#and was so utterly devestating

[sarah-cam]

"he was the best friend we ever had"

[stormofdefiance]

🤔 this boy ain’t right………

[crush-like-that]

I want to be a teacher. Literally what the fuckles

[nerosdayinanime]

real quick before i go to sleep. come morning light (you and i'll be safe and sound) by fakecharliebrown

[robertsbarbie]

i dreamt you loved me still!!! why did it feel so real!!!!! i can’t forget it!!!!!

[mercutiotakethewheel]

nona is fucking me all the way up on this reread i want to cry so bad but i cant bc im at work

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: black science fiction

As february and black history month nears its end, if you're a reader let's not forget to read and appreciate books by black authors the rest of the year as well! If you're a sci-fi fan like me, perhaps this list can help find some good books to sink your teeth into.

Bleak dystopias, high tech space adventures, alien monsters, alternate dimensions, mash-ups of sci-fi and fantasy - this list features a little bit of everything for genre fiction fans!

For more details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites. And as always, feel free to share your own recs in the notes!

If you want more book recs, check out my masterpost of rec lists!

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

Something massive and alien crashes into the ocean off the coast of Nigeria. Three people, a marine biologist, a rapper, and a soldier, find themselves at the center of this presence, attempting to shepherd an alien ambassador as chaos spreads in the city. A strange novel that mixes the supernatural with the alien, shifts between many different POVs, and gives a one of a kind look at a possible first contact.

Nubia: The Awakening (Nubia series) by Omar Epps & Clarence A. Hayes

Young adult. Three teens living in the slums of an enviromentally ravaged New York find that something powerful is awakening within them. They’re all children of refugees of Nubia, a utopian African island nation that sank as the climate worsened, and realize now that their parents have been hiding aspects of their heritage from them. But as they come into their own, someone seeks to use their abilities to his own ends, against their own people.

The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown

Novella. After having failed at establishing a new colony, starship Calypso fights to make it back to Earth. Acting captain Jacklyn Albright is already struggling against the threats of interstellar space and impending starvation when the ship throws her a new danger: something is hiding on the ship, picking off her crew one by one in bloody, gruesome ways. A quick, excellent read if you want some good Alien vibes.

Dawn (Xenogenesis trilogy) by Octavia E. Butler*

After a devestating war leaves humanity on the brink of extinction, survivor Lilith finds herself waking up naked and alone in a strange room. She’s been rescued by the Oankali, who have arrived just in time to save the human race. But there’s a price to survival, and it might be humanity itself. Absolutely fucked up I love it I once had to drop the book mid read to stare at the ceiling and exclaim in horror at what was going on. Includes darker examinations of agency and consent, so enter with caution.

Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson*

Utterly unique in world-building, story, and prose, Midnight Robber follows young Tan-Tan and her father, inhabitants of the Carribean-colonized planet of Toussaint. When her father commits a terrible crime, he’s exiled to a parallel version of the same planet, home to strange aliens and other human exiles. Tan-Tan, not wanting to lose her father, follows with him. Trapped on this new planet, he becomes her worst nightmare. Enter this book with caution, as it contains graphic child sexual abuse.

Rosewater (The Wormwood trilogy) by Tade Thompson

In Nigeria lies Rosewater, a city bordering on a strange, alien biodome. Its motives are unknown, but it’s having an undeniable effect on the surrounding life. Kaaro, former criminal and current psychic agent for the government, is one of the people changed by it. When other psychics like him begin getting killed, Kaaro must take it upon himself to find out the truth about the biodome and its intentions.

Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh

Young adult. A century ago, an astronomer discovered a possibly Earth-like planet. Now, a team of veteran astronauts and carefully chosen teenagers are preparing to embark on a twenty-three year trip to get there. But space is dangerous, and the team has no one to rely on but each other if - or when - something goes wrong. An introspective slowburn of a story, this focuses more on character work than action.

The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord

After the planet Sadira is left uninhabitable, its few survivors are forced to move to a new world. On Cygnus Beta, they work to rebuild their society alongside their distant relatives of the planet, while trying to preserve what remains of their culture. Focused less on hard science or action, The Best of All Possible Worlds is more about culture, romance and the ethics and practicalities of telepathy.

