayor’s office

- She comes in on her way back to her crappy motel

- she feels a bit conflicted about sneaking around behind Buffy’s back but your bright smile to greet her almost makes her forget

- you caught her eye pretty much the first time she saw you waiting by the register

- she usually asks for some smokes and started to offer to share one with you on your break

- if you smoke, you say yes, if you don’t you say you’ll still come outside with her on your break to keep her company

- you’ll mostly talk with her chipping in at first and then she finds out how good it is to vent to someone

- your break’s over but you tell her you don’t want her to be on her own struggling through her thoughts

- you ask if she can wait, but she doesn’t really do waiting around

- she does give you the address to the motel she’s staying at though and she’ll smoke every hour until she sees you walking

- this is your first date, the one you count as your first date anyway

- you spend the whole night talking, sometimes even laughing. You make her feel like a person, not just a Slayer

Cordy:

- you work at the mall. Specifically a boutique or somewhere Cordy regularly visits

- she’s kind to you but a bit abrupt if you start talking about anything that isn’t a sale

- her dad no longer has any money and she’s a struggling actress after hs and you overhear her phone conversation about how hard everything is

- she wants this pretty dress that you know she’d look beautiful in

- you offer her your employee discount, telling her to keep it quiet

- after that, she specifically requests you and after her fifth visit realises she has been coming and looking forward to seeing you more than the dresses

- this means she’s in deep

- she won’t beat around the bush, she’ll ask you if you won’t ask her

- “Bronze. 8pm” with a little wink, hauling her shopping bags with her before leaving

- You have a great time and you meet up again she does little fashion shows for you before you go out, liking your eye for fashion and asks you to help her choose outfits for your dates

- She’ll want to go public places for dates to show off your relationship

Giles:

- Book store (obviously)

- You’re the most knowledgeable about his particular interest (cough, demons, cough) and he is attracted straight away to your apparent intelligence

- You already know about demons and everything, having studied it extensively as well as running into a vampire late one night and managing to get away unscathed

- He marvelled at this and you tell it so casually, explaining that you just did what the books told you and put it in practice

- He’s lonely really, always hanging around people a lot younger that don’t take him as seriously as he takes himself, but you do

- You think he’s fun to be around, he probably doesn’t wait too long, asking you for a drink the first or second time he meets you.

- He knows life’s too short, especially in Sunnydale

- You appreciate his dry humour and the way he isn’t just bookish, he has a lot of really great qualities

- You haven’t seen him as Ripper, but you know it’s there. He’s open with you and he’ll tell you about his past. He believes in trust

- You go on a lot of dates after that first drink, you even get introduced to the Scoobies and become a kind of parent figure too

Riley Finn:

- you bag his groceries at the supermarket.

- He’s always polite, makes you feel like a human being not just somebody serving him

- Always chats about the weather or something generic that won’t compromise his job, but he likes talking to you

- He occasionally makes a comment to make you smile because seeing your real smile, not the one you put on for customers, is so much sweeter

- He’ll probably come in regularly, same time, same day every week for his shopping now (bc you’re there)

- Bumps into you accidentally while you’re stocking a shelf and helps you pick everything up, smiling at the way you get a little flustered, insisting it was his fault not yours

- He’ll probably ask you if you’ve ever heard of the Bronze, which of course you have because that’s the only half-decent place in town

- Says he’d really like to see you there, like maybe tonight, so you go and have a really great time

- He says he doesn’t want to wait to see you again, but he’s very respectful will probably give you his number so that you can call him first and you don’t feel pressured into a second date or anything

Willow:

- You work at a magic shop

- you help her find the ingredients to a spell she’s been itching to try and give her little tips

- She really likes that you know lots about magic and what ingredient you could swap out for a better result

- You’ll grow close, she’ll pop in and tell you how well/badly the latest spells went

- She’ll tell stories in her characteristic way and you’ll smile at how cute she is and her fun vocabulary you’ll find yourself picking up

- You’ll offer to meet her and help her out with some spells

- She’ll bounce off the walls in excitement

- Probably spend the whole day making sure her dorm room is ‘just right’ for you to see and that she’s made sure about ten times that Buffy is definitely going to be out

- You’ll do the spell, it’ll be a big success because working together shows you that you have this amazing connection

- Then you’ll be talking and sharing loads for hours

- She’ll take you to the Bronze if it’s not too late, if it’s too late she’ll ask what you’re doing at the weekend and invite you then

Tara:

- Also at a magic shop. Probably specifically the Magic Box, after Giles takes it on

- You’re a Scooby and Tara’s moved to Sunnydale for college. She wanted to check out the magic box straight away

- You catch each other’s eye and she looks a little shy

- Starts to stutter when you make conversation, but you’re patient with her, giving her time to finish her words that have become jumbled in your presence.

- She asks for help with finding something only when she absolutely has to, but you’re always kind with her when she does and she smiles so bright when she finds what she’s looking for, scrunching her mouth to the side a little when she looks back at you

- You start to recommend places in Sunnydale for her to check out, trying to gauge if she would be into you or not. You eventually offer to take her and show her around and she nods excitedly

- You both have a really great time and she makes you feel special. She talks a lot more now she’s comfortable with you

- you suggest you could try some magic together, only if she wanted

- She does, you meet up a lot and you date and magically create a cat to own together

- You both have a long, happy life together 

Anya:

- You work in the magic box with her. I feel like you both didn’t get on at first

- you didn’t understand her and she felt misunderstood, making her snappy and blunt with you

- eventually, you started to understand she needed a bit of time and you explained yourself more. Why you were doing things, being patient with her and fully giving her everything you could to help her understand the reasoning

- she really appreciated it, nobody ever did this for her without some level of teasing

- she explains about being an ex-vengeance demon. You can’t say you’re shocked (you live in Sunnydale and work in the magic box)

- you were patient with her and she quickly asked if you could start having sex trying to plan out your relationship

- you told her you would rather get to know her first, especially considering you worked together (leading to a chat about workplace relationships going wrong, which leads to an anecdote about her knowing this because of her vengeance days)

- but the feelings were undeniable and you started dating very quickly

- she’ll probably start dropping hints about marriage or the equivalent very soon too

Oz

- you work at a record store.

