#brotp: We Used to Beat Up Knights

[bluebell-winter]

Start of Sun Never Sets

"I said I'd quit tomorrow but my sun never sets. There's nothing left of me, Except these scars you see, I've come to wade before the storm." Silent Theory - Before the Storm

Fandom: The Vampire Diaries

Pairing: None, unless you count Caroline & Olivia as a BroTP

Warnings: Mention of Underage Drinking, Canon Character Deaths

Summary: Olivia Gilbert had been sent away to a boarding school when she was just fourteen due to numerous arrests for underage drinking. With the death of parents she comes back to Mystic Falls. She has changed, her twin sister, Elena, notices. Gone is the girl who used to love pink and wanted to be a princess who beats up knights in shining armor and wanted to keep dragons as pets who used to be afraid of the monsters lurking in the dark. Instead of hiding from the monsters, she’ll become the person that the monsters will be afraid of.

Note: I like to think that Caroline and Olivia would've been best friends as children, instead of Caroline, Elena, and Bonnie. Elena and Bonnie were sort of friends with Caroline, but Olivia was Caroline's real best friend.

Olivia Gilbert always harbored a little bit of resentment towards her parents for shipping her off to Linsly School in Wheeling, West Virginia when she was just fourteen-years-old.

What was her parents' reasoning for sending her away?

It was because Olivia turned into a bit of an alcoholic when she was fourteen-years-old. She couldn't help the alcoholism. She and her best friend, Caroline, were thirteen when they started drinking wine coolers. It just dived into Olivia drinking more and more. Then it turned into her getting in trouble with Liz Forbes for underage drinking and getting put in the drunk tank constantly.

According to Caroline, Liz was relieved when Olivia got sent away, because the 'bad influence' was far away from Caroline as possible. It didn't help that Caroline was the one who got Olivia into partying.

For some reason, Olivia's parents had thought it would be best to send her to Linsly to make it seem like they did something with their 'Town Drunk' of a daughter. So, she was sent away to take up residence at seven days a week.

It was fine, except every time she wanted to leave the campus, they had to call her parents to get permission to leave.

She talked to Caroline, almost every day, or at least every day about her day.

Similarly, Caroline talked about her day without Olivia there to hang out with. Caroline had mentioned that she was hanging out with Elena, Bonnie, and Matt. She had mentioned she became a cheerleader with Elena and Bonnie.

On weekends, Caroline and Olivia would call each other and watch Gossip Girl on their laptops together, until lights out at midnight for Olivia, eleven on Sunday.

There were plenty of times that Caroline had mentioned that she felt like the fourth or third wheel around the trio, especially when Matt started dating Elena. Olivia wished she could've been there for Caroline, but she was stuck at Linsly.

Caroline was more of Elena's friend by association. Olivia knew how Elena saw Caroline; annoying, shallow, and mean.

Olivia was the first person that Caroline went to when her dad left Liz for another man and she was there when Caroline was a bit of a wreck over the divorce. Olivia was pretty sure that Elena hated being fourth on knowing that news, despite being somewhat friends with the blonde girl.

So, when Olivia meet Spencer Creed, a glasses wearing boy, Olivia told Caroline all about him. She even had Spencer and Caroline talk to each other over the phone because she wanted her new best friend to meet her other best friend.

Caroline seemed very hesitant at first, but once Olivia assured Caroline that the blonde will always be number one, Caroline seemed to grow to like Spencer. Apparently they regularly texted each other, but not as much as Olivia and Caroline did.

Olivia tried to get her parents to allow Spencer to spend the summer with them, but they refused.

Of course, that was before Olivia realized that what her ancestor, John Gilbert, had written down in a journal was true – vampires existed.

And that was before Grayson and Miranda Gilbert had died before Elena's and Olivia's junior year.

Tag list: @arrthurpendragon, @wordspin-shares, @dreaming-for-an-escape, @eddysocs (and anyone else who want to be added, let me know)

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Top 5 Most Hated Characters

As y’all can see, this week’s T5F is a request sent in by anon. I picked it because I guess at the time I thought it would be fun to explore some of TWDG’s least popular, and most hated, characters while also taking into account characters that I can’t stand. 

These are characters that the vast majority of us don’t like or downright despise for many different reasons. None of us are going out of our ways to defend most of these bastards, and anyone who is I get the impression they’re doing so for the sake of being Different™... though while looking around for info about these characters and what people were saying about them, I did find myself in some odd places.... come across, eh... odd fanart. 

But I guess this is the part where I say this is all in good fun and if you happen to be a legit stan of any of these people, that’s cool. Maybe you can answer some of my questions as to why??

5. Nate 

Okay, when I said that I found myself in odd places, it turns out that Nate actually has a bit of a fanbase. It’s not big or anything, from what I can tell, but big enough for me to question why because I was under the impression that we all agreed that this dude sucks.

Seriously, I would’ve put him higher on this list if I hadn’t discovered this handful of people making fanart for him and claiming him as a comfort character. While I find that an odd choice, you do whatever makes you feel comforted, y’know? Just would like to understand why. 

As for the rest of us, he’s terrible. Every time I go back to 400 days, he’s someone I never look forward to seeing. I’ve even tried not getting in the truck with him while playing Russell’s story, but in true Telltale fashion, you’re forced to drive along with this creep. 

Red flags start going off when Russell’s sharing his story about his previous group, something you can tell left some trauma with him, and Nate is just weirdly fixated on the girl Russell liked. Like yeah okay dude, I get it, it’s the apocalypse and you haven’t had any action for a while but oh my god. 

Then the whole walker thing that almost gets Russell chomped is annoying. Oh, and how could I forget about how it’s implied that he attacked the old couple before and was there to finish them off, which he does no matter what and it’s not great. 

Hell, he even uses the line Russell gave him but it’s worse because crazy eyes. And if you don’t say anything, Nate murders them right there without a thought and then continues to be a real creep. Fuck this guy. 

As the wise Eddie once said, “I don’t what that guy in my life, man!” 

4. The Stranger

Hey, have I ever mentioned how much this dude sucks? 

I don’t even have to tell you why he’s on this list. We all know the obvious reasons-- manipulated and kidnapped Clementine, which caused Lee to get bit by a walker and fucking die. No one here is white-knighting for this dipshit. 

Sure, it sucks what the Stranger went through. He lost his family and that would be enough to drive anyone up the wall. I mean, just look at Kenny. But this dude, okay. Look. Listen. I can only feel so bad for you when you lost your son on a hunting trip that your wife told you not to go on, then when you went looking for him, you literally left the car unlocked and running for anyone to come across. Then you come back and gasp. So your wife leaves you for being a moron... then when you find her dead, you cut off her head and keep it like a damn bowling ball because...??

At least that’s what I get from it. The writers probably should’ve done a better job with explaining what the hell happened but y’know. 

That’s not the only reason no one likes this guy. Oh no, you also add to the pile that the Stranger himself is dull. As a character, the dude is just.... boring. And I get that’s probably what they were going for with the whole “I’m just a guy, but you ruined my life and made me this way.” 

However, when you set him up the way you did with the talks over the walkie and the stalking, I was expecting a bit more personality outta this loaf of soggy bread. But no... boring yet crazy. Interesting combo and I’m afraid it doesn’t work. 

3. Larry

Larry?? On a list of most hated characters?? Nooo...

Yeah, surprise. Larry also sucks. Stop the presses. 

Larry is a pain in the ass to deal with for two episodes, constantly belittling the people around him and treating his daughter like shit. Oh, and don’t forget how he behaves towards Lee even if you try to be as nice as possible. Nope, he doesn’t care, he still thinks Lee is garbage and will continue threatening to reveal Lee’s secret to the group. Who cares if that could fuck up the dynamic and endanger the group? Larry sure doesn’t. 

Until the very end, this dude is just a splinter in the foot. By the time you get to the meat locker and he has a heart attack, you’re not gonna save him because you think he’ll be better if he survives. No, you’re attempting to save him for Lilly and Clementine’s sake, and if you don’t even care about that, you siding with Mr. Family Man to smash his head in. 

Not only is he a soiled diaper, he also don’t have much personality outside of asshole. He has maybe two moments where he’s shown to be just a bit chill? I mean, Lilly tells us that he has a lot of pain and that’s why he’s like this.... but that doesn’t excuse his behavior. 

Oh, and can’t forget that apparently he was obsessed with Lilly leaving the lights on so he let the power get cut, so Lilly couldn’t eat ice cream and had to let her hair air dry like a heathen. Unforgivable. 

So yeah, fuck Larry. 

2. Troy

Ugh, Troy. Fuck this guy. 

No really, out of all TWDG characters, this dude and my #1 pick are my most hated. Can’t stand Troy and the only reason I didn’t do a tie for #1 is because for a split second, Troy does show a tiny bit of humanity when Carver is beating down Carver, but blink and you’ll miss it.

Which had me a little concerned to find a handful of posts about having crushes on Troy and drawing fanart but.... again, I guess you do you? And if you can, please explain why because I honestly don’t understand. 

Just looking at the screenshot of him annoys him. He’s got one of those punchable faces, y’know? 

