#blue justice xv

[coquinaclutch]

[outofcontextgoats]

the mountain goats major arcana playlist

each card has a song for its upright and reversed meanings!

the fool 0: running away with what freud said / old college try

the magician II: no, i can't. / song for dana plato

the high priestess III: there will be no divorce / until i am whole

the empress IV: san bernardino / up the wolves

the emperor V: cao dai blowout / age of kings

the hierophant VI: elijah / amy aka spent gladiator 1

the lovers VII: going to port washington / the mess inside

the chariot VIII: jenny / proverbs 6:27

strength IX: heel turn 1 / outer scorpion squadron

the hermit X: absolute lithops effect / wear black

wheel of fortune XI: steal smoked fish / fall of the star high school running back

justice XII: chavo guerrero / alpha double negative going to catalina

the hanged man XIII: blues in dallas / hair match

death XIV: shelved / genesis 3:23

temperance XV: possum by night / waylon jennings live!

the devil XVI: going to maine / from the nebraska plant

the tower XVII: cry for judas / original air blue gown

the star XVIII: romans 10:9 / transjordanian blues

the moon XIX: dinu lipatti's bones / masher

the sun XX: california song / in corolla

judgement XXI: against pollution / autoclave

the world XXII: birth of serpents / deianara crush

divider

[the-lily-blooms-late]

I think The Blue Castle might be LMM’s funniest book. I reread it last night instead of sleeping like a normal person and here are the highlights.

“An outrageous thing!” said Uncle Benjamin violently. “An outrageous thing!” Which relieved his feelings but didn’t help anyone else. (Chapter XV)

‘And she was so tired, she wished she could borrow a pair of legs from the cat.’ (Chapter XXIV)

‘He did not know Valancy was one of the Deerwood Stirlings— he did not even know there were Deerwood Stirlings. He did not know Barney was a fugitive from justice. Really, he was an incredibly ignorant old man.’ (Chapter XXVI, about Mr. Towers)

‘The thermometer went miles below zero and stayed there. But, as Barney and Valancy pointed out to each other, there were no mosquitoes.’ (Chapter XXXVIII, I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM)

‘Mrs. Frederick, returning to her comfortable belief in an overruling Providence, got out the family Bible and made an entry under “Marriages.”’ (Chapter XLII)

[tboyswagcompetition]

HERE IS OUR ROSTER!

EDIT: FINAL RESULTS (characters knocked out are greyed)

WINNER: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!

There will be 80 participants in the tboy swag competition! I tried to pick a variety of characters from the nominations :) The bracket will be seeded (more popular characters will face off against less popular) and a list of character names, the series they're from, and the total number of nominations they received will be under the cut.

Voting will start tomorrow! (2/19/23)

EDIT:

here is the bracket so far:

Jesse Pinkman | Breaking Bad: 15

Danny Fenton | Danny Phantom: 10

Sonic | Sonic The Hedgehog: 10

Barney Guttman | Dead End Paranormal Park: 10

Dipper Pines | Gravity Falls: 8

Hunter | The Owl House: 8

Link | The Legend Of Zelda: 7

Apollo Justice | Ace Attorney: 6

Herbert West | Re-animator: 6

Mettaton | Undertale: 6

Kurapika | Hunter X Hunter: 5

Gomez Addams| The Addams Family: 4

Kim Kitsuragi | Disco Elysium: 4

The Scout | Team Fortress 2: 4

Will Graham | Hannibal: 4

James Bonde | Moriarty The Patriot: 4

Edward Elric | Fullmetal Alchemist: 4

Caspar Von Bergliez | Fire Emblem: 3

Peter Parker | Spider-Man: 3

Pete Conlan | Dimension 20: 3

Zuko | Avatar: The Last Airbender: 3

Dave Strider | Homestuck: 3

Mafuyu Asahina | Project Sekai: 3

Naoto Shirogane | Persona 4: 3

Leonardo | Rise Of The TMNT: 3

Leon S. Kennedy | Resident Evil: 3

Saiki Kusuo | The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K: 3

Reigen Arataka | Mob Psycho 100: 3

Miles Morales | Spider-Man: 3

James T. Kirk | Star Trek: 3

Len Kagamine | Vocaloid: 2

Casey Jones | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012): 2

Robin | Teen Titans: 2

Guzma | Pokemon: 2

Felix Hugo Fraldarius | Fire Emblem: 2

Chip | Just Roll With It: 2

Adam Faulkner-Stanheight | Saw: 2

Julian Bashir | Star Trek: 2

Alphonse Elric | Fullmetal Alchemist: 2

Shadow | Sonic The Hedgehog: 2

Shin | Dorohedoro: 2

Akito Shinonome | Project Sekai: 2

Ash Williams | Evil Dead: 2

Columbo | Columbo: 2

Benoit Blanc | Knives Out/Glass Onion: 2

Tsukasa tenma | Project Sekai: 2

Michael The Distortion | The Magnus Archives: 2

Robin | Fire Emblem: 1

Zagreus | Hades: 1

Yamato | One Piece: 1

Prompto Argentum | Final Fantasy XV: 1

Vash The Stampede | Trigun: 1

Vax'ildan | Critical Role: 1

Vanitas | Vanitas No Carte: 1

Blue | Pokemon: 1

Johnny Joestar | Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: 1

N | Pokemon: 1

Shatterstar | X-Men: 1

Party Poison | The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: 1

Ryuji Sakamoto | Persona 5: 1

Warabi | Splatoon: 1

Keaya | Genshin Impact: 1

Mont Leonis | War of the Visions Final Fantasy Brave Exvius: 1

Soren | Fire Emblem: 1

Teruki Hanazawa | Mob Psycho 100: 1

Percy Jackson | Percy Jackson & the Olympians: 1

Jotaro kujo | Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: 1

Chai | Hi-Fi Rush: 1

Goro Akechi | Persona 5: 1

Dabi/Touya Todoroki | Boku No Hero Academia: 1

Laios | Dungeon Meshi: 1

Heinz Doofenshmirtz | Phineas And Ferb: 1

Puss In Boots | Shrek: 1

Galo Thymos | Promare: 1

Beast Boy | Teen Titans: 1

Ingo | Pokemon : 1

Emmet | Pokemon: 1

Ford Pines | Gravity Falls: 1

Stan Pines | Gravity Falls: 1

Luke Skywalker | Star wars: 1

[kieriblade]

Who wants to talk about Tarot Cards for MCSM characters? I know I do.

MAJOR ARCANA

0 · The Fool - Jesse

No-brainer. They're the protagonist, and the start of the adventure. They even have a small, loyal companion like the Fool.

I · The Magician - Romeo

He uses what is basically "magic" to create anything, even claiming that he did it "for you (Jesse)". Also very manipulative and thinks highly of himself.

II · The High Priestess - Harper

Not sure about this one. I just really wanted to put her somewhere. I guess her intellect and knowledge of redstone works here?

III · The Empress - Isa

I'd say she's kinda mother-like to her people and Benedict. She clearly cares about them.

IV · The Emperor - Hadrian

Aside from being a manipulative asshat, he is LITERALLY named after a Roman emperor. His word seems to be law, as even Otto and Mevia can't really go against what he says.

V · The Hierophant - ?

VI · The Lovers - Ellegaard & Magnus

The card's meaning would be reversed here, AKA the other side of the romance coin. It's implied they had a falling out of some kind, probably related to this. These two are rarely on the same page and constantly argue with each other. They can't even stand each other's presence. Of course, none of this means they don't care about each other, because they definitely do.

VII · The Chariot - Axel

He's a bit headstrong, and there's some moments where he decides to do things himself (especially when Jesse does nothing).

VIII · Strength - Petra & Gabriel

This card represents power as well as willpower. Petra and Gabriel are both great fighters, but have different ideals. She believes that they can overcome anything as long as friends together, but he believes the opposite—thinking that friends will only keep you down.

IX · The Hermit - Soren

Soren is a very isolated person. Currently though, we have no idea where he is so I imagine he's gone to do some soul-searching, like The Hermit.

X · Wheel of Fortune - The Order’s Amulet

This card has a lot to do with destiny and fate. The moment the amulet was given to Jesse, it basically dictated what happened around them (when they lose the amulet they're forced to chase and get it back, the Witherstorm was programmed to follow it and by extension Jesse, etc). It's also shaped like a wheel!

XI · Justice - Xara

This was a tough one. I want to say her because she's very much fueled with revenge against Romeo for what he did to her and Fred.

