#chapter 86 // the man in grey
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darke15 · 2 years ago
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CHAPTER 86: FLASHBACK: THE MAN IN GREY
To all my live reactors,
Please, please, please, hide your reactions under a Read More cut. I don’t want any spoilers floating around. 
&
To all my Anonymous Avengers, 
If you want to react in my asks, feel free. However, I won’t be answering any of them until at least Wednesday if they contain spoilers. 
Thank you,
Darke
┍━━━━━━━━ ★ ━━━━━━━━┑
“I don’t remember anything.”
He shrugged, nodding to one of his guards as he backed away from you and took back his notebook.
“We shall start with something easier, hm?” Novak said, settling down in his chair with his book and another file, “Who else is on your team?”
“Make no mistake, Lieutenant, I will break you,” he snarled, his voice low and dark, “I do not care how long it takes. I do not care what I have to do to you, I will do it. And you will give me what I want.”
You leveled another glare against him, wrenching your chin out of his grip, “Never.”
“We shall see.”
┕━━━━━━━━ ★ ━━━━━━━━┙
» CHAPTER 86: FLASHBACK: THE MAN IN GREY
✪ Bᴀᴛᴛʟᴇ Sᴄᴀʀʀᴇᴅ : Aғᴛᴇʀᴍᴀᴛʜ
♜♠ Tʜᴇ Sᴏʟᴅɪᴇʀ & Tʜᴇ Sᴘʏ
⧗ Tʜᴇ Rᴇᴅ Rᴏᴏᴍ
»Jᴏɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋᴇ sɪᴅᴇ Tᴀɢʟɪsᴛ
@thexbookxnerdx // @autumn-em // @fadingbakeryfarmoperator // @rhymingtree // @itsmeatballworld // @kippykasey // @turtleedovee // @kamalymaly // @onewithnomightypowers // @y-napotat // @riahmcq // @thequeenofthefallen // @jesuswasnotawhiteman // @fnnshelbys // @knowyourworth-sellyoursoul // @banbananas // @beans-and-toast // @violetvictoriabarnes // @oikawasblueearbud // @itsarussian // @mrsbarnesinmyimagination // @oopsiedoopsie23 // @luhuhzy // @heyimjustlaura12 // @moonlightreader649 // @petalren // @sighmurderbot // @soldat-petala // @useless-creature-213 // @xiyouchan // @kaiblog50 // @bookfeen // @nx-crisis // @aftermatharchives
***if you have a strike through your handle, it wouldn’t let me tag you 😞
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kitsune024 · 10 months ago
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More Harry Potter Recs
Dramione Fic Recs
Dragon's Heartstrings by pinkinku I Chapters: 33/33 I Completed Inspired by Manacled, Wartime, Forced Marriage, High Reeve Draco, Nobody Wins the Battle of Hogwarts and The War Goes On, Dark Fic, Minor Pancy/Harry
High Reeve Draco Malfoy is not only Voldemort’s most trusted Death Eater but an undercover agent for the Order, plotting Voldemort’s downfall from the inside out as well. After a fair trade with the Order, the High Reeve asks for the highest sacrifice – to make the brightest witch of her age Hermione Granger his wife.
A Year and A Day by AMLKoko I Chapters 86/86 I Completed CEO Draco Malfoy, Arranged Marriage, Marriage Contracts, Slow Burn
Hermione had hit rock bottom when Narcissa Malfoy offered her something she couldn't refuse. She was without a job, without prospects, and nearly homeless, so she had to say yes. But Hermione regretted ever opening that door to Narcissa Malfoy because falling in love hurt, especially when she knew her marriage to Draco Malfoy wasn't built to last forever.
This Time Around by Burntbeachglass I Chapters 3/? I Death Eater Draco, Spy Draco, Time Travel Fix-It, Draco is terrifying, Bamf Hermione
Draco Malfoy switches sides halfway through the Second Wizarding War, but by the time he does, its too late. When the war ends in a final, bloody battle that leaves Draco the last man standing he uses the remnants of the spell they had sacrificed everything to keep Voldemort from casting to send himself back in time. When he wakes up two years in the past he only has one goal. Hermione Granger died to end the war the first time around. This time—he’ll do anything it takes to make sure that never happens.
Reborn by AnnaJohnson72 I Chapters 11/? I Gryffindor Draco, Disowned Draco, Depressed Draco, BAMF Draco, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Ron Weasley Bashing, AU - Canon Divergence
Despite popular belief, Draco isn’t a coward. He is sly and ambitious, he's the perfect Slytherin. At least he's supposed to be. But he’s also smart, and he can be loyal. And believe it or not brave too. When Draco's 5th year goes off the rails, he's forced to show the world who he really is. Includes disownment, re-sorting, successful BAMF Draco.
Metanoia by isobelx I Chapters 77/77 I Completed Draco Malfoy Redemption, Slow Burn, AU - Canon Divergence, Hogwarts Fourth Year, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Horcrux Hunting
When it becomes clear the path his father has chosen for their family will lead to nothing but pain and suffering, Draco Malfoy is forced to question everything he's ever been taught. In his quest for survival, and with the help of an unlikely ally, he'll embark on a journey of transformation and self-discovery, that will ultimately change the very foundations of his identity. or What if Draco Malfoy decided he did not want to be a servant to the Dark Lord long before he was forced to join his ranks?
Antinomian by thestarsoforion I Chapters 37/? I AU- Canon Divergence, Secret Relationship-Well Not That Secret, Harry And Ron Are Oblivious, Unhealthy Relationships, Obsessive Draco, Obsessive Hermione, Morally Grey Draco, Morally Grey Hermione, BAMF Hermione, BAMF Draco, Death Eater Draco, Ron Weasley Bashing, Remus Lupin Bashing
He's always watched her. He can't help it. Merlin help him, he's been fucking trying though. She hates him. He's a vile, bigoted arsehole. Of all the people who have made her feel small, who have made her have to fight and scrape and claw for her place in this world ever since she was eleven, he's the worst of them all. But when things take a turn at the Yule Ball, Draco Malfoy decides he's done fighting himself, and Hermione Granger is left floored, struggling to understand this new, strange version of him.
Dramione with Fanart
Secrets and Masks by Emerald_Slytherin I Chapters: 75/75 | Completed READ THE TAGS High Death Eater Draco, Smut, Inspired by Manacled, Violence, War The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy by speechwriter | Chapters: 33/33 | Completed Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Redemption, Horcrux Hunting, Draco with the Golden Trio Timeless by alexandra_emerson I Chapters 50/50 I Completed Time travel, Time Loop, Drama and Romance, Married Couple, Redeemed Draco, Tearjerker, mystery Love In A Time Of The Zombie Apocalypse by rizzlewrites. I Chapters 84/84 I Completed High Reeve Draco, Post-Apocalyptic, Zombies, Slow Burn, scientist Draco, Horror, BAMF Draco, BAMF Hermione, BAMF Harry Things Without Remedy by onebedtorulethemall I Chapters 32/32 I Completed Time Travel, Auror Draco Malfoy, Time Turners, Draco Redemption Manacled by senlinyu I Chapters 77/77 I Completed READ TAGS High Reeve Draco, Post-War, AU Voldemort Wins, Harry Potter Dies, dark fic Remain Nameless by HeyJude19 I Chapters 51/51 I Completed Slow Burn, Past Drug Addiction, Healing, Fluff and Angst, Romance, blueberry scones Regression by WritexAboutxMe I Chapters 32/32 I Completed Murder Mystery, Auror Draco, Slow Burn, Tattooed Draco Malfoy, Draco loves muggle pens, Past Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley Let The Dark In by senlinyu I Chapters: 33/? I No Voldemort au, Durmstrang Student Draco, Dark Magic, Slow Burn, Triwizard Champion Hermione Granger, No Voldemort Does Not Mean No Bigotry, Morally Grey Hermione The Choices We Make by Stacygenesis I Chapters 49/49 I Completed Hogwarts Sixth Year, AU - Canon Divergence, Memory Loss, War, Slow Burn, Light Ron Bashing, Protectiveness, Pining, Eventual Smut
Bookmark Series
This World or Any Other by @olivieblake I Part 1-3 I Completed hermione is the one to find draco in the bathroom, Canon Divergence
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thequietmanno1 · 5 months ago
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TheLreads, Vigilantes ch 112, Replies Part 2
1) “oh my fucking god McBee cut the bullshit and just kill them already, you’re giving Furuhashi even more time to make them escape”- He mocks Knuckles for waxing lyrical at him instead of killing him, and then does the same to Soga. At least Knuckles is self-aware about his flaws. 2) “I’m still thinking about if this is koichi’s apartment or not
if it is that would explain a lot, but I couldn’t see if that was the case, There was a door behind Soga, but it looked like the one leading to the stairs, not to his home.”- Yeah, the panelling doesn’t really show off a wide-angle of the roof much in this chapter, but Nomura’s positioning is further away from the cave of vigilantism than the camera has tended to be on the rooftop whenever we’ve seen it before, so it looks unfamiliar. 3) “OH HAI KOICHI, YOU SHOWED UP FOR THE PARTY?”- Literally taking the wind out of Nomura’s sails by tackling him in the gut. Can’t speed up if you’re winded like that. 4) “You forgot about his existence McBee? It’s only been two chapters, c'mon man, even I have better memory than that.
