#also I meant for Nightmare’s crown to look old

[luminousjellyfishy]

We’re feeling the angst tonight, guys

Dream belongs to: @/jokublog

[bubblybloob]

Whoop I finished my reverse Damsel idea. I briefly discussed her in two other posts but I’m going to go further into her here with a better grasp on what she’s about

Pretty long ramble below, so watch out.

Basically, instead of warning her/resisting the Narrator in chapter 1, you, thinking you can’t overpower him, attempt to slay yourself. The Princesses stares at you in horror as you cut into your own neck (this is the route where you don’t initially bring the knife so she’s the more sympathetic version).

She attempts to wrench the blade from you because she has no idea why you’re doing this and doesn’t want you to die. Whether or not she gets the knife though doesn’t matter, because it’s too late and you die.

(Still am stuck on what sort of voice I want. Had a lot of suggestions on stuff like a Martyr sort of voice or one similar to the old Meek voice but the problem mostly stems from characterizing them in a different way to the other voices, which is something I can’t figure out given the situation).

Chapter 2 is titled “The Fae”.

The main room is primarily made of stone, with many unidentifiable chiseled metals and rock, but you don’t stay here for long, nor get given the option of taking the blade, as choosing to approach the blade or the basement will activate a trapdoor that will send you falling to your death. Just as you’re about to meet your demise, something grabs your palm. Looking up, you see the princess, swinging from the ceiling with you in hand.

The Fae is strange, originally she was going to be similarly shallow in nature like the Damsel, but I would compare her uncanniness more to the Razor, with a constant smile, eerie stare, and maybe an off putting voice.

She’s pretty blunt on what she wants, the satisfaction of saving you from this awful cabin and leaving together! Despite her more than ginger attitude towards you (she acts like you are made of glass), she’s actually quite egotistical, with her occasionally praising herself and puffing up whenever she receives applause from you.

She makes unintentional jabs at your incompetency and reminds you “it’s not your fault you’re not cut out for this, really! I’ll get us out of here my handsome corvid!” and sort of talks down to you and always acts like she’s the smartest in the room (and she probably is depending on what voice I make up for the route). She’s also weirdly fixated on your safety and goes above and beyond to protect you from even the smallest splinter, she’d act like you were dying if you got so much as a scratch.

(All of her traits are exacerbated to a worse degree in chapter 3).

Edit: I forgot to mention all of her behavior is inspired by the fae. I forgot that some people aren’t as well versed in fae lore. Fae are, from what I have heard, pretty selfish, manipulative, and possessive all while being downright ethereal, so I gave her a dose of all of those traits and toned it down a smidge.

Her appearance is also meant to be slightly unnerving. She has long elf like ears and eyes that are surrounded by shadow, with large black pits in the center of her eye that are impossible to tell if they are part of her pupil or not. She also gives off a very faint, white light, it’s almost imperceptible but it’s there.

Her dress is more of a skirt than anything with a sash that has long ribbon like ends that are every length all at once at any given time. They easily wrap themselves around objects even if it shouldn’t be physically possible, and she uses them to swing from the ceiling (spider princesses). Her “crown” is made up of a few translucent butterflies that seem attracted to her like magnets, occasionally they flutter about but usually they sit on her head.

I like to think that there are hints to the fact her butterflies aren’t real, just extensions of herself. They might flicker in and out of existence if she’s upset with you or stressed about something.

Another thing of note, like with some other princesses like Nightmare or Thorn or something, she has no chain. (Maybe there’s some creepy dialogue option where she reveals she broke it with her teeth or something more crazy).

Anyway, the princesses states that everything is fine and that this time around she’s going to be the one to rescue you. She fully intends for both of you to escape, and for you to just follow her lead, because she’s going to make sure you’re alright and that nothing will hurt you.

If you follow along she will save you from the dangers ahead, the basement of the cabin has been increased in size and there are rooms with rolling boulders, pits of spikes, etc. These sections aren’t too long, there’s probably like five explore options along with two or three choices you can make per room and there’s only like three of said rooms.

At the end she literally carries you out of the cabin and swings you around all like “We did it! I’m out and you’re safe! Not even a scratch on you, didn’t I do a good job?” Before mentioning how cold it is and getting taken to Ohio by the Shifting Mound.

There is another way this can end however. There are two potential ways to get to this I think.

If you keep questioning her when shes says something’s wrong at some point you get killed by some random trap while you’re distracted. You get killed and probably end up with the Skeptic.

If you don’t let her do the work and instead try to do too many things yourself you also eventually get killed by a trap and probably end up with Stubborn or Contrarian depending on your actions.

There might be a different third chapter that you can get to from another princess but idk what it would be so I’m sticking with the more direct continuation chapter.

You still don’t get the knife here and fall through another trapdoor. This time she doesn’t catch you and instead has already prepared something beneath where you fall to catch you. It’s probably just a plush room, somewhat reminiscent of the Stranger route’s soft stairs, but less existentially horrifying.

Here the princess thinks that maybe leaving the cabin with her is why you keep dying and so tries to convince you staying is the only option and that something bigger is trying to kill you off when you try to leave with her (she’s not wrong that there’s something bigger at play but she isn’t exactly right either). She’s too selfish to just let you leave without her even if her weird logic states that you’d be fine as long as she doesn’t leave with you, so all protests are shut down and she tries to force you if you complain.

If you got Skeptic there is the option of actually convincing her and that no matter what you’ll listen to her every word and you’ll escape together. She’ll listen and similar events to last time will play out, only this time the traps are deadlier but are made much more traversable due to the fact that she gives no fucks and will destroy every obstacle with ease. This time you actually leave and once again Ohio comes and gets her (I like to imagine The Narrator pulls the locked basement door trick and here she just punches through it and stares expectantly at you to turn handle from the other side with the newly created hole).

If you have Stubborn you can attempt to fight her. It probably won’t work at first because she’s the literal fae. But the Narrator, knowing you’re trying to fight now, will make the blade magically fall from the same trapdoor you fell from. And its iron touch can sizzle faerie skin. She doesn’t necessarily want to fight you, but if she has to rough you up some to get you to see things her way, she’ll do it. If you fuck up you’ll probably break something that you need to move or attack with and lose the fight, and she gets taken. If you don’t fuck up and win, same result except she’s got a knife in her chest when the mound comes and nabs her.

With Contrarian you choose to stay with her because funny boy wants to mess with the Narrator. I think maybe one of the traps somehow ends up infiltrating whatever “safe room” you’re in (probably because you’re thoughts spiraling on the thought of not actually being safe and dying again because that’s all you’ve done so far, so your perception kills you. Not sure what trap would kill you, maybe the rolling boulder crashes through the roof or something idk) and ends up fatally wounding you, making it the third time she couldn’t protect you, she stands over your body because “I had this planned, you should’ve been safe, how could this happen???” Before Ohio comes.

Whatever ending you get, she will make for a courageous heart.

I like to think you can kill her with Contrarian and get stuck with her with Stubborn, it’s just that they’d prefer and encourage you to do the opposite. The Skeptic is the only one where you can actually try to leave with her, again you can do the other options but having him is the only path where you can try to escape in the 3rd chapter.

I do have a 3rd chapter design in mind, but I’ll probably need to work on it some.

[avatar4life]

Reader was dealing with some paperwork as she was walking around the castle, instructing the maids and waving off the knights, feeling stressed about the days as there were some problems with the small folks she has to deal with. After she signed the last paper and gave them to her messanger she went to her chambers to relax and closed and locked her door "do not let anyone in here" she instructed her knights as she closed it. She finally relaxed after took off the heavy weight, both mentally and physically, of her crown and sets it down along with her cloak. She sat on her bed, a thoughtful expression on her face as she looked at her arms and hands before taking off the gloves and showing her black veins, a bit more rised up than yesterday due to the stress. She sighed at the look of her arms and hands, feeling defeated and tired from not finding anything for this 'curse' she had for years. She clasped her hands and thinks of the first time they started appearing

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

She was six years old and was running around when she suddenly felt some sting in her fingers, but only thought of it as a bee sting of something and continues to play with her sister Kirsi. They were playing all day and the stings started to really hurt, and that's when she noticed a small shade of black and was confused as she doesn't remember eating anything that could have stained her fingers. She immediately went to her uncle Dedalus and let him look at it "mmm, I have never seen anything like this, I must search it up in our books" he said as he looks at her parents, who were worried for her, her mother holding her close while her father went to pick up Kirsi "please find some brother, we don't know what cit could do to our girl" her father said before he and his wife went to put the girls to bed.

As Reader was sleeping she found herself in a weird dream, a woman, who looks at her in disdain and anger walked towards her and watched her with her black scleras "who are you?" Reader asked as she was scared of the dark place and the woman in front of her "I am the one who will find you and kill you and your family for what your ancestors did to me, for exiling me. I will get my revenge on you and everyone else little girl" she said before giving a screeching scream scaring Reader who also screamed. She immediately woke up, drenched in sweat as she looked around, scared to see the woman again in her chamber and screamed as the door opened before relaxing again as it was just her mother "oh my sweet girl, what's wrong" she asked as she gently carassed reader's hair as she breaths heavily before crying in her mother's embrace "mama, there was a a woman and she was so scary...s-she said she'll k-kill me and our family!" She said as she grips her mother's clothes "oh, my sweet girl, she won't bother us anymore, it was just a nightmare, nothing less" her mother comforts her as she rocks reader and signs a lullaby to lure her to sleep again

Reader slowly fell back asleep as she leaned on her mother and got tucked in bed, thinking all of this was just a nightmare and she'll be fine.

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

She's now older and the nightmares continued, getting more gruesome and feeling more close each day. As she looked at her arms and hands she knew that woman put this 'curse' on her and sighs. She thought of her children and her need to keep them safe, even if it meant keeping them away from her. It pained her to keep all.of these secrets from them, to not let them worry too much and keeping them away from the danger no matter how much training she and her family gave them.

