#besides fanfiction is all about interpretation anyway right?

[sweet-star-cookie]

The girlies!!!! They get to sword fight together!!!! They make a great team, clearly :D

"And make sure to send pictures of Scorpio whenever possible. Every expression he makes is a potential meme template." I actually laughed out loud reading this, you'd think the man who covers most or all of his face constantly wouldn't be so meme worthy, and yet 😂 He just can't catch a break with these two, can he?

I love that Asclepius was just trying to get help rather than abandoning Ciara too, he seems to be a lot more caring than she thinks (despite immediately eating the demon core lmao) What a good boy c:

Ciara being unsure but then Cassie immediately hugging her is so cute omg ;;;;u;;;; And very in-character for Cassie as well, as soon as she knows she can hug someone, she will seize the opportunity! I can picture them both hanging out together in the future :'D

SOMEONE LIKE ME (CHAP. 33) - A STARGLASS ZODIAC X ZODIAC EXPERIMENT CROSSOVER

just realized that I should've written Vulpecula as the corrupted spirit that Cassie faced in the very beginning because it would've aligned with canon SGZ lore better here, but oh well I do not possess complete writer omniscience

will probably rewrite and edit that bit when I transfer this over to ao3 but we shall see

previous chapter is here

next chapter is TBA

masterpost is here

tagging @mythicalmagical-monkeyman @hyperfixation-tangentopia @maiawhimsicalt and @sweet-star-cookie

They eventually finished up their long conversations about life and Zodiacs and other trivial, much less important things. Such as: does pineapple belong on pizza?

"I'm telling you, pineapple doesn't belong on pizza!" Ciara said, waving her hand around. Asclepius was curled around her neck, and they hissed irritably whenever Ciara's arm moved. "Pineapple belongs in the trash—it's so sweet it tastes sour!" 

"And I'm telling you, it's not half bad!" Cassie protested as they hiked back up to the woods, Flicker squeaking in agreement. "When it's cooked, all the sourness goes away. And besides, the last time you had pineapple was when you were six! You should try it again, it's pretty good when it's in season."

"It was a very bad experience." Ciara sniffed. "I had a very distinguished palate as a child. I only ate the finest of foods, such as Cheerios, and mac and cheese, and chicken nuggets." 

"Ah, of course," Cassie said haughtily. "Was your milk served in a silver goblet as well? Was the fine china broken out for Miss Ciara Phuong?"

"Indeed it was, Miss Cassie Kay." 

They somehow managed to say all of this with a straight face, but both girls immediately broke out into laughter upon making eye contact.

"I wish I had met you sooner," Ciara admitted. "I think...I think we could've helped each other out with our Zodiac duties. 'Cause, y'know, there's precious few other people that can understand what we do."

Cassie nodded. "Yeah. My friends try to help me out with my Zodiac stuff, but...a lot of the really hard things I have to do I have to do alone."

"To protect them, right?" Ciara asked, grabbing Cassie's hand to help her up a particularly steep section of hill. "Because...no matter how hard they try, they just don't have the powers or abilities you have? And sometimes it would just be safer to...leave them out?"

"Something like that." Cassie looked up at Ciara, who suddenly seemed years older. "You sound like you're speaking from experience."

"I..." Ciara shuffled through the snow, shoving her hands in her pockets. "A few years ago, I isolated myself and spent those years searching for Eclipse. Those were...lonely times. I thought I was doing the right thing, leaving Gemini and the other Zodiacs out of it, because they were the ones that suffered the most under Eclipse.

"But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I needed them. I needed support and I needed help. Some things I could do alone, but I couldn't do everything by myself. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is..." Ciara turned to meet Cassie's gaze. "Take help when you can. If someone is willing to help you, let them. Trust that they will be able to handle themselves."

Cassie thought back to Ellie and Leena, and how they had pleaded, nay, begged Cassie to let them help her. She remembered how she had said, over and over, it's too dangerous, and how they had said, over and over, we can handle it. 

Ciara was right. How much harder would it have been if she had to capture corrupted spirits all by herself? How much harder would it have been if she had to figure out her role as a Starglass bearer all by herself?

"My friends, Ellie and Leena...they help me with finding corrupted spirits. Letting them help me was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made." Cassie hesitated, then put her hand on Ciara's shoulder. "I don't know what goes on in your Astral Plane, but...how do I say this, I feel like it's important to have friends that aren't your Zodiacs. The Zodiacs are powerful and very helpful, don't get me wrong, but I think they sometimes forget what it's like to be human."

Ciara considered this, thinking about the two demons she had met and befriended during her self-imposed exile. Zylah and Xarya. "I do. I have friends that aren't Zodiacs, I mean. They're two demons that help me train, but they listen to me when I bitch about everything I have to do. I miss them. I left them really suddenly after Leo got arrested." Ciara froze for a second. "Maybe I should visit them."

"Take your own advice and visit them, yeah?" Cassie asked, nudging Ciara. "I'm sure they miss you too. If I was your friend and you left me all of a sudden, I'd really miss you." 

If I was your friend...I'd really miss you.

"Damn, you really know how to cheer a person up," Ciara laughed, thoughts racing a mile a minute. She hadn't had a friend her own age ever since...Kai. "And...hey, I'd love to be your friend, Cassie." 

"Oh—oh." Her own words suddenly registered in her brain. 

I'd love to be your friend.

"Yeah. I'd love to be your friend too." 

-

"Okay. I think the portal's somewhere over here," Cassie said as Flicker squeaked more insistently. It was like playing the game hot and cold; Flicker would scream more as they got near the portal. 

"Oh good," Ciara said, kicking at the snow. "Asclepius thinks he's going to freeze to death."

The tiny snake was shaking their head vigorously, eyes squinted against the snow. They slowly slithered off Ciara's shoulder and into her jacket pocket, hissing as they went. 

"We'll still keep in touch, right?" Cassie asked. They had exchanged email addresses and phone numbers earlier, and they had promptly sent each other various photos of themselves and their Zodiacs to each other. "After we go home?"

"Of course!" Ciara said immediately. "And make sure to send pictures of Scorpio whenever possible. Every expression he makes is a potential meme template."

"Will do! Hey, what do you think about—"

A distant crash drew both girls' attention, both of their heads snapping up instantly. They could barely make out the vague shapes of a blobby monster and a bird-like spirit. 

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Ciara groaned, drawing her sword. Guess I'll actually finish my mission after all. "Again? 'Sclepius, wake up, we have a demon to kill." 

She threw the snake out of her jacket pocket, Asclepius hissing in irritation and growing larger as they hit the ground. They raised their head, flicking their tongue before taking off in the direction of the sounds. 

"Follow it!" Cassie shouted, drawing her own sword out of the Starglass. Time to capture that spirit. "C'mon, Flicker!" 

Flicker chirruped, hopping out of Cassie's hood and running after Asclepius. The two girls followed suit, their feet sinking into the slushy snow in tandem as they ran.

"What's the plan?" Cassie asked as they raced through the forest. "If we have one? To be honest, I rarely ever have solid plans for capturing spirits."

"I take my demon, you take your spirit. Split up and deal with them separately, because we might cause more damage if we fight in close proximity." Ciara blinked at the words that she was spewing. Wow, I actually sound like I know what I'm doing.

"Right!" Cassie nodded. She quickly swung her sword into a nearby tree, carving an X into the bark. "Meet back here once you're done!"

"Got it!" 

-

Cassie led her bird spirit towards the right, the spirit squawking rather violently. It didn't seem to be a constellation, just an ordinary bird spirit (albeit, a rather large bird spirit). That certainly would make it much easier for her to heal it, but it would still be a challenge to even get to it.

Because the spirit was extraordinarily fast. Cassie's eyes darted around—even trying to watch the spirit was tiring. She shifted to a defensive stance. In this case, where the spirit was more focused on running away than attacking her, the best course of action was to set up some sort of trap.

So she set about finding a strong, sturdy tree and climbing up it, hoping to be able to ambush the spirit from below. Luckily, it was still snowing, and the snow would most likely be able to cushion her if she fell off. 

Unluckily, the falling snow also made it harder to spot the spirit. Cassie strained her eyes, searching for that telltale sign of black and purple. 

A couple minutes of searching passed, and she finally found the spirit...waddling behind a tree, roughly ten feet away from where she was currently sitting. Evidently, without her chasing it around, the spirit had gotten bored and settled down. 

Which was good—Cassie preferred to try and not hurt spirits whenever possible. If only the spirit had rested right below her own tree, then she could drop down and heal it quickly. It was also unfortunate that she couldn't heal from a distance—if she could, she would just be able to heal it from where she was sitting now. 

"Hey, Flicker," She said, and her dragon buddy perked up. "Can you try and lead that spirit over here, near the bottom of this tree?" Spirits were attracted to Light magic, and it was likely that Flicker's Light magic would be able to attract this particular spirit. Hopefully then, Flicker could lead the spirit over to her.

Flicker nodded, and jumped off the tree, running after the bird spirit. After a few minutes, Flicker was successfully able to corral the spirit over to Cassie's tree.

The unfortunate thing was that the bird and Flicker were now chasing each other around the base of the tree, like a game of tag. Both were now moving too fast, so Cassie wasn't guaranteed to land near the spirit. She might just end up squishing Flicker, which would not be good for either of them.

She was wondering if she should rethink her strategy when she heard a familiar hissing from the ground.

"Asclepius?!" She shouted, watching Flicker and Asclepius slowly back the spirit against the tree.

Cassie was very confused on what Asclepius was doing here, but she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. So she quickly swung off her branch, ducked and rolled to land safely on the ground (just like Scorpio taught her), lunged forward, and grabbed the spirit's face. 

"Gotcha!" She gently cradled the spirit, warmth beginning to fill her hands. The bird began to glow golden, the darkness slowly fading. A bright flash, and the spirit began to dissipate. 

"Whew! That was close!" Cassie said as Flicker hopped into her left hand and Asclepius slithered into her right. She stared at Asclepius suspiciously. "And just what are you doing here? Is Ciara doing alright by herself?"

At that moment, she could hear Ciara scream in the distance, "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" 

Cassie sucked in a breath. "Maybe we should go check up on her, yeah?"

-

Asclepius had deserted her, damn cowardly bastard that he was. Ciara looked around for any trace of her traitorous snake, but to no avail. He had truly slithered off and left her to face off against a Calamity by herself.

Which was fine. She had taken on bigger, faster, stronger demons than this one. She could handle it.

The only problem was the fact that upon closer inspection, this wasn't actually a Calamity. Capricorn had told her that most Calamity demons were made up of mostly water, with just a bit of earth to hold it together. However, when a demon was mostly made of earth, with a small amount of water, it transitioned into a Silicate demon. A demon with a structure similar to clay instead of mud, and resistant to dissolving in water. 

Now that Ciara could observe it, she saw that it was dark red—almost black—not the bluish black of a Calamity. Its eyes were also more symmetrical and uniform, and it had one enormous, gaping mouth where its stomach should've been. She had no idea where this demon came from—last time, she hadn't spotted anything other than Calamity demons.

Think, Ciara. She thought as the Silicate chased her around. Think. That thing is more solid than a Calamity, but it's still soft. Moldable. And it can regenerate any lost limbs. The best way to kill it would be to...

Jump on it and split it in two.

Which was a task easier said than done, and a task made easier with multiple allies. However, her singular assistant had abandoned her and trying to somehow contact Cassie to help her would also be too risky. So she'd have to do this by herself. Somehow.

Ciara slashed a tree near her, hoping that it would draw the Silicate's attention and allow her to sneak onto the rocks behind it, jump on it, and kill it. If Asclepius were here, he'd be able to do a better job of distracting the demon, but, alas, he was not.

The plan kind of worked—Silicates weren't that smart and they were easily distracted, so Ciara was allowed a few seconds to climb up the rocks and prepare to strike.

However, she underestimated just how sticky Silicates' bodies were. She thought that she didn't need to enhance her sword to cut it open, but she was wrong. (Despite all her training, she had not come close to fighting every single type of demon in the Astral Plane.) Instead of satisfyingly cutting through the demon like butter, her sword got stuck in the demon's body. 

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" Ciara screeched, trying to pry her sword out of the demon's body. The Silicate roared, spinning around in an attempt to get Ciara off its back, and Ciara had to dig her feet into the demon's sticky body to stop herself from flying off.

Eventually, the centrifugal force got to her, and she was slammed into a nearby tree, thankfully not cracking any bones. The amount of swears she shouted into the air would've been more than enough to earn her a sharp scolding from Virgo or Capricorn. Possibly both. 