Also, what was that about Koichi never meeting Knuckles again after he departed?”- To be fair on him, Nomura did just get his head beaten into mush, so he may be suffering from short-term memory loss unless his memories are otherwise jogged somehow. And technically, Koichi didn’t meet Knuckles there. He just showed up to charge-tackle Nomura off the roof without taking a good look around, so he failed to see his beaten master lying prone on the ground a few feet from him. You know that’s gonna be the explanation they’ll give as for why Koichi never “met” him again.
(Vigilantes ch 86) 5) “Of an absent father that left to buy some cigarettes and never came back of course.
Well, he did came back, but Koichi never sees him.”- This became oddly prophetic in hindsight.
6) “OHHHHH GONNA TAKE HIM INTO THE STRATOSPHERE?
OH THAT’S GONNA BE INTERESTING KOICHI. YOU DON’T KNOW HE NEEDS TO BREATH TO USE HIS QUIRK, BUT I THINK YOU’RE BETTING ON HIM NOT SURVIVING A FALL FROM THAT HEIGHT”-  I don’t think Koichi intends to drop him, merely get him into an area where he can’t exercise any of his strengths against him as a delaying tactic until the heroes show up.
7) “C'MON KOICHI, YOU NEED TO AIM UP ONLY, AS HIGH AS YOU CAN
WE KNOW YOU ARE PRETTY GOOD AT GETTING HIGH”- Sadly, Koichi’s fighting tactics is still on “combat avoidance”, so he’s aiming to prevent both himself and Nomura from actually fighting for as long as possible, until help arrives.
8) “No and fuck you Knuckles, shut up and let him apply first-aid, I don’t want to hear anything about those bullet being stopped.”- Knuckles is like the Black Knight. “Tis but a scratch” he says, as his guts are hanging out his sides and held together only by the shredded remnants of his body armour.
9) “Who? His daughter? It’s not like he ever cared that much after saving her.”- Yeah, Knuckles’ self-sacrificial mind-set doesn’t really work well when he actually has living family members to take care of, unlike Yagi, which is a point against him as a mentor.
10) “knuckles is trying really hard to think about who Soga is talking about, he really forgot about his own daughter.”- Furuhashi came up with the daughter idea to make Knuckles’ crusade more sympatric and noble, but clearly had no idea what to do with her after he’d saved her.
11) “God help us, we’re completely doomed
My boy there doesn’t have in him to kill someone, and Furuhashi wouldn’t allow him to do something, you know, morally grey like killing a villain that couldn’t be stopped any other way, because it’s not like he’s a vigilante or something”- Thankfully, Nomura has a short fuse and a self-destructive mind-set as long as he’s competing with somebody, and against Koichi, he’s more likely to tear himself apart trying to prove he’s “better” than him than he is to die by Koichi’s hand.
12) “Pffft- Oh my god the timing, I was thinking about my previous comment about Koichi not killing McBee, and that would be more likely to happen would be McBee fucking exploding himself
and then he fucking fucking exploded himself
oh my god”-  Pictured, Nomura every time Koichi faces off against him. 
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@thelreads
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seoness · 2 years ago
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Is there any main differences between the show version and the book version of The Hound?
Trigger Warning: Mentions of attempted rape, assault, hebephilia.
The Hound: Books versus Show
Brief Answer
The Hound in the books has a much more severe burn and he's stronger and younger. His speech is eloquent at times and his curses vary more than in the show. His actions are far crueler but also kinder. Overall, he's much more complex in the books (which sounds so obnoxious, but it's true) and his path is even more tragic.
Sandor gets burned for a second time, on his shield arm. His behavior is far more problematic towards Sansa Stark, and depending on the reader, can feel Lolitaesque. He displays more emotions, crying three times if memory serves me right.
But let's break it down!
Appearance
The Burn
Sandor's scar is far more severe in the books than it is in the show. One of the most complete descriptions (of his whole face) is afforded in one of Sansa Stark's chapters.
"The right side of his face was gaunt, with sharp cheekbones and a grey eye beneath a heavy brow. His nose was large and hooked, his hair thin, dark. He wore it long and brushed it sideways, because no hair grew on the other side of that face. The left side of his face was a ruin. His ear had been burned away; there was nothing but a hole. His eye was still good, but all around it was a twisted mass of scar, slick black flesh hard as leather, pocked with craters and fissured with deep cracks that gleamed red and wet when he moved. Down by his jaw, you could see a hint of bone where the flesh had been seared away. (George R.R Martin, 1996, A Game of Thrones, p. 293)
In one of Arya Stark's chapters, we learn an extra detail:
"...When he grinned, the burned side of his face pulled tight, twisting his mouth in a queer unpleasant way. He had no lips on that side..." (George R.R Martin, 2000, A Storm of Swords 2: Blood and Gold, p. 86)
This clearly does not match the Hound's scar on the show.
There are also more pedantic points we can make comparing Rory McCann's facial features to those described in the lengthier excerpt above, but changing the man's eye color doesn't affect his character as much as lessening the severity of the burn.
The scar is a constant reminder of his brother's betrayal, the only thing people see when meeting his gaze. It's something that makes people avoid eye contact, that makes them jump when they accidentally look up in the Hound's direction. In the books, the pain and the otherness his scar causes is clearly not a fixation made by Sandor Clegane alone, but one continuously inforced by those around him.
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Body
Strength: The descriptions of the Hound in the books make him out to be far stronger than the show version. By no means does the actor Rory McCann look weak, but I wouldn't personally say that he struck me as one of the strongest men. Multiple characters attest to the Hound's strength and build in the books.
Arya Stark:
"Are you training women here?" the burned man wanted to know. He was muscled like a bull. (George R.R. Martin, 1996, A Game of Thrones, p. 70)
Jaime Lannister when he compares himself to other men in strength.
"Amongst the living, Greatjon Umber was stronger, Strongboar of Crakehall most likely, both Cleganes for a certainty." (George R.R. Martin, 2000, A Storm of Swords 1: Steel and Snow, p. 291.)
Sandor Clegane is without a doubt supposed to be remarkably strong for him to even be in the same breath as Greatjon-Freaking-Umber. That man is insanely strong. I fear this post will be too long if I quote everything, but during the Red Wedding, eight men were needed to capture the man and put him in chains. EIGHT MEN! AND THE FUCKER WAS DRUNK TOO!
*coughs*
Anyhow, for Jaime to have Sandor in this list of men, he'd need to be on par with them. If you're one of the fastest runners in the world you wouldn't go:
"Ah, but there are a few amongst the living that could best me. Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, and Gordon Ramsay."
The fuck is Gordon Ramsay doing there? Clearly, Sandor Clegane is supposed to be strong. But let's turn to GRRM, the author himself, when he answered some questions during a signing at Comic-Con in New York.