Mirage (Mirage duology) by Somaiya Daud

Young adult. Eighteen-year-old Amani lives on an isolated moon under the oppressive occupation of the Valthek empire. When Amani is abducted, she finds herself someplace wholly unexpected: the royal palace. As it turns out, she's nearly identical to the half-Valthek, and widely hated, princess Maram, who is in need of a body double. If Amani ever wants to make it back home or see her people freed from oppression, she will have to play her role as princess perfectly. While sci-fi, this one more has the vibe of a fantasy.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

Life on the lower decks of the generation ship HSS Matilda is hard for Aster, an outcast even among outcasts, trying to survive in a system not dissimilar to the old antebellum South. The ship’s leaders have imposed harsh restrictions on their darker skinned people, using them as an oppressed work force as they travel toward their supposed Promised Land. But as Aster finds a link between the death of the ship’s sovereign and the suicide of her own mother, she realizes there may be a way off the ship.

Where It Rains in Color by Denise Crittendon

The planet Swazembi is a utopia of color and beauty, the most beautiful of all its citizens being the Rare Indigo. Lileala was just named Rare Indigo, but her strict yet pampered life gets upended when her beautiful skin is struck by a mysterious sickness, leaving it covered in scars and scabs. Meanwhile, voices start to whisper in Lileala's mind, bringing to the surface a past long forgotten involving her entire society.

Eacaping Exodus (Escaping Exodus duology) by Nicky Drayden

Seske is the heir to the leader of a clan living inside a gigantic, spacefaring beast, of which they frequently need to catch a new one to reside in as their presence slowly kills the beast from the inside. While I found the ending rushed with regards to plot and character, the worldbuilding is very fresh and the overall plot of survival and class struggle an interesting one. It’s also sapphic!

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah*

In a near future America, inmates on death row or with life sentences in private prisons can choose to participate in death matches for entertainment. If they survive long enough - a rare case indeed - they regain their freedom. Among these prisoners are Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker, partners behind the scenes and close to the deadline of a possible release - if only they can survive for long enough. As the game continues to be stacked against them and protests mount outside, two women fight for love, freedom, and their own humanity. Chain-Gang All-Stars is bleak and unflinching as well as genuinely hopeful in its portrayal of a dark but all to real possible future.

Parable of the Sower (Earthseed duology) by Octavia E. Butler*

In a bleak future, Lauren Olamina lives with her family in a gated community, one of few still safe places in a time of chaos. When her community falls, Lauren is forced on the run. As she makes her way toward possible safety, she picks up a following of other refugees, and sows the seeds of a new ideology which may one day be the saviour of mankind. Very bleak and scarily realistic, Parable of the Sower will make you both fear for mankind and regain your hope for humanity.

Binti (Binti trilogy) by Nnedi Okorafor

Young adult novella. Binti is the first of the Himba people to be accepted into the prestigious Oomza University, the finest place of higher learning in all the galaxy. But as she embarks on her interstellar journey, the unthinkable happens: her ship is attacked by the terrifying Meduse, an alien race at war with Oomza University.

War Girls (War Girls duology) by Tochi Onyebuchi

In an enviromentally fraught future, the Nigerian civil war has flared back up, utilizing cybernetics and mechs to enhance its soldiers. Two sisters, by bond if not by blood, are separated and end up on differing sides of the struggle. Brutal and dark, with themes of dehumanization of soldiers through cybernetics that turn them into weapons, and the effect and trauma this has on them.

The Space Between Worlds (The Space Between Worlds duology) by Micaiah Johnson

Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s a catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying. As such she has a very special job in traveling to these worlds, hoping to keep her position long enough to gain citizenship in the walled-off Wiley City, away from the wastes where she grew up. But her job is dangerous, especially when she gets on the tracks of a secret that threatens the entire multiverse. Really cool worldbuilding and characters, also featuring a sapphic lead!

The Fifth Season (The Broken Eart trilogy) by N.K. Jemisin*

In a world regularly torn apart by natural disasters, a big one finally strikes and society as we know it falls, leaving people floundering to survive in a post apocalyptic world, its secrets and past to be slowly revealed. We get to follow a mother as she races through this world to find and save her missing daughter. While mostly fantasy in genre, this series does have some sci-fi flavor, and is genuinely some of the best books I've ever read, please read them.