Anyway, when playing as Clementine, I’m always worried that he’s gonna pop up outta no where and grab her by the neck like he does later in ep3, even though I’ve played s2 a bunch to know that he’s not going to. 

But hell, he doesn’t need any excuse to smack anyone around, and there are a handful of times he can really hurt Clem depending on her choices. 

Not great, dude. 

Can’t say I’m too sorry that Jane shot your dick off. 

1. Badger

Yeah, you guys remember Badger. Y’know.... the man who murdered Mariana then laughed about it, claiming that he enjoyed watching her head explode and would do it again and again if he could? 

That’s what puts him at #1. He may not have the most screen time like Larry or Troy, but when he is around, he’s fucking awful.

He gets joy from killing Mariana, like it’s some sort of sick thrill for him to go around murdering children and other innocent people. 

Remember Francine? Caught her and used her as bait to try and get Javi to come down, and even went as far as to have some fingers cut off. Like, he gets off on destroying people, entire communities.

Shit, he seems to even get off to his own beat down. 

He’s fucking gross and outta everyone on this list, I haven’t found a single person being like “Yeah, he’s garbage but I like him kinda?” like no, you’re such garbage that even the Different™ crowd don’t want you. 

Fuck Badger. 

By the way, if you’ve never had Conrad kill him in your game, I suggest looking it up. It’s pretty good. Gives Conrad a little bit of closure after what happened to Francine, as well as give Javi some closure for Mari’s murder. 

Not a single soul wept for you, Badger. 

---

Dishonorable Mentions

-Joan. She’s boring, forgettable, and no one is out here gushing over her because most of the time, we can’t even remember her name. -Danny from Vince’s story in 400 Days. Y’know, the dude going to prison because he was convicted of SA. I’ll never understand why people go with him over Justin. Justin sucks, too, but not the same level Danny does.  -Lilly in S4. Ugh. That’s a whole other topic for another day. -Arvo, though I guess he has a bit of a following, too

---

Well there ya go. Do you agree or disagree with any of my choices for this list? Or have anything to add? I’m always down to chat.

Have any suggestions for future T5F’s? Feel free to send ‘em in! :D

---

Next week’s T5F Top 5 BROTPs

[girlvinland]

Looks like Little beat me to Ciaran, so I will ask for Gough! And how about Yuria (DS3) I like Yuria

We got all the knights here, ty ☺️

Gough 🎯

Sexuality Headcanon: I mainly HC him as ace, but a lot of that is because I have no idea about sexuality/reproduction w/ giants lol (??)

Gender Headcanon: Like I suppose a cis man simply because I also have no idea about giant gender things - do we know if female giants even exist? Someone else with better knowledge of this help me. I think the most info on giants we ever got was in DS2 but were they even the same species of giants like Gough?? I don't know!!

A ship I have with said character: Giant Blacksmith and also not against the Kalameet thing t b h

A BROTP I have with said character: Giant Archer! Also Orn (as per the Orn ask lol). And also also Gwyndolin, as a trainer and mentor. Oh man, I love to think about that - that's just so wholesome 🥺

A NOTP I have with said character: I think if I'm willing to ship him w/ Kalameet there are no lows I won't reach for this one. The main problem is he is so lorg

A random headcanon: I have a thought that perhaps he is very old and had a hand in building Anor Londo (since we see giants being used for labor/enslaved), but then gained favor with Gwyn due to his incredible vision and skill. My thought - the keep is getting built, some random dragons keep trying to make themselves known, Gough just takes one out of the sky w/ like, a column or giant piece of material they were using and everyone is just like 👀 Give that man a bow!!

General Opinion over said character: He's just so fucking cool. I know he is probably the least favored of the Four but like I think From did him good in DS1. They make you want to just sit there and talk to him for days, it's a shame his ending is the way it is. But I think it also says a lot about him, and that he doesn't need much to find his own contentedness. He wasn't doing this for glory or honor, but perhaps simply because he was following whatever path his life took.

-

Yuria Ooooooo

Sexuality Headcanon: She's a lesbian, I believe this firmly lol

Gender Headcanon: Woman, but I think I care less about whether she's trans or cis or anything else

A ship I have with said character: Ashen One, also Friede (I'm sorry). Do people ship Yuria and Karla? I think that might be fun.

Also. My mind just went to a place where AO has feelings for Orbeck and Yuria has feelings for AO and is just like, "Ashen One, you just gotta kill him, I promise, he wants to become Lord of Hollows, you gotta believe me and murder his ass."

A BROTP I have with said character: I should consider this more. The obvious answer would be Yoel but part of me wants to believe she just tolerates Yoel. I think I might just be projecting though.

A NOTP I have with said character: Orbeck, Idk I just can't

A random headcanon: I will be real and say I truly have not thought a ton about her. I feel like in her time over at Firelink she would be less inclined to make allies and more likely to eavesdrop on everything that is said in its walls. Which probably would make sense given the end goal of herself and the Sable Church. It would be a big benefit for them to have someone there so they know what's happening with this whole lord and fire-linking situation.

General Opinion over said character: She has one of the coolest NPC designs for sure. I don't believe I ended up doing the Usurption of Fire ending my first time through, even though I think I did everything required for it thanks to some help - I just like the twists and turns of that questline and the fact that she has a fairly active role in it. I want to research more about her and the Sable Church, but I think by the time I got to DLC I was getting a little worn down.

-

Ty I have had fun answering these!

[malcolmbrights-archive]

@justanotheralter sent: Give me a character and I will answer: meme (open)  | bruce wayne

Why I like them: I DO NOT KNOW BRUCE VERY WELL AND I HAVE THIS LIKE LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM BECAUSE I WOULD PERSONALLY FIGHT HIM IN THE BACK OF A DENNY’S PARKING LOT BUT ALSO WOULD HIDE HIM IF HE GOT HURT OR SOME SHIT. BUT I REALLY LIKE THAT HE’S SO HELLBENT ON PROTECTING THE CITY OF GOTHAM. LIKE THE FUCKING DETERMINATION THAT TAKES WHEN EVERYONE IN THAT CITY BE WILDING. also i like characters who i would give a swirly in a elementary school bathroom, sooo! 

Why I don’t: he’s like……….a fake bitch. uses his parents as an excuse to beat motherfuckers up but like??? you know he be doing it cause of the rage and JUSTICE. but again, don’t hate him. he has a lot of problems though and like a lot of flaws i don’t like. but as a character, i think he’s alright and interesting. would probably fight onsight tho

Favorite episode (scene if movie): that scene in the dark knight where he takes down the joker. SO DAMN BOSS. BYE. i admit…..even tho i’d fight him….that’s...chef’s kiss, darlin’

Favorite season/movie: i really love the ‘dark knight’ and will probably always love it. watched it twice this weekend, oops

Favorite line: “why do we fall?” “so we can learn to pick ourselves up” UUUUUUGH LOSING MY GODDAMN MIND.

Favorite outfit: his pajamas! lol 

OTP: bruce x selina baybee 

Brotp: gordon x batman, but alfred x bruce

Head Canon: oh god don’t really have one? but otp selina x bruce bitches!

Unpopular opinion: i liked the movies? and bale? even tho bale is problematic i liked his performance cause he played bored as shit billionaire p well

A wish: we would’ve seen harley! But y’know :(

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: idk tbh

5 words to best describe them: charming, bored, determined, fighter, angry, bored

My nickname for them: just bats

[joyandeggs]

For the Character ask: Shoot, Kastro, Kite, Illumi, Knuckle (HxH) and Sonic, Metal Bat, Genos, and Iaian (OPM)! (I have no apologies, you requested lots 😂)

Here is the first half of Meve's original ask, if anyone would like to see. Now here is the second half with the One Punch Man boys. ❤

Sonic

Favorite thing about them: The biggest thing I love about Sonic is how complex of a character he is. Maybe deep would be the better word to use for him. Either way, he's much more than the "Rival of Saitama", something that I never really thought more about until I read the webcomic in the summer.

Least favorite thing about them: He is just so...smug.

Favorite line: I can't think of any good ones off the top of my head. It's so funny whenever he talks to Saitama and Genos though. Always a good exchange.

brOTP: Him and...Flashy Flash. 💔 Honestly, I could see Sonic becoming acquainted in Saitama's friend group.

OTP: I don't ship him with anyone.

nOTP: None that I'm aware of.

Random headcanon: He really enjoys fashion! In a sense. He likes to try wearing different things, but he always ends up in a baggy t-shirt or crop top with his usual tights and skin suit.

Unpopular opinion: None that I can think of.

Song I associate with them: His One Punch March song! Which I would link if I could find it anywhere. 💔

Favorite picture of them: I actually love the cover on Vol 3 more than anything. ❤

Metal Bat

Favorite thing about them: Oh my goodness, everytime I get this question about Metal Bat I answer with everything. 😌❤ I really do love everything about him. I'll just say one thing this time. My most favorite thing about him, other than how strong and hard headed he is, is how good of a person he really is. He loves Zenko so much. He takes care of his sister and his cat with his life. He wanted to become a hero in order to help the good and beat the bad! He even tries to make sure no empty sushi plates are put back on the belt in the restaurant. No one's getting away with anything on his watch. He's a good boy.