"When asked about ideal casting choices, he formally endorsed the idea of Nicole Kidman playing Cersei. He says she has the perfect look for her. But it would never work, because where are you going to find a guy that looks like her to play Jaime? I really got a kick out of that. He also said Ron Perelman would be perfect as the Hound -- but I am pretty sure I had hears or read that somewhere before." (Submitted by Stag Lord, 25 February 2007, So Spake Martin) Link to Source spelling errors from the original post
A young Ron Perlman.
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Photograph by Mary Evans.
Height, then?: Well, it's easy to answer for Rory McCann 198 cm (6.6 ft). But in the books, we never get such a clear answer, the one established of 208 cm (6.8 ft) seems to be closer to headcanon than actual canon. GRRM himself touched on this in correspondence with a fan that asked him about Brienne of Tarth's build/height.
"I would go crazy if I measured all of my characters to the inch. Brienne is well over six feet tall, but not close to seven, no. Certainly not above it... Just off the top of my head, I would say Brienne is taller than Renly and Jaime... ...but nowhere near the size of Gregor Clegane, who is the true giant in the series. Shorter than Hodor and the Greatjon, maybe a bit shorter than the Hound, maybe roughly the same height as Robert." (George R.R. Martin, 1 February 2001, So Spake Martin) Link to Source
And we only have an estimation of Robert's height from Eddard Stark:
"Six and a half feet tall, he towered over lesser men..." (George R.R Martin, 1996, A Game of Thrones, p. 36)
And I must press that this is an estimation, I doubt the Lord of Winterfell broke out a tape measure to establish the height of his King. How reliable are you in guessing heights? A boring and fairer answer would be anything between 195—210 cm (6.4—6.8 ft).
Age
Like his height, Sandor Clegane's age is never stated clearly for the reader. Instead, we need to look at the hints he leaves.
Sandor Clegane was between 6-7 years old when he was burnt and Gregor is five years older than him (11-12 years old)
Four years later Gregor Clegane (15-16 years old) was anointed and knighted by Rhaegar Targaryen. (Sandor would be 10-11 years old.)
Numbers from A Game of Thrones, p. 293-294.
From correspondence with a reader, we learn from GRRM that Gregor was most likely already a knight at the Tourney of Harrenhal in year 281 AC. (17 years before the events take place in the first book, 298 AC).
Link to Source
This makes Sandor at least 28 years old.
This is speculation but Sandor Clegane tells Robb Stark that he was twelve years old when he killed his first man. This roughly fits with the start of Robert's Rebellion and it wouldn't be strange if he killed his first man during that time.
Information is taken from A Game of Thrones, p. 70.
So about 28-30 years old, but Rory McCann looks to be about 45-55 in the show.
Myth or headcanon?
I often see fanfiction and takes stating that Sandor Clegane doesn't have a squire, and in the show, this is more up in the air. Perhaps the younger man he takes with him to the brothel when he ends up confronting Bronn is his squire? But we do know that he has a squire in the books thanks to Tyrion Lannister:
"Clegane cast a long shadow across the hard-packed earth as his squire lowered the black helm over his head. "I could silence the creature, if it please you," he said through the open visor. His boy placed a longsword in his hand." (George R.R. Martin, 1996, A Game of Thrones, p. 83)
Way of speech
We all probably have a sense of the show version's mannerisms and speech. He's not talkative. There's the banter, the quips, and the curses. But can you remember the Hound giving some speech? Somewhere he takes up a substantial time talking? In the books, this happens. The first time when he tells Sansa Stark the true reason behind his scar. The man speaks uninterrupted for 434 words (yes, I counted) and if we assume this was at an average speed of 130 wpm this would mean that he talked for 3,3 minutes. Imagine putting some popcorn in the microwave and having Sandor Clegane speaking the entire time. Not something you'd expect of the show version.
What a crude tongue you have...
His curses are more diverse. In the show there's: fuck, cunt, bloody, and piss. But in the books we have added ones like gnats, bugger you/him/her/them/that, etc. We also see him weave cruder words together, like in one of Arya Stark's chapters.
"You know how long it's been since I had a cup of wine?" Sandor swung down from the saddle. "Besides, we need to learn who holds the ruby ford. Stay with the horses if you want, it's no hair off my arse." (George R.R Martin, 2000, A Storm of Swords 2: Blood and Gold, p. 453)
Personality & Behaviour
We'll begin to wrap up the analysis of the Hound by looking at the most problematic aspect. His treatment of the Stark girls, particularly Sansa Stark. Analyzing his actions towards her is usually a minefield. Some readers think their interactions are Lolita ASOIAF-edition while some see it as a darker version of Beauty and the Beast. Quite different interpretations... I want to stress that it is important that we don't forgo analyzing the character in favor of bashing those that hold a different stance than ourselves. I'll begin by laying out some actions the Hound does in the books that we didn't see in the show and end this segment with my own take.
He repeatedly threatens Sansa Stark that he will kill her and puts a blade to her throat more than once.
Please don't make me source the point above🥲.
He taunts Sansa Stark with the death of her father.
"Your father lied. Killing is the sweetest thing there is." He drew his longsword. "Here's your truth. Your precious father found that out on Baelor's steps. Lord of Winterfell, Hand of the King, Warden of the North, the mighty Eddard Stark, of a line eight thousand years old ... but Ilyn Payne's blade went through his neck all the same, didn't it? Do you remember the dance he did when his head came off his shoulders?" (George R.R. Martin, 1998, A Clash of Kings, p. 683)
He mocks Sansa Stark's faith.
"Aren't you afraid? The gods might send you down to some terrible hell for all the evil you've done." "What evil?" He laughed. "What gods?" "The gods who made us all." "All?" he mocked. "Tell me, little bird, what kind of god makes a monster like the Imp, or a halfwit like Lady Tanda's daughter? If there are gods, they made sheep so wolves could eat mutton, and they made the weak for the strong to play with." "True knights protect the weak." (George R.R. Martin, 1998, A Clash of Kings, p. 684)
He pushes himself over Sansa during the Battle of Blackwater and pins the girl against the bed making her believe that he'll force himself on her.
"He yanked her closer, and for a moment she thought he meant to kiss her. He was too strong to fight. She closed her eyes, wanting it to be over, but nothing happened. "Still can't bear to look, can you?" she heard him say. He gave her arm a hard wrench, pulling her around and shoving her down onto the bed. "I'll have that song. Florian and Jonquil, you said." His dagger was out, poised at her throat. "Sing, little bird. Sing for your little life." Her throat was dry and tight with fear, and every song she had ever known had fled from her mind. Please don't kill me, she wanted to scream, please don't." (George R.R. Martin, 1998, A Clash of Kings, p. 783)
He tells Arya Stark that he should have raped her sister.
"He made a queer sound, and it took her a moment to realize he was sobbing. "And the little bird, your pretty sister, I stood there in my white cloak and let them beat her. I took the bloody song, she never gave it. I meant to take her too. I should have. I should have fucked her bloody and ripped her heart out before leaving her for the dwarf." A spasm of pain twisted his face. "Do you mean to make me beg, bitch? Do it! The gift of mercy ... avenge your little Michael..." "Mycah." Arya stepped away from him" (George R.R Martin, 2000, A Storm of Swords 2: Blood and Gold, p. 464)
There's a deleted scene from the show that does show the book version a bit more:
youtube
One very important act he does in the books doesn't occur in the show:
When Joffrey commands the Hound to beat Sansa Stark, he refuses. Not only does he deny his king, but he also calls for the beating to stop before Tyrion stops the ordeal.
(George R.R. Martin, 1998, A Clash of Kings, p. 442)
Unlike the show, the only time he puts his hands on Arya Stark is when she runs toward certain death and not when she takes Needle to his gut after taunting her to do so.
(George R.R Martin, 2000, A Storm of Swords 2: Blood and Gold, p. 139)
So what's my opinion?
I want to make it clear that my opinion is not better than anyone else's. I think it's fine if you're a Sansan-supporter, and I think it's perfectly justifiable if you see the Hound as a predator and a creep.
As a true know-it-all contrarian, I don't think that the Hound loves Sansa Stark. I doubt the man himself would be able to put it into words, he never strikes me as someone in touch with his own feelings.
