#and it's very obscure to the both of them. they don't know who her father is and Leopardstar only heard of Brightsky through Mudfur

[unauthorized-author]

Leopardstar is adopted in my pseudo-au. Because ain't no way that Mudfur (a light-brown tom) and Brightsky (ginger or some shit) make a FUCKING BENGAL.

So, Leopardstar is adopted by Mudfur :D

Brightsky only appears in super editions iirc, so since she doesn't appear in mainline books, she won't appear in my au either.

WELL, she does, but she isn't a RiverClanner.

Brightsky here (might get renamed) is a wildcat-domestic mix. So obviously, she's a rogue. She's bigger than the average Clan cat, tougher, etc. But she's still sweet.

What the hell even was Brightsky's personality…

Anyway, yes, Brightsky is nice if she wasn't before. Feral in a not-Clancat-feral way, but still nice.

She comes across an asian leopard cat that escaped from the zoo.

I'm skipping a lot here but basically they fucked and boom Brightsky is pregnant with a litter. ALC's can raise their young together, but this one decides not to stick around, and Brightsky respects that decision because y'know, he escaped from the zoo and he doesn't want to be tracked down.

So they part ways, and Brightsky wanders while giving birth, yada yada. She goes into labor on the outskirts of RiverClan territory. Mudfur was looking for herbs nearby and heard Brightsky screaming bloody murder.

So Mudfur, being the nice kind compassionate moral soul he is, helps this absolute stranger who is very hostile and snapping at him through her birth. Brightsky doesn't thank him, but she lets him help clean her litter.

Mudfur knows how to hunt. He brings Brightsky a few small fish from a nearby stream. She doesn't eat them.

Three of the kittens are weak and young. Mudfur offers to rush for some herbs to help Brightsky with her milk production, to help stop the blood loss, etc. She tells him to fuck off.

He doesn't take it personally because she went through a tough birth.

As the kits struggle to suckle, a larger one pushes her siblings aside, particularly eager.

Brightsky allows Mudfur to nose at her kits, helping them to find a place to eat. She's deep in thought, and it's only at sunset, hours after the kits were born and hours after Mudfur was supposed to return to RiverClan, does she come to a decision.

"That one," Brightsky lays her head on her forepaws, fixated on the largest kit. "She's particularly large, isn't she?"

Mudfur looks at her, surprised. She doesn't meet his eyes. "Yes," he agrees eventually. "She's the strongest of an unfortunate litter."

Brightsky looks at him, and Mudfur thinks he might've said the wrong thing.

"Your colony will need her."

"What?" Mudfur feels his pelt bristle, from the tips of his ears to the end of his tail. Did this molly, who has been fighting with him during the entire birth, just offer to give up her strongest kit? "But-"

"I've already made up my mind." She looks away. "This is my 'thank you.' A gift from me to you; after you gifted me your courtesy."

Mudfur can't move. He's astonished.

"She will grow up well under the eye of tens, instead of just me alone."

Finally, Mudfur croaks, "What about her siblings?"

Brightsky says nothing more.

Luckily, Shimmerpelt is nursing already. Mudfur bows his head, carefully grasping the kit's scruff, ignoring her mewls of protest. He sees the molly stiffen, but she doesn't move, doesn't even watch as he pads away, leaving the herbs he collected at her paws.

And she doesn't respond to "Stay safe. Your daughter will grow strong, as will her siblings, and as will you once more."

Nobody really questions where Mudfur got the kit. Nobody questioned where Oakfur got his kits from. It's just not their nature to question this under Crookedstar's leadership. They do question Mudfur's whereabouts.

He can't tell him where he's been, or why he doesn't have herbs if that's why he left in the first place.

Shimmerpelt agrees to nurse his the kit. She says she wants to encourage socialization for her own kits, who fuss at the mere scent of someone foreign. Mudfur can't thank her enough.

He doesn't name the kit until a few days later when he's sure she'll survive, because that's what he wants, what the Clan wants, and what that somber molly would've wanted.

A gift from me to you.

A name isn't a gift. It's a commodity.

Strength is both.

Mudfur goes to speak with StarClan in the dead of night. Praying that the daughter of the molly will live to see glorious days, fight for RiverClan to her victorious ends. He prays that she never exhausts when things get tough and never crumble to pressure.

He forgets to pray for heart.

[little-diable]

My Greatest Fear - Dean Winchester (smut)

Don't say I didn't warn y'all. Inspired by Benson Boone's new song "My Greatest Fear". Please like and reblog if you enjoyed reading this, your comments keep us writers motivated! Enjoy my loves. xxx

Summary: Dean broke things off with the reader years ago, the biggest mistake of his life. But when Sam tells his brother that (y/n) is getting married, Dean knows it's time to make things right. He won't leave this life behind without being able to call her his once again.

Warnings: 18+, smut, piv, ex-lovers to lovers, some angst, lots of fluff tho, reader is a runaway bride

Pairing: Dean Winchester x fem!reader (3k words)

Got a lot on my mind that keeps me up at night, I’m tossing and turning, thinking that my life’s gone to waste

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Dean shot the waitress a big smile as she placed his breakfast down, blushing as the handsome man winked at her. The older Winchester brother was too focused on his food to pick up on the uneasiness radiating off Sam, to focus on the sadness swimming in his brother’s pupils. 

“Fuck, that’s good.” Dean’s moans rumbled through him as he ate the greasy deliciousness, sipping on his coffee every now and then. It took him a while to lift his gaze, to allow his green eyes to focus on Sam’s untouched breakfast, forcing Dean’s eyebrows to furrow in confusion. “Not hungry? Shouldn’t you eat something after a long run?” 

“Mhm,” Sam’s eyes were focused on the window, unable to look at his brother any longer. His heart clenched in his chest, his mind was racing faster than it had in the past months, struggling to part his lips. 

“Sam,” Dean’s raspy voice forced Sam’s eyes back towards his older brother, unable to hold eye contact for long. “What’s wrong?” 

Dean had put down his breakfast burger while taking another sip of coffee. He patiently waited for Sam to speak, to spill whatever was visibly plaguing him. But Sam kept quiet, deeply inhaling as if he had to muster the strength to speak. Dean repeated his brother’s name, much quieter this time around, gentle almost – as if he had finally realised that whatever Sam was about to speak would hurt them both. 

“I received an email this morning.” It was a whisper, nothing more, words so obscurely simple that Dean couldn’t help but laugh. But Sam didn’t give in, killing Dean’s hope that Sam was simply fucking with him. Something heavy was about to claw through Sam, something heavy that could determine the outcome of this very day. “It was from Mary, (y/n)’s sister.”

Now it was on Dean to freeze, not expecting his brother to speak her name. Their eyes met, urging Sam to keep on speaking, to tell his brother about the email he had opened with shaky fingers, freezing in his step as he read the words she had written to him. 

“(Y/n)’s getting married, Dean.” Sam was forced to watch Dean sink back into the seat, arms crossed in front of his chest, uneasy eyes staring down at the table. And for a moment, neither of them spoke, letting the words sink in – words that had been Dean’s greatest fear ever since he had left her all these years ago. 

He had been stupid back then, too childish for his own good. Guided by his father’s words, he had dropped (y/n) and the life they could have lived together. His father had made pretty promises, telling his young son of women awaiting him, women he shouldn’t miss out on because of a marriage that would only tie him to (y/n), away from all the fun he could experience. The greatest mistake of his life, a mistake he hated himself for every single day. 

“That’s good for her. I’m happy she found somebody who treats her right.” The words pained Dean to speak, rolling off his tongue with a sharp edge that left Sam cringing. His hand found Dean’s forearm, gently squeezing his brother’s arm in a gesture so unfamiliar, Dean had to stop himself from shaking off Sam’s hand. 

“Dean, I’ve always loved her like a sister, I only want what’s best for her. But you’re my brother, I know how much not having her around scars you, I see it every day on your face. Get her back, try it at least.” 

Of all the things that I've been afraid to lose, my greatest fear of all is losing you

……

“I shouldn’t do this.” They were parked in front of the small church, eyes watching the big crowd of unfamiliar faces. Both Dean and Sam were wearing a suit, knowing that they had to blend in with the wedding guests to find their way to (y/n). “Why should she take me back? Why should she even listen to me?”

“Dean, if there is one thing I know it’s that she still loves you. Let’s get your girl back.” Sam was first to step out into the warm morning, eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses as they walked up to the crowd. He felt Dean close, not daring to speak up with his choked-up throat, with his heart pounding in his chest, knowing that this would be his only shot to make things right for once in his life. 

“Mary!” Sam’s voice echoed through the air, eyes focused on the frame of (y/n)’s sister. The young woman flung herself into Sam’s open arms, chuckling into his neck as he held her close for a moment. A moment too long for Dean who was growing more antsy with every passing second. 

“Thank you for coming. She’s making a mistake, Sam. You’re my only hope with this.” The words left Dean frozen, confused eyes flickering between his brother and Mary. He hadn’t read the email Mary had sent to Sam, hadn’t asked any further questions about the man (y/n) was about to marry, trusting that he was somebody she loved. “Come, I’ll bring you to her.”

“What the fuck man?” Dean growled the words at Sam as he followed them through the crowd and towards a small house built near the church. Sam fell into pace with his brother, watching Mary lead them towards the place where (y/n) was currently getting ready. 

“Well, you didn’t think I’d let you do this without knowing (y/n) would willingly leave her fiancé, did you? I wouldn’t destroy her happiness just like that, Dean.” Realistically, Dean should have known that Sam wouldn’t just push him into this without knowing that there was a chance to get her back. Sam had hated him for a while after he had left (y/n), punishing Dean for breaking her heart at any given chance, a broken bond that had needed months to be repaired. 

“(Y/n)? I brought two special guests.” Mary’s voice echoed through the small cabin, ringing in the brother’s ears as they waited outside. Dean felt his hands tremble, forced to let go of deep exhales as Mary opened the door for them, allowing them to step inside. His eyes were drawn to (y/n)’s like a moth to a flame, and his world stopped spinning, unable to focus on anything but her.

It took (y/n) a second to react, seemingly confused about the appearance of the two hunters she hadn’t seen in years. She was pulled into a hug by Sam, giving Dean another moment to admire her, the white dress she wore – a sight he had only seen in his dreams, imagining this very day, with him waiting at the altar for her. Dreams that had evaporated into a hazy nothingness the day he had left her. 

“Hi, sweetheart.” She sank into Dean’s grasp, clinging to him as if he hadn’t been the man who had broken her heart all these years ago. He watched his brother and Mary leave the cabin, giving the two some time alone as they kept on holding one another. 

“What are you doing here, Dean?” (Y/n) mumbled the words against the fabric of his suit jacket, not caring about smudging her make-up, not caring about anything but the way Dean held her close – as if he hadn’t ever stopped holding her. Carefully, Dean let her go, needing to give them some distance for the words he was about to speak, knowing that this could escalate any moment now. 

“I can’t let you marry another man without telling you that leaving you was my greatest mistake. A life without you has always been my biggest fear, I was stupid, so fucking stupid, sweetheart. I shouldn’t have listened to Dad, I should have married you right that day. And I hate myself for not doing it, for letting you go when you have always been my whole world. I know there is no chance for me to make things right, and even though Sammy and Mary hope that I will sweep you off of your feet and bring you back home to us, I know I can’t.” Tears dripped from her eyes, tears (y/n) didn’t care to wipe away. 