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

"mama, what are those?" Her boy asked as his sisters were playing outside and he was with her. Reader looked at her arms and hands and debated herself in revealing her secret to her child before looking at him and seeing his child innocent, unaware of the danger that lurked towards them and the danger it posed on their whole family. In that moment she promised herself to never tell them about the 'curse' and made up a lie, as much as she hates liars and lying "they're just some ink that I spilled while working on some paper sweet boy" she said with a soft smile, masking the guilt she felt for lying to her son. He nodded at her, believing it, and went outside to play with his sisters and cousins. She sighed as she watched them from a window "you need to tell me" Kirsi said, standing by the door and looking at her sister "I can't. I won't put this burden on them" she said turning towards her, looking determined to keep her vow "and when they start to get older and demand more answers, what would you? You can't keep lying to them sister" Kirsi said walking inside the chamber and towards her sister "I don't know, I'll think of something" she said sighing as she looked at her "what would you do when that woman will finally find us?" Kirsi asked feeling more tense and worried, and a bit frustrated in her sister "... I'll send them away, keep them out of danger" reader said looking at her sister, surprising her "...and what would you say? They will question why they are being sent away from their home" she said to her "I'll find something to say, I need to keep them safe. They're my whole world and I'd rather die than let her hurt my children" she said determined and turned towards the window "...you should be there now" she said to Kirsi, confusing her "why?" "Cause your child is about to jump from a tree to try and get in the lake" she said smirking as she watched her sister running out mumbling 'gods be damned, not again'.

She chuckled to herself and looked at the drawings of her children 'i'm going to do whatever it takes to protect them, cause that's what a mother does' she thought as she put the drawings in the stack she has specially for them.

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

Now she was wearing her night robe and looking determined, she settled her spear and bow and arrow by her bed for any attempts or whatnot and was about to lay on her bed, having snuff out the candles and put everything in order, but got interrupted by a raven on her window. She looked confused as she didn't expect anything today as she takes the letter and looked even more surprised by the letter coming from Jacaerys and Baela. As she read the letter she sighed in disappointment and resignement "of course those three couldn't go a day without causing problems and to their half-siblings of all" she mumbles as she continues to read the letter. As she finished the letter she sighed as she knew she had to go to King's Lynn and deal with them and their behaviour but suddenly she heard a noise outside and went towards the window to go and check it out. At first she didn't see anything until she saw a woman, that woman, in the woods looking at her and then leaving. She had wide eyes as shock and dread covered her up like a dark cloud hanging on her, before taking a deep breath and looking at the moon. She now had a determined look on her face

'Gods be dammed '

Fifth chapter whoo! Hope you all like it and keep taking care of yourselfs! (Edit it out cuz I got a better ending)

@aemondwhoresworld

[dragonseeds]

if only because i'm seeing takes about daemon being incapable of not perceiving the women he cares about as sexual objects because of how sexist he is. oh and doesn't remember what his mom looks like so his mind is presenting her as his most sexually appealing fantasy...like what do you even say to this.

i genuinely don’t knowww. it’s…. certainly a reading. like just jumping straight past “it’s sad that daemon can’t remember his mother and instead has to create an image of her that’s basically an amalgam of the other women in his family and horrific that his longing for her is manifesting sexually due to the trauma of dynastic incest + alys attempting to mind break him” to “once again daemon is uniquely evil and sexist and such a targ supremacist that alyssa looks like a generically HOT ai generated targ baddie in his nightmares.” if you ignore the fact that writers have also changed the hair colors of other targaryen characters like rhaenys to make them more easily clocked by general audience members as targs and have made zero effort to give any of them correct eye colors it could work.

it’s… interesting to me that he’s the character through whom the effects of the dynastic incest has been explored the most and he’s also the character people are most vocally disgusted by, while his status as a victim and product of incest is either overlooked or turned into a joke (esp re: viserys). i don’t know what to say to that either. obviously he’s also a perpetuator—but again that is not actually unique to him. how old were aegon and helaena when alicent forced them to marry? helaena is supposed to be 17 this season, according to the wiki—and the twins are toddlers, so…? how old was laena when her parents tried to betroth her to viserys and told her he wouldn’t bed her until she was 14? how old was aemond when aegon took him to a brothel to “get it wet,” and when he was coveting helaena as an object and symbol of what he thinks should have been his? at what age did alyssa and baelon understand that their parents meant them to be sexual partners? like? they’re all in this cycle, they’re all traumatized by it from a very young age, and every male character in westeros is sexist to some degree because the subjugation of women is a necessary component in the maintenance of the feudal system. daemon’s arc this season has actually been a genuinely thoughtful and honest of exploration of what it actually means for him to have crowned his wife and knelt before her in this violently patriarchal society (in addition the nightmares & torment) it’s like. wild that people aren’t getting that aspect of it because i think it’s fascinating.

[thelov3lybookworm]

Caged In (part 6)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Day 6: Romance

Summary:

•○●⛦●○•

A/n: and with this, we come to the end of this series 🥹 thank you to all who loved this so much. I'm grateful ❣️

@lucienweekofficial

•○🌑○•

It felt like Lucien put his whole soul into kissing Y/n.

Y/n wasn't complaining.

She kissed him right back with everything she had in her as she buried her fingers in his long silky hair. It was softer that she had imagined.

Lucien's hand encircled her waist as he began walking her backwards, not once faltering in the movements of his mouth against hers.

Only when Y/n felt the edge of her bed pressing into her calves did she pull back, her chest heaving. Lucien tried to follow her, nipping at her lips, but then seemed to decide that breathing was also a necessity.

The both of them stared at each other as they tried to catch their breath.

"Why were you so scared about me being with Azriel?"

"Because... because I was afraid that he'd take away the one person I love. It's not like it hasn't happened before, even if he had no intention of doing it. My mate, the person who was destined to be with me, is in love with him. You can't fault me for being scared that he'd steal you away too. And I wouldn't let that happen. Because I love you."

"What?" She questioned. Lucien gave her a puzzling look.

"What... what?"

A giggle burst free from Y/n's mouth. "What did you just say?"

"I– I love you." Then his face fell, and he took a step away. "I'm sorry. I didn't ask you if you felt the same way–"

Y/n stared at him for a moment before she threw herself at him, laughing wildly.

"Oh mother. Lucien, I feel like I've been waiting my whole life to hear those words from you! I love you too, you dumbass."

"Then thank the cauldron." He muttered, the corners of his lips lifting before he slammed them against Y/n's again.

It would be safe to say that no one had any nightmares for the rest of the night.

Because none of them got any sleep.

•○🌑○•

Lucien's pov.

Lucien was buzzing with nerves, trying not to fiddle with the white robe he wore as he stood in front of his father, waiting for his judgement. They were in a private family wing, a sprawling stairway behind Lucien leading up to the chambers. Where Y/n currently was.

It was the day of the coronation, six months after he had found out about his parentage.

In those six months, Lucien and his father had bonded, so much so that it was easy to forget they had only found out about being related a few months ago.

In those six months, Beron had been assassinated, all disputes settled, peace once again a thing between the human and faerie lands.

Beron's death meant that Lucien's mother and father could meet again after centuries of longing, and Lucien was glad that the both of them were happy.

But that also meant that his father wanted to spend maximum amount of time with his love, and he was stepping down from the throne.

When Lucien had questioned the decision, Helion had replied that he was getting old and cranky, and he wanted to spend all the time he had with Lucien's mother. So they would be living in a private home in the mountains away from the bustle of the city.

The act of passing the crown to a heir was a hard and painful one unless the current high lord died, but Helion was ready to take it all.

So today, during the coronation, Helion would be performing a complex ritual that would leave him nearly powerless, transferring all the power to Lucien, the new high lord.

Helion gave Lucien a smile, pride taking over his features before he pulled Lucien in for a bone crushing hug.

"I'm so proud of you, my son."

Lucien's throat clogged with emotions as he clutched his father. Never in his life had anyone, except his mother and Y/n, said that they were proud of him. Maybe Jurian.

"Thank you."

Helion took a step back, his hands on Lucien's shoulders. "You'll be an amazing high lord."

Lucien nodded, not knowing how to reply.

He was spared the struggle when the door behind his father opened and in stepped the inner circle.

Rhys gave Helion a hug as Feyre came up to Lucien, grinning.

"High Lord, eh? I'm so happy for you." Feyre tried hugging Lucien, but Nyx had other plans. He made grabby hands at Lucien, who laughed and took him in his arms.

Everyone began congratulating Lucien and his father, even Nesta smiled at him. Cassian and Azriel gave him small smiles.

Looking at Cassian, Lucien wondered if he should fear for his life.

"Congratulations." A soft, feminine voice litled from nearby, and Lucien looked away from Nyx to find Elain standing there in a soft pink gown. Lucien hadn't even realised she was here.

Lucien nodded his thanks, going back to babbling at Nyx. "Would you like to ride a pegasus Nyx? I have my own. We can take a ride later on." Nyx squealed in happiness, although he probably didn't understand what Lucien had said.

A small, dainty hand landed on Lucien's bicep, and he looked to find Elain smiling at him.

"Can I have a word?" She nodded her head towards one of the wide windows, and Lucien looked around in confusion before he handed Nyx to Feyre, following Elain, away from everyone. Feyre gave him a mischievous smile and Rhys winked at him.

"How are you doing?"

Lucien furrowed his brows. "I'm doing good. What did you want to talk about?"

Lucien wanted to get straight to the point. He didn't have time for small talk. Y/n would be walking down those stairs any moment now, and he wanted to be the first one to see her.

"Oh. Okay. I... I know I haven't been paying you any attention, like a mate should. But I think I'm ready to pursue a relationship with you. I want to get to know you better."

Lucien blinked at her before he remembered that neither she nor the inner circle knew about his relationship with Y/n.

"I– I'm sorry Elain, but I can't accept to be in the mating bond. It's too late now."

"What do you mean?" Hurt flashed across her face, and it came in waves at Lucien from her side of the bond.

"I've found my high lady already."

"Do you think I want this bond only because I want to be a high lady?" She asked angrily, and Lucien realised how his words could have come across.

"I didn't mean it that way, and I apologise if I gave you the wrong idea. I meant that I have already found someone and I love her very much."

Tears gathered in Elain's eyes. "Why?"

"I'm sorry. I really am. But there will come nothing out of a realtion between you and I."

She nodded, blinking away the tears before turning away. "Congratulations again."

Before he could think of apologising again, he heard the sound of skirts swishing on the floor, and everyone turned to look towards the top of the stairs.