Sandor Clegane and Robert Baratheon are similar. I don't believe Robert when he says he loved Lyanna Stark. It's obsession, not love.
Robert Baratheon is obsessed with Lyanna Stark, not only because Rhaegar Targaryen stole her from him. The only woman he couldn't have but because she represented something he's never had. Robert had no brothers in Stannis and Renly, he had it in Eddard Stark. Lyanna Stark was his entryway to having a family. A proper one. One who would have his back, who was honest and loyal.
Sandor Clegane is obsessed with Sansa Stark, not only because the little bird sings her kind little words even to a burnt Hound like him, but because she believes in everything Sandor knows to be a lie. She's the fair maiden, one he likely imagined protecting as a boy when he dreamt of becoming a knight. Not only that but in the world Sansa lived in, those values Sandor thought false and vapid dreams almost seems true. The entire Stark household is a taunt to him. The honorable lord who always does the right thing, the children that don't plot each other's downfall.
I believe the Hound tries to wrap his head around why they bother him so much and his obsession with Sansa Stark. He tries to scare her into submitting to his worldview, he tries to sexualize her to explain it. An excuse as to why the girl pesters his mind so much. I believe his sexualization of her comes to a peak at the Battle of Blackwater.
"When her voice trailed off, she feared he might kill her, but after a moment the Hound took the blade from her throat, never speaking. Some instinct made her lift her hand and cup his cheek with her fingers. The room was too dark for her to see him, but she could feel the stickiness of the blood, and a wetness that was not blood." (George R.R. Martin, 1998, A Clash of Kings, p. 782)
I believe his tears are due to a sense of hopelessness. Turning raper and scaring her into submission wouldn't offer him relief. He doesn't want that, he doesn't want to be Gregor. He wanted the world Sansa dreams of. But he's been through too much, seen too much cruelty, and inflicted it himself. That world Sandor dreamt of as a boy? The man he's become would have no room in it.
Traveling with Arya through the Riverlands isn't funny. It's not a good cop, bad cop as the show makes it sometimes, but rather following two characters that are broken. Sandor is burnt a second time, severely so on his shield arm. His death isn't a result of a battle for the safety of Arya Stark against a worthy foe like Brienne of Tarth. He lays by a tree, wounds dealt by his brother's little pets. A fight he willingly entered drunk. I think everything he told Arya was a taunt, goating her to kill him with hints of truth. He purposely called Mycah by the wrong name and tells her about the night at Blackwater Bay, but note his words.
"meant to take her..." not "wanted to take her".
He was supposed to be a raper, a monster, for that is the only room he has left to play in the world, but he doesn't want to. He can't. Nor can he have what he wanted as a boy. He has no hope.
The fate of the Hound is still not determined in the book series, but personally, I wouldn't be thrilled if he ends up with Sansa.
Thanks for dropping by for a read!
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succulentsunrise · 4 years ago
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Thoughts on Magic Knight Entrance Exams
I have been thinking on how the Captains really choose their recruits during the Magic Knight Entrance Exams, so instead of studying, I gathered those thoughts here. It also has some thoughts about the Entrance Exam itself in the beginning 😁
(Ch = chapter, Ep = episode)
Entrance exams.
Based on the manga, every year, in March, those that are 15-year old get their grimoires in the Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony (Ch:1).
In the manga, the Magic Knights Entrance Exam is after six months from there (Ch:2). This would put it to September. It's unknown whether they recruit every year or if the recruitment is distributed differently, since instead of serving a certain amount of years, it seems to be more of a job than military service. Since lot of the characters seem to have joined Magic Knights as 15-year-olds, it seems to suggest that it is a yearly occurance. (E.g. the wiki says Julius joined Grey Deers' immediately as a 15 year old, meaning he has served ~27 years.)
We are only shown that there are possibly over 165 participants, and considering that the captains handpick those they want, there can't be an immense sum. They neither seem to recruit too many at a time - Black Bulls recruited 1 (since Noelle didn't participate in the actual exam), seemingly Golden Dawn also only took Yuno and as far as we know, Sekke could have been the only Green Mantis recruit. The squad sizes should probably also have an effect (how many more the squad needs to maintain their size), but it's hard to make guesses based on that. It seems like they recruit very few people every year, though. According to the anime (Ep:5), the first participant even chosen is only number 71, meaning 70 first participants didn't become knights.
Captains.
As said before, the Captains make the choices in the entrance exams. The interesting thing is that they don't seem to have their vice-captains to help with the part, but rather...just someone from the squad (Ch:2). While Yami has Finral & Gordon, it looks like William has Siren Tium by his side and Fuegoleon has Leopold. The anime seems to show Nebra by Nozel's side (Ep:4).
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Maybe the vice-captains take care of the missions while the captains spend their day choosing recruits, so they pick someone whose judgement they trust?
So how do the captains choose who they want?
As shown by everyone wanting Yuno, they all want someone powerful (possibly due to the four-leaf-grimoire), someone somewhat ambitious - Yuno's calm demeanor could also have an effect. All were willing to look past him being a peasant.
Yami, William and Charlotte are the easiest to make guess for what kind of people they are looking for.
Yami (Black Bulls) wants outcasts and people who interest him. He wants to provide a safe growing place for hooligans and outsiders (Ep: 86). This means he also recruits largely outside of the exams. I'd wager that for him, having some physical strength is also a plus (looking at Asta/Magna).
William (Golden Dawn) recruited those with elves' souls and possibly those with great potential for growth - those who could bring hope to normal people. He is probably likely to take already powerful people.
Charlotte (Blue Rose) most likely looks out for passionate women to give them places in the squad and possibility of defending themselves and others. Interestingly enough, it has been mentioned that she also has men in her squad as "errand boys" (Ch:111), which...has implications I don't quite like. I'm not sure what is Charlotte's criteria for choosing men to the squad and I'm not sure I want to know.
Since Fuegoleon's and Nozel's squads also form the Royal Castle Knights (Ch: 173), they both are likely to lean towards more noble candidates. I trust Fuegoleon to discriminate less than Nozel on this part. Everything here is guesswork, though.
Nozel (Silver Eagles) would most likely recruit dedicated and cool-headed people with good amount of mana. I wouldn't be surprised if he only recruited nobles, but as seen with Yuno, probably also takes those with great magical ability.
Fuegoleon (Crimson Lion Kings) probably recruits passionate people who want to protect the Kingdom...with certain amount of mana. I'd suspect that he likes candidates that show analytical skill and strategical skill.
The absolute unknowns for me are the four rest, mainly because we know so little of their squads.
Gueldre (Purple Orca) seems to have picked rather scoundrelly/underhanded types - people with little empathy and possibly quite a bit of ambition. It can be seen in his vice-captain, Xerx Lugner, who is seen as a saint, but is actually cruel and arrogant. Kaiser (Purple Orca) will hopefully have a different approach as the new captain. According to Fuegoleon, he is an upstanding and humble man (which begs the question - how did he end up in Gueldre's squad?), and it might be a sign that he would concentrate more on recruiting similar people as himself.
Jack (Green Mantis) recruited Sekke, who showed some amount of skill in the battle with his Cannonball (being able to defend&attack), but also seems to be rather accurate and have good control over his magic in the exam (Ch:2). En, another from the squad, doesn't really show the same cunning, but also has a great control over his magic. I don't think Jack recruits based on personality as much as people who (or their magic) interests him, perhaps?
Dorothy (Coral Peacock) and her vice-captain, Kirsch, make a very interesting combo. Cheerful dreams + arrogant beauty gives very imaginative vibes. If we knew any more of the squad, I'd imagine they could recruit people with imaginative ways of using their magic and helping them use that with teams. I have no real clue, however, what would be the criteria Dorothy uses.
Rill (Aqua Deer) probably would go for somewhat artistic types? I'd see it very easily at least. Whether they are delicate or wild with their magic, maybe those with some artistic inclination could find a place with him?
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If you have any theories yourself, please tell or add here!! I'd be interested to hear them 🥰
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reginaldqueribundus · 3 years ago
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I posted 2,372 times in 2021
598 posts created (25%)
1774 posts reblogged (75%)
For every post I created, I reblogged 3.0 posts.