Least favorite thing about them: We don't know much about him.

Favorite line: There's so many I could say! Oh, I love it in the OVA when he's telling the others how he hates mornings. Or when he told Child Emperor how he didn't drink. The best.

brOTP: I feel like him and Genos would make good friends.

OTP: I don't ship him with anyone.

nOTP: I'm not the biggest fan of Badd and Garou together.

Random headcanon: I already talk so much about how he would be such a great singer, so I'll just say that one of my big headcanons is that he actually gets bashful that he has fans, let alone a possible fanclub. He doesn't care at all about being well known or famous or anything, but he is nothing but kind towards anyone who wants to come say hi or snap a photo with him while he's in the city.

Unpopular opinion: He should have more merch like the rest of the characters! 💔 Could you imagine if they made figures of the heroes like they're made in the series? I want a little Badd so bad!!

Song I associate with them: Any song by Wataru Hatano always makes me think of him. ❤ I'll link you this one.

Favorite picture of them: Oh Meve, I don't know, there's so many.

He is so cute. 💓

Genos

Favorite thing about them: I honestly don't know. Whenever I first got into One Punch Man, I already liked him just from looking him up and seeing what he looked like. Then my love for him was instant as soon as he was on screen. There's just something about him. He's so naturally charming and funny, even when he's never trying to be. I think my favorite thing about him is just...his voice. He's always so blunt and serious. The way that he says things either makes me laugh or makes me scream, either way I love his voice.

Least favorite thing about them: He seems to not...care. He can be very uncaring and cruel sometimes.

Favorite line: There are so many. I like it when he keeps telling off Sonic. Especially when he's like "Oh so you're the pervert." LOL

brOTP: Genos and Saitama! Of course! 💓 I also can see him and Metal Bat being good friends since they're in the same age group, of course.

OTP: I don't mind Genosai at all! They do look quite cute together.

nOTP: None that I can think of.

Random headcanon: I see him as really loving domesticality. Cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, everything. Something about the human nature of it, it warms him. If he has a significant other, that skyrockets for him.

Unpopular opinion: I want to say that he really shouldn't focus on getting as strong as Saitama so much.

Song I associate with them: His version of the One Punch March. 💓💓💓

Favorite picture of them: Too many.

💞

Iaian

Favorite thing about them: He seems like he is very headstrong! He goes into a fight and keeps going...until Atomic Samurai steps in at last minute. But even when he lost his arm, Iaian kept going. He didn't let a serious injury stop him, not even when he fights with the rest of his team throughout the story. He is very strong.

Least favorite thing about them: We barely know a thing about him.

Favorite line: When he's trying to tell Metal Bat and the others to not just...go at the monster and think of a plan. "They're not the type to listen." And it's more of a scene than a line, but when he starts sulking a bit after Atomic Samurai tells him to basically stay put when he tries to go fight... That was so cute.

brOTP: I feel like him and the team are friends since they work together all the time! Also can I just say that Iaian and Shoot McMahon from Hunter x Hunter would be friends if they met? At least Iaian could relate to Shoot. 💔

OTP: I don't ship him with anyone.

nOTP: None that I'm aware of.

Random headcanon: After his injury, he is surprisingly amazing at handling a sword with only one arm. It took some getting use to, but he is good. I feel like it takes him no time at all to get back up on his feet.

Unpopular opinion: Another underrated character. Very under appreciated.

Song I associate with them: Hm... I don't know. What would be a good song that reminds me of him? He gives me hard rock vibes... Oh!!! This is going to sound ridiculous but Knight Of The Wind by Crush 40 is his style.

Favorite picture of them:

I love how everyone is enjoying themselves together. ❤

[keysoflight]

A promise we made to you

DigimonOTP Week 2017

Prompt: Supernatural AU  Pairing: Yamato and Takeru (BrOTP), slight Taikeru Rating: General Audience Digimon Adventure, 02, Tri

I was trying to think of a plot and decided to go with something that greatly inspired by the iconic scene of episode 26 in FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. It also helps that in dubbed version for Digimon Tri, Yamato’s VA is same as Edward Elric’s XD. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this short fic.

Yamato had awakened in a white void, the young paladin knight looked the area, there nothing but the gate he had been thrown through from the real world, this place it seemed so… Familiar to him, when he looked back at the gate, something told him to look in front of him as there was another gate opposite to him, but a person was sitting in front of the second gate. 

The armored man stared at them as they were without clothing, had blonde hair like him but down to their shoulders, they slowly turned to look at him as Yamato’s eyes widened in disbelief. Pale blue eyes stared into his dark blue pupils as he everything seemed to slow down as began to run towards the other, his heart beating out his chest as he tried to reach him, but suddenly Yamato’s gate opened as several chains being manipulated by an unseen force wrapped around his arms, waist, and legs restraining.

TK! TK, come on! Take my hand, TK!” He shouted trying to fight off the chains as he desperately reached out for his younger brother as he was being dragged back.

“Take my hand! Hurry up, we can go back! Brother!’ He shouted, writhing and pulling against the bonds as the being pulled back into the portal.

“I can’t… I can’t go with you.” Takeru said as he raised his arms up revealing a set glowing chains around his wrists as they seemed to be coming out of the ground.

“I’m sorry brother. But I can only leave with my own body, along with yours and his crest together. I’m just a soul in this place.” Takeru said as he stood up with an apologetic expression on his face.

“You both have to come through and with my body… But none of that can be achieved until you defeat the darkness and reclaim my crest.” The younger brother said watching Yamato being dragged back to the living realm.

“N-NO! Please TK, just reach out to me.” Yamato screamed as he was halfway through the gate, more chains wrapped around his body as greeted his teeth, as the doors began to close, his view of Takeru got smaller and smaller

Takeru faintly smiled as he watched Yamato’s gate slowly shut, the angered and pained look on Yamato’s face as he never took his eyes off him as the stone doors shut tight. The younger sibling just stood there, his smile fading as he just looked down at the floor, a sigh of defeat as he was about to sit down when he heard a loud thud on Yamato gate as they pushed back open with Yamato’s gauntlet fist, the metal claws of his gauntlet glowing in a blue fire, as he holds onto the door open with all his might, glaring at his brother.

“TAKERU!” Calling by his full name instead of his nickname as the other looks at him with a surprised look as Yamato still struggling to be forced back into the living world.

“Look at me! I promise… Someday soon, I’m coming back for you!” Yamato stated as Takeru’s eyes widened by his statement.

“Just you wait! Me and that idiot are gonna bring you back home! Wait for us!” He said referring to Taichi as the other blonde eyes watered faintly.

“WAIT FOR ME!” His last words echoed as he pointed at Takeru, not taking his eyes off him with the spirit just smiled at him as the gate shut once again but this time he was sent back.

He watched with a heavy heart as Yamato’s gate slowly faded out in a blue light, as he fell back on his butt, looking his own chains and then back at his gate, the images of his brother Yamato, and his partner Taichi, his friends, and family all smiling at him ran through his mind. The blonde once again alone in the void laid back on the ground staring where a ceiling would be, his eyes shut slowly, tears still running down his face as he smiled.

“I’ll be waiting for you… Big brother.” Takeru said a content look on his face. “And you too Taichi, no matter how longs it takes…” He told himself, a bright grin on his face.

In reality, the setting was a forest clearing Taichi dressed in yellow and orange chrome armor was firing fireballs at these black creatures, incinerating them, he and Yamato were in battle trying to find an artifact they believed could return Takeru’s soul back to him when they were ambushed, during the fight the crystal still in Yamato’s hand had been shattered when the wolf knight was engulfed in a blinding light and then disappeared. 

He was worried of course but he had to focus on staying alive long enough to find his comrade, he shot another fireball before conjuring a golden flame which then took a shape of a sword as he held in his hands, his eyes glowing a bright orange. The knight then charged at the monsters as they rushed at him in a swarm of darkness, just then as they were about to clash, red static began to appear before a pillar light shot down from the sky! 

Both sides were sent flying back, most of the shadow creatures were destroyed while Taichi gripped the ground stopping himself from being pushed back further. He looked at a sphere of light surging with red static was now in between him and the monsters, the light then released Yamato floating in mid-air for a moment before he fell to the ground to his knees. He gasped for air, staring down at the ground, he then noticed he had returned to the living realm, the crystal shard he was holding earlier before he was sent to the empty world was now in pieces it had lost its glow.

“… Yamato!” Taichi shouted his name as the blonde snapped out of his daze as he looked over to his friend before he looked back to see the shadow creatures coming towards him.

“Get out of ther-!” The spiky-brunette stopped as Yamato body was radiating with blue aura as the wolf knight turned to face the monsters, a serious and angry look on as he slashed at the air with his clawed hand, as cold wind blew towards the creatures as they were all encased in solid ice, while an icy fog forming from his Yamato hand.

“Just you wait… We’re coming for you.” Yamato said to himself before he made his hand into a fist as simultaneously the frozen monster shattered into pieces as ice crystals danced in the air falling to the ground.

“Yamato…”  Taichi just said his name as the other had his back to him as he then glanced down at the broken crystal, it must not have worked… But then where did Yamato go?