- He comes in pretty regularly, but he doesn’t really say much

- Not until you notice a record he’s holding and start to gush about it

- Your manager told you to talk to customers and encourage them to buy more, but this wasn’t that. And he could tell

- He loved your enthusiasm and he wanted to get to know you

- You caught his eye probably one of the first times he saw you working behind the counter, humming to a song which happened to be one of his favourites

- He just knew then that he wanted to date you

- whispering, “who are they?” but to himself because he always come into the store alone (he wants the experience, just him and the music… and maybe a glance or two at you)

-  He might bring some fliers in one day, asking if the store will put them up, advertising Dingoes’ latest gig

- He’ll say you could come, if you want, with a characteristic shrug

- And you’ll obviously say yes and he likes how excitable you are, you contrast with his chill vibe

-  And you go and have a great time

- then you talk after, telling him how cool his band is

- You’ll hit it off, finding his phrasing and humour endearing. He’ll gift you a guitar pick from your first sort of date. He’s a romantic

- You’ll mostly come to wherever he’s playing and have a date after

-  he’s very sweet, very caring. Always offers to take you somewhere else for a date but you insist on supporting him and getting a drink after

- won’t be much of a talker, but you will always feel loved by him 

[didsomeonesayventus]

ESSAY TIME I love a ship please come hang out w/ me on this dinghy or like. dont because fates is awful and I can’t blame u for dodging that bullet but i just wanna scream because i love them and they’re the fixation rn so 321 GO

i cant blame anyone for not really seeing this because their support is. Ok. Its alright. Not amazing, it’s serviceable, better options are out there in fates I'll concede. Corrin has like. At least 3 other love interests who feel more canon LMAO but this isn’t about them

It's more from elsewhere in their characterization that really made me adore them and, as I mentioned in tags, a lot of this comes from how I write them which. Is largely filed under rp stuff right now but more ramble time on how i write them i guess dont forget to mark your free bingo space for throwing out large swaths of fates canon and writing.  Also we're scooting their canon support gently to the side because it’s ok it’s not the most offensive writing this nightmare scrap heap of canon has to offer but a massive missed opportunity.

PART 1- One (1) Corn, With a Side of Emotional Neglect

*makes vague gesture at Disney's Rapunzel* Corrin would have been so much better recieved if the devs just took some notes from you instead of writing such a flat character i swear.

Corrin in particular with how I write her is getting a pretty massive rework in the emotionally stable department because honestly I don’t believe she would be. like. She's not dumb, but she is naive, important distinction, and it ends up coloring her views a lot and I have a ramble on that over here on the inverse graph that is Corrin’s confidence but to dissect where her attitudes came from:

Her family was limited to visits, and she has been directly/implicitly blamed for this for roughly a decade and a half, at least a decade, by not being an insane king's definition of strong enough to be with them. Bad memory makes her frail, swordsmanship isn’t up to par, doesn’t seem to offer much else in terms of skills unlike Xander, a Certified Badass(tm), Magic-oriented Leo and Elise, and Magically gifted but just plain ruthless Camilla. She’s held at arm’s length from her family, and while her siblings may have always loved her and expressed that love as often as they could, they’re not always there or a good yardstick to measure her progress with, and she had to always watch them go and likely wonder when they would come back, or if they even would.

As for our beloved butler and maids, being surrounded by servants was probably her most constant and consistent source of contact, and she does love them, but it can be very easy to wonder if they love her because they do or because it's their job to.

Corrin's faith in everyone around her and unwavering trust is there because any sort of doubt is basically redirected to. her. Because she is the dumbass who's still figuring the world out. She's hyper aware she's still learning and making naive decisions and she overcompensates that with "well what do I know" and not feeling really all that worthy to be Special Protagonist. She doubts herself before almost everything else.

Brief mention of Dragon arc because fates was dumb and neglected an entire arc for dragon feelings beyond chapter 5 and foreshadowing for Dad(tm) but I also write in an arc of the Dragon Is A Metaphor For Loving Yourself Faults And Trauma And All Love Yourself And You Can Control Yourself Dammit.

*Corrin hurt herself in her confusion!*

The way I write Corrin is not nearly as put together and confident as Canon™️ Corrin is, at least for a good chunk of the plot. She fakes it till she makes it because she is a leader and being mopey will not get things done but she’s also very self critical and mopey on the inside and quite paranoid that people don’t actually like being around her and just. ball of stress and anxious hidden under Many a uwu that she doesn’t want to talk about because why should she complain her childhood wasn’t That Bad and if she’s mopey how can she set a good example and people don’t like debbie downers and look its fine its fine lmao

PART 2- Mr. Perfect

As for Mr. Subaki he puts a lot of time and effort into looking perfect. I emphasize that because he may very well have natural talent, but honestly it feels like a large amount of his perfection is just. Stressing himself out by planning for and rehearsing everything possible! God this anxious idiot I love him!!! He's sociable and agreeable, but I think with basically everyone it’s. Skin deep. He’s charismatic Enough, and he digs a bit into the other’s history and personality if he’s interested, but he never really lets the other reciprocate like a magician never revealing his fraudulent secrets.

Biggest problem with that is he can't open up and vent because that is to admit a flaw and no no cant have that we cannot have that so he's just. Not sure who to turn to and has trouble being emotionally honest- even to himself. He just! Doesnt let himself have fun or relax; all perfect all the time baby. There’s basically no one who he could consider a close and trusted friend who can love him flaws and all. The closest would be Sakura and Hana and welp. gotta keep things professional and it’s not like Hana really expresses a sense of understanding and patience when they’re fiercely competitive with each other.

There’s probably a lot of muttering to his pegasus while he’s cleaning her hooves or braiding her mane, or staying up late thinking about how narrowly disaster was and wasn’t avoided that day but he. Also doesn’t really vent and also feels that imposter syndrome of “I’m honestly awful how did I even make it here.”

and it stinks because I think at his core he is a very sweet and caring guy and a massive dork, but he just plops himself on the edge of a pedestal and gives himself no room to be himself or anything less than perfect and is likely on the cusp of impending burnout.

you dumb anxious idiot i have S-Ranked you every fucking time I open this godforsaken game I didn’t even fucking plan for this

PART 3- (Patrick Warburton impression) “Oh yeah, it’s all coming together.”

So our characters and stage are set. We got FE Fates (I’ll default to Rev), we got my views when writing these two, so what next? What is the general plot I imagine since we’ve gently scooted aside the canon support chain?

The dumbasses-to-be think they’re out of each other’s league.

For Subaki, it is plot-irrelevant background character falling in love with the protagonist, which yields the exact sort of pining you’d imagine: man you are super cool and hit all my standards but I’d be dreaming if you felt the same about me. She’s sweet, she takes charge, she can fight for herself well enough, has he mentioned she’s sweet? He can actually relax a bit around her which is really odd but I guess that’s what happens when your personal skill is literally called “Supportive”. Oh yeah and also his Lady’s older sister which oof. Sakura? In law???? Hinoka in law???? Takumi in law?????????? ryoma in law oh gods.

