#and on some level recognize that he did a horrible thing to her

[mayakern]

If you don't mind sharing, what happened to vanetta's ex Edmund and his new saintess gf?

oh boy, so, a LOT has happened here so BUCKLE UP.

(and here’s a picture of vanetta for context for the maybe 2 other ppl who will read this huge post, which i have tried to summarize)

TLDR: after vanetta “died” and was yeeted into time travel, edmund died and charlotte saved the world. but edmund got brought back… and he came back wrong.

but the full story is so much weirder than that:

the core conceit of this game is that we are time (and place) hopping every time the party levels up, and mostly this is pretty normal—someone who’s from an ancient time visits a future date and finds out their country no longer exists, someone from the future goes to an earlier time and is shocked by the severely lacking technology, etc etc

except for vanetta, who is not from the past or future. she is from a book series. and she has JUST discovered this.

our most recent time hop has taken us to a dystopian capitalist future that takes place in a big mall in outer space (think a combination of tron, zenon: girl of the 21st century, wall-e and other similar media), where our wizard comes from.

and as soon as we materialize there, vanetta is recognized as a “really high quality and authentic cosplayer” of, well. herself. the book series she is from (the briar path) is popular on a level that basically combines twilight, harry potter and the bible all in one. it is fantastically popular, but also pretty old, and also is continually getting remakes and re-releases and right now they are currently making a manga adaptation of it. and it has a very active fanbase that writes a lot of fan fiction. this is, somehow, incredibly plot relevant.

an npc shows vanetta the comic, which currently i think covers 2 of the books in the series, and it shows her being depicted as basically your typical shallow, unsympathetic villainess character. and it depicts her death: the moment when, on the ramparts of the palace she was meant to preside over, she is faced with an angry mob seeking her death on one side and the crown prince (edmund, her former fiance) and charlotte (the saintess, his new woman, who in the fiction of the book was isekai’d into the world of the briar path) on the other side. vanetta climbs onto the rampart and makes a big impassioned speech (aka a villain monologue) about how pathetic and horrible they all are and when charlotte makes a swipe at her, vanetta chooses to let it unbalance her, forcing charlotte to live on with the guilt of her death.

only, the real vanetta doesn’t die. she gets yeeted out of time and space with three other time travelers. and our story continues

anyway, back to present day, the manga adaptation has just reached the part of the series where edmund dies—something vanetta did not know about. but just because he died in the book doesn’t mean he died in real life.

see, edmund had some pretty devoted fans. and one of them, who thought edmund was robbed by the narrative, got into some ancient, evil magics and combining this with the immense power of FAN FICTION, he tried to bring edmund out of the novel and into real life, and in the process ended up fusing with him and also with a force called The Hunger, a roiling miasma of despair that was the ultimate evil in the novels.

and so they all fused together and became a new thing. a god. in fact, our yuan-ti paladin’s snake god. who uhh subjugates and eats all non-snake people. the creation of this god also uhh was a huge cataclysm that basically started the earth apocalypse that lead to everyone ending up in the sky.

vanetta has JUST managed to secure annotated copies of the entire series that include academic commentaries and notes on historical context and the first chance she gets she is reading them so hopefully i’ll get more info soon lol

[bookshelf-in-progress]

Maybe the truth at the heart of Shadowstruck is the importance of family. Because the most compelling stories in this universe are about what happens when you tell parents that some of their children have no right to their love, care, and protection. It destroys what should be the strongest and most natural bonds of love, and that simple horrible thing leads to all the complicated problems in their oppressive society.

[obito-in-disguise]

| Arranged marriage! Itachi x reader |

-Itachi's secret is out.

Part 3 to this

“tachi! tachi!” ever since she informed him of her boss’s atrocious actions, Itachi had spaced out in anger. His mind was running a million miles an hour thinking of all the horrible things he was going to do to that boss of hers for laying a finger on his wife. “Itachi!” his eyes snap back to hers, he didn’t realize he had zoned out. He takes in a deep breath grasping her shoulders and pulling her closer, “He did what?” “He touched me…here” her hand reaches up to the collar of her button up shirt, pulling the fabric aside to show her cleavage. What he saw made Itachi’s face flush with white hot anger, a large bruise in the hazy shape of a man’s handprint marked her right breast. “He groped my chest so I hit him but it hurt my hand and then...” Itachi had stopped listening at this point, his rage deafening him.

He jumps to feet without sparing another minute, grabbing his cloak and storming towards the door. His destination? Her office. His mission? To teach the head of the intelligence department a lesson on respecting women. She didn’t need to be told, Y/N knew exactly what Itachi was going to do and as much as she would love to see Itachi pummel the sleeze that touched her, there were things at stake. “Itachi please don’t! I’ll lose my job!” she chases after him frantically as he crosses the distance to the front door in long strides. “Stay here” the look on his face is murderous, it doesn’t leave any room for argument.

She sits on the step of the foyer in resignation and panic, she was totally going to lose her job which contrary to popular opinion, she didn’t get through her connections to her grandfather but through her hard work. She already socked her boss in the face this afternoon and now, her husband was on his way to fold him in half as well. Great just great. She had clawed her way to her current position at work, it took years of enduring slander and proving herself to reach the level she has now. She knew the man had harassed her, and that there was no reason for her to want to keep it on the low. But, the sad reality is that things rarely go well for victims of work place harassment when they speak out against their aggressor.

The entire room was in chaos, papers were strewn around, furniture scattered and the workers of the intelligence department left in shock as they watched the famed Uchiha Itachi of the anbu walk into their office calmly, and dislocate their boss’ jaw with a punch that sent the intoxicated man halfway across the room. A collection of gasps and screams could be heard as his body crashes through furniture and eventually skidds to a stop. Itachi simply steps over the furniture and objects in his path before heading towards his target again.

By this time, the remaining workers left in the office are yelling for Itachi to stop while others leave to get help. Itachi pays none of them mind as he gracefully lifts the man up from the ground up by his throat “What kind of animal would grope a woman so hard it leaves a bruise?” his voice is eerily calm and menacing, Itachi wants him to feel shame for his actions. The room is dead quiet now, Itachi glances around and notes the looks of unease on some of the women’s faces. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this boss of theirs was a serial harasser, but unfortunately for him, he crossed the wrong woman and her husband today.

Itachi recognizes the man, Sei Fujioka, the newly appointed head of konoha’s intelligence agency. He had met him several times during missions, he seemed like any other regular person, Itachi would’ve never guessed the despicable things he was doing to women in his workplace. “Most of these women standing here today are the backbone of this disgraceful agency. They strive and suffer, putting in more effort than you could ever muster but yet you bury their efforts and blame their success on nepotism and privilege” Fujioka gapes at Itachi not knowing what to say, the pressure on his neck is almost unbearable and he has to support his weight by occasionally kicking his feet, his cheek stings both from Y/N’s hit earlier and Itachi’s this evening, but nothing compares to the sting of shame he feels.

He knows Itachi’s words are the truth, he found pleasure in keeping the women in the agency under his feet and harassing them because he knew they couldn’t speak out easily but, he certainly wasn’t going to be convicted to change his ways because Uchiha Itachi gave him a speech. However, being pummeled and called out like this in front of all the people he dehumanized over the years definitely achieved Itachi’s goal of making him feel the same humiliation he repeatedly subjected his victims to.

The leaf’s police arrive soon after and take down the details of what happened, with the help of a respected member of the anbu like itachi’s confrontation and testimony, the women were finally able to come out and testify against Fujioka for his crimes against them. That evening Sei Fujioka was led away from the building in handcuffs to jail, where he would await his trial for multiple counts of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in the workplace.

It had been at least two hours since Itachi left and Y/N was worried sick. At one point, she considered going down there herself but the thought of seeing her boss’ face again so soon after what he did to her made her sick, so here she was waiting for Itachi to return. She was no longer worried about losing her job, what good was staying at a job that put your physical and mental state in jeopardy, now she was more concerned about her husband’s safety. Itachi was more than capable of handling himself but still, she couldn’t help but be worried. She must have been deep in thought because she didn’t notice Itachi had come in till he was standing in front of her, he smiles at her lack of awareness before reaching out a hand to gently shake her out of her thoughts. Her heart drops in fear as she realizes Itachi has been here for a while now, she chuckles clutching her heart as she calms down from the fright. Itachi wastes no time in recounting the events that happened upon his arrival at the office.

Tears gather in her eyes as she watches him speak. If she wasn’t sure she loved him, she was sure now. This man in front of her singlehandedly went to her office in the middle of the night, beat the crap out of her boss for touching her, and put an end to the years of systemic harassment her and her coworkers faced all in one night. She tackles him into a hug, causing him to stumble as he quickly recovers, hugging her back with just as much vigor. “I love you tachi”

Itachi’s eyes widen as he feels his heart drop into his stomach, he got so carried away with their little love story he completely forgot the implications of his health on their relationship. Please don’t love me, it’ll only hurt worse when I have to leave. Itachi sighs pulling her face out of his chest “I’m sorry about earlier Y/N, when I first met you, I too accused you of nepotism, if I had known what was going on in your workplace I wouldn’t-“ “Its ok Itachi, trust me you’re nothing like that asshole” she hugs him once again but as soon as she does, her smile drops. Only a fool would miss how he didn’t say I love you back, she decides to drop it for tonight, maybe he didn’t hear her but If she told him she loves him again and he didn’t respond then she would definitely probe further.

“ow-owwwww it hurts!” “Of course it hurts, you hurt you pretty hand because of that disgrace of a man, you should’ve left the hitting to me” Itachi comments as he cleans up her busted knuckles on the bathroom counter. “He deserved it” “of course he did but you got even more hurt in the process, come straight to me next time ok flower?” Itachi finishes up with the cleaning and swiftly wraps the hand in a bandage, placing a small kiss on it to ‘seal his love’ he would always say. He leaves her on the counter before disappearing into the room to retrieve one of his shirts for her to change into. He returns a few minutes later and hands her the shirt.

For one reason or the other, they hadn’t done the dirty yet so she definitely felt shy changing in front of him. Usually she would ask him to turn around but today she was far too exhausted, so she let her hands start to undo the button up. She glances at Itachi to see if he would look away but he stares intensely instead. She chuckles too tired to feel shy as she throws the button up off her shoulders leaving her bare before him. Itachi’s demeanor darkens as the bruise Fujioka left on her chest comes into view again.