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings*

In an alternate version of our present, the witch hunt never ended. Women are constantly watched and expected to marry young so their husbands can keep an eye on them. When she was fourteen, Josephine's mother disappeared, leveling suspicions at both mother and daughter of possible witchcraft. Now, nearly a decade and a half later, Jo, in trying to finally accept her missing mother as dead, decides to follow up on a set of seemingly nonsensical instructions left in her will. Features a bisexual lead!

The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden

South African-set scifi featuring gods ancient and new, robots finding sentience, dik-diks, and a gay teen with mind control abilities. An ancient goddess seeks to return to her true power no matter how many humans she has to sacrifice to get there. A little bit all over the place but very creative and fresh.

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson*

Young adult. Young artist June Costa lives in Palmares Tres, a beautiful, matriarchal city relying heavily on tradition, one of which is the Summer King. The most recent Summer King is Enki, a bold boy and fellow artist. With him at her side, June seeks to finally find fame and recognition through her art, breaking through the generational divide of her home. But growing close to Enki is dangerous, because he, like all Summer Kings, is destined to die.

The Blood Trials (The Blood Gifted duology) by N.E. Davenport

After Ikenna's grandfather is assasinated, she is convinced that only a member of the Praetorian guard, elite soldiers, could’ve killed him. Seeking to uncover his killer, Ikenna enrolls in a dangerous trial to join the Praetorians which only a quarter of applicants survive. For Ikenna, the stakes are even higher, as she's hiding forbidden blood magic which could cost her her life. Mix of fantasy and sci-fi. While I didn’t super vibe with this one, I suspect fans of action packed romantasy will enjoy it.

Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany

1960s classic. Rydra Wong is a space captain, linguist and poet who is set on learning to understand Babel-17, a language which is humanity's only clue at the enemy in an interstaller war. But Babel-17 is more than just a language, and studying it may change Rydra forever.

Pet (Pet duology) by Akwaeke Emezi

Young adult novella. Jam lives in a utopian future that has been freed of monsters and the systems which created and upheld them. But then she meets Pet, a dangerous creature claiming to be hunting a monster still among them, prepared to stop at nothing to find them. While I personally found the word-building in Pet lacking, it deftly handles dark subjects of what makes a human a monster.

Bonus AKA I haven’t read these yet but they seem really cool

Lion's Blood by Steven Barnes

Alternate history in which Africans colonized South America while vikings colonized the North. The vikings sell abducted Celts and Franks as slaves to the South, one of which is eleven-years-old Irish boy Aidan O'Dere, who was just bought by a Southern plantation owner.

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

Young adult dystopia. Ellie lives in a future where humanity is under the control of the alien Ilori. All art is forbidden, but Ellie keeps a secret library; when one of her books disappears, she fears discovery and execution. M0Rr1S, born in a lab and raised to be emotionless, finds her library, and though he should deliver her for execution, he finds himself obsessed with human music. Together the two embark on a roadtrip which may save humanity.

Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase

Lelah lives in future Botswana, but despite money and fame she finds herself in an unhappy marriage, her body controlled via microchip by her husband. After burying the body of an accidental hit and run, Lelah's life gets worse when the ghost of her victim returns to enact bloody vengeance.

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith

Young adult. Fen de la Guerre, living in a quarantined Gulf Coast left devestated by storms and sickness, is forced on the run with a newborn after her tribe is attacked. Hoping to get the child to safety, Fen seeks to get to the other side of the wall, she teams up with a scientist from the outside the quarantine zone.

Everfair by Nisi Shawl

A neo-victorian alternate history, in which a part of Congo was kept safe from colonisation, becoming Everfair, a safe haven for both the people of Congo and former slaves returning from America. Here they must struggle to keep this home safe for them all.

The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

Space opera. Enitan just wants to live a quiet life in the aftermath of a failed war of conquest, but when her lover is killed and her sister kidnapped, she's forced to leave her plans behind to save her sister.

Honorary mentions AKA these didn't really work for me but maybe you guys will like them: The City We Became (Great Cities duology) by N.K. Jemisin, The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull, The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole

[taylorswiftdebut]

i’ve got you down! i know you by heart! and you don’t even know where i start!

[polarspaz]

Knowing Too Much AU

While Tim was the first of the Bat-family to learn of their eldritch fate, Cassandra was the unfortunate second.