XII · The Hanged Man - Ivor

You could say Ivor sacrificed his friendship with the Order in exchange for the truth of their legend being exposed... but I'm not sure if that counts. Don't know who else fits this otherwise.

XIII · Death - The Witherstorm

This card represents that a phase of one's life is ending, to make way for the next one. The Witherstorm changes pretty much everyone's lives and Jesse's group has no choice but to face it head on (in this case, destroy it).

XIV · Temperance - Olivia

She's rather mellow compared to her two friends, and always tries to avoid any extreme options in favor of the safer ones.

XV · The Devil - Mevia

Gotta admit, even compared to Hadrian, she's kinda bloodthirsty. She wants suffering just for the hell of it (or "for fun" as she's said). Any other remotely reasonable option be damned. Plus, she's also canonically killed Jesse.

XVI · The Tower - The Command Block

This card is about sudden change or chaos. The whole Witherstorm arc started with the Command Block and ended with it (when it was destroyed by Jesse). You could even say the foundation of the Order started to crumble (like The Tower) once they started using it.

XVII · The Star - ?

XVIII · The Moon - Fred

This one's about mystery. We don't know much about him (can say that for most of the cast), but he's the only character that doesn't show in-game with a physical form. Only as a hologram. Also, they're both blue.

XIX · The Sun - Lukas

He's a nice guy. Not to say he hasn't had his ups and downs, but overall compared to everyone else, he's pretty positive and wants everyone else to feel better.

XX · Judgment - Otto

The only sensible person compared to Hadrian and Mevia. Rules are everything to him and are pretty much the law in his eyes. He even says their fate can be decided by Jesse because it was "fair".

XXI · The World - The Admins (Romeo, Xara, Fred)

It's implied they created and/or govern the MCSM world as we know it.

MINOR ARCANA

Three of Cups - Jesse, Axel, Olivia

Friendship trio. What else can I say?

Three of Swords - The Blaze Rods (Aiden, Maya, Gill)

This group was formed out of pure spite for Lukas. They felt "betrayed" by him for hanging out more with the New Order.

Unknown (couldn't decide for them): Cassie, Radar, Stella, Jack, Nurm, Vos

My interpretations/selections are probably unfitting, but they're just my personal picks. Tarot cards themselves are really interesting to me, and even though I don't fully understand them yet, attributing to characters is fun and can help me study them.

Anyone else have their own picks and reasonings? Feel free to add them.

[royalsunshinehotel]

Dev-Verse Major Arcana

I am attempting to put together a Dev Patel tarot deck, for personal use. Here's what I've got so far:

0. The Fool - Deon Wilson (CHAPPIE, 2015)

I. The Magician - Samira (The Wedding Guest, 2018)

II. The High Priestess- Sue Brierly

III. The Empress - Sita (Monkey Man 2024)

IV. The Emperor- Wicker!Dev

V. The Hierophant - lady bertilak

VI. The Lovers - tildev front lawn

VII. The Chariot - Neal Sampat (The Newsroom)

VIII. Justice - the hijra (Monkey Man, 2024)

IX. The Hermit - young saroo

X. Wheel of Fortune - Joshua Madika (Modern Love)

XI. Strength - sonny

XII. The Hanged Man - Gawain (Green Knight, you know that one shot where he's getting his portrait done upside down, 2021)

XIII. Death - time to remember who you are

XIV. Temperance - Young Kid (Monkey Man, 2024, where he's in the woods with his Mom)

XV. The Devil - That one shot of "Kid" where he's about to beat Rana Singh to death with the glittery shoe. You know the one)

XVI. The Tower - kid

XVII. The Star - Anwar Kharral (Skins 2009)

XVIII. The Moon - Dr. Chatterjee (Henry Sugar, 2023)

XIX. The Sun - arjun

XX. Judgement - Jay Menha (The Wedding Guest, 2018 - right after he beats deepesh to death perhaps? blue shirt is a must)

XXI. The World - Monkey Man 2024 Mom, when she's in the woods with Kid)

[noellevanious]

What fighting games do you play? SF6 based on the design of your controller, any others? Also what kind of characters do you like to play as?

i play basically every fighting game! i like learning and messing around in them :3 my friends like milk @puyopuyo and raid @cromerholt and eben @drslouch are always playing different games

games i "learned" enough to be considered competitive in -

sf6 (still learning and playing! my current main is dee jay and i wanna learn honda and blanka eventually, and akuma whenever he comes out),

gg strive (i learned indepth and main anji and wanna learn jack-o and goldlewis, but im rly not vibing w its neutral anymore after hitting floor 10)

smash ultimate (main rob/young link/terry/mii brawler, havent touched it since sora came out but still love playing it)

kof xv (played online a bit but the netplat is sooo bad but i love kula and blue mary and basically any girl besides mai, and robert!)

those are the tames i like. learned in-depth as much as i could and actively practice(d) to get better in, but i love just messing w a game in its training mode for a bit so ill just run them down quickly w my "mains" in order of "how likely kd be down to play randomly"

third strike (remy/sean, wanna learn Q)

skullgirls (beowulf/fukua/squigly, wamna learn robo-fortune)

dragonball fighterz (waiting for rollback to drop!) (beerus/trunks/teen gohan/ginyu/nappa/videl/cell/goku black/kefla)

vampire saviors (felicia/lillith)

jjba heritage (young joseph/hol horse/mariah)

gg xxac+r (johnny/anji/sol, wanna learn faust)

gg xrd (johnny, wanna learn faust)

kof 98 um (blue mary/lucky/yuri/leona)

project justice (yurika/tiffany/chairperson)

thems fighting herds (no main yet! but id probably pick paprika)

tekken 7 (lucky chloe/lidia/alisa and heihachi if im feeling silly)

granblue (waiting for rising! but im 100% maining ladiva)

waku waku 7 (arina/tessa)

power rangers battle for the grid (RJ/ryu/dai shi/poisandra)

and basically any other fighting game my friends want to play! i dont really consider myself "competitive" in any of these cause i havent rly spent the time to learn the games' mechanics in depth, but ive played all of them enough to have a basic understanding of them, as well as the specific characters i play!

[horsegirlwarcrimes]

commissions will be going through ko-fi! feel free to reach out to me there as well: https://ko-fi.com/horsegirlwarcimes

Fandoms I'll write for:

Scum Villain's Self Saving System

Mo Dao Zu Shi / the Untamed

Heaven Official's Blessing / Tian Guan Ci Fu

Word of Honor

The Locked Tomb

Teen Wolf

BBC Merlin

Final Fantasy

My Hero Academia

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Spiderman

Batman

Les Miserables

Miraculous Ladybug

The Witcher

The Moomins

White Collar

The Lord of the Rings

Natsume's Book of Friends

Dungeon Meshi

The Magnus Archives

The Adventure Zone

Mysterious Lotus Casebook

Avatar: the Last Airbender

Detroit: Become Human

Lucifer

Stand Still Stay Silent

Six of Crows

Blue Exorcist

Fullmetal Alchemist

Final Fantasy XV

Star Trek

open to any and all kinks, plots, themes, content, with the provision that i retain the right to turn anything down if it isn't something i'm comfortable with or feel i could do justice. these are all the fandoms i am familiar with, but im also happy to write for things ive never heard of. same rules apply to original fiction.

Commissions: Open

hey gang!

i recently quit my very terrible job and, while i had another lined up to be ready to transfer over quickly, that job's start has been delayed and ended up with fewer hours than anticipated. i am job hunting and hoping to find something new to make up for this, but things are going to be a bit of a financial struggle in the near future.

in light of that, ive decided to temporarily open up writing commissions! this is my first time doing so, so please bare with me as i figure out the particulars. i am happy to write nsfw, sfw, and anything in-between.

for examples of my writing, you can find my fanfiction work on ao3 at buryyourgaydar, or PM me to see original fiction examples.

ao3 policy is that commissioned fanworks and any fanwork made for monetary gain cannot be hosted on ao3. this means if you would like a fanfiction commission, it would be strictly one on one and not for public posting. writing fic on commission is honestly something that gives me pause, so consider this please first and foremost for original fiction! for fanworks lets chat individually.

my hope is to not be doing this very long, since i much prefer to keep writing a no-stress hobby i do for enjoyment. however at the moment i am really looking for ways to supplement my income during a tight patch, so! here we are. if you feel comfortable, please consider sharing this post around! if you're interested, shoot me a PM! you can also email me at buryyourgaydar@gmail.com

[starkaft3rdark]

List of canon things I write for

Anime

Assassination Classroom

Attack on Titan

Black Butler

Bleach

Blue Lock

Demon Slayer

Dragon Ball Z

Fire Force

Food Wars

Haikyuu!