I added 2,111 tags in 2021
#star trek - 666 posts
#a samuel post™ - 576 posts
#star trek ds9 - 211 posts
#one piece - 136 posts
#this blue hellsite - 127 posts
#oh what a stupid post i have made - 90 posts
#star trek tng - 86 posts
#lol - 80 posts
#tumblr - 75 posts
#star wars - 64 posts
Longest Tag: 139 characters
#it wasn’t his obsidian order implant it was the aggravation of having to watch quark mix horizonal stripes with leopard print day after day
My Top Posts in 2021
#5
One of my all-time favourite Star Trek TNG scenes is when Lal kisses Riker. It’s easy to miss but at the beginning they mention Riker is on leave. So the poor guy has no clue what’s going on. Imagine being William Thomas Riker in that situation. You take some time off work, you come back and pop by Ten Forward for some refreshment and social engagement and as soon as you walk in a young woman you’ve never seen before who’s working behind the bar grabs you with the strength of 20 Nausicaan powerlifters and sticks her tongue down your throat. Then your unmarried, unattached, childless robot coworker (who’s around the same age as you and definitely did not have kids when you left) walks up and announces this grown-ass lady is his daughter and demands to know your “intentions” toward her like he just tumbled out of a sitcom from Earth’s 20th century. You can’t blame Riker for being flustered.
1842 notes • Posted 2021-02-02 17:05:18 GMT
#4
Things about One Piece that crack me tf up
not one single character has worn an eyepatch in over 20 years of this 1,000+ chapter pirate manga
there's like… laser guns and cyborgs and CCTV but everyone's still using sailboats to get around (with square sails no less)
there are canonically three different kinds of furries
Luffy hangs around all day with the only person in the world who knows where the Death Star is, but he doesn't give a shit
Eiichiro Oda has spent more than half of his life so far writing and drawing One Piece. at age 22 he created his first ever manga series and it became the bestselling comic book in history and when it finally ends he can probably just retire
Oda planned One Piece would last about five years. This was in 1997
Oda just casually confirming his universe has SECRET ANCIENT MOON CIVILIZATIONS with ROBOT ARMIES and FUCKING SPACE PIRATES, and possibly ACTUAL ALIENS… in a fucking chapter cover story. And then never mentioning it again for 14 actual real-world years
eat a devil fruit. is it the one that makes you a godlike indestructible force of nature, or the one that makes you a rubber band who can't swim? welp
Sengoku is one of the most serious characters in the whole series, he runs the military, but he has a giant stupid afro and a pet goat that follows him everywhere and he can turn into a giant buddha with an even bigger afro
Chopper was just vibing as an animal and then one day he ate a weird fruit and woke up with self-awareness and hopes and dreams and anxiety and now he has a medical degree? the reindeer, he walks like a man
Dr. Hiliruk is basically one of those hippie moms who tries to cure measles with essential oils and shit but he's also one of the most heroic characters in the entire series
it's one of the goofiest wackiest manga out there but when you look closely the setting is actually a morally grey hellworld mostly run by a corrupt government built on secrets and lies which only exists to support cartoonishly evil aristocrats who live on a mountain beating slaves all day, and the rest is either lawless wastelands or controlled by 10 foot tall invincible psychopaths who could easily take over the rest of the world if they didn't all hate each other
the Celestial Dragons commit horrific atrocities every 0.001 seconds but they all dress like fucking idiots and have Dr. Seuss haircuts
there's a guy named Dragon who has dedicated his life to destroying them
Luffy meets people and goes "you're my friend now" and they have like no choice in the matter
Luffy: I'm not a hero! also Luffy: I will not rest until I crush this cruel tyrant who is taking food away from little kids
his grandpa is a world-famous war hero and his dad is trying to overthrow the entire government but Luffy doesn't even care
characters will show up and be like "I'm an 800-year-old time traveler from a lost period of history" and the story is like "that's neat. time for fifty pages of men crying"
Buggy the stupid fucking circus clown with blue hair and a flying penis, who spent his formative years with the literal greatest pirate in the entire world and yet somehow completely sucks shit, has more screen time than the main character's mentor and beloved elder brother combined. love it.
now that Jinbe has joined the crew Robin finally has another person with more than one brain cell to talk to
Brook became a global rockstar while being a skeleton and his fans just rolled with it
the Marines show up at his concert and accuse him of being a random pirate from 50 years ago and he's like "yes I am that pirate and I'm quitting the music gig to go back to being a pirate, also I work for the guy at the top of your shit list!"
2170 notes • Posted 2021-08-12 21:30:48 GMT
#3
Hello and welcome to Deep Space Nine. We are a space station, not a starship, so you’ll be spending a lot of time with all these delightful side characters like: bisexual fashion lizard. hologram of Frank Sinatra. goblins. goblin comes in 3 varieties: bartender, nephew, and idiot. our doctor is a twink, our commander is antifa and the captain talks to the gods sometimes. our policeman is sometimes a liquid and the science lady is part worm. we have many fine storylines, such as: Goblin Does A Crime, Watch The Irishman Suffer, or The Horrors Of War. As you stroll along our promenade enjoying a raktajino or delicious jumja stick, watch out for our nefarious villains: Pope Karen. clones of Jeffrey Combs. and a horny bastard reptile man who seems convinced this is actually his show. we suspect he may be possessed by demons. Have fun!
Deep Space Nine: now with Worf™!
5821 notes • Posted 2021-04-24 23:20:52 GMT
#2
Keanu Reeves’s career is so funny to me. Like these are the movies he’s famous for:
Himbos save the universe
FBI undercover surfer man
Bus go boom if drive too slow
Reality is a hologram and this guy is the Messiah or something, he knows kung fu
Man loses wife, dog, murders literally everyone
9995 notes • Posted 2021-04-30 22:08:41 GMT
#1
I feel like nobody talks about this but remember Jay’s “job interview” in the original Men in Black movie? Sure, they play it for comedy, he’s a smartass cop surrounded by all these elite military graduates. But he was also literally the only one in the room smart enough to bring the table over so he had something to write on. And he offers it to the other guys too!
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And in the shooting test, on the surface it just seems like a goofy joke when he shoots the little girl cutout in the head, but look at the way he responded to the situation.
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The test starts immediately without any warning, we can see that everyone is caught off guard. The other candidates immediately open fire on what they perceive to be threats, but Jay takes a second to assess the situation. He sees he isn’t in any immediate danger, and in a handful of seconds he’s able to scope out several minor details about the targets and hit one with a near-perfect headshot. Jay showed he was an innovative, quick thinker with situational awareness, attention to detail and high-level marksmanship skills, and they never say it outright but I think that’s probably why Zed picked him. (Zed never actually says anything negative about Jay’s performance, just that he has a problem with authority.)
This is highly underrated writing but, then again, this is also the movie where Tommy Lee Jones says “A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago, everybody knew Earth was the centre of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat and 15 minutes ago, you knew humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you’ll know tomorrow.”