Despite Tim's best efforts to keep his family in the dark, he was unaware that Cassandra had been secretly keeping a close eye on him. She knew something was bothering him, something so heavy that he was unwilling to let anyone ease his burden.

If she wanted to help him she would have to be sneaky about. Sneaking into his room and reading his research has been surprisingly easy, but what found was anything but.

In the beginning, she had zero inkling on what he was researching. The books and papers he collected were way too advanced for her, but she was stubborn. She wanted to prove to him that she could do this, so she studiously studied. While she didn't quite grasp the depth of what she learning, it still affected her, and she learned her purpose.

Tim has no idea that Cassandra is doing this, despite his Eldritch state of being as Cassandra's main power is that of Concealment. If she doesn't want to be found or suspected, she never will be seen or thought of again until she desires it.

So when she comes to him one day and shows him her Eldritch form, he both utterly horrified and confused. She admits to him that she is afraid, that she's not sure what to do, and Tim is devested. He failed her.

However it is not all doom and gloom. With Cassandra's help, Tim is able to hide crazy stuff from the rest of the family. The two also find solace with their current state of being, and Tim can't help but feel relieved that he is not the only one going through this nightmare.

In fact, Cassandra is handling the whole thing WAY better than him and is already way more proficient and skilled with her powers than he is.

[orkbutch]

I really love that the origin playthroughs add real, otherwise inaccessible context for what the origin characters are experiencing and how their world view works, its amazing. That said first experiencing the actual lived reality of Shar's wound on Shadowheart's hand was fucking gutting. Not a mere bad = pain shock collar, but traumatic visions of being abused as a child forced into her head. Your Goddess who you love and who you fear utterly holds a controller that allows her to trigger & retraumatise you at any moment, and she does it when she arbitrarily disapproves of your thoughts and feelings.

Not only is that obviously deeply controlling and traumatising itself, it also captures an experience I think is really interesting, and may be unique to Shadowheart's Lack Of Autonomy Trauma (tm); it turns her automatic internal self, not just her body or thoughts but her Feelings, into things that she fears, and things that betray her. Who she is becomes a threat that she must resist expressing or even experiencing at all, because Shar may notice and punish her for it.

This is why I think of Shadowheart as most likely to be highly dissociative (on top of yknow, the lost time, the focus on oblivion, the routine abuse and the alienation from herself), because she can't really retreat inwards. Even the internal world is unsafe and needs to be escaped sometimes. When thats the case, you either sedate yourself (which I hc that she probably does too often) or you fracture, and numb out.

I think this is why Shadowheart seems to be the least obviously angry of all the companions toward her abuser; anger, even secretly held within to fester into resentment and rage, could not be abided. It had to be totally muted. When she turns from Shar, she is not angry but fearful, regretful, sad, confused. Even when she's free from the wound, she is more mournful than angry. She is ashamed, and deeply devestated. But she doesn't express rage. That emotion is still locked away for her.

I wonder how this impacts Shadowheart's self-trust. Her ability to believe herself, to trust her thoughts and emotions are real. I speculate that Shadowheart internally probably would dismiss lots of thoughts, feelings and desires she had as her being stubborn and disobedient. They were punished as such since she was a child, why wouldn't she believe it? It's difficult to live like that. Nothing feels certain. Nothing but something undeniably bigger than yourself, like faith or a God or the abuser that has put themself there.

When I think about that and the wound on her hand, and Shar's utter cruelty... I'm just floored by how brave Shadowheart is. In most cases, if you've befriended Shadowheart and been nice enough, she will choose to save The Nightsong without any input from you. She is so, so brave. She wants to fight for what feels right, for freedom, and for herself, even when she knows what Shar can and does do to her. She faces down the wrath of a capricious Goddess she's personally angered, and handles it with unsettling grace. Shes so used to pain, and making herself nonexistent, but she still fights for herself. I just love her so much

[slytherin-paramour]

Ok random headcanon of the day.

💧💧💧💧💧💧💧💧💧💧💧💧💧💧

After all of the awful things that happen at the end of the game, MC is just absolutely broken. Losing Fig, losing Sebastian to the Dark Arts, it's all just too much. She's just numb.