There was a collective sharp drawing of breaths.

There, in a gown of the brightest white with a golden tiara on her head, stood Y/n, beaming down at him. He realised his mother had already arrived before Y/n, standing next to Helion.

Lucien couldn't look away from her. She looked so beautiful. She was practically glowing as she descended the stairs. Her eyes snagged on someone behind Lucien for a moment before returning to him.

Cassian.

Lucien walked up to her, grinning softly, unable to look away as she reached the bottom stair.

"Hello, my Lord." She curtsied slightly.

"Lady Y/n, its a pleasure." He gently grasped her hand and raised it to his lips, maintaining eye contact. She blushed.

"Y/n." Cassian breathed.

Y/n's pretty eyes flew to her brother and she swallowed.

"Cass."

"What is this?" Rhys questioned.

Y/n's eyes went glassy, and Lucien realised that they were conversing through his daemati powers.

Cassian walked up to Y/n and simply pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry. I missed you so much."

"Cass, I'm sorry–"

"Hush. Its alright. We'll talk later." Then Cassian turned to Lucien. "We will talk." He glared, but in a way brothers would glare at their sister's partner.

Lucien smiled. "Sure."

Y/n grinned at Lucien. "You're in for an interrogation."

Lucien grinned back.

•○🌑○•

Y/n's pov.

Y/n clutched Lucien's hand tightly, trying not to go into fight or flight mode. She'd trained for this with Lucien and his mother. She should be able to do this.

But she wasn't ready.

And her biggest fear was tripping over her gown and falling face first in front of all the guests. That would be the recipe to a disaster. A really embarrassing start of her rulership.

Jurian would also make fun of her, as he would obviously be on the other side of that door. He and Vassa were said to have arrived recently, not being able to leave sooner due to the queen and king duties.

Those fears, combined with the rain did little to ease her nerves.

It was said that if it rained on someone's coronation day, it was a good sign.

Y/n's brain wasn't ready to understand that.

"Calm down love. It'll be all right." Lucien murmured in her ear. It was just the two of them in the hallway outside the Great Hall, where the coronation would take place. They would walk in soon, then enjoy the festivities for some time before the coronation took place.

"I'm calm." She mumbled.

She could practically feel his smirk. "Your grip on my hand says otherwise."

She immediatley let go. "Sorry."

He took her hand again. "It's alright." He studied her for a moment, then turned towards a nearby staircase. "Come. There is still time."

Y/n instantly became alarmed. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

He led her up the staircase and into a nearby balcony. It had beautifully potted plants and vines hanging all around, the rain giving it all a dreamy look.

"Why are we here?"

Lucien smirked at her. Before she could react, he pulled her onto the balcony, directly where the water was falling the most. Y/n squealed and tried to get back to the dry area, but Lucien's grip didn't falter.

"Come on my lady. This will be fun."

Lucien himself was already dripping with water, and he gave her a wild grin before pulling her in for a kiss. She let him, because who could say no to him? There was certainly something wrong with people who could deny Lucien of anything.

He deepened the kiss before moving onto her jaw and neck, peppering kisses on every bit of skin he could kiss. Y/n closed her eyes, feeling Lucien's lips and the drops splattering on her face.

"Lucien..." She said, breathless.

He relented, resting his forehead against hers.

Sometime later, without even realising it, the two of them had begun swaying to sound no one could hear, their movements perfectly synchronised.

As they danced in the rain, she realised she was no longer nervous. She had relaxed, the tensions bleeding from her shoulders.

"I love you." She sighed.

"I love you too." Lucien kissed her forehead.

•○🌑○•

Talons scraped against Y/n's mind, and she opened a window to Rhys, irritated at being interrupted.

What? She spat.

The coronation is about to start in a few moments. You need to make haste. He sounded so amused, Y/n wondered if she could punch him through his mind.

She looked up at Lucien, knowing he had also recieved the same message.

Lucien led her back to the stairs, drying his and her clothes with his magic.

"Ready?"

Y/n nodded. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." He winked at her.

She grinned and shook her head.

She wanted to grab him and drag him to an alcove and never stop kissing his stupidly handsome face, but she couldn't do that.

A coronation awaited.

But more than that, Jurian and Vassa would never let her live that down.

•○🌑○•

General Taglist: @bubybubsters @eos-princess @nightless @lizziesfirstwife

[lady-embers]

Cassian and the Night Court Dresses

In ACOSF, the Inner Circle along with Nesta and Elain went to the Court of Nightmares. While there, Cassian remarks on the three sisters manner of dresses. I know a lot of people don't think what I'm about to say is foreshadowing because it came from Cassian but just pay attention to the wording here...

Let's begin with Feyre:

She wore a dress of sparkling black panels followed by "Feyre might as well have been a goddess of old, crowned and glowing, her belly swollen with life" and we can't forget how it showed off her pregnant belly which GLEAMED in the candlelight.

Now for Elain:

Look how it starts out....

Elain in black was ridiculous. He then remarks how even though she's beautiful, the color of her modest gown LEECHED the brightness from her face. He goes on to mention how the cruelty of Hewn City troubled her (and we know at least one person who deals with cruelty as his role in the IC). He ends it with saying he never found her to be plain but wearing BLACK, no matter how much she claimed to be apart of their court... it SUCKED THE LIFE FROM HER!!! Also, pay attention here as well since Cassian notes Elain wearing twin pearl combs... and what does her mate end up gifting her for Solstice after this scene? 👀

Now onto Nesta:

Nesta IN NIGHT COURT BLACK threatened to bring him to his knees!!! She also wore a tiara of glinting black stone that had slender spikes jutting upward. He ends this with saying Nesta seemed to GLOW with the attention and owned and commanded it as well.

Also, just to throw this in here and before I forget... there was this little tidbit from Nesta to about Elain’s dress:

And in this scene, Elain is seen to be wearing a gown of Amethyst velvet and "glowed with good health" while wearing it.

Now having said all this...All three sisters wore Night Court Black, but only one was said to have looked ridiculous in it (and was ill suited for her), that it leeched the brightness from her, and sucked the LIFE from her while the other two glowed and commanded attention of the Court or Nightmares.

Now, some might say it's intentional the way Elain is dressed since Elain is said to be the most beautiful so they downplayed her role but I don't think thats the case, especially considering Nesta remark after the event took place. I think Sarah worded this scene deliberately to show us Elain doesn't really belong in the Night Court, no matter how much Elain might express so.

I fully believe this scene was foreshadowing for Elain to not remain with the IC and find her home, and her own found family, elsewhere. Elain needs to leave so she can fully grow and blossom into the person she's meant to be all along without those around her who coddle and continously underestimate her. Which I think will happen and can happen with her mate, Lucien.

[desultory-novice]

Clearing out the backlog~ with another lightning round~  [REALLY OLD ASKS EDITION!]

-Which planet did Magolor really want? -Nightmare and Hyness and portal magic -Marx's Wings and Mistelteinn -Music: The Last Strike Comparison

Correct! In Japanese, he goes from suggesting he wanted to rule Halcandra to declaring himself overlord of the entire universe! In English, he does seem to state that Popstar will be first!

(Of course, in the Japanese, he ALSO states that he'll go ahead and rule Popstar first. So it all ends in the same place. I do wonder if this was a case of the translators having to translate the games cutscenes with no context. If they didn't realize this scene took place on Halcandra and not Popstar, it would have been perfectly logical to assume "this planet" was referring to Kirby and the gang's planet. Not that rare of a mistake in the world of video game translation!)

But there is that indication that his original (?) goal was Halcandra. Of course, post DX, we know he himself isn't Halcandran, but he seemed to have staked a lot of his hopes and dreams on discovering something there, so it's not too farfetched that he would have been mainly interested in acquiring the cradle of Ancient civilization.

...Or was that the crown already manipulating his mind?

--

I meant to answer this one ages ago and I am so sad I didn't...

Anon, if you're still around, I'm sorry I got it wrong but yes, you are ALSO so very right! And wow, I did not realize the exact same portal is used by both (Parallel) Nightmare and Hyness!

...And in both cases, it's to summon Galacta Knight! It really makes you think they were definitely connected. To use the same kind of magic like that? (To even KNOW that magic!) There's just got to be something up with these three. I'm sure of it...

The portal Parallel Nightmare uses to summon D-Mind is still a bit unusual, looking like a twisted dimension rift though

Of course, even a year after this ask, I'm still trying to puzzle out the mystery that is King D-Mind and the Mirror World and if it has any relationship to the Parallel Worlds. My current hypothesis is that Dark Mind may not just be a Nightmare/Dark Matter fusion but something...even more powerful?! Stay tuned for more!

And yeah, Marx's is not the SAME but close. Of course, it wouldn't be that weird for this to be the case since I'm also almost 100% that the majority of his powers including the wings and the goop and the splitting in half came from Nova ie: the Ancients.

(The question is, as you bring up, is this Elfilis magic or something the "magic-using Ancients brought to the table on their own?)

--

It took me forever to answer this but welcome to the era where Dess refuses to shut up about Marx's wings being a creation of the ancients!

I've already made my post about the wings going haywire (like...the...master crown...) but they're just like the Master Crown! Marx's wings are just like the Master Crown!! The question is... how? How was Galactic Nova able to grant Marx something that was just like the Master Crown? (Albeit, flawed. Or are they flawed... since he's able to maintain more control over them than Magolor was?)

Since the Master Crown brought forth Magolor Soul, this also helps explain that curious flash during Marx's moment of empowerment when we seem to see a vision of Marx Soul.

Seriously these two are SO alike in every other way. Why would this be the place in which they're different? I'm going to become obsessed with this now, I swear...

I have only fanon-heavy theories on why Marx has not been taken over fully by the....hmm, the Master Wings(?) while Magolor was. Mostly relating to the difference of Marx being a "magician" (a creature naturally in tune with magic) versus Magolor being a "wizard" (someone who learns to manipulate magic.)

Or heck, if we go full Dess fanon mode, you could assume that Marx's nature as a Noddy and Noddys being tied to the Fountain of Dreams (another Ancient artifact) is why he's not been consumed by them? ...Yet. But as I've been thinking about this, I can also see the Master Wings as another reason why Marx Soul might still be a lingering part of Marx while Magolor Soul was defeated...