Hunter x Hunter

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (Parts 1-6)

Jujutsu Kaisen

Kuroko no Basket

My Hero Academia

One Punch Man

Pokemon

Seven Deadly Sins

Sonic X

Soul Eater

Tokyo Ghoul

Tokyo Revengers

Yu Yu Hakusho

 

Coming Soon

Black Clover ● Bungou Stray Dogs

Video Games

Final Fantasy VII + XII + XV

Five Night's At Freddy's

God of War

Grand Theft Auto V

Pokemon

Super Smash Bros.

Resident Evil

Silent Hill

Stardew Valley

 

Coming Soon

Danganronpa ● Spyro The Dragon ● Undertale

Other Series

CW's Arrowverse (Arrow ● The Flash ● DC's Legends of Tomorrow ● Supergirl)

Game of Thrones (House of the Dragon coming soon)

Hannibal

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rick & Morty

Stargate SG-1 + Stargate Atlantis

Stranger Things

Teen Titans

Young Justice

K-Pop

ATEEZ

BTS

Cravity

Enhypen

EXO (OT12)

Monsta X (OT7)

NCT (OT23 / ALL units)

The Boyz (OT12)

TXT

Seventeen

Stray Kids (OT9)

Verivery

VIXX (OT6)

WannaOne + offshoot groups (CIX ● Ab6ix)

 

Blackpink

Billlie

Dreamcatcher

fromis_9

Itzy

IZ*ONE + offshoot groups (IVE ● LE SSERAFIM)

Loona

Red Velvet

Twice

Please note: If you're looking to commission for other K-Pop idols, please feel free to ask me about them! Just because they're not on this particular list doesn't mean I won't write for them as I do "stan" over 100+ groups and solo artists, both male and female.

[leoascendente]

Zodiac correspondences 🦋

For the post in Spanish click here -> https://leoascendente.tumblr.com/post/672654728804663296/el-sol-en-los-signos-y-sus-correspondencias

-Aries♈:

Planet: Mars

Element: Fire

Energy: Yang/masculine

Tarot card: IV. The Emperor

Day: Tuesday

Modality: Cardinal

Body part: The head

Color: Red

Symbol: The ram

Chakra: Solar plexus/ 3rd chakra

Crystals: Ruby, obsidian, hematite, garnet, jet, red jasper, diamond

Herbs: Wild rose, poppy, honeysuckle, tulip, geranium, heath

-Taurus♉:

Planet: Venus

Element: Earth

Energy: Yin/Femenine

Tarot card: V. The Hierophant

Day: Friday

Modality: Fixed

Body part: Throat, neck, cervicals, thyroid

Color: Green and pink

Symbol: The bull

Chakra: Heart/ 4th chakra

Crystals: Rose quartz, aventurine, turmaline, rhodonite, malachite, sapphire

Herbs: Chamomile, daisies, lily, cedar, eucalyptus

-Gemini♊:

Planet: Mercury

Element: Air

Energy: Yang/ Masculine

Tarot card: VI. The Lovers

Day: Wednesday

Modality: Mutable

Body part: Lungs, nervous system, shoulders, arms, hands

Color: Yellow

Symbol: The twins

Chakra: Throat/ 5th chakra

Crystals: Aquamarine. citrine, tigar eye, turquoise, jade, emerald

Herbs: Mint, rose, lemongrass, lavender, olive tree

-Cancer♋:

Planet: The moon

Element: Water

Energy: Yin/Femenine

Tarot card: XVIII. The Moon

Day: Monday

Modality: Cardinal

Body part: Chest, breast, stomach, spleen, pancreas

Color: Silver, white

Symbol: The crab

Chakra: Sacral/ 2nd chakra

Crystals: Moonstone, opal, amethyst, clear quartz, coral, selenite, chalcedony

Herbs: Lotus flower, dandellion, laurel, white rose, walnut

-Leo♌:

Planet: The sun

Element: Fire

Energy: Yang/Masculine

Tarot card: VIII. The Strenght

Day: Sunday

Modality: Fixed

Body part: Heart, circulatory system, upper back, backbone

Color: Golden, white

Symbol: The lion

Chakra: Solar plexus/3rd chakra

Crystals: Sunstone, amber, onyx, labradorite, diamond, ruby

Herbs: Rosemary, calendula, sunflower, wheat, carob

- Virgo♍:

Planet: Mercury

Element: Earth

Energy: Yin/Femenine

Tarot card: IX. The Ermit

Day: Wednesday

Modality: Mutable

Body part: Digestive system, intestines

Color: Lilac, light green

Symbol: The maiden

Chakra: Throat/5th chakra

Crystals: Amethyst, jade, selenite, chalcedony, fluorite

Herbs: Dafodills, jasmine, chrysantemun, fennel, willow

-Libra♎:

Planet: Venus

Element: Air

Energy: Yang/Mascuilne

Tarot card: XI. The Justice

Day: Friday

Modality: Cardinal

Body part: Lumbar region, kidneys, lower back

Color: Turquoise, light pink

Symbol: The balanca

Chakra: Heart/4th chakra

Crystals: Turmaline (pink and black), jade, opal, selenite, aventurine, sapphire

Herbs: Ylang ylang, violets, thyme, wild roses, cypress

-Scorpio♏:

Planet: Pluto/Mars

Element: Water

Energy: Yin/Femenine

Tarot card: XII. The Death

Day: Tuesday

Modality: Fixed

Body part: Sexual organs, bladder, urethra

Color: Black, scarlet red, purple

Symbol: The scorpion

Chakra: Sacral/2nd chakra

Crystals: Obsidian, malachite, garnet, rutilated quartz, amethyst

Herbs: Peony, honeysuckle, mandrake, basil, ivy

-Sagittarius♐:

Planet: Jupiter

Element: Fire

Energy: Yang/Masculine

Tarot card: XIV. The Temperance

Day: Thursday

Modality: Mutable

Body part: Hips, thighs, sciatic nerves, vesicle, liver

Color: Red, orange, blue

Symbol: The archer

Chakra: Third eye/6th chakra

Crystals: Lapis lazuli, turquoise, labradorite, sodalite, chalcedony, peridot

Herbs: Lavender, clove, sage, carnation, cinnamon, oak

-Capricorn♑:

Planet: Saturn

Element: Earth

Energy: Yin/Femenine

Tarot card: XV. The Devil

Day: Saturday

Modality: Cardinal

Body part: Knees, bones

Color: Brown, dark green, copper

Symbol: The sea goat

Chakra: Root/1st chakra

Crystals: Jey, onyx, smokey quartz, moss agathe, clear quartz

Herbs: Narsissus, pansy, rue, rosemary, pine

-Aquarius♒:

Planet: Uranus/Saturn

Element: Air

Energy: Yang/Masculine

Tarot card: XVII. The Star

Day: Saturday

Modality: Fixed

Body part: Legs, ankles

Color: Light and dark blue, lilac

Symbol: The water bearer

Chakra: Third eye/6th chakra

Crystals: Sodalite, amazonite, amethyst, aquamarine, fluorite

Herbs: Orchid, dhalia, clover, valerian, aloe, almond tree

-Pisces♓:

Planet: Neptune/Jupiter

Element: Water

Energy: Yin/Femenine

Tarot card: XII. The Hanged Man

Day: Thursday

Modality: Mutable

Body part: Feet, toes

Color: Light blue, lavender, white

Symbol: The fishes

Chakra: Crown/ 7th chakra

Crystals: Colar, blue lace agathe, fluorite, larimar, rose quartz, pearls

Herbs: Star anise, water lily, gardenia, sage, willow

[lirhyapetitpain]

“Si un jour, la vie t'arrache à moi (if one day life take you away from me) Si tu meurs, que tu sois loin de moi (if you die, far from me) Peu m'importe si tu m'aimes (it doesn’t matter if you love me) Car moi je mourrais aussi (because I would die too)

Nous aurons pour nous l'éternité (we would have the whole eternity) Dans le bleu de toute l'immensité (in the blue immensity) Dans le ciel, plus de problème (in the sky, no more problem) Mon amour, crois-tu qu'on s'aime? (my love, do you believe we are in love ?) Dieu réunit ceux qui s'aiment (God reunite those who are in love)” (I know there’s an English version but the lyrics are differents so I’d rather translate the original one)

Gamma Tarot VI - THE LOVERS featuring Samuel Sterns (the First) and Beatrice Banner

I - THE MAGICIAN II - THE HIGH PRIESTESS III - THE EMPRESS IV - THE EMPEROR V - THE HIEROPHANT VI- THE LOVERS VII - THE CHARIOT VIII - JUSTICE IX - THE HERMIT X - WHEEL OF FORTUNE XI - STRENGTH XII - THE HANGED MAN XIII XIV - TEMPERANCE XV - THE DEVIL XVI - THE TOWER XVII - THE STAR XVIII - THE MOON XIX - THE SUN XX - JUDGEMENT XXI - THE WORLD XXII - THE FOOL

[waitingforwinterwinds]

Game of Thrones - 58 EDDARD XV (pages 604-613)

After an unknown length of time in sensory deprivation prison, Ned gets a visit from Varys who catches him up on the state of things, and reminds Ned he still has people to protect or not.