She goes to talk to the closest authoritative person to her that's left, Professor Weasley, and breaks down, telling her that she wants the hurting to stop. She decides that she wants to return to the Muggle World.

Professor Weasley is visibly concerned about this decision but says that if it's what she really wants, she'll support her. She also informs her that the decision will mean that the Ministry will probably want to erase her memory of the Wizarding World via Obliviate. MC had already considered this and feels sad but also thinks that it will be a relief to finally forget.

The only person she tells of her plans is Ominis. She feels he deserves to know, as one of her closest friends. Ominis hasn't really spoken to her or anyone since what happened, but when he listens to what she wants to do, he is utterly heartbroken.

On the day that MC is due to have her memory wiped, she's sitting in a room at the Ministry with a few official witches and wizards around. They go over the details of what is about to transpire with her one last time, also producing her wand, ready to be snapped as a finality to her losing her magic.

They give her a last chance to back out. MC just stares numbly at the wall, giving a little shake of her head.

One of them, an elderly wizard, approaches her side and pats her on the shoulder with sympathy before pressing his wand against her temple gently, the tip of it beginning to glow blue.

MC feels a tear roll over her cheek, and she closes her eyes.

A loud bang reverberates around the room as the door is flung open, followed by the sound of angry voices, shouting and footsteps. The wand is removed from MCs head and everyone in the room turns to see the commotion.

A heavy body suddenly slams into MC, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her face to rest in the crook of his neck. She takes in a deep breath, inhaling his scent. A scent she'd know anywhere. Sebastian. Tears fill her eyes.

Sebastian clings to her desperately and tells her not to give up. Not to leave him behind. He knows that he's hurt her beyond repair and that she's suffering, but he'll be there for her from now on in any capacity that she desired. She was everything to him, and she was loved by so many people in the wizarding world. That even though there was darkness, she couldn't just forget all of the light that she'd wrought into the world around her.

He's sobbing as he presses his face into her hair, softly stroking the back of her head. The officials in the room have remained silent, but the elderly man was gently trying to pry Sebastian away from MC.

Professor Weasley, who had until now remained out in the corridor, stepped briskly into the room, followed by Garreth, Imelda, Poppy and Natty, all of whom looked a little ruffled, but when MC made eye contact with them, ran toward her and all piled in for a hug. Imelda reprimanding her tearfully for not telling them about everything.

The officials allow MC some time alone with her friends to discuss things. Apparently Ominis had gathered the troops, telling them of her plans and each of them were dumbstruck and shattered by the thought of it.

None more so than Sebastian, who physically couldn't bear the thought of MC losing her memories. He'd demanded from some of the Hogwarts faculty (Professor Hecat was more than happy to help her favourite student) that they tell him the date of her Obliviation. And here he was.

MC realises just how devestated her friends would be if she went through with this, and feeling their warmth around her, she sobs and decides to stay with them. Her eyes open to meet the familiar dark ones that she loves so much, his eyes a bit puffy from crying. She smiles a genuine smile, silently conveying how grateful she is. He takes her hand in his and squeezes, a quiet promise that they can talk in privacy later.

She takes a deep inhale. She really must repay Ominis for this.

🥺🥺🐍🦁🥺🥺

PT.2 .

Sorry for the angst! I'm an angsty person 🙃

[obriengf]

velvet touches, indelible scars - w/dylan

he made you smile, and that's all it took for you to fall so hopelessly devoted to him. how could you not? every laugh was a breath of fresh air that you craved to breathe, derived of oxygen until he unknowingly allowed you to inhale all the good that kept you going. it was addictive, a necessity, the desire to be close to him made your heart ache and scream and thump - and for a moment, you would feel your chest tighten, but it was simply because he left you gasping on held breath over his tenderness and gentle eyes. his words were always soft, even when they held such mischief and a boyish cheekiness that made his cheeks dimple delectably. they made you feel good, always, without fault, as if you could believe any nonsense that fell so beautifully from those lips. and trust me, you would. over and over again.

his friendship was a staple that kept you clinging. and even though he would never let go, it still kelp you holding on for dear life, like it was a permanence in your life; something you didn't want to lose, you simply couldn't. and yet, the day you nearly did left a shadow of 'what ifs' that still clouded your dreams and captured your heart in an anxious strangle.