The blonde turned to face Taichi, his body enveloped in pale blue light as his armor vanished as he was now just in normal attire, and on his right arm was still a gauntlet which contained his armor and powers. The brunette looked confused as Yamato approached he was about to say something to him but the blonde walked past him, his expression hadn’t changed, he decided not to say anything and just leave him be for a bit.

Yamato Ishida and Taichi Yagami were two of the country’s paladin knights, blessed with magic and skilled warriors. Their role was to protect their land and face the darkness that threatened their people, and these two were among the strongest knight, but they were on a long journey to retrieve their lost comrade. Yamato’s younger brother Takeru Takaishi, a young paladin apprentice had his soul, body and special crest stolen from him.

He was left in a comatose state for the last three years, it was left to his brother and Taichi who had become very close with Takeru, to find a way to restore him back to normal. They felt the guilt the spell that locked Takeru’s soul away into the void was meant for them, if hadn’t tried to use his powers to save them, they would be the ones trapped. It was their mission to rescue Takeru, but they still had to do their duty to their kingdom.

So while they battled against the darkness of the midnight order, they would continue searching for Takeru’s lost golden crest power, and his body and then return to the empty realm and retrieve his soul. No matter what they would find a way to bring back home, together, they would break through that gate and with their own hands pull Takeru back into the real world, and then they could go home together…

I’ll be waiting for you both… Right here, please hurry back soon.

[dalekofchaos]

What I’d change about the DCEU

My DCEU change list! However, I will not just be changing how the current movies change, Since this is my own version of the DCEU I will be putting the big individual movies before so it actually feels like world building instead of mashing everything together until they fit.

My other DC changes

Arkhamverse

Burtonverse Changes

Nolanverse Changes

DCTV Changes

Man Of Steel

Keep Krypton as it is, however, ensure that  Lara-El actually shows emotion knowing that Jor-El has died and her only son has been sent away to a far away world as her own planet is about to die along with her

Keep the flashbacks similar, his mom helps him with controlling his abilities, but that’s how it starts, then we see Clark with the cape on, then saving the kids, then restraining himself and then the tornado(more on that later) but after the first flashback scene rather than him as a drifter he awakes as a reporter at the Daily Planet and the oil rig scene is a story he works on and he’s a green horn as a part of the story and he saves the crew. We have Clark Kent. Superman is the mask Clark Kent puts on.  Clark Kent is Superman, not Superman is Clark Kent. We see Superman saving people and smiling to reassure the people he’s saving that he is there for them and instills hope in the people of Smallville and Metrtopolis.

Jonathan Kent isn’t a complete asshole.   I understand that Jonathan wanted Clark to keep his powers a secret because he didn’t want him exposed and taken away, but Jonathan Kent is supposed to inspire Clark and to instill in him good morals and beliefs that make Clark the hero we all know him to be. He doesn’t tell him that maybe he should have let the kids died, he actually is supportive and assures that Clark is doing the right thing. More inspirational stuff like  “You are my son. But somewhere out there you have another father too, who gave you another name. And he sent you here for a reason, Clark. And even if it takes you the rest of your life you owe it to yourself to find out what that reason is. “ And “You just have to decide what kind of a man you want to grow up to be, Clark; because whoever that man is, good character or bad, he’s… He’s gonna change the world.” And Jonathan does not die for stupid reasons, Clark saves Jonathan. If Clark saved Jonathan it would prove to him that the world is ready

The Phantom Zone look like it is in Injustice because it ACTUALLY looks like a hellish prison of eternal torment, instead of dildo ships being frozen

Jimmy Olson is in the movie and is a main character with Lois and Perry and he isn’t pointlessly killed off in the beginning of the sequel

The Jor-El AI in the fortress of Solitude would explain to Clark what Kryptonite is and warn him of the dangers of it

Zod’s plan to revive the Kryptonians remains the same, but not terraforming, it made absolute no sense whatsoever.  Earth's current environiment grants them super powers. I know Zod mentions the pain of acclimation, but that seems trivial in the face of invulnerability, super strength and laser eyes. Plus considering Zod’s crew were bred for war, it seems dumb to just keep them powerless. But I would add instead of destruction porn via generic doomsday device, classic Zod’s bid for domination would take effect he wouldn’t view humans as equals so he would want to take over earth and take it for his people. 

The same thing happens, they use Clark’s ship to trigger the Phantom Zone(only Dr Hamilton doesn’t die) 

Clark would not kill Zod. Clark would instead incapacitate Zod and place him in a special prison. Together Clark and Dr Hamilton build a special prison to hold Zod. Made with the Red Sun technology from Zod's ship and the Kryptonite from the world engine.

Superman is hopeful and optimistic. Superman is the most human superhero of them all. He’s kind, he’s decent, he does good whenever he can and generally wants to help people and make their lives better. He’s the champion of the human race that adopted a strange visitor from another planet. He CAN’T be hopeless. He CAN’T be the brooder. He’s supposed to be the hero to hope to be. The one who is the ideal of other heroes. The one who never gives up on us, no matter how far we fall.  Superman is an idealistic character. He’s the kind, loving person from the comics and the animated universe.  He’s kind, he’s decent, he does good whenever he can and generally wants to help people and make their lives better. He’s the champion of the human race that adopted a strange visitor from another planet. Superman saves people. It’s not a decision he comes to through trauma and failure. It’s just who he is. He’s a good person

The Batman. The Batman is not out yet, but it should be the second movie of the DCEU, instead of Frank Miller worshiping garbage...I mean Batman V Superman

The biggest mistake of the DCEU is it is terrible at world building. It just forces everything to stick until it’s watchable. We did not earn Batman V Superman or Justice League. Phase 1 should be Man Of Steel, The Batman, World’s Finest, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern Corps and Martian Manhunter. 

The Batman would be about Batman and Joker. It’s a Batman who has been for 20 years. Explains all the villains, his relationship with Gordon, show that Dick became Nightwing, Barbara is Oracle and Jason is Robin. Jason dies in this movie Joker kills Jason and Batman beats him with an inch of his life. This is the start of Bruce’s extreme justice to the criminals. 

Batman V Superman:Dawn Of Justice or as I would re-title it World’s FInest

The Death of The Wayne’s is a mugging gone wrong and there’s a struggle for the pearls. It is presented as what it’s meant to be. A mugging gone wrong. Show Joe Chill grabbing Martha’s pearls, Thomas struggling to defend Martha and Joe kills Thomas and then Martha. Thomas’ dying words being the same from Batman Begins. “Bruce, don’t be afraid”  It was a nice moment, and it ties into Bruce's conflict with Clark (given how most of his anger towards Clark is born of fear).

The Bat symbol looks like it does in the Arkhamverse. Stop the overworship of Frank Miller and let the Bat symbol look like a Bat and not look like Dark Knight Returns

Lex Luthor is played by Terry O’Quinn, or Bryan Cranston. 

No Doomsday, instead of Doomsday it’s AMAZO, save Doomsday for a future Superman movie and give us AMAZO for the reason to bring the league together.

Lex Luthor uses the Kryptonian attacks as a campaign against Superman

Lex is not a whiny and annoying little know it all brat who keeps bringing up his father, he is a genius and he knows it, he doesn’t need to constantly flaunt it, and he isn’t a mix of Joker and Riddler, this is Lex Luthor! All Eisenberg’s Lex was...just annoying. Lex Luthor is cunning, he’s a genius, a criminal mastermind and will ignore all ethical boundries until his goals are met. When Luthor is in the room, he owns it. Every word that comes out of his mouth is meticulously planned and he is a master manipulator. The reason why he is such a brilliant Superman villain is because even though he has no physical powers, he can always beat the Man Of Steel on intellect alone. Hears why DCAU Luthor will always surpass the DCEu Luthor “do you know how much power I'd have to give upto be President? That's right, conspiracy buff. I spent 75 million dollars on a fake Presidential campaign, all just to tick Superman off."  But instead of this dark, brooding, cunning and intimidating Luthor, we just got an annoyance. He is basically pulling everyone’s strings and when the players realize it, they’re too late, just like DCAU Lex.

Jimmy and Mercy aren’t pointlessly killed off

Batman doesn’t kill, he is more extreme like branding criminals, but he doesn’t kill or use guns

Superman does not constantly doubt himself and brood throughout the entire movie, he is heroic and he actually smiles to reassure the people he saves will be alright(how do you expect someone you’re trying to save will trust you if you frown and brood while saving them?)

Perry White isn’t an incompetent moron for the entire movie. He lets Clark pursue the Batman, he doesn’t constantly tell him to do a sports piece, he has Lombardi(he was in Man of Steel) for that

This is not BVS, it’s The World’s Finest. They fight at first but Bruce realizes he has been used by Lex and they unite to expose and stop him but are too late as AMAZO attacks

Before the fight with AMAZO,  Bruce confides in Clark about Jason.  Bruce realizes that a lot of his hatred for Superman is because he blames himself for Jason's death, and since he blames Superman for the deaths of those killed in the Metropolis fight, he was projecting. He realizes this and stops.  It would have been HEARTBREAKING to see. By the end of the fight, Bruce is screaming "YOU FAILED!", and it's pretty obvious he's screaming at himself.