The reader, having spent far too long trying to estimate the size of a courtyard with asymmetric garden beds from pictures that were all in isometric views and is thus quite grumpy, is being perhaps a little unkind to the characters tonight.

-

Cracks ran down his face, fissures opening in his flesh, and he reached up and ripped the mask away. It was not Robert at all; it was Littlefinger, grinning, mocking him. When he opened his mouth to speak, his lies turned into pale grey moths and took wing.

Petyr wishes he looked as cool as Gandalf doing that (and he's not even real.

ewwww, that's disturbing

I still kinda wish that had made it into the show. They cut out such good mental health update moments!!!

Not surprised Ned's going through the mental wringer though, between the pre-existing mental exhaustion, the pain from his leg, what ever coming of milk of the poppy is doing and the full on sensory deprivation of this cell? Ick. Like seriously ick, this is like the black magic recipe for near instant mental breakdown.

Ned remembered the moment when all the smiles died, when Prince Rhaegar urged his horse past his own wife, the Dornish princess Elia Martell, to lay the queen of beauty laurel in Lyanna's lap. He could see it still: a crown of winter roses, blue as frost. Ned Stark reached out his hand to grasp the flowery crown, but beneath the pale blue petals the thorns lay hidden. He felt them clawing at his skin, sharp and cruel, saw the slow trickle of blood run down his fingers, and woke, trembling, in the dark.

I feel like that is such a good metaphor for that whole thing. A large chunk (not necessarily the majority, but certainly not a small number from my observations) tend to think Lyanna and Rhaegar were romantic (I blame the show, just as a default maneuver because it saves time) but he was a married man and she was a literal child. She died giving birth at sixteen. Which means she had to have been with Rhaegar since closer to at least fifteen, but almost certainly younger. If this happened in the modern era, we'd be disgusted. Or maybe the 'but it's so romantic true love, secret marriage UwU' crew would do a flip and join the 'this young girl clearly seduced this married man with her feminine wiles' brigade. Goodness knows the bullshit in Hollywood proves that's a real reaction people have.

But back to the metaphor.

Because part of the narrative, especially the one driven by the show, really tried to dress it up like it was supposed to be romantic, this 'love' that dragged an entire country to bloody war, but underneath, once you start to actually look, if you start to feel it out, it's nasty and full of pain.

But also: how heavy must the weight of this gotten for Ned? The guilt for not saving her, for not keeping his promise perfectly, for the harm trying to keep that promise caused, intentional or not? And he has this weird "Even now, he was a Stark of Winterfell, and his grief and rage froze hard inside him." thing going on.

I am prescribing this entire family to therapy.

"- They taught me that each man has a role to play, in life as well as in mummery. So it is at court. The King's Justice must be fearsome, the master of coin must be frugal, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard must be valiant... and the master of whispers must be sly and obsequious and without scruple. A courageous informer is as useless as a cowardly knight." ... "Your own ends. What ends are those, Lord Varys?" "Peace," Varys replied without hesitation. ... "I want you to serve the realm," Varys said. ... "- Tell me, Lord Varys, who do you truly serve?" Varys smiled thinly. "Why, the realm, my good lord, how could you ever doubt that? -"

Is that how you sleep at night Varys? By telling yourself 'it's just your job, what could you possibly do to help people?' Is that how you justify yourself? Everything you do is for the people, it's all for the peace. Then why not stop Jon Arryn's murder? Why not stop Littlefinger sewing the seeds that started this farce? Or did your information somehow miss that when you seemingly know everything else?

Either you know everything, and you allowed this all to happen, or you don't know as much as you claim. Which is it, Varys?

You disparage Ned's honour and the court for playing the game of thrones in much the same breath. Did it never occur to you, that the reason the game of thrones goes on, is because corruption is allowed to fester within the establishment of power, because any time someone with honour or a sense of actual justice tries to do anything to better the government, they get cut down and left to rot in a ditch.

"Or are you in league with Littelfinger?" That seemed to amuse the eunuch. "I would sooner wed the Black Goat of Qohor. -"

Now I'm just imagining Littelfinger and Varys playing little league baseball, complete with uniforms. "Black Goat of Qohor" hmm? hang on a tic... ... Not sure if Satan or Christmas (Gävle) Goat.

Awww, Rhaenys' kitten was called Balerion, that's so cute.

This world is so cruel. It shouldn't be, but the people who would say "it's not fair, so I'll make it fair" either never have the power to do so, or don't have the power to do so long enough to actually do so.

[hangedman-magician]

Masterlist II.

Here you can find Portia, Muriel and Lucio’s routes and the Tales. For the Prologue, Asra, Nadia and Julian’s routes, see Masterlist I.

VI - The Lovers: Late Night Rendezvous // Climb down with Portia. / Play along.

VII - The Chariot: Out in the Open // “Let’s have breakfast in bed” / “I’d love to”

VIII - Strength: An Insatiable Appetite //  “I can tell you” /  Enter the secret room.

IX - The Hermit: An Open Book // “Do that again” /  Hold Portia

X - Wheel of Fortune: The Truth is Out There // Go with Portia /  “I’d like Portia to help me”

XI - Justice: Power and the People // Play along. / Take Portia somewhere quiet.

XII - The Hanged Man: Poltical Maneuvers // “What kind of stories?” /  “Let’s have a sleepover then”

XIII - Death: A Bolt from the Blue // “Let’s find some shelter” / Bathe with Portia.

XIV - Temperance: Finding Purpose // Pet Pepi. / Make her laugh.

XV - The Devil: A Whole New World // Explore the magic forest. / Question the birds.

XVI - The Tower: Upheaval // Follow Portia upstairs.

XVII - The Star: History, in Poetry // “Sooo?”

XVIII - The Moon: The Looking-Glass // Chase the memory.

XIX: The Sun: O Death // “If it involves kisses, I’m in.”

UPRIGHT END

XX - Judgement: Eye of the Storm // “Tell me about them?”

XXI - The World: To New Horizons // “Yes!”

REVERSED END

XX - Judgement: Out of Bounds // “Let’s take a breather.”

XXI - The World: The Mother of Invention // “Let’s take a break.” 

VI - The Lovers: Strangers No More //  “Let me help you, please” / “I want to know more about you.”

VII - The Cariot: Unexpected Arrival // “Let’s go somewhere quiet” / “Let me prove it to you”

VIII - Strength: Hunters //  “You can stay” / “Let’s go explore”

IX - The Hermit: The Journey Begins // Comfort him. / Follow Inanna!

X - Wheel of Fortune: Fight or Flight // "I'd love to come along." / “Do you have any good memories?”

XI - Justice: Ghosts of the Past // "Yes me and Muriel~" / Stay by his side.

XII - The Hanged Man: A Light in the Dark // "Let's check the tapestries." / "Do you want help?"

XIII - Death: Consequences // "Come warm me up." / "Come on. Let's spar!"

XIV - Temperance: Run //  "Do you want to share the bath?" /  "Sounds like fun. I'm in!"

XV - The Devil: The Dance Begins //  "May I have this dance?" /  "Let's find your favorites."

XVI - The Tower: He’s Back, Baby // "Come on. Let's get some alone time." / "Then let's make the most of tonight."

XVII - The Star: Vesuvia // “Deal me in.” / Comfort him.

XVIII - The Moon: Reunion // “It’s okay. I’ll help.” / “We’d love to hear those stories.”

XIX - The Sun: Hold the Line // “Let’s see what they want.” / “I’ll help you with that.”

UPRIGHT END

XX - Judgement: The Games Begin // “I’ll go check on him.” / “Didn’t you have a surprise?”

XXI - The World: Past, Present, Future // “Let’s go.” / “We’ll do it.“

REVERSED END

XX - Judgement: No Choice // “Let’s make the most of tonight.”

XXI - The World: Hunted // “Let me help you.”

VI - The Lovers: Beyond the Veil //  "I don't think you're scary." /  Pet the dogs.