"CIARA!" Someone shouted, and through the ringing of her ears, Ciara could hear approaching footsteps. "HEY! LOOK HERE!" 

Is that Cassie...? Ciara slowly managed to look up, to find Cassie taunting the Silicate demon. Is she insane?

Cassie swung her sword, bringing the blade down on the Silicate's left arm, actually managing to cleave it in two. The girl let out a small shout of amazement. 

That amazement was short-lived, as the demon promptly started to reattach its arm to its body. Ciara managed to get to her feet and dash over to Cassie, blocking the demon's hit and pushing it back a few paces. 

"There's a core!" Ciara shouted, shifting her feet. "In the demon! It's what powers the demon—I think if you try to slash its body horizontally, and I do it vertically, we can reach it!" 

"Got it!" Cassie shouted back. Her sword began to glow bright blue, a ball of energy collecting in her sword's circular notch. She screamed at the demon some more, goading it to look in her direction.

Go, go, go. Ciara thought as she ran up the rocks again. Watch for Cassie and strike when she strikes.

"I'm gonna count down!" Cassie shouted, circling the demon. "Three!"

Ciara gripped her sword tighter, the earth rune on her sword beginning to glow. "Earth!" 

"Two!" 

Bits of rock began to fly towards her sword, sticking to the metal like a magnet. 

"One!"

Ciara hefted her sword—which more accurately resembled a club now—and waited for Cassie's call.

"GO!" 

In that instant, Ciara leaped off the mound of rocks, swinging her sword down towards the Silicate's middle. Thankfully, it went through easier than last time, splitting the demon in twain. At the same time, Cassie slashed her sword across the demon's body, the bright blue orb in her sword slicing it clean through. 

The Silicate barely had time to gurgle in pain before it was abruptly chopped into four pieces, revealing its core. Ciara hurriedly snatched it up before the demon had a chance to reform. It looked much like a chunk of brick, or perhaps a large piece of a terracotta pot.

"We did it!" Ciara cheered, kicking the sticky remains of the demon out of the way. She raised her hand in a high five, and Cassie slapped her palm against hers.

"What do we do with it?" Cassie asked, pointing to the core. 

"Now," Ciara dropped it on the ground. "We destroy it."

She raised her sword above her head and swung it down in an arc, ready to split the core in two—

And then Asclepius slithered up, unhinged their jaw, and ate the core in two swift bites. 

The two girls stood there for a moment, staring at the snake in utter confusion (Ciara) or slight amusement (Cassie).

"YOU STUPID SNAKE!" Ciara shouted, dropping to her knees, picking up her snake, and shaking them vigorously. Asclepius blankly stared back, and Cassie was 90% sure this snake had nothing but the Wii shop theme playing through their head 24/7. "What were you thinking?! Demon cores are NOT for eating! And why the hell did you decide to ditch me?!" 

Asclepius hissed irritably, moving their head between Cassie and Ciara, trying to communicate something.

Ciara squinted her eyes, looking at Cassie and then at Asclepius. "Did you...run off to get Cassie so she could help me?"

The snake nodded their head, and Ciara sighed. "Well, I suppose I can't get too mad if you went off to get help for me. Thanks, 'Sclepius." 

"We make a pretty good team, yeah?" Cassie asked, holding out her hand. Behind her, Flicker hopped up and down. 

Ciara grabbed Cassie's hand and pulled herself up, nodding. "Yeah. We really do."

-

"Well, I guess this is actually goodbye?" Ciara asked as they approached the stone portal.

Cassie nodded, letting go of her sword. It dissolved back into light, traveling back into the Starglass. Ciara sheathed her sword, adjusting her shoulder strap. Miraculously, Cassie had somehow managed to save both flower crowns in her backpack, and handed Ciara's back to her.

"This is goodbye," Cassie said, but then smiled. "But not forever, right? We can still contact each other and meet up?"

Ciara thought about it, then nodded. "Yeah, of course!" She awkwardly held out her arms, unsure if they were at the hugging milestone yet, but Cassie eagerly fell into her arms. 

"Take care, okay?" Cassie asked, squeezing Ciara's shoulders. 

Ciara nodded, patting Cassie's head. "Of course I will."

They separated, Cassie turning to her portal and Ciara creating her own. Both girls stepped onto or walked through their portals, their animal companions close behind.

Both girls had the exact same thought as they crossed onward to their respective Astral Planes.

I'm grateful to have met someone like me.

check out @sweet-star-cookie's starglass zodiac lore if you liked this!! questions about my lore are greatly appreciated!!

[pheavampire]

Astarion, Cazador and D&D vampire lore

Let’s talk about D&D vampires and some lore inconsistencies in Baldur’s Gate 3.

BG3 is not a game about vampires. It was obvious we won’t get a playable character who will be 100% vampire spawn from the handbooks - the mechanical balance would be disturbed in comparison with other characters. But we can list some weird stuff and missing aspects. For fun, for fanfiction, for nerdiness.

I still wonder why Cazador even asked Astarion if he wants to be turned. Sure, he could do that, so he could say later „ha ha you asked for it!” but still - weird. Anyway, a vampire lord doesn’t need to ask - he just bites his victim, kills it by drinking its blood and boom, a vampire spawn is made. Almost made…

… because at first the victim needs to be buried and layed in the ground before it rises. That’s the next question - how the hell did Cazador make 7000 spawns? Theoretically he needed to bury them all, dig them back/wait until they dig themselves out or something and transport them to his dungeon without being noticed. His servants could do that for him, but it still is a pretty big thing to cover. Besides…

… accordng to D&D 3.5 edition: "At any given time a vampire may have enslaved spawn totaling no more than twice its own Hit Dice" which means it was impossible for Cazador to create 7000 spawns. Sure, Baldur's Gate 3 uses 5 ed rules, but I'm sure they didn't change this one that much. (BUT! We can interpret this rule as: a vampire lord can create as many spawns as he wants, but the number of enslaved ones is limited. That's all right in this case).

That being said, Astarion is surprised when he discovers that all Cazador’s victims are spawns now. One of his dialogue options is „I thought Cazador was feeding on you”. Well yes, he had to feed on them to make them spawns Astarion, I thought you noticed that yourself 200 years ago. But let's say I understand your confusion, 7000 spawns mean Cazador's hit dice is 3500. Lol.

As a vampire spawn, Astarion should be able to regenerate even without biting someone. To be precise, he should get 10 health points at the start of every turn until he gets killed. But ok, this one doesn’t work in the sun, so let’s say it’s justified… unless the party is in the underdark, shadowlands or other dark place. But yeah, that would be too OP.

Astarion should be afraid of holy symbols, mirrors and garlic. That would be quite irritating, as he wouldn’t be able to even get near Selune's stuff or Lathander’s temple (Lathander HATES the undead, just ask poor Jander Sunstar). But let’s say the tadpole gave him immunity.

Spider climb. Imagine Astarion climbing walls or even ceilings like a damn Spiderman - this is what a regular vampire spawn can do. If the tadpole took away this ability, that’s not very nice of it.

Claws. Astarion should be able to transform his fingers into claws at will. That’s right, it works like another melee weapon.

Coffins, graves et cetera - bunk beds in Cazador's palace are a very anti-canon idea. Because D&D vampires have really traditional weaknesses, they always have to „sleep” in the ground they were buried in to recover - just like Cazador. Jander I mentioned earlier invented an un-lifehack, as he was traveling through Faerun by keeping some of the dirt from his grave in his pocket. He was scattering it in the place he wanted to rest for some time.

A vampire spawn can be controlled or banished by clerics like any other undead. That's right, when Shadowheart casts this one, Astarion should roll the dice, or else he will have to run away from her like those zombies you banished during your playthrough.

Last but not least, vampires get damage if they are in the flowing water, for example river, but you already know this one from the early access Astarion. Shame they removed it, in was a bit irritating but I loved it. It reminded me Astarion is a vampire not only in the dialogues.

That's all I can think of now. My knowledge is a mix of 3.5 and 5 ed, do with it what you want. I wouldn't mind more lore accuarte Astarion fanfics though.

Shocked Astarion reading D&D Monster Manual. Or Libris Mortis.

[lemonxlimee]

Do You ship leafy x evil leafy?

Alright this is a complicated one to answer

Ahem

It depends on how you define "ship." They have a relationship but it's not romantic. Someone with a weaker vocabulary might call it queerplatonic but I think it's even more than that. In the most simple explanation, they belong to each other, like yin and yang, not the characters but sure that's a good comparison to make.

They won't function well if they're apart for too long because they literally complete each other. There can't be evil leafy without leafy and there can't be leafy without evil leafy. There can't be evil without good and there can't be good without evil. You know, the whole thing.

I like to think Leafy would "soften the blow" so to speak of Evil Leafy. Without the tooth-rotting goodness of Leafy to balance it out, EL would be a menace — like she is in canon bfdia. Similarly, EL softens the blow of Leafy. Leafy is (obviously) a bit of a. Nice Girl. Unfortunately (as portrayed in many fan works including my own and some of my favourite fanfictions) that comes with Downsides. EL is there to help her out with that.

I also like to think EL is part of Leafy, in a way. You could call it plurality, and that's kind of how I like to think of it, but maybe a better word to describe it would be like a spiritual connection. Imagine the coinpin mind link — it's like that times twelve.

My interpretation of BFDIA and their relationship is obviously very biased because of. Me. But I'll try to summarize it. Keep in mind this is indeed my interpretation and yes there are headcanons and it is RIDDLED with queer subtext as always and also we are going to heavily ignore canon because it doesn't make sense and I don't like it

Going back to the last sentence of three paragraphs ago, EL was there to help with Leafy for basically the entirety of BFDIA.

BFDIA was probably at the very least traumatizing for Leafy; when she was all by herself in Yoyleland, with no one and nothing around, all she had was her thoughts and weapons. She's not a regular character and is mostly seen as A Thing Of Before. Something else notable about BFDIA is that EL was there, obviously, but unlike any of the other "evil [character]" we'd seen (evil Bubble in bfdi 20, for example), EL actually makes regular appearances and is seen as a character. She's the main antagonistic figure of the season, in fact, but she's never seen again after IDFB.

Anyway, enough background.

Leafy was all alone and EL suddenly existed. Leafy came back to the main cast and EL suddenly (seemingly) doesn't exist anymore. What does this likely mean? EL came into existence because of Leafy. So, yes, they are part of each other.

Their relationship is very hard to summarize. EL (I'm just gonna refer to her as Red from now on) is there to protect Leafy, and Leafy is there to calm Red down. But it's deeper than that. Red sees Leafy as special, and that's because to her she is; she's the only person she loves and trusts, the only person she can love and trust, and the only person who can get so deep into her heart without getting hurt or hurting her. Red protects Leafy with her life, and for her, it kind of is her life on the line — she wouldn't exist without Leafy. (Again, we're ignoring canon heavily right now.) Leafy likes Red because she's her companion and family, and because she protects her when she needs it. It's mutually beneficial for them, along with some other secret benefits they get.

Actually, did anyone notice how Leafy "walked" back to Goiky at the same time Evil Leafy got there, and EL vanished when Leafy died in BFDIA 4? Unless I'm remembering wrong, this means they're connected somehow.

But that's beside the point. This really is a yap fest, so I'll shut up now with one final point:

To summarize, yes, I do "ship" them — in a way. They're each other's other half, and they help each other in more than one way. They're attached spiritually and probably physically as well, and they have what seems to be a mental connection as we can see in BFDI 25 and BFB 1 — with EL's first appearance and sudden disappearance being fully connected to whether Leafy is upset or happy. Basically, they're yin and yang for each other.

isn't this ship called leafcest? Unfortunate. It's not incest at all. At MOST it's an intra-system relationship.

Holy yap fest, batman!

[jamneuromain]

Fantasea Friday Week 3

A/N: Been reading Ghost fanfictions (1) (2) lately

Simon "Ghost" Riley x non-native speaker!/international student!/asian!Reader (You)

Been thinking of a specific scene where you speak English but not understanding some subtle differences/words/meanings.

Blink twice in confusion, before saying "Huh?" is your response everytime when Simon mumbles something that you didn't understand.

Simon finds it cute.

For example, the first time he calls you "love." It's not an endearment, not really, not in the way that you interpret. It's just a random thing Simon says because he's Manchester lad born and bred.

It is very obvious that your brain.exe stops functioning for a moment, and then blink, once, twice, "Huh?"

"I said the food, the dish from your country? It tastes good." Simon explains the word "delicious."

"No I get that part, delicious part, but - um, the um... the last word?"

"Wha- oh. Love?" It dawns on him.

You visibly flinch from the word.