28670 notes • Posted 2021-06-12 01:59:20 GMT
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thethirdamell · 4 years ago
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I’ve seen a lot of people posting a few writing memes about fic titles so I just wanted to break down where all of mine have come from and what they mean in Accursed Ones because I’m bored. Probably nothing you don’t already know in here
1. Awakening  - Name of the game + Anders literally waking up + metaphorically waking up and understanding his obligation to help 2. Nothing For It - Mean to imply that Anders had no alternative but to help and be helped by Amell in turn 3. Conscription  - What it says on the tin 4. Joining  - What it says on the tin 5. It Comes From Beneath  - Name of the quest 6. Last of the Legion  - Name of the quest 7. Memories of the Stone  - Name of the quest 8. A Night of Revelry - Meant to be ironic considering what happens 9. Freedom for Anders  - Name of the quest 10. Freedom for Anders Part Two - Name of the quest 11. The Righteous Path  - Name of the quest 12. In Retreat, Panic  - A play on the Grey Warden motto. (Also my favorite chapter in the story.) 13. All Soul's Day - Name of the annum 14. The Dark Theurge  - Name of the demon 15. Paramour  - Name of the achievement for a romance 16. Ground Rules - Ground rules for a relationship 17. Lost in Dreams  - Name of a similar quest 18. Far Afield - Name of the quest 19. Far Afield Part Two - Name of the quest 20. Uprising  - Name of the quest 21. The Resolutionist and The Aequitarian - Amell and Wynne’s respective fraternities  22. Serpents High, Angels Low - Both the rules of the team’s card game and an over-arching theme of the fic where things that are presumed to be good/evil are often the reverse.  23. Malleus Maleficarum  - The name of a treatise on witchcraft elevating sorcery to heresy and a song Malleus Maleficarum by Ordo Funebris 24. Shadows of the Blackmarsh  - Name of the quest 25. The Blackmarsh Undying  - Name of the quest 26. Pride Goes Before Destruction - A reference to the Pride demon and Amell’s pride in thinking he can handle it 27. And a Haughty Spirit Before a Fall - A reference to Justice and Anders falling for Amell 28. The Apple And The Tree - A quote about Amell being like his father 29. Lullabies - A Song - Lullabies by Yuna 30. Fools Gold - Meant to reference both Quentin and Anders’ happiness. Also a song Fools Gold Fitz and the Tantrums.  31. Eyes of the Beholder - A play off “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder” meant to reference the difference between Amell and Anders’ perspectives on losing his eyes.  32. Blame it on the Night - Meant to indicate what happened isn’t Anders’ fault. Also a song - Blame it on the Night by Calvin Harris  33. White Lies, Red Eyes - A reference to both the colors of the Amell family and Amell’s personality 34. Spirits and Demons - What it says on the tin 35. Love is Blind - An overarching theme in the story. 36. Satinalia - Name of the annum 37. Brothers and Sisters - A reference to Wardens and Anders still having family without Amell.  38. Score One for Our Heroes - Meant to be ironic. Also a quote from Anders. 39. Out of Control - The current state of things and also a reference to A Leader on Losing Control by Corb Lund which is a Leonie song.  40. Justice for Naught - Meant to imply that sometimes there is no justice but you have to keep trying anyway 41. Here's to Us Blighters - What Oghren says when night is darkest 42. Bold and Brazen and Beautiful - Amell’s description of Anders 43. Monsters and Men - Self explanatory for Justice/Anders.  44. The Best Intentions - Oft Go Awry is Unspoken  45. Blessed Are the Peacekeepers - A quote from the Chant of Light 46. Champions of the Just - The rest of the quote. Meant to be ironic.  47. The Black City - A reference to both Kirkwall and the actual Black City 48. Rip Up Your Roots - A quote from Cor and what Anders does to cope, but the follow up, “You ain’t gonna have a tree.” is equally important.  49. A Good Man - A quote from Lirene about Anders 50. First Day - The name of the annum 51. As The Crow Flies - Foreshadowing Anders learning shapeshifting 52. Wintersend - Name of the annum 53. Chasing the Sun - Name of a song. Chasing the Sun by the Wanted.  54. Doubts and Revelations - What it says on the tin 55. Birds of a Feather - Flock together. Both a joke about shapeshifting and Kanders.  56. Snap - What it says on the tin 57. Ray of Sunshine - Joke on Bethany’s name 58. Oopsy Daisy - Joke on Merrill’s name 59. Pretty Reckless - Meant to reference both Anders and Hawke’s behavior.  60. Let's Try This Again - What it says on the tin 61. A Preoccupation with Spirits - A joke about Justice and alcohol 62. Meetings - What it says on the tin 63. Acquainted - Basically just Meetings Part 2 64. Bloodline Part One -  What it says on the tin 65. Bloodline Part Two -  What it says on the tin 66. Trail of Love - Name of the quest but also references Anders’ many past and future loves. Amell, Karl, Isabela, Hawke.  67. Rude Awakening - A call back to the first chapter meant to show how much Anders has changed. Anders takes on the role of Amell here and Hawke takes on the role of Anders with respects to Blood Magic.  68. Safe Harbors - A joke about sex with Isabela 69. The Best Laid Plans - Oft Go Awry is implicit.  70. Oft Go Awry -  What it says on the tin 71. All New, Faded For Him - This was an anagram like the quest in DAI but I can’t remember what it is an anagram for. RIP 72. A Year Ago Today -  What it says on the tin 73. Friends in Low Places - Name of the quest  74. No Turning Back -  What it says on the tin 75. Senior Warden Anders -  What it says on the tin 76. Bodies So Maimed - Quote from the Chant of Light about darkspawn 77. Down in the Dark with the Dead - A quote from Eli 78. Up in the Light with the Life - The opposite of the above quote 79. A Day for Silence - Name of the annum 80. My Failing and My Falling Part One - A line from Anders’ story for Nika and a reference to Hawke’s failure to protect his sister.  81. My Failing and My Falling Part Two - Same as above 82. Pain and Bane - Name of the poem Merrill sings. Also an overarching theme of the story 83. Luck of the Dog - Reference to the Dog Lords but also ironic considering Anders is not lucky.  84. Bird's Eye View - Both a reference to Anders’ transformation magic and his perspective on the Circles and how Bethany doesn’t share them 85. Act of Mercy - Name of the quest 86. The Revolutionists - Name of Decimus’s fraternity 87. Burn After Reading - what it says on the tin 88. Not in Hand, Not in Play - A quote from the chapter but also Fenris’ perspective on love and a theme of the story. It is or it isn’t.  89. Enemies Among Us - Name of the quest 90. Save Me - What it says on the tin 91. Benedictions - A Canticle in the Chant of Light that makes Hawke think of Anders 92. What Will The Neighbors Think? - A mini-theme throughout the story regarding Anders (in)ability to be openly in a relationship, be it with Amell, Justice, Hawke, etc.  93. Have Your Pie and Eat it Too - What Anders keeps trying and failing to do 94. Dead Set on Ending Badly - Foreshadowing  95. Where We Stand - Where Hawke and Anders’ relationship stands 96. Hearts of Gold or Near Enough - Meant to apply to all of the main characters 97. Ghilan’him Banal’vhen - The Path that Leads Astray. Foreshadowing. 98. Abstention and Absolution - Meant to be Ironic 99. Until the Last Dog is Hung - What it says on the tin 100. Free To Good Home - References the mages, Dog Lords, and also Anders 101. It Gets Easier - Narrator Voice: It did not get easier. 102. Luxury of Leaning - A reference to Hawke not having the option to pursue men as the scion of a noble house but doing it anyway because fuck you mom. 103. Dissent - Name of the quest 104. Into Madness - Play on words. Descend into Madness / Dissent into Madness 105. Fester - What it says on the tin 106. The First Sacrifice - Name of the quest 107. Once Removed - Play on words. A reference to Amell/Hawke’s Eyes and Quentin being Hawke’s cousin once removed.  108. Not Again - Haha get wrekt  109. All That Remains - Name of the quest 110. The Way Forward - A reference to Fenris’ quote about the stairs being out. Meant to symbolize that there are no other options for Anders, Hawke, and the narrative as a whole. Also, ironically, meant to show that Hawke does not actually move forward.  111. Lyrium and Lies - Foreshadowing 112. Ser Cumference and the Terrible Tower - A children’s tale vibe meant to show the dichotomy of man.  113. The Calm Before - Foreshadowing for the name of the next chapter.  114. The Storm - What was foreshadowed.  115. Long Time No See - A reference to both not seeing Amell for a long time and Amell not being able to see for a long time.  116. To Catch a Thief - Name of the quest 117. To Save a Sinner - Similar naming methodology of the previous chapter meant to show Isabela is more than just a thief.  118. On Deaf Ears - Both Hawke being deaf and Hawke not agreeing with Anders. 119. Hey Sparkles - Meant to give a “It’s gonna be okay dude” vibe.  120. Give Me A Sign - Sign language reference but also a plea for Hawke and Anders’ relationship to get better. 121. We Should Talk - About both Hawke and Amell, but Amell is the only one Anders talks to in this chapter.  122. The Weight of Years - Shit’s heavy 123. How Have You Been? - Asking the dangerous questions again 124. Spin a Story - Varric’s terrible advice to Anders but also Amell’s approach to interacting with Anders after they’ve been apart for so long. 125. Give and Take Part One - Commentary on Anders relationship with both Amell and Hawke.  126. Give and Take Part Two - See above  127. What You Make It - What love is according to Fenris 128. Letters from the Vigil - What it says on the tin 129. Consent is Key - A quote from the chapter and commentary on responsible use of blood magic.  130. What Have You Done Now? - A song. What Have you Done Now by Within Temptation 131. But This is All I Ever Was - A song lyric. Ditmas by Mumford & Sons 132. Wasted Time - Also a song lyric from Ditmas but like accidentally. 