VII - The Chariot: The White Forest //  “What are you waiting for?” / "Actually, I do."

VIII - Strenght: Old Ghosts //  "I'll help you." /  "Sure. I'll come along."

IX - The Hermit: Paths of Fate //  "Anything?" / Snuggle closer.

X- Wheel of Fortune: Rescue and Reckoning // “Actually, I would.” /  "I'm here. It's okay."

XI - Justice: A Distant Mirror // Play along. /  "Sure, spoil me."

XII - The Hanged Man: Vicious Cycles //  Cheer him up. / Take Lucio for a walk.

XIII - Death: A Very Long Shadow // Lift him up. /  Help him bake.

XIV - Temperance: Night to Remeber //  "Let's find out together." /  "Let's do this!"

XV - The Devil: Out of the Frying Pan... //  Indulge him. / “Let’s dance.”

XVI - The Tower: Into the Fire // Kiss him. // Bathe with Lucio.

XVII - The Star: Crossroads // Ask Scout. / “Let’s take a walk.”

XVIII - The Moon: Future Past // “I’m game.” / Hug him.

XIX - The Sun: Weight of the World // “What’s a hike of doom?” / “What future do you want?”

UPRIGHT END

XX - Judgement: From the Ashes // Egg him on. / “I’m so proud of you.”

XXI - The World: The Road Goes On // Stay for lunch. / Figure out what happened. 

REVERSED END

XX - Judgement: Arise // “Really? That’s all?”

XXI -  The World: An Endless Dawn // “Prove it.”

TALES

Dawn of the Grub //  Talk to my mother.

Travel at Night // Go in.

A Rising Tide //  Stretch with Nahara.

Out and About // “Let’s stay.”

A Foxy Hideaway

Baewatch // Asra & Lucio at the grill. /  Nadia & Muriel at the tidepools. /  Julian & Portia at the shoreline.

Pumpkin Scares & Laughs // Asra & Nadia / Portia & Muriel / Julian & Lucio // End

Winter Wonderland //  Look around inside: Asra. Portia. Muriel. // Look around outside: Nadia. Julian. Lucio. // Dance with: Asra. Nadia. Julian. Lucio. Portia.  Muriel.

[melodiaemfrp]

Hello, Attuned! Thank you for participating in Melodiae’s eighth Activity Check! Listed here are characters that did not pass the check (Seven (7) days of activity in-server) for the period from Thursday, September 8th, 2022 to Monday, November 7th, 2022.

If you believe your muse(s) are listed here by mistake, you may reach out to the Masterlist on or before Tuesday, November 15th, 2022. All characters that do not have activity accounted for by 11:59 PM EST on this date will be removed from the server by the next inbox run (Thursday, November 17th, 2022).

If you did not pass the check, you also have until Tuesday, November 15th, 2022 to reapp your muse(s) by sending an ask to the Masterlist indicating your intent to reapp the character. You DO NOT have to resubmit the whole application; simply provide your name, the character’s name & series, your OOC contact, and the date in an ask. Muses marked with an asterisk (*) have failed two consecutive checks, and are ineligible to be reapped this way unless they are an OC. These muses must wait one full week, and may resubmit their entire application on or after Tuesday, November 22nd, 2022.

Muses that are not reapped by 11:59pm EST on Tuesday, November 15th will be removed from the server by our inbox run on Thursday, November 17th, 2022.

Thank you for your continued interest in Melodiae!

- The Melodiae Team

13 SENTINELS: AEGIS RIM

Shu Amiguchi (Laur)

A CERTAIN MAGICAL INDEX

Misaka Worst (Maki)

AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES

NIRVANA INITIATIVE

Mizuki Date (Elyse)

ARKNIGHTS

Dusk (Hika)*

Ifrit (Azazel)*

BLEACH

Bambietta Basterbine (Maki)

BUNGOU STRAY DOGS

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Flora)

BEAST

Atsushi Nakajima (Juno)

CODE VEIN

Hyejin Kim (PC) (Nenphy)

CRASH FEVER

Einstein (Jay/Julian)

DC COMICS

BATMAN

Pamela Isley (Fae)

YOUNG JUSTICE

Conner Kent (Fae)

DELTARUNE

Spamton G. Spamton (Benito)

DRAGON BALL

Kaki (OC) (Ana)*

HEROES

Future Trunks Briefs (Xeno) (Hikari)

ELSWORD

Add (Dominator) (Vaal)

Ainchase Ishmael (Bluhen) (Jaden)

Ainchase Ishmael (Herrscher) (Jaden)

Aisha Landar (Metamorphy) (Riku)

Noah Ebalon (Celestia) (Jaden)

ENSEMBLE STARS!

Kaname Tojo (Sammy)

Keito Hasumi (Hyu)

Kuro Kiryu (Corvo)

Mika Kagehira (Sammy)

FATE

GRAND ORDER

Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova (Caster) (Alice)

FINAL FANTASY

XIV

Little Coeurl (WOL WAR) (Noct)

Thancred Waters (Vaal)

XV

Prompto Argentum (Tom)*

FIRE EMBLEM

THREE HOUSES

Felix Hugo Fraldarius (Meki)

THREE HOPES

Shez (Grimm)

GENSHIN IMPACT

Itto Arataki (Lucien)

Kaedehara Kazuha (Capy)

Scaramouche (Riku)

Xiao (Noct)

Zhongli (Morax/Rex Lapis) (Lucien)

GUILD WARS 2

Bedveri (OC) (Birb)

Lightbringer RamJack “Jack” Silver (OC) (Kite)

Rhy’lua (OC) (Lavi)

HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE

Howl Jenkins Pendragon (Howell Jenkins) (Bram)

JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE

VENTO AUREO

Bruno Buccellati (Cyan)

Leone Abbacchio (Tom)*

JUJUTSU KAISEN

Suguru Geto (Kenjaku) (Bram)

KAMEN RIDER

Hitomi Hanamura (OC) (Bedi)

BUILD

Banjou Ryuuga (Lottie/ Vivi)*

Sento Kiryu (Jun)*

DRIVE

Gou Shijima (Isu)

KITAI SENTAI ZENKAIGER

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS

Jinx (Powder) (Eris)

MEDAKA BOX

Kumagawa Misogi (Eve)

MEGA MAN 

Blues ( Protoman|Breakman ) (Zan)

X

Lumine (Mia)

ZERO

Zero (Hikari)*

NARUTO

Itachi Uchiha (Jun)

ORIGINAL CHARACTERS

Estelle VaRossa (Hikari)*

Grayson Grimm (Benito)

Jari (Oz)

Kendal Clarke (Thrall)

Lily (Jaden)

Meisarea Dannalar (Thrall)

Nakuri (D’mi)

Rovaniemi, Lapland (KB)*

Rue Gabriel (KB)

Sloane Thomas (Fae)

Tenoch de la Paz “TEN” (Benito)

The Calid Saint (KB)

Valentin Florescu (Thrall)

Winry Merchfyw (Bram)

PERSONA

3

Minato Arisato (Athiel)

5

Goro Akechi (Flora)*

Takuto Maruki (Bram)

POKEMON

BLACK/WHITE

Natural Harmonia Gropius (Birb)

PROJECT MOON WORKS

LIBRARY OF RUINA

Edelweiss Sturm (OC) (Fris)*

LOBOTOMY CORPORATION

Tiphereth B (Juno)

WONDERLAB

Taii (Fris)

PROJECT SEKAI

Emu Otori (Athiel)

Hatsune Miku (Mikey)

Shizuku Hinomori (Eris)

PROMISE OF WIZARD

Mithra (Corvo)

Murr Hart (Corbinian)

Oz (Athiel)

Rutile Flores (Jaden)

RAGING LOOP

Haruaki Fusaishi (Doc)

ROOT DOUBLE: BEFORE CRIME * AFTER DAYS

Watase Kasasagi (Doc)

SPLATOON

Shiver (Fris)

STREET FIGHTER

Ryu (Hikari)

SUPER SENTAI

KAITOU SENTAI LUPINRANGER VS KEISATSU SENTAI PATRANGER

Yano Kairi (Jun)

KITAI SENTAI ZENKAIGER

Stacey (Lottie/Vivi)*

TALES OF SERIES

SYMPHONIA

Zelos Wilder (Grimm)

THE GARDEN OF SINNERS

Ryougi Shiki (Eve)

THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU

Daisukenojo “Beat” Bito (Cecil)

NEO

Hazuki Mikagi (Cecil)

TOUKEN RANBU

Nikkari Aoe (Athiel)

TRIGUN

Nicholas D. Wolfwood (Kite)

TSUKIHIME

Aoko Aozaki (Texas)

TWISTED WONDERLAND

Cater Diamond (Raine)

WITCH HAT ATELIER

Qifrey (Avery)

YAKUZA/LIKE A DRAGON

Goro Majima (Eris)

JUDGEMENT

Takayuki Yagami (Hikari)

YU-GI-OH! DUEL MONSTERS

Yugi Mutou (Hikari)

ZAREGOTO

Ii (Eve)

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

By the king’s hand 🐍 XV

Warnings: noncon/rape, violence, trauma, allusions to torture.