-

I have discovered something since joining this fandom...

I'm TERRIBLE at recognizing musical motifs and references!! I can barely tell when one song is a remix of another (; _ ; ) and I tried to listen to these two in order to hear it but in the end, my brain got too caught up in the flashy colors and effects... 

However, I think this is neat and most definitely intentional! (After all, even if I can't make all the work that does into the songs, we all know that the HAL sound team puts a lot of work into it, Kumazaki too with the detailed naming and such.)

The more we discuss things, the more plants and hearts and more become key symbology throughout the series, and the fact that the Dreamstalk is like Jack and the Beanstalk meets the Yggdrasil and Mistilteinn is well.. Mistilteinn I wouldn't be surprised if the connections continue to, ahaha, grow! (And I know we're both going to be there pouring over them! So excited that the new HAL recruitment notice means we'll be seeing another Kirby game!! ...Even if it'll be a 2~ish year wait!)

[heliza24]

heliza writes Young Royals season 3

I originally wrote this as a response to a writing prompt @bluedalahorse posted, where she asked us to imagine what Felice gets up to in season 3. I ran with it and ended up writing an outline of what I would do if I had Lisa's job and was the headwriter for season 3. I'm going to repost that here in it's own post, as well as include some other ideas that didn't quite fit in my outline but I love the idea of nonetheless. These were written with my writer hat on, and were meant to be speculation rather than prediction. I don't claim to have any special insight into what the team is planning for season 3, I just like pretending that I was in the writers' room, a real pipe dream for me. But I think it will be fun to have these ideas compiled and easily linkable, so I can see how similar or different I am to Lisa when season 3 does come out.

Ok, here we go:

So in thinking about what I wanted to happen to Felice I just ended up thinking about all of the main five characters, because ideally I would like her to be an integral part of the drama affecting all of them this season. So let’s just talk about all of them! Just to re-iterate Blue’s premise, none of these are predictions. They’re just things that I would do if I were in charge. If Lisa happens to agree with me that’s cool, but I’m not basing these ideas on how likely I think they are to happen.

If I were writing season 3, I would really focus on the themes of public appearance vs authentic self. The main source of conflict in the season would come from the pressure that Kristina, the court, and the royal family in general are putting on Wilhelm and Simon to adhere to their idea of what a “proper” royal couple should look like, now that they’ve come out against the royal family’s will. The royal family is going to be all in their business, trying to manage their reputation and make sure nothing they do reflects badly on the crown.

That’s going to take several forms. First it will mean that the royal family will work to dismiss any kind of legal action that is taken against August. They don’t want to remind the public that Simon was in the sex video, and they don’t want the fact that August took it to get out. So in order to do that they will settle the case out of court with Simon and his family, or they just hire great lawyers and get any criminal charges dismissed outright based on lack of evidence or something. Crucially they will prevent August from being publicly accused of leaking the video. I think this will also involve putting pressure on Sara to stop testifying to some extent.

August is going to be preoccupied with getting the legal action dismissed in the first part of the season. He’ll be spending a lot of time with his step-dad who is his legal counsel. He’s going to be wrestling with his feelings for Sara, which I think will start as heartbreak and end as a kind of twisted anger, and with his feelings of jealousy towards Wilhelm and Simon.  Towards the climax of the season, he’ll threaten to publicize Simon’s history as a way to get back at Sara indirectly, and as a way of hopefully trashing Simon’s reputation enough that it affects Wilhelm, and prompts the court to name August the heir outright. 

At the same time, Sara is also struggling. She’s angry with August, and she and Simon aren’t speaking. She’s probably getting into trouble at her new public school, trying to stand up to her old bullies and venting some of her anger and just generally creating a PR nightmare for the royal family. As the case is dismissed and she sees her brother being pushed around more and more by the royal family, she is going to get more and more angry. Around the climax of the season she’s going to threaten to sell the entire story of the video leak to the press, and name August as the perpetrator.

Throughout the season, Wilhelm is getting a ton of pressure from his mom and the court to control both his and Simon’s behavior. This is going to cause conflict between Simon and Wilhelm. A particular point of conflict will be around Simon’s desire to be a musician and perform; if he’s going to be a prince consort that’s his whole job. He can’t also be a performer. And I think that will conflict with some opportunities Simon wants to take on. Wilhelm will also be worried about what’s going on with Sara. Every time she messes up at school it reflects poorly on him and Simon, so he’s worried about her on a reputation level. But he’s also worried that she and Simon still aren’t speaking, because he lost a brother and he doesn’t want Simon to lose his sibling as well. So Wilhelm’s going to be looking for a way to diffuse that conflict, and make sure that Sara isn’t acting out.  This will kick into high gear during the climax, when the royal family is going to try to get both Wilhelm and Simon to prevent Sara from going to the press.

So Wilhelm knows he wants to try to control Sara’s behavior and get her to reconcile with Simon (I think he’s probably telling himself that the reconciliation is his main motivation, but in reality it’s both), but he also knows he’s not friends with Sara and doesn’t have much sway with her. So he’s going to get in touch with Felice, and request that she reconcile with Sara in an attempt to influence her. (This, by the way, was the idea I had for Felice after Blue’s post that sparked this whole thing). Felice is going to feel torn about this, because she’s still mad with Sara, but she loves Wilhelm and is getting to know Simon better too and thinks this will help them. So she agrees to do it, and Sara, not knowing her motivations, takes her back as a friend. But obviously Felice does really love Sara, and as soon as they’re together again Felice has a hard time remembering the palace mandate that she’s supposed to be fulfilling. 

Ok, so we arrive at the crisis point. August is threatening to go to the press with Simon’s drug dealing, Sara is threatening to go to the press with August leaking the video. (Sara’s threat is perhaps a direct reaction to August’s threat). The palace is asking Wilhelm who is asking Felice to get Sara to stand down. Felice can’t do it; she wants August to finally face consequences too. She comes clean to Sara about her alternative motives, Sara forgives her, and they draft the expose together. Felice is angry at Wilhelm for once again using her for his own agenda without considering her needs.

Wilhelm feels so guilty about using Felice once again, and so angry at the palace for the way they have tried to meddle in his and Simon’s lives and relationship, that he realizes he can no longer play this game of public reputation above everything, and he tells his mom that he is going to take himself out of the line of succession as soon as he’s able to. That triggers the court’s emergency protocol, and they are ready to promote August to next in line to the throne, if he agrees to let Wilhelm and Simon remove themselves without incident. So August agrees not to release the drug dealing story to the press.

After all of this has gone through, the article that the palace thought they had prevented Sara and Felice from writing does indeed get published. So now their one and only heir to the throne is hated by the nation. He’s also personally miserable as he’s getting the full force of palace manipulation, and he has no friends or loved ones to confide in. We leave the palace in crisis mode; we’re unsure if the monarchy can survive through such a scandal.

Meanwhile, Sara’s article allows her and Simon to fully reconcile. Sara and Felice are truly friends again, and Felice and Wilhelm are able to repair their relationship because Wilhelm has made a decision to step away from the throne, and Felice respects that. Maybe Felice also makes the decision to leave Hillerska, or maybe we see her have some chemistry with one of Sara’s new public school friends, and we get a hint that Felice might eventually have a real relationship that isn’t dictated by expectations. We know that’s possible because Wilhelm and Simon are now living proof of that possibility. Without the pressure of the crown looming over them, Simon and Wilhelm are able to connect more deeply than they ever have before, and they ride into the sunset more as equals than they began and very much in love.

And…. fin!

Other assorted ideas I like that maybe I would try to include if I were in charge (to be fair most of these are things that I am fully stealing @bluedalahorse, so she gets most of the credit here):

Sara and Wilhelm bond; maybe they talk to each other about Simon?

August potentially uses Sara's nudes against her in a legal proceeding (this one is really blue's idea, but I think it has the potential to be incredibly dramatic! She wrote about it a bit here.)

Sara and Simon reconcile, maybe via Simon helping Sara with something, like getting an abortion for an unplanned pregnancy (again, this is a blue special, and it's possible I just want her to finish her fic that only I have read where something like this happens. but also I think Sara being really vulnerable and asking Simon for his help might be an interesting step towards forgiveness.)

Felice comes out as asexual OR gets a partner and intimacy scenes that are treated with the same cinematic magic as the Wilmon and Sargust scenes. (This feels extremely unlikely to happen to me in the real season 3 but it's still on my wishlist)

Frederika is either not queer or is unable to shake off the expectations of heteronormativity to be with Stella, in a reverse foil situation to Wilmon. Maybe she even ends up in PR relationship with August? (Another great idea by blue)

There is Big Trouble in the remaining Manor House friendship group, although I'm not sure what that would be about yet. Maddie is stuck in the middle between Strederika and Felice, whatever it is.

Getting sucked up into palace drama creates distance between Simon and Ayub and Rosh at the beginning of the season; they're probably critical of the royal family in a way that Simon isn't willing to be after he and Wilhelm have just gotten together. They reconcile by the end of the season.

Henry says something extremely clueless that makes me laugh.

Wilhelm exposes the Society and its hazing rituals which puts Hillerska itself in legal trouble, or the culture of drug use comes out in a trial about the video leak. (this is largely based on the written description we got with the promotional photos, which said that Hillerska itself was going through a crisis).

That's all I have for now, but I might add to this once the trailer comes out and gives us some more clues. I'm very interested to see if any of these are remotely similar to what the writers actually give us!

[lonewolfel]

The Raven Witch: Chapter 10

Read on AO3 First Chapter, Second Chapter, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9

Luz sat listlessly on the couch. Both Lilith and Hooty looked at her in concern. The girl was just staring off into space quietly, something that they had never seen from her before. It was nothing like the eager happy go lucky teen that she was most of the time. 

All Lilith could think was that she destroyed another person. 

Lilith knew that she had to do something after all this is her fault. If she wasn't wanted by Edalyn King and Luz would have never crossed paths, but emotions were not Lilith's strong suit. Ever since she was a little girl she would take her emotions and bottle them up until they explode and cause her to make giant life-ending mistakes. 