He can feel his anger coming back but suppresses it for her sake, she must be extremely tired. His hand reaches to cup the boob where the bruise was located, gently caressing the bruised skin. His inspection goes on for minutes and she squirms under his attention feeling exposed, Itachi notices her squirming but his need to make sure she’s ok greatly outweighs her shyness. He sighs as he finally pulls his hand away “we’ll get some ointment for this tomorrow ok?” he reaches for the shirt he brought to pull over her head when he suddenly grabs his chest. He cries out in pain as he vision blurs, he can feel the familiar tightening of his respiratory tract followed by the inevitable spew of blood from his inflamed blood vessels. Y/N watches in horror as Itachi collapses to the ground holding his mouth, blood spilling from through his fingers.

“Itachi!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Pt 4 out nowww

The long awaited part three ya'll, even though it's just been 3 days. Sei Fujioka may or may not represent a man I used to work for but this chapter is dedicated to all the women who have faced harassment in our workplaces just by virtue of being a woman, you are not alone♡♡

Also, the next chapter will be the last, will it have a happy ending? Will it have a heart stabbingly sad ending? Stay tuned to find out!!!

Enjoyed the story? check out more of my other Naruto fics and more stories! Requests are open! and don't forget to leave a like, comment or reblog pookie♡

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Full hcs for the m6 with an MC that has chronic pain (I looked through the masterlists and didn't find anything, but it's totally possible that I missed something O///O)

The Arcana HCs: MC with chronic pain

Julian

He devotes his full care and attention to every person in need of a doctor he meets and you are about to get 200% of that

Will do a full examination as soon as you're able to talk to him about it. Give him your medical history, past diagnoses, personal opinions, potential causes, and any other detail you have

Listens to every word, writing them all down so intensely that his handwriting is even less legible than usual

In the moment, there's not much he can do beyond suggesting a few alternate ways of handling it and covering you with kisses and careful, all-encompassing sympathetic hugs

In the long run, chronic pain starts to rival (if not surpass) hematology as his field of study and expertise. Pain management does get easier over time as he learns and applies more

It has also changed how he speaks about pain

The earliest example of which was when he told you that he was "intimately acquainted" with it and you misinterpreted that as him saying that he suffers from it too - you still tease him for that

Your biggest medical advocate & never loses sympathy for you

Asra

They didn't really know how much you suffered from it until your first weeks back, and then they watched as you had to relearn how to live with it. To call it nightmarish would be an understatement

So, so, so many pain easing spells and potions. His collection was already impressive for Nadia's migraines but now it's tripled

Curious to the point of almost seeming insensitive about the sensations you experience. They did, with your permission, try linking to you enough to take them on once

He didn't like it. He can handle physical discomfort well enough but he hates it with a passion and this was a horrible realization

Thoughtful and protective of your right to comfort and access to accommodation, to the point that you sometimes have to remind them that you really can handle it

Asks you every morning and through the day how your pain levels are and will adjust accordingly. Bad pain day? Leave the shop to him, here are some meds, he'll bring you breakfast in a bit

Has been known to use pain transfer spells on rude customers during your flareups - it's two birds with one stone!

Nadia

Had a hunch that it was something you experienced from the moment she met you, if only because she was dealing with constant migraines at the time and recognized the pain

Does her best to hide it from you because she doesn't want to make your pain about herself, but gets frustrated beyond measure about it. She's a fixer, and this is something she can't just fix

She does everything she can for you, of course - opening the Palace doors to anyone with knowledge on the subject, stocking up and giving you access to all of her pain management methods

But it still gnaws at her when she knows you're having a bad pain day and the most she can do is encourage you to rest and have your meals sent to you and try to get extra time to spend with you

Even more proud of you than you can tell (which is very proud). Living in pain the way you do is no easy thing and that pain being largely "invisible" only adds to what you must be going through

Very respectful of your needs. It doesn't matter if she doesn't understand why you need something right away, if you need it, you need it

Muriel

It's not something he'll confess to until you're close enough and he's comfortable admitting it, but he has his own chronic pain from his Coliseum injuries. It's not constant, but it flares up regularly

A poorly healed fracture in his wrist. Some mangled nerve endings from blunt force trauma to his ribs. A wrenched knee that never fully healed and keeps coming back like a sprain

There's another layer to the days he spends hiding in bed, lifting nothing heavier than his tiny carving tools

He never really got much medical attention when the injuries were fresh and he certainly hasn't gotten any for the pain since, but he'll share all the knowledge on natural medicine he has

And nobody knows how physical pain can get into your head like he does. He doesn't always know what to say, but he is dedicated to listening when you're struggling and helping where he can

A little slower at accepting support for his own pain (it's months, if not years, before he's comfortable with being seen for it by a doctor) but he's with you every step of the way. You're not alone

Portia

Portia is excruciatingly empathetic to you and this is not something easy for her to understand or relate to

Pain? Physical pain?? Which you can't control, or point to an obvious/visible/curable source for??? How do you not act like you're in constant pain? How have you not found a cure?

(To say that she cringes when she remembers peppering you with these questions is an understatement. What matters is that she learned and she never doubted you for a second)

She still has difficulty fully comprehending what you're going through, but once she's dragged you to her brother and gotten some action items to follow up with, supporting you gets easier

Checks in with you several times a day on schedule and keeps a list of useful questions to ask so she can understand your pain levels

Always has at least two pain meds on hand in case of a spike or flare up and will scour the markets for any ingredients that she hears will help with pain/nerve damage/inflammation

Will bring Pepi to loaf and purr on you for hours when you need to stay in bed for the day and leaves treats on the bedside table

Lucio

He relates to this more than he wants to, but his own experience is so all over the place he doesn't know how to talk about it

Sure, he had chronic pain when he was a count, it's hard to have an emergency amputation done by an inexperienced student and then a decently weighty metal prosthetic for 20 years without it

But back then he had plenty of doctors and the kinds of resources to make managing it almost easy, not to mention the parties and pleasures he indulged in constantly to distract from it

And then for three years he felt nothing - nothing at all

At this point, he'd choose the pain over the ghost form any day, but that doesn't make it easy. Hearing you talk about your pain openly helps him realize it's possible to live with, even though it's difficult

So that's what he does. He'll live with his pain, and you'll live with your pain, and you'll both wake up to it with each other for company. He can do this

He'll still go as far as threatening any medical experts he finds with their demise if they refuse to see either of you and you're not there to stop him, though

[innerfare]

Angsty Sabo Headcanons 

Summary: A collection of angsty Sabo headcanons

Genre: Angst

CW: None // SFW

———

Sometimes, Sabo can’t stand the sight of his scars, especially the one on his face. It’s actually the reason he has a little skincare routine. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t overcome his early childhood education, which taught him that men like him are such horrible monsters. He thinks he looks like a monster.  

Sometimes when he gets undressed and turns the shower on, he stares in the mirror while he’s waiting for the water to heat up. He ends up focusing on his scars and wondering if he deserves them. A small part of Sabo thinks he does deserve them. Despite fighting to abolish the system that teaches kids they were born wrong and recognizing it is, in fact, the system that is wrong, Sabo just can’t escape the feeling that he was born wrong. 

Sabo didn’t attack Dragon that day because he wanted to take a shot at the strongest guy on the field, he did it because on some level, he sensed something paternal coming from the man, and it made Sabo lash out; he wanted to kill Dragon like Ace wanted to kill Whitebeard.

“I’m sorry he died, but at least he didn’t die in handcuffs.” This is the only thing that Dragon said to Sabo about Ace, and Sabo latched onto it. At least he didn’t die in handcuffs. He repeats the phrase over and over in his head, a mantra he chants internally every day. He keeps hoping it will make him feel better, but it doesn’t. It makes him feel worse to know the best his brother could have hoped for was to die like a man and not a dog; he shouldn’t have died at all. 

Sabo knows Ace died thinking Sabo would be waiting for him on the other side. He tries to comfort himself with the thought that Ace will be waiting for him, but it doesn’t help. It makes him feel selfish to think Ace died first. It should have been me. 

Sabo doesn’t feel good about having cheated death. He feels like a fraud, a phony, a mistake. He feels like he should be dead. And no matter how many battles he fights and wins, no matter how many enemies he defeats, no matter how many adventures he goes on, he can’t escape the feeling he’s wasting his second chance. Ace wouldn’t waste it the way I am, he tells himself. 

Sabo has nightmares about Ace’s death. The worst part about them is that he has no idea if they’re accurate. Is that how it happened? Is that what it looked like? Is that what adult Ace’s voice sounded like? Is that what Luffy’s scream sounded like? He has no fucking clue, and it tears him up inside. 

A doctor gave Sabo some pills to help him sleep dreamlessly through the night, but taking them makes him feel guilty, as if he’s escaping the punishment he rightfully deserves for not saving Ace. 

Sabo hates sleeping alone. He grew so accustomed to sharing with Luffy and Ace, and even after suffering amnesia, never got used to being alone in bed. Sabo will show up at Koala’s door sometimes at two in the morning and ask if he can sleep with her because being alone reinforces the feeling that he somehow abandoned his family.

When he gets his memories back, Sabo starts sending a little bit of money every month to Dadan. He views it as recompense for the pain he’s certain he caused her by not protecting the boy she raised from the cradle. He won’t go visit her because he’s terrified she’ll scorn him for Ace’s death and turn him away from her doorstep. 

Sabo has a page at the back of his journal where he writes down all the jokes he thinks would make Ace laugh, in addition to other things he wishes he could tell his brother.

———

Hope you enjoyed it! If you want more, you can check out my masterlist here!

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 9/17/2024

come take this very very friendly little man out of my bathroom! he is fiv+ and we are in houston tx! i am willing to drive a couple hours for the right home! he is a good boy he's just orange! more details here!

listening

emily jeffri's DENY off my spotify recommended weekly playlist: i can only describe it as "throbbing". immediately attention grabbing lyrics:

What kind of lover does your mother want? I'll do whatever, oh but you could not

very distinctly indie electronica. this would be the song in a cyberpunk/80s hacker movie where the chase takes you through an goth/alt fashion show where the models are actively giving blood as they walk or something.

i love the spotify daily mix for me and my bestie bc there's a guaranteed four bluey songs on it and it's a nice jumpscare. i know my mental health is taking a turn for the worse when a lot of mother mother starts popping up, i know my bestie's is taking a turn for the worse when a lot of girl in red starts popping up. suicide-watch-level sapphic angst singer-songwriter, generally. except for this song! extremely fun! didn't even recognize it as her! DOING IT AGAIN BABY is a more traditional selling-you-a-dodge-charger car commercial song and it's such a startling departure from her usual work that i wonder if it was a commercial commission? hard to immediately find out tho

I'm on a new level Something's got me feelin' like I could be inflammable And I might be I'm gonna light it up Nothing's gonna stop me if I say this is what I want

-

reading

i read twilight (yes that one) at the behest of my bestie and bc my mental health could not have gotten any worse in that moment. it has led to some uncomfortable realizations about my high school experience i will save for a therapist. i am mostly putting it here to remind myself that i read this book this year.