he had you mesmerised - probably without realising, not completely, at least. every single word, every sound, had you hanging and teetering on the edge of a cliff for no sane reason. you just loved him, is all. your eyes gleamed as they showed you listening so intently to his stories, encapsulated in the tales that held such domesticity, but he knew that you would like them. you would understand. you always had gotten him, from the first day that you met. it's what drew him to you.

you grinned widely, your shoulder pressed into the cushioning of his couch as you sat sideways, facing the man next to you. his position was mirrored perfectly- in sync, such comfortability. his elbow had dug in at the top and his cheek balanced on the soft curl of his fist, face turning slightly as he released a heavy laugh straight from the belly, embodied by pureness and authenticity.

it wasn't until your eyes fell slightly, your focus leaving the handsome creases of happiness that pulled at his eyes, and instead landing on the small mark that made you feel as if time was only borrowed. your smile dropped with your gaze, effortlessly, too quick for you to handle. and before you knew it, your fingers reached out.

his laughter stopped as he felt such softness - movements made solely to prevent damage, an approach to handle with care. he watched as your finger danced lightly over the side of his nose, only to pull back suddenly as if you were to touch an open flame. he frowned.

"what is it?" his voice was quiet, barely heard if you hadn't been so close. he was scared that if he spoke any louder then he would break the bubble you have found yourselves buried deep within.

your reply was just as hushed, barely breathed out as a gentle huff left your lips, "just this little guy."

dylan knew that you meant and it pained him that after all these years, all the time you had to move past it, and it still affected you in such a way that it left your poor soul with a broken heart.

he hummed, "what about it?" he was moving now as his hand covered yours, holding it against the side of his face. he could feel you relax instantly but your thumb dragged over the scar as a reminder that it lived. and that after the accident, he did too.

" i nearly lost you." there was a crack in your voice - barely present, just a minor bump, a possible cough to someone who wasn't paying as much attention. but dylan was too engrossed with everything that made you, you, that he couldn't help but feel the fracture as it settled within his chest.

his scar was an in-built memory, a permanent token, an unwanted souvenir. it reminded him of a time where he felt utterly useless and devestated. it followed him whereever he went, but it was a part of him now. and it represented how he made it out of the woods and back into the daylight.

"hey, look at me." he beckoned, watching as you were getting lost in the moments of seeing him in his hospital bed, absolutely destroyed. it was the stuff of nightmares, simply disturbing with just how fluently you could fall in and out of that memory as if you were back in that sterile white room with the beeping machines and your broken friend. dylan pressed again, "sweetheart, look at me. i'm here, i'm alive. we're okay, i promise you."

his coo was a saviour, like all the times before. you were stuck in a foggy daze, and he was the lighthouse that guided you safely to the shore. you awoke from a terrible dream and dylan still had his hand entagled with yours, and matching tears that threatened to fall from wet lash lines. your breathing stopped again - settling in your chest as words weighed on your tongue. you couldn't breathe until you felt his lips brush over your knuckles, making your words jump with emotion, "i will never let you feel pain again, if it's the last thing i do."

dylan's lips lifted, curled, gathered into a grin that felt like much needed rebirth.

he knew in that moment that he loved you, really loved you. like he did when he saw you in that hospital room all those years ago - how love shone so brightly from your eyes despite their devastated sadness. he was a man that was reduced to nothing but you never left his side. you fell in love with him at his lowest and because of you, he raised valiently from the ashes.

you would always be by his side, as he yours, never daring to look back for a a single second - especially, not when it came to that damn smile, that got you every single time.

[brekkie-e]

Nothing could have prepared me for the devestation that was convincing my mother to read ASOIAF, and having her turn around and try to convince me Sansa was a blonde. She was at the end of A Dance with Dragons. The end of it. Sansa isn't even ginger in A Dance with Dragons. She could have said brunette, and I wouldn't have known she was picturing my girl so utterly incorrect. But no.

This was a weird and disappointing way to learn my mom skims when she reads. How do you go through five books of someone's hair color being a defining part of their character and not even pick up on what said hair color is?

[angstintensifer]

Huntlynn headcanons.

Hunter was absolutely smitten with Ashlynn since day one and always tries his best to impress her. He will go out of his way to look good on dates and especially on outings like a dance or something important but his looks don’t matter to Ashlynn, she always adored him for who he is.