Simon laughs, "Manchester thing. We say 'love' as a way of ... same as 'bro', 'bruv', or 'mate', but less masculine."

"Cringe. That word makes me cringe." You manage a smile, "Mate sounds good, really, thumbs up for the term 'mate'." Even put up both of your thumbs for good measure.

"Okay, sorry for scaring you, mate." Simon laughs again, laughing so hard that his stomach hurts.

Your eyes dart everywhere but this big bulk of a man in front of you, murmuring a "Thanks".

Or the time that you get stuck in your essays for three days straight and feeling guilty about not cooking anything although it's almost a habit that you provide food for him.

Making sure that he steps into the bathroom that's when you sneak out of your bedroom and try to cook the instant spagetti in under five minutes using the microwave and disappear before Simon finishes showering.

You are anxiously waiting for the spagetti to heat up when Simon steps out of the bathroom.

Your eyes meet.

"I was just planning to check your vital signs, matey. Three days straight in that cot? Aren't you couped up?" Simon jokes, popping a can of Bud from the fridge.

"'s fine, I guess. Just trying to finish my essay. It's due tomorrow at eight." You offer weakly. You look terrible, you are well aware. Unwashed hair for three days, same pjs for the week, and dark circles under your eyes - three out of the four reasons why you avoid him for the last seventy-two hours.

Dripping. Golden strands. Grey T clings to him like second skin. Smells like a fucking Armani model.

The insecurity is gnawling you like an ugly goblin.

"Y'know, I can cook for both of us if your finals is getting out of hand." Simon shrugs as if he isn't offering you the most considerate, the best thing you've heard all month. He might not think of it this way, but you are close to tears. "Beats this shite instant Italian noodles, anyway." He casually drinks from the tin can in his hand.

But - "I'm sorry. I'm supposed to cook -"

"Says who?" Simon scratches the end of his eyebrow like he had heard that you said you are an alien from outerspace.

"But we ... you handle the grocery, and I -"

"Look," He sighs, throwing the empty can into the bin, "you don't have to do anything, besides taking care of yourself in a foreign nation, okay? I'm not totally blind to the fact that you are struggling with this task right now."

"But -"

"No buts ifs or ands," Simon tskes, "I'm taking over the kitchen for the next week. And before you ask, no, you are not dealing with groceries besides putting a sticker on the fridge."

You almost cry. You nearly cry. You cry. Ugly crying. Nodding and crying and smiling.

Simon awkwardly offers you tissues.

"Jesus you crackpot." He murmurs under his breath, patting your shoulder three times for good measure.

You hug him, suddenly. Letting go just as sudden.

"Thank you." You whisper, grabbing your plate of instant spagetti and retreating to your room before shooting him a wavery watery smile.

He feels ... odd. The way you emotions burst at the smallest gestures, while taking up all the burdens and keeping everything inside. In the end, he picks up his phone and calls his mum.

"Hey, mum. I'm learning how to cook. Do I put the mince or the sauce in the pan first when I'm trying to make the ... bolognese?"

...

"Olive oil first?"

...

"No, you don't have to -"

...

"... yes mum. Thank you mum. I'll be there in twenty."

Half of what you eat in the next week is the handiwork of Mrs. Riley.

a/n2: I always think the woman who raised simon riley would be someone very similar to Mrs. Weasley.

[sotwk]

Hi! What character do you think most people get wrong? Or what’s a character that you see differently than most other fans?

Hi Elleth! What a great question--and the kind of topic I'm amazed anyone wants to hear my opinion on!

I'm of the belief that there is no wrong way to write fanfiction or headcanons. I support creative freedom in all fandoms, even in one so "classic" and "high literature" as Tolkien's work. We all have a right to our own takes, interpretations, and AUs, as long as it's all done for fun and love of the original content!

Some takes on characters are more popular, some are less popular, and that's all there is.

I'm one of those writers who tend to be more canon-compliant and less "out-of-the-box" creative, whether in Tolkien or any other fandom. I guess my Type-A mind likes having a structure and "rules" to work with! I like to tweak things here and there to please myself, usually by "saving" doomed characters, but for the most part, I tend to run with what Professor Tolkien wrote and fill in the blanks as best as I could.

What do I see differently from most other fans?

I'm probably in the minority regarding Thranduil's "once in an immortal lifetime" love for his wife, his Elvenqueen, the mother of his children.

The "Eldar marry only once" custom, as described in the "Laws and Customs of the Eldar", is one that I personally subscribe to for my Elven characters, but perhaps even the most for Thranduil.

Not only does Thranduil have zero desire to marry again after the death of his wife, but he never takes interest in anyone else romantically, passionately, or sexually, ever again. Most writers enjoy giving him a second chance at love by having him fall for and/or marry someone else, and that's totally valid, but I personally don't envision that for his character.

In my mind, Thranduil in his youth was disinterested in romance, and perfectly content with staying unmarried for his immortal life. But then he met Maereth, who changed almost everything he believed about his own purpose and destiny. He saw her as his life partner, someone meant to exist alongside him and he beside her, forever, whether on Middle-earth or Aman. That's how he explained the deep affinity and immutable love he felt for this lady, anyway. She was simply irreplaceable.

Thranduil is arrogant, self-assured, and supremely confident in his attractiveness, and combining this with this extroverted, mischievous nature means he tends to be a playful flirt. But he views love as the most serious of matters, and the giving of one's heart as nothing to be trifled with.

Another unpopular take of mine is that Thranduil is not lustful or easily sexually attracted to others. He did not even feel that desire for Maereth until he had already known her for a few centuries. While their marriage included a healthy sex life that begot many children by Elven standards, without Maereth, Thranduil's interest in sex disappears entirely (again aligning with what was written in LACE).

Although I wholeheartedly agree that Thranduil is a sexy character, I suppose I just don't view his character as actually being very sexual. (Hopefully that makes sense?) There is more than enough to preoccupy him with his many duties: standing guard against The Enemy, serving his people as a good king, caring for his wife, and raising his children and grandchildren well.

SotWK Fancast: Jennifer Connelly as Elvenqueen Maereth

I could certainly write countless essays about how much Thranduil loved Maereth, but goodness, I really need to actually write STORIES about it! Part of my writer's block is probably intimidation, since I feel I have to justify Thranduil's eternal devotion to this one special person. What a lady she must be! He certainly must have had many good reasons to love her so dearly!

Receiving Asks certainly helps motivate me, so thank you again for this great question and giving me a chance to share my thoughts!

Elves HC Tag List: @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @achromaticerebus @aduialel @asianbutnotjapanese @auttumnsayshi @blueberryrock @conversacomsmaug @elan-ho-detto-elan-15 @entishramblings @fizzyxcustard @freshalmondpandadonut @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @glassgulls @heilith @heranintomyknife23times @ladyweaslette @laneynoir @lathalea @lemonivall @LiliDurin @quickslvxrr @ratsys @scyllas-revenge @stormchaser819 @talkdifferently6 @tamryniel @tamurilofrivendell

For more Thranduil/Mirkwood headcanons: SotWK HC Masterlist

Other useful links:

Introduction to SotWK

Fanfiction Masterlist

Fanfiction Request Guidelines

[mania-sama]

Random ask, who are your favorite romantic relationship's couples in any media, like anime/manga, tv series, books, etc (can be canon or non-canon)? Feel free if you want to write the reasons or not of why you love them....

Thank you so much for sending in an ask! I would love to answer this question! I didn't go through every fandom I've been in, though I went through quite a few!!! Usually, there is only one ship I really love in a fandom that ends up being my favorite, but I like/love plenty of ships and don't limit myself to just one ship. I will say that when it comes to engaging with fandom and fanfiction, I tend to actually prefer platonic relationships, centered on found family and blood-related family than anything else.

Bungou Stray Dogs -> Shin Soukoku (Akutagawa Ryuunosuke/Nakajima Atsushi). I think most of this comes from the way they are quite literally yin and yang (my favorite symbol of all time) in almost every aspect. I firmly believe Asagiri is beating us over the head with a mallet saying "Look! Look what I did! Please look!" I'm under no impression that they will be canon, but BEAST gives me the hope that they can at least become friends, and that's testament enough to the development they go through. There is just so much there. I'm not an enemies to lovers person, but for them, I make the exception. There are so many parallels to draw between them, so much to look at and really dig into. I'm not delusional enough to say they wouldn't be toxic (all of the BSD ships except for, like, RanPoe, are toxic let's be real), but I am lenient enough to say that they can be good to each other in fanfics and decent friends in canon. Also, this applies to their BEAST counterparts, too. BEAST makes them better.

Jujutsu Kaisen -> ItaFushi (Fushiguro Megumi/Itadori Yuuji). There is a sort of trend I have with shipping, I think. I tend to like the second most popular ship, usually the younger generation of the most popular ship, which is arguably a form of torture in and of itself. JJK is not as bad as the BSD fandom is about the popularity difference, but it's still painful. Anyway, I think my love for this ship stems from the fact that Megumi has a big fat crush on Itadori and I will accept, under no circumstances, any other interpretations of his relationship with Itadori. Everything from the SatoSugu parallels (who are one handhold away from being canon let's be real), to their whole shtick being to save each other (physically and mentally), to Megumi literally describing Itadori as his type of person. Gender neutral. Even though it is so incredibly easy to use gendered terms in Japanese as it is in English. I feel like Gege is doing this on purpose because there is just no way he sees this as normal friend stuff. Recent chapters got me in a chokehold. I am SCARED. Besides all this, I think they just work very well together. They are also horribly tragic. Perfect combination.

Genshin Impact -> Xiaother (Aether/Xiao). I debated pretty heavily with myself here on what my true favorite is. I came to this conclusion mainly for one reason: Xiao. I love Aether, but I love Xiao. He is my favorite character, right next to Razor, so obviously he carries this ship. I also think that, of all of the implied relationships Genshin has supplied in plenty, Xiaother has had the most development. Every scene with them is better than the last, and the way that they make each other better is something I adore. And as for the ship being specifically Aether and not Lumine or nonspecific, it's because I chose Aether, so I'm more accustomed to using him as the traveler vessel rather than Lumine, but I'm honestly fine with either.

Identity V -> Elisop (Aesop Carl | Embalmer/Eli Clark | Seer). I haven't played this game in a hot minute for storage and laptop reasons, and I'm also not updated with the lore (nor was I entirely familiar with it from the beginning, outside of the MAIN main lore). But this ship and game were a huge part of my personal development, I think, and I do want to return to playing it in an honest effort eventually (I WANT MY ROBBIE RANK BACK). I think I perceive it differently than other people do, mainly because people oscillate between two sides of the Aesop Carl characterization spectrum. But there is something really fun in the idea that Eli, with his ability to see the future, thinks that he can somehow "fix" Aesop, under the impression that his and Getrude's relationship will never mend. And Aesop, who sees Eli and feels real love for the first time, finds that he doesn't know if he wants to kill and embalm Eli, or if he wants to indulge in this feeling called love. Toxic, probably. Their color schemes also match very well together (which is actually what led me to ship them in the first place, before fandom influence), and they are extremely compatible gameplay-wise.

Haikyuu -> IwaOi (Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru). If you told me two or so years ago that this was my favorite Haikyuu ship, I would have LAUGHED IN YOUR FACE. I hated Oikawa and didn't care much about Seijou. But then. But then. I went through a like. Month-long Haikyuu revival not too long ago and only read IwaOi fics because I came to this revelation. Oikawa is really goddamn relatable. I think we are all, in a sense, Oikawa, at one point or another. He is THE teenager. He is someone you can project every single one of your problems onto because his struggles with being untalented and unworthy are interchangeable with pretty much any self-worth conflict: internalized homophobia, eating disorders, socializing, etc. Iwaizumi can also provide these internal debates, but in a context with Oikawa makes it even better. Does Oikawa carry this ship for me? Yes. I don't care what you think I'm not here to defend myself.

Voltron: Legendary Defenders -> Klance (Keith Kogane/Lance McClain). Do NOT talk to me. They have ruined my life in pretty much every aspect. Also an exception to the not shipping thing because they are kinda the whole reason I even watched this show past season... three probably. I don't even wanna talk about them anymore because it'll just upset me. Just know that as far as the Sheith vs Klance debate goes, Sheithers are wrong for that after Keith called Shiro his brother. There. I added my fuel to the ever-burning garbage fire that is Voltron shipping. I may talk about Klance again in the future but for now I wanna leave my thoughts off here.