^ this is some silly goofy nonsense. not that i think people shouldn't be recognized at their retirement, but what happened to giving people nice watches instead of a thousand dollars in plaques

Saying that, the records did reveal something actually interesting: although the individual contract I sent a request related to was for a few thousand dollars, an attached blank purchase agreement (BPA) says that ���the government estimates, but does not guarantee, that the volume of purchases through this BPA will be $360,000.00 over the term of the BPA.” So, a lot more than a few thousand bucks.

-

watching

Hang 'Em High (1968, dir. Post). certainly not clint's sluttiest role but really up there. i do wish he kept the fucked-out little rasp for the whole movie :(

When an innocent man barely survives a lynching, he returns as a lawman determined to bring the vigilantes to justice.

it has a typical bizarre shoehorned romance that (i think) deeply undercuts the theme it wants to explore, but there is no on-screen rape. the bar is on the FLOOR with westerns and yet i DNF so so so many.

hell of a whump film. literally everything happens to jed cooper. i will trumpet this again from the rooftops: that character needs cbt both ways.

-

playing

HIGHWATER, a 2022 adventure/turn based strategy thing from Rogue Games, courtesy of Netflix Games, whose game library is a fucking nightmare to navigate on mobile.

i loooove a water-based postapoc. the boat does in fact handle very poorly and like a horrible inflatable raft on mobile, which is both charming and frustrating.

i do not love a turn-based combat. despite the vibes off the charts, including a very well integrated "pirate radio" station as the game's soundtrack, i am not patient enough to muddle through complex turn-based combat. i'm sure someone had fun fighting off six guys and two bears (who aggro anyone and can one-hit anyone) and then a further three guys who show up for backup but i gave it the good old college try over two days and wasn't able to swing it. it would be nice to have either a difficulty setting or some way to spectate the ideal fight, but alas. a lot of fun environmental stuff in the fights you can use to your advantage, like the bears and these trees you can flatten your opponents with in a much earlier fight. there's a fun mix of different characters with different abilities and different weapons you pick up and keep during fights. i have no specific beef with this game's choice to make this the way you move through the game, it's just not my preferred genre.

a lot of book and newspaper collectibles in this one that i feel of several minds about. it feels less like environmental storytelling through newspapers and just the devs telling me their opinion when they provide little book summaries like this. also i wish The Industry as a whole was more thoughtful about using the word "insurgent".

not a game for me, i have once again confirmed that i cannot tolerate a turn-based combat no matter how much seafaring postapoc you drench it in :(

-

making

got a Phantom Menace era curtain panel for $4 at the thrift, and i was convinced it was fabric someone had made into a curtain panel until i got home and discovered it was an officially licensed product with bafflingly generous seams.

it's about two-ish yards of a 50/50 cotton/poly blend, which i feel like i haven't seen in a while? i think the current fashion leans more 70/30 or 100 poly for curtains i've purchased. after i finish unpicking the seams and pinking it, i am going to throw it in the wash again with some vinegar and see if that softens it up any, or if it makes the transition between the wear lines on the seams and the body of the fabric any nicer.

thinking about what kind of dress to make that 1) shows off this extremely large scale pattern 2) does not look like i am wearing a paper bag, and 3) does not look like the late aughts craft trend of sewing a twin flat Star Wars sheet to a tube top and calling that a dress, bc that's how hard up we were for feminine merch. much to consider. maybe it Will be a maxi skirt with pockets and i can wear one of my seventy black tees on top?

[i-heart-yellowstone]

32 - The Next Generation

Part 33

Raised Fair Share of Hell

Please leave comments of your thoughts or any suggestions ❤️

Dutton Ranch 

Alissa’s pov 

“Hey, hey, hey!” I hollered with my horse pushing a small herd of cattle into the wooden fence area so that the vet could check them out and make sure they don’t have any infections.  Carter ran over shutting the gate, closing them inside the pen with me tugging the reins of my horse so he stopped allowing me to dismount and tie the rope around the wooden fence post.  

Footsteps came up to me where I felt tiny arms leap up into my arms.  “Momma!” Madeline’s hair was loosely flowing everywhere in the wind. 

“Hi baby, what have you been up to this morning?” I lowered her down on her feet and on the dirt ground, bending down on a knee to be eye level with her. 

She looked up into my eyes with a cheerful smile, holding up three fingers.  “Grandpa John let me eat three donuts and he said he’d take me out ridin’.” 

“Did you ask daddy first?” I asked her since Kayce and I had agreed that our kids weren’t allowed to ride on a horse alone until they turned 13 years old. 

She shook her head no.  “He’s busy with Tate.  So - can I mommy?” 

“You have to promise me that you will do whatever Grandpa John tells you.  We don’t need you getting hurt.  Can you do that?” I held up my pinky and she lopped her pinky with me. 

“Cross my heart and hope Horses are in Heaven.” 

I grinned ruffling her hair.  “That’s my girl.” 

Someone came riding up to us on horseback where we saw her grandfather John.  He pulled his horse to a stop offering his hands for me to lift up my daughter onto the saddle. “I won’t keep her out too long, Alissa.” He sat her in front of him on the horse, gently kicking his horse in the belly galloping off into the open fence. 

“Please avoid the rivers, John!” I hollered with my hands around my mouth recalling when Tate had accidentally fallen in when John took him out for a ride.  Crossing my arms over my chest I sighed watching the pair ride off together. 

I certainly missed my eldest daughter Faith but Madeline helped the hurt not be so horrible.  Tate sure had an attitude about him now but so did my husband when he started puberty. 

“Hey, what’s up?” My phone started ringing with my sister in law’s picture appearing on my Home Screen.  Sliding the answer call button I put her on speaker. 

“You’re gonna want to see who’s speaking on the tv.  Come inside the house.  I’m in the living room.” 

Locking my phone I gently took my horse by the reins, taking him back to the barn.  Walking up the porch steps and into the house I found her seated on the living room couch with a whiskey glass in one hand and the tv remote in the other.  “So what did you want me to see so badly?” 

“Just watch the screen.” She unpaused the tv where I recognized John’s former secretary Clara walk out in front of the podium in the State Capital building. 

“Good afternoon Montana citizens, I must say when John Dutton retired and endorsed me to become the next Governor I was utterly shocked.  Four years later I am sad to be done with my term.  Thankfully though I am grateful to introduce the next soon to be Governor of our great state of Montana, Alana Lambert!” Clara announced, extending her hand outward to bring my sister out onto the huge stage where she waved to the large crowd. 

“I’m happy she agreed to our plan.  My mother can remain the family lawyer until Alana is done with her term four years from now.” 

Beth turned the tv volume down when the pair exited the stage not talking any questions from the press.  “If we keep the family in the Governor's seat we will never lose this place.” 

“Next thing I’m going to be hearing from you is that Kayce and I need to pop out some more kids.  Cause Faith wants to be a veterinarian, Tate’s a rancher and Madeline is too young to know what she wants to do with her life.” 

Beth chuckles while taking a sip from her glass.  “I’m sure you and my brother would have no problem making another baby.” 

“Bethany!” 

She sends me a look with a smirk.  “You’ve got nothing to worry about.  Maybe Faith’s boyfriend will want to be the Governor.” 

“Boyfriend.  My daughter doesn’t have a boyfriend.” 

Beth responded seconds before Faith’s name appeared on her phone screen.  “Yes, she does.  Look if you don’t believe me, talk to your daughter.” 

“Aunt Beth, you were so right about the dress.” 

Taking the phone from her hands I glared at my daughter over the video call.  “Why didn’t you tell me you had a boyfriend before you told her!” 

“Momma!” Faith shrieked where I could see someone sitting beside her on what appeared to be a rooftop.  “Um - I was going to tell you.  It’s just if daddy found out he might come hurt him.” 

I asked her simply.  “Can I see this boyfriend please?” 

“Hi - hi Mrs. Dutton.  I’m Cooper, Cooper Norris.” A boy with shaggy dark brown hair nervously waved when she aimed the phone at him.  “My dad is Thomas Norris.” 

Whispering to my sister in law I mouthed the words.  “Google his father.” 

“Thomas Norris is a crisis manager executive for the large oil companies out in Texas.” Beth read the man’s description aloud from her computer screen. 

I complimented the boy hearing footsteps entering the kitchen.  “That’s impressive.  Sounds like you’ve got a good one - Oh that’s your father.  I love you bye.” 

“Bye guys.  Love you.” My daughter waved and ended the call a minute before Kayce came into the room. 

“Who was that on the phone?” Kayce leaned his elbows on the back of the couch. 

Beth had already shut her computer so he couldn’t see who we had googled, knowing it would be better for him to find out the secret later.  “It was Faith just telling us goodnight.  She said to give Mads a big hug for her and tell her she misses her.” 

“Awe okay.  I’ll call her tomorrow.  I wanted to tonight but work was a pain in my ass so I’m beat.” Kayce removed his hat walking towards the staircase once hanging his hat up on a wall hook.  “Wake me up before dinner, yeah.” 

Getting up from the couch I followed him up the stairs and into our bedroom watching him remove his shirt and his muddy boots before laying down underneath the covers.  “Do you want to talk about what happened at work?” 

“Not really.  I’m just really tired.” He responded, staring up at the wooden ceiling with his arms crossed behind his head. 

Removing my boots and my jeans I slid into the bed and underneath the sheets.  Draping one arm over the center of his stomach with my head laying in the crook of his neck.  “Do you care to hear about my day instead?” 

“Shoot.” He replied. 

Tracing patterns on his bare chest I softly spoke.  “Carter, Rip, Liyod and I tended to the new cattle that was brought in yesterday.  Tate has been studying the different techniques for the branding and calving season coming up in a few weeks.  Oh, Madeline and John went out for a ride and should be back before dinner.” 

“That sounds like a better day than mine.  I had to sell off a family's cattle because the current owner died last night and we didn’t want the bank to take all the money the family had left.” Kayce explained twirling some of my hair in between his fingers while he started thinking back on his day. 

Closing my eyes I muttered under my breath knowing he’d still hear me.  “I miss our Faithy Rae.” 