For Corrin, it’s Mr. Prince Charming right there and he’s very nice and Sakura is saying so many nice things about him but wow she’s. a princess from a country that has consistently terrorized his and on top of that might a well have been raised under a rock!!! And she picks up details and nuances in people remarkably well, but she overthinks them. She can pick up that Subaki- while very polite and friendly -isn’t being entirely forthcoming about what he’s thinking or feeling, but she can’t pin down exactly what it is, and makes the educated guess that he's just being nice because she’s Sakura’s sister or something.

And they’re friendly. They help each other out a bit. There’s tension, sure, but no one really comments on it (except for everyone making bets in the bg). They don’t really yield on their internal messes because Corrin knows she’s a leader and can’t really do that and distracts herself with believing in everyone around her, Subaki just flat out would rather do literally anything besides admit he’s messed up anywhere or open up. So feeling are put on a low simmer for awhile.

Of course they fall in love, and it almost gets messed up because when Subaki requests to talk with her in private to confess, she immediately assumes he’s going to tell her that he’s not interested. Her simmer roars into a boil because she’s been under Protagonist Stress ON TOP OF having a crush she’s confident won’t be reciprocated, so she snaps quite a bit because that has all been shoved in a bottle and she just wants to get the mess over with if he’s just going to tell her very nicely that her company is lovely but hes not interested it hurts a lot to think that but its fine you don’t have to settle.

But the thing is being emotionally vulnerable like that, pointing out she’s scared too of always not being enough and living up to expectations, to finally get that off her chest, spurs him into it, too. Because she gets it. She honest to god gets it even if she bought into the lie he’s perfect she understands. Oh, yeah, she also reciprocates feelings that’s really excellent too. Like Subaki probably makes a lot of fuss about a bunch of ultimately meaningless details and having “standards” and yadda yadda gods help whatever poor soul asks him to pull out the list of traits of his ideal partner, but I think at the end of the day if he’s looking for love most of all, like a lot of people he just wants someone who he can just. be himself around. Who likes it when he’s being himself!

And they both learn that yeah maybe they’re more flawed than they’ve been lead to believe, but it starts to not matter at all because they still try really hard and everyone makes mistakes. They’re both here to say it’s ok your best is enough, YOU are enough. They both think they’re amazing regardless of their mistakes and love to see each other smiling and succeeding and just make. a nice little bubble of comfort. They’re stubborn and supportive, they learn how to poke and prod the bad moods away be it making a nice cup of matcha and talking it out or laughing at a tiny, meaningless mistake and repeating it to keep that feeling of dread away. Also they both spoil their partners regardless of who they end up with you can’t @ me on that they both do it which means guess what mega spoil time. And long hair on both just means they can braid each other’s hair no problem... waaaaaa.... Also early rise Subaki and late rise Corrin so there’s always a sleepy fight in the morning because UGH this is early you keep saying i’ll get used to it but im not i need a kiss first if you want me to be up this early. Subaki is better at logic and planning than Corrin, and Corrin keeps things optimistic and has a good gut for when to take an improvised risk. They’re always swapping places on who’s holding the other back from a fight that isn’t worth it because some asshole insulted the other, they mediate each other and will fight anyone who even harms a hair on the other’s head. They give and they give back and they work together perfectly.

And when it comes to the kids that bubble expands and they make sure they all have the tools to just take a deep breath and remember it’s okay Mama and Papa love you so much and you’re going to be amazing no matter what you do. Corrin’s got the best stories to tell and Subaki tucks the blankets in just right. They’re good parents with a lot of patience and plenty of mental health wisdom which is good because, as my mom would say, “bad brain chemistry is my bad”.

Like UGH I love them. I love them a lot. A good chunk of this is me making canon better thank me fates devs

Part 4- Katie All of This is Out of Your Noggin What About Canon

(DBZ abridged vc) WHAT ABOUT CANON but ok here have some canon quotes

“The two spent the rest of their lives together. Corrin ruling as the wise Queen of Valla. Subaki adapted quickly to royal leadership and became a great source of support for his wife. “ - Revelation route ending

“I feel like the pressure's off when I'm with you. I don't have to be perfect.” “You'll never be lonely as long as I'm around. Just call me and I'll come running.” - Friendship bonding quotes but also consider waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

“This might sound corny, but I think you're my soulmate.” - What he says when he is married to you and yes that is corny and its perfect

hot spring is dumb fanservice BUT if you can get the good RNG to get them both in there   “A shared bath warms not just my bones, but my heart as well.” “I-I suppose so...I just wonder if it's right to be so happy...” (emphasis mine) IT ABSOLUTELY IS BE HAPPY AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

also one of his quotes when u stop by your quarters is  "Ah, welcome home, dear. Kick off those shoes and relax. You're with me now!" and you absolute himbo your wife doesn’t fucking wear shoes!!!!!!!!!

Part 5- I’m done I’ve yelled into the void good night enjoy a ship please be excited for the fic I have on the backburner that I will get out there one of these days but I want it to be perfect so RIP me I guess

[morningsmead-blog]

Discovery over Drinks  (Discord)

Date: January 13 - 19 (1 day in the Faerielands) Location: Faerielands Word Count: 2426 Triggers: None Summary: Aria and Allison share a drink while contemplating the diminishing population of the Fae @ariafcwn 

After separating from August, Aria was feeling very ambitious with her desires to make the most of her time spent in the Faerielands. After all, there was no telling when there would be another time. She made her way to the dessert table and started to eye all the different things she could try. After nibbling absently on a very good pastery, she settled for taking a glass of the shiny champagne and turned to leave. A fae had been approaching the table as Aria turned and knocked over her drink. It spilled all over his suit. “Shit, sorry,” she said quickly. The fae was looking down at his stained ensemble with alarm before glancing up to glare at her. The glare turned into a look of surprise and then a strange sneer. Aria felt herself get on the defensive immediately. ‘Hey, no problem. Not everyday we get to see pretty humans in here.’ ‘Why don’t I show-‘ He took a step too close and Aria stood her ground. With three fingers on his chest, she pushed him away and glared. “Witch,” she interrupted. “Not human. I’m not interested in whatever you have to show.” The man did not enjoy her attitude and opened his mouth to angrily retort, putting up a finger. “Oh, I would think really hard about what you’re going to say next,” Aria interrupted again before he could. ’How dare-‘ “Because the second you smiled like that,” she said a little louder. “I knew I wouldn’t mind causing a scene to embarrass you in front of your fairy friends. We wouldn’t want that, would we?” A handful of fae had turned to witness the drama unfold, especially when Aria begun to project her voice. 