This is dark!fic and explicit. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: The trial begins and takes it toll on those involved.

Note: Chapter fifteen already?! I dunno what I’m doing but it’s happening. Everyone it’s happening! Hahah. I’m having too much fun. Also call out to @lokislastlove​ because you know she fuels the fire too much.

Thank you. Love you guys!

As always, if you can, please leave some feedback, like and reblog <3

Your days formed a pattern. You woke as the king readied for the day ahead. When he left, Hal remained and kept you company. He helped you with your letters or read from you from his code of honour. You sewed or reclined on the chaise as you listened. Sometimes, you spoke of yourselves; the boy hadn’t the sense to be secretive but he was young and had little intricacy to his character.

When the king returned, he dismissed the boy. Often, he took his pleasure. You could do little but let him in hopes of keeping him pleasant; of avoiding a fight you couldn’t win. Other nights, he merely sat and thought, a few words offered on his inner turmoil. It was a peculiar, if not absurd, routine; the two of you in denial of the past as the present bore down on you.

A week passed. It felt longer and shorter all at once. Time seemed warped in your mind since your return to the palace. But you felt the changes inside of you. Your hunger grew insatiable and the nausea more persistent. Your emotions swelled and swayed between despair and anger; between buoyancy and blight. And as you were kept in better condition, your flesh began to soften and even after a few days, you noticed how you began to grow.

That day, you felt unready. You’d been awake for much of the night after a knock came at the door. Loki went to attend to his visitor and returned with jarring news. Thor had arrived in the capital and had been secured in his royal prison. His trial would commence within days.

Loki was restless too though he would not admit it. He lay beside you and feigned sleep. You stared up at the top of the bedpost and found it difficult to get comfortable. To think that Thor was just across the green in Boulder Tower. It was a trap meant for noble criminals, a historic landmark that had held traitors since the early days of the kingdom. You just didn’t believe it could hold Thor. Nothing could. In your mind, he was unstoppable.

You said little to the king before he left you that morning. His mind was on his brother, as yours was. Even Hal could not lift the gloom from you as he appeared with his usual smile. You ate with the boy and he helped you to the chaise as you grew weary from your fitful night. He sat at your feet and listened as you recited your letters.

“You remembered them all,” he beamed.

You smiled. It felt ridiculous but you were just as proud of yourself. You went through your letters every night after Loki was done with you. You repeated the sounds in your head as Hal had shown you and though your progress was slow, it was better than none.

You were silent as you struggled to keep your mind on the lessons. You hadn’t the energy to take up your needle and you found yourself fidgeting until Hal touched your ankle. You yawned and propped yourself up on your elbows.

“My lady, I can tell you are distracted,” he prodded.

“I am,” you dropped back and sighed. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t sleep and I cannot stop thinking of…” You couldn’t say the words and so you only shook your head.

“The prince?” He ventured. “I did see them escort him to the tower last night. They had him chained and… I never saw him look so worn.” Hal almost whispered, “And angry. I admit I did not sleep much, either.”

Your lip trembled and you covered your face with your arm. You might start sobbing if you thought of the prince too long. You could not do so without feeling his cold grip on your body, feeling his intrusions over and over, hearing his raw voice as he mocked you.

“Do you believe they can bring him to justice?” You asked. “That the king could ever rein in his own brother?”

“I know that the king is clever and that he would not proceed if he did not have some plan,” Hal said, “And I pray that Prince Thor is dealt with swiftly and rightly.”

You sniffed and flung your arm away from your head. You sat up and frowned. “Hal,” you said softly, “I wouldn’t think that the king feels much more for me than shallow want but… he might resent me for whatever becomes of his brother. Might resent the child inside of me.” You lowered your head, “I feel awfully alone and frightfully lost.”

“The king… no, it isn’t your fault,” Hal said. “You couldn’t--”

“Promise me,” you breathed and looked up meekly, “If this child is born and I am not kept around to see it grow, that you will look in on it. For me.”

“What do-- You are its mother, you will be there.”

“I am a peasant. I am a bed warmer, not a wife. I haven’t rights, even though I bear the seed myself.” You blinked away the tears, “I have no one else. You must see that in my absence, that this child is well.”

Hal gulped and nodded. His youth struck you and made you feel terribly for what you asked of him. You drew your legs down and sidled over to him. You touched his slender hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry, Hal.”

“No, I think I am sorry.” He replied. “I haven’t listened to you. I forget…” He chewed his words, “I… sometimes, I find myself believing that you and the king, that you are his wife and that he is happy with you.” He inhaled deeply, “It is unfair of me to think of it as such because I know of all he’s done. It is only that I cannot understand it. I love the king but I do not love what he does.”

“I don’t understand it either,” you muttered, “I don’t think I can.”

He looked at you and his boyish cheeks paled. “How can you not? You are the wisest person I’ve ever met.”

You laughed, grimly. You touched his shoulder and retracted your hand as you stood. “Then, if you think me wise, listen to me. Do not try to understand the king or the prince or men like them. Only learn from them. Do not become them. Hal,” you turned back to him and clutched your hands, “Don’t let them take your decency.”

His eyes rounded and he rubbed his hands together as he thought. He hung his head. “My mother…” he spoke so quietly you could barely hear him, “She died birthing me. I never knew her and my father wanted me away so bad. The king, he has been the only constant in my life and I never questioned him before.”

“And you shouldn’t. There are things he can teach you. For all his cruelty, you can learn to be kind. For all his trickiness, you can learn to be honest. For all his sins, you can learn good deeds.” You swayed on your feet and hugged yourself, “And maybe one day, he will have the grace to learn from you.”

Hal’s eyes were glossy. He stood so quickly you hadn’t time to react before his arms were around you and his face was buried in your shoulder. Stunned, you slowly untwined your arms and hugged him in turn. You held him until he drew back, his face rosy with embarrassment.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to accost you.” He rubbed his cheek.

“No, you didn’t,” you found it hard not to weep at the realisation that this boy had likely never been embraced thus. “Don’t apologise.” You drew him back and rocked him in your arms. “You’re a good boy, Hal, and you will be a great man.”

🐍

The prince’s trial commenced three days after his arrival in Boulder Tower. Loki didn’t touch you the night before and left without disturbing you. You woke, confused and alone. You spent much of your day over a basin, spilling your guts as the anxiety added to your sickness.

That night, the king remained silent. You caught him staring at you but he looked away quickly each time you did. You sat and sewed the hem of the nightshirt meant for your child. The tail was closed to keep the child’s legs warm and the collar was to be embroidered as a final touch.

You laid down but Loki did not. You fell asleep after some time but did not sink far into slumber. You awoke as a log clacked into the hearth and the king’s shadow retreated into the front chamber again. You rolled over and slept some more. You woke and rose to relieve yourself before peeking in on the king.

Loki had the nightshirt in his hands and traced the stitches with his thumbs. He grumbled to himself and replaced it where you’d left it hanging from a hook. He rubbed his eyes and sat heavily at the table. His hand balled into a fist and he hit the wood. You backed away before he could see you and hid yourself in the bed once more.

When the morning came, Loki still wasn’t abed. You heard the door and Hal’s voice permeated the early lull. “Your majesty,” he whispered and the king grunted, “It is time.”

You listened to the movement in the next chamber and the boy came to retrieve clean attire for the king. You pretended to doze as he did, your ears pricked as you tucked your chin down beneath the covers. The rustle of cloth and tinkle of metal followed.

“Weeks. It will be weeks.” Loki uttered. “Will I ever be done with my fool brother?”

Hal said nothing. He wasn’t expected to. He listened to the king’s qualms and went about his duty.

“Distract the woman,” he slithered, “Let her not think of Thor or the rest of my troubles. Birger will be at hand if you require him.”

The door opened and closed not long after. You realised that Hal was more than a placeholder, he was to keep you from asking questions. You didn’t want to dwell on Thor and all he’d done to you, but you hated to feel as if you knew nothing. Did you not deserve to hear of the fate of your worst tormentor?