“Yeah, I do too.” Kayce sucked in a breath thinking back on how he was raised.  “But we agreed this is how we protect this place.  By letting our children choose their own paths.” 

Intertwining my hand with his free one I squeezed it gently knowing what he meant by that sentence.  “We’re doing the best we can raising our kids, Kayce.  That’s all we can do.” Regardless of how much we missed our daughter who was another state away we knew that not deciding who she would be in life like John had would be the best thing for them. 

Tag list @bvbwestfall @hcwthewestwaswcn @child-of-of-the-sunshine @elenavampire21 @keep-the-wolves-close @kmc1989 @tallrock35 @whatelsecouldgowrong @lover-of-books-and-tea

[defire]

Chapter 34: The Worst Day of my Life

Content: execution? Manhandling, shackles, slavery, fantasy racism, beating, public humiliation, whipping, rebels

The whole morning felt like it was going to kill Nife before she even got to the execution.

Nife  was dragged out of her cell and at every hobbled step the guard's club came down on her shoulder. She held her mouth shut and took the blows silently. No doubt it was all part of Striker's plan to publicly humiliate her.

After they'd gotten three levels down in the tower, she looked back into the guard's eyes. He appeared to be irritated at the whole thing, and when he saw her looking at him, he raised his stick, then paused, as if her expression was a painful reminder that she was just another human.

He grimaced and lowered the stick, choosing to jab her forward with it instead, which was much less painful.

Now that he had desisted, Nife managed to find a rhythm in the trip down the stairs to the outside, but as soon as they were in the public view, the shoving started, which made her feet yank at the short chain between her ankles until she fell, over and over on the way to the square.

A cold wind blew down from the tops of the buildings and sent curling twists of leaves and garbage flying off the patios, sweeping the square harshly and lifting Nife's sweaty curls off her forehead for a moment.

The heat from how hard she was trying to keep up with the guards soon whisked off in the cool fall breeze.

Nife soaked it in one more time, trying not to think about whether she'd ever see another fall.

No matter how much she tried to believe in Kit, all Nife could feel was a rising sense of hopelessness, now giving way to panic as she reached the cobbled square which had been built on a set of sunken condos. 

The square was full of hundreds of people packed into corners, patios and filling the street so much that the guards had to create a tunnel through the people.

The crowd was unusually quiet, and unusually docile. And except for a few Banes close by, the majority of them were Druids, low-class ones at that.

A shove with the butt of a spear hit her in the spine and she tripped on her shackles and fell to her knees on the stones, cursing.

"Get a move on, blue-face." The guard growled.

Nife's ankles throbbed around the shackles. It felt like the bone was bruising horribly. 

"Get up!" Another guard kicked her in the rear.

"If you want me up, don't push me fucking down!" She snarled, getting to her feet.

The guard's response to that was to take her by the hair and shove her forward the next couple steps, forcing her to bruise her ankles several more times, nearly losing her balance before he yanked her back upright.

"Horizons..." She hissed, swallowing as he let go of her.

If she was going to die anyway, she'd die using whatever the hell curses she liked.

"What kind of person parades around in something like that?" Some noble Bane whispered.

"And then she dares to look you in the eye–" The person responding shut their mouth as Nife sent them a sarcastic glare.

"What are you looking at?" The first Bane shouted.

Nife's glaring was interrupted by a cuff to the back of her head.

"Eyes down, slave."

"Fuck you." Nife whispered, casting her eyes down.

They must have heard her, because another blow to her back sent her to the ground again, and several more strikes landed on her back.

When she finally staggered back to her feet, grimacing in pain, she looked out into the crowd.

She did a double-take when she realized that one of the nearest faces was Caboodle's, under a mask. She recognized his gentle eyes.

Her chest tightened and she flushed. Then she realized that he wasn't making a judgment, just looking at her with... compassion.

It was surprising to find that compassion was a thing. If she were to take her parents’ treatment as a rule, people should tell her to stop complaining and try not to look injured. But apparently not everyone was like that.

Glancing around, she saw someone that matched Kit's build wearing armor and a helmet with a visor. He was close enough that she was pretty sure she recognized him.

Biting her lip, she looked away.

She didn't want them seeing her like this. It could ruin everything. But maybe everything was already ruined.

[here's Kit's theme song! :D ]

Kit watched as the prisoner stumbled before the last step and leaned over her bruised right ankle, muttering that they'd forced her to break it.

"That's close enough," Striker made a disgusted sneer at Nife on her knees before him. He beckoned for a man with a whip to approach. He drew up behind Nife.

Kit looked around furtively for the DJ that was supposed to signal them to fight. The Souls were going to take advantage of the confusion to rescue Nife, thanks to Warren's work. He could make out the man, who was leaning out over a roof parapet with his hair in a bun right up between his horns; that was how he was to be identified, Warren had said.

"Now, Nife Raizden," Striker said, referring to a kind of crumpled piece of paper as he spoke. "You can confess to these charges and get off with a lighter sentence,–"

"Don't pretend you're not gonna kill me." Nife's voice scraped out.

The whip snapped across her back, forcing out a choked cry, followed by a small groan. Kit's vision flashed white-hot with rage. He stuffed the anger back down into his chest, telling himself Nife had it handled, grateful for the helm he was wearing because it covered his outraged face. 

Of course she didn’t have it handled! Who had this shit handled? 

He knew how it cut in like a knife when one was struck with a piece of leather that was much shorter, and this one was long and braided.

It wasn't fair. She couldn't fight back.

"You're just degrading yourself further at this point," Striker said loudly. "Now you can make more pain for yourself, or you can confess to these citizens what you've done."

Striker looked over the crowd as he spoke, and when his eyes landed on Caboodle he hesitated, eyes opening a little wider. 

Kit felt a sudden comprehension through the bracelet as he connected with how Striker felt about Caboodle–he was his third favorite nephew, but still family, and Striker didn't want the kid to be here right before shit went down.

Kit cursed under his breath, raising his visor slightly as he turned to Warren, who was just on his left, masked and hooded.

"He knows something." He whispered.

Striker turned and looked right at Kit, eyes narrowing as the boy dropped the visor and Warren, who was wearing a mask and hood, nonchalantly fixed his gaze somewhere in the group of soldiers behind Striker.

Kit suppressed a huff of annoyance at his own inability to whisper.

Well, if he couldn't tell anyone, he could still plan.

As Striker began his demoralizing speech again, Kit reached into his pocket for the last page of the newspaper, which he usually kept for later reading.

He beckoned at Caboodle with his finger, who came a little closer. He reached into Caboodle's pocket and pulled out the pencil next to the comb he always carried, then wrote on the paper--

"Maybe trap. Striker knows. Check streets for reinforcements. Signal from the roof."

He handed it to Caboodle, who read it with widening eyes, then nodded and gave Kit his precious paper back. Kit gave him his precious pencil back.

Caboodle eased away from the main crowd and toward the streets to the east where the DJ sentry was.

"...Nife Raizden, you are accused of inciting violence against state officials. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Pf–you don't want to know." She said with a slight chuckle.

The whip snapped down again. And again. Kit flinched at every blow.

Striker was watching everyone in the crowd. 

The man whipped her until the scream finally escaped her. Then he lowered it and stepped back, and Kit saw with horror that a small chunk of skin had ripped back and was dripping blood. They were going to outright flog her, he realized. He couldn't let them do that. He had to do something. But fuck up the chance they had to save her? Not that.

Nife’s breaths were fast, panicking, and she was closing her eyes tight, like she was trying to shut out the world. She had to hold out until the rebels got the signal.

"You can confess, or he'll whip you till you do." Striker said, reaching under his coat and resting his hand on his hip, where the handle of a weapon stuck out. He stroked it absently with his thumb as he waited for Nife to give a more coherent answer. Her body lurched with sobs, shoulder blades pressing together, muscles forming tight ridges on either side, as if to protect her back.

She sniffled, looking up to the DJ sentry that everyone was waiting on. She had already picked up what his role was, true to her typical cunning.

"Nife Raizden." Striker said impatiently. "Do you confess?"

"Well, I do confess..." She mumbled.

"You'll need to speak loud enough for everyone to hear."

"Sure, I confess." She said a little louder, pointing her face toward the ground so her answer was muffled.

Fearing more lashes for that, Kit glanced up at the sentry again, and his jaw dropped as he realized the sentry wasn't there.

The sentry was gone.

No one in the square knew what to do.

But this was Nife. Kit reminded himself. She wasn't the type to just mumble words for no reason. Nife had to be doing something clever.

Striker grabbed her by the beads on her chest and shoved her up to the top step of the dias for everyone to see.

"Tell them so they can hear it." He said in a gently threatening tone. His voice, even though it was calm, carried far through the square with unnerving power.

Kit was close enough to see her shiver. He was also close enough to see the welts rising on her back and the bruising around the tight shackles on her ankles.

But when she stood, she straightened up, and what had looked like a shuddering bony mass of human flesh extended into a tall, lean girl with a crooked smile. Somehow in that moment, she transformed into the magnetic Nife Raizden everyone knew, with nothing but a smirk and a little dancing motion with her fingers. The bruises and blood didn't matter, neither did her scanty outfit. They only added to the imperfect appeal of a girl who could sway a throng with a few words.

"Alright," She said, this time loud enough for everyone to hear her voice, which was gravelly from the screaming. "I confess. I'm inciting violence. I'm inciting violence right now, actually."

There was a stunned silence, in which she raised her left hand and twirled that knife he'd given her in her fingers, above her head where everyone could see her bony arm expertly flipping the steel. She turned and looked down at Striker, who was a few steps behind her, slightly frozen as if in disbelief.

"Striker, I am your equal." She said.

The words dropped into the hush like a hot sword into the quench and the voices rose like a huge hiss.

She was a female. A Druid. A child. A slave.

Fingers twirling the knife, she turned her smiling face to the populace once more.

"I confess, it appears we'll have to get violent." She shouted so they could all hear. "Let's get violent against our so-called betters!"

The roar when she released her spell and lowered her hand was white-hot.

Kit drew his father's sword and surged forward. There was no going back now.

First chapter: Last chapter:

Taglist: @tildeathiwillwrite @mimostic @fleur-a-whump @a-n-j-a-maria per Tumblr's content policy, this is the non-nsfw version, but you can find the canon Dance of Death on Amazon and ao3 (which I'm updating shabbily as fast as I can). Also if you want, it would mean so much to me if you leave a review or comment while you're there.