Merlin BBC -> Merthur (Arthur Pendragon/Merlin). Thank you Merthur fandom for teaching me what a good fic is supposed to taste like. They are kind of the epitome of the ships I tend to gravitate to: TRAGIC. The ending of Merlin is traumatizing and the fact that all of the cast pretty shipped it (as well as you can see the faint mouthing of the words "I love you" in the final death scene) is like. The first true healthy immersion into a ship I've ever had. I never obsessed over them too hard, I think, but Merlin is still my favorite live-action show, and Merthur is always well and true to my heart. They also got me introduced to the master/servant trope in terms of medieval times, and I had a very long affinity for it in fanfiction. I don't like it as much anymore, but I look upon that time with happiness rather than the usual slight embarrassment.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power -> Catradora (Adora/Catra). I also make an exception for enemies to lovers for them because they even added that extra-friendly step of friends to enemies to lovers. Genuinely, no show surprised me as much as She-Ra did. Shout out She-Ra for giving me the worst envy I've ever felt in my life. I want to rock a suit as well as Catra did in that one scene. Anyway, I loved their development. I know some people criticize it for being rushed towards the end, but I like the way they were able to forgive Catra so easily. They understood what it meant to be used and manipulated, what it meant to be unable to fight against oppressive forces. People are mad at compassion, even though that's the literal whole point of She-Ra. Whatever. They could never make me hate you Catradora.

Percy Jackson (all book series) -> Percabeth (Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson). The blueprint. That's it. That's all you gotta know. I don't read fics about them because there is nothing to improve upon. One of the best written series and best written romances of all time. It was basically everything Avatar: The Last Airbender failed to do with Kataang (sorry for ragging on them for a second but that's the only thing I didn't like about ATLA; the romances) failed to accomplish, with all the same in-depth and wonderful characters. Like, they are everything I aspire to have in a relationship. The way they are simply meant for each other and aren't rushed, but are always implied to have that cutesy young crushes until they finally got together. I love them. Ugh. Uncle Rick you win again.

Anyway, these were some of my favorite ships of all time!! Sorry, I blabbered a lot. Probably listed more ships than you meant to but I take whatever opportunity I can to talk about things I enjoy IN DEPTH. There were also a lot of M/M romances, which, I swear to God, just happened out that way. I love plenty of F/F and F/M relationships, they just rarely end up as my top favorite. DO NOT accuse me of anything because I WILL NOT hear it.

[compacflt]

If you don't mind me asking, do you read fanfiction? Either for Top Gun or other fandoms you're in?

Yes! Not for Top Gun though. if you follow me at all you know how truly tapped out of the fandom i am. my typical fandom experience is as follows: for 99% of fandoms i am a consoomer and never a poaster. for 1% of fandoms (TG included) i am a poaster and not a consoomer. I don’t consume any TG fanworks besides my own. Which is why, if you’re asking yourself, why does compacflt act like theirs is the only right interpretation, it’s because mine is the only interpretation im ever exposed to lol. i do really feel bad about not being more connected to the fandom—but i think it’s just a writing thing, i don’t want to be unduly influenced by others’ work. maybe once i stop writing i can enjoy what other people have done. but also i know the second i stop writing my very specific interpretation im not gonna be interested in top gun anymore because it’s those issues i find interesting, so…

i havent been reading much FF lately cause i don’t really have any active fandoms now that succession is over. need to find me some new IP. but when I do read ff i have exorbitantly high standards so i read very little anyway lol

[munkustance]

A new look at magic

This is my first try at writing fanfiction so any criticism is welcome, also english is not my first language so sorry for any grammer or spelling errors!

This is a Demeter centric fic however there are some hints towards Tuggoffelees and past abusive demecavity. Other characters are metioned but it´s mostly just Demeter and Misto. Also this fic hints towards Demeter herself having some sort of power but that won't go anywhere... at least not in this fic.

Anyway this is my interpretation on how Demeter found out about Mistoffelees powers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Demeter knew there was another magic cat in the junkyard, every now and again she would pick up on the magic scent. At first, she was terrified and rightfully so. The last magic cat she knew was... horrible and not only to her but Bombalurina as well. The way he would use his magic on them was disgusting.

But as the weeks continued and the magic scent became more common, Demeter would notice differences between the two kinds. This new magic was similar to the old but much more energetic then aggressive, less wild, more free. Strong and powerful yes, but not to attack but to defend.

And those times Munkustrap would before notice Demeter grow tense, he would now see her perk up with interest, scanning her eyes over the junkyard seemingly searching for something.

She'd met all the Jellicles by now and one of them had to be it. She already knew about the twins thanks to Munkustrap telling her right from the start, but their magic was nothing like the power this other cat had. She had asked Bomba if she also could feel it but the only answer she got was a simple shrug and reassuring hug. Demeter could understand why the hug must have been necessary in Bombas eyes but for once Demeter wasn't scared, she was curious.

Every time Demeter could feel the magic in the air, she would make a mental note of who was where and soon enough the list of cats narrowed down to just a few cats. The notorious calico twins, the rock star cat himself Rum Tum Tugger and the quiet tuxedo tom Quaxo. Out of all of them one was clearly the one to keep an eye on. Well all of them was really but in different ways.

Now the only thing Demeter needed to do was wait. But not for long. Laying on the tire besides Munkustrap and Jennyanydots she watched as Jemima playfully swooned over suspect number 2 with the other kittens, carefully shifting her head now and again to glance over at suspect number 1 sitting on the boot of the car. She had noticed two weeks ago how when Quaxo slunk away from the rest of the tribe it would only take a minute or two before Tugger would decide he'd had enough of the attention from his fans and then discreetly follow after Quaxo.

Now sure, she definitely wasn't the only one to notice. The kittens would snicker, the adult scoff and Munkustrap groan. Only they thought the two toms did... other things than Demeter. And what do you know, only a few moments after them leaving would she sense the magic again.

Lifting her head again she saw Quaxo stretching his back getting ready to stand, his "signal" to Tugger as Bombalurina would say. As he started to leave Demeter began stretching herself and made her excuses to the two other cats next to her. Quietly before Tugger would leave himself Demeter followed after Quaxo, watching where she stepped careful not to make a sound. He led her to a small clearing not too far away from where they came but one she never seen before. It was hidden in the middle of three big mountains of junk and the way in was barely noticeable. The place itself was no doubt a practice area, there were burn marks on the ground and a bunch of play balls of different sizes scattered around. The burn marks concerned her, it reminded her of her own marks left on her back. It made her want to back away, made her want to leave, to run. But those feelings where quickly laid to rest and replaced with warmth and comfort when the now familiar scent of magic started spreading out into the clearing.

Demeter hid behind a box as she watched how previously hidden fairy lights were lifted up and started glowing beautiful colours. Her eyes shifted towards Quaxo as his fur changed from a greyish black to what might as well be the midnight sky, tiny sparkles shimmering around him as he started his dance. Sometimes he would throw more sparkles in the air or conjure up ribbons straight from his paws. It was as if every step to the dance had a magic trick to it and as the dancing grew so did his powers until the final step. As he made his final pose, he reached his arm up to the sky and let out one singular bolt of lightning.

She flinched, she didn't know how to react. It was all so wonderful but then that bolt. Flashes of her past went before her eyes, fire coming towards her, Bombalurina laying still on the floor, his laugh filling the room.

Mistoffelees knew he had an audience, and he also knew that this time it wasn't the usual loud and eccentric Tugger watching his every step. He knew that this was special not only for him but especially for her. Everyone knew the two queens came from Macavity and had seen the scars on them, but it was clear as day that Demeter had more than just physical scars left by his magic. And so when Tugger and Misto realised Demeter’s slow building curiosity they knew it was a matter of time before she would find out who Quaxo really was. So they waited until she was ready and when Demeter followed Misto, Tugger stayed behind, knowing it was time.

He'd been careful, starting slow with lifting the lights and showing his real fur, adding to his magic every step to make sure she was following without moving too fast. But when the movement ended, he didn't mean to let the bolt out, that was too much, and he knew she wouldn't be ready. Eyes bolting over to her box where she poorly hid, he saw her. Arms over her head, violently scratching herself as she cried. Slowly Mistoffelees made his way over.

Mind going everywhere at once Demeter searched for a way out of the nightmare in her brain and the way out came in the form of a gentle paw on her shoulder. Opening her eyes she was greeted with a concerned smile, taking a deep breath she nodded changing the concern to relief. Brewing a smile of her own she draped her arms over Quaxos shoulders and hugged him.

They stayed there for some time, quietly as they both fell asleep from exhaustion. It was nice now, every time the two toms would leave, she could laugh to herself as the other cats reacted in their own special way and sure, there were times when they would leave and she wouldn't sense any magic. But those times she did Demeter would slink away from time to time, sit by her box and watch in amusement as Tugger would talk to her about all the amazing things he had seen Mistoffelees conjure up and how oh so amazing he was. It helped her relax and made her be more comfortable with magic every time.

[on-a-sunbeam]

Hi guys I'm going insane thanks for asking!!!!

I'M SO SORRY BUT OKAY FIRST OF ALL so I got like two weeks of stuff done in like. A day. Which meant I had two days where I literally had nothing to do besides watch this and lose my mind SO. I have THOUGHTS.

Elias is back!! Elias lore!! Elias getting his half-brother to kill his dad!! Also he Said the Thing heh!!

(For. For reference. Because that is a joke that is maybe waaay too specific)

The guys just. Acquired a baby. Okay. Sure. Why not, I mean. There doesn't even need to be fanfiction at this point they're just doing it for us. Like the fact that this is a real thing that happened is wild to me but MOVING ON.

Eeexcpet I'm just moving on to Identity Crisis. Do you. Do you understand how incredibly normal I'm being about this entire thing? :) I JUST. So Reese has been trying to spy on him! (And like, rightfully so, kinda, because if I worked with someone who knew everything about everyone but learning their favourite colour was like pulling teeth I'd be a whole lot curious too) He's even got Fusco helping him and everything, and then he gets a chance to actually learn stuff and he doesn't. Which like, low bar, maybe, not asking people personal stuff when they're out of it, sure. But I'd also argue that there's a lot you could ask that like, reasonably wouldn't make a difference to Finch. (except it WOULD, and that's the thing, isn't it! He's a very private person!) But he doesn't and I just. HMM. I HAVE SOME THOUGHTS. ANYWAY. (oh ALSO I thought that the big twist reveal was going to be that he wasn't actually still affected by the drug. That he'd gotten over it and he just wanted to test Reese and see what he'd do. But no!! He says goodnight Nathan and I'm even more insane about that!!)

Reese lore!! Finch lore!! Finch was engaged and then faked his death??? Also, was Jessica a number and Finch just couldn't save her or what was going on there? Because HOO BOY the angsty potential if true!!

ALSO IS THE MACHINE ACTUALLY GOING TO LIKE BE A CHARACTER??? Because I was joking before but I am SO down for that please. And also the ENDING I'M SCREAMING. Who. Who was on the phone. Inquiring minds want to know. (also I literally love how Reese's thought process went: Friend is gone. This is bad. Maybe the god machine knows?? I'm going to threaten a camera into helping me. Like alright buddy you have no basis for thinking that'll work but I love it)

And ROOT??? Excuse me??? So I had it on very good authority that Amy Acker's character was going to be good but I. Um. Did not know that she was Root. I thought that was going to be two separate people. Whoops. But Root is back, kids!!! And she called the hit on herself what kind of Irina-esque crap is that!! Girl what!!! Can't wait for her and Finch to get into a fistfight or whatever worthy opponents do with each other!!

Also Nathan built the backdoor? That's actually so interesting like if Finch was okay with letting the irrelevant stuff get deleted then did he change his mind after Nathan died, like an 'oh this is what you would've wanted' kind of a thing? And also do we know how Nathan died, and I just forgot? Because I very much do not remember. But if he got killed, let's say, because they all think he built the machine, then is that why Finch let him take the credit for it? Like sure just being bad at human interaction is also a valid reason because same, buddy, but that's a lot more sinister if he just actually suspected he'd be killed and let Nathan take the fall. (Yadda yadda insert the fact that he says he knows what it's like to lose someone and I interpreted that as being Nathan at first but then we learn he had a fiance, Nathan saying 'oh no I'd know if you were seeing someone cause we're such good pals!! :D' And Finch just going ':) right.' More of my insane theorizing, yadda yadda...)

ALSO EVERYONE SAY THANK YOU ALICIA CAUSE SHE SAID THE THING!!

Like BOY that's what I've been saying!!!