The three beat AMAZO and Superman lives and they work together to unite the Justice League

Cast Gemma Areton as Wonder Woman and don’t cast that fucking zionist racist ableist rape apologist garbage Gal Gadot

Suicide Squad

More Captain Boomerang, less Rick Flag 

Harley Quinn looks like a jester and uses her mallet. Harley’s look was okay...but just didn’t feel like Harley. If anything either have it be the classic look we got in the flashbacks, her Assault On Arkham look, Arkham City concept art or the Brian Azzarello look  and make her feel like Harley, and not like how they turned Harley into Lollipop Chainsaw.

More friendship between the whole squad(not just Harley and Deadshot, Deadshot and Flag) Deadshot and Boomerang is pretty much Brotp, Harley and Croc have a friendship and Katana is a loner

Enchantress is saved for the sequel.

The Joker is the villain.  Replace Leto as The Joker with Joe Giligun or Willam Dafoe and for the love of god scrap David Ayer’s god awful Drug lord of Instagram inspiration. This is the Joker, not Scarface. The Joker is not a gangster or a pimp, The Joker is a force of nature, the anarchy of Gotham, symbolizing that life is the joke and death is the punchline. But basically Joker is the villain and Joker decides to take a holiday from Gotham. He steals a chemical weapon and plans to unleash it. Task Force X is assembled. Harley and Croc have a reason to be on Task Force X because of their history with The Joker. The flashbacks would basically be the same but the scene where Batman is chasing Joker and Harley, Joker leaves Harley to die to save himself, but like in the comic Mad Love while Harley is in prison she gets a flower with a rose saying “get well soon. Love J” Also make it clear that Joker and Harley is an abusive relationship, its not that black and white we all know that but having it in would be better than the fanfic we actually got and better than making Joker’s motivation being to see Harley. It’s a complex relationship and I just felt like we got Joker and Harley watered down. Pretty much have it end with Joker being defeated because of Harley and show that she’s free of him but still show she’s a villain but at the end we see a rose like in Mad Love with a note from J and we see Harley uncertain but a smile at her last scene.

Wonder Woman

Gemma Areton plays Diana and Lynda Carter plays Hippolyta 

Scrap all mention of Zeus and the possibility that Diana got her shitty New 52 origin of Diana being another Zeus dick joke. Diana was sculpted by Hippolyta, Athena and Hera. It would make a whole lot more sense to have it be Athena considering that Ares and Athena are rivals in Greek Mythology. 

Do more with Doctor Poison. Let’s say that Steve has a reason to steal her research outside of duty. Let’s say Dr Poison made a prototype that killed the majority of Steve’s team and he escapes with her research. That would have given us an emotional stake for Steve and a reason for Dr Poison to exist beyond her weapon as she would be the villain for Steve Trevor and Ares would be Diana’s Villain.

Only thing I would change about Ares is that  I'd still have Ares reveal, but I would not have Ares controlling the Germans and Allies. I'd go by this particular Lucifer quote for Ares "Why do they blame me for all their little failings? They use my name as if I spent my entire day sitting on their shoulders, forcing them to commit acts they would otherwise find repulsive. 'The Devil made me do it.' I have never made any one of them do anything. Never. They live their own tiny lives. I do not live their lives for them." humans waged war of their own will, Ares just gained power because of the war

Justice League

No awful Whedon reshoots

No Whedon bullshit.  No Barry falling into Diana's clevage, no awful CGI to cover Henry’s mustache,  and no "Did Steve Trevor tell you that? and no Lois Lane is “thirsty” grow the fuck up you piece of shit.

Martian Manhunter instead of Cyborg. I love Cyborg, but I feel like it is wasted potential to not have Cyborg appear in a Teen Titans movie. I really think it’s a mistake to make Cyborg one of the Justice League founders in the movies. It should be The  Martian Manhunter because J'onn NEEDS to be one of the founders and Cyborg works best with The Teen Titans. I feel it was a mistake for Cyborg to become a founder instead of J’onn. But if you have to have Cyborg in the movie how about actually make a costume or use practical effects so it’s not all bad CGI.

Make the goddamn costume for Steppenwolf or use practical effects. Don’t be fucking lazy and just use CGI. Designing a costume is not that fucking hard.

Make Aquaman a hero for the ocean, fishing villages,  Eskimo tribes and show Arthur fighting oil companies and less of a surfer dude who spouts one liners

No Mother Boxes. Just let Steppenwolf and Parademons  invade Earth on their own, and have his reason to prepare the Earth for Darkseid’s arrival.

Let Henry Cavill to keep his mustache for  Clark’s return. There is no point in  using horrible CGI to cover it up. Let his return be like the comics. in BVS the soil was rising, so his resurrection did not ned the mother box. After returning, he returns with facial hair and long hair.  And he resurrects with no rage to attack the heroes or anyone else. But the does return to  Lois and Martha. and his return to the heroes is like this

After Steppenwolf is defeated, Lois tells Clark he should shave and we see a scene like this 

and the movie ends the same way

[demisexualemmaswan]

of crowns and compromises

Summary: “At Emma’s coronation ceremony, Snow White joked that her daughter had diplomatic prowess since she was born.After all, what other child could squash a decades old feud between her parents, a dragon and the Evil Queen at age six?” 

A no curse AU where Emma is able to squash the years long feud between her parents and the Evil Queen in one night.

Rating: G

Words: ~4000

Ships: Snowing, Dragon Queen with some Snow Queen brotp and some Charming Dragon brotp.

Read on Ao3 here.

A/N: Shoutout to @ussjellyfish and @artistica18 for being my cheerleaders on this one! Enjoy!

At Emma’s coronation ceremony, Snow White joked that her daughter had diplomatic prowess since she was born.

After all, what other child could squash a decades old feud between her parents, a dragon and the Evil Queen at age six?

Emma smiled fondly at her mother, and looked over at her best friend and her two godmothers. “Mama,” she complained half-heartedly, her cheeks turning pink. “I didn’t end the feud between you and Regina. You did.”

“That’s definitely not true,” Regina said dryly, sipping at her wine.

Even though the curse had been cast, Emma was still born with magical powers. A more surprising fact which surprised all who knew her, both magical beings and those who had no magic at all, was that she’d had control of her magic almost from the beginning. There would be nights where Snow would wake up in the rocking chair in her daughter’s room, just as Emma was starting to whine.

So when Emma decided that she wanted out of her bedroom at night at age four, there was no way of stopping her. The only reason they were able to figure out she was leaving her room at all was the little handprints in the flour in the kitchen, and little fistfuls missing from cakes or pies the next morning. The servants would see the missing desserts, and go up to check on the princess, who was tucked in fast asleep, looking angelic as ever. 

Other times, Emma would play tricks on people like Red or Granny when she was bored and wanted their attention. Even with their wolf abilities, they could never quite catch her in the act, and would only hear a tiny giggle through a haze of white smoke. Privately, Red and Granny would admit that Emma’s tricks were always cute and relatively harmless (barring one incident that involved a candle, but Emma scared herself with that trick and promised to never ever do it again).

Snow and Charming were at least thankful that they were able to explain to their daughter why pilfering sweets were bad at night, and that playing pranks on people because she could disappear was not a very nice thing to do.

“Sorry, Mama. Sorry, Papa,” she would mumble, her little blond head bowed. Charming could only stand about thirteen seconds of this before he scooped his daughter up into his arms and peppered her face with kisses until she began to giggle again.

“Charming, we’re trying to raise a princess here, not a wild enchantress,” Snow laughed, her grin only growing wider when he began to tickle their daughter.

“But look at her, Snow, she’s super-duper sorry,” Charming would say with a pout, leaning his head against his daughter’s, their green eyes sparkling with mischief. “Aren’t you, sweet pea?”

“Super-duper-mega sorry,” Emma would say, beaming widely when Snow would take her out of Charming’s arms and pull her close. “I love you, Mama.”

“I love you too, Emma. More than I can say.”

“Mama? Can we play hide and seek in the gardens today?” Emma asked sweetly one morning. “You promised on my birthday that we would play together and we haven’t yet." 

“I did promise, didn’t I?” Snow asked softly, kneeling down, stroking a strand of blond hair out of her face. Emma nodded and Snow pulled her close. “My big girl. Six years old now. Soon you’ll be so big that there won’t be anywhere for you to hide.” She kissed her daughter’s forehead and smiled when Emma wrapped her arms around her neck.

“Can Papa come?” Emma queried hopefully, resting her head on her mother’s shoulder as Snow stood up. They continued to walk through the gardens together, Snow holding Emma against her hip.

“No, sweet pea, he’s in a meeting with the Council,” Snow murmured. Emma wrinkled her nose in distaste, and Snow chuckled. “Well he can’t play with you all the time,” she told her daughter, tickling her gently.

“When I’m Queen, there will be no more meetings ever,” Emma declared through her giggles. “I never want to go to meetings. Papa says that they’re boring. The kingdom shall only be fun.”