Lilith had sent Branwen to the human realm to get something called Abuelita's chocolate. Luz had mentioned that her mom would use it to make a thing called hot chocolate when she was sad. Lilith had no idea how to make it but she was willing to attempt to if it meant fixing the human's mood.

"How am I supposed to fix this?" Lilith quietly asked the house demon. Hooty did the demon's version of a shrug. Then he perked up.

"Ooh, one of your friends is here," Hooty said to Luz. Lilith jumped up thinking for sure that this was what Luz needed to get her mind off of things. 

"Yes, let them in." Lilith quickly responded. 

The door opened and Gabe...Gum...the witch boy that Luz hung out with entered. He looked desperate. Great, Lilith has a feeling this will get the human into trouble that she will inevitably have to fix but it may also fix the human's mood. So she'll allow this just the once.

"Luz I need your help." The boy said. Luz looked up. 

"Are you sure?" Luz asked.

"So there was this new member of H.A.S and he brought in these fake human relics. They were touching objects. Now he could become president. I need you to come and tell them the artifacts are fake and help me keep my crown." Gus explained. Luz perked up for a moment but then fell back on the coach.

"Gus, I'd love to go to school with you, but I don't know how I can. Principal Bump banned me from Hexside." Luz said

"L-Luz, a-about the ban, I, uh, used my H. A. S. presidential authority to pull some strings. You've been given a full pardon!" The boy stuttered out. Lilith frowned. This doesn't sound right to her.

"You mean..." Luz said. She began to sit up and looked excited. Lilith felt bad because she had a feeling that she will have to bash her hopes.

"I got the ban lifted!" The boy said. Luz jumped up.

"Oh my gosh," Luz exclaimed. She hugged the boy. "Yes, yes, yes!" 

"Now hold on a minute." Lilith finally spoke up. "I have no idea what the ~H.A.S.~ is but I highly doubt that you have the ability to get Bump to remove the ban." This causes Luz to flop back onto the coach. Lilith flinched, she can't believe that she is going to do this. "But I could talk to Bump and see if he is willing to end the ban and allow you to attend Hexside."

"Really!" Luz exclaimed. She jumped up. "Thank you, thank you!" She rushed forward and hugged Lilith who just stood there and sighed. 

"That doesn't help with my problem." the boy pointed out.

"I'll talk to Bump in the morning. It should be enough time to have Luz go to your meeting." Lilith said. 

~~~

Lilith glared at the doors before her. It had been at least 30 years since she walked through those doors and that was when she was a promising 16-year-old student. Now she was an adult and was signing up a human for the school, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Finally, Lilith opened the door and walked into the school. The students all gave her confused looks, but Lilith paid them no mind. She didn't care what they thought of her as a kid and she certainly doesn't now. 

She walked through the hallways effortlessly. She remembered the layout of the school like the back of her hand from her tamer nightmares.

Lilith could see Eda walking through the hallways mixing magic. She remembered Principal Faust dragging Eda through the halls in trouble. She remembered the angry rants that her mother would give to any staff member that would listen about their treatment of Eda. She remembered how the students would cheer as she and her team entered the school after a win. She remembered Eda blushing whenever she had caught sight of Raine Whispers. She remembered standing by her locker talking to Darius Deamonne.

Lilith had always been a good student. She did her homework long before it was due and she always made sure that everything was done perfectly. From the outside, she seemed to be on the fast track to the Emperor's Coven but then you had to factor in Eda. While Eda refused to focus on one track, while she showed up late and caused nothing but trouble she was truly a gifted witch. What took Lilith weeks to master Eda just had to do once. When they were younger it made Lilith proud. She would show her little all of the magic she was working on in her classes. Then as they got older that pride slowly became jealous as Eda surpassed her in every way, when their mother only seemed to care about Eda. Then that jealousy came to a pass when the duel to enter the Emperor's Coven. 

No, she couldn't think about that. Lilith couldn't afford to.

She walked up to the principal office. She took a breath before pushing the door open. Bump looked up at her. He gave her a look of confusion. 

"Other Clawthorne?" Bump questioned. Lilith did her best to hide her flinch. For once she would like to not be in her sister's shadow. 

"Lilith," Lilith said simply. 

"Lilith, I must say that I am surprised. I haven't seen you since your disappearance." Bump said.

"You barely saw me before that." Lilith pointed out.

"That is true." Bump admitted. "What can I do for you, Lilith?" 

"I wish to enroll a human into Hexside," Lilith stated

"That's not a bad idea." Bump admitted.

"I'm aware that it's...wait what?" Lilith started but then she processed Bump's words. 

"I think the student body could learn a lot from having such an exchange student." Bump said. "Though there is much to discuss."

"Indeed." Lilith agreed.

~~~

King stared at the door to Eda's office. He had failed. While he had managed to get some information on Lilith it certainly wasn't enough to please Eda and he had been found out. 

King finally managed to gather his courage and knocked on the door. The door quickly opened. Eda stood there she looked down with a look of concern on her face. 

"King, what happened?" Eda asked. Concern was clear in her voice. It made King feel guilty. 

"I was discovered by Lilith," King admitted. Eda frowned.

"What did she find out?" Eda demanded. 

"She found out that I worked for you and that I was gathering information on her so that you could convince her to join the Emperor's coven," King said. Eda growled and turned her back on the little demon with her hands clenched into fists. She was angry.

"Leave." Eda snapped.

"I can fix this just..." King begged.

"I said leave," Eda growled. With that, she slammed the door closed. King sighed and looked at the ground. 