Allison was picking at the food table, placing small delicacies on her plate, when nearby raised voices caught her attention. Turning, her mouth dropped open as she saw a beautifully dressed Aria facing off with a peeved looking fae. “Shit,” she muttered, tossing her half filled plate onto the table. Why was she here? And who let her in? And why didn’t they warn her not to annoy the other fae? Sidling up to the witch, she wrapped a gentle hand around Aria’s arm and gave it a warning squeeze. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere - I told you not to wander off.” The male fae took the opportunity to interject, a lascivious smirk on his face. “She’s a pretty little thing isn’t she? Is she yours? Because I’m willing to share if you are.” He winked at Aria. Holding her tongue, Allison straightened her spine and sharpened her tone. “I don’t share. And if you touch her again tonight, I will personally see you can’t touch anyone again for the next century.” Allison began to steer Aria away from the situation and away from the prying eyes of the watching fae. She didn’t let go of her arm until they were well away and tucked into an empty corner. 

Aria could immediately tell the fae was fuming at being embarrassed in front of the other faes by a stranger. But despite the situation, the witch did not falter in her sharp gaze or firm stance. Aria heard someone slide up beside her and felt their arms around her back. She was ready to elbow whoever it was when their hand squeezed at her arm and Aria looked beside her to see it was Allison… At least she was mostly sure it was Allison. She looked a lot like she always did but there was something much more ethereal about the emerald glow she had. She looked amazing. And despite herself, Aria was thoroughly relieved and happy to see a familiar friendly face. Her words had Aria grinning. She didn’t argue as her fae friend steered her off in another direction. Casting one last cocky look at the man, she followed Allison until the two were far away and alone. There were still a few lingering looks but at least her friend had picked some where by the large, covering plants. Aria had to resist the urge to take some samples for herself. “Oh my God, Allison. Thanks,” Aria breathed out with a smile. “I was on the verge of punching that guy and that probably wouldn’t have been the best idea…" She let out a small laugh. "I’m surprised to see you here. You look... different.” 

“That would have been a very bad idea,” Allison responded and relaxed once it was clear no one had followed them. Crisis averted. “Surprised to see me? I’m surprised to see you! Look at you!” Gesturing to Aria’s outfit, Allison smiled widely. She was still clearly human but only if you looked closely. At a quick glance she blended in well with the rest of the fae. “You look beautiful!” How did she get here? There were only a handful of fae that lived primarily in Ashbourne and she didn’t think any of them would have brought a human in and then just left them to their own devices. Worry crept into her smile and bit her lip nervously, yellow eyes creasing. “Not that I’m not thrilled to see you but why are you here?” 

Aria’s smile grew a lot more sheepish as her ridiculous dress was pointed out. “Thanks,” she said half-heartedly. As beautiful and high-quality as she knew the dress was, it made her feel like a different person. At least it was comfortable - she had to give her props to Kolya for that. “I was invited as a plus one with…” She glanced around the area but couldn’t catch immediate sight of August. He was probably mingling and the area was huge. “My friend. Who’s somewhere nearby, probably eating.” She looked back at Allison. A hand waved dismissively. “Don’t worry, we’re fine. A fae named Xander or- er- Vitalis led us in. My friend August has an audience with the High Queen for some reason we don’t yet understand. I came to accompany him and make sure he didn’t get into trouble.” 

She wasn’t surprised to hear Vitalis was here but the second name caught her attention. ”August is here? And the High Queen invited him?” Allison parroted the information back, unable to think of anything else. She didn’t know the Queen well but it was odd for her to invite other species into their midst, especially given their fragile status. Absently, she wondered if Dresden had made it as well. This definitely seemed right up his alley. “You seem to be doing a fine job of getting into trouble on your own,” she teased but there was still an undercurrent of worry in her voice. She liked Aria and August and while she would never question the Queen, she didn’t want to see them get hurt. The whole situation made her uneasy. “Come on,” she said abruptly. “I don’t know about you but I need another drink.” 

Aria nodded, lips pursed. She looked clearly uneasy with that fact. But while the situation was suspicious, this had been the chance of a lifetime. August would not have passed it up and so it was better they were there together. Besides, she revelled in a new experience that got her out of the town she’d been stuck in her entire life. Sorta. She let out a small, amused scoff at the jest. “I don’t look for trouble, trouble finds me.” It was a joke but she couldn’t claim for it to be completely true. While Aria truly didn’t mean to find real, dangerous trouble - she still seemed to make choices that she knew would lead there. It was a habit. “Ugh, yes, please.” Aria walked alongside her as they made their way to the bar. “So, what is you’re doing here? Do faes have parties like this all the time?” She glanced over at a beautiful plant as they walked. “... And Vitalis said I can’t pick any plants but... would they kill me if I took a leaf or two?” She had so many questions. What did these parties mean? Were they just for fun? Who was the Queen and what was the best way to approaching a conversation with her? Allison was the only fae she was acquainted with. The only one she was willing to trust at least a little. 

Leading Aria through the crowd, Allison waved and smiled at a few of the fae she recognized, politely declining their invitations to play with a quick laugh. “Don’t pick the plants,” she warned. “The Queen is earth, much in the same way I am and I highly doubt she would take kindly to someone plucking the decor.” Allison grabbed another glass of wine, the clear crystal sparkling under the lights of the hall. This would be her second of the night - not something she’d usually care about but she was a notorious light weight and knowing that Aria and August were both here made her wary. She didn’t want to be caught off guard if something went wrong. “I’ve been away for a while,” she explained. “Something that’s not exactly encouraged and I just had this gut feeling I should attend. Whether it was because you were here or because of the way things are going in town, I honestly couldn’t tell you.” Taking a deep sip from her glass, Allison surveyed the room over the rim and tried to imagine what it must be like for Aria. Like so many fae, Allison always kept her glamour up in town, dropping it only when she was safely tucked away in her bed. She hardly noticed the drain on her energy and it was only now that she was realizing how alive she felt. “The parties are partly for fun, partly to take stock of how many fae are left. The world is shrinking Aria, even if it doesn’t feel like it in Ashbourne, and we’re running out of room.” 

Well, wasn’t she popular. Aria observed Allison interacting with the other fans with a small smile. It wasn’t exactly surprising so many knew her… Allison was just a sweet and genuine soul. Aria felt lucky to have her around the party. It was someone to count on that she actually knew and trusted more than whoever that Xander, Vitalis guy was. Aria could just pout a bit at the idea she wasn’t allowed to take anything with her. But she decided it wouldn’t be a worthwhile risk to take breaking rules in a place she needed help getting out of. “Fine,” she responded. Then she listened and wondered what exactly Allison was thinking. Gut feelings never meant good news for Aria. She thought she’d also felt strange coming into this but also the uncertainty of a new place and creatures she wasn’t too familiar with was natural. She tried to dismiss it all as paranoia and her always strong desire to be prepared for everything. “… How do you mean that?” Aria asked, brows furrowing in concern. “What's going on with the fae right now?” 