Anyway can't wait to go even more insane!!! Aren't you all excited? :]

[flowerslut]

Hi so this ask is a request (desperate) for twilight content since i feel like i've read all jalice fics in the fucking universe and for some reason most part of this fandom is obsessed with edbella (idc the whole saga is about them that's a detail) so here it goes: what's your currently hyperfixation inside the jasper&alice hyperfixation? like plots for fics, au, headcanons about personality traits (since jasper's canon personality is based on loving alice and being a low profile hottie with a tragic past)

yeah being a jalice girlie in the twilight saga is a rough experience bestie, I can soooooo relate to you there 😔 we truly are a group who suffers from lack of content 💔

right now my main jalicey focus is on my fic WIPs roots that I've mentioned before! I've been a bit distracted over the last several months thanks to the locked tomb fucking up my entire brain, but despite that I've still managed to write a solid 75k of roots, which has been nice.

I'm actually not real big on fixating on or even discussing headcanons unless its something I need to dissect privately for fic purposes. I'm also a huge critical bitch about other people's interpretations of my favorite characters which is why you don't see me talking about it a lot on tumblr. so many people get it (alice and jasper) so, so wrong, and obviously I have it so, soooooo right 😌💅 but lmfao okay no I mainly keep my opinions and headcanons to myself so I don't come across as an unlikeable cunt on this stupid site. unless someone asks, and then I have no problem being an asshole and telling people their tastes are bad. but I've been so well behaved recently and people have been much nicer and less insufferable in the twilight fandom in recent years which has been nice!!!!

but another huge fandom interest I have is making playlists! so I have like a dozen or so jalice-themed playlists (most of them are fic playlists for various @goldeneyedgirl stories because she really just keeps pumping out banger after banger; sometimes I swear I think about lexie's stories than I do about my own) and I am constantly listening to and working on playlists. one day I'll finish all my twilight character playlists and my Main jalice playlist, but it's already been a few years that I've been working on some of them, so what's a few more, yknow???

besides roots, I still have a kajillion big fics I need to finish outlining—my third cotn installment, it's novella, my AH au, the neglected WIP projects I have already published (sorry to my edge of it all readers, specifically). most of my jalice fixation gets redirected into planning and writing fanfiction when I'm not constantly arranging and rearranging carefully curated playlists

but thank you so much for calling jasper a "low profile hottie with a tragic past" because thats so funny. "low profile hottie" is SO good. I love any description of jasper that brushes aside the tiny bits of canon characterization we get of him to be like "ok but forget all that. he's quiet and sexy." it's like this iconic tweet:

anyways thank u kindly for the message I am so sorry there seems to be a bit of a jalice drought currently. I know lexie has been throwing prompts into the void on here recently but I'm sure if you're in here pleading for content you've probably already read all of her stuff 10x over. I can't promise you any real content out of me this month (or next) but I can guarantee you'll get plenty of snippets!!! hold strong anon 💖

[madou-dilou]

Your interpretation is frankly the only way this whole sub-plot -if it actually is a sub-plot, makes sense. Viren is terrified of losing control. And him not knowing whether the spell worked or not... not only it drives him insane, it also makes Harrow's scene in Viren's dream make total sense.

I just hope so much that your prediction about Runaan will turn out false, because it kills any nuance the show still had left -and it was already flimsy, by making Viren the bad guy all along instead of Runaan and the cycle of violence -which defeats the purpose of the show.

Anyway.

But if it's actually not a sub-plot, and just symbolism...

I think Pip is the metaphor for Viren's guilt.

Harrow and Viren's dynamic strikes me as a Honor versus Reason, or Heart and Brain.

The first time we see Viren and Harrow interacting, Pip squeaks before Harrow speaks, as if doing the intermediary between them. Harrow's principles... well. They frustrate Viren, but also compell his admiration and respect. When Harrow refuses the snake spell for the second time and Claudia calls him an idiot, Viren tells her to watch her tongue -while no one was there to hear them; and Viren is actually thrown in doubt; he no longer knows if his pragmatic, ends-justifies-the-means views are the right now. He genuinely doubts himself, and Harrow is the one who made him.

When Harrow died, Viren tried to crown himself, having Pip's cage moved from Harrow's bedroom to the throne room, so it could attend his coronation. This bird saw Harrow ordering him to kneel and breaking his heart. And Viren berates Harrow's pet bird. As if Viren was trying to show Harrow what he actually was capable of, using this bird as an intermediate, transfering his own spite on Harrow's bird since Harrow himself... is dead.

And it's no coincidence that Pip flew away as Viren started murdering Katolian soldiers : Harrow's judgement was Viren's moral compass.

Let me make a detour and look at our favourite strawberry commander : Gren. This ties in, I swear. Look at what happened to Gren : why didn't Viren murder him ? Gren was the living proof that Viren was up to no good. As soon as he would be out of his shackles, he would report everything to Amaya. Viren tried to murder two children (and not just any children), but somehow couldn't bring himself to get rid of a loose end ? And he can't just not kill him, he also refuses to talk to him or even look at him. The only time Viren does talk to him, it's when he has lost every last bit of hope he had, and asks him how to remain hopeful. But otherwise, Vire straight-up ignores all of his attempts at making conversation, refusing to make eye-contact. As if Viren were.... embarrassed.

And now it ties in. Killing the princes, in Viren's mind and morals, is justified : their young age and naivety make them completely unfit to rule a country at war; and it's not like they will ever name him regent after what he did. But ... killing human soldiers ? In a war to save humanity ? Now, that's a line Viren can't bring himself to cross. It would confirm everyone's fears (including his own) about him : that he is not a servant of humanity, but a power-hungry scumbag who is just in for himself. That's something he cant accept.

Until Aaravos comes in.

And Viren gives in.

And Pip flies away.

Now, watching the scene Harrow has in the dream, it seemed strange to me that Viren never said anything like "I don't deserve your forgiveness, I tried to usurp your sons by having them murdered".

I think it's because this scene is not how it should play out, but how it should have played out. I am certain I have read this exact sequence in a thousand fanfictions. It's the perfect scenario (besides himself dying) that has haunted Viren since the very second Harrow died. Viren says so in the speech he pronounces for Harrow's funeral, "he called me his brother" which Harrow does say in Viren's perfect dream, but which we all know he never said, or even thought.

What happened in the dream just before was Viren's wildest desires for control coming true (the room is cluttered in red, symbolising desire and violence), he is king, everyone bows to him; but Viren realises that they speak rubbish, that the whole situation is absurd, and he rips the crown off his head because he knows he should not be king.

And seeing Harrow, he not only kneels, he bows, his forehead on the floor. It's an over-correction of the time everything went wrong because he didn't get on his knee before Harrow.

It's the whole "I should have said that first", the "Why did I say that", the "things might have gone so differently had I done this instead of that", the old festering wound of regrets, remorse, grief, pain and self-loathing. This is one of the old wounds referred to in the title of this episode. It seems like a desperate attempt to re-write the past. To finally get some of the peace Viren desperately strives for. And Viren gets it. He finally gets to do, say and hear what he's been rehashing for all this time. Finally, the wound is being healed.

And even better : Harrow tells him "I would never have done it without you". During their argument, Viren said he felt hurt by how ungrateful Harrow was for his years of service; and that is addressed too. Not only Harrow has lived, he also thanks Viren for it. He finally gives Viren acknowledgment and gratitude and friendship. He even calls him brother. It's literally everything Viren has always wished for. It's the icing on the cake.

But Pip is watching.

And Pip has been there, alive, during all the horrible things Viren did after Harrow's death. He may not have attended all of the horrible stuff Viren did (such as having Callum and Ezran murdered), but he was around, and Viren still used him as a replacement for Harrow. Pip actually represents Harrow's judgment of him.

Viren does not deserve peace. And he knows that.

Plus, the fact that it's Harrow executing the sentence is quite telling of Viren's admiration and love for him : Harrow is the only person Viren would accept a judgment from.

The coin spell specifically, is also, to me, quite telling. At first glance, iit would have made more sense to use the soul-fang one, since it's the one associated to Harrow and Viren's fucked-up relationship; but the coin spell is actually important : what this spell does is transforming a human into a coin. A person into a means. A crime Viren is, of course, heavily guilty of. And Harrow has criticized him on that in length.

Viren believes in retributive justice, so to him, it is only fair that he suffers what he has inflicted upon everyone during his lifetime.

So... my thoughts.

Schrödinger's King in the Bird Box

Time for a return to the single topic that most torments me in this entire franchise canon: is Harrow in the goddamn bird or not?

Except not really. I'm not going to go over the evidence again. I've done it before. Almost everyone has done it before. It has only gotten stronger. At the absolute minimum, an attempt was made to put Harrow in the bird. That's not really disputable. I admit it. It's over.

This is actually the second time that I've struggled with narrative cognitive dissonance regarding a real core factor of this show (like not "what's the deal with Archdragon reproduction," but something that is clearly supposed to be thought about with the intent that it will eventually make sense), and eventually managed to rotate it so hard in my mind that the way I wanted to see it slipped out of my grasp and I saw it the way it's actually intended. Ironically, I think I may have been thinking about the Ocean arcanum at the time.

Anyway, what previously always bothered me about this question was mainly two things:

It would have a devastating impact on Ezran's character development if Harrow reappeared during s1-s3, but the timeskip and arc of s4-s5 made it so it would also be deeply weird for him to reappear before the show ends.

If Harrow is in Pip's body, both Viren and Pip's subsequent behavior, as well as how Pip is treated by the narrative on a meta level, make absolutely no fucking sense.

But... if Viren doesn't know whether the spell was successful or not? If we are meant to not know whether the spell was successful or not, because it's not going to get resolved in the show itself?

If we accept that the earliest point with any chance of the hooks for this plot being set is late s7—because yes, Aaron Ehasz would do an exact beat-for-beat repeat of Zuko and his mom—that both puts Ezran far enough in his growth for it not to be threatened by the "real" king returning, and keeps Harrow out of the loop for long enough that it doesn't really make sense for him to do anything but step down from the throne in favor of Ezran, anyway. As for Viren and Pip's behavior, if the show isn't going to advance that plot much further during its runtime, there's no reason for us to be constantly reminded of it. The setup has been made, and they can just let it stew because it's not actually relevant.

That being said, Viren's behavior actually does make a lot of sense if "is Harrow in the goddamn bird or not" is a question that is also tormenting him. To that end, I'll be doing some digging here on the nature and context of the body-switching spell, Pip/Harrow's behavior post-swap, and what the hell is going on in the Harrow section of Viren's dark magic dream.

The Spell is Made Up (Unlike All Those Real Spells)

First of all, I think there's been some long-term incorrect assumptions made about the body-switching spell. It's not a known spell: this is Claudia and Viren essentially flying by the seat of their pants... but we rarely stop to think about how that contextualizes the rest of the discussion around it.

The initial plan is to find the assassins and ambush them before nightfall. As Soren points out and Viren himself confirms: if they fail, the assassins will be unstoppable under the full moon and Harrow is as good as dead. Claudia decides to put her mind to that problem, so naturally she stops to flirt with Callum in the library and gets the inspiration for the spell from something he says.

(Fun fact: none of that happens in the novelization. Zero amount.)

She brings the idea to Viren, and they develop the spell from there. It's not really clear if Claudia actually knows whether something like that would be possible, but Viren does know that transferring the essence of a person can be done—he's got a nice little coin collection that proves it.

As for the snake, there's no way Viren "acquired" a two-headed soulfang serpent because he has a book somewhere on how to use a rare, malformed specimen of a dangerous Xadian creature to switch people between bodies. He probably thought "that's weird, but could be useful," or maybe whoever sold it to him just had a great sales pitch. A non-trivial amount of success at dark magic is in having access to rarer and more powerful reagents than your competition.

Anyway, what this means is that Viren has absolutely no idea what success looks like for this spell, particularly when using it on subjects of different species. When he describes it to Harrow, he is 110% talking out of his ass. He sounds like he knows exactly what the spell will do and how, and I think a lot of us kind of fell for that. He needs to sound confident, because if he admitted that he doesn't know if it will even work, with a possible failure condition of "snake eats your soul," well... a) Harrow rightfully wouldn't go for it, and b) he'd look incompetent, which is the worst thing ever.

When he goes to Harrow's room, he casts the spell... but did it work? I think that whatever it did, it did it in a way that Viren can't tell whether it worked or not. Maybe both Harrow and Pip passed out. Maybe Viren just didn't want to hang around for the aftermath—in the novelization, when he exits the room and runs into Callum, his eyes are still black from spellcasting.

Activities of Dr. Pip Harrow, Ph.D.

Probably the thing that has always bothered me the most about the entire Harrow-Pip theory is that yes, literally everything in the lead-up and immediate aftermath of the assassination points to that being exactly what happened... and then the narrative lens of the show completely drops the rope. Pip doesn't even appear in the novelization until Viren's pre-coronation scene, which is funny given his looming presence over half the scenes with Harrow in the show.