[emcapi-gaming]

Ok, so I mentioned in the tags on my last post that there are 3 major factors in Ardwin's likelihood of being attracted to someone (excluding non-specific Vibes and external context). In no particular order, they are:

A. Pretty, especially in an androgynous way

B. Badass, especially in terms of melee combat

C. Understands Her, especially on a unique level

A brief ranking of her various notable romantic interests on that scale:

Muriel (the gladiator from the blacksmith quests): 6/10 pretty, 7/10 badass, 3/10 understanding. Being seen as an artisan first and a fighter second was definitely a novelty for Ardwin, she is not immune to Being Flirted With By Hot Girl, and they had a very brief, casual fling around the ARR patches.

Ardbert: 5/10 pretty, 10/10 badass, 100/10 understanding. Literal and metaphorical soulmates. Most likely to be eternally bonded, except they aren't particularly interested in the big ceremony. Also they think it would be more than a little redundant, given that their souls are semi-fused and they share a body 95% of the time. You don't really get more 'eternally bonded' than that.

G'raha: 8/10 pretty, 8/10 badass, 3/10 understanding. Definitely saw her as The Warrior Of Light over simply Ardwin, at least initially, which was a pretty significant turn-off (though this improved later). -100/10 for trust issues bad enough that any romantic relationship between them is totally unfeasible (see previous post).

Zenos: 7/10 pretty, 10/10 badass, 5/10 understanding. Called her out for being a feral little shit who loves fighting, which gave him solid points on the "unique understanding" front, because pretty much everyone else just sees The Hero. He really called a WAR main a savage beast and she was like "thanks! I do try!" She reciprocated (to a lesser degree) his battle-horny and regular horny towards her, though I don't think he recognized the second part, which Ardwin was in denial about all the way until she got back from Ultima Thule.

Fray: 8/10 pretty, 9.5/10 badass, ∞/10 understanding. Shares Ardwin's appearance (except with gold eyes), which leans a little more towards handsome than pretty. Knows her better than she knows herself, ironically, because they're literally made of all the stuff she was repressing. Half point deduction on the badass scale because she did beat them the one time they fought.

Zero: 10/10 pretty, 10/10 badass, 9/10 understanding. She showed up, kicked ass, and then turned out to be very uniquely capable of understanding the Zenos situation (because she had a front row seat to that trainwreck), the Ardbert situation (because having Some Other Guy Who You Sort Of Ate Still Hanging Around is apparently normal for voidsent), and just The Horrors in general. Point docked from understanding because she (accidentally) gave Ardwin a horrible PTSD episode/panic attack with her stunt with the Light crystal wall. (This was nearly a disaster for their relationship, but then Fray raked Ardwin over the coals for being a huge hypocrite, given that - between RPR and DRK - she's been doing practically the exact same thing with Darkness.)

Arkose: 10/10 pretty, 3+/10 badass, 8+/10 understanding. Also soulmates, though there's more of a gap because of very different life experiences. Ardwin and Ardbert followed really similar paths with adventuring, hitting stuff with axes, saving the world, etc; Arkose has, until very recently, been stuck in a literal bubble and unable to fight. The plus signs, though, is because now that they have the opportunity, they're catching up fast. (They're also very new as a character, so I can't totally predict how they'll end up developing, but I'm guessing they will end up around 9-9.5/10 badass and >11/10 understanding.)

[solitaireships]

selfshiptober day 13: party / magic

I'm doing a couple of prompts from some different writing events this month, but I wanted to make sure I got at least one from this prompt list! I was able to combine both of the prompts for this little ficlet, of course about Anders bcs my brain is so latched onto him right now

Rating: Teen

Genre: Fluff

Words: 726 words

Divider by animatedglittergraphics-n-more

Content warning: alcohol/drinking, sort of suggestive content

The Hanged Man is always full of life, but tonight in particular, it seems to be so loud that Romilda can barely think. She never liked visiting the bar all that much— she doesn’t drink alcohol, so the only reason she ever comes here is to spend time with friends. And while tonight’s party to celebrate Abigail’s birthday is fun, it’s also started to get a bit overwhelming. The music being played by the musicians in the corner is too loud, and everyone’s overlapping voices and laughter only makes it harder for her to process anything. 

Romilda does at least enjoy seeing Anders have fun. Ever since she’s found him, it’s always seemed like a dark shadow’s been hanging over him between Justice, the situation for mages in Kirkwall, and all his all the other responsibilities he has at the clinic. She likes getting to see her enjoy herself, grinning as she makes her way around the party. Eventually he makes his way back to Romilda, face red and smelling of alcohol. 

Anders wraps her arms around Romilda, hugging her like she hasn’t seen her in months. “I was looking for you, my love.”

“I’ve been right here most of the night, baby,” she replies, hugging him back. “How much did you have to drink?”

“Enough. Justice isn’t happy about that, though,” he says with a laugh. 

“I can’t imagine he would be. This doesn’t seem like the kind of thing he would approve of.”

Anders pulls back enough to look at Romilda, arms still tight around her. “We should get out of here.”

“You want to go home?” she asks. 

“No.” She gives her a quick, messy kiss, mouth half missing Romilda's. “I want to enjoy some time alone with the loveliest woman at this party.”

“Then maybe we can find somewhere in the back,” Romilda says.

She wouldn’t mind a break from the crowd. And a break with Anders at least should help her ease some of the tension in her shoulders from all the noise and people surrounding them here. 

Anders takes Romilda’s hand, guiding her through the crowd and back to one of the Hanged Man’s back rooms. He doesn’t bother knocking, backing into the door to push it open and pulling her along with him. 

As the door swings closed behind them, Anders all but wraps herself around Romilda. He plants kisses all over her face, his breath warm against her skin. 

“I love you so much,” she says. 

“I love you too,” Romilda replies, hugging him tight and managing a kiss on the side of his neck. 

She always thinks it’s adorable when Anders gets affectionate like this. She’s always sweet, but it’s nice to see some of the passion in her that she loves so much. Every brush of his hands against her is grounding, leveling out the anxiety that hangs over her from the overstimulation of the party outside. It's a reminder of what she's here for, and it's a reminder of better times.

Though the brush of electricity against Romilda’s exposed arms does send a shock through her. It’s not uncommon for Anders to use a bit of magic when they’re intimate with each other— she likes that they’re both mages, and she likes getting to flex her magical abilities. Romilda will reciprocate most of the time, always happy to see how entranced Anders is by her magic. But right now, they’re in a place others can easily walk into, and not everyone here might look kindly on such a brazen display of magic. 

“Don’t get too bold. We’re in public,” Romilda chides. Someone catching them making out in a backroom would be embarrassing, but not anything too horrible. Someone being able to recognize the smell and feel of magic in the air could spell disaster for the both of them, though.

“That’s part of the fun of it,” Anders replies, going in for another kiss. His hands keep roaming over Romilda’s body, pressing her flush against him as he enjoys as much contact from her as he can. 

“Just remember to behave yourself,” Romilda says. 

Anders grins, bringing her face close enough for their noses to bump together. The spark of magic flows between them again, more subtle now, a faint hum between them that only they’ll be able to notice. “Anything you want, pretty girl.”

[bread-squid-uwu]

THANK YOU @dizzybevvie LMAO 🩵🩵

So, just a DISCLAIMER that I'm talking about my rewrite with some splashes of canon influence but I'm mostly just ignoring canon Dante for this, anyway

The main songs I associate with Dante are:

I'm A Natural Blue.

Obviously because of the title being a reference to Awstens blue hair, and the associations of blue with negative types of emotions and such. In my head, Dante has naturally black hair but despises that - so he dyes EVERYTHING blue and hopes it's convincing enough. He wants to look as different from his brother as possible.

The lines about seeing that your idols aren't who you once assumed them to be, seeing the truth rather than seeing someone to admire.. everyone knows Dante really really admired and looked up to Gene, who was never the best person. I see this as Dante recognizing that, finally seeing that his big brother was actually cruel and even dangerous.

Dante going through that world shattering realization that the person he trusted the most, looked up to, and even based himself off of for so long.. was horrible. And, perhaps, going off of that - looking at how he had tried so hard to copy and be like Gene, perhaps he too had done horrible things.

The struggles of trying to break from these ideas, having seen the reality of everything happening. The struggles of trying to figure out who he is without trying to base himself on who he thinks of as cool or popular.

The frustrations of realizing he was so blind to it all for so long, the ways that idolizing and loving Gene must've looked to people who knew everything Gene had done.

I could go so much more in depth, line by line, but I'll stop here for now!! I love this song in this context.

We Need To Talk.

Clover. - a danvis fic written by me, based on this song.

It Follows.

Dante canonically has a lot of anxiety around actually getting into relationships, we see this multiple times. Obviously this was very different back in Phoenix Drop High, but we also know that Dante hasn't been in a relationship since he was in high school - said by Garroth.

"I think with my heart, and love with my head." Seems like a very fitting line for this fact.

"Kiss me like nobody would when I was fifteen." We know in high school he was never very genuine with his relationships and, I think as an adult he wants something real - something genuine, where they can actually care about each other. Instead of the "haha player😎" he was before.

Looking at S2? Well...

"I've spent some years rewinding, but I'm still just me." This line I feel like is about finding himself relapsing into those previous non-genuine behaviors from high school, finding himself repeating those mistakes. I'm not talking about the situation with Nicole and Jenna, he was never actually dating Nicole, he did not cheat on her. I'm talking about him going around and flirting with many different girls on the beach. Eventually, I think he'd pull himself from this and realize that he slipped backwards, and feel guilty over finding himself repeating the mistakes that defined a version of him he previously tried so hard to bury - which is going back to the ideas from "I'm a natural blue" - when I describe this as a relapse I'm not exaggerating. Knowing those behaviors stem from Gene? I think it warrants being called a relapse.

The rest of the lines, however, I do think are about Nicole.

With the context of him struggling with his past, his sense of self, the guilt, and of course.. Gene being around? I think the situation between Nicole and Jenna would get to him on a much deeper level.

"If I could find my something to burn out these feelings, I'd cut them out completely and I'd stop this reeling. I think with my heart, and love with my head. Do you see the problem here? You rip me to shreds. I think with my heart, you fuck with my head." I see about him feeling like he's never truly changed from high school. With Nicole making the claims that he was cheating, etcetera, it gets into his head.