“We’re dying. Slowly, but it’s still noticeable.” Allison lowered her voice, until the din of the hall practically swallowed her words. It was a depressing truth and Allison had no idea how many of her friends were still left or if their trees had been destroyed. Allison worried her lower lip, hesitant to reveal too much. But if they kept it all to themselves, would they be able to stop anything? Or would they fade from existence without anyone noticing? “As humans continue to expand, they destroy anything in their path. Including our homes.” It was vague but Allison didn’t know how else to explain. 

Aria’s eyes narrowed and a strange guilt started to squeeze her insides. Here she was worrying about nothing but her magic and keeping her people safe when there was something like this affecting an entire species of magical beings. She had no idea. In a way, she’d always lived in a sheltered life stuck in Ashbourne where the trees and grass were always green and the flowers blooming. She’d heard about climate issues only through books and internet and seen its real life effect in minimal quantities. It was a horrible thing beyond explanation - one of the shittiest things about the world out there. But now to know it was also killing the fae? “… I’m sorry,” she said, feeling like that was completely inadequate. The words felt meaningless and small compared to what they were for. “That’s not right.” Aria sighed. “Do you know if there’s anything they’re doing to fix it?” Her brow raised. “Anything… the witches can do too? Surely with all these people here they’re figuring something out.” 

Aria’s concern brought a soft smile to Allison’s face. What was happening to the fae was awful and she was sure if they reached out to others, there would be people who cared enough to help figure out a solution. There had to be. She wasn’t so beaten down by the world that she had stopped believing in others. “I’m sure the Queens and the courts are working on it. Here and outside of Ashbourne.” It was like an anvil hanging overhead – at some point it would fall, she just didn’t know when. And since no one seemed to be immune from what she’d seen, it was a rallying point for all fae no matter what their status. She had been out of the loop for so long though, that she had no idea what could be done. “I’m not sure. I think it would be worth asking but that isn’t the fae way,” she said, her words undercut by a small amount of bitterness. 

Aria smiled half in dark humor, shaking her head. “Not a big fan of some of your people’s customs? I can relate to that.” She sighed and looked out at the crowd. “Hopefully they’re not as stubborn as witches. But if you ever need any help with them...” Aria looked back at Allison. “I don’t really have good ties with my coven anymore, but there are ways of making due. I think if something affects the faes and the world, it’s going to affect everyone else. Who knows? Maybe they can work together.” She offered a smile. “... It's funny to think about it now but you’re really the only fae I know personally. I’m hoping the queen has more in common in you than just being an Earth fae. Maybe we can get along.”

[devotedrigelianflower]

~*It’s time for: AU Reincarnation – Fates*~

//The other game that I do know a lot about is Fates. Now I felt like the story line is on the weak side, but the manga that has Leo’s point of view I have been enjoying a lot and made me like the characters more so. This one is going to be different than the Awakening one. How so? Well this is what I came up for her and it’s going to be quiet shocking.

Notes:

Fates Name: Linnea (It is also flower based name.)

Family: Since King Garon had so many children, I felt it would make more sense if Linnea was one of the many children he had. The birth order would be: Xander, Camilla, Leo, Linnea and Elise.  Giving her a similar personality to her Rinea counterpart, Linnea would not be so trusting of her family members at all. Seeing all the assassinations of her half siblings, being mistreated and seeing her mother throw herself at Garon until her death makes Linnea very resentful and the desire to leave Nohr is extremely strong. While she would be polite, and proper to Xander, Camilla, Leo and Elise, there would be an obvious distance emotionally that she would keep on around them most of the time. She knows her siblings are trying to get her to trust them, but it has not been easy. Leo seems to be the only one she is closest to due to their love of reading and Elise she thinks is sweet but naive. As for Camilla, she does not trust her at all due to knowing what she had done to the other siblings in the past and Xander she would feel cannot understand her nor could he relate to her. She pretty much throws herself at her studies and learning royal edict to make herself a more attractive option to nobles who wish to marry her. Why? So that she can be as far away from Nohr as she can be.

Avatar (Corrin): When Linnea meets Corrin for the first time, she does not really feel the attachment. She would see that Corrin seemed kind and sweet but that was not enough to change her mind on how she feels about her family. If anything, she feels pity that her siblings want to keep Corrin in the dark about most matters knowing full well that Corrin will be in for a not so pleasant surprise. When she turned 15, she never saw Corrin again due to reasons that would be explained later on. She does not think Corrin really cares about her anyway so she felt it was pointless to go see them.

Friends: Linnea would be close to a maid that took care of her and she saw her as her real mother, but the maid passed away when she was 13. Her older brother Leo would be considered a friend as well, but she did not want to be a burden on him too much so she did not visit him as much as she would have liked. For the most part she tends to keep to herself and reads books to pass the time. Sometimes she would read the book outside, but after one too close assassination attempt on her life and was saved by Xander, she stayed indoors and only looks outside to see the garden. She goes out there again when things calmed down years later.

A Chance to Escape: When Garon decides to throw a ball, Linnea who was about 15 years old at the time, meets a young prince* named Donovan from another continent. More specifically the prince approached her since he noticed she was distant from the rest of the royal siblings. Linnea tells her that she doesn’t feel like she can be herself around her family. Donovan then asks her to dance which she is hesitant at first but then accepts. He asks her if Linnea would like to come to his country to start a new life with him seeing that she does not have a desire to stay in Nohr. Linnea told him that it would be nice, but she isn’t sure if she can leave and she knows her siblings would be upset if she agreed to marry him so soon. Donovan is confident that he would give her a better life and tells her that even if engagement doesn’t work out, she would be free to do as she pleases in his country. Linnea knew this would be a risk but if the young prince could help her escape, she would not have to deal with her father anymore. So, she accepts the prince’s offer. Donovan knows he must return home first to tell his father but promises that he would bring her to his country even if her siblings would be upset with him. He did not care as long as Linnea would be happy in the long run regardless of marriage or not.  