“I hated you for years, you broke me, Dean. You took away my life, my friends, the people I had grown to love. You ripped my heart right out of my chest, and even though I tried to fight for it, to regain its strength, I miserably failed. I should curse you, should tell you to fuck off and never show your face to me again. But I can’t. For Christ’s sake, Dean. What are we doing here?” He cupped her face with shaking fingers, letting his forest-green eyes run over her gorgeous face. 

“I want to kill him for getting a chance to love you, time that has been wasted because of me. But I don’t want to take another choice from you. If you want to marry him, I will watch from the first row, hell, I’ll even carry your veil.” His voice shook as he whispered the words, growing tense as (y/n) rested her hands on top of his, still cupping her cheeks.

“And if I don’t want to marry him?” 

……

I'm scared to take another picture of you, 'cause I'm scared to have another thing that I can lose, oh, dear, who am I without you here?

“I thought you were taking me home, where are we going?” Her laughter echoed through Baby, eyes set on Dean’s grinning features. They had left the church a while ago, running away like she had secretly hoped they would. (Y/n) had always been a dreamer, a dreamer who had pictured that very moment since the day it had dawned on her – about to marry a man she didn’t love. A man who wasn’t Dean Winchester. 

“We’ve got another thing to take care of first, I am not losing any more time.” Baby screeched to a halt in front of a pink church, a sight that left (y/n) confused, and Dean and Sam chuckling. They made their way into the church, with her fingers interlaced with Dean’s, with her white wedding gown clinging to her frame, with his suit hugging his frame. 

“Dean, Sam, I didn’t think I’d ever get to see you two around here!” An elderly man greeted them with a big smile. His brown eyes were drawn to (y/n)’s almost instantly, with a knowing smile growing on his lips – a smile that had an almost proud touch to it. “That’s her, huh? Took you quite some time, didn’t it.” “(Y/n), that’s Danny, an old friend of ours we met on a hunt. He could wed us, with Sammy as our witness, if you’ll have me.” Her heart had stopped beating, skipping a few beats as Dean’s words sank in. Her teary eyes found his and with a laugh clawing through her, she pressed a kiss to his lips, drawing a groan out of Dean, who tried to prolong the kiss for as long as possible. 

“I will always have you, Dean.” She was pulled towards the altar, unable to stop her tears from dripping as Danny began speaking a prayer she paid no attention to. All (y/n) could do was study Dean, the love swimming in his pupils, the way he looked at her as if she was his sun, alighting the darkest days with her mere presence. A soul crafted for his to hold onto, to love till their time together would eventually run out. 

“Do you have any rings?” Danny’s soft voice ripped (y/n) out of her thoughts, about to whisper a soft, disappointed “No”, but before she could even part her lips, Sam excitedly spoke up. Her eyes watched the tall Winchester brother, how he reached for his breast pocket to expose a small envelope to her glassy eyes. Wordlessly he pushed it towards Dean, who opened it with an unwavering smile stuck to his lips. 

“I bought these rings years ago, sure to eventually push yours down on your finger. I am sorry it took me this long.” Her sob left Dean chuckling, exposing his also teary eyes to hers. She had held onto all these longings for years, mere dreams that were now finally turning real – as if she was just sleeping through another longing. 

But, you're here, now, and that makes it better, somehow

……

“Let me.” Dean’s soft voice filled his bedroom. He was standing behind (y/n), carefully helping her out of her wedding dress with his gaze focused on the ring clinging to his finger. The past hours had flown by all too quickly, turning her from a runaway bride into his wife. His wife. A title so unfamiliar, Dean had to fight against the urge to pinch himself.

His for eternity. His to love. His to worship. 

“I love you, Dean.” (Y/n) whispered her words as she stepped out of her dress, exposing her underwear-clad frame to his hungry eyes. She was pulled into a teeth-chasing kiss, a kiss dripping with emotions that made her feel all too dizzy, having to hold onto Dean before she could be ripped into another dimension. 

“I love you too, sweetheart. And I’m so fucking sorry for missing out on this for years.” He pressed her down on the mattress, giving her a show as he slowly undressed. Her body was aching for him, needing to feel Dean close after all these long years apart. 

“Stop apologising with words and show me that you truly mean them.” His lips kissed her chest, the valley between her breasts as he undid her bra, exposing her hardening nipples to his twinkling eyes. Dean could cum just from the sight of her naked frame, a sight he had only seen in his dreams for the past years, not daring to imagine being this fortunate again. 

“God, you’re so beautiful. I promise to worship you for as long as you want me to.” Dean’s raspy words vibrated on her skin, covering her body with goosebumps as he kneaded her soft flesh. His cock was pressed against her clothed heat, drawing moans from her whenever he moved against her heat, desperate for the kind of friction that left them both trembling.

“I need you inside of me, Dean.” Her raspy whispers left him groaning against her skin as she raised her hips to help him pull her damp panties down her legs. Just this morning, (y/n) had imagined this very moment, knowing that she’d think of Dean when her husband touched her, a loveless marriage she would have been trapped in. 

“Are you still on birth control?” (Y/n) could only nod her head, mind taken up by the feeling of his wandering hands, keeping her pressed against him. Dean's cock twitched against her naked cunt, brushing through her arousal-covered folds to coat himself, “I love you, and I’ll do my best to prove it to you for the rest of our lives.”

“I love you too, Dean.” He pushed into her with a groan, forehead falling against hers as she fluttered around him. It felt as if he had entered paradise, falling to rest on clouds covering his body. She was his Elysium, his safe haven, the one where Dean could be the truest version of himself. 

He moved slowly at first, both needed some time to adjust to one another after all these years, but the second their bodies relaxed, properly enjoying one another’s closeness, Dean began to move faster. Their bodies met with every thrust, eyes holding a contact so intense, (y/n) feared her heart would explode right in her chest. 

Dean was taking his time with her, this wasn’t a rushed fuck to make up for all the time lost, no, it was so much more. This was the purest form of love, a one-of-a-kind love both had clung to in lonely nights, with wandering minds and trembling hands. This is what they had been destined to have, years ago – a love they were now rediscovering. 

“You feel so good, baby.” He felt her clenching around his cock, drawing another gritty sound out of Dean. (Y/n) was long gone, pushed into another dimension where she only knew Dean, nothing but his love, his touch, his irrevocable longing for her. Sensations she was taken hostage by, unable to shake them. 

His warm fingertips found her pulsing bundle, circling it with just enough pressure to draw his name out of her. (Y/n) could feel her orgasm slithering its way up her body, whispering to her to hold onto her husband, and with her fingernails clawed into Dean’s shoulders, she came. He followed her right down the edge, moaning against her lips as their bodies were moulded together. 

“Fuck, we’ll have to do that all through the night, husband.” (Y/n) whispered the words as a few heavy pants left her, making a laugh claw out of Dean who chased her slightly swollen lips for another kiss. 

“Trust me, I won’t let you leave our bed for weeks, wife.” 

Don't know how the broken pieces fit together if you leave it, so, don't go, don't go, I would take your hand if I could reach it

[zizzy-rie]

Another AU I've been thinking about for the past several days now

Here are some close ups of the second pic

More info under the cut

Lucifer Morningstar

His main job is creating toy designs and inventing them. Despite what people might think, he actually comes from a very wealthy and famous family, having owned several companies and lands in different parts of the country. Even though he has his wealth, Lucifer chose to live far from his family and start a life on his own, much to the disappointment of a lot of his relatives. From time to time, he does contact his father and siblings to catch up and know that they're okay.

Lilith Magne

She is a famous fashion model. Not much is known about where she came from as she rarely speaks about her past. Some say that she's bossy and unapproachable (men) but others see her as soft spoken and understanding (women and children). No one in society knows what she does behind her fame, except those powerful syndicates from the underworld. Lilith is a seductress killer who targets men as her victims. She lures them during huge gatherings and parties, wearing a purple gown paired with a black mask over her eyes. She leaves nothing but a black rose on the scene of the crime.

Alastor (??)

He is a radio host from an obscure radio show. Not many know who he is, much to his delight, as he prefers not being traced back to the monthly deaths happening in the city, most of which was his own doing. Alastor is quite organized with the way he chooses his prey, to the way they should be killed. In the underworld, he is well known, both by amateurs and by powerful and huge syndicates, yet no one dared to touch him or report him to authorities (they know what happens if they do, or even try to).

Relationships

Radioapple

No one knows how Lucifer and Alastor met, not even their close friends and family. One day, Lucifer was just suddenly seen arguing with Alastor on the street while holding some plastic bags filled with different things. Complicated is what can be described about their relationship. One minute, they're arguing and trying to hit each other with anything they can hold on to, then the next, you'll hear them cackling at each other's corny jokes. Their relationship got more complicated when the two got drunk off their asses and swore off and made a bet to make the other get laid.

**It would probably go something like this: Alastor and Lucifer, both very drunk and incomprehensible to anyone eavesdropping on them, somehow talking about relationships and partners (how their topic of conversation led to that is up to everyone's own interpretation).

Lucifer: Pppfft- I'm definitely a whole package! I mean just look at me! Charming, rich, handsome, great with the ladies~ Who wouldn't want that? Ehh? Eh?~

Alastor: Well, I don't see anyone hovering around you like an annoying pest now, do I? I guess you're not as charming or great as you think you are, sire.

Lucifer: You're one to talk! You've never even been on a date once!

Alastor: That's because I chose not to, Lucifer. Relationships are messy, and only complicate things. I have no time dealing with such feeble emotions such as love everyone oh so desperately craves. That is clearly not my cup of tea.

Lucifer: Pft, bet I could find you a partner that matches you.

Alastor: oh? Is that a challenge I hear, sire?

Lucifer: oh! How about this? you find me a partner to date, and I find you one as well. If one of us gets to find a match for the other in a matter of 6 months, then the winner gets to receive a reward. Sounds good?

Alastor: hhmmm, tempting, but what would be the reward, sire? If I may ask.

Lucifer: the winner gets to choose his reward, how about that? Doesn't that sound nice? Hhmm?

Alastor: Alright then, challenge accepted Lucifer. Although you're only making this easier for me, as I have never ever fallen for someone and I can assure you that it will never happen. Good luck with finding me a partner.

Lucifer: oh I definitely can, just you wait.

The current situation on their challenge so far: difficult is one word to describe it. No one has found a suitable date or partner for the other yet. [Until Lilith comes into the picture]

Radioqueen

Lilith is a witness to one of Alastor's murders. While disposing of the body, she had accidentally walked into the scene, much to Alastor's disappointment. This is their first meeting with each other, although they have heard rumors about the other from amateur criminals and rookies. Alastor, not wanting to kill Lilith because of his moral code of not killing women and children, bribed her into getting a date with one of the rich and chivalrous men in their city, Lucifer Morningstar, in exchange for her silence. Pleased with the idea (and perhaps another prey to feast on), Lilith agreed. The two exchanged contacts and have been in touch ever since. They are acquainted easily as the two share sentiments on not harming women and children in their murder spree. One detail Alastor forgot to take notice though is, Lilith's victims are men who she had a date with before their deaths.