“Do you know what those meetings are for?” Snow asked her. Emma shook her head. “Well, your Papa and I meet with the Council and people from the town so we can keep all the citizens of our kingdom safe. Right now, Papa is meeting with some farmers because it is supposed to be very cold this winter, colder than usual, and we need to make sure all of our people survive, and that they have enough food and water.”

“Oh,” Emma said quietly. She thought this statement over for a moment, before saying, “Mama? Will I have to do those meetings too?”

“One day you will, when you get older,” Snow told her gently. She saw the pensive look on her daughter’s face. “The most important job a king or queen has,” she explained. “Is to make sure that their people are safe and protected.” She thought for a moment before adding, “Do you know how the knights in the castle protect us from people who might try to hurt us?” Emma nodded. “The knights are my friends and they will play with me when I go outside when everyone else is too busy,” she replied brightly. The smile fell from her face after a moment’s reflection. “Mama? The people in villages…they don’t have knights, do they?”

“No, they don’t,” Snow murmured gently, pressing a kiss to her daughter’s furrowed brow. “That’s why your Papa and I go to those meetings. So we can be a knight for our people.”

“Maybe when I’m Queen I’ll go to some meetings. Only the helpful ones. Not the boring ones,” Emma said quietly. Snow laughed softly and kissed her forehead.

“Your Majesty! Snow!” Red called, rushing toward them. “Some villagers saw a dragon flying over the eastern borders of the land.”

“A dragon?” Emma murmured, eyes filled with wonder. She had never seen one up close before. Only in her picture book. A big, scaly monster with big wings and blew fire. Knights in all the stories destroyed the dragons to save princesses. She puffed out her chest, thinking about defending her people from the mean and fearsome dragon.

“Was she with the dragon?” Snow asked softly. Red nodded, biting her lip. Emma glanced up at her mother. Snow’s lips were pulled into a taut line as she was thinking. “Okay. Take Emma inside, I’m going to tell the Council.” She looked down her daughter. “You’ll be good for your Auntie Red, yes, Emma Ruth?”

“Yes, Mama,” Emma promised, letting Snow pass her off to her Aunt. “Do you want to play hide and seek, Auntie Red?”

Red smiled sadly, dropping a kiss against her hair. “Maybe later when your Mama and Papa have taken care of the dragon. Let’s go read some stories, duckling.”

Emma tossed and turned in her bed. Mama and Papa hadn’t come to tuck her into bed. Auntie Red had said it was because they were still meeting with the council, and hopefully they would come eat breakfast with her in the morning. “Well this won’t do,” she mumbled to herself. Mama and Papa were supposed to tuck her in to bed every night. They promised.

She peered out of the window, curiously. If she could find the dragon, then Mama and Papa could tuck her in and they could all play hide and seek together. And she could help all the people if she went to go stop the dragon herself. 

So it was decided: she was going to go get the dragon all by herself.

She closed her eyes and waved her hand. A cold rush of air surrounded her and she landed in a soft bed of leaves with a quiet “oof!”. Emma giggled, but then realized she was a little cold in only her nightdress. She scrunched up her nose and squeezed her eyes as tightly as she could and waved her hand again. 

Instead of her nightgown, she was now dressed in her riding trousers and boots, her favorite white riding shirt, and a red coat that mother had given her for her birthday.  “Okay, let’s go stop a dragon,” she said quietly to herself.

An owl hooted in the distance and Emma jumped a little bit. “Be brave, like Mama and Papa. Be brave like a knight…I just wish I knew where to find a dragon.” A golden trail appeared at Emma’s feet and she eagerly followed it.  

The trail got brighter and brighter the closer Emma got to…wherever her final destination was. She didn’t quite know, but she was eager to beat the dragon. As she got closer, she heard snarls, and the scuffle tiny feet. Men spoke in hushed voices, and Emma saw spurts of fire. 

That must be the dragon! Don’t worry, villagers! I’m on my way! she thought, pushing herself to go faster. She realized she didn’t have a sword, so she squeezed her eyes as tightly as she could, and her sword--that Papa had made for her special—appeared in her hands. They hadn’t practiced yet, but Emma was confident that she knew how to use it. She’d seen Mama and Papa do it all the time.

She peeked through the bushes and couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. There was a group of five men, surrounded what appeared to be a dragon, but the dragon didn’t seem to be very large or very menacing. It let out little spurts of fire and tried to claw at the men surrounded it. The men were laughing at it, and kicking at it when it tried to escape. The little thing let out pained cries, and one of the men sneered, “How much you think we’re gonna get on the market for baby dragon blood?”

A baby? Where’s its Mama? Emma thought worriedly, looking up at the skies for the sign of another dragon. But sky was clear. Her Mama’s words about being a knight for the people rang through her ears. If no one was going to save the baby dragon, she would just have to do it.

“Let it go!” Emma proclaimed loudly, stepping through the bush. The men all turned to her, staring at her in disbelief.

One man stepped forward, his eyes glinting dangerously by the firelight of his torch. “And who is gonna make us?” he snarled softly.

“Princess Emma of Misthaven,” she retorted, puffing out her little chest with pride, pointing her sword at the group of men. “By order of the princess, I command that you put that dragon down and leave.”

The man lunged forward and grabbed her hair, jerking her head upward. Emma let out a shriek of terror and dropped her sword, wildly trying to fight. “Shut up!” the man growled, smacking her across the cheek. The shock of the impact sent her reeling into the baby dragon, whose body stopped her from falling. He turned back to his men with a leer. “How much do you think we’d get for a stolen princess, men?”

Emma had no idea what to do. Her heart was beating so fast and she didn’t know how she was going to get away; she was so scared. “Mama!” she howled tearfully.

The man kicked her and she whimpered. “No one can hear you out here,” he growled lowly. “No one’s coming.”

A loud roar sounded through the trees. Emma covered her head and squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she were home. But it didn’t work. She heard the men running, and little squawks of delight coming from the baby dragon. That must be the dragon’s Mama… She began to cry, wanting her Mama and wanting to go home. A wind blew over her and suddenly there was a small hand on her head. “Hey?” a voice piped up. “Are you okay? That man hit you really hard…” “Let me see, Lily.” A woman this time, gathered Emma up in her arms.

Emma looked up at the woman and rubbed her eyes. “Where’d the dragons go?” she croaked out, looking around for them.

“Hi!” another little girl piped up. “’m Lily! Thanks for coming to rescue me! We’re best friends now!” 

“Are you Lily’s Mama?” Emma asked, looking up at the woman holding her.

 The woman nodded. “My name is Maleficent. Thank you for saving my Lily. You were very brave. Can you tell me your name and where you live?”

 “M’name’s Emma and I…I live at the palace,” Emma sniffled.  She began to cry, wanting her own mother more than ever. Her cheek hurt, her palms were all scratched up, and she just wanted to go home. But she had no idea how to get there, and she didn’t think her new friend could get her home either. “I want my Mama…”

“Shh, shh,” Maleficent soothed, cradling Emma closer like her own mother would. “It’s very dark now, and I can’t fly you and Lily because you’ll fall. But I can take you home in the morning, okay?”

“Th-that man said he was going to kidnap me,” Emma wailed. “I want to go home. I want my Mama and my Papa.”

“Okay,” Maleficent murmured. “I’m going to take you to my wife, who will help, okay? She has magic, and she can take you to back to your Mama.”

“Mama says ‘m not supposed to go with strangers,” Emma whimpered. “I just wanna go home to my Mama an’ my Papa.”

Lily slipped her hand into Emma’s. “She’s not a stranger. She’s my Mama. And you’ll meet my other Mama. ‘s okay. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Emma curled into the arms holding her and closed her eyes tightly. The familiar tug of magic curled up around her and they disappeared into the night.

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Snow snarled, pacing back and forth in their daughter’s room. “My daughter is gone, and Regina and Maleficent are back in our kingdom.” David was sitting on Emma’s bed, her little stuffed bear in his arms. “Red can’t even find her scent because magic got her in and out of this room! It had to have been Regina. There’s no other magical being that would want to take our daughter!”

“Snow, Emma’s prone to—”

“Don’t tell me what our daughter is prone to do!” Snow exclaimed, running a hand through her hair. “I should’ve…I should’ve…I should’ve tucked her in, I should’ve checked in on her…” Her breaths came out in terrified, panicked gasps. Their little girl wasn’t on the castle grounds, she was lost and alone somewhere, probably frightened. The thought overwhelmed her, and Snow could swear she heard her daughter calling out for her. With a sob, she collapsed onto the bed, burying her face in her hands. “I just want to find our baby, David.” David’s arms came around her, burying his face in her shoulder. “She’ll come home to us, Snow. She’s our true love. If…if she was hurt, really hurt, we would know. Take solace in that,” he said, thought it seemed like he was trying to convince himself more than he was trying to convince her. “She’s okay. She’s got to be.”

“What if Regina has her?” Snow demanded, tearing herself away and heading toward the window. “What if Regina kidnapped her?”

“Even Regina wouldn’t hurt a child,” David replied with a frown, coming to stand by his wife. He stood beside her and rubbed her shoulder. “We’ll find her, Snow. We will always find her.”

“You did what?” Regina asked, looking at the child asleep in Maleficent’s arms. “Do you know that’s their daughter? If they weren’t going to come after us before, they’re certainly going to come after us now.” 