He could fix this he just needs to figure out how.

~~~

Branwen had recently returned with a couple of cases of the Abulita's chocolates. Luz then in a way chipper mood than she was previously told Lilith how to make it with some substitution for the human ingredients that she hadn't known that she had needed. Now, Lilith sat at the table in her kitchen a flame in her hand as she warmed a cup of spider milk. Hooty was sitting across the table and Luz talked about the H.A.S. meeting she had attended. When the cup was hot enough she dropped a piece of the chocolate into the liquid she then stirred it and handed the human the mug. 

"Gracias," Luz said in her weird human language. She took a sip from the mug and smiled at the witch. "He then tried to get me and Gus in trouble but since you talked to Bump and I'm not banned so nothing happened. He got so mad that he stormed out of the room and then Gus did some happy dances. Willow also let me touch some of her plants." 

"Sounds like you had a good time," Lilith said in relief. She was glad that the girl was no longer wallowing around and that she didn't have to bring a broken human to her mother. 

"Oh yeah, I can't wait to go there full-time." Luz agreed eagerly. She began to ramble about all of the stuff that she was going to do once she was there. 

King had all been forgotten by the girl. The two of them sipped on their hot chocolate. Lilith had to admit that it was actually pretty good. 

[chokkito]

IM SOBBING THE ROBLOX GIF??? NOT THE RUNNING HELPP CLOWN… IM HAPPY YOU LOVE HIM SM!!! he loves you too look look :] sniffles. wipes tear. The marriage arc (for the 287291th time) is beautiful

FOR STARTERS UHH I don’t have Too much of him fleshed out just yet since he’s really existed for like. a day. but his entire concept is based around how crows are often depicted closely with death in itself - believed to be circling in groups or prominent when it’s expected/has come and just serving as general forewarnings or well. omens. to people. which would be fitting with MiRs essence of how everyone is more so suffering with (the aftermath) of black/red death and all. 🤔 in a way, it’s a bitter reminder to most especially those in denial - that their fate will not change, but in that same sense, some find solace in the presence of the crows instead. as companions, even as their presence marks another’s last days. it’s like, in a situation where there isn’t Much hope nor good, sometimes having deaths messengers as company is better than none at all. which is notable with omen! all the stuff around the upper part of him/by his neck are meant to be fallen feathers from the crows that he’s collected over time and made part of his outfit/coat, as well as mainly using a quill to write— it brings him comfort, it’s the only thing he can derive from it all.

there’s also the entire thing of how orphys books are mainly based around horror / tragedy iirc, and well. everything in MiRs essence seems pretty fitting for it 🫡 in a way, an odd source of vivid inspiration… though, it’s not too likely runaway would be painted as a hero in his tales. who knows!

anyways on a lighter note he has a very pretty book cover. it’s a white glowing butterfly outline against a field of (wilting) flowers :] kinda darkened around the edges due to the essences general theme of corruption/erosion but yk!!

If you also have any questions lmk 🫶

OK HUST FINISHED READING AND AYOOOO?????? AYOOO???? THIS IS SUCH A NEAT CONCEPT? LIKE the thing of crowns bringing omen (it being good or bad depending on the way you see it) and then it being tied to orpheus cause of nightmare is. WOWIE

AND MY GOD THE COVER....GRRRGRRR BECOMING VIOLENT....I LOVE MY ONE DAY OLD WIFE SO MUCH!!!!!

[alice-jem]

Based on your question if the shippers are weird by seeing them as shippable.. Or antis forced their parental bond between them.

In fact, there are so many reasons for them/antis to question this entire pairing. And let's reveal those thing as of why they find Fionna and Simon a bit problematic. I gotta have to be neutral on this one. It's going to tear me up.

Age Gap Problem

1) It's because the amount of age gap. Fionna and Simon has a weird 30 years-ish of age difference where Simon lives and survives over a thousand years and they can only be seen as a father-daughter level type of dynamic. They considered it to be count as problematic. And it doesn't have the right to ship an older middle-aged man and a girl who lives in his head for decades. They always knew that both of them should better come off as besties or that Fionna will be knowingly as Simon's adoptive daughter next to Marceline. It's the safest and the most acceptable way to understand the relationship between her and Simon.

Fionna is like the female version of Finn

2) They used this reason of how Simon when he was Ice King met Finn on his teenage days and compared on the time Ice King knows a thing about Fionna coming from a red beam light to dream a genderbent version of Finn and Jake every single night. But we don't exactly know how old was Fionna was back then so they gonna assume that Fionna and Finn are born under the same age. So it's weird when there are others that unironically ships them. It will automatically put their heads into the sand.

Simon is loyal for Betty

3) It's unnatural for them to had a romantic attraction between Simon and Fionna when we all know that Simon has only eyes for Betty, his fianceé. And when Fionna finds that out, she respect and support him and his relationship with Betty by Simon sharing how they met each other. He cannot truly find somebody else until Simon has fully moved on. So it's a hard pass for Fionna to be in love with Simon and she knows he was already taken by an omnipotent eldritch indecipherable Goddess of Chaos.

It was the Ice King, not Simon

4) Ugh, one thing I hate when they keep bragging about that it was the Ice King who sets up Fionna to had a crush on every version of Simon's Ice King variants. Not actually Simon. He wasn't supposed to act like how Ice King obsessed into making Fionna and Cake real and try to impress her. So it's not what it really meant to Simon when he mets the "Fionna". If Simon is still Ice King, he will be so happy at his first impression when he met Fionna actually. I used to see Ice King and Simon as one person because of his split personality. But it was the crown who controls Ice King's body and Simon was trapped within the program of the Ice Crown. But Simon explains why him and Ice King aren't the same person.

Literacy Blind

5) I heard when somebody says it was Literacy Blind. Prismo didn't create Fionna and Cake to let Simon used these rip-off copycat of Finn and Jake giving him something to distract Simon over losing Betty. Prismo made this universe for his own satisfaction and how he loves and idolizes Finn and Jake (which Ice King relates too). The shippers will become delulu by not realizing that. Like sure, Fionna did actually kissed the Winter King, Simon's other version of himself. But on the other hand, that doesn't mean it's better when she had to fall in love on that type of guy she unintentionally turned into a dust where Simon reacts very unhinged into that scene. And also (spoilers) we can look at this one part of creepy Simon is in a freezer on Fionna's hellish dream, it just adds up a nightmare fuel by her expression too.

Which means, whatever this is.. lots of the people will be so cringe to romantically ship Fionna and Simon and it scares the shit out of them, despite the canon hints and events when he was Ice King before during Fionna and Cake skits in Adventure Time episodes, having himself to prove that Fionna and Cake are his ideal fantasy he can unconsciously control by wrote a bunch of fanfictions about them, then now they are living inside his head like a nest. Simon has a sense of responsibility on Fionna's world because what he experienced atm will heavily affected how their world portray at the present moment. So people in that world had already forgotten their past lives before Simon turns back into his original state and bought his sanity without dealing with the crown or the person he used to be.

So why does Fionna and Simon has become supported by the narrative together like how two people are destined soulmates met with a red string of fate that shares the similar intentions yet has an opposite experience?

Simon doesn't relate on the new funky futuristic humans and the current Ooo he's currently trying his best to live when he's a boomer still living his old ways in the 20th century. Same thing to Fionna whereas she don't want a boring mundane life and she suck maintaing to live a normal life but opposite of what Simon wants, she wants to experience a magical world she's originally created from the past to go on some adventures. Both want to stick within their old ways and is afraid to accept the changes around them because they aren't contented within their lives until Simon and Fionna met each other and learn something greater from their little multiverse-hopping trip to develop their bond and learning to move on fron their past experiences they truly hard to let go in an equal footing. That's what they team up together in the series.

With all that said coming from the antis, it makes me wanna ship them even more.

Fionna and Cake is already connected during Ice King's and from what I discovered, Ice King is obviously simping hard on Fionna. At the beginning of Fionna & Cake Adventure Time episode season 3 episode 9. Fionna wants to date the Ice King then and now, she's dreaming of an Ice Prince.. it's definitely not a coincidence. It's truly a part of Fionna's character. Here's another, Ice King is willing to do anything to make Fionna exist. (Go watch "Mystery Dungeon"). Neptr gave us a huge spoilers for the F&C plotline.

For these new F&C episodes presents..

As time goes by, Simon isn't much like wanting to have that wish fulfilment back. He's so focused on bringing Betty back again and couldn't help himself trying hard not to get distracted on Ice King's shenanigans.

Evil Choose Goose pointed at Simon as of why he thinks about Fionna and Cake? Is it because Astrid and Root Beer Guy reminded him on the Ice King's favourite fanfics? Or is it he is pretty much too bothered and stressing out so he condones Fionna and Cake history and loathes their existence?

(Sorry for adding these things up for clarification after watching all the F&C episodes provided. It bothers me why they hate the ship sm so I had to stir a long post to describe how they constantly judge Petribell)

I wanted to add more viewpoints soon as of why some ppl do ship Fionna and Simon. And I'll be risking every each point of it for this reblog post.

I'm probably weird for this, but I kinda ship Simon and Fionna. I think it's because they sorta remind me of Entrapta and Hordak. An energetic younger woman and a depressed older man brought together by a similar interest. For Entrapta and Hordak it was science, for Simon and Fionna it was their mutual dissatisfaction with their lives and need for change.

[ellievickstar]

I am Weak

A/N: Eris content as I have spun the wheel of names (That really only says Angst or Fluff and Azriel or Eris) But I will write fluffy Eris content. I hope for your sake’s it’s fluffy :^

Warning: Uhhhh

Official Masterlist

Inspired: the song!!! (Weak by AJR)

Summary: Eris has a confession when his brother says that your his weakness.

~*~*~*~*~

Growing up in the Autumn court didn’t exactly open a lot of opportunities for females. That was a known fact. I had grown up on the farms of the High Lord of the Autumn Court since my father was the head farmer for all the harvests and orchids that the High lord owned.

That also put me in a close position with the High Lord’s sons.

As head farmer he handled sales for livestock and different sales and whatnot that I didn’t understand when I was younger. I would usually run through the fields and play instead of hanging out at home and learning how to be a ‘good wife’.

I was six-years-old when I had first met the eldest son of the Autumn Court. He was nine at the time. We had clicked instantly…..instantly after a very verbally creative fight for children.

~*~*~*~*~

I had spotted a mop of red hair from the corner of my eye where I had been making small leaf crowns from the autumn leaves I had found on the ground.

“Hello?” I had called out in a small voice. No reply but as I scanned the trees around the clearing I was sitting down at I spotted a pair of russet eyes. “I’m not stupid I know you’re there,” I said annoyed. Then I heard a giggle and I flushed.

“Has anyone told you that you’re short?” He mocked as he came out of hiding and winnowed in front of me. I gasped and fell back on my backside with a yelp. He laughed. “Shut up carrot head!” I snapped as I stood and brushed the leaves and dirt off my dress.

He furrowed his eyebrows before bursting into laughter and doubling over. “Carrot head?” He grinned as he looked down at me. He was significantly taller then me and I had to look up to look at his face. He had short red hair and russet eyes and on his head…. I gasped as I noticed the crown. Even though I was only six I wasn’t ignorant, I knew what that crown meant.

He smirked at me with that stupid arrogance and demanded, “Bow to your future High Lord,” I refused and instead pushed him down to the ground. “I am not going to listen to you,” He threw a fit at that. Yelling at me to help him up but i just walked away, picking up the leaf crowns I had left on the ground before sticking my tongue out at him and leaving.

~*~*~*~*~

After that day he would always come to the clearing where I usually played on my own. We decided to become good friends, I still refused to bow to him which bruised his ego significantly. Or so he said. As we grew up we met less and less because of how strict his father was and when we did meet up I was always worried because of the bruises that littered is skin or the cuts or burns on his arms or face.