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squidproquoclarice · 4 years ago
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He figured it was best to get ahead of it, though the irreverent thought of asking John to spill his guts just as they were spilling the boar’s made for a weird juxtaposition. Calculated risk, then. He’d offer showing his own throat a bit in hopes it would make John put down his defensive hackles somewhat. He said it matter-of-factly, so as not to sound cloying. “I understand it. Maybe not all of how it is for you, but at least some of the way of it. It’s no easy thing, trying to start over. Closer to forty than thirty, and knowing you can’t be what you was, but not for sure what you can be. Been that man, if you recall.”
John paused for a moment, looking at Arthur with a piercing, searching look in those iron-grey eyes. “We wasn’t harming nobody. Not anymore. We just wanted to be left alone.”
The fact he’d answered with a small admission of his own, a chink in the armor, rather than teeth bared, meant something. Perhaps this didn’t have to go down with all the ruffled feathers and angry yelling and touchy pride of a barnyard rooster fight. But at the same time, it felt like the best he could do for John was to be as honest as he could, without meaning to lacerate him more by it. “The folk we robbed and beat and killed just wanted to be left alone too, John. I didn’t say so then cause I couldn’t say if it was only my way of dealing with all of it. That perhaps your way was different. But I think now it’s true. It ain’t enough to just stop hurting people, and try to live a quiet, happy life. That don’t pay the debt.”
“So what? This paid it? You saying Abigail and Jack deserved all that?”
“Shit, no. But you didn’t mention yourself. You think you deserved it?” he returned neatly.
“I don’t know. Maybe. Feels like that, don’t it? Nothing ever gets forgiven, or forgotten. Not really.” John’s forceful slice of the knife into the boar’s neck felt particularly vicious.
Hearing the tired resignation in John’s tone, he tried to find the right words. Wished once again for silver-tongued grace, and the ability to say just the right thing. “Facing what you done is one thing, but being used as some lawman’s toy? That’s no debt paid. That’s just a man being a bastard and trying to wring you dry. What I mean is if you just run from who you was, what you done, you won’t feel like that good life’s yours. You’ll feel like it’s a lie. And I think that’s how you’ve lived. Just waiting for it to catch up with you.”
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canyouhearthelight · 5 years ago
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The Miys, Ch. 86
Hey everyone! Hope you’re all keeping safe and healthy, as much as you can.
This week, I decided to let everyone see how exactly Sophia and Arthur interact.  You know, since they are theoretically friends from Before and all that (they really, really are friends, I swear).  Thank you to @baelpenrose for helping me with this chapter, which you did immensely.
After a decadently scathing review of an ancient fairy tale and some quick thinking to keep Nixe from lighting the book on fire out of principle, I found myself actually regretting that I needed to return to work. This time escorted by Alistair, who was ostensibly returning anyway from a meeting with the current Head Archivist, we set a brisk pace while quietly discussing my schedule for the next week.  By the time we arrived back at our shared office, my head was spinning with the thought of all the Council meetings I had in my future.
Having worked up an appetite and refusing to make important decisions on an empty stomach, I queued up two bowls of etouffee, along with a heaping plate of cornbread and butter. While my assistant provided more and more details around each of my peers’ agendas in regards to testing various ecological building methods - how could there be agendas behind something like that - the door hissed open and a familiar brunette man strolled to my rescue.
Before I could even greet him, Arthur sat down and snagged my yet-untouched meal. "I gave Charly a treat. No reason. But she seemed very enamored of the glittery pens." Unfazed by my attempts to recover my food, he took a bite before giving the bowl a critical look. “This is really good, Sophie. You should try some.”
Scowling, I stepped back over to the food console. “Why did you give her a treat?”
He paused to swallow another mouthful of my lunch. "Phenomenal self control in the face of rage"
"You heard?" I winced before returning to the table with my second attempt to eat.
"Who didn’t? And I'm not saying I condone violence, but her aim was superb, I must say."
"Arthur, she bit him." 
"Very clever use of weapons at hand, I agree." Still nonchalant, he slathered butter on a slice of cornbread.
“That’s real butter - “ I tried to warn.
He just waved me off with a spoon. “No whey, I already tested it. Besides, Miys was able to do something about that, just to make my life easier.”
Shaking my head, I finally got to try some of my food. "You gave her caffeine, didn't you?" I asked hesitantly, returning to the topic of Charly.
"I will neither confirm nor deny" 
"That's a yes." 
"You can't prove that."
"Is it... is it on the pens? Is that a thing?" 
"Pffft,” he scoffed. “How lazy.”  I stared at him intently until he rolled his eyes and groaned. “The ink in the pens disappears after an hour, glitter and all. She'll love them."
I couldn’t really argue with that, so instead I shifted topics slightly. “So. The guys mentioned asking you to be part of my escort detail?”
He nodded. “I couldn’t make it today, but I moved some stuff around.  Should be good to go.”
Something fell into place in my mind. “Wait. Did you send Nixe?”
“Is that her name? The mermaid?” I nodded, so he continued. “I mean, yeah.”
I sputtered, fortunate I didn’t have food in my mouth. “You don’t even know her name and you sent her to fill in?”
“Well, I know it now.” When I didn’t let the glare stop, he set his ill-gotten spoon down firmly. “Sophia. Sophie. That woman is almost as tall as one of your boyfriends, taller than the other, and has endurance enough to probably win a fight while holding her breath.  She has an enormous soft-spot for kind people - which you are - and every inch of her screams don’t fuck with me.”
“Because people think she’s crazy,” I scowled in accusation.  “She’s actually really sweet.”
“Well, that too. She’s also strong as fuck, and truly believes she is an exiled queen of a race of warriors to boot.  I’m willing to bet, if she punched that wannabe warlord? She’d put her fist through him.” He picked up his spoon and smiled. “So, yeah.  I asked her to walk you to the archive. She wanted to head down anyway, so….” He shrugged before finishing off the etouffee. “Besides, she was also the person I figured was least likely to need to resort to violence.”
That got a smirk out of me. "Since when don't you condone violence, oh peaceful reformed warlord?"
"Stop putting your words in my mouth, Sophie. I absolutely condone justified violence."
"Excuse me? Weren't you just praising Charly for -"
"I also said justified violence, to be fair."
Before I could have an aneurysm, Alistair stepped in. "Mr. Farro, sir, Councillor Kalloe asked me to pass on this declination of access to your personal sword?"
“You asked for your sword back? Arthur…”
He scowled at my assistant, shaking his head before muttering. “You absolutely did that on purpose, you traitorous, limey dick.”
“Arthur!”
“You should not have been such a cad to have stolen Miss Sophia’s lunch,” Alistair sniffed, unimpressed.
All I could do was rub my temples and focus on deep breaths. They don’t actually hate each other, I reminded myself firmly. “Arthur. Sword. Why?”
“I’m sure I don’t have to explain the anatomy behind why it’s a lot harder to intimidate someone when you’re… oh, about a head shorter?”
“Arthur….” I was feeling like a broken record, especially when he smirked at me and I realized he was probably counting how many different inflections I could use on that.
“Besides, it’s time someone showed that Game of Thrones, Mad Max reject what a real warlord can do,” he added airily, staring at the ceiling.
I choked on my last bite of cornbread, pounding the table and gasping for air before I could respond. “Wait, you mean to tell me your professionalism is offended? Are you serious!?”