*(This can be a reincarnation of Berkut if you want to)

The Prince’s Plan: Donovan gathers information about the events that are going on in Nohr and realizes that what Garon would want is money for the war effort. By exchanging a good sum of money and supplies for Linnea’s hand in marriage would make sense. The first thing he did was explain everything to his father who was the king. His father was hesitant but seeing how determined his son was to rescue the girl, he relented and helped his son to get Linnea to stay in their kingdom. The king decides to have a royal messenger be sent to properly talk to Garon about what his kingdom is willing to offer in exchange for his son to marry Linnea. Garon of course is debating if it is worth it, but since it was going to help his plans on taking over Hoshido in the long run, he agreed to the terms and has the messenger tell them he wants it done as soon as possible. Garon was pleased with the turn of events and all he had to do was give Linnea away? What a great deal and one less mouth for them to feed. Garon summons all of his children and announces that Linnea was to immediately depart to marry Prince Donovan once the boat arrives with the goods he was getting for her. Linnea’s siblings are shocked at this announcement and Xander absolutely does not approve as he feels that Linnea is much too young, but Garon said that the prince was around her age, so it was no problem. Plus he wanted those goods as soon as he is able to get them. He even decided to have Xander and Leo escort Linnea to her to the sea port to send her off. It was for the good of the country and Linnea was doing her part in the war effort. The siblings had no choice but to obey their father for now. 

Leaving Nohr: Linnea soon found herself confronted by her siblings to see what in the world was going on. Linnea told her siblings that she had met Prince Donovan at the ball and that he wanted her to have a new chance at life in his kingdom. She also explained that she felt she was useless to the war effort as she never liked to fight and if this was a way to please their father then so be it. “You are basically selling yourself to be a slave to another kingdom! To be a bride of a prince we don’t even know will treat you well while you are only 15 years old?!! I won’t allow it!” Linnea trembled at hearing Xander’s anger at her. She knew this would happen but what else could she do? She watched her family follow Xander to try to get the marriage to stop but Linnea knew that would not happen. Delayed would be the most that could happen, but she didn’t think their father would care really. As she predicted, Garon was firm in his decision. The only delay Garon did allow was for Prince Donovan to not marry her until she was 18 but they could be engaged, and she would remain in her fiancée’s kingdom. Thus her siblings efforts in having their sister stay in Nohr had come to an end. Once Linnea had packed the things she had, she along with Xander and Leo, rode off to the port where the exchange would happen. Linnea had felt guilty for Elise crying over her leaving, and even Camilla was depressed about it, but Linnea felt this was the best for her. It was a quiet and somber trip as her older brothers did not seem in the mood to talk to her. Were they upset that she agreed to it all? Or perhaps they were upset that she gets to escape while they remain behind? Did they hate her now? She did not dare ask her brothers. Once at the port, the money and supplies were checked off before Linnea was asked to get on the ship. She turned to look at Xander and Leo once last time. She was surprised she was able to form tears after all this time but said a simple goodbye to them and went on the ship to depart. What she didn’t know was how much seeing her go with her in tears would absolutely break Xander and Leo’s heart. They failed their baby sister is how they would see this moment for the rest of their lives. The only positive surprise that happened was that Linnea saw that Prince Donovan had traveled with the ship so that she would not be on the journey to the kingdom alone. She sobbed in his arms as she realized how much Prince Donovan truly loved her. 

New Home: When Linnea finally arrived after months on a ship, she was first greeted by none other the same royal messenger that talked her father in her being here. He escorted her and the prince to a carriage where they rode off to the castle. Linnea listened as best as she could to what the man said about the kingdom. It looked a lot better than Nohr was and the fact that there was sunlight made her happy. At the castle, she was glad that Prince Donovan first requested that she got some rest and food before she met with his father. The king was nicer than her own father that much she could tell. The king told her that they would take care of her for as long as she wanted to since his son really seemed fond of her. As time went the love Prince Donovan grew stronger and when she turned 18 they were married and lived a happy life together. She would hear news of her old kingdom but would have no desire to ever return to Nohr.

In Birthright: Linnea would be saddened to hear of Xander and Elise’s death. She would be very worried about Leo and try to send letters to him. When she gets no reply in return she figures that Leo hates her and soon stops writing to him all together. She decides to just focus on her family that she made with Donovan. 

In Conquest: Xander would reference Linnea as “the little sister who sold herself for the war effort” to Corrin when the topic of other siblings is talked about. Linnea would be disappointed but not surprised that Nohr decided to practically destroy Hoshido. She would reach out to Xander when he is crowned king to see if he needs help with rebuilding Nohr. She would keep contact with her siblings and their relationship would improve to the point that they would even visit her.

In Revelations: Linnea would be happy that everything got resolved peacefully. She would have no idea about any of the events that take place nor would she really care. She would still contact her siblings to see if they need help with rebuilding Nohr. She would make an appearance to Xander’s coronation ceremony much to the surprise of her siblings, but it is a happy one.

Epilogue:  When Donovan becomes King, Linnea is seen as a lovely queen. She got a nice trading partnership with Nohr so she is content with how everything turned out. The one thing she would never tell her family is that she did not mourn for King Garon when she heard of his death. She was very relieved of that news. For the most part she says in her kingdom and does not really visit Nohr if she can help it. She does not regret the choice she made to leave Nohr, only the regret that she did not open herself more to her siblings sooner. Until then she had to figure out how to get her siblings to not be so angry at her now husband for taking her away from them. She hoped that seeing a baby nephew and niece would make her siblings be a little bit better around her husband. Only time would tell but at least now she could make up for loss time. 

//Well that was a more depressing AU wasn’t it? Yes I would consider this a sadder version than Awakening AU was. At least everything turned out ok for her but still bittersweet I would say. Anyways you guys can add your thoughts on this if you want to. Will I ever make her a playable character? Who knows since it will depend on the game. This I felt was not one of them.  

@convxction , @heroismdreams, @instauria, @vallablooded - I don’t know if you guys would like this but hey read it if you want to. Also I’m way too scared to tag the guys that have the Nohrian siblings accounts. 