The enchanted forest is their safe place and they still go on dates there even after their relationship was public.

In the beginning Ashlynn tried to push Hunter away because of their destinies and her fear of what would happen if people found out a royal and a rebel developed romantic feelings for each other.

She went back to him later that day and changed her mind because she also believed their love was worth fighting for.

Hunter is known to make occasional surprise visits at the glass slipper during Ashlynn’s work hours when he’s bored or because he misses her, he also wants to check up on her and make sure she's not overworking herself.

When their relationship was a secret Hunter would passed messages to Ashlynn via bird to be romantic.

Hunter can always tell when something is bothering Ashlynn, if she's having a bad day he can sense it and will do everything in power to either comfort her or cheer her up.

Hunter was hard to read at first for Ashlynn, because he was so used to hiding himself in front of his family and friends but eventually Ashlynn could read him easier than anyone else could.

During their true hearts day breakup, they were both miserable for those hours apart. Ashlynn could barely stop crying but held most of it in to convince herself it was the right thing to do (it wasn’t)

Hunter was utterly devested and had a big breakdown the second he was alone with his feelings.

Ashlynn wanted to avoid the dance because she knew she would see him at it, but went because Briar convinced her. Hunter went because he felt at least seeing her around would make him feel better even if she didn't want to be with him anymore.

They were constantly glancing at other when their relationship was a secret, it was a bit obvious they were together. (Cedar also said this in her webepisode so)

Despite being raised to be tough huntsman, Hunter is very gentle with Ashlynn when it comes to physical affection. He adores, hugs and cuddles. He will find any excuse to hold her hands.

Hunter doesn’t find shoes interesting but he could listen to Ashlynn talk about them for hours, because he loves listening to her talk and watching her get so excited.

Hunter taught her some archery and they often go on archery dates together, it gets a bit competitive but they have a lot of fun.

In return, Ashlynn tried to teach Hunter to dance because she’s good at it and the first time ended badly with him tripping and getting slightly injured, but she patched him up herself.

They both dreaded the legacy day. Ashlynn attempted to break up with Hunter on legacy day to spare them any possible future pain but they both decided they would face the day together instead of giving up on what they have, even if it was secret.

Hunter doesn’t like to give up on things and while he understood every single one of Ashlynn’s doubts and concerns, he wanted her to know he would fight for her whether she choose to stay with him or not. He always have a choice if she wanted out.

Hunter was the first say “I love you.” He said it on legacy day before the ceremony. And Ashlynn was in shock to hear it and didn’t reciprocate the words until after the ceremony in regret that she signed the book after what Raven did.

But Hunter knew she felt the same way.

It’s implied in the books that Ashlynn gave or made Hunters leather bracelet, so I like to think she did.

Hunter is very good at doing Ashlynn’s hair and likes to braid it or just brush it for her.

[evilcatgirlwizard]

man I wanna write an au of warriors where the prophesy about kin of your kin rival the stars etc etc and people just fucking freak out. Thunderclan has to fight off all the other clans just to *survive*. They all interpreted it as firestar's kin are gonna be so strong they're gonna destroy Starclan. So they have to destroy every Firestar relative Now or Else.

In one of these Many Many Battles, Leafpool is tending to Crowfeather in secret cuz he got hurt Extremely Bad and was gonna die if she didn't do anything because Windclan had left him behind. He's like wow women do love me huh. Leafpool ends up bringing him to Thunderclan and they Hesitantly accept this guy cuz well Leafpool said he was cool and was kicked out for being pro-Thunderclan and they REALLY REALLY need the warriors.

Leafpool and Squirrelflight still eventually have to leave, and the clan is genuinely fucking devestated. They all assume Crowfeather lured them into a trap, so he gets Executed. They can't spare the time to feed him, man. They just can't. They have to train the apprentices and hunt and patrol borders... He's a liability.

Though, of course, Leafpool and Squirrelflight come back with kits. Four, four kits. Lionkit, Jaykit, Hollykit, and Breezekit. Breezekit looks suspiciously like a certain suddenly dead tomcat, but no one thinks too hard because thank Starclan these two are alive. Squirrelflight says theyre hers, she just left and had them in secret with Leafpool at her side just in case clan camp was attacked. So sorry for the worry. No One Cares they're just so glad a capable warrior and Leafpool are *back*.