That was when he was arranged to marry the princess of nightmares. It had been a rumour through the court that she had broken of the marriage and truth to be a told a few days later I had found the princess injured with a nail to her womb. I wanted to ignore her because of the jealousy I had towards her chance with Eris but seeing the pain she was in I summoned bandages and tried to heal her best as i could.

I had stayed with her for a few hours before an Illyrian male had come. He had simply nodded at me before asking for my name and leaving with her. I prayed to the Cauldron that the princess of Nightmares would be fine, something told me she was in good hands.

I had later confronted Eris about it when we met later that week. He had found her that day but he knew that the second he helped her he would be chained to her. Of course, I was pissed that he didn’t at least circle back to try and help but after a few apologies I relented. I could never stay mad at him for long. But I made sure that he swore he would make it up to Mor one day — one day.

~*~*~*~*~

It had been a few centuries later when Amarantha happened. Eris had his me away and made me promise that I would stay safe, that I would go after him. I lied.

After the first two decades I decided that I would take a trip to the mountain. I had no idea what I was thinking but the second I winnowed to the bottom of that mountain, I had been captured.

I spent the next three decades as Amarantha’s scullery maid, lying low and whenever i had the chance to serve dinner i could I sworn that someone was staring at me. But I never saw anyone.

~*~*~*~*~

The mortal girl was our only chance of survival.

I had faith in the girl. I had seen her a few times before and she seemed strong and determined. But to defeat the wyrm was damn near impossible. She needed her strength. And starving in a cell was no way to do that.

I begun to sneak down to her cell and give her extra food that wasn’t touched. She had was unconscious each time but one day I saw the High Lord of the Night Court. He glanced at me and I tilted my head down slightly before placing the food down, sliding it through the bars of the cell.

“Don’t tell her please,” I begged as I turned to face him. Everyone knew that he kissed Amarantha’s feet but I saw goodness in the High Lord that Beron did not have, I knew there was hope. He simply nodded his head and motioned for me to leave. So I did.

I saw him down at the cell more often and I hoped that he wasn’t reporting to Amarantha because I would be dead if he was. Anyone who helped her was tortured and executed.

I got lucky.

That was what I believed. Cauldron boil me I thought that I had just gotten lucky. When Amarantha was finally defeated without me being found out I was thanking the Mother, the cauldron.

Feyre had approached me after and since she was mortal turned High Fae, I curtsied as I knew she was the Spring Court’s High Lord’s wife.

“I know you helped me, I was more awake then you think,” She said and I blushed and told her that it was nothing. The High Lord of the Night Court was also about to approach me but then Eris had rushed to me. His eyes were feral, as he checked my face.

“You absolute idiot! What were you thinking? I told you to stay at home,” He chided as he hold my chin between his fingers as he observed my small injuries. Something warm in me stirred and fell into place as I looked up at him. Mate. He was my mate. His eyes darkened before he let me go and disappeared.

I didn’t see him after that.

~*~*~*~*~ Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months.

Not a word from him.

My hope was turned to shambles as I waited at the clearing for hours everyday and eventually didn’t go anymore. At first my mind was a whirlwind of ideas, thinking that I had done something wrong. Maybe he was disappointed, maybe I just wasn’t his ideal choice. His was the heir of the High Lord of the Autumn Court for Cauldron’s sake. Maybe I just wasn’t good enough for him.

And I could live with that.

~*~*~*~*~

The war of Hybern had caused us to lose a lot of money from the destruction of the farms. I had to help out a lot and it was hectic. I didn’t visit the clearing anymore to just hang out and practice my magic for fun. Not that I was waiting for Eris to come and see me.

Truth to be told I missed my best friend but I knew I had to accept that he wasn’t ever going to see me again.

Until the invite came.

The Autumn Court had always held a grand party whenever the next High Lord was being crowned and since Beron had died from mysterious circumstances after everything had settled down after the war, Eris was going to be the next High Lord. The party was also to pick his next wife. I can’t lie I hated how my heart broke a little bit when I realised that Eris was not going to be choosing his mate as his wife.

But maybe I could live with that.

~*~*~*~*~

After a little brooding and some encouragement from my mother and father, I decided to attend the ball — not to see Eris — and find a good suitor for myself. I wanted to move on and this might be the only way.

Wearing a red dress with a sweetheart neckline with roses embroiling the waistline and a skirt that fell to my ankles that had a slit up my leg, I went with black heals and autumn leave earrings. Stepping into he grand party, I wish I had my best friend with me in that moment as I felt intimidated by the other females with exquisite clothes or jewellery.

That was when I saw Mor.

“Hey! Why are you here?” I asked as I approached Mor, she was with the Illyrian male that I had seen when I helped her and another one with longer hair. Rhysand was across the room with Feyre. Of course, I had been shocked, but some part of me knew that made sense.

“Just an alliance with Eris is keeping me here, I never got to thank you that day,” She smiled at me and I curtsied. We spoke for a while joking about Eris but I didn’t mention my relationship with him. She also introduced me to Azriel and Cassian who gave me polite smiles. Move on. I reminded myself. This my first step to moving on.

I decided to mingle with others after a while but no one clicked quite like how I had had that connection with Eris even before the mating bond. But that was my life now.

I had to live with it.

~*~*~*~*~

After a while I decided to try and get to know one of the sons of a rich merchant. He was good-looking and had a decent personality but I knew that there were a lot worse that I could settle for. We spoke for a while before I felt a looming presence over me and sure enough, I turned around to see Eris.

“Do you mind?” He asked as he cocked his eyebrow towards the male. The poor guy instantly apologised and rushed away, afraid of the HIgh Lord. I gave him an apologetic look before glaring at Eris.

“What the hell is your problem?” I demanded. As he suddenly grabbed my wrist and begun dragging me away towards one of the hallways. “My problem is that my mate is speaking to another male,” He snarled as he turned and pinned me to a wall. His arms caging me in. “Now, princess, what do you think I should do?”

I saw red and my blood boiled as I shoved him off me with all my strength. Obviously not expecting such a reaction, he stumbled back with a growl.

“Fuck off!” I snapped.

“It’s been over a year since you last bothered to come see me. A year. And don’t give me that ‘I was busy’ bullshit. If you had time to sneak off to the Night Court then you sure as hell had time to sneak away for an hour to see your best friend. Maybe explain if you didn’t want to be my mate. Maybe tell me next time before you act like a possessive asshole that you want me to be my mate when your throwing a damn party to choose another female as you wife!” I was berating him and he waited for me to finish.

He sighed before pulling me closer, his hand wrapped around my waist as he tucked me into the crook of his neck.

“I love you,” He breathed. I froze for a second before looking up at him. He inhaled before continuing. “I have loved you since we were children, I loved how you laughed, I loved the way your nose would scrunch when you were confused. I loved how you cared.”

I blinked back my shock.

“You probably don’t believe me but if I have an eternity then I’ll spend the rest of my immortal life with you until we fade into the afterworld. I love you, Y/N L/N. More then words can say.” He bent on one knee as he took my hands in his. “I wanted to do this in the clearing but I never saw you there after a while, and this just feels right. I cannot express how sorry I am for the time I wasted not saying anything but I know that I love you and I want to spend my life with you. Will you marry me?” A sincere, genuine proposal. I saw nothing of the cruel, manipulative, arrogant jerk that I grew up with, I saw my best friend. The one who secretly cared. The one who always loved to dance and laugh.

The one I loved.

~*~*~*~*~

“What!?” Eris’s brothers gasped. “Brother you cannot mean to marry this pathetic peasant girl,” One of them mocked as they eyed me. But Eris was having none of it.

“I am and I will, for your information she will not only be my wife but YOUR High Lady so you might want to learn to respect her, Brother,” He snarled as he tugged me closer to his side. One of his youngest brothers snorted.

“She makes you weak,” Another jeered. And I had to squeeze Eris’s hand to keep him from lunging at the poor boy. I knew that their way of thinking was only because of their father and I knew that they could change. They didn’t deserve any more harm, not if I could help it.

You give them too much grace. Eris complained down the bond but I was firm with what I had told him. No resorting to violence. He rolled his eyes.

“So what?” He asked as he surveyed his brothers. “She is my mate, she is my equal and even if I’m weak for loving her I see nothing wrong with that.” He motions to me as he steps forward.

“I love her, and maybe in time you’ll see why, I don’t if it makes me weak. So be it.” Eris just grinned before winnowing us out of there. I loved him, truly. And in our whole life till we fade into the afterworld, even when this world is just a mere speck in the whole universe, I love him.

Even if that was a weakness.

~*~*~*~*~

A/N: AWWWWWWW I think even I loved this so much it took me so much damn time to write this help. I did not proofread this so feel free to point out any mistakes I’ll correct them immediately! Bye loves <3

Also if anyone wants an update on the third part of my mini-series for Az I’m working on it I swear. I’m definitely not procrastinating.

tag list: @moonfawnx @bankerfrog @starlit-terror @hideing @flightlesslittlebirdie @menagerofmischief @famousbasementpainter @owllover123 @bookworm-nerd6 @gigisssz @bethany-bee0128

[open--till--midnight]

Settling Down

geralt x gn!reader & daughter

summary | geralt settles down, this is pure fluff without plot

warnings | idk, kids?

wc | 1k

a/n | Ugh I didn’t know if I should have made this for eskel or geralt. I chose geralt but it could be read either way I guess, also we’re pretending ciri doesn’t exist in this for reasons that will become clear, also also, I'm obsessed with witchers and flower crowns soooo

You and Geralt had both lived long lives and had many more years to come. Being blessed with long life made it easier for a relationship with a witcher. He knew those he grew close to would all fade. Their lives were mortal, short, and sweet. But he knew he could be with you for as long as you wanted him. You frequently assured him that meant forever.

Though neither of you looked it, you were getting old. The nomadic lifestyle, once perfect for the two of you, became unreasonable to keep up. Your dream had always been to settle down in a quaint cottage, resting in the middle of an idyllic forest. After a sleepy conversation, that is exactly what you did.

After a bit of searching, you found your home. Ivy ran up the sides, not yet breaching the sturdy stone walls. The once pink roof, now faded, hung over the sides and had intricate trim bordering it. In the back, there was a sizeable garden already enclosed by a wrought-iron fence. An arbor was set in the middle, though worn by weather, it was still sturdy.

The inside was just as picturesque. The kitchen was separated from the hearth and couches by a couple of beams and a table. Two bedrooms rested just past it. A perfect home for its newest inhabitants.

It was now two years since you and Geralt took in your daughter. You wouldn’t call her anything else, even if she wasn’t biologically yours. When you first found her, you guessed she was around three years old, still plenty of time to give her a good childhood and take on the role of loving parents. Roles you both took exceedingly seriously.

It was hard, at first, getting her to bond with Geralt. His demeanor was gruff, and he lacked the emotional intelligence required by a child. On top of that, he was frequently gone. With an extra mouth to feed, the money you earned selling your herbs and produce wasn’t enough. So Geralt picked up more contracts nearby.

Understandably, she had grown much closer to you than him. This resulted in late nights reassuring your lover that things would come around. It would just take time. He didn’t want to upset you, so he agreed. Not bothering to explain how hard it was on him. You did notice, however. How could you not? Knowing he wouldn’t want to talk about it, you settled with providing him the reassurance he needed and continued helping him through the situation.

This wasn’t to say that your daughter didn’t love him. Quite the opposite, actually. Her favorite words to say were ‘I love you’. It was just assumed by the two of you that she’d never had anyone to say it to before, so he was compensating. It was sweet, really, but not sweeter than her hugs. She would cling to the two of you, sometimes refusing to let go.

Soon, the two of you figured out the issue with her so-called favoritism. Geralt wasn’t reliable. Not to an eight-year-old. You knew that when he left it was so he could earn a living, but the child couldn’t understand that. Without the knowledge of how the world works, all she saw was someone who was supposed to be reliable leaving. Even if he always came back.