Lucilith

The two bumped into each other in a cafe. Lucifer was getting a latte for himself, stressed out on the list he is making (names of random people he has heard of who he thinks are the type of people Alastor would go out with). Lilith was getting coffee, just finished from her modeling job in a nearby building. Their meet up was merely a coincidence, which was a delight for Lilith. This way, she could gain more information about who the person Alastor is setting her up with. Lucifer, mesmerized by her voice and stunned by her brilliance, tried to ask for her name. Unfortunately, he blurted out a different question as he was mulling over other problems in his head, such as the list for Alastor's possible dates. Asking someone to date their friend is not the kind of question anyone should be asking to a stranger, and yet it still happened to Lucifer, no less. Being possibly one of the most socially awkward people to exist, he could only sit on the ground and hide his face in shame and horror. Lilith, not expecting this kind of behavior from a rich and supposedly charming man, had found him quite cute and endearing. This is when she decided to leave her original plan of killing him, and instead vowed to marry him someday in the future.

[fictionadventurer]

Top 5 obscure light vintage novels! (Not sure if my previous ask got eaten, but also curious about this one specifically)

The strictest definition of what I consider "obscure light vintage novels" requires a book to meet a lot of criteria:

Published before 1960

Not recommended to me by anyone I know personally (including on tumblr)

Doesn't have a fancy Oxford-Classics-type edition with an introduction. (And none of the author's other books are well-known enough to have one)

Has a realistic setting

Ideally written by a woman or centered around a female main character

Which means that very few books fit this list. But of those few, here are my top five.

Desire by Una Silberrad: Flawed but fascinating Edwardian novel about an eccentric heiress who meets a soulful author and eventually winds up working for him when she loses her money and he inherits his father's pottery business. Fascinating characters, amazing romance, lots of interesting themes. I'm also going to count the author's other novels in this category, because she's come to epitomize "obscure light classic" for me. The Good Comrade is a much frothier novel with some great characters, and Curayl is highly flawed, but its silver-tongued hero lives rent-free in my head.

The Ark by Margot Benary-Isbert: I finished this book less than twenty-four hours ago (so I could include it on this list). It's a 1953 German novel set in 1947, about a refugee family building a home after the end of the war. It reads like, if you can believe it, a cozy post-apocalyptic novel. These people are living through some terrible things, but they make the best of things and manage to find joy. It's chock-full of fascinating details about life in post-war Germany, and reminds you that the people on that side of the war were human too, losing people and places they loved, and doing their best to live in terrible times. There are some superstitious elements later on that I wasn't crazy about, but otherwise I adored this story.

The Romance of a Shop by Amy Levy: Novel from the 1880s about four sisters who open a photography studio to support themselves after their father's death. Extremely underwritten (one of the girls meets an old flame and marries him between chapters), but a very easy, pleasant read with interesting historical details, and some nice sisterly relationships that remind me just a bit of Little Women meets Oscar Wilde.

The Heir of Redclyffe and Countess Kate by Charlotte Mary Yonge: Books by one of the bestselling authors of the Victorian age who's completely forgotten today. Both get too preachy at times, but make up for it by having amazing characters. The first one is a family saga about cousins caught up in an old feud, and the second is like if Anne Shirley suddenly found out she was a countess.

The Rosary by Florence Barclay: The bestselling novel of, like, 1920. It gets very melodramatic, but I was also surprised at how grounded and witty the characters were. I remember very little about it, but I have fond memories of the reading experience, and it earns a place on this list because when I want to find an "obscure vintage light novel", on some level I'm thinking I want to find a book like this.

I know you didn't ask, but I find myself wanting to list five novels that don't quite meet the strict criteria above, but are close enough that I want to highlight them.

The Dean's Watch and The Rosemary Tree by Elizabeth Goudge: Goudge isn't exactly obscure in this section of tumblr (which is why I heard of her in the first place), but she's obscure enough that a lot of her books are out-of-print or otherwise hard to get, and these two in particular are among the best books I've ever read.

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery: Montgomery is extremely well-known, and this book has an ever-growing and very devoted cult following, so it's not exactly obscure, but it's much less well-known than most of her other books. A deep cut, if you will. It fits perfectly within the light vintage novel category, and has long been one of my favorite novels of all time.

Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon: It's got an Oxford Classics (or similar imprint) edition, and is well-known as one of the very first sensation novels, but it's not exactly known among people who don't deep-dive into Victorian literature. I read this last month and loved it. It's a cozy sensation novel with an amazing main character, great atmosphere, and a plot that manages to grip you even while not much happens.

Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther: It's not exactly obscure if it has a movie adaptation, but from what I know, the movie basically ignores the book, which isn't that well-known today. Charming slice-of-life from the very early days of WWII England.

Helen by Maria Edgeworth: Not exactly beloved, and Edgeworth isn't exactly obscure, but this is a lesser-known novel that fits well within this category. The first half had some moments that were so dull I considered not finishing, but the second half was gripping enough that I can mention it as a nice, obscure surprise of a book.

[d3lly1000]

About Sonic and the others forgetting the events of Sonic '06 + The Twitter Takeovers are semi-canons

Okay, here we go... I saw some people mention this answer about Sonic forgetting Elise and being upset about it, and thankful that the Takeovers are "not canon", so I'll share my point of view on that and talk about why the Takeovers are semi-canon! (oh boy a long post-) ~~~~

To start: "But Sonic forgetting Elise is absurd! He was the one who put out the flame with Elise, they both should have known about each other." No. They shouldn't have. From the moment the flame went out, everything was reset and started at the point where Sonic was going through the festival. There was no invasion by Eggman at that moment, Elise was not kidnapped, there were no Events of 2006 EVEN though the game is canon. THIS has ALWAYS been a fact since the game's release. And it keeps gaining strength with new media (Sonic x Shadow Generations and mentions that Sonic make in external media).

And I dare even more, not even Silver should know about the events. But if he knows, it's only him and Mephiles, who was ERASED from existence and ended up in WhiteSpace, the Limbo of Sonic's Universe. (As for Silver, he constantly travels through time, he could be the only one who remembers, but I doubt it a little) But the point here is: The representation of the flame going out at the end of 06 is that everything was rewritten in a new way. Things didn't happen that way and that's it.

"But it's absurd. Sonic would never forget Elise, they liked each other!"

I know that in some way there are fans of Sonelise, but I don't think it's right to support their romance so much when it was rushed and totally done in a hurry to make us get some kind of "emotional attachment" to Elise. Elise was the one who showed the most interest in Sonic, even kissing him (geez...), while Sonic, even choosing Elise in the "Trial Of Love", sometimes the game still throws you to Amy's option in a strange glitch. Which doesn't make much sense since theoretically he "would be in love with Elise."

Elise had the potential to be an excellent character and I still believe in that! She was introduced in an obscure game (just like Silver) and we can't deny that fact. She always couldn't cry because she had sealed the Iblis Trigger in herself, she lost her father and had no mother and yet she was the governess of the kingdom of Soleanna. Have you ever thought how much she could have stood out by working on this issue of pressure that she suffers in a deeper way? Instead of Sonic's entire campaign revolving around a somewhat embarrassing romance, have you ever thought how incredible it would be if it focused on how far the line of our responsibilities goes and the fear of failing everyone? Elise could potentially even be an incredible parallel for Blaze being what she is, even if indirectly! There's the other idea of ​​Sonic and Elise being a parallel of sisterhood like Shadow is with Maria, and that's much more captivating than a romance, and I'm sure we'd get much more attached to her knowing that!

Sonic 2006 and plot holes...

Sonic's campaign is the weakest;

Elise is a character who has potential for much more than what we were given;

the time travel issue has many holes like the Blue Chaos Emerald being with Elise the whole time;

Blaze is in the game and we don't even have an explanation for it;

We're very vague about Silver and his future; So, the fact that Sonic and the others "forget" the events is something canonical since the end of the game and has always remained that way.

Now, about the Twitter Takeovers:

The Takeovers are silly and focused on humor, but that doesn't mean there aren't writers behind them!

(Social Media Manager for Sonic's official Twitter account.) This same script is thought by the entire team, since the company's characters are acting! There is a lot of work behind it, which must be recognized! In other words, the information becomes "canonical", since it covers and gives us answers about things that we don't have in the games yet. It's an expansion of the characters, the universe and the story that hasn't been told or fully explored yet, and that's fantastic! The questions are selected based on what they can probably tell us. Whether it's just about Sonic's fur or Shadow's taste for coffee, or even about the Super Transformations and the relationships between the characters. They are Semi-Canons. They are information that adds to our knowledge as fans, but they are not necessarily real, like Sonic breaking the fourth wall. As a fandom, we have to know how to separate some things! That's what makes the Sonic universe unique. Everything can be considered more clues to add to the franchise, but we need to know how to understand the reasons and whys behind it!

Conclusion

I still hope that if Sonic '06 gets a remake, they'll do a good redemption of it, because it deserves it! And who knows, maybe we'll see more of it in the future?

If you want to comment, feel free, this is an open field for that discussion. Just keep it respectful and friendly! I'd love to read and participate too!

Thank you very much for reading! Sorry for the bad English... Stay determined! 🤍

[magicalmanhattanproject]

okay i have to talk about my obscure blorbo fíriel ondoheriel. literally no one cares about her except me. not even tolkien cares about her. she has Zero canon traits. no personality, no physical appearance, not even a death date. here's what we know about her

in 1940 TA, Arvedui, then-prince of Arthedain* marries Fíriel, daughter of King Ondoher of Gondor, uniting the two realms after a long estrangement

[loads up Tolkien Gateway to cross check dates] HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS

in 1938 TA, Aranarth, eldest son of Arvedui is born. Now, if we're being real with ourselves, Jirt made an oopsie here and no one caught it. But, no one caught it and the only numbers we have are Aranarth, son of Arvedui, is born in 1938 and Arvedui marries Fíriel in 1940.

So, like, what's up there? Did Arvedui and Fíriel meet before their wedding and elope? Was Aranarth born in Gondor and hidden to protect Fíriel's reputation? Or did Fíriel have to make an excuse to stay in Arthedain and hide her pregnancy and then abandon her child until a proper marriage could be arranged? Was Arvedui married to someone else first and a widower? Was Fíriel a second wife and a stepmother to the real heir? Was Aranarth a bastard and Fíriel brought in to produce the real heir? Had Fíriel ever left home before? Did she have any feelings about being sent away from her whole family to be a queen for a man who already had an heir? Did she have a child she had to travel with? That she was desperate to reunite with? That she wanted nothing to do with? Did she love travel? Hate it? How did she feel about Gondor? Arthedain? We don't know. Tolkien doesn't care.

Anyway, back to what I already knew about.

in 1944 TA, Ondoher and both his sons are killed in the invasion of the Wainriders.

How does Fíriel feel about this? What's her relationship with her father like? Her brothers? Presumably she has a mother in there somewhere too? We don't know. Tolkien doesn't care.

Now, the doozy.

later in 1944 TA, Arvedui sends messages to Gondor claiming the throne both as a descendant of Isildur and as the husband of Fíriel, who would have been ruling queen according to Númenorean law.**

How does Fíriel feel about that? How does Fíriel feel about claiming the throne of her father and her brothers and her homeland through her blood for himself? We don't know. Tolkien doesn't care.