Leaf asks where Crowfeather is. Everyone else looks at each other weirdly. Firestar, haggard and losing a life every other moon, is the one who tells her. Leafpool is *appalled*. They... they would just ***kill him***? Without even waiting? She knows times aren't good, but he was an innocent cat. He was her... friend. She saved his life and her father took it away. Leafpool is so utterly destroyed by this, two days later she takes Breezekit and Hollykit and runs off to Windclan. Sure, Windclan may be rallying against her father, but she's a medicine cat. And these kits look like Crowfeather. She can pass them off as Crowfeather's kits with a loner. Or something. Her excuses don't matter because Windclan accepts her. Not... not easily, but Onestar isn't so far gone down the Thunderclan hate train that he won't allow a medicine cat (notably celibate) return two Windclan kits to Windclan. And stay, to heal more Windclan cats. This is fine.

Proper all-clan gatherings stopped happening the moon the war on Thunderclan began. The clans are so caught up in destroying Thunderclan that they can't even leave their territory without being viciously attacked. The three other clans do meet, though, just while keeping Thunderclan in their place, stagnating and hopefully dying. Leafpool ends up being asked to join one of these gatherings, and ends up getting pestered by everyone. What happened to Crowfeather, what did Thunderclan do to him and you that even you, their medicine cat, left? How far have they fallen?

Leafpool, still upset, doesn't help her kin. She speaks clearly and openly, and lies out of her teeth to protect her young. Crowfeather was captured at the end of a battle between Thunder and Wind, and Leafpool was tasked with healing him. Eventually she broke him out however, and helped him flee Thunderclan. In the wilderness, he met and befriended... Pond, an orange she-cat who kept him safe and happy. He and her had... four kits. She says his other two kits, Jay and Lion, are still in Thunderclan. Because they tracked Crowfeather down, killed him and Pond, and took his kits, intending to train them to destroy their father's clan. Leafpool hated this, and hated patching up murderers, so she took as many kits as she could carry--only two, sadly--and fled. She now stands as a medicine cat, who took a vow of chastity by the way she may be Firestar's kin but she doesn't have any powers and she's never had kits because she's a medicine cat ahhahahaha, rebelling against Thunderclan. And the other three clans are like oh hell yeah we're justified. And Leafpool is like wait. I don't want my dad and family destroyed. Oh fuck and shit I made a mistake in my post-Crowfeather Being Murdered Anger. Oh No.

it'd be this harrowing story of Lion and Jay having to come into their powers much sooner to even keep Thunderclan *alive*, and of Holly and Breeze (I just like him), *also* developing powers and being like hm. What does this say about me as a cat. maybe someone is lying. While Leafpool is subtly sabotaging the effort to kill her family and trying to keep secrets and mourning the life she could have had if she hadn't been so stupid and reckless.

[piratefishmama]

Okay but what if Jason wasnt a bad boyfriend.

What if he really did love Chrissy, but not in the girlfriend kind of way, but in the "I'll protect you" kind of way.

He was clearly deeply hurt by her death, so much so that he went on a full scale man hunt and riled up a mob, those arent the actions of a bad, abusive boyfriend that i keep seeing him potrayed as.

We know Chrissy had an eating disorder thanks to her mothers criticisms and her father refusing to stand up and protect her, but i often see Jason being lumped in with that too, like he's always critical of her, telling her what to wear or what to eat or something when really all we've seen of him is him telling her he loves her and looking at her like she hung the stars in the sky, and him being truly devestated, completely and utterly mentally broken by her death.

yeah, Chrissy didn't tell him about the hallucinations, but did she have time to?

we know after someone starts seeing things like the clock or horrible monsters, you havent got long left, you havent even got 24 hours, he's coming for you and soon, and she thought she could just fix it with a damn good nap, so she went to the drug dealer cause how would her squeaky clean sportsman boyfriend help her get a good nap? Drugs would do that just fine, right?

but even better, Chrissy has highkey LGBT vibes, what if Jason was more of a cover and less of a boyfriend. He loved her so much, grew up with her, and being with him kept her safe from people figuring her out, sometimes her mother would even chill the fuck out if he was there, he kept her as safe as he could, until one day... he couldn't. And she was gone.

Jason could be so much more than the shit boyfriend u guys!