But now she was old enough to help out with the garden, which meant you could expand it. This allowed more crops to sell at the market. With the extra income, Geralt didn’t need to leave quite as often. Hunts were now less often and much shorter, to the delight of all three of you.

Now, your child would request Geralt to read her to sleep. She had already come to him about her nightmares, for obvious reasons, but now she asked him to cuddle if she was still too scared to sleep. These small actions by the little girl brought a smile to the witcher’s face.

Before he met you, he thought that nothing would penetrate his heart, make him soft, but you did that. He frequently joked that you’d ruined him, that he was unable to be a proper witcher because of you. This was all a surprise, yes, but nothing compared to the effect his daughter had on him. She inhabited his heart as well as his mind, and he melted at the mere thought of her.

The little family that you created became his home, his safe space. Every moment spent with the two of you was better than the last. His favorite moments, though, were the ones with no obligations. The moments when he could just be. Moments like this.

Geralt was sprawled out on his back, laying on the soft and bright green grass by the river. His two favorite people were sitting on either side of him. You had helped the little girl collect flowers before settling beside Geralt. You had busied yourself with weaving them into crowns, a tiny one for your daughter, a larger one for you, and an even larger one for the witcher on the grass.

The little girl plucked the stems off of the flowers so only about an inch remained. These flowers were meticulously tucked into Geralt’s hair. She had already begged you to pull the top layer of hair back and braid it so it would be out of his face. You complied without hesitation and didn’t even bothering to ask Geralt. It pleased the little girl.

“That is so pretty, love.” You spoke through a wide grin, looking down at your witcher.

“Yes yes yes! You are so cute!”

Your daughter's compliment brought a faint blush to his face. He fought the urge to deny the claim before you shot him a deadly stare. He grumbled before talking.

“Thank you, sweetheart. You are very talented.”

“Really!”

“Yes, really. Are you kidding?” He squeezed her hand before grabbing a couple of flowers and putting them in her hair.

“Look, you’re talented too!” Her grin was infectious.

Before he could respond, she yawned.

“Getting sleepy, are we?”

“Nope.” Seconds later, she yawned again.

“Right.” He stood up, motioning for her to hop up on his back. Once she was on, he grabbed your hand and started the short walk back home.

[verdigrissoup]

How about Joy and/or Laundry from the drabble/headcanon list? (For 00Q? Or, heck, whichever fandom calls out to you at the time)

Wah, I want to do SO much more with this prompt (and maybe I will when I have time!) but getting in those last minute fest points is calling, and I must heed that call.

James knew it was coming. Arguably, from the way that his shoulder ached when it rained and how he spent half of the year with no feeling in his left foot, he knew it was coming better than anyone else. It was impossible to touch James without also touching some poorly-healed sear, and it was impossible to look at himself without a memory of some long-finished grudge coming to light. All of the names he’d long forgotten, but the marks they’d left on his body were far harder to erase. 

It was terrible, it was inescapable, it was time to retire. 

“You’ve done good, 007.” Mallory said, looking over his file. James sat across from him at the familiar mahogany desk without a word. “You’ve done more than good, actually. You’ve done extraordinary.” Mallory raised an eyebrow at his own addendum as if to say despite all the cock-ups.

“Thank you, sir.” Bond said, desperately trying to hold back a slew of opinions that Mallory would likely not be open to hearing. If there was one thing he’d learned during his time as a spy, sometimes being quiet was the best move. It took him decades to figure that out. 

Something around the edge’s of Mallory’s face softened, and for a moment Bond thought that Mallory was looking at him for the first time. Really looking. Not as an agent, some killing machine. Not as a problem, the reason that all of those grey hairs had sprung up along his crown. Instead, he was looking at a man, tired, breaking, and pushing fifty in a job that most people didn’t escape past 25. James Bond was a creation that lived far beyond its expiration date, but it was finally time to put him to rest.

Mallory nodded, and James nodded back, a silent understanding between the two. Taking a large rubber stamp from somewhere in the desk, Mallory stamped RETIRED in large red letters on James’ manilla folder. He couldn’t help but notice how thick it was, bent and yellowing papers practically spilling out of any available opening. It would have been something that made him proud when he was younger, but looking at it now he just felt tired. 

“I don’t get to use this often.” Mallory said, not unkindly. “Enjoy your retirement, Bond, you deserve it.”

“Thank you Mallory.” James said, and this time he meant it.

————————

It was unnatural waking up in the same place for more than two days. For a while, it almost felt like a waking nightmare: James waking up in the same place, the same situation, the same time, every single day. He half expected Vesper to come walking down the hallway every morning, a quirked eyebrow and a wry smile to say, “You can never escape James, the past is always the same.” Then he’d go to the cupboards, remind himself he’d forgotten to get groceries the day before, and would inevitably go out to eat regardless. He’d always ask for a table with its back to the wall. Old habits died hard. 

It was a week of excruciating, unending, mundanity before a text came to his personal cell.

Can’t say why, but I’ve been kicked out of my flat. Heard you might have a spare? -Q

And that was when everything changed. 

————————

“Good Lord, how have you been living like this?” Q exclaimed, dropping his bag near the door as he walked into Bond’s sparse flat. He immediately made his way to the kitchen, opening every cabinet with increasing fervor as each revealed itself to be empty. “Bond, are you subsisting off of the drywall instead of regular human food? Because I don’t even see a can of beans back here.”

“Please, call me James,” was all James could think to say as the boffin whirled out of the kitchen and into the adjoining laundry room. 

“James, have you even used these things?” Q called out, completely unfazed by the insistence on using Bond’s first name. From inside, he heard a loud thump as it sounded like Q smacked the washer and dryer. 

“I get everything dry cleaned.”

“Bloody expensive you mean!”

Next was the linen closet, which Q loudly denounced of its title as it seemed to have absolutely no linens and instead housed a singularly unhappy spider. 

Back into the kitchen, Q turned on a frozen James Bond. “Do you have anything to make this flat into a home?”

“This is everything.”

“Everything?”

“Everything.”

Q sighed a heavy full body sigh. “Well, we’ve got our work cut out for us, don’t we?” He immediately snatched James’ car keys out of his hand, and was out the door before James could even blink. We?

[morethanwonderful]

Ah see, and that's where we differ.

You're right, it is gross that Tom kept her from pushing divorce proceedings by hiring all the lawyers out from under her. Especially in light of all the rest of their arc in this season. It's kind of horrific.

But! I really like the way that the finale shaped the tragedy of Shiv's final circumstance. Because that's her whole thing! Shiv experiences horrible sexism, but she keeps putting herself back in the place where she will experience that sexism because she cannot let go of the allure of power and the Waystar name.

Shiv let herself be lured into quitting her old job and joining the firm even though she spent all of season 1 demonstrating plainly that she knew it was a bad idea. And she did it because her dad dangled CEO in front of her and made her think that maybe she could have that power and influence for herself.

And Shiv's emotions in this final episode were complicated, but I think that she made the choice to sell at least in part because it meant she wouldn't get her freedom. She could have left if Kendall had won. She wouldn't have to be an integral part of the company. They've cut her out before. And that is both a blessing and a curse.

But Shiv can't bear to let go of the grasp on the crown that she's spent the last year and change coveting. Tom wins so she gets no freedom. She gets to be reduced to the CEO's wife. She's at Tom Wambsgans's mercy. It's her worst fucking nightmare. But it's also the path that still leaves her in grasping closeness to the crown. She's still a part of the Waystar empire, even if it's in the worst possible way.

Tom wouldn't let her escape with the divorce lawyers earlier in the season, but she could have paved a path that might have led to her actually divorcing him someday with that sale vote, and she chose not to.

Shiv keeps putting herself back in the sexism pit because she can't bear to let go of her dream of power, and that's a big part of the tragedy of her character. Her dad raised her to feel like doing this to herself is the only way she could ever get his love and approval, and now look where it's gotten her.

It's all gross and it's all awful and that's why it's really really good.

God I'm still losing it over Shiv specifically in the finale, like.

She couldn't make Kendall the CEO. For better or worse she couldn't do it.

But now, for better or worse, for all their misery, the brothers are cut loose. Off to kill themselves or find joy or become fascists or whatever they may do. But Shiv is more tied in than ever now.

If Kendall got it, Shiv could almost have left. Shiv's position was always the most tenuous of the three. She probably wouldn't have, but she always could have had the option to bail. She could have said "fuck you Kendall" and walked out and let her brothers have their toy.

But now she's having the CEO's baby.

[opal-owl-flight]

Me messing with the timeline allowed these two to meet before rtdl…even if it was just a fleeting moment. At such a young age theyre already so interested in legends! I like to think that Meta looks up to Aeon/Galacta EODKDKD

Said timeline under the cut!

Big intergalactic crisis…Termina/the negative energy Jamba Heart. All the Ancient races work together to end the crisis. Aeon/Galacta Knight finishes the job, and is sealed away for saving the universe.

The split of the Tech and Magic ancients come a little after. Planet Halcandra is the “hq” of the Ancients by now, and the split meant banishing all their magic users.

Another intergalactic crisis (Nightmare) pops up. The Starborns unite to try to destroy it. It was Aeon who was able to seal a big threat before, so whos to say that they cant do the same?

The other Ancients try to help. But with the Tech and Magic factions not on good terms…theyre severely lacking in magic power. Hell, the Starborns are magic too. It took a lot of convincing for the tech dudes to help them.

Mags and Meta are born near the middle? Or end of the crisis. For a long while, Meta was away from Popstar, planet of his birth. Called to Halcandra to help with the crisis. (Starborns start training VERY EARLY when theres a big crisis afoot…) Mags was just one of the residents that needed protecting; too young (just out of his kit years!) to really help with the efforts. If he was just a few years older… hed have probably fought side by side with Meta as one of the engineers.

At the end of the crisis, among the Starborns, only the (very) young Meta survives. He was the only one who was able to escape the effects of the final blow. Returns to Popstar to resume his usual duty. Because thats all he’s ever known. Hes recieved enough training to be able to do so (but not really enough to deal with system-wide threats all on his own). Hes thinking of conquest to better protect his home around this time…

Halcandra at this point is approaching a sort of…plateau with their advancement. Without magic, and the losses of the last intergalactic threat, the progress of civilization is slowed. Mags continues to grow in this Halcandra, learning more about the Ancients, learning more about his own culture. Its…kind of a struggling, war affected planet, but he loves it all the same. I think he starts to dabble in magic around this time, in his interest in the previous age of Ancients. Hes hiding it away from everyone, in fear of being banished…

Then comes the invasion, destroying the planet, the damage irreversible. Mags lives on the new Hellcandra for QUITE A WHILE — he wants to live long enough to unleash his vengeance towards the Haltmanns. The Crown only feeds this anger, blowing it up to a universe-level fury.

Years and years pass… enough for Mags’ age to become sort of legend. Enough for the last intergalactic threat to become a legend nearly lost to time. (Because…theres no one to remember it except Meta and Mags, probably!)

And then…the two meet again.

Its sad that the circumstances pit them against each other…after all the shit theyve been through. It wouldve been nice if they were together through it all, but that is simply not the case.

Mags’ years on Hellcandra kind of stunted his physical growth, making him look like a Halcandran in his “early teens”. Hes much older than that ISJSJE. I also put equivalent ranges instead of numbers bc theyre literally hundreds of years old. Both races live on for eons….

Sidenote: when they first met, they had different names. Mags hadnt renamed himself yet, and Meta hadnt completely dropped his old name for his title. They were completely different people…complete strangers when they met once more. Yet…theres a sense of familiarity…