You sat up and dressed in a dark blue gown. You washed your face from the basin and pulled on fur-lined slippers before you strode through to the front room. Hal read, a covered plate awaited you on the table. He bid you good morning and you sat and ate the hearty breakfast. It did little too soothe the ache of your stomach.

As the morning turned to noon, you took out the papers from the desk drawer and practiced your writing. Hal watched and helped you spell out simple words; table, chair, desk, your name, and his. When it came to Loki’s name, you dropped the pen and turned to glare at the boy.

“Tell me what you know of the trial.” You insisted.

“The trial?” He repeated, “Well, not much, I’ve been here with you, my lady.”

“Yes, but you’ve time without. You have friends in the palace. You are close to the king.” You tapped your fingers impatiently, “So tell me what keeps him so quiet.”

“I…” Hal sputtered and wrung his hands. “I don’t know if I should--”

“What do you think I’ll do? Surely I won’t say it to him. But… I am bored in here and kept ignorant. I deserve to know, for my peace of mind. Don’t you think?”

Hal huffed and fidgeted as he tried to come up with some argument. “Promise you won’t say a word.”

“I haven’t a particular urge to face the king’s wrath,” you said, “So?”

“The trial’s only just open,” he straightened the stack of parchment as he spoke, “Witnesses will not be heard for at least another week. As of now, they’ve only sworn in the prince and begun to review the evidence.” Hal poked his cheek with his tongue, “I had it from one of the servants in attendance that the prince threatened to choke each judge with his bare hands and lastly, the king.”

“He threatened them? At his own trial?” You gasped.

“He is angered that they took his wife and child. He swears he is framed and that the people will not let him be convicted on false charges.” Hal looked at you, “And as they began to present the evidence, he grew angrier. He attacked a guard and the session was ended early.”

You gaped at him. “Do you think he is right? That the people will harry behind him?”

“Who knows? He was king once but the council wasn’t entirely distraught to hear of his resignation. And King Loki has since tidied up much of the mess he left.” Hal scratched his chin, “There will be some loyalists but enough to save him? I hope and think not.”

You mulled over the revelations. Loki’s detached manner made more sense, and you admitted, was a blessing. You could not handle both the stress of the prince’s proximity and the king’s unyielding desire.

“I hope not, as well,” you said at last. “I won’t mention any of it to the king.”

🐍

Loki said less and less as the days passed. Some nights, he slept beside you, others you found him snoring in the chair as the fire dwindled. Aside from Hal, you felt terribly alone. It was as if you were living with a ghost. You might not long for his attentions but you were troubled by his silence.

A week after the trial began, you were woken by a sudden yank on the blanket. Loki stood by the bed and stared down at you. He lifted a brow and beckoned you with two fingers. He turned as you sat up and retrieved a stack of clothing from the low bench. He dropped it beside you and crossed his arms.

“Get dressed. You will break your fast and come with me,” he ordered.

You lifted the tunic, a dull grey embroidered with silver. The trousers were black and thick, and the boots were too big for you. “And covered your head,” he tossed a cap at you, “Try not to sway as a lady would.”

“What? I don’t--”

“Do as I say, mouse, all will make sense soon,” he backed away and left you in the flickered of a single lamp.

You pulled on the tunic, loose enough for your stomach and tied up the breeches as well as you could. You slid into the boots and tucked the cap into your pocket. You found the king chewing on a rasher and sat to eat with him. His long fingers were restless between bites and his forehead wrinkled in thought.

When he finished, he wiped his mouth and hands and took the cap from your pocket. He pulled it over your hair and gave you a dark cloak. “Keep your head down,” he led you to the door and you found Hal waiting in the corridor. “Go with the boy.”

“I don’t--”

He shushed you and pointed a single finger at you. “Wait. We will discuss after.” He snipped. “Keep quiet and don’t make a scene.”

Confused and too tired to resist much more, you followed Hal away from the king. You were nervous that you might not return to the chamber. That perhaps you might be taken some place where you would see only your own shadow. Had the king finally decided to be rid of you? The thought was not entirely dreaded but you would hate to be confined further.

As you were led out into the snowy yards, you were further disoriented. Hal helped you up into a carriage and sat across from you silently. You asked where you were going and he only shook your head as he gave a helpless look.

You pulled up outside a pillared facade with ancient statues. You hesitated as you descended the step onto the ground. It was the theatre. The trial was being held there, as Loki said, and you realised what was happening.

“What?” You grasped Hal’s wrist. “No, I can’t-- the prince--”

“Is restrained. By chain and by guard.” Hal assured. “He won’t even know you’re here, my lady.”

You shuddered and clung to Hal. “Why am I here?”

“To see. To listen.” He said cryptically. “I won’t leave you, alright?”

You nodded and braced yourself. You let go of him and followed him through the wide doors. You were guided up a flight of narrow stairs and into a balcony meant for the aristocratic patrons of the stage. You sat beside hall on the fine bench and peered out between the curtains.

The council members streamed in and filled the seats along a dais and the judges sat on the stage, a single stool at the centre for the witness. The doors opened to let in the audience, both common and noble, and they filled the benches meant for purveyors of a much less grave show.

The jury entered next, followed  by the king, and order was called by the judge who sat at the center of the triarch. A hush went over the buzzing crowd and a staunch and dire tension filled the air. 

Finally, the prince himself was shown in with chains at his hands and throat. He was sat in the box before the rows of benches to face his crimes. He was seething though his appearance bore evidence of his exhaustion. You reached to hall and squeezed his hand.

Loki sat with his head high as the judge began the proceedings and handed it over Lord Mariton, who was chosen to prosecute the case.

You weren’t entirely certain of what was going on and you leaned forward as you listened. Commoners were seen in the lower courts and often the disputes were over property and swiftly cycled through. You had never seen anything so… big. The scene could not be anything less than historic.

“The court will proceed from the last day’s activity. We continue down our list of witnesses and having heard from servants and lesser, we would call on our more reliable voices this day. We would call to the stand a conspirer in the prince’s plot.” Mariton strode along the edge of the stage, “One Magnus Dorson. The king’s former guard.”

Your breath caught deep in your chest and your head swam. You gripped Hal’s entire arm and let out a pathetic whimper. The boy touched your hand. “My lady, I’m here.”

“How-- When?” You gasped, “He--”

You gaped down from the balcony as the doors beside the stage opened and a silhouette appeared. The former guard entered with his head down between two others. His broad shoulders slumped like a beaten dog and he limped heavily as he was shoved up the steps of the stage. He was forced into the witness box and sat in the chair with a thump.

Even from a distance, you could see all that had been done to Magnus. His eye was swollen, his lip split, and half his face was off-kilter. You barely recognized him but it could be no other. You brought your hand to your mouth as tears trickled from your eyes.

You couldn’t focus as Mariton swore in Magnus and you shook your head as you felt it hard to breathe. Your eyes kept bouncing between Magnus and Thor. The prince was visibly shocked at the site of his accomplice as the other man seemed barely able to see through his swollen eye.

“You served the king for how long?” Mariton began lightly.

You stared at Magnus. Waited for that voice, the one that haunted you, and when it came, it was brittle and broken. You looked at the king. He turned and met your gaze, though likely he could not see you past the shadows. He nodded and for an instant, his lips curved.

“Since his father’s reign. Almost five years.” Magnus hissed and shifted in pain.

“And when, in those five years, did you decide to betray him?”

Magnus sniffed and choked. He cough and a splotch of red spattered across his hand. He shook his head and swallowed.

“I never wanted-- The prince came to me. He said that he required an ear in the king’s presence. He said he was kept from courtly business though he only gave up the crown, not his nobility. I thought it harmless--”

“But you divulged royal business to the prince? The king’s business.” Mariton insisted.

“I… I did but--”

“And when the prince used this information and decided that he would reclaim the throne he willingly gave up on admittance of his own incompetence, you did not warn the king?”

Magnus coughed again. “No.”

“In fact, you left the palace on the Prince’s orders to carry out his will? His conspiracy?”

“Y-yes,” Magnus answered and kept his head down.

“So you admit your treason.”

“I-- I do,” Magnus’ voice crackled and he winced as he raised his shackled hands to touch his face. “I did it. I betrayed the king. I intended on handing over his throne to his brother. And the prince…” He shuddered, “The prince wanted a war.”

The audience broke out in a chatter. The king sat stoically and the jury huddled to whisper. The judges looked to each other and shouts echoed off the high ceilings.

“Traitor!” A shoe flew from the rabble and hit the prince. “Cunt!”