Really looking at the situation, he was already struggling with himself - and he was already struggling with Nicole as well. Knowing his apprehension towards relationships, his anxiety towards Nicole, and the fact that the two were never official on top of him desperately wanting to end the flirting and such with her? Well, "So tear into my heart, and love with my head. Do you see the problem here? You rip me to shreds. I've fallen apart, I'm missing your breath. Can we stand to break the fingers pointing the blame, Or will they always follow me?"

Stupid For You.

Danvis.

"I'm color-coding my moods, you're yellow, I'm natural blue

Let's get together and be green like my insides

At least I'll match your eyes, jealous and hypnotized

Let's match our faces and be equally in love. "

I don't think I need to say anything else lmao

THANK YOU BEV FOR THE EXCUSE TO POST THIS,,,

i'm always open to waterparks dante questions so uhm, feel free to ask for more or ask about this or something!!!!

[drakaripykiros130ac]

I don't understand how anyone can like the Greens in the series. I like them in the books because they are good villains, specifically Alicent. I would have given anything to see her come to life on screen rather than the pathetic thing we were treated to. That doesn't help with the fact that apparently Ryan Condal has finally confirmed he's team Greens... I'll never understand this guy. How could he read the book and say that no, the Greens were justified in any way ?! Also, the guts you have to have, even within this fandom, to openly say you support the group of misogynistic and blood purist usurpers... In the sense of saying that they are completely right or that Blacks are just as horrible! But in what universe ?! Ryan Condal would also have said that we would probably change preferred camps in season 2... Man, you can still dream, even with your stupid supporting documents for TG everyone still prefers the Blacks team. It's distressing that the director of the series himself doesn't understand anything he's adapting and that so many people are going in this direction. The number of idiots who tried to explain to me that both teams were equally horrible, that the Greens can't be pure villains because GRRM only writes complex characters, it's obvious. Like GRRM has never written a pure villain ? Are you sure you've read the books he wrote ? No but I swear that since the release of the series, asoiaf fans are worse than before in their unjustified hatred of the Targaryens... These people think they are moral by wanting to put the two teams on the same level or by saying that the Blacks are worse. That revolts me.

Essentially what neutrals think ;

“Yes, it’s not good what the Greens did, but the Blacks are no better seen as they dared to fight back for their rights.”

Like... What dimension did I land in ?!

Just last time, I received comments from someone supposedly accepting that the Greens were worse, but trying to explain to me that Daemon groomed Rhaenyra (which is false book or series), that the murder of 'a Greens child is unjustified (while the Greens shed blood first and we are in a feudal context) that Lucerys taking Aemond's eye is unjustified (Wtf ?!) ah and the best thing was to me say at face value that Daemon was not a gray character and that he was like Aegon IV... (Again... WTF ?!)

https://www.tumblr.com/darklinaforever/701570671006875648/i-hate-when-people-say-greens-and-blacks-are-on

(Afterwards I wasn't gentle in my answers either, but I'm fed up with this type of people)

I personally never liked the greens in the book. To me, they were always the villains. Always. I never viewed Daemon and Rhaenyra as pure innocent angels, don’t get me wrong. I recognize the few mistakes Rhaenyra makes in the book, as well as Daemon’s many, many faults.

For instance, yes, Rhaenyra should not have had Vaemond murdered (even though what he spoke was treasonous and threatened her position as well as the lives of her children). She should not have gone so far with the taxes during her reign (even though she was left with no choice).

However, in this story, despite all their faults, I always felt Rhaenyra and Daemon were perfectly justified. Because their good qualities kind of eclipse the bad stuff. The Blacks are the anti-heroes of the story. They have done some questionable things, but all of them have been justified/done with good reason and good purpose.

The Greens are a whole different story. Everything they have done (mainly Alicent and Otto), they have done out of jealousy and pure greed (hence why they were given the color “green” - the color of greed and envy). 95 % of the war crimes are done by the Greens. Literally the only thing the Blacks are to be held accountable for is B&C. Other than that, every crime was courtesy of the Greens.

To me, the Greens have always been split between those who are anti-villains (Aegon, Helaena, Daeron), and those who are pure villains (Alicent, Otto, Aemond).

For the anti-villains: The one time Aegon presents some goodness is when he has reservations about usurping his half-sister. Other than that, he is pure evil; Helaena can’t be considered a pure innocent soul either. She has good qualities, but she is extremely underdeveloped as a character in the book and we don’t know her thoughts, her motives. She didn’t protest the usurpation and accepted the position of queen consort easily; Daeron is somehow given a free pass by certain people because he is “the daring”, and while that’s true, these people forget how he burned a whole village of innocent people alive.

For the pure villains, not much need be said. Alicent and Otto are a bunch of opportunistic hypocrites and vicious upstarts. I haven’t sensed any bit of goodness in them. Aemond is a psycho with zero redeeming qualities.

Now, in the show, I don’t feel as if the Greens are portrayed better than they have been in the book. I feel like the show writers (mainly Ryan Condal) are trying to come up with lame excuses for them, and it’s just not working. The great majority of the viewers still hate Alicent as much as they did in the book, regardless how many times she presents those “doe eyes”, and the great majority still believe the Greens are in the wrong.

In the show, when it comes to the Greens, there’s always some sort of “reason”, some sort of “accident”. Alicent didn’t mean to shoot her mouth off and convince Larys to murder the current hand, Lyonel Strong, so that her father could return as Hand (even though that is exactly what she wanted). Aemond didn’t mean to let Vhagar know that he wants Lucerys dead (even though his pursuing and direct attack showed his intentions to murder the boy). Crispin somehow didn’t mean to crush Beesbury’s skull in that ball, even though he acted aggressively towards the man for simply speaking the truth and nothing but the truth at that treasonous Council meeting.

These excuses the show writers make for the greens make no sense whatsoever. They should have stuck with the actual canon portrayal, because it’s just ridiculous at this point.

So what if the two sides are not evenly matched?

They’re not supposed to!

GRRM doesn’t write purely good vs bad in his universe, that is true. He loves the complexity of the characters and the stories. However, that does not mean that he intended for the Blacks and the Greens to be evenly matched in this story.

He himself admitted that he wrote the book more in the Blacks’ favor because that’s how he felt (ironic, considering that Fire and Blood is told from the point of view of green supporters). It’s his story. I have seen people accuse him of being biased, always in favor of the Blacks.

Yes, he clearly wrote the Blacks as the protagonists, with better developed characters, with the best allies, the most heroic/epic deaths, most dragons, most Houses supporting them.

I mean, the Starks are TB, while the Lannisters are TG. That alone should give you a clue as to which side you’re supposed to be rooting for.

Clearly GRRM is Team Black, but who says he can’t be? Who says that the sides have to be evenly matched? It’s his story! If he says the Blacks are right, the Blacks are right.

TG stans are just in denial at this point.

[altschmerzes]

THE 13 BOOKS I READ IN 2023 IN ORDER FROM BEST TO WORST + THE PROTAGONIST'S SUPERLATIVE. PART 2.

6. A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engel. a timeless classic that i love love love. meg is such a fun protagonist and i really enjoyed experiencing this as an adult again. the whole like… helpless devastated rage she feels when she realizes that adults can't just. fix everything? that sequence will always rattle me around like a mason jar fulla beans. she's such a like… man. the way the narrative was like. this isn't fair. it isn't right. it's happening anyway. i'm so sorry, but it's happening anyway. that really got me.

Protagonist: Meg Murry. Most Likely To Have A Profound And Life Altering Impact On Adolescent Weird Girls Who Read Her Book.

7. Whiskeyjack by Victoria Goddard. third book in the series, slightly less fun than the others but only very slightly. i cannot emphasize enough how difficult it was to rank like, 2-8. had some VERY fun stuff with like…. things you learn that then go back and recontextualize everything else. ended on a scene that made me fucking sob which is always a plus in my book. themes of FAMILY and LOYALTY and SACRIFICE. my fucking beloved. yes please. the pov character continues to have a horrible little time. also love that.

Protagonist: (again, series has dual protagonists, so switching back) Peregrine Dart. Most Likely To Be The Unwitting Conduit Of The Deus Ex Machina. Deus Ex Dart.

8. One By One by Ruth Ware. just a really good classic mystery thriller. i love a mystery thriller, and ruth ware seems to always hit for me. managed to pull off a pov switch between two pov characters one of whom had a massive, MASSIVE secret without it seeming completely nonsensical once revealed or relying on the pov character talking in deliberately obtuse or evasive ways that would be really tiresome and insulting if carried through. there was a set of tech bro startup characters that were obnoxious and infuriating in exactly the way that those people are in real life, so points for that for SURE even though i did wanna throttle them.

Protagonist: Erin (Lastname). Most Deserving Of A Tropical Vacation.

9. The Ritual by Adam Nevill. this is the most brutal book i have read in recent memory. possibly at all. this guy gets put all the way through the wringer physically and emotionally and it is visceral in the way it is described. the protagonist was a profoundly unpleasant person a lot of the time but this was deliberate and really engaging, honestly. there were some moments of stark self-reflection from him about the ways in which he did not like who he was and the things he did, and when he recognized how like. unfair and cruel he was being to the others in his head. wasn't as good as the movie, imo, but the changes that they made between the book and film made total sense given the sheer level of interiority in the book. and boy howdy how much interiority. whoof.

Protagonist: Luke. Most Surprising Survival.

10. I Am Not Who You Think I Am by Eric Rickstad. i think the most damning thing that can be said about this book is that i literally can't remember almost anything about it. it was compelling in some ways and there were a few very specific moments that i was really gripped by but most of it was like. a really flat letdown. it was interesting enough as a mystery that i finished it but i don't even really remember why, now.

Protagonist: Wayland Maynard. Most Forgettable Guy.

11. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. just. ugh. dystopia ya in a bad way. too complicated and not well established. dumbass colour coding system. it could've been so fun, i love traumatized teenagers with powers and an evil government in all sincerity but this just did not do anything good with it. it looked like it COULD have but it DIDN'T. the love interest character was a DICK. there was some weird gender takes that popped out of nowhere. jump-scared by gender. did enjoy watching the movie though because it was fucking insane and gave me a scene where the protagonist and the love interest shared a passionate embrace over what fully appeared to be the dead body of the love interest's theoretical best friend. amazing. no notes.

Protagonist: Ruby Daly. Most Likely To One Day Decide She's Tired Of Being Nice And She Does Want To Go Apeshit Actually.