Pip appears exactly twice after the assassination—once in s1 and once in s2—otherwise he goes completely ignored. He's not in the background of Viren's office, or the throne room, or Harrow's bedroom. No one ever mentions him ever again. Ezran never mentions him again, in the show or in any supplementary materials. You'd think the boy who can talk to animals might have some interest in his dead dad's beloved pet... but who knows, maybe Pip has always been an asshole and Ezran's actually like "thank goodness I never have to speak to that dude again."

Anyway, in all of Pip's appearances, he behaves like... a bird. A trained bird—Harrow can rely on him not just fucking off—but he doesn't demonstrate human-like intelligence the way Bait does. That being said, Bait is essentially a main-cast character (at least as much as, say, Corvus... maybe even Soren) while Pip is a plot device, and even then it takes until well into the first arc for Bait to show the kind of complex reasoning and initiative that separates him from an unusually smart dog. Pip's human is also a stressed-out king, rather than a rambunctious ten-year-old, so he's probably a bit more sedate overall. I would personally bet, given the way the show has progressed with regard to Xadian creatures, that Pip is as intelligent as Bait.

The point of that is: even if Harrow's consciousness is occupying Pip's body, he's not really doing anything with it. He's pissy, sure:

But is that Harrow's pissy-ness or Pip's? Even if Pip is only as intelligent as a trainable bird, that's plenty intelligent enough for both grieving/confusion that their human is gone and holding a grudge against obvious assholes. Viren cages him, but is that because he flipped out and got bite-y? And was it Harrow flipping out, or Pip? Or is he caged just because Viren's of the general attitude that animals belong in cages? Those who fail tests of love... We just don't know.

A lot of us also, to circle back to assumptions about the spell, have tended to think of a body swap between Harrow and Pip resulting in Harrow flailing his arms around wildly and screeching... but again, we know literally nothing about this spell, nor do we actually know anything about Harrow's behavior after Viren leaves his room. Maybe his body sat catatonic on the bed until Runaan came in and shot him. Maybe Pip, being intelligent, was able to maintain the facade—once everyone's in the heat of battle, it would be hard to notice even significant deviations from normal behavior. Even if "Harrow" appeared to fight only halfheartedly, or give up entirely... well, he hasn't been the same since he lost Sarai. Maybe the spell only partially worked, and only half of his soul is inside Pip, with minimal or no influence over the bird body's behavior.

Viren does appear to take some precautions in case Harrow is alive inside Pip. The cage, for one... but he also has nearly all subsequent important conversations outside of his office. Like I said earlier, Pip's cage isn't rendered in the background of any scene, but since he escapes from Viren's office I'm assuming that's where he's been. Even if Pip was just out of frame in every scene in Viren's office post-assassination through end of s2, the only things he's seen are... Viren eating butterflies, and the conversation between Viren and Claudia about the mirror and her side mission to bring the egg back at all costs. He doesn't know about Soren's instructions to murder the boys. He knows about the mirror and Viren's obsession with it (which he could have known before), but he doesn't know about Aaravos. He may know that Viren stole his seal but only if Viren was stupid enough to stamp the letters with it in front of him (which... look, he could be). The only things he's really learned are that a) his sons are alive, and b) Viren lied to him and the egg is alive.

Now, realistically, if we were meant to hang on to the is-Harrow-in-the-bird plot thread because it's going to be significant within the scope of the show... I'd be expecting to see at least one cut to Pip glowering at some point during all these machinations. If it weren't for the mirror and Aaravos, I'd expect Viren to be yelling all his monologuing at Pip, too. But the show does none of that. Instead, the next time we see Pip, we see him peace-ing out of the show for at minimum the next three seasons, and possibly the remaining two, as well. If Harrow's in there... why? Did he go to find Callum and Ezran himself? It's not actually clear that he knows Ezran can understand animals, so it would be reasonable for him to think Viren is his only chance at ever not being a bird again. Maybe he thinks that chance is gone with Viren's arrest and would rather not spend the rest of his life in a cage. Maybe he really isn't in control of the body.

Back to Viren, though: since Pip refuses to demonstrate any behavior that could be taken as distinctly Harrow's, Viren actually has no idea at any point whether Harrow's in there or not. He doesn't know if Harrow lived. He doesn't know if he succeeded or failed. It's a constant reminder that he's almost, but not quite, in control. Almost, but not quite, good enough to achieve what he wants.

It probably drives him absolutely insane.

Did You Think You Were Somehow Getting Out of This Without Me Mentioning Kpp'Ar?

Just kidding, it's finally time to talk about Viren's dream. We've gone two entire seasons and a two-year timeskip without any mention of Harrow or Pip (though those maniacs dropped the fucking snake basket on us as an incidental but obvious prop early in s4), and then suddenly we get punched in the face by Viren's subconscious.

First, though, I do actually need to point something out in the scene with Kpp'Ar. Bear with me, I promise this is relevant.

Viren sealed Kpp'Ar's soul in a coin 12-ish years ago, and the coin has been sitting collecting dust in his secret dungeon for... some amount of that time. Now he opens the door and finds Kpp'Ar standing there, free—and I will note that I don't believe Viren actually knows how to free people from the coins, or whether it can even be done. His reaction is surprise, followed by suspicion and wariness:

When he encounters Harrow—dead—his reaction is horrified shock, which is fair since the last time he entered the room that way there was no surprise body chilling out waiting for him in it:

Then, when Harrow speaks to him, suddenly alive and unharmed, he drops straight into relief:

Some of this is undoubtedly due to the differences between Viren's relationship with Kpp'Ar and his relationship with Harrow. With Kpp'Ar, after that initial moment of confusion, he's absolutely determined to not show a single hint of ignorance or weakness—this is a trick, or a test, and a passing grade in "light verbal sparring with the mentor you're pretty sure you remember betraying" is a thing that is both normal to want and possible to achieve. For Harrow, who he wants so desperately to call him brother, who he walked into this very room ready to die for, before everything went horribly awry—he not only immediately and willingly goes to his knees, he literally prostrates himself.

... I'll give everyone a moment to get all the innuendo and suggestiveness out of their systems, because that's not the point. This time.

What is the point is that Viren's reaction to Harrow isn't disbelief, but relief. Hope. Kpp'Ar is supposed to be in a coin, and Viren immediately questions how he got out. Harrow is supposed to be dead but Viren doesn't give a second thought to how he's not. Fortunately, Harrow helpfully explains:

Fun fact: back in s1, we don't actually see Viren actually taking action against the assassins. We don't even see evidence that he re-entered the room at all—it's only Soren and Claudia who participate in Runaan's capture.

I haven't actually touched a lot on the complex shit going on for Viren, emotionally, throughout all of this—I mentioned it's was probably driving Viren insane over the course of the first two seasons, but let me elaborate. If Viren successfully switched Harrow and Pip, that means Harrow survived... but he expressed his feelings on the proposal in no uncertain terms, and there's a good chance he will literally never forgive Viren. I don't think Viren thought far enough ahead to consider how to get Harrow into a human body again, but I do think he's dragging his feet on it a little because if he can work things to his advantage—unite the Pentarchy against Xadia and follow through on the war Harrow was avoiding—he'll prove to Harrow that he was right all along. Any chance of that flies out the window with Pip at the end of s2.

If the body-switching spell failed, it means Viren essentially killed Harrow himself. That's the reality I think he grows more and more resigned to over the course of s1 and s2, when Pip remains unresponsive. He had no choice but to take the best chance at saving someone he loved—but this time, instead of saving Harrow, he murdered him.

In the dream, Harrow has not only survived, but credits Viren with his survival. He doesn't just dismiss Viren's show of remorse, but makes his own apology to Viren. He calls Viren brother. After an impossibly long nightmare, everything is okay. All is forgiven. Maybe there was nothing to forgive, in the first place. Maybe Viren was right all along.

Then it all turns sinister with the callback to the coin incantation, and we have a sharp return to reality:

The cinematography here treats Pip a lot more like how I would expect him to be treated in s1/s2 if we were meant to know he was actually Harrow. There's focus actually on him, instead of just other characters' reaction to him. He "speaks"—as I noted in another post—in raspy sounds very unlike his songbird chirps from s1. This is absolutely Harrow as Viren actually left him—even if he's not dead, he's in a warped prison of dark magic, a perverse mockery of himself.

Oh wait.

Harrow-who-is-both-human-and-alive was never an option, and what we've got now is mirror images of Harrow-the-dead-human and Harrow-the-live-bird, and they're going to do to Viren what he did to them.

Now, it's not that none of this makes sense if Viren knows for sure that Harrow is in the bird... but it makes a lot less sense and has less emotional resonance. If Viren knows Harrow survived as Pip, he'd be more likely to question Harrow's human form than his survival—the way he does with Kpp'Ar. He might be more guarded, expecting hostility—which, I will note, is what he gets when Pip enters the scene. Instead, because until now he believed that he actually killed Harrow in his attempt to save him, he's so relieved to see Harrow alive that for that one moment he loses all pride and is ready to beg for forgiveness at Harrow's feet.

Since legitimately none of this makes sense if Viren didn't at least attempt to put Harrow in the bird, we're left with Harrow maybe or maybe not alive, Viren having maybe or maybe not been the one to actually kill him (gonna be a fun one with the Runaan context), and a plotline that is definitely not going to be resolved in the remaining two seasons of the show. I'd be kind of surprised if they even did any more setup for it (like Callum/Ezran finding out it's a possibility, or even a hint drop like Runaan being all "it was fucking weird, he just sat there" or something) outside of future supplemental media.

Conclusion

Either Harrow is alive and in the bird, with the future intent being to do a spinoff story The Search-style, or we're in for a huge bummer of a "actually, it was Viren all along who killed Harrow, therefore Runaan is a good guy and we can all be one happy family" pile of absolute bullshit. Yes, they said Harrow's dead. Harrow's body is dead, we knew that all along. There's a note in the artbook that Viren was actually going to rip the shroud off at Harrow's funeral in order to publicly prove it's his body, because that is an extremely normal thing to do.

The show just treats it extremely weirdly because, even as the only person with any chance of knowing, Viren is in the same uncertain boat as the rest of us. (Actually more uncertain than the rest of us, since he's not genre-aware.) Also it's another chance to torment Viren emotionally, and they'd never pass that up.

Thanks for coming to my absolutely ridiculous TED Talk on this topic, I hope this screenshot now does as much psychic damage to you as it does to me:

[urdinosaurs]

I think the problem is why make him so completely toxic. I get a little controlling here and there he’s obviously lost someone important to him and wouldn’t want that to happen again but romanticizing straight up emotional and verbal abuse is crazy, especially for a young impressionable audience .

No, no, I get that, and I guess what my issue is that this kind of thing happens to every character. For every fandom, every character there is fanfiction for, there will be toxic/ obsessive/yandere works. It's just what happens, and every time, people take it personally and have some kind of beef over it.

The other side of the argument, which I get, is that while this happens to every character, there is an outstanding amount of works portraying Miles like this. Not just AUs, but it has come to the point where there's a considerable amount of fanfiction using the prompt of Toxic!Miles. (Which I think it's easy to portray him like this because all we see of Miles is him in a dark setting with a threatening and cold demeanor.)

But this emotionally abusive stage writers (not shaming or calling out anyone) have seemed to come to when exploring Toxic!Miles is harmful (especially since he's black but let's not get into that), and romatizing behavior that has affected people lives, well-being, mental state and caused enormous amounts of trauma is horrible.

(There's also a line between romanticizing traumatic things and simply writing about them, which many people tend to get confused about. If you romanticize something, like abuse, there are no consequences for the abuser. The writer is doing it to make the abuser look more attractive and a desirable thing to happen!!! Keep that in mind, please, not you specifically, but people, when throwing out that word.)

And based on that minute and twenty seconds, we all made inferences about his character. Everyone sees people differently, which is why there's such a dogfight about what Mile's actually like because we all made our own impressions and assumptions about him.

But the thing is, we don't know anything about him. Nothing. Everyone who has broken down the scenes and tried to make more sense of him is going off inferences, which can be very wrong depending on how we interpret them since we all view people differently.

So yes, I get why portraying him like some dark, possessive person is harmful, but I also understand why saying he's like this, or like that, or criticizing and shaming someone's work based on YOUR interpretation of the character is making people upset. As a writer, I get being possessive of your work, but when it comes down to it, we all need to be nicer to each other when giving our opinions and more open to new ideas besides our own.