[wildgrave]

what do u love about ur friends

idk which one of ya sneaky bastards sent this but i’m not gonna complain b/c i will take any possible opportunity to gush about my friends.

update: this got entirely out of hand and i just wrote about like... everyone i talk to. if u talk just ctrl + f ur name (but don’t feel bad if you’re not in here b/c i’m doing this off the top of my head and can’t remember everyone!! also a lot of these are hs friends who don’t have tumblrs but u asked anon so)

i honestly love them all for different reasons tho!! i’m not going to tag everyone but: thanh is great for a straightforward answer & we have the same awful sense of humor which is basically 8 years of memes to reference (also she says no romo a lot which i find rly funny for some reason??). hannah is super loving and supportive and always looking out for me. jessie is wry and clever and honestly has every reason to get annoyed at me 24/7 but somehow doesn’t. whitten i talk to every day and is super rational about my problems which is helpful when i need solutions (also dank memes). gaby is great b/c we both have a lot of the same interests (feminism, art, fashion, shit-talking ppl, etc) and gets riled up about my problems which is great when i need someone to get angry with. colette also gets angry, usually angrier than me, about my problems and is the best person to offer to beat boys up (b/c i know if she gets drunk enough she will fight anyone). kathleen is great b/c we always end up doing something ridiculous and it’s fun and makes a good story. brooke is the fucking funniest person i have ever met and thinks she’s punk rock but is secretly boujee as fuck. amber also thinks she’s punk rock, but has the softest, purest heart of gold of anyone i’ve ever met (also she comes up with the most ridiculously hilarious ways to proposition me). claire and i can talk about absolutely anything and send each other close ups of pimples but also take nudes of eachother and honestly if thats not true friendship then what is?? sofie is honestly brilliant and always has clever comments to make and i’m lowkey in love with her to this day and i mean, if you’re not a little in love with your friends wyd?? mila is so sweet and i can have fun with her doing anything, like we don’t even need to go anywhere we can just have philosophical talks on my bed and it’s chill. sammy and i have only chilled irl once but she’s really quiet and nice but occasionally makes rly snarky comments about straight ppl which are hilarious. lucy is never on skype but when she is we have a fuckin field day and she’s so petty but like... in a funny way? i’ve only hung out with andie once (which i’m trying to change before she goes back to vegas) but she’s so into musical theatre and i love reading her tweets about it b/c i love how passionate she is! dylan makes awful decisions on the daily like... blowjob competition? rly dyn? and it’s so funny to hear about and he gives ridiculous but funny advice and is super australian and always says “bruv” which is super funny to me. jenna i’m p sure is going to be running the world in two years (also holy shit she’s graduating college?? my bb girl is growing up :’)). adja is so funny b/c i thought she was super by the rules in hs but now she’s a wild child. aidan (as in the senior in hs, not the one my age) sends me #relatable memes and even tho we don’t talk often it gets deep as shit when we do (but i lowkey don’t trust him b/c of his opinions of iron fist smh). allie is in my race & ethnicity class and is just nice all around and we DM eachother on twitter sometimes like ‘what was that awful presentation in class’). nick from polisci is so knowledgeable about politics but makes the issues funny w/o being offensive and shannon (also from polisci) dresses rly cute and we have fun conversations & the three of us have a funny group chat for our presentation. quinn is such a wannabe edgelord but is honestly so pure and a good friend. asmaa is the sweetest possible person and we always tease quinn together. ricky continously gives me a hard time about everything but in a funny way and patiently explains WoW lore to me. JT is also fun to play WoW with and makes me feel like a baby b/c he’s and old man. rebecca’s steadfast belief in drarry makes me smile and i love her writing. harri is one of my many wives and her snapchats are amazing (as are her boobs). kinzie i rarely talk to but i can still hit up sometimes like whats up bitch today i had sex while listening to wtnv. cassie, becca, and eleanor are all rly cool and super pretty and nice to chill with and i love their art and photography and general personalities. georgie gave me the sweetest poem and letter last summer when i was feeling down and we have similar aspirations and i’d love to work with her in my career sometime! marko and henry are married istg but anyway marko is such a genuine, honest person and henry is an amazing writer and i loved english with him and it’d make me happy if we were closer. lena is my protege and i am an awful mentor b/c i never see her since i graduated but she is my child. layla is the baddest bitch i have ever met, her nails are always amazing and we can be catty together and blast nicki minaj. sarah is so funny b/c everyone thinks she’s reserved and studious and stuff (and she kinda is) but once you get to know her she is the sassiest person you will ever meet. my sister and i fight sometimes over me stealing her clothes constantly but we bond over how our parents drive us up the wall and also she cooks a lot which means i can steal food. the entire volstovic cycle fandom (dani, scarlett, anna, crystal, etc) are all amazing creators of things and honestly an inspiration. rimsha is the hardest working person i have ever met and i love hearing about her succeed. brady is my fellow gay (tho tbh 90% of the ppl on this list are gay b/c we flock together) and i love him for his snarkiness. all the boys i sat at lunch with in high school (garrison, rex, arun, etc) are such memes but i didn’t realize how cool they were until we graduated and now i’m like, damn i should’ve paid them more attention even tho i saw them every day. my boyfriend is my friend and he’s the most politically active person i have ever met, and he’s such a dweeb, and he makes me smile whenever we’re together (even when i’m trying to be angry at him). feihong acts like a fuckboy but is pretty dang cool if i’m being honest; he’s rly dedicated to what he does. carly and i don’t talk but i appreciate her paintings and selfies and funny tweets from afar. morgan and i were at a fidlar concert once together and we both couldn’t survive the mosh pit (also her instagram captions are fuckin hilarious am i right or am i right?). kelly is a goddamn klepto but we always have fun together drinking coffee and talking about pens and i love and support her art and she does the same for mine. charlotte is chill and i miss just hanging out in her basement b/c she’s such a gemini but in a good way. the ppl i sit with on campus (sumaiya, alex, zuri, etc) are always having interesting convos and share food and it’s a good time. my cousin and her husband (nat and ron) are the most punk ppl in their 30s and they introduced me to the punk scene and i miss them b/c they moved back to kansas. shakey’s photography on insta makes me feel pensive and i want to go to philly just to meet her. miki i’m not super tight with but her writing is a+ and makes me cry and i love rping with her. rina is such a cool mutual and her art is dope. lea is also a cool chic and i love her hair and want her to bake my wedding cake. mousse is so nice to everyone. ellie and i only talk like twice a year at family parties but we can always dive back in and pick up where we left off. the ppl i party w (other aidan, jakob, justin, etc) are dumbasses (i use that term endearingly) but i’m 98% sure they’ve all carried me to the toilet when i’ve been puking my guts out at a party. marley was that friend that ended up going to yale and no one was surprised so i admire her success but also she was always kind to me and always asked how i was doing with my mental illnesses. renee and maria and i bonded over ib art and sga and generally being over-worked by our sponsor. alanna was another one of my proteges who i need to keep up with better b/c she’s badass and funny and has the best eyebrows ever. i don’t talk to sidney anymore but we went thru so much together and supported eachother a lot a few years ago and i still love em for that. eddie is such a dweeb, everytime i see him (which is a surprising amount considering he lives in miami) we act like nothing has changed and go at eachothers throats. rachel m & galen have both grown so so much since i met them and i’m proud of them. rachel s is so fun to talk about hoe things with and laugh at eachother. marco has the best finsta of anyone ever. danny and i talk over snapchat every so often (like every month or so) and we have the weirdest convos like?? let’s name your imaginary lizard. zamzam (from my creative writing class last semester) was super fun to hang out with when she came over and actually everyone in that class (xander, leah, olivia, will, etc) were excellent writers and hilarious and we all bonded. victor is such a bro honestly he’s funny and is very attentive (actually listens) and is fun sober or not. sandra i’ve known since i was a baby and never really talked to until recently but she’s so nice to talk to about small things. alyssa i stalk obsessively on goodreads b/c who else can read that much, istg girl you’re a cyborg (but like a pretty one). rp buds that i haven’t mentioned so far (mario, mackenzie, etc) i value a lot for their companionship and writing. there are tons of ppl from hs that i wish i had gotten to know better when i was there (julia, drea, tina, both erins, bridget, etc). 

and yeah there are more ppl but those are mostly ppl i talk to at parties or dm occasionally or wish i was friends with but admire from afar. anyway. this got long. I JUST LOVE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!