“She saved my life, Mommy,” Lily piped up softly. Regina softened as she looked at her daughter. She knelt down and opened her arms; Lily ran to her mother’s embrace and nuzzled in close.

“What did we say about this land?” Regina asked, her voice firm but still loving and gentle, as she quickly catalogued any injuries that Lily might’ve gotten.

“Notta go outside at night because you and Mama won’t be able to protect me at night,” Lily repeated dolefully. “‘m sorry, Mommy.”

“It’s okay,” Regina admitted softly. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” She held Lily a little bit closer, running her fingers through her daughter’s hair, looking over at her wife. “We can’t just go drop her off. Snow and Charming would consider it an act of war.” She began to pace with Lily in her arms.

“This is very different from the Regina that had been banished from this realm,” Maleficent replied patiently, an amused quirk to her lips.

“Well that Regina didn’t have love or a child to protect,” Regina grumbled. Glowering over at her wife, she added, “I could still be the Evil Queen if I needed to!” “I’m not asking you to though I have no doubt of that,” Maleficent replied, stepping across the room to hold her wife’s hand. “The whole point of coming back was to distance ourselves from them, wasn’t it? To reside in your castle and just…let it go.”

“I still wouldn’t trust myself not to incinerate her when I saw her,” Regina replied. “Which is why we’re on the other side of the kingdom.” To her daughter, she turned and added, “How did you get so far from home?”

“I flew,” Lily said with a proud puff of her chest. Maleficent looked proud and impressed while Regina looked panicked and slightly horrified. “I flew all by myself but then I got hitted with a rock and so I fell. An’ then these men were kickin’ me an’ wouldn’t let me fly--” “What?” Regina said, whipping her head around, looking over at her wife. “Where are these men now? And more importantly, why haven’t we torn them limb from limb?”

“They’re taken care of,” Maleficent said tersely. “They hurt her too,” she said, gesturing with her head to the child in her arms. Emma was asleep, fear and adrenaline wiping her out. “She leapt out of the bushes to defend our girl.”

Regina softened fractionally, until she saw the large bruise on Emma’s cheek. “I’m going to find them and tear their hearts from their chests,” she swore.

Emma’s eyes fluttered open. “Mama?” she croaked out hopefully. Her eyes widened when she looked at Regina. “It’s the Evil Queen!” She began fighting her way out of Maleficent’s arms, hitting the woman in the chin. Emma scampered away into a corner and covered her head.

“Hey!” Lily exclaimed angrily. “That’s not the Evil Queen, that’s my Mommy! What you said was mean! Take it back!”

“I know you from the stories!” Emma replied, looking up fearfully at Regina. “You were gonna hurt my Mama and Papa!” She looked at Maleficent accusingly. “You said you were gonna take me somewhere safe!”

Regina sighed. “Emma…”

“How do you know my name?” Emma asked in a wobbling voice, holding her knees tightly to her chest.

“Because when your Mama was little, she always wanted to name her daughter Emma,” Regina replied, closing her eyes. “I remember finding out your name the day you were born. You have a very pretty name.”

“How did you know my Mama before?” Emma asked curiously, unfurling slightly.

“It’s…complicated,” Regina sighed, sitting on the floor beside Emma. “I knew your Mama so long ago, it was before I was the Evil Queen. Your Mama tried to help me, but I didn’t listen then. I don’t really want to be the mean, old Evil Queen anymore.”

“What’s your name?” Emma asked softly, no longer afraid of the other woman. She climbed a little bit closer to the Evil Queen.  

Regina smiled fondly, briefly seeing her ten year old stepdaughter for a moment when she looked down at Emma. “I’m Regina.” 

“Both of you, step away from my daughter,” Snow demanded, her sword drawn. She hadn’t slept the entire night, and Regina and Maleficent just…appeared in her throne room. “Emma, honey, it’s okay. You’re gonna be fine. They’re not gonna hurt you. Mama and Papa won’t let them.”

“I know,” Emma chirped back, wriggling out of Regina’s arms and bounding straight for her mother.

Snow met her halfway across the room and pulled her little girl tightly to her chest, peppering her face with kisses. “Oh, Emma, I’m so glad you’re all right,” she whispered, pressing her forehead to her daughter’s. Her fingers trailed gently across the bruise on her cheek. “What did you do to her, Regina?” she demanded, stepping forward.

Regina summoned a fireball, glowering at Snow White. “Ask me what happened again,” she hissed.

David drew his sword and stepped forward. “How dare you take our daughter from us!” he roared. Maleficent stepped forward, her eyes flashing dangerously. “Take care how you speak to us, shepherd,” she growled.

“Regina didn’t do anything!” Emma piped up, her small voice echoing across the room. All four adults stopped and looked down at Emma. “She…she didn’t do anything bad. I left my room last night.” She bit her lip, looking down and away from her parents. David knelt before Emma and opened his arms to her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered softly.

“It’s okay, honey,” David murmured, kissing her temple. “You want to tell us what happened?”

“Y’gotta put the swords and the fireballs away,” Emma ordered with a little edge of nervousness to her voice. “Please?” Her green eyes were wide and pleading; David put his sword down almost immediately. “Mama?” the little girl offered.

When her plea to her mother didn’t quite work, Emma turned her request to Regina and Maleficent. “Please?” she asked softly. Maleficent stepped down and Regina, slowly, but surely lowered her fireball.

“Emma,” Snow told her daughter, her hand curling tighter around the hilt of her sword. “She’s the Evil Queen. We can’t trust her.”

“She’s not the Evil Queen,” Emma replied firmly. With a little smile, she added, “That’s Regina, and she’s my friend.”

“Mama, you wouldn’t have killed each other,” Emma said, with a little roll of her eyes, looking between her mother and godmother. “You would’ve listened to her eventually. You would’ve had to.” She looked back at her father and Maleficent who were shaking their heads. 

“Emma, when we were planning your coronation ceremony, your mother and Regina fought for two days on which appetizers were most appropriate,” David chuckled. “Actually, I think if you listen very closely, you can still hear them fighting about whether or not the meat with peppers should be served.”

“Her skin breaks out in hives if she eats peppers!” Snow proclaimed.

“She didn’t have to eat them if she knows she can’t! Despite being raised by the two of you, she turned out pretty smart,” Regina huffed in reply. “It’s not like there aren’t things for her to eat. That’s why we have that gross chicken.”

“We have the gross chicken because you insisted your wife needed to eat something rare! Who serves practically rare chicken at a coronation ceremony, Regina?”

“She’s a dragon, what do you expect? It’s not like she could just pick up sheep off the countryside because you told us we couldn’t do that anymore!”

“She’s the only one eating it!"

“There won’t be any left, I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of this!” 

“They love each other. Really, they do. They just have about a decade and a half of anger to work out first,” Maleficent said with a smirk.

“Twenty-two years wasn’t long enough for them for them to work out their issues?” David laughed, and he and Maleficent tapped their wine glasses together. Emma just smiled fondly.

Maleficent nodded toward Emma. “They care deeply for you, my girl. Just as we all do.” Emma smiled affectionately and hugged her godmother tightly. “I know,” she said softly. “And I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

[pyropsychiccollector]

So, we don't know if Fairy Tail is coming to an end or not - sure seems that way, with Zeref and Acnologia seemingly the last huge hurdles to overcome. But who knows? Maybe Mashima will throw us a curveball and there'll be another arc with Ankhseram or something completely different.

Setting aside that possibility, FT is quite likely reaching its end. It's been quite a ride with lots of bumps in the road; no series is perfect. Speaking for me personally, I only started tuning in for the better part of half a year now. You can tell me all your gripes about the series, and I'll still tell you more than a few things I like about it. Even arcs like GMG.

Buuut this post isn't about that. With the series coming to a close and shippers clamoring to support their ships, I figured I'd post a little something for Natza shippers who might be feeling down about Nalu and Jerza shippers POSSIBLY  'getting their way'. Just consider this a little reminder of some of the reasons you supported Natza in the first place. Out of respect to other shippers, I'll try and tone down 'anti-nalu' and 'anti-jerza' talk, but it might still come up in a few places. Kinda unavoidable...

First up, these two have history. And I don't mean 'slaves trapped constructing a cultist tower', I simply mean prior to the first chapter/episode, these two had seven years together, working and living together at Fairy Tail. That might not seem like much, since Erza became S-Class in X780 and kinda left Natsu and Gray in the dust, but they most certainly associated with one another. Igneel provided a base for Natsu's education, but Erza built up on that. Natsu couldn't read the job request flier he picked out on his own, and Erza made sure he could... Admittedly traumatizing him in the process. You want more than reluctant student and teacher? In a manga chapter we got not too long ago, we got flashbacks of Natsu, Gray, and Erza (as kids) doing stuff together; Erza breaking up fights, Erza teaching them hunting... and yes, even the times they bathed together. You might say, "Well... wait. That's not Natza!" And I'll agree. I'm simply pointing out that Natsu and Erza have history - seven years of it. It's not a case of Natsu being 'scared' of Erza for all that time; yes, he has those times where Erza intimidates him into behaving, but you know that little Pyro. He's just gotta challenge Erza and catch up to her. Erza's not someone unbeatable; she just really... really... strong. And of course Natsu admires that.