This is the last mention of Fíriel in the text. We don't know what happens to her after this. Maybe she trips and falls down the stairs the very next day. Maybe she lives a long life and dies of old age in her sleep. We don't know. We know what happens to her family though and it's not pretty.

Arvedui ascends to the throne of Arthedain in 1964 with the realm already struggling under invasion from Angmar. In 1974, the Witch-King invades and captures the capital of Fornost. Arvedui escapes to the Ice Bay of Forochel where he is aided by the locals over the bitter winter. Aranarth, a young man at this point, gets word to Círdan that his father is stranded there and Círdan sends a ship to bring them aid. When the ship arrives, Arvedui wants to leave immediately, but the locals warn him against leaving, saying that the Witch-King's power wanes in the summer and the bay is too dangerous.

Let's backtrack a moment. The name Arvedui means "last-king" and was given to him at his birth by Malbeth the Seer. Though, the seer said, "a choice well come to the Dúnedain, and if they take the one that seems less hopeful, then your son will change his name and become ruler of a great realm."

Arvedui does not. He takes the ship Círdan sent, which is sunk in an ice storm. Arthedain falls. Aranarth becomes the first Chieftain of the Rangers.

There's one last piece to all this. Name meanings. Tolkien likes them. I was looking through canon name meanings for OC names and I decided to check Fíriel out and I got fucking flashbanged.

See, something you gotta remember about the descendants of Elros is that a lot of them resent his choice. It's said that the line of Gondor failed because the kings were too busy contemplating immortality and their ancestors to look to the future and have heirs of their own. That's maybe not fair to the kings whose lines failed, but it's certainly a trait they all share.

So, what does Fíriel mean?

Mortal Maid

Look at everything else about her and everything that happened to everyone she loved and realize that she was born to the name She Will Die

How did she feel about that? We don't know. But I want to.

*The northern kingdom of Arnor had long ago split into three kingdoms. Arthedain is the one from which the eldest and true line of descent from Elendil continued. The other two had already fallen by this point.

**For the record, Ondoher was the 31st king of Gondor and somehow the issue of a ruling queen has not been litigated before now. Not a single time in the past 30 generations has a daughter been the eldest child or only available heir. That... stretches plausibility. This is easily explained by Tolkien forgetting that women exist until they become immediately plot relevant, but it certainly gestures in the direction of things about Gondorian kings that are rather unflattering.

[leoruby-draws]

Decided to post some more random, mostly minor characters from the DC universe, mostly ones that seemed they would be fun to draw. I guess technically these drawings are all based in my TrWh au, as always. Here they are:

Wanted to draw heroes with wings, I draw Vanessa quite a bit so I had to learn wings and feathers. Still working on it, but its fun. You can see Vanessa there at the bottom middle, looking a little menacing.

The girl with red wings is called...Redwing aka Carrie Levine. I thought she was a sweet kid, so her ultimate fate was pretty sad. Wonder if she'll come back to continuity at some point.

The guy with the mohawk is Northwind aka Norda Cantrell, part of Infinity Inc the earth 2 version of a Teen Titans group. He honestly didn't get a whole lot of focus in Infinity Inc, like the writer didn't know what to do with him. Maybe they should've made him into the magic fighter of the group, almost felt like thats what they were going for him before they wrote him off.

The girl in yellow is Dawnstar, part of the Legion of Superheroes. I haven't read much of LoSH, mostly some 90's issues. But her design is soooo pretty I had to draw her, her costume here is a mix of her various outfits.

Lastly, here's Bluejay aka Jay Abrams again, part of Justice League Europe. Kinda thought JLE was a bit of a letdown, I mean the team's made up of mostly americans not europeans! I think Crimson Fox was the only european, I thought her set-up of being two people was cool.

Little extra Infinity doodle, here's Hector Hall (Silver Scarab) hating on poor Norda, with Lyta Trevor (Fury) looking on with confusion. Hector's just a hater (tho there's reasons for it ig), an archetype you see sometimes in some superhero groups, like Roy Harper or Guy Gardner. The plot-line of Hector's resentment of Norda was kinda interesting, but like with most things in Infinity it didn't get the focus it should've gotten. Speaking of Infinity, here's some more doodles:

There's Rex Tyler (Hourman 1) with little Rick Tyler (Hourman 2), enjoying some father-son time. Apparently Rick's first costume isn't well liked (so says reddit). I thought it seemed cute but maybe it works better as a kid's or sidekick's kinda costume?

In the middle is Jack Knight (Starman) suffering as he interacts with Sylvester Pemberton (Skyman, formerly the Star-Spangled Kid) and Courtney Whitmore (Stargirl, actually she should still be S-SK but whatever). In my au he actually joins Infinity Inc, since everyone becomes heroes earlier he's actually around when the team's still running. I suspect his dad (Ted Knight) forced him into it. Also Courtney doesn't respect Jack at all, he's so annoyed at this. Look at her mini-staff, I presume Ted made it for her.

Also there's Beth Chapel (Dr. Mid-Nite) and Jesse Chambers (Jesse Quick) looking cool. Jesse also joins Infinity Inc in my au, will there be a love triangle going on between Beth, Rick and Jesse? Don't think Rick's gonna survive that, aw well.

Look at baby Jade and Obsidian, Alan is overwhelmed by their antics.

In another post someone asked if I could draw more of the Relative Heroes, a super obscure hero group. So @draculaura1660, this one's for you. Here they are:

I kinda had a hard time drawing this group, cuz their costumes are so complicated! I wished there was a reference/concept art for them cuz it was a struggle trying to figure out the details, the comic art did not help matters at all. You might have noticed I changed details anyways, I tend to simplify costumes for my au both to make it easier to draw and also to signify their younger ages. It's just fun to play around with costume design ig.

Some more characters!

Jinx, who looks very different between her comic and cartoon self. I did like her pink hair, so decide to see how it would look on her comic self. There's Kole, who also has different designs in comic/cartoons. I think her comic costume is so cool, esp that color pallet! But I love her pink hair in the cartoon, so she's got pink hair here! Just like pink hair a lot lol.

The other pink haired girl is Laethwen, love interest of Ray Palmer in Sword of the Atom. I think I made her hair more pink to better differentiate her from Starfire, also, again I just like pink hair. I wished she and her little kingdom didn't die, in my au Ray saves them! Maybe he relocates them to his backyard or something?

Little Donna and Vanessa doodle, did you know they never once interacted on panel? The closest is when Donna brings her stepsister Cindy to talk to Vanessa instead. I wonder how they would even interact, I know Vanessa wanted to be wonder girl (and resented Cassie for 'taking' it from her). Did she look up to Donna, or wanted her out of the way? Funnily enough Donna wasn't even Diana's sidekick when post-crisis started, due to both their origins being reworked and contradicting each other's timelines. It's all very confusing.

Anyways, some bonus doodles:

Had fun making a new outfit for Laethwen, I imagine she took some inspiration from indigenous groups from the Amazon, seeing as that's where her people crashed into.

Kole's costume is just so beautiful but so complicated, maybe that's why she got killed off so soon in Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Lastly, here's Bette bugging Dick with Barbara being super amused about it. I said in my post about her that I didn't really care about her crush on Robin, which is true, but I still wanted to doodle something making fun of it. Poor Dick is doesn't know how to get outta of this social situation.

Well that was a lot, hope you liked all that.

[maestro04yayyy]

https://www.tumblr.com/maestro04yayyy/762341715456688128/random-dialogue-exchange-idea-for-like-1-year?source=share

Expansion on the "Drip Fed Poison" exchange/idea; just assume that Lila never found the butterfly or what have you so there can be focused family drama lol.

Its been a little over a year since the resolution of the Hawk Moth 'incidents' and Zoe would like to think her life had been going great. She finally had a parent who loved her and was invested in her, she was a burgeoning actress, she had friends she didn't need to compromise her values for. & hey, being rich was still ya know, nice.

Unfortunately there's been a blooming undercurrent of wrongness she's not quite able to put a name too. Its a lot of different little things.

She's found herself a bit more inclined to how around Andre's money & name to get things (but for nice reasons & her friends) But also sporadically had this blow up in her face. Usually not long after she had some kind of disagreement with Andre about a picture or event, or shot in a film.

She's also found her schedule often conflicting with her friends unless she obscures it from Andre or lies to him, almost like he doesn't want her hanging out with them. & he's very twitchy about her possibly dating, though he says its just to avoid paparazzo.

She briefly floats the concern t Jean who has become an increasingly ever present confidant and enabler of her sneaking out. But he's monosyllabic. Merely saying, he cannot speak poorly of his employer and continue to do good work, while subtly hinting helping Zoe dip out on an event to see her friends is the good work.

Things, don't quite come to ahead so much as she quietly floats the concern at a small friend hang out and Sabrina looks distinctly... Panicked. Made worse, when in trying to encourage her to say anything Adrien get roped in and is also suddenly super uncomfortable.

At first they treat it like its cos discussing Chloe is uncomfortable and it is, but...

Neither one has the full picture, and both are a little uncomfortable as they feel like it may come off as advocating for her, or smearing Andre, and they had both kind of convinced themselves they'd read too much into the relationship and clearly Chloe had to be at fault, right?

Adrien obliquely explains Chloe regarded a lot of wat she did with or for her father as a form of work. He did too. She plays the role of darling, devoted daughter, babysits visiting rich kids and helps out with events and fundraisers and Andre covers for her expenditures and misbehavior. Not that odd... Right? Really the issue is that he enabled her being mean, right?

Sabrina's read is a bit different, with her noting the instances Chloe tended to come over to her place, or be extra foul usually coincided with Andre being particularly clingy or omnipresent. & that he could and would withdraw his patronage of Chloe if he felt she was not acting as her name befit. IE, he is the source of her classism and Audrey impersonation, but it was a mistake, right?

He's better and learned now right?

Well, maybe not, especially if him currently blowing up Zoe's phone with guilt tripping messages is anything to go by, but the only other person who might be helpful is Madame Bustier, who Sabrina says Chloe sometimes spoke with alone.

Zoe is hopeful that a trustworthy adult will help her put all this to rest.

So the fact Caline looks like she might throw up when Zoe broaches the topic and clearly both wants to offer a hug and is trying to make her not panic by getting to close does not fill her with confidence.

As it is,

Chloe only ever really broached things with her once, after a breakdown (Not meltdown, breakdown) in class that involved flipped tables and broken glass after a particularly 'stressful' few weeks.

She'd been oblique over it, names and issues and expectations oscillating wildly and even Mr Agreste somehow got worked in but al of it painted an unflattering picture. One that likely informed her decisions as an Akuma to "Take Andre out" in one form or another.

But ultimately, the only person who can give her any insight into what Andre is like with a daughter besides Zoe herself... Is Chloe.

Ohhhhh i love this!!!!! Well I hate how andre is to zoe!!! But I love her slowly getting more concerned and worried about the situation!!!!! And yeah that would be a really good set up to reintroduce chloe(so I am basically considering this an au now because it's awesome) maybe not phisically because she is in london i think? I remeber it being the usa but the changed it last minute i don't know i haven watched the last season but still as a voice on the phone and talk to zoe and maybe just maybe connect as sisters!!!!! I honestly just love zoe and chloe being good sisters!!!!