(KEEP IN MIND THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO AGING-UP CHARACTERS. ANYONE WHO AGES UP MINORS FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF WRITING SMUT IS DISGUSTING)

In conclusion, making a character completely toxic, which I'm going off the assumption it's an au or canon divergence, happens more often than you think, but when we start to make that a main focal point of our fanon interpretation of him, that's when we need to reevaluate ourselves and think about our actions. That does not mean we say hateful things to authors; I repeat, we do not leave nasty comments or mean remarks. You guys look silly going back and forth with your opinions that you're so sure are right.

It's corny as hell, but not being so closed-minded and open to other ideas and the fact that you might not totally be in the right and they might not totally be in the wrong goes a long way. 

Anyways, thanks for coming to my 600 word ted talk. :)

[the-amazing-simp]

Two Oblivious Idiots in Love Series | Chapter 1

📔 Chapter #: One out of 12

💌 Note: Just to mention is passing, I have nothing against POC and the like. For the sake of this story, Y/N is Gwen's twin sister - and I know that this is somehow "whitecoding" Y/N. But, I did say that "she looked nothing like Gwen" so, I don't know if it justifies it - but, I'll just leave that for interpretation

🧧Warning: a slap

Series Masterlist

They say all is fair in love and war. But are things really fair if you have to risk a friendship for the one the heart yearns for the most?

Pushing the thumb tack in to secure the picture in its place, Peter Parker can’t help but smile fondly.

Smiling back at him in the picture displayed on the bulletin board was you, his best friend and Gwen Stacy’s twin sister (who surprisingly, looked nothing like her).

He didn’t care about the fact that he must’ve looked like an idiot, especially since the picture wasn’t a solo picture but rather a group picture of the writer’s club he had taken for the yearbook.

And, just like any rom-com movie, romance novel and even fanfiction that existed on the face of the earth, Peter had fallen hopelessly in love with his best friend.

For the sake of not ruining your friendship, all Peter can do as of now is to just imagine.

Imagine what it would be like to hold you, to kiss you, to call you his.

But, the bell signaling the start of classes pulled him out of his train of thought.

He sighed, adjusting the strap of his backpack as he made his way to the classroom, he was lucky that he had the same schedule as you did.

Sitting in the back of the class, Peter stared boredly at the blackboard in front of him before resuming his daydreams.

-

Peter couldn’t help but stare at you, you wouldn’t be able to see him anyway being seated two seats in front to his right.

He adored the way your hair tumbled past your shoulders, the way you jotted down notes as you listened to the lecture, the way your eyes would sparkle when you eagerly raised your hand to answer the question, the way-

“Mr. Parker?”

Peter was immediately brought back to reality, seeing the teacher looking at him, as well as all of his other classmates including you.

“Mr. Parker, I asked you who was the author of Little Women, which is our topic for today’s lesson.”

He took a deep breath, trying to wrack his brain for an answer, why couldn’t remember something when he needed it the most?

His gaze landed back on you, to which you just smiled and mouthed, “Louisa May Alcott”

Peter looked back at the teacher, “Uh, Louisa May Alcott?”

“Correct.” The teacher said as she turned around and proceeded to write it on the board.

Peter turned back to you, shooting you a wink and a smile as he mouthed, “Thank you”

-

Homework was assigned just in time for the bell to dismiss the class.

You stood by the door, waiting for your sister to wrap up a conversation with one of her friends as Peter made his way towards you.

“Thanks for saving me back there.” His smile caused the butterflies in your stomach to awaken from their slumber.

“Yeah,” you chuckled, “I mean, that’s what best friends are for isn’t it? So that we can save each other’s ass - besides, I couldn’t really let my best friend look like an idiot in English Lit.”

“Aaw,” he cooed, “is someone worried for my well being?”

“Fine, next time someone is having a hard time answering because he didn’t read the assigned book - then I won’t help.” You stuck your tongue out at him, trying to stifle a laugh.

“Hey! I'll take it back!” Peter laughed, “How can I repay you oh great one?”

You pretended to think about it for a moment, “I would accept payment in chocolate.”

“I’ll make sure to get some from the bodega later.” Peter chuckled, “Let me guess, you want the mint chocolate?”

You smiled, “You know me too well, Parker.”

“Of course I do.”

“Now, now,” Gwen suddenly appeared, “as much as I don’t want to interrupt the lovebirds, Y/N and I have to attend to something - so, the two of you’ll have to catch up later.”

“I’ll be expecting my mint chocolate, Pete.” You smiled as your sister dragged you away from your best friend who was also sporting a dreamy smile.

“You’re evil Gwen.” You huffed once Peter was out of your sight.

This caused her to laugh, “What? We have something to attend to.”

You rolled your eyes at her, “And that something is?”

Gwen shrugged, “We’ll find out once we think of it.”

Glaring at her, she just smiled, “But, seriously, wouldn’t things be easier if you just told Peter what you feel so that the two of you can put an end to this mutual pining and actually get together.”

“You know I can’t do that, Gwen.” You said.

“And why is that?” She asked.

“Because he’s my best friend.” You answered nonchalantly.

“So?”

“So. It would make things awkward between us, especially since he doesn’t reciprocate the feelings.”

Gwen rolled her eyes, “Hello! For one of the top students in class, you are quite blind to the fact that Peter likes you too.”

“And how do you know this?” You questioned.

Gwen had to fight back the urge to roll her eyes again, “I, and practically the rest of the school, knows it because the two of you are more obvious than the most lovesick puppies.”

“Now, that’s just ridiculous.” you muttered, sitting down on one of the tables just by the court as you pulled out your book.

“Suit yourself.” your sister shrugged, turning around to head to the library.

Swinging your legs as you read, you noticed from the corner of your eye that Peter had just walked out of the school building.

You were to call him to come over and sit with you when he raised his camera in your direction.

You couldn’t suppress the smile on your lips as your vision remained trained on your novel, making it look like that you hadn’t seen him.

He was about to make his way towards you when cheering came from the court, causing Peter to go in that direction to see what all the commotion was all about.

You, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about whatever chaos was happening as long as it didn’t involve Peter, so you went back to your book.

A few more pages in, you could hear Peter’s voice shouting, “I’m not going to take the picture… Eugene.” then the cheering grew louder followed by a couple groans and-

“Shoot.” You muttered, to yourself, quickly hopping off the table and pushing through the crowd to see Peter on the ground as Flash basically beat him up.

“Hey!” You shouted, stepping over a still groaning Peter on the ground while you made your way to Flash.

Flash just smirked at you, “Come to see the show?”

“No.” You deadpanned before slapping him across the face, “More like to add to the drama.”

“Someone’s feisty.” Flash snickered, merely dodging another hit from you.

“Don’t you dare lay a hand on my best friend ever again, do you understand me?” You continued, glaring at the bully.

The smirk on Flash’s face faded, he knew that anyone in their right mind wouldn’t so much as dare to provoke a Stacy to anger.

“Looks like you got yourself a girlfriend, Parker.” He spat out before walking away with his minions.

“Shows over!” You said, waving off the rest of the students from the scene.

“Are you okay?” You then asked Peter before realizing what you just said, “And I don’t mean it sarcastically.”

He chuckled, clutching his side as he stood up, “Don’t worry, I’m tougher than you think.”

“Uh huh,” you mused when he winced, “really?”

Peter smiled, “It hurts, a bit - but, nothing I can’t manage.”

You took his face in your hands, examining it carefully (like you did a hundred times before from a far) “Well, you don’t seem to have any cuts that’ll need bandaging, bruises will show up later.”

You let go of his face “What’s your name?”

Peter gave you a confused look, “Are you messing with me? How can you not know my name - you’re literally my best friend!”

Rolling your eyes at him, you said, “I know your name, idiot. I wanted to know if you knew your name because you might have a concussion.”

“Peter.” He said.

“Peter?” You urged him to continue

“Peter Parker.” He said.

“Good.” You smiled as the bell rang, “Time to get to class, I guess.”

“What class do we have now?” Peter asked as the two of you headed back inside the school building.

You shrugged, “Biology. I guess.”

–

Peter stretched as he stood up, having just finished his chemistry homework.

He still had one more to do, an essay answering the question “Why does it take a catastrophe to start a revolution?”

Glancing at his computer, he decided that he deserved a little break.

Opening it up, a smile graced his lips as he stared at the picture that served as his wallpaper.

The picture was taken exactly a year ago, while the two of you were hanging out by the park on Valentines’ day.

Your lips were pressed to his cheek, as the both of you smiled.

Anyone else who would’ve seen the picture would have assumed that the two of you were a couple.

Peter would just laugh at them and mutter, I wish.

The picture had just been a joke, or rather an inside joke, between the two of you - one where the two of you would just die from laughing every time you saw it.

But, he still loved it nevertheless.

A knock came on his door, pressing the button of his special lock he said, “Come in!”

Uncle Ben came inside, sitting down by the edge of his bed, “Are you busy or something?”

Peter shook his head, “Nothing that urgent to attend to.”

Uncle Ben then handed him a piece of paper, explaining and telling him the truth about his father and Doctor Connors.

When he finished, he said, “Your aunt May and I just thought that it was time that you knew - you are old enough to handle this stuff anyway.”

Peter nodded, studying the newspaper clipping in his hands, “Yeah. Thanks.”

Uncle Ben nodded, giving him a small smile as he nodded towards his wallpaper, “Still haven’t asked her out yet?”

Peter smiled, feeling the heat rise up to his cheeks as he shook his head, “Not yet.”

HIs uncle chuckled, “It also took me a while to get the courage to ask your Aunt May out.”

Then he left the room.

Peter turned back to his computer, logging on to his facebook account he started mindlessly scrolling through.

HIs could’ve sworn that his heart almost skipped a beat as he saw a new post from you - posted only mere minutes ago.

In the picture, your back was turned to the camera, the sunset creating a halo around you as you stood there as if lost in your own thoughts.

And the caption read: Little impromptu photoshoot. Credits to my wonderful sister taking the picture.

One day, Peter had hoped that he would be the one you would give credits to whenever you posted a picture - calling him your wonderful and amazing boyfriend <3.

On your post Peter had opted to comment, after typing out beautiful at first, he thought it was too bold and wanted to change it when he had accidentally pressed the enter key instead of the backspace one.

“Shoot.” He cursed under his breath as he frantically tried to find a way to delete the comment.

But, before he could do so, he saw a little comment appear underneath his, you had replied.

Thanks Pete <3.

Peter grinned like a madman and perhaps even whooped a little too loudly, causing a worried Aunt May to call from the bottom of the staircase,

“Is everything alright Peter?”

Peter poked his head out of his bedroom, still grinning, “Never been better, Aunt May!”

General Taglist:

@beloved-bucky, @hunnybunimdun @jasmin7813

Series Taglist:

@kitkat0695, @kdatthecastle, @ilovewandastevethor, @tagakalat, @itscheybaby, @xoxoloverb @s-r-clowns

[saaraofthesand]

Wt thoughts: wiki drama updates and a rant

Okay, so a couple of days ago, I found myself scrolling through the World Trigger Discord. A mutual (who will remain anonymous because I don't want them to get harassed on the server) found out that the wiki admins (Part of an ongoing saga btw) talk about me there. I like to be in the know with people's shit-talking about me, so I thought I'd join and check it out.

Anyway, it was mostly just their opinions on my edits, but then I saw that they found my Tumblr and went through it to, like, critique my posts. Gross. Talk about obsessed, am I right, ladies? I thought Naruto fans were bad.

They also misgendered me, which is embarrassing considering that my pronouns are readily available in both my bio and my pinned post. When they finally figured it out, they were like, "I bet she'd freak out if she knew. lol." And sure, it's rude to assume someone's gender identity or pronouns, even on the internet, and they should be more mindful of that going forward, but I'm not about to freak out about it. Not everyone can read that well.

So, that's the update part. Now, it's time for my rant. 

There was one thing that was said that bothered me.

For context, I wrote a post (Which one of these people referred to as a 'fic,' but that's beside the point) about how Ninomiya is totally in love with Hatohara, an opinion I had no idea was controversial. I literally just thought we all knew that. I mean, if you interpret Ninomiya's actions as platonic, then you are beyond my help. 

So, based on that post, they assumed I ship NinoHara. I don't, since Hatohara's too good for Mr. Suit Man, but that's not why I'm annoyed.

I'm annoyed because this discussion led to someone saying that shippers "muddy the waters of the fandom."

[Deep breath in]

Do you realize what shippers have done for fandoms? Girls obsessing about the hot boys and ships saved Tokyo Revengers' anime from cancellation. You should be fucking grateful. It doesn't make a fandom 'unpure' to have a lot of shippers. 