[maggieisalarrie]

Titles: B

baby we could be enough by loudippedincaramel (26k)

“Sorry. About the whole,” the man waves his hands at the door, probably trying to convey ‘trying to break into your house.’

“Trying to break into my house?” Louis arches an eyebrow at how the man goes red, scuffing one of his boots against the other. Louis is helpful what can he say?

Or: When Louis comes back to London after not having been for five years, a beautiful stranger tries to break into his house. Louis gets to know the beautiful stranger only to find out something rather surprising. Lots of fluff and smut and general happiness ensue during Louis’ stay in London.

baby we could be enough (i’ll make this feel like home) by orphan_account (52k)

“Did you clean the table?” Harry asks Louis once Rose is done speaking, now occupied with trying to see if she can reach over and touch Harry’s hair from where she’s sat. At Louis’ nod, Harry frowns. “You didn’t have to do that. You’re my guests here, I could’ve dealt with it later.”

Louis just smiles easily, though, adjusting Rose on his lap so that she’s facing Harry better. She manages to tug on a loose wave of hair, and she makes a noise of triumph that both Louis and Harry smile at.

“I don’t mind,” Louis murmurs to Harry, even though he’s looking at Rose. “This one here seemed very excited to talk to you.”

And, okay. Harry can’t help but think of how domestic this feels, all of a sudden.

[harry is a photographer who’s trying to find his place. louis is a single father with a smile that feels like home.]

baby, you and i are undeniable by graceana (8k)

AU. Louis is Gemma’s bestfriend and Harry’s the little brother with a crush, but he may not be the only one.

Louis’ a menace and Harry can’t help but love every minute that Louis tries to embarrass him for his own good.

So the only thing to do is to do is to it right back.

Back to Seventeen by crimsontheory (27k)

As a first grade teacher in a small town in Illinois, Harry’s life is pretty simple. He loves his job, is close with his family, and has a best friend he would go to the ends of the earth for. When a new soccer coach starts at the local high school, things start to get a bit more exciting for Harry. Because that coach just happens to be Louis Tomlinson; the guy Harry was unrequitedly in love with in high school.

Or the one where Louis moves back to his hometown and Harry realizes he’s still not over his high school crush.

Behavioural Ecology by turtlekz (82k)

Louis Tomlinson is a primatologist working with the Jane Goodall Institute for primate conservation; and Harry Styles is the photojournalist sent from National Geographic to write a piece promoting awareness about the endangered species. They meet, and love is never, ever simple, as we know.

Featuring Eli the chimpanzee, bickering humans, storytelling, and five men who come to gain an understanding of what it means to be human; all stationed in the Republic of the Congo.

Bigger Than Life by rippedgloves (49k)

“Boybander Harry Styles spotted leaving West Hollywood joined hand in hand with new beau, Xander Ritz”

His heart drops in his chest as he scrolls down, ignoring the short irrelevant article and looking desperately for a picture. Sure enough, there’s pap shots of Harry and Xander, walking hand in hand, looking drunk and cheerful and together.

And that’s—that’s really not what Louis was expecting at all.

Black And Blue by alison (20k)

Louis is a barista who is a bit damaged from a previous relationship. Harry is a musician who is all warmth and light. Rebuilding a life takes time.

Both Showing Hearts by kiwikero (114k)

Louis Tomlinson is, in fact, not straight.

Harry Styles isn’t sure what he is.

Together, they figure it out, and maybe fall in love along the way.

Or, the Uni AU where Louis helps Harry figure out his sexuality, Niall crashes a bachelorette party, Liam works in a printing centre, and Zayn happens to need lots of printing done.

Series

Part 1 of All of Me

Breathing in the Same Light by amberdowny (21k)

Louis Tomlinson has made a great start on his first year of uni. He gets on really well with his three flat mates, who’ve just become his mates. The lessons themselves aren’t bad. And even though he’s not sure when they started dating (no one told him about it) he likes his girlfriend Eleanor well enough.

Then he gets an accidental @reply from this @Harry_Styles kid. Which would be no big deal, except it keeps happening. Soon Louis has struck up a friendship with Harry, but can a relationship online ever really be real?

bring out feelings in me i never show by tomorrows (25k)

“I really think you should stop reading,” Liam says, having moved to hover behind Louis’ back at some point. “I can already see the cogs turning in your head, Louis, and I don’t like this.”

“Shut up,” Louis waves him off and continues reading.

I can do these things, at your request: openly hit on other female guests while you act like you don’t notice; start instigative discussions about politics and/or religion; propose to you in front of everyone; pretend to be really drunk as the evening goes on (sorry I don’t drink, but I used to); start an actual, physical fight with a family member, either inside or on the front lawn for all the neighbors to see.

[Louis accidentally hires a felon to be his fake boyfriend for Thanksgiving. Or, the fake boyfriends au no one asked for, inspired by this.]

burn to ash by bethaboo (116k)

Harry is sitting there, so fucking casual, and Louis realizes in a split second he was not ready. When Harry walked out in Detroit and never looked back, he was a boy verging on a man, still only twenty years old, but there’s a man in his place now. Hard and resolute, yes, but still, for the first time in a long time, Louis can kind of see the old Harry in him. The soft, directness of his gaze, the hesitant smile he gives to Lou, the way he wrings his ridiculously large hands in his lap.

He’s a little bit the eager sixteen year old puppy dog again, his innocence and sweetness resurrected miraculously, and Louis freezes in place. He was prepared to face the asshole Harry. He was prepared to meet a whole new Harry.

Louis is not prepared to meet one of the old incarnations of Harry, and it absolutely tears him up.

Or the fic where Harry spirals out of control, the band breaks up, and then he shows back up, five years later.

Last edited: September 6, 2017

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