[myntrose]

ׂׂૢgenshin characters as meet-cutes!ׂׂૢ

ft: Tighnari, Diluc, Ayato x gender neutral! Reader (separately)

cn: modern au!, kinda academy au!, a lot of head-cannon dumping lol, prob grammar mistakes, a tiny bit ooc, fluff :D

a/n: hello:D im trying to get back to writing lol o/ also, for the meet-cute statements, reader would be "A"

word count: 826

*ೃ༄meet-cute: an amusing or charming first encounter between two characters that leads to the development of a romantic relationship between them.

Tighnari

*ೃ༄when A and B reach for the same book at the library

His footsteps were quick and rushed, each being more anxious than the last. It wasn't uncommon to see Tighnari in the library during the most obscure hours of the night. What was different was that, unlike his usual studious self, forgot to include a whole paragraph of research in his latest essay. Who could blame him? He was so busy with mentoring his underclassmen, and conducting all sorts of new projects that this particular one had completely left his mind. He skims through the shelves looking for a specific book. "The researchers guide to foreign fauna" (he had already read this one), "The sun's effects of nocturnal plants" (he had not read this one, maybe he should borrow it as well) and, ah! "The safety handbook vol. 1: caring for variegated plants" Just the book he needed. Instead of reaching out the grab the books spine, his hand collides with that of your own. He looks straight at you, the gears in his mind immediately clicking. Ah, looks like you need the same book. While he fights a conflicted battle of being a gentleman and giving you the book, or to just snatch and run, you realize that both your hands are still touching. You quickly retract your hand away, opening your mouth to start bargaining with your life as to why you really need this book for your research topic. Your convincing falls sort when Tighnari makes a slight cough.

"Heh... it looks like we both need this book. You can have it first, I don't mind..."

He pulls out his phone, opening up his contacts.

"...But please, the moment you have no more use for it, call me so I can pick it up."

If it hadn't been for the library's dim lights, perhaps you would have noticed the slight blush that brushed across Tighnari's face.

Diluc

*ೃ༄A is forced to attend a fancy party, gets seated next to B, who they complain about how lame the party is. B is the party host (A is unaware of this)

It's almost rare that Diluc could get a breather away from his own party. It came the time that it was the young heir's birthday once again. While his fellow classmates could only dream of having such an extravagant celebration, Diluc couldn't help but dread it. After all, he knew close to no one here, most being business partners, or the families of his fathers friends. He grabs his cup of grape juice, watching from the corner of his eyes as someone interrupts his silent bubble. Dread fills Diluc as he prepares a half-lived smile, ready to talk to whichever business owner had the nerves to ask for a collaboration-

"It's nice to see that someone else looks bored as hell in this party."

...?

He turns his chair to get a better look at you. He doesn't exactly know you. Maybe a child of one of the many CEO's present? You look like you're supposed to be at this party, dressed according to the theme and such. But he makes quick to recognize the slight scowl on your face. The look of, if-one-more-person-talks-about-economics-with-me-I'll-snap. You turn to fully look at the person you sat next to.

"Hey, I was thinking of leaving early and getting some takeout. Wanna come with?"

Maybe you were the breath of fresh air he needed.

Ayato

*ೃ༄A thinks they found their friend, giving them a surprise hug from behind. They hugged B. Their friend watched the whole thing happen.

Maybe Ayaka should have mentioned that she had a brother. Could all the blame be put on her, though? Yes, they did have very similar hair. But surely anyone could have realized that on height alone that the person you so very excitedly hugged wasn't her, but her much taller brother.

After class had officially ended, you spotted your dear friend at the end of the hallway. You were extremely tired as it is, with the only thought in mind being to regain energy through your very positive friend. Sleep made its way early to you, so when you bear-hugged your friend it took long to realize how you were actually cuddling.

On the other side of this, Ayato was deep in conversation with Thoma, before turning his head to see one of his juniors practically squeezing the life out of him. Thankfully, he sees Ayaka walk up to him, reaching to his ear and whispering what had just happened. Ayato couldn't help but let out a light-hearted smile. Ayaka taps your shoulder, causing your eyes to flutter open.

"Ayaka, please let me rest"

...

"Wait, how are you standing in front of me if-"

Maybe Ayaka should properly introduce you to her brother.

[roobylavender]

something tangential to the enforced motherhood post i reblogged but while dc's contention with this concept is pretty horrid and distasteful in general what i find worse is the fan reaction in batman circles, specifically with regards to talia and selina. on one hand, you have the very obvious projection of a racist and xenophobic trope onto talia where she is stripped of any and all personal agency and to the point her character can never be severed of motherhood or even worse only viewed as an abusive party within the concept. fans not only project their own experiences of abuse onto her despite these projections being contrary to her own ambitions and writing prior to her character assassination; they also, in the event they don't want her to be an abusive mother, decide to relegate her to a static concept of motherhood where she has no existence outside of raising damian and where there isn't even a possibility of toying with the idea that she may not have actually acquiesced to the concept of motherhood to begin with. i'm always so surprised by how little people seem to contextualize the life talia led as lex corp ceo with her potential role as a mother. how would she be able to live that kind of isolated, purpose-driven life where she could set every personal desire aside for the sake of her duty to the world if she was expected to parent a child first? this is a rare viewpoint i've never really seen expressed but one reason i find morrison's portrayal of bruce and talia as parents to be really ironic is bc i think the roles are nearly reversed. at that point in her life and with the slew of burdens and responsibilities on her shoulders i honestly think talia (regardless of what immense affection i'm sure she would have for her own child) would be the one who had trouble acclimatizing to her role as a parent, versus bruce who made it his intent for several years to parent various children and when he found out talia was pregnant impliedly committed to shielding that child (and her) from violence and a vigilante life at all costs. it's a narrative thread i really would have loved to see explored but on a practical level would likely be impossible to do not only bc of dc's handling of asian mothers and their racist degradation due to their juxtaposition against white fathers, but also bc of dc and dc fans' constricted view of motherhood to begin with. either you're a good mother or you're a bad mother. there's no room for the in-between nuance of possibly loving your child but not knowing how to balance that responsibility bc of what you view as important responsibilities you have to others

on the other hand, you have dc fans' engagement with selina's relationships with younger orphans and sex workers in her community. this is a really interesting one to dissect in light of ship wars specifically bc while i agree that there isn't any sense in having selina act as a mother-figure to bruce's children i also don't really agree with people's justification that she's not a "motherly" character. it's once again a very striking example of the restricted perception people have of motherhood or of behaviors commonly associated with that role, bc i don't think people who say this are really criticizing her ability to be a mother at all. what they're actually criticizing is her capacity to care. there's oddly all too many people who believe selina's anarchy or more self-serving nature is antithetical to any expression of compassion. so what you end up having is a phenomenon where one group of fans is eager to see her co-parent with bruce and another group of fans is eager to see her severed of any significant connections at all bc it somehow fits her "villainous" nature. and all-in-all, from both sides, her relationships with kids like holly and arizona are completely obscured. there's no room made to discuss how selina can possess deep empathy for young people whose experiences she identifies with and that she can care for them and even take them under her wing without necessarily wanting to adopt them, but that if she wanted, maybe she would adopt them. i honestly feel like that was the direction alan grant and doug moench were going in with arizona in the early 90s had mary jo duffy not abruptly excised arizona bc, like a lot of fans, she thought having significant emotional attachments was antithetical to the catwoman persona albeit there was no actual canon to back that notion on a behavioral level. i don't think selina has to be a mother, but i also don't think it's an infliction of stereotypical gender roles on her to imagine a scenario where she might adopt a stray, esp if that scenario occurs within a context where she is still independent and forging her own way of life and liberty. if anything, taking care of holly and arizona were some of the highest points of her narrative, bc they were a looking glass through which to explore selina's capacity for love and mercy, in spite of all of the trauma and abuse that she had to suffer at the hands of others

to me, the problem with dc's contention with motherhood is not so much that it's attached to these women at all, but that the definition of motherhood used is entirely framed with a heteronormative understanding of the family unit, despite the reams of potential to explore characters like talia and selina as independent figures acting outside of that traditional hierarchy

[songofamazon]

haunted forest, tattered basket, solemn! specifially am VERY INTERESTED in your Lavellan revisiting the area clan Lavellan fell. doesn’t have to be literally haunted, but haunted by Memories. or both!

This idea grabbed me before I saw the rest of your ask, so I'll do two on this prompt.

These were from the collection of prompts form this post by @galadrieljones. With the Veilguard news, I want to write more about my Inquisitor's time between games, but I don't know where to start, so please do send me suggestions in my asks, from those prompts or otherwise.

Keeper Deshanna always said that weaving something like wool cloth or a reed basket was akin to interlocking the many threads of magic required to create great spells, the sorts that legends of the ancestors spoke of.

That Solas spoke of.

As much as she loved twisting magic into spells, Elanna never really had a knack for fiddly little finger tasks. Having only five fingers made it even more of a mess. But still she tried.

She looked down at the lopsided basket in her hands. It already threatened to fall to pieces, with the feather-light weight of a few fading embrium blossoms. Flowers were rare in the deep shade of the Arlathan forest. But some habits turned into rituals, and now Elanna found herself absently scanning the environs of each new camp for flowers whenever the clan moved their aravels.

Elanna, like their aging Keeper and her First, also scanned for statues of the Dread Wolf that scattered across both plains and forests alike. Unlike the keeper who sought to situate their sprawling camp someplace that kept the Dread Wolf out—even after Elanna insisted that it was superstition and that he surely had no interest in harming the clan—Elanna trusted the lupine statues that inevitably watched over every crumbling Elvehn ruin they passed.

This effigy was small, not even the size of the mabari Cullen adopted. Reclining, relaxed, wrapped in creeping vines that almost obscured the ancient mica-flecked gray stone.

“Superstitious indeed,” she chuckled to herself then settled the tattered basket between his forepaws.

Stepping back, she prayed at a whisper, “Keep safe, my heart. Seek life.”

We will meet again, the murmurs of the ancient forest seemed to speak for her, and perhaps for him.

“You loved him, didn’t you?”

Elanna turned. Her cousin Tenalevrin stood at the edge of the ruins where their clan was still setting up camp. The look in her eyes—eerie green as deep as Arlathan, as deep as the fade—was almost accusatory.

‘Loved’? The way Tenalevrin said it, it was almost a curse, a burden—a thing distant.

Elanna tilted her head in a small nod. An admission.

“I knew it,” Tenalevrin smirked yet shook her head, “At first, I thought it was a Lavellan thing, to leave flower offerings for Fen’harel, but when I asked father, he said not. And the way you always talk about him…”

“Well,” Elanna shrugged, spreading her arms wide, “you’ve found me out.” But everything in her being writhed to be out of the suddenly judgmental gaze of the younger woman.

Tenalevrin strode closer, all the while keeping her back turned away from the wolf statue like so many others in the clan did.

“You were the Inquisitor, you had his magic orb, of course he wanted to take you in, chew you up with whatever tricksy purpose her had with the veil,” she glanced at the mouth of the statue for emphasis, “and then spit you out again when your purpose was over. I thought you were smart! I can’t believe a cousin of mine fell for Fen’Harel, of all things.”