12. Reputation by Sarah Vaughan. [VIDEODROME PRESCREEN AUDIENCE REVIEW WHERE THEY JSUT WROTE 'SUCKED' AND GOT SO UPSET ABOUT HOW BAD IT WAS THEY MARKED THE WRONG GENDER] this book was BAD. the writing was bad. the characters were bad and not on purpose. the politics of the book were uh. whoof. what if white girlboss feminism was a novel. points for some of the hardest i've laughed tho at Nice Dick Mike the journalist that the protagonist cannot respect after she sleeps with him and Lady Cop With Bangs, the traitor to womanhood.

Protagonist: Emma Webster. Most Likely To Submit An Extremely Long Post To Reddit Dot Com Slash Am I The Asshole That Leaves Out A Lot Of Like, Extremely Critical Information That When Uncovered All Makes Her Look Really Fucking Bad While She Seems To Still Think It Was Entirely Irrelevant And Honestly Unfair To Even Consider. Gd Forbid Women Do Anything.

UNCATEGORIZED: 21st Century Jocks: Sporting Men And Contemporary Heterosexuality by Eric Anderson. there was simply no way to rank this among the others, it was too completely different. they were all very different books but this was just. entirely different. had a wonderful time with it though!! gave me a lot to think about as someone who thinks a lot

thank you for joining me on this journey. i loved reading books again this year and would wholeheartedly recommend anything ranked 1-9 on this list, provided you like the genre/vibe.

[cornie-heesan]

Part One: "Leave me out in the forest to rot"

Staring| non idol! Bang Chan x fem!reader

Featuring| Other members of stray kids as supporting characters

Started| April 30, 2024

Ended| ???

Part| 1/???

Word Count| 789

A/N| This is going to be a multi-part fic where each chapter will come with it's own set of warnings to adequately fit each one.

pt. 2| All of my writings are works of pure fiction. In no way are they representative of the idols mentioned in them. If you don't like them, don't read them.

pt.3 The writing style of these parts will vary depending on the situation. Some parts may be written in 3rd person 'You' form or through the perspective of a narrator.

WARNINGS| none really, besides cussing because I am the way I am. This part is short. Trying to ya know, set the scene with this series lol

There are certain things that some would consider the simple joys in life. For example, reading a book, painting a picture, or even listening to a favorite podcast. However, those who do not enjoy some of these activities would rather you suffer a horrible day and spill an entire hot pot of coffee where coffee is not intended. 

Y/N is one of those simple pleasure kind of people- whereas her coworker Jeongin is one of the world’s biggest haters of her happiness. This is how the three opening baristas of The Cup House start their morning. Agonized screaming, cursing, and a whole batch of coffee wasted.

“Yang Jeongin, I swear to god when I get my hands on you- your ancestors will detest your very existence!”

“Fucking bite me, Y/N! I am not listening to that stupid podcast anymore!”

Felix watches in pure horror as the youngest of the baristas throws a dirty dish rag at Y/N- only adding fuel to the fire. From his couple of months working here, Felix has determined that the relationship between you and Jeongin borders on homicidal siblings. If one of you is worked up, then the other is right there to make it worse than it needs to be. 

“Guys! We literally open in two minutes!” Felix tries his best to start cleaning up the coffee around the two of you bickering- next thing he knows you’re standing behind the counter in nothing but the lacy bra you told him about over the weekend. 

“I swear to go Jeongin when I tell Mr. Kim about this bullshit he’s revoking your access to the fucking tips.” 

All the commotion leaves all three baristas too distracted to hear the bell above the door. Y/N and Jeongin are bickering back and forth as Felix tries to hand Y/N a dry shirt to cover up with before any customers, let alone their boss see what’s happening.

“Wow… When Han said there was interesting service here, I didn’t think he meant this.” There’s a low whistle that causes the baristas to freeze- before turning to the two men on the opposite side of the counter. Jeongin and Felix recognized them as two of the employees from the music store across the street- a place they frequented often on their shared days off.

Y/N tries to keep her blush at bay when her eyes met those of the purple haired customer- he grins sheepishly trying to keep his eyes at a respectful level. Damn this man and his cute fucking dimples. Y/N snatches the shirt from Felix before glaring at Jeongin "Fuck you, Innie," her shoulder checks his as she storms by- blush crawling up her neck.

"Did we just witness a breakup?" Changbin snorts leaning against the counter "If I ever dated Y/N- I want someone to leave me out in the forest to rot." Jeongin scoffs before turning towards the kitchen to make a fresh batch of coffee. Chan watches him wide eyed before meeting Felix's already exhausted eyes- "They are friends through Y/N's younger brother. So like, by proxy they have to dislike one another."

Chan slowly nods, "but, why was her shirt off?" still confused about what The Cup House was all about "IN, spilled an entire batch of black coffee on her. I didn't stop their fighting in time to stop the strip show, unfortunately." Felix sighs grabbing the cups for their regular orders.

"I'd smash" Changbin smirks in the direction Y/N wandered off towards before a heavy slap landed on the back of his head "Shut the fuck up Bin,"

"Wait," Han stops the music playing throughout the store "You guys walked in and Y/N just had her shirt off?" He can't believe that "The one day I don't offer to go get the coffee!" He yells before getting a response "Dude, she didn't even spare me a glance. I doubt she would've noticed you with the way she was going in on Innie," Changbin snorts

"But she's so mommy when she's yelling like that" there was no hesitation with Han's response. He's always had a bit of a thing for women who yell and degrade him. Chan's eyebrows furrow as he looks away from his laptop. "You two need professional help," he says while grabbing his headset to pull over his head.

"Goooood morning, ladies and gents it's Chan,"

"Binnie"

"And ya boy Han- thanks for tuning into 3racha. All things music and a little bit about our personal lives," at this Changbin snorts "More like ninety-five percent our personal lives and five percent music."

"So, here's my first question out for the twitter audience- how would you react if the cute barista across the street was just serving you in her bra?"

So, this is part one. I wanted to use this as an introduction to the series. Also, to introduce the personalities- somewhat- of all those involved. You'll learn a bit more about the personalties of Chan and Y/N the further we get into this.

[visenyaism]

Ever since I watched HOT D I have felt conflicted about Alicent's character because I can't figure out her motivation. At the beginning it's clear she's only doing what Otto wants but later on... What is the reason she wants her son to be on the throne so bad ? ( When it doesn't seem to me like she cares about having power )

The only thing that I see is that she is extremely bitter and angry that she had to be this perfect woman when she was still a child and marry and have children with and old man. Meanwhile her friend is just fucking around not respecting any of the value she has to uphold.

But idk is it really only anger at Rhaenyra that makes her want this ?

one of the reasons I like alicent as a character so much is the 8 layers of cognitive dissonance she processes everything through at all times. She’s constantly trying to convince herself everything will be fine and also not allowing herself to really want anything for herself. She’s not a rational actor because she was robbed of the ability to emotionally mature past the age of 15 in a lot of respects, but it makes her a compelling (and confusing!) character.

I think it’s safe to say that on a fundamental level she at least wants a) to be close to Rhaenyra b) for her family to be safe and for her father to be proud of her and c) for someone to acknowledge her suffering (she cannot conceptualize a world where what she went through didn’t have to happen, she just wants anyone to recognize it as painful.)

She thought that Rhaenyra was also going to be suffering in a loveless marriage alongside her, and they’d have that in common. To see her “breaking the rules” that have made Alicent’s entire life completely miserable is just too much. She got her life destroyed by this system and by Viserys wanting sons, and he doesn’t even care about them OR about her, he only loves his eldest daughter even though SHE “breaks” all of these “rules.” That’s super emotionally devastating, and Alicent decides to pin that on Rhaenyra instead of her father or Viserys because if she did that, she would actually have to deal with the years of emotional trauma and violence that she’s been repressing. She can’t see a way out, so she just projects the rage she cannot internalize onto Rhaenyra.

Her father spent decades trying to convince her that Rhaenyra was going to be a threat to her family in the event of a succession, an idea he stood to gain a lot from, but it also isn’t totally crazy. Aegon Aemond and Daeron WERE threats to Rhaenyra’s claim. Putting Aegon on the throne was the only pathway that Alicent had been drilled to envision for decades, and the only one she thought would keep her kids safe. Also- if one in her life is going to acknowledge what happened to her was horrible and wrong, then at least everything she’s went through has to be worth something. Aegon’s coronation was also the culmination of that idea for her.

She doesn’t want power because she cannot even conceptualize having power as an option for herself- she’s never pictured herself on the throne, and she’s only trying to make a window in the wall of her prison. I don’t think she ever envisioned what her life would be like after she got Aegon on the throne, so I’m real excited to see what she’s going to be doing in season 2. TLDR it’s not about getting specifically Aegon on the throne that’s important, but more about following the rules she’s been taught will make her happy and safe and successful, even though on some level she knows that all it’s ever done is hurt her. Free alicent from the narrative she knows what story she’s in and she knows there’s no way out💚💔

[raaorqtpbpdy]

The Undead Adventurer (1)

When an interrupted resurrection spell leaved Danny halfway between life and death, his adventuring career should have been over. But Danny Fenton won't let something as minor as being regularly mistaken for a member of a zombie horde, or kidnapped by an unknowable monster of death stop him from becoming the strongest adventurer in the world with his best friends by his side.

For the following prompts:

His head spun. He couldn’t see past the light above him. What was it? [from @q-gorgeous]

Fantasy/rpg setting. Danny died, but the resurrection spell went wrong, and now he’s trapped as something not quite dead but not fully alive either. Not that he’d ever let that stop him from becoming an adventurer, even if he does get mistaken as a resident dungeon monster by other adventuring parties every now and then… [from @lexiepiper]

Danny catches the eye of something he shouldn't. (Eldritch affection or soft horror encouraged) [from Ventisette Stars]

Read on AO3

Chapter 1: Incantationus Interruptus (next chapter)

[Warnings for death, mentioned violence, and some explicit language]

Something felt... wrong, as Danny woke up. His head spun. He couldn't see past the light above him. What was it? The sun? He'd been in a dungeon a moment ago, but... it was surely night time by now. The moon? No. It was too close.

"Uh... Sam... I think you fucked up the spell."

Tucker?

"Me? I can't cast resurrection spells! All I did was teleport us out of there so we could take him to town for a resurrection. He should still be dead!"

Sam?

"Are we entirely sure he isn't?" Tucker asked. "If it wasn't your spell, maybe it was that lich we were fighting. What if it brought Danny back as a zombie? What if he's evil now?"

"'M not evil," Danny groaned.

His eyes were slowly adjusting to his surroundings. It was, in fact, night time, and it should have been dark, but Danny could see everything as clear as if it were daylight, even the stars. The blinding light above him, it seemed, was Sam's staff, lit up so they could see their surroundings, but it looked far, far brighter than Danny could ever remember it being before.