Considering that WT's western following is basically nonexistent, you should be on your knees begging people to ship more couples. It's a good way to bring more women into the fandom. You lure them in with the ships, then they get hooked on the plot and fights. 

I've talked about this with my mutuals before, but getting women in your fanbase is essential if you want it to get bigger. Women produce more fan content than men (i.e. fanfiction, fanart, amvs, etc.). The more content that exists for a fandom, the more likely it is that new people will engage with it and become interested in watching your show. 

A few weeks ago, I answered an anon's message about Gojo and Geto. The person had never seen or read Jujutsu Kaisen before, but because SatoSugu is such an iconic ship, they knew about it and wanted to know more. Can you even fathom that power?

People who hate shipping as a concept are among the most annoying I've encountered. It's gatekeeping, and it's stupid. Fandoms are for everyone, not just the people you like. No one's going to want to join us if you have an attitude like that. Like guys, the TWITTER part of the fandom has been the nicest to me. Twitter. Twitter users are so mean!

If you don't like me or my wiki edits that's fine, it's why I stopped editing, but I swear to God. I've been fighting for my life in the trenches of the internet, trying to bring people into this fandom. If your negative attitude gets in the way, I'm going to be pissed.

[Exhale]

Rant over.

[zu-is-here]

Hi Zu! Did you pause today for a moment to appreciate something or someone, maybe very simple and familiar, and to appreciate yourself as well? If you'd like, you can always share who or what it was, or you can keep it to yourself, whatever suits you best 🌻

I'm starting asking some random questions as I planned, you see (x

Many thanks for your answers to my questions! The situation with the pregnancy is much clearer now, and yet I'm still eager to know more ✨ Although I must say that I would've never thought I'd be so interested in something like this. I wasn't exactly keen on children and blood families in general, like, ever. I am still very much not. It is just that there are exceptions, and your story is one of these. Besides, I do love the way you made Cross and Dream stand on the same ground. Your solution is just perfect, albeit very stressful for at least Cross (x But he needed that, I believe. That's exactly what I call "перевернуть с головы на ноги". Not the other way around, because someone who was mistaken learns their lesson, something wrong is made right, just as we aren't supposed to stand on our head so we are turning from it to your feet. I love changing some phrases like that (x

I'm so flattered you keep answering my asks on the go 💗 Like you're too excited to share your thoughts and get a response that it makes you impatient. So nice of you!

That's an interesting line of thinking you're suggesting. Especially about being afraid to leave nothing behind. As for hiding something in the box and throwing the key away... It is a curious concept as well, but it is not the way I feel my writing process. Doing this on purpose is one thing (and I think I've even done it a few times?..), I'm the one in control in that case. What I'm feeling is the exact opposite — helplessness. I have no idea what I'm doing when I'm writing. Or how to get better. Like trying to make a key without any knowledge of technology and how the lock looks like, what form the key should be. That's... difficult.

What an insight. I love your interpretation so much! When I came up with this nickname, it had a bit more, uh, sort of negative (but at least hopeful) meaning. It's partially similar and slightly different from yours at the same time. Thanks for sharing it with me! I'm so glad you found something deep there, and so flattered you see me this way ✨

Zu, you are sunshine. I admire how every day you choose kindness, acceptance, patience, how you treat people's diffidences and similarities with the same respect, how you care about others without denying yourself. And, of course, how you create in your own way and encourage people to do the same, in their way. Thank you for making this world better, and thank you for reminding that every one of us is capable of these positive changes as well.

While I started writing exactly with fanfiction, I was never using places and characters from canon, so that's still very new to me. I was always uncomfortable with it because of my many doubts whether I'd be able to follow canon properly. Those doubts are still very much there, but I'm glad I'm trying anyway. After all, bravery isn't an absence of fear; it is the strength to move forward despite that fear. That, and I'm simply happy to get your approval, it really means the world to know I'm doing well. Though at least X-tra Dark Cream story will surely stray from your Dark Cream at some point, since there will be a lot of world-building that isn't even mentioned in your story (or galacii's, or joku's, at that), and maybe some of it would differ from the way you see things, just didn't have the opportunity to show it in comics. Which is okay, every good story has hundreds and thousands more stories behind, so. That's how it is. (Tiny spoiler without any specifics: I couldn't stand the thought of Nightmare's gang breaking up for good even if my life depended on it, so in X-tra Dark Cream this part of the story will and won't be canon compliant at the same time. I hope you'll like it.)

I'm so very satisfied you see what I mean by drawing a parallel between that song and Killer and the others 💖 More songs are coming though, you know how I love connecting the dots, and I know how you love listening to what I have, so I guess it should never end!

Oh, nothing to be afraid of, not when you explicitly show your interest and make me feel so comfortable and appreciated, like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. Otherwise I wouldn't be talking this much (just realised we are corresponding almost on a daily basis at this point, and wow, that's impressive for someone so reserved like myself), so no worries here. I'm in the flow, and enjoying it. Apparently so do you (x And that's the main thing!

Good luck to you too! Take care 💞

P. S. I love this hearts emoji because it looks like these hearts are hugging. So every time I use it, it's a quick small hug!

Hi anfie╰(*´︶`*)╯

Thank you for your message! And for this question, I try to appreciate every moment spent with someone or alone, like capturing a picture, it helps me slow down the rhythm so as not to rush and just enjoy life ♡

What about you? What was the last thing that made you happy? You don't have to answer, as well as not answering wouldn't mean there are no joyful moments that may be just too personal. I'll be happy to hear from you anyway ☆

Glad it helped! <3 I'm very flattered to know that you find this exception interesting. Perhaps after all the drama we'd want just a simple and calm life? Not without its problems, of course, but it's finally life. And do I like your wording! Like when everything that is actually wrong but so familiar falls into place ☆

How could I not! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) Sometimes хорошая мысля приходит опосля (I know it can be translated but the original sounds much more fun xd), so it's just a matter of time... just like now, at 4am x)

But maybe everything is not so complicated, and the answer is simplicity? If you have something to tell, something for them to tell, just give it a go — and they will tell it for you ☆

That's good! (〃ω〃) I wasn't sure if you meant a more closed meaning like The Man in the Case, but hopefully this idea has a happy ending <3

Oh anfie, you spoil me with such compliments and make me bloom ✿ It's my pleasure to help anyone who needs it, anytime, that's why I'm here. And I'm so grateful to you and for you guys being amazing, talented, unique. Thank you so much for just being here! I do hope that if not the world but at least this fandom will become kinder, more tolerant, more merciful ♡

Surprisingly, on the contrary, it's harder for me to work on something original than with a canon created by others. It brings us together when it's part of our shared experience, but when it’s an independent work which there's only you and your idea in... it feels lonely so far (ó3ò)

But you're doing great, please, stay brave! ☆ And don't hesitate to deviate off course and invest something of your own, for that's the point of so many alternate timelines and universes (same for the spoiler: go for it! *^*)

And that's true (๑>◡<๑) Again, I'm looking forward to hear from you! Keep up the great work and take care ♡

P. S. I'm not a big fan of emoji but now I can't unsee this cute one as two hearts hugging each other! (⊃≧ω≦(´ω｀*⊂)

[cafeinthemoon]

The Leaves of Her Garden - Chapter XII

Title: The Leaves of Her Garden

Genre: Fanfiction

Pairing: Madara Uchiha x reader

Rating: Mature

Word count: 1241

Chapter (s): 12/?

Warning(s): nothing serious honestly, just more intimacy and mentions to pain and discomfort

Read the previous chapters here: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Interlude, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11

Symbols: 🌙 | ➕ | ▶

Willingness

You turned on the futon and your eyes, still adjusting to the darkness, caught a glimpse of the moonlight filtered by the porch’s thin walls. Thanks to it, you spotted Madara’s shape approaching and taking the empty space beside you.

At first, because each of you did your part in your agreement, you thought he was just going to lay down, forget about you and sleep, so you returned to your previous position, with your back turned on him, and closed your eyes. And that’s why you startled when you felt his arms surrounding you, followed by his right leg entwining with yours, pulling you tight against him. So, the connection between you two created by his dojutsu was not a momentary trick? It seemed to be the case.

For a moment, you were afraid that he was going to take you for the second time and considered asking him not to: you were still sore, and things could get worse if you repeated the experience in so little time. However, he didn’t make any advance towards it; he just held you close and stood still, as if he needed you to get some rest himself.

For a long time, you didn’t dare make a movement. You thought you wouldn’t be able to: your experience already told you how strong was his grip, but now that you were not suppose to leave the futon until tomorrow and thus had to stay under its influence for hours, you thought you were going to suffocate.

Soon you started to feel the discomfort of lying on one side for a long time and needed to change your position. To your surprise, he gave you some space when you tried to do it, as if he was aware of everything.

Maybe he was, for he was not sleeping at all.

- You are restless – though he spoke in a whisper, his voice echoed in the silent space – Is there something wrong?

- No – was your automatic response.

- Are you sure? – he insisted; you sensed his hand slipping from your waist to you r inner thigh – Does it hurt? Is the pain disturbing your sleep?

Indeed it was, so despite the warmth rising to your face, you chose to be honest about it.

- Yes – you replied, your voice sounding strange to your own ears – Please… can you do something about it?

Madara moved his arms away from you and seemed to sit on the mattress. He told you to turn to his side and you obeyed; as soon as you did it, you felt the palm of his right hand under your belly button, groping through your skin as if he wanted to find the precise spot of your uterus. Once he found it, you sensed the warmth of his skin transferring itself to your body; when you looked down, you noticed a greenish phosphorescence emanating from his hand and your eyes widened in surprise: you already have heard about the healing techniques created by the shinobi, but you’ve never had the chance to witness their use until then.

You heard him giggled: even in the dark, he seemed to understand your feelings.

- Let me say that I am not proficient in this style of ninjutsu – he said as an apology – But I believe it is going to be enough for your current circumstances. Now, stand still, girl. Close your eyes. Try to relax your mind. Do not concentrate your thoughts on your discomfort. Instead, think about the healing. Think about my hand. Imagine that you are already sleeping.

It was hard at the beginning, but you tried to do as he said. And after some minutes, you started to sense the effects of the technique. Your body was no longer under that strange sensation of tiredness, nor your muscles were tense anymore, which helped you to relax and take your focus away from the pain. Soon, you were feeling sleepy again, and the pain slowly diminished.

When he noticed these changes, he decided it was the time to improve his method: his hand moved away from your belly and he s tarted using both his hands to caress your inner thighs, which seemed to be sore too. This time he didn’t take too long to cure your discomfort: the problem on your thighs was not but fatigue; soon, they were healed. However, his hands didn’t finish their work yet: it was possible that he sensed your need for caresses, so he took time on it. You couldn’t see your own face in the dark and without a mirror, but you were sure that your cheeks were red as you felt divided between the modesty you wanted to maintain as the quiet girl you were and the boldness of expressing your pleasure to the person responsible for it.

To you, it was still strange to see how easily he could interpret what was going through your mind and your body. With a single look or touch, he was able to identify your physical needs and the direction of your thoughts, and then act accordingly. Was he really that wise, or were you just too easy to read? You didn’t know.

You didn’t see any problem in letting him lead the course of events, despite the abrupt way you came into his life, his house and his bed, barely knowing him and now having your life on his hands. Was it an effect of the power in his eyes, this sudden willingness, this desire to trust him with everything you had? Or were you just tired of carrying everything all by yourself? Whatever the case, it was good to be touched, to be held by his hands, to be kept hidden and protected under that disguise, not having to worry about your past, your nightmares and your pain because now you were Madara Uchiha’s wife, among all women the last who had to care about such things.

Well, was it right to act like this? Was it wise? Were those questions still valid now that you’ve reached so far? You didn’t know, and it seemed that the more you thought about this, the more he intensified his stroking, to not having you focus on anything but what he was doing to you. He had you, and that was all.

Soon your body reached that sensation of climax for the second time, and all those thoughts disappeared as you entered a state of complete relaxation. Madara moved his hands away from you, and you felt the weight of his body over you right after; was he going to take you? You waited to find out, but he just approached his lips and left soft kisses on your mouth and your temple, just like he did before.

He returned to his spot on the mattress and passed his arms around you again. This time his strong grip didn’t bother you: instead, you felt some gratitude for having it there. You weren’t hurting, nor crying or ashamed anymore; now there were only sleep, warm and shadows to surround you besides him. The future or the next day would come anyway, but for a moment they were none of your concern.

- Madara… – you heard yourself whispering before you could stop.

- Y/n? – he replied; you smiled to yourself at that: it was good that he kept calling you by your true name after everything.

- Thank you.