“It wasn’t like that at all!” Elanna protested. How could Tenalevrin know any of that.

“Wasn’t it?” Tenalvrin demanded in a whisper as she closed the distance between them. “You said he left you as soon as your broke his orb defeating that ancient magister, and when you saw him again, he took your magic-marked hand and disappeared. It sounds to me like that’s all he ever wanted.”

Elanna’s face flushed, hot with a tangle of emotions. “All you have is assumptions, rumors, and what I told you,” Elanna spat, much louder than she meant to. “How can you presume to know so much about the private thoughts of my heart—or of his?” Her flush deepened and her chest ached as she stepped back. Leaves whispered beneath her feet.

Her cousin’s gaze drifted away, catching on the Dread Wolf statue behind Elanna. “Then tell me, Hah’ren.” Only five years Elanna’s junior, the utterance of respect was as close to an apology as Tenalevrin was likely to give.

Blowing out a long breath to calm herself, Elanna measured each word more carefully, “Later, I’ll tell you the whole of it if you want—I know how you like stories, but The man you call Fen’Harel was nothing but kind to me. Another elf in the Shemlens’ realm. Solas was always gentle, joyous, and even nervous around me. I have no doubt of his love, or of mine.”

A familiar curiosity danced in Tenalevrin’s eyes, but it was more tentative than most nights around the cookfire.

“Solas was nothing like the stories of a malicious trickster that our People sometimes tell.” Elanna glanced once more at the misshapen basked of flowers left as an offering—a gift, no, a promise. “Maybe it’s time I start setting that record right.”

[totally-italy]

Honestly, I'm hyped to find another Just Add Magic fan on here, it's one of my face obscure shows, and if you don't really mind, I'd like to rant about the parallels between the original protectors and the main three.

At first glance, the parallels seem obvious. Kelly parallels her grandmother, Hannah Miss Silvers and , although it doesn't match up with the other two, Mama P with Darbie.

However, looking at the shows events more deeply showcases a more subversive take.

First off, I think that Miss Silvers parallels Darbie.

Despite how different the two seem, they are both very passionate about an art, Darbie with theatre and Miss Silvers with piano. They both share the magic with a non protector friend, although in Miss Silvers case, it backfired. They both have a high amount of empathy, and both of them scream neurodivergent to me Darbie with ADHD and Miss Silvers with autism. They also seem more likely to use the magic for 'frivolous' things, it's a novelty to them.

Next up, Hannah and Becky, Kelly's grandmother. They both care strongly about their friendships, and are cautious with the magic as opposed to the others, who use it as a means to an end, or as a fun way to make life simpler. They both are used by Chuck to bring back his sister Rose, even though he was successful with Becky and not Hannah. They both care deeply about thier friends and family, to the point where they sacrifice their own well being.

And my personal favourite: Mama P and Kelly.

At first, Kelly seems like the typical leader character stereotype, but it's later shown that she is the most morally grey of the group. She will do anything, literally anything, to achieve her goals. She's marginally obsessed with magic, and although she cares about only a few people, she would kill for them. Sound familiar? Mama P matches that description, although her and Kelly have different goals, they show ambition throughout the show. Also, when chuck arrived first, during the OCs protectership, he targeted Mama Ps father. When he returned, he targets Kelly's father.

They have one track minds, and can't quite seem to grasp the consequences of their actions entirely.

Okay lol sorry about how long this was, I've been rotating it in my head for a while

Hank you for reading if you did!

Oh my gods, I actually had to start writing this comment before reading the entire ask, but I absolutely agree with your point about neurodivergence, particularly with Darbie, because she gives me such ADHD vibes and, as I was re-watching it this time, I honestly really felt that she mirrors some of my own experiences as a self-diagnosed ADHDer. Also, though I don't know if I actually thought about it as deeply, I really do think that Miss Silvers is autistic and I thank you for bringing it to my attention!

Also, I really agree with what you were saying about Kelly and Mama P because, though I think Kelly she be cut some slack due to her youth and her being literally poisoned by the magic, she is very similar to Mama P and I don't think it is a coincidence that Mama P particularly wanted to teach Kelly. Also, considering how close Kelly is with her grandmother, I think it also makes sense that Mama P would try to manipulate her (and actually succeeded) with regards to the Pluot Festival.

I feel like the connection between Hannah and Becky is a little bit more obscure, but it is definitely accurate, particularly if you consider the fact that, in Season 1, Hannah covered for Kelly but then snitched on her, and Becky did the same thing in the last season, after finding Kelly's earrings. Also, though I don't agree with Becky trying to get rid of the book and I don't feel like Hannah would have done the same, she clearly does demonstrates the same unwillingness for her own friendships to deteriorate and tries to serve as the mediator a lot.

On the other hand, if you remember the first episode in which they created the bitter truth truffles, wherein Darbie and Hannah admitted that they probably wouldn't be friends if it weren't for Kelly, I think that in itself does create a link between Kelly and her own grandmother, since both originally serve as links between their friends.

I honestly really agree with pretty much everything that you said, though I don't think I had actually ever thought about it that deeply, so thank you for allowing me to analyse it further and for sharing your own perspective on it!

For the record, you absolutely do not have to apologise and I have actually made way longer posts than that before (namely my 1347 word rant about Greek Mythology).

If I might ask, have you seen Mystery City and, if so, what do you think about it? Also, have you ever seen Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra?

[rosietrace]

「 You & I ≠ Always 」

⊱────────────────────⊰

Central Character(s) ; 『 Sumeragi Yuuta, “The Golden Rule” 』 | 『 “Rei-Rei”, “The Secret Silly Symphony 』

Others ; Octavia Fortunato | “Rei-Rei’s” Dad

Mentioned ; Inafuku Kenshō | Jamil Viper

Pairing(s) ; Yuuta & “Rei-Rei” (Platonic) | Yuuta & Octavia (Platonic) | Octavia & Jamil (Implied)

【 This is a short story important to the central character's story; All Ocs belong to their respective owners and will be credited at the end. 】

Synopsis: “Time is an illusion that helps things make sense; It seems unforgiving when a good thing ends; but You and I will always be back then.”

Warning(s): Angst hours, implied child abuse, bullying, the concept of ‘change’, shockingly longer than I thought, kinda projecting on some parts but let's not go into that, I apologize so much for this 😭 (it gets sorta wholesome at the end)

【 IMPORTANT NOTE: The characters of “Rei-Rei” and “Octavia” are by @/jasdiary, and are currently unreleased. Some details will remain vague until their eventual release. 】

[ Apologies for any out of character moments ]

⊱────────────────────⊰

⊱────────────────────⊰

“Alright, you two, times up.”

Having put a stop to a bloodbath of a pillow fight, Yuuta's frown was more akin to a pout; whereas Rei-Rei, still filled with adrenaline and feeling a bit too energetic to go to bed just yet, whined and flopped down on to her stomach on the bed.

Her father smiled, shaking his head and stepping into the room. “C'mon, Lucky Rabbit…” he picked her up in his arms, tucking her and Yuuta into bed.

“But dad!” Rei-Rei exclaimed, her voice righteous and fierce. “Me and Yuu haven't even finished pillow fighting!”

Her father rolled his eyes playfully, stroking her hair. “I know, Rabbit, but it's past your bedtime… and I already extended it for long enough.”

“Please, Mr. Rei-Rei’s Dad?” Yuuta pleaded shyly; he didn't know why, but he always felt more shy around his friend's father— at least, more shy than he already was. That odd sense of familiarity was no doubt strange to then eight year old Yuuta, who kept his then seven years old best friend in the dark about it.

Rei-Rei's father stared at Yuuta, his eyes soft. There it was again, that odd wave of familiarity, of nostalgia, as they locked eyes; even Rei-Rei, oblivious to that odd connection, tilted her head in curiosity.

Her father sighed softly, stroking Yuuta's head as well. “Maybe next time, Mouse… I can't let you two sleep too late.”

Rei-Rei pouted. “But dad-!”

She felt a swift tap of her nose, courtesy of the pad of her father's index finger. “Ah, ah, ah, young lady. Don't complain too much, now, I'll let you two stay up until midnight next time.”

“But next time could be ages!” Rei-Rei groaned, sitting up to stare up at her father with an adorable frown. “Yuuta's mom won't even let me go to his house!”

“Well, Rei, you know Mrs. Kenshō and her husband are very…” Rei-Rei's father trailed from his sentence, trying to find the right words without offending Yuuta's parents; who weren't even in the room with them.

“... Private. They're very private people, Rei.”

At the mention of his adopted mother, Yuuta seemingly sunk deeper into the mattress, obscuring the lower half of his face with a creased forehead.

Inafuku Kenshō wasn't what one would call pleasant. At least, not in the spectrum of raising a child she and her husband found off of the streets; Yuuta's relationship with both his parents was almost completely sterile.

They gave him whatever he wanted, but what good did that bring when the thing he really wanted was to spend time with either of them? And not in the way where he'd end up with handprints on his face, the blood rushing to the area to form an angry red.

No amount of materialism could prevent Yuuta from still feeling that sting, every now and again.

Rei-Rei's father let out a soft breath, shaking whatever thoughts he had away. Literally. He stood from the edge of his daughter's bed, kissing the top of both her and Yuuta's heads.

“I'll wake you two up tomorrow.”

Right before he was about to leave, Rei-Rei asked one more question: “Can you make onigiri for breakfast?”

That surprised a laugh out of her father. A soft, gut-wrenching laugh that made Yuuta think of the unlikely scenario he'd made up in it his head; that it were Rei-Rei's father raising him alongside his daughter and that, instead of bandaging his own wounds, Rei-Rei's father would bandage them himself.

Yuuta liked playing what-if, because of those scenarios. Scenarios that'll never become reality; even if he wished his hardest at the evening stars.

Shutting off the lights, the man smiled down at the two of them one last time, his only response to Rei-Rei's request being a small nod.

Finally, with the close of the door, Rei-Rei's father bid them good night— seemingly anticipating that the two balls of energy wouldn't truly be ‘asleep’; at least, not until their energy had saded.

The very moment her father closed the door, Rei-Rei peaked one eye open, listening closely for the footsteps of her father slowly getting farther and farther away.

She turned, lightly nudging Yuuta. “Psst! Yuuta!”

Yuuta's eyes opened. “Is he gone?”

She took one look back at the door, then at him, and nodded. “I think so!”

They both sat up with their backs against the headboard of Rei-Rei's twin sized bed. Taking a quick second to reach her hand beneath the bed, Rei-Rei took out a bag of potato chips she'd presumably been saving for what was currently past midnight. A post-midnight snack, if you will.

Carefully opening it without potentially waking anyone walking by — whether it be Rei-Rei's mother or father, it didn't matter — the two made the call that eating potato chips while it was way past their expected bedtime to be… a very bad idea.

Which they gladly took upon regardless of the consequences that could occur if they got caught!

They talked for what felt like an eternity, their conversations switching from different topics like clockwork; from theme parks, to junk food, to school life.

With school as their current subject, Rei-Rei began to ask Yuuta, “what do you think it'll be like?”

Puzzled, Yuuta replied with, “what what will be like?”