So now we're to current events as the series officially begins. Admittedly, it takes a few episodes before Erza gets her debut, but she shows up, and we get our first impressions of the scarlet knight. She's a tough disciplinarian, but she knows Natsu and Gray well enough to know they're capable in their own right. Moreover, Natsu really shows determination here as he makes Erza promise to have a rematch with him after the mission. And that's how they, Lucy, and Happy wind up going on their first conquest of a Dark Guild. Ah, but Erza comes with her own quirks, just like Natsu and Gray. She totes around a HUGE pile of luggage, and to make the train ride easier on Natsu, she... knocks... him... out. Still by far one of my favorite moments of the series. I can see why some might label Natza as a brotp with this kind of scene, but our time will come.

So they beat Eisenwald and Lullaby, and Natsu and Erza get their rematch. Whoo hoo. But their rematch gets broken up as the Council comes to arrest Erza for the destruction of the Guild Conference meeting hall in Clover Town (at least officially...).Of course Natsu won't let that stand, and he makes quite a scene in the courtroom as he tries to save the redhead. ... Well, instead of that slap on the wrist like they'd initially attended, the Council locks the two Fairy Tail mages in a cell for the night. Understandably, Erza is quite frustrated with Natsu's lack of perception, but nonetheless, she thanks him for standing up for her.

As we'll discover throughout the series, there are lots of instances where Natsu and Erza are concerned for one another; but moreover, there are plenty of instances where they strongly believe in one another as well. And it's not just misplaced trust - they DO get the job done, such as when Natsu beats Gajeel and saves Lucy, and when Erza withstood a blast from the Jupiter Cannon for her Guild and still had the energy to take down Aria a short while later. I don't know about you, but I think that's a basis for a healthy relationship right there. Worry and trust come in fair shares; as time goes on, these two become less and less worried for one another even in the face of overwhelming odds. They know the other can handle the situation and come out on top; the worry never goes away fully, just decreases in the face of mutual respect and trust.

And then we reach the epitome of our Natza ship... Nalu's worst nightmare...The Tower of Heaven Arc. I am going to try and sidestep the icky love triangle that Mashima tries to make here - I'll make it as simple as possible. This arc is where we learn about Erza's past. Why she is the way she is, why she doesn't get along with Councilman Siegrain, why she can find it hard to open up to people. Erza tries to keep her Fairy Tail family out of it, but they get dragged into it anyway. She mends bridges with her old friends, thanks to Simon; but on the flipside, Erza acts very much unlike herself here (at least from what we've seen up to this point). In this conflict, Erza is ready to throw her life away to protect both of her families. Despite being a seasoned warrior by this point, she can't summon the same strength that she did when she tried to fight Jose Porla! And she's in better shape than she was at that time! Perhaps some will argue that this is simply who Erza is - strip away her armor, and she's a traumatized little girl with a *tragic* past. Ugh. Nope, nope, nope. By no means am I arguing that Erza can't have her tender side; it'd be hard to like her character if she didn't have such a side. What I am saying is that when Erza left the Tower of Heaven, she was alone and lost when she wandered to Fairy Tail. But in that time there, she acquired a new family, recovered the strength she once had when Grandpa Rob died and she inspired the slaves to keep on fighting. In fact, you could say she surpassed that strength - she became S-Class, didn't she? Yet the moment her past comes back to haunt her, Erza horribly reverts; she goes into that fight with Jellal with a defeatist's mindset. Thankfully, Natsu is up to the task of helping Erza bury her past. He fights Jellal, who is one of the Ten Wizard Saints, who took over the management of the Tower of Heaven, and who killed the mutual friend he and Erza once shared - the guy who made it possible for Erza to reconnect with her old family, Simon. He fights Jellal knowing most if not all of this, even when Erza desperately pleads with him to abandon the fight. Natsu can't and won't abandon her, though. In the end, Natsu makes a gutsy move of eating Etherion, and that gives him the strength to beat down Mr. Wizard Saint. Say what you will about that, how the fight 'should' have gone, but I think it worked very well symbolically. Erza's past warred with her present and future, and guess which came out on top? The scarlet knight picked herself up yet again and moved on with her life, despite lingering thoughts on Jellal and Simon. We can probably agree that Natsu had similar moments of getting worked up over villains hurting other friends - Lucy (present and Future), Yukino, etc. - but for me personally, I feel like there's something fundamentally different in how those moments feel compared to the Tower of Heaven. For Lucy, Natsu saving her happens a little too often without Lucy doing the same as much for my tastes (in other words, those hero moments don't feel as deep and meaningful to me). And for Yukino... well. I think anyone would get worked up over Yukino's treatment by her Guild (especially her Master). I feel like Erza and the Tower of Heaven is different because Natsu connected with her more deeply than he ever had prior to this; he saw her pain, and wished for nothing more than to end her tears. He panicked after she sacrificed herself to stop the Tower from exploding. And in that dreamlike vision of the future brought about by Etherion, Natsu didn't believe that Erza had died. Everyone else had given up, but not him. And whose arms does she wake up in, after realizing someone had saved her from being fully absorbed by Etherion? Natsu's. He even makes her promise not to do such a suicidal move again. On Erza's side, she recognizes his growth the moment he took down Jellal, and she tried to get him out of the Tower before it exploded. After seeing how affected Natsu would have been with her death, Erza cites that, "You don't die for your friends. You live for them." It was a pretty good shippy moment right there, but then the rest of their friends find them and rejoice that they're all alive.

We can whine about it all we want, but when the Oracion Seis arc hit, that's when the Jerza ship began to get a little more wind in its sail. After all, the man that brought Erza pain in the past returned, but he had... amnesia. You gotta be sympathetic to a guy like that, right? They had such a tragic past, and now Jellal can't remember it. What a pity. ... Okay, enough bashing. But it is a bit annoying for us Natza shippers; after the high that we got from ToH, we're suddenly smashed back to earth with Jellal's return. You can say that Natsu came to forgive Jellal in this arc, but that isn't the case when you inspect the arc carefully. After all, what's the first thing Natsu does when he first hears that Wendy revived Jellal? He's intent on making sure Erza never has to see him again. Not out of jealousy - but out of sympathy for his friend. Natsu doesn't want to see her cry again, but despite this, Erza finds the blue-haired mage anyway and comes to the dissatisfying conclusion that Jellal really can't remember all of his past atrocities. Later, Jellal goes off to help Natsu fight Zero, and the Pyro tries to fight him off as well. Sure, Jellal ended up helping Natsu in the end, giving him something equally as potent as Etherion so that he may attain Dragon Force again, but that anger that Natsu holds hasn't vanished. They're tentative allies against a greater threat. And when the Rune Knights come to take Jellal and Oracion Seis away, Natsu doesn't fight for Jellal's freedom because he's a swell guy that helped take down Zero; he does it for Erza, because the redhead is conflicted about resisting the Council's authority. Despite his personal feelings about the blue-haired mage, he tries to resist for Erza's sake so that the two can resolve their past. Of course, Erza tells him and the others to stand down in the end, and the Dragon Slayer grudgingly complies. Erza goes back to angsting about her past.  

I'm not gonna say my interpretation of events is the one, true way to look at the series. I AM saying this is how we Natza fans see the relationships between Natsu, Erza, Jellal, and Lucy. Some of you naysayers will argue Natsu and Erza are siblings; Jellal and Erza have such a tragic and *amazing* past together; Natsu brought Lucy to Fairy Tail and totally fell in love; you're perfectly fine with believing in any of that. Just don't shove your theories down our throats. From a Natza fan's perspective, such as mine, Natsu brings out the best in Erza; he doesn't make her think about her past every five minutes or force her to be the ever-shining beacon in their relationship. On the flipside, Erza doesn't require saving all the time; she stands alongside Natsu, and is a pillar for him when he is sad or has doubts. Natza is mutual, and I think there's something deeper there than sibling love. Heck, there are still Natza moments floating throughout the series, it's just that whenever Jellal gets involved... yeah. You can tell what Mashima is likely pushing for, just not very convincingly. It's fine if Erza becomes Jellal's redemption, but it's such a shame that a mutual, passionate relationship like Natza goes out the window in favor of giving Jellal a relationship to go with his redemption. Just look at all the various moments they have together...

So yeah! Criticize the Natza ship all you want, but you'll never stomp us out completely. Even if Mashima cedes to you Nalu and Jerza fans, we'll still have all these moments and more to look back on - canon, filler, omake, you name it. I think we have reason to be proud of our ship to the very end. We're not a brotp or a fanon couple - if Nalu can be argued to be semi-canon, when it wasn't in Mashima's original plan, then I don't see why we can't make a case for it being at least semi-canon. I've certainly reflected long and hard on it over the past half year I've been into FT. I'm still going to be bummed if Mashima follows the crowd and forces Nalu and Jerza to happen, but I won't falter in my love for this ship. I encourage other 'unpopular' ships to do the same. I certainly don't mind other ships with Natsu involved; Natza is just my OTP.