“Order!” A judge cried out and hit the floor with his staff. “Order!”

You covered your face at the chaos. Your mind erupted as you rocked and tried not to think of those dark days. Thor roared back at the maddened audience and you sobbed. Your entire body was racked with your dismay as you leaned against Hal.

“They can’t-- They can’t know I’m here! They’ll hurt me!” You whined into his tunic, “They’ll hurt me. Hurt me. Hurt…”

Hal rubbed your back and hushed you and he cooed in your ear. “My lady, they cannot. They will not. They are chained. They are caught.” He whispered. “Please, my lady, breathe.”

“Take me away,” you begged. “Take me away now.”

The boy held you and carefully helped you to your feet. You clutched his arm as you feared you would stumble and he took you back down the stairs. He ushered you to the carriage and you stumbled inside. He shut the door behind him and sat with you on the bench as you covered your face and continued to weep.

He hit the ceiling of the carriage and it jerked as the wheels groaned and churned through the slush. Hal touched your shoulder and rubbed your arm as you continued to blubber. You barely noticed the city as it passed you by. You weren’t there; you were in that room below the butcher’s shop, waiting for them.

[thedivinedemom]

An AU of DC with a mass crossover of PS4 properties.

Provisional name: Players Searching for Detectable Changes (Get the pun?)

The setup:

This is the future of DC, a world where the old guard has slowly withdrawn and the newer generations have risen to the occasion. The original Titans in particular, most of which have formed the new Justice League while many other, very similar teams had started to form across the world. One of which was a resurgence of the Teen Titans, led by an older and purified Raven. She wanted to make the Teen Titans something akin as it was for her, a place to belong and learn to use one's powers.

The first 'class' of such individuals include:

Stargirl (of the now-disbanded JSA and still getting used to the Starrod)

Blue Beetle III (Freshly attached to his alien symbiote and freaking out a bit)

Robin V (to work on his anger issues, mostly at the new Batman's request)

Kaldur (a half Atlantean half metahuman who is struggling with his identity and the surface world, Aquaman feels a kinship for the boy seeing their similarities)

Static Shock (a promising new hero but little experience working outside his city or in groups)

Mary Marvel (she's... she's going through alot. Fresh from a coma, her brother is distant as he acts as the new Wizard, and she may be, sorta kinda, being corrupted by Black Adam's gifted power)

The team was rough and there was plenty of head butting (Mostly between Stargirl and Robin/Damian as one is almost the unanimous leader while the other thinks he should be) but they were getting there. They were more of a clean up crew for the Justice League, they did more than the "kiddie missions" that the Outsiders didn't do, and they meant more than the PR grab that was the International team. Though they didn't seem to amount to more than that. They still did their best, pushing past the silent ridicule, as they went about their missions.

This may be why tempers were so high that day.

One day, outside a little city by the name of Weller's Point, the prisoner transport for the villain Plasmus had an "accident". Released and awakened the creature went on a rampage, heading ever closer to the populated area. Luckily, the mentor of the New Teen Titans could teleport. The new team did fairly well in the fight, though they did struggle a bit as Plasmus was not a being where simple brute force would work. It made the fight tricky and more than a bit... messy.

Messy enough that juvenile and emotionally compromised Mary Marvel lashed out against the downed villain but was stopped by her teammates... things escalated from there. Restraint turned blows and the whole team struggled to stop their powerhouse without hurting her. The ones who do the best are Raven, Stargirl, Blue Beetle, and oddly Static.

While both of the former could use their abilities to restrain her to a very effective degree Static was actively draining her of strength, or at least of the electic aura she was radiating and blasting with. Frustrated, done with the situation, and a bit petty Mary launched her largest attack yet by saying her magical word.

SHAZAM.

Virgil did what he did best, he handled that lightning as it came crashing down towards Mary and the Titans restraining her. Well, he tried. The bolt was just too powerful, too unlike anything he had ever encountered. He could not handle it and it was dissipating, if anything it clung to him or tried to jump towards the girl. He had to get rid of it and he had to get rid of it quickly, safely too if he could help it.

He shoved it into the ground, into the power lines. He did it as carefully as he could, trying to prevent overload or flashover as guided the charge into the power grid.

What happened next was a combination of a few things. 1. The Mystic and transformative properties of the Lightning, 2. It is effectively being filtered through a bang baby, 3. The kryptonite power plant owned by, provided by, and operated by Lexcorp.

This interaction, this new charge, cycling through the power grid interacted strangely with a number of devices but none more so than PlayStation 4s and the devices connected to them. This new electricity changed things, literally. It brought fantasy into reality.

Whatever game was loaded into became a part of our reality in a small way. Sometimes TVs, Controllers, and even the system changed to reflect items from the game but the bigger change came with the Players. If a person was playing their console during the surge then they would become a metahuman with abilities based on the playable character they were playing.

The city, the county even, was now flooded by an abundance of metahumans and items of varying power of devastation. Static felt horrible.

He couldn't help but compare what has happened here to what happened in Dakota City but on a wider scale. And this time it was his fault. His sense of responsibility wouldn't, couldn't, let that stand. He had to fix his mistake and his team was dragged along for the ride.

The story to follow is a mix of Final Crisis and Kingdom Come with a bit of the Young Justice cartoon in events and themes, a few twists and likely a bit lighter in tone but to the DC geeks this should give a rough idea… Maybe a bit of Marvel's Civil War but hopefully not the rushed knee-jerk mess that that ended up being.

But it's here that I start having issues with my planning. One part in worry as outside the set up we start to follow the perspective of OCs (something rarely smiled upon) and another part in wondering which OC to focus on.

Now, one thing I love in fiction is progressive powers and the conflict escalating from the different paths people take in said progression. In that vein, I have a pair of protags in mind as well.

The main two/co-protagonists:

The Lawkeeper- a cop before the change and now a member of a task force made up largely of those affected by the surge. A gamer, a man of color, and a believer of the spirit of the law. He doesn't always get along with his fellow officers but he believes in what the blue does. He believes that an organized response is what is best.

His abilities are based on those of Jesse Fades of Control. Meaning he has tremendous psychic potential but he needs 3 things to reach his full potential.

1.Items to bond to so he can generate these psychic abilities. Jesse's used altered items of her universe to get thematic abilities from them (ex: a safe to generate a shield, a carousel horse for a dash ability, ect). Here he can use items generated by the surge.

2. A patron/partner entity to help guide, give insights, and empower. It also let's the user enforce reality, basically becoming an anti reality warper.

3. A bonded morph weapon or a weapon to come to his hand when called.

The knight- a recent college graduate who instantly decided to go the route of the caped hero. She, after figuring out how to get her powers to work, instantly went the route of a caped crusader. Going out to the streets, saving lives, stopping instances of surge item abuse, and (in the humble opinion of the local Police Department) getting in the way of operations. In her opinion they were taking too long to get things done.

Her abilities are based on those of Prince Noctis of Final Fantasy XV. This means she has tremendous physical and magical potential but like the above she has a number of check marks needed to gain access to the character's full power.

1. A gem/crystal to draw power from.

2. 13 magical weapons to boost strength. The generated game weapons will do and I have most picked out in a way that likely would help the plot progress.

3. The blessing of 5-6 gods.

4. A power ring of some king to channel all this power.

I keep debating the two above as I do like the idea of both of them climbing in power and clashing over conflicting ideals of what to do with their power. At the same time, I think that just smooshing aspects of both into one (which is actually where they started, a single character) and play off the different ideologies of how best to help people from within her friend group and precinct along with internal conflict. Maybe have the one be a fellow officer they butt heads with because of the... precarious nature

Another OC I was thinking on, keeping with the theme of what to do when you have power, is a thief who played Persona 5. Like both of the above they would be crippled in their ability to use their abilities without a way to fake the connection to. In this case, without the Mementos App, they would need an item that could affect or enter the hearts of others. Luckily, more unlucky really, there are plenty of items floating around that can do just that. Namely Keyblades.

Most other Players are an odd mix but most are variations of the Shooter build. Peak physical humans who heal quickly and often have bullet time. But there are enough other variations to cause trouble. Demigods of unreal strength, men and women who can easily tap into a patron for powers from the outside, 2 variations of spider powers, cat eyed men and women who can cast magic with simple gestures, and so much more. But the real issue was the first two, the demigods without a parent to protect them and those easily connected to a divine source.

The disembodied New Gods of Apocalypse were very happy with those groups. For how bad this can be please look at what happened to Mary Marvel in canon Final Crisis.

Thoughts and opinions would be appreciated.