“Y'know!” Rei-Rei giggled, poking his shoulder with a cheeky smile. “Graduation! A new school!”

Yuuta and Rei-Rei were only eight and seven, respectively. And while that might've implied that they were one school year apart, they were born on the same year, only a few months apart.

With a purse of his lips, Yuuta didn't see much of the point on why his friend could bother with that kind of question. It wasn't like their elementary graduation was anywhere near— they still had a few more years to go before that could happen.

“I… I don't know.” He gave her a small shrug, tossing another potato chip into his mouth and chewing on it as quietly as he could manage.

“But aren't you cu… curi… curious? Curious!” Rei-Rei had the kind of smile that Yuuta would deem, ‘infectuous’. In a good way.

“I mean,”— Yuuta wiped his sour cream powdered hands with his pajamas, then went on to reach out and undo Rei-Rei's braids—“I guess a little.. what would it be like?”

“Dunno!” she flopped her head down on Yuuta's lap, closing her eyes while he undid her braids. Not quite tired, yet not nearly as energized as she was before.

“I just know it's gonna be… different. Would it be a good different?”

“I don't know…”

“Hmm… well, I want it to be a good different.”

As Yuuta laid down beside her, they both wrapped each other's arms into a hug. Rei-Rei let her head rest on Yuuta's shoulder.

“I wanna go to the same junior school as you,” Rei-Rei decreed, her voice soft, on the verge of a yawn.

“You do?” Yuuta had always assumed that he'd see Rei-Rei less and less as time went on, after graduating from elementary; until it would go to a point where he'd never see her at all.

“Mhm..” Rei-Rei snuggled closer, letting out a yawn. “You're my best friend, Yuu.”

Then, came the emotionally wrecking addition to that declaration that almost made a dam of emotion collapse onto Yuuta's being.

“And I don't want that to change.”

⊱───────────────⊰

Yuuta still stood at the entrance of his now, former elementary school. His certificate in one hand, Rei-Rei's hand in the other.

It was Rei-Rei and her parents that accompanied him to the school for graduation; his father was too busy with business investments, and his mother… he didn't know.

As Rei-Rei's mother took her away, thus slipping Rei-Rei's hand away from Yuuta's while she fussed about the current messiness of her daughter's tear-soaked face— her father bent down to Yuuta's level.

“You okay?” Rei-Rei's father asked him, a comforting hand on Yuuta's shoulder.

No, Yuuta answered in his head, I'm not.

Graduating from elementary hit Yuuta harder than he thought it would. All those memories, the teachers he'd grown attached to, many of the friends he made— most of, if not all of those, would end after the ceremony.

And it did. As everyone else had left the school hours ago to celebrate, Yuuta felt insistent on staying for just a moment longer. As if to grasp at straws to all those memories for as long as they could before he'd have to let go.

He sniffled, looking down with a small shake of his head. Even if he didn't voice his reply to Rei-Rei's father, Yuuta knew that the man crouching beside him was a very observant person.

He gave the best advice, Yuuta believed. When his own father wasn't around, Rei-Rei's father would pick Yuuta up to and from school.

Yuuta felt welcome every time he got the chance to visit Rei-Rei's house. He felt safe there in a way he never was in his own home. Like he belonged there, in a way he never felt in his home.

Rei-Rei's father stared at Yuuta, his brows furrowing in worry. He pulled Yuuta into a hug, and that was when Yuuta felt safe enough to cry.

“I'm-” Yuuta didn't like crying; his father always told him crying was only a waste of time. “I'm sorry—”

“Don't be…” Rei-Rei's father pulled him closer, resting his chin on the top of Yuuta's head and rubbing his back in as comforting of a manner as he could.

“You should never be ashamed to cry, Yuuta… it's just a part of being human.”

While her mother fussed about her messy hair, her dirty uniform, and her tear-soaked face, Rei-Rei stared sadly at Yuuta.

She always thought herself as the kind of girl that could fill silences. The kind that could brighten a room no matter the circumstance, and in turn, the people in that room who were having a less than pleasant mood.

But with Yuuta… she never wanted to think about it too much, but she always found it hard to comfort Yuuta.

Words never formed even when she wanted them to. She could only manage bringing Yuuta into a hug and telling him that it'll all work out in the end— it was always him that did the comforting, never her.

All she could do was to only hope for the best. For both her, Yuuta, and their friendship. And that it could last for as long as they lived.

⊱───────────────⊰

Why did it have to turn out like this?

Rei-Rei asked that question over, and over, and over again in her head; her twin-braided hair soaked in dirty water, her body shaking, and every single one of the more recent stitches reopening and bleeding out.

Four people stood in front of her: two twins, both of them boys, one girl, and the one that pained her the most— Yuuta.

He was the one holding the bucket that was dropped over her head. She smelled of dirty school bathroom water, but all she could think about was: Why? What happened?

One of the twins snickered. “Look at her, she's crying!” Rei-Rei didn't realize the tears were flooding out until they were pointed out.

The other twin snickered with their brother. “What else is new? She's the school crybaby.”

The girl took out a pair of scissors, smiling widely — far too widely — at Rei-Rei's hair. She'd been growing it out for the better part of two years since elementary graduation… and she figured that now, it wouldn't be as long as it was for any longer.

Before the girl could even take a step closer, Yuuta stopped her, his hand gripping her wrist.

A ray of hope flashed in Rei-Rei's eyes. A small sliver, pleading with Yuuta before things could escalate with nothing but the eye contact they currently shared.

Yuuta's body was stiff, rigid. His grip tightened around the girl's wrist, making her squeal. “Y-Yuuta-!! Your hand-!”

“Sorry,” Yuuta said with a newfound lack of emotion Rei-Rei had realized, all too late, fit him far too well.

“But we shouldn't cut her hair.”

“Huh??” One twin’s jaw went slightly slack.

The other twin was outright outraged. “What the hell?? But it'd be so funny!!”

“And?” Yuuta shoved the bucket into the younger twin's chest, then locked eyes with Rei-Rei after pulling her hair up.

“She's already so…” his nose crinkled, his teeth bared in disgust. “Y'know what I mean?”

A swift push later, Rei-Rei was back on the ground, drenched in dirty water, her braids flimsy and undone; all her recent stitches reopened.

When she looked up, she hoped — if only for a moment — that she'd see a hint of regret from Yuuta. Any regret, any guilt; anything that could make her forgive him.

But he already turned his back on her, laughing with the rest of his new ‘friends’, before they all ran off to do God knows what.

Weakly, she sat up, looking down at herself. She knew nothing about those kids, not even their names, but she knew one thing. Because of them, her hopes were crushed.

Yuuta's changed. She missed him and who he used to be. But she lost him, too.

⊱───────────────⊰

Yuuta lost her. He lost Rei-Rei, and he was already beginning to slowly forget the details of her face. The color of her eyes.

Her smile.

His grip on the stuffed rabbit tightened unknowingly, his jaw clenched.

Most of everyone in Ramshackle were off on their own devices. Whatever they were doing, it wasn't important to him— not as important as trying to remember for even a moment, a semblance of what he could reminisce about Rei-Rei.

The laughs they shared, the memories they made; the good, the bad. The ones that made him smile in nostalgia, and the ones that made him want to punch through a wall out of sheer regret.

He remembered the day he started noticing her going to school less and less, until she just stopped coming. And once she stopped, it didn't take Yuuta long to finally come to terms with how shitty he'd treated her.

Maybe it was a courtesy, he thought to himself, staring down at the stuffed rabbit in his hands with a dark expression on his face. she's far, far away from me now.

And that's for the bes—

“Yuuta?”

He, very uncharacteristically, yelped, throwing the stuffed rabbit to the side and whipped his head toward the source of the voice.

His eyes narrowed into slits once he processed who called out to him.

“Octavia,” Yuuta crossed his arms, arching a conspicuous brow. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, nothin',” Octavia had a habit of acting very cartoonishly. Almost every single thing she did, or said, reminded Yuuta of all the old cartoon reruns he and Rei-Rei would watch as children.

Octavia herself reminded him far too much of Rei-Rei. The girl she used to be to him, far more than anyone else in Ramshackle.

“It's clearly somethin',” Yuuta drawled, the two of them circling each other in his room like two cowboys preparing to duel at high noon. Ridiculous.

Octavia chortled, batting her eyelashes innocently with clasped hands. “What makes you think that?”

Yuuta found it best not to go along with whatever antics she had planned by continuing that subject. Instead, he switched it by asking, “shouldn't you be with Jamil?”

Damn it. Even the sound of Jamil's name on his tongue irritated Yuuta, almost as much as the thought of Octavia spending time with the guy who was damn near close to killing them during the winter break.

Octavia sighed solemnly, the back of her hand melodramatically placed on her forehead. “He is, apparently, too busy with another party in Scarabia…”

“And that stopped you?”

“Nope!”

This girl, I swear. “And…?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted to… y'know..” he did not seem to, in fact, know. When Octavia realized that, she made a bunch of wild and frustratingly vague gestures with her hands.

Frustrated, Yuuta just said what she wanted to convey. “You want me to come with you?”

“Exactly!” Octavia beamed at him. For some reason, it hit Yuuta, hard.

With a gentle sigh, Yuuta conceded. He didn't say much, or anything at all. He gave her a nod, taking her hand to let her have a quick twirl right before Octavia laughed like an animated madwoman and dragged him to Scarabia at the speed of light.

Octavia wasn't stupid, however. Bubbly, cartoonish, with a heart full of snark? Sure, but not stupid.

Yuuta had the habit of staring at her for extended consecutive periods of time. As if he were remembering a time where things were simpler, and the cruel realities of the world — even in a world like Twisted Wonderland — weren't plaguing them in their thoughts.

Oh, if only he knew. Octavia didn't know if he knew. Maybe he forgot.

But she certainly didn't.

⊱────────────────────⊰

【 Taglist / Credits 】

↳ In order of OC appearances/mentions

“Rei-Rei” — @jasdiary

Octavia Fortunato — @/jasdiary

Sumeragi Yuuta — Me 😈

|| @starry-night-rose || @authoruio || @nem0-nee || @fumikomiyasaki || @sakuramidnight15 || @hallowed-delights / @terrovaniadorm || @twsted-princess || @mystery-skulls-ghost || @absolutelyobsessedkiya / @twistedsongstressofstarz || @valse-a-mille-temps || @shrimpnetwrk ||

[green-ray-blog1]

Troll MDZS AU (part 3 - end)

The look of betrayal in WWX's eyes when he lies paralyzed at the bottom of his cave almost makes WN avert his eyes. Ever since he came out of the haze, in this very place, it's been like borrowed time, like it'd been happening to someone else, yet he'd made himself a believer, and that time had been the best in his life. WQ was furious when she learned about JZX's death. She'd thrown a balm pot she'd inherited from her great grandfather against a wall. He'd never seen her handle it with less than both hands. Now, she's calmly explaining to WWX's horrified, panicked eyes how she's going to give herself up - along with WN - to the Jin. He seems to be attempting to struggle, or at least, that's what WN gets from the minute movement of his brow. They just stare at each other for a minute, before WQ leans over his face, her hair drawn like a curtain, then, as she stands back up, revealing a reddish messy bruise of teeth marks over WWX'S mouth. Maybe WN makes a face, because when she meets his eyes, she stops biting her lower lip, narrows her eyes at him then swiftly looks away. On the way to Carp Tower, they'll talk about other things, and if they don't he wouldn't tell.