"Well... if you're not evil, then was it a true resurrection spell that got fucked up when Sam's teleportation spell interrupted it?" Tucker asked.

"Or was it a monster resurrection spell that got fucked up when my teleportation spell interrupted it?" Sam asked.

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked.

The last thing he could remember was getting hit with a devastating magical lightning attack when they were fighting a lich, then waking up all but blinded by Sam's usually dim light spell.

"Well..." Sam dug around in her various pouches and pockets for a while before finally taking out a small, shiny, round object that Danny recognized after a moment as her compact mirror. "See for yourself."

She handed him the mirror, but when he looked into it, the face he saw was not his own. His dark hair had turned white, his eyes glowed green like those horrible zombies in the dungeon they'd just been fighting in.

"Am I a zombie?" he asked. "But... I can still think and stuff. I'm still myself."

"Yeah," Tucker agreed. "That's what we were wondering about, too."

"We should take him into town and try to find a high-level wizard, or a magic researcher, or something who might be able to tell us what happened to him," Sam suggested.

"Agreed," Danny said.

He tried to get to his feet, but when he pushed up off of the ground, he began to float. He flailed his arms and tried to come back down, but it was as if gravity didn't want anything to do with him anymore.

"Uh, guys?"

His companions stared at him, shocked for a moment, until Tucker stuck out his bow for Danny to grab onto and pulled him back down to earth. Once his feet were on solid ground, Danny felt gravity return to him, and when they walked to the nearby town, Danny made sure to keep at least on foot firmly on the ground at all times.

The nearest town was called Casper, and thanks to it being situated so near a difficult dungeon, it had plenty of magic users and shops offering magical services. More than most towns this far in the middle of nowhere would have.

When they entered the town, and everywhere they went, people stared, gasped in fear and generally did their best to avoid the trio. It seemed Danny's new appearance wasn't exactly putting them at ease. In the townspeople's defense, he did look like an undead monster now. That was kinda the problem they were trying to solve in town.

They went to three different people in search of answers, Star, the grand wizard's apprentice, although the grand wizard himself was away at the moment; the old, and confusingly named, wizard Lancer; and lastly to a magical researcher called Sidney Poindexter. The first two had never seen anything like Danny and couldn't offer any insight into his condition. The third had never seen anything like him either, but was at least willing to run some tests.

Sidney Poindexter possessed only weak magical powers, but was apparently an unrivaled expert in magic relating to death and resurrection, which was why he'd moved to a town so near a dungeon with a lich. So when Lancer first directed the adventurers to him, he sounded like the perfect person to ask.

"Wow, what happened to you?" Poindexter asked when they walked in, staring openly at Danny.

"We were hoping you might be able to answer that," Danny told him.

"Oh, well, in that case, why don't we find out!"

Poindexter's study was cramped and crowded, full of books, scrolls, and strange equipment. He sat Danny on an empty stool, and spent the next several hours running various tests and taking various readings. He had Danny attempt certain tasks, like flying, turning invisible, and passing through solid objects, all of which he managed with surprising ease, considering they should have been impossible.

Sam and Tucker had fallen asleep on the floor by the time he finally had anything to report.

"I believe I have a conclusion!" Poindexter announced at last.

The two snoozing adventurers jerked awake and sat bolt upright.

"Wh-what is it?" Tucker mumbled out, tiredness giving him a bit of a stammer.

"You say whatever resurrection spell was cast on your friend must have been done so by the lich in the dungeon, correct?" Poindexter asked.

"Yeah," Sam confirmed.

"I believe the lich was trying to resurrect him as a Zombie General, rather than a regular Zombie," the researcher explained. "There are many different kinds of resurrection spells, but the three main ones are true resurrection, soul resurrection, and monster resurrection.

"True resurrection brings the deceased back exactly as they were in life, both body and soul—although it cannot prevent them from developing psychological problems related to their death. Soul resurrection brings the deceased's soul back to life, apart from their body, creating a ghost. And monster resurrection brings the body back to life without it's soul, creating things like zombies and skeletons and the like."

"Yeah, that's common knowledge," Sam said. "Can you get to the point."

"Sorry, after a certain level of expertise, I realized I couldn't count on myself to know what knowledge was common and what was obscure, so I just explain everything, just in case," Poindexter apologized. "As I was saying, however, there are other types of resurrection besides those three. One of them is monster lord resurrection, which brings back the deceased as an especially powerful undead monster, such as a Zombie General, or a Skeleton Leader, which have higher intelligence, and the ability to control other undead of the same type."

"So... Danny was brought back as a Zombie General," Sam reiterated, "and that's why he looks like that but is still himself?"

"Not quite."

Sam and Tucker groaned. It wasn't that they weren't grateful for Poindexter's help, but they were tired, and kind of hoping for a shorter explanation.

"A monster lord resurrection spell consists of two parts," Poindexter continued, unperturbed. "First, a modified true resurrection spell, and second, a mind control spell. For best results, these two parts should be performed simultaneously, but double-casting is a skill only a handful of mages in all of history have possessed, and it looks like the lich in the nearby dungeon isn't one of them, because it seems it planned to cast the resurrection first and then the mind control, but couldn't get all the way through the resurrection before it was interrupted somehow."

"By my teleportation spell," Sam supplied.

"Yeah, that'd do it," the researcher agreed. "When the spell was interrupted, it ended up reviving him with his whole soul because there wasn't enough time for the spell to break off the pieces of his soul that would resist the mind-control spell. As for his body, well, you can see how that was effected. Now, he's trapped somewhere in the middle, not quite dead, but not entirely alive, either."

That, at least, was true. Though his outward appearance had changed, and he appeared to have some of the abilities an undead would have, he wasn't rotting like a zombie, or incorporeal, like a ghost. His motor control was unaffected, allowing him to move without the telltale jerky motions of most corporeal undead.

Tucker shook his head in confusion.

"Why?" he asked. "I mean, why would the lich try to make Danny a Zombie General instead of just making him a regular zombie—or just letting him die?"

"I don't know," Poindexter admitted. "Did any of you happen to kill a zombie that seemed more powerful, or acted more intelligently than the others?"

"Yeah, actually..." Danny said, suddenly remembering. "It was dressed in rusted armor, and carried a sword. I thought that was weird for a zombie, but even weirder, was the fact that it actually had the motor control to use its sword. As soon as I stuck it down, the lich screamed and shot lightning at me, like it was suddenly pissed for some reason."

"Well there you have it," Poindexter said. "When you killed it's general, it suddenly had to control all those zombies by itself, which is extremely taxing on the mind, so it decided to kill you and resurrect you as its new general."

It... sort of made sense. It followed the sort of logic an angry undead mage from hundreds of years ago that was slowly losing its mind would follow.

"One thing doesn't make sense, though," Danny said. "Zombie's can't fly or pass through walls or turn invisible. Why can I?"

"Botched resurrections can have all kinds of side effects," Poindexter answered with a shrug. "Those three are some of the most common, I can do them too. An old partner of mine tried to resurrect me after I was fatally injured during my studies across the continent, and messed it up so badly I stopped aging. I'll be ninety-six this year, you know, but I don't look a day over twenty."

"Really?" Sam asked. "I would've guessed younger."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Poindexter said.

It really wasn't one. Poindexter looked like a dweeby teenager who hadn't grown into his fact yet.

"In any case, it's not common, but it's entirely likely you'll run into some people with similar powers from resurrections that didn't go quite as they were supposed to."

"Is there any way to fix it?" Tucker asked.

"If there was, do you think I'd still have this face at ninety-five years old? I can't even grow a beard! What kind of respectable, well-established magical researcher doesn't have a beard?"

"I'll be okay, though, right?" Danny asked. "I'm not gonna, like, slowly waste away or anything am I?"

"Well, no, you should be able to live normally..." Poindexter said, with a tone that strongly implied a 'but'.

The three adventurers stared at him, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"But..." Danny prompted.

"If you die again, there's no spell that can bring you back," Poindexter said. "After you've been the target of a failed resurrection spell in any capacity, you become an undead for all intents and purposes, and undead creatures can't be resurrected again. That's why I almost entirely retired from field research after mine."

"So, you're saying... if Danny keeps adventuring...." Tucker looked at his friend, his face a mask of concern and pity. "He could die for good next time?"

Danny had died before. They all had, at least once. Of the three of them, Sam had died the least. They always tried to protect her as best they could, and she was usually quick with a teleportation spell if they got in over their heads. She couldn't perform resurrections herself, but you could buy one in almost any town, and she came from a wealthy family that would never let her die, even if they didn't approve of her lifestyle.

Of the three of them, Danny had died the most, with a whopping six deaths since they started adventuring four years before. He was physically the strongest of the three, although Sam was also deceptively athletic for a mage, but he was also the first to throw himself in front of danger to protect his friends. Plus, though there was no way to prove this, he suspected that of the three of them, he also had the worst luck. And this was just the latest in a long string of evidence.

"Fine," Danny said. "But I'm not retiring."

His friends looked alarmed by his decision, but it was the only decision he could make.

"No, Danny, there's too much risk now," Tucker insisted. "You're on your last life."

"It's too dangerous to go running around adventuring with no safety net," Sam agreed. "We... we don't want to lose you."

"Adventurers have been around way longer than true resurrection magic," Danny pointed out. "Any time we raid a dungeon, or take on a quest, there's always a chance we'll die for good, either our bodies will be too far gone for resurrection, or they'll be lost in a bottomless pit, or there will be a monster that renders magic ineffective on a corpse. True resurrection was never a perfect safety net anyway.

"I'm not retiring."

His friends did not seem happy with this decision.

"We're not gonna change your mind, are we?" Sam guessed.

"No, you're not," Danny agreed. "Besides, even though I'll have to be more careful not to die, I've also got some cool new powers out of the deal. It would be a waste to quit now."

Tucker sighed, but didn't try to argue. He hadn't won an argument against Danny yet, and he knew he wouldn't win this one. His friend was one stubborn guy... well... one stubborn zombie, now.

"We should at least slow down," Tucker said. "No more charging into dungeons way out of our league. We stick with stuff at our level and only take on more difficult jobs when we're already strong enough to handle instead of taking them in the hopes that we'll luck out and rank up fast."

"Boring!" Danny groaned, but at the looks both Sam and Tucker gave him, he knew it would be unreasonable of him to argue. Really, that was how they should have been adventuring all along. "Fine. I accept your terms."