She'd been outsmarted again. JYL'd felt so smart, inviting her dreaded brother to awkwardly fumble with an adorable toddler. No one would have been able to not picture that again, the next time her father in law tried to rally hostility against him. But WWX always does the impossible, it'd always been his blessing and his curse, and now, she wouldn't even get to know how he'd pull through again, bummer. She should hate him, but she can only muster frustration and worry. She kind of hates herself for not managing anything more interesting, and for not snuggling her face against Jin Ling more, when she had the chance, but she's felt so lonely and tired, since her husband's death, and she can't feel her legs right now, so she thinks she should be excused. While proper hate requires a certain panache, as her mother had demonstrated - or maybe that was just contempt, her thoughts are a bit blurry, she kindly apologizes - and some blood loss could make it stand out, there are... diminishing returns, and she's way past those. Oh, JC's here too, how nice. She'll just have a little nap, now.

Great news! The Yiling Laozi is dead! Who got him? His old martial brother, the famous Sandu Shengshou, of course, didn't you hear? They'd been in a black romance for some time already, since the former's betrayal, but WWX finally went too far. JC embraces the popular sentiment, even if it makes him sick. The narrative buys him little respect, by itself - not that he'd want it anyway - but it buys him fear, which is just as good. As for the truth, it's of use to no one. JC himself cannot tell where it ends and where the lies begin. What WWX wanted... certainly not JYL's death, he loved her too much. Actually loved her. The rest, though, WWX had taken with him. So what is he even grieving for? Well, if it's a black fucking romance WWX wanted, yeah he can do that. The bastard sure did everything he could to deserve JC's hatred. Every time he'd thoughtlessly let JC deal with the consequences, every time he'd denied him even that and never explained himself. So fine, he'll hate him, hate his lying dead ass while he's gone. So what if all he could do with those pitch feelings was chew on them and spit them into the lake ? Maybe if he really committed he could hate him back alive, what if that was the plan? Wouldn't that be funny? It only takes a few years before he hears rumors of a demonic cultivator haunting some obscure village. His heart skips a beat.

WWX's first few weeks coming back from the dead offered tragically little time for self reflection, yet it had been satisfyingly productive ride. No pun intended. Sure, he had gotten himself a beautiful, perfect matesprit out of nowhere, what the hell, but he'd also solved some convoluted plot by people he kind of had little to do with in the first place - well except for NHS... - met shijie's son, found out A-Yuan was alive and well and that WN was not so much alive but well nevertheless, and he'd even tied things up neatly with his dear old shidi JC. That part wasn't a foregone conclusion, as you'd imagine from the rumors of Sandu Shengshou's relentless hunt for demonic cultivators. WWX hadn't meant for JC to cling to this whole kismessis thing. It's just... LWJ gives him an inscrutable look whenever someone mentions it. It takes some coaxing for him to admit that's because WWX blushes. Every time. Ew. He... should go and visit Lotus Pier, one of these days.

[beyondmistland]

Hello! I’m a fan of the Alysanne Maegor-Daughter AU!

I wanted to ask what headcanons you have about the women around Alysanne. Her mother, grandmother, ladies in waiting of the court, her Septa, Maegor’s other wives, etc. Female relationships are a bit lacking in ASOIAF. I hope Alysanne has friends.

I know GRRM took some inspiration from Henry VIII for Maegor’s wives, but sometimes it’s a little hard to see? Ceryse’s definitely Catherine of Aragon. So I imagine her to be well-educated, pious, and a have a strong bond with her daughter. With the other wives it’s a little more surface level stuff connecting them to RL figures.

I'll focus mainly on Ceryse, because she's the one I've thought about the most.

I imagine Ceryse as being highly intelligent and highly opinionated. A woman of culture and learning who can talk circles around most people, including her in-laws.

Given the fact Ceryse is ten years older than Maegor I also imagine she didn't put up with his shenanigans and made it very clear from the beginning she wasn't afraid of him, which I honestly think would have impressed him as much as it would have infuriated him. (There is no doubt in my mind Maegor would have bragged about marrying an older woman.)

Beyond that, I imagine Ceryse as being both very proud (or haughty according to Alyssa Velaryon) and very pious (or zealous again according to Alyssa Velaryon), two traits she would very much inculcate in her daughter and only child. ("You are the blood of Old Valyria AND Oldtown. Dragons bend to your will just as the Citadel and the Starry Sept bend to my father, your grandfather. Don't ever forget that, Alysanne. And don't you EVER let anyone else forget that either.")

Finally, I imagine Ceryse as being very adept when it comes to matters of etiquette and propriety (not unlike Alicent in the future). To use a description I came up with for one of the queens in my discarded epic fantasy setting, The Gray Compendium, "she wields courtesy like a lance and woe to the fool who dares to tilt with her."

I imagine, like Catherine of Aragon, Alysanne was close to her mother and that, by extension, she hated her father's other wives (though the bulk of said hatred would be reserved for Alys Harroway and Tyanna).

I also imagine Ceryse would not fail to surround Alysanne with a court and ladies-in-waiting of her own, as much to give her daughter a support system as to one-up Alyssa Velaryon. Naturally, some of those ladies-in-waiting would be daughters of Hightower vassals or personal friends of Ceryse. (The Velaryons and Hightowers being rivals throughout Targaryen history with the Baratheons occasionally shoving their way in-between is one of my dearer alterations to canon.)

Ceryse would definitely leave behind a treasure trove of correspondence for historians (down with the Citadel's monopoly!) to sift through. (I wouldn't be surprised if Ceryse' septa or even Alysanne herself wrote a biography of Ceryse's life.)

Ceryse and Visenya would have a...queer relationship. (Queer in the original sense of the word.) You wouldn't expect them to get along but they do, even if it isn't exactly the warmest of family ties.

Ceryse HATES Alys Harroway. Part of it is the whole polygamy issue but another aspect I imagine is that Alys and Ceryse are polar opposites with little to nothing in common. Ceryse' idea of comedy is a witty word pun or an obscure bit of religious/historical trivia, Alys' bawdy tavern jokes, the cruder the better. When Ceryse wants to display annoyance or anger her voice drops an octave, Alys will shout at the top of her lungs. Whereas Ceryse always maintains a certain amount of distance (befitting her station in her mind) Alys freely mingles with people of lower rank, even (*gasp*) smallfolk. You won't ever catch Ceryse eating with her hands or breaking a nail but Alys will gather firewood for soldiers on the march and bandage their wounds. On the other hand, Ceryse is the kind of person who prefers to keep her charity secret. Indeed, I imagine what drew Maegor's eye to Alys is that she has the same self-conviction as Ceryse while being otherwise completely different, a novelty Maegor obviously couldn't resist.

Ceryse FEARS Tyanna and for good reason. She sees Tyanna for what Tyanna is. The biggest threat to Alysanne (and Maegor).

I don't have much to say on Jeyne Westerling and Elinor Costayne other than that they both would have liked Alysanne and her them (after some initial frostiness of course).

Thanks for the question, anon

[lady-byleth]

Random fandom switch of the day brought me back to Donten ni Warau and I realized just how fucking shitty the situation is the twins are born into and what especially Isuke (I like the names the movie gave them sm) has to live with

The Fuuma are weakened and in hiding, shinobi having grown mostly obsolete since the end of the Sengoku period and since the story plays at the start of the Meiji period there's the whole Edo period between these events so the Fuuma probably aren't doing great in general even without the ceremony whittling their numbers down cuz work is nonexistent for shinobi

So the Fuuma are a dying clan, desperately clinging to life

And into this the twins are born

But as twins they're considered bad luck and Isame is supposed to be killed but their parents refuse and hide Isame away

They probably manage to get by at first cuz the twins either switch places without anyone noticing until they get caught and Isame has to stay in hiding indefinitely or cuz Isame is always kept hidden and never really has any freedom

Isuke grows up watching his brother suffer cooped up in a cave while he and his parents have to pretend he doesn't exist so despite clearly adoring each other they have very little time together

Meanwhile Isame lives completely shut off from the world and watches his brother lead the life he's always wanted too

All they want is to live openly as a family and be useful to the clan

At the same time the people around them have to constantly kill each other off cuz of the ceremony demanding each potential Fuuma between the ages of 4 and 10 kill someone they care about

Then the ceremony comes around for Isuke and he's forced to kill his own father so now his mother can't look at him anymore

As a chosen candidate for next clan chief Isuke vows to change the Fuuma so his brother and mother can live in peace and cuz no one should have to suffer through the ceremony the current chief insists on

Of course it doesn't take long for Isame to be discovered again, he and their mother are captured and sentenced to death

She tries to save her son but is set on fire and falls off a cliff, Isame tries to save her but Isuke cuts off her hand to save his brother...which is when she smiles at him for the first time since he killed his father

So now Isuke has personally ended the lives of both his parents and is still looking at a clan chief who wants him to kill his brother

Then the chief also kills his best friends for talking back

Anyway, he and Isame kill the chief and now they're the chiefs but the Fuuma are still hanging on by a threat, shinobi are still obsolete, the Orochi is still gone, so what do two deeply traumatized teenagers decide to do?

Bring back the age of shinobi

Because, as the series likes to remind us of, shinobi don't know how to be anything but shinobi, they have no other purpose and were never thought to find another purpose for themselves

But in a world where shinobi are needed, necessary or even in charge there is absolutely no need for the ceremony, no need to hide away from the world, no need to watch their own clan fall apart in obscurity

They'd be free

Isuke, as the driving force in his and Isame's duo, comes up with a plan that will restore everything for the Fuuma and Isame of course happily goes along with it

Except Isuke inserts himself into the Kumo clan and spends 10 years living the way he's always wanted to, with a family that he can openly dote on and he begins to waver

Isame meanwhile has to once again watch his brother live a life he can't be part of

The 4-koma about them really shows he's just a needy little brother who wants Isuke's attention

Isuke gives up everything with the Kumo brothers because his biggest desire is still to give his brother and clan a good life but instead of getting that the Kumo destroy not only his plans but also the very reason the clan exists in the first place and the one thing Isuke had to actually make his dream come true

The Orochi

And to avoid that from happening Isame sacrifices himself

So now Isuke has killed his parents to survive and keep his brother alive, given up on the peaceful life he always wanted for his brother, made himself into the villain and cut all ties for his brother only for his brother to die

And he can't go back to the Kumo either cuz if he leaves the Fuuma to fend for themselves...they, without guidance, will die out for real and everything he's done would be completely in vain

Isame's sacrifice would be in vain

Everything he's ever done since the ceremony, where he was at most 10 years old, would have been completely pointless the second he goes back to the one place he was ever even a little bit happy in

The twins, especially Isuke, were born into a time and place where everything was falling apart around them, a time and place they could not be happy in and had no way out of because thinking as anything other than shinobi was not something they were ever taught, and in trying to fix things they lost what precious little they had instead

In his own words, Kinjou Shirasu is dead and Fuuma Isuke will never smile again

And this is why the twins make me cry every fucking time

The End