“Yeah, I’m serious.” He didn’t even bother looking down at me. “I earned the title, protecting my students, and he’s just some bullying, conspiracy-peddling amateur who wouldn’t even rate a decent Fallout villain.” Finally, he glanced back at me. “Besides, if he’s the guy he thinks he is, he’ll understand that threatening another leader’s people is met with violence.”
“Oh, another leader now?” I asked skeptically.
“Oh hell no. Not me.” He shook his head violently before gesturing with his spoon again. “You. Xiomara. Grey. Your people.”
“You know I don’t believe violence is the answer,” I said softly.
“I know. But right now, it’s the question. The answer may end up being yes, no matter how much you don’t want it to be.” He gave me a meaningful look before his expression hardened. “If it comes to that, and I think you, or Charly, or anyone else I care about is in danger? That Viking-wannabe is going to find himself on the wrong side of the airlock.  You won’t have to make the hard decision, fight all that empathy you have floating around in there.” He tapped his temple. “I’ll make the call, me and Xiomara.” Like a switch flipping, his features relaxed again. “I just need her to give me back my damned sword.”
Alistair cleared his throat politely, arching an eyebrow at the man across from me. “Dare I even ask why you have a sword?”
Arthur pointed at himself and enunciated slowly. “War. Lord.”
Nonplussed, my assistant waved the response away. “Yes, yes, I understand all that. You’ve certainly said it frequently enough. How did you come by it, I mean? You are both from the Colonies, after all.”
I snickered at the back-handed insult, waiting for Arthur to clarify.  To be honest, I was mildly curious about it, myself, but was certain enough that I didn’t want to know the answer that I had never asked.
Arthur straightened himself, and in the worst faux-Italian accent, explained “My sword has been serving the warrior sons of the Farro family since the days of the Medici.” Dropping the accent, he clarified. “I was a history teacher, Before. I used to show the sword to some of my classes, and even took a few lessons in the style the sword was used in.  Then, when the End happened… it saw battle again.” He paused for a moment before scowling. “Which is why it better not be rusted when I get it back. It’s a five-hundred year old weapon.”
“Is that how the two of you know each other?” Alistair continued, pretending to be entirely unimpressed by the provenance of an antique sword - I wasn’t fooled, he was an archivist.
Arthur, however, looked completely baffled. “The sword? No? What in the -”
“Teaching….” Alistair clarified wearily.
I snorted hard enough that my sinuses burned. “Oh gods no. I don’t think we ever even lived in the same state. And I only taught for…. Two years? A year and a half? Not counting the whole - “ I waved a hand around my head vaguely “-Interpersonal communication fiasco. And he was still in high school at the time, I think.” I glanced over, but Arthur just shrugged.  “Anyway, we actually met in an online group, almost a decade after I quit teaching, one dedicated to writing.” Pausing, I glanced around at my office. “I don’t think we ever imagined anything like this, though.”
“When did you first meet in person?” Alistair asked, still curious.
I felt my face flush scarlet, while Arthur just tipped his head back and roared with laughter. After several minutes, he managed to get himself under control enough to point an accusing finger at me. “We met, face to face, the day she marched her self-righteous ass into my office and railed at me over Charly Harper’s grades.  I’ve been chewed out by every form of indignant parent ever, but that was a new one on me. She was about to pick a fight with me on behalf of every student ever taught by anyone.  And Xiomara was standing there, just letting her!”
“I’m not sure she knew who she was supposed to restrain,” I clarified.  “Even once we calmed down, it probably took a good fifteen minutes to realize who we were looking at.”
“Wait, so you met in person on the Ark?” Alistair sputtered in disbelief. “Mr. Farro, I have heard you, on more than one occasion, refer to Miss Sophia as being like a sister to you, yet you only met less than a year ago?”
It was my turn to scoff. “In person, maybe. But we met over twenty years ago, and two lifetimes away.”
Arthur nodded. “Italian families work differently than British ones. Even those who moved to ‘the colonies’,” he deadpanned. “And I’m sure everyone on the Ark and probably on Earth is aware of her annoying ass tendency to adopt strays.”
“Yeah, hokay, stray number one,” I mocked gently.
He just made a ticking gesture at me. “Thus, our initial clash. There was a miscommunication that affected a member of her ‘family’, and she was shooting to verbally kill at a hundred paces.” Clucking at me, he admonished, “Tyche was much more threatening, just for reference.”
“Carrying seven knives will do that.”
“Ten, actually, six for throwing.”
I shrugged nonchalantly as Alistair’s eyes tried valiantly to escape his head. “She’s not going to give up a ranged advantage.”
“Tell me the truth, is she actually any good with those?” Arthur asked, leaning in.
“They were actually for me.”
“They’re kind of an impractical weapon, but I wouldn’t put it past the Reid sisters to get good with them.”
Alistair, on the other hand, was still sputtering. “Miss Reid,” he scolded. “You mean to tell me you can throw knives?!”
“I can also kill a squirrel at thirty feet with a sling and a stone,” I shrugged. “Girl’s gotta eat.”
My assistant looked queasy, Arthur just looked mildly impressed. “Why was Tyche carrying them, if they were for you?”
“Because I was angry enough to do something stupid,” I admitted. “It was more so I wouldn’t use them.”
“So… on the off chance I need to know what your phenomenal sister will use in the event she is the angry one, what should I be watching for?” He leaned forward on his folded hands like an eager student.
All I could do was scrunch my face in confusion. “Pain? Blood? Think what Charly did to Jokull, plus rabies, no sense of self preservation, and absolutely no concept of ‘fair’. I mean, she can throw, for sure, but she isn’t above just becoming full-on possessed if she feels the need to attack.”
“Did she really almost beat herself unconscious on a bulkhead?”
“Yep.” I popped the ‘p’. “Although, that person almost killed me, so it’s probably better they got the sentence they did than ten minutes with my sister.”
Arthur nodded in understanding. “Probably more merciful, yeah.”
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Chapter 23 - I Just Want You
Seattle Washington, April 5 1990
(Andi is 20, Chris is 25)
ANDI: Feeling the soft dark grey shaggy throw rug against my bare skin, I lift myself up to a seated position and try to gather myself together to stop the uncontrollable sobbing as I realize just what had taken place. I must be back in Kim's bedroom even though I was in the bathroom when I slipped. I guess my brain thought this was close enough to returning to the bathroom as I could get.
Susan? He was with Susan?
"Andi? You in here?" I hear Chris's voice from outside the room as the commotion of our house warming party downstairs resonates through the walls. He opens the door startling me, his tall frame shadowed by the dimly lit hallway, his curls all around him and well passed his shoulders.  The only thing shining is the necklace that had the ring that Andy had given him before he passed. I quickly cross my arms over my bare chest, trying to use my curls to help.
"Shit, baby... are you ok? What happened? Did you time - " He says as he quickly rushes over to me crouching down but I cut him off.
"Get away from me!" I exclaim, pushing his chest as he attempts to console me. Bewildered with my reaction to him, he falls back on his hands catching himself.
"Andi wha- "
"No. Don't even try to make me feel better. Just get the hell away from me!" I shout through my tears, half sobbing still.
"Andi what the hell - ?"
"Just get out of here!" I cry.
"No, I'm not getting the hell outta here, what the fuck happened?" Chris says angered and worried all at the same time.
"I just wanted you to make me feel better. I just wanted to feel you. I wanted .... I wanted...." I sob as I try explain the mix of emotions inside of me. His blue eyes search mine for me to explain as best I can but I can't seem to get it out.
"Baby - ?" He reaches out for me but I stop him.
"Susan? Really... fucking Susan...? Fuck, I can't even..." I trail off trying to stop my tears as I wipe them from my cheeks and looking straight into his blue eyes that are filled with worry.
"What, what about Susan?" He asks, still obviously confused.
"Fuck Chris.... you were with Susan and you didn't even fucking tell me. Why didn't you ever fucking tell me?"
"Fuck, Halloween '86?" He asks and I just look at him.
"Shit.... "
"Yea... shit," I repeat back to him sarcastically.
"Andi - "
"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask again.
"I don't know,"
"You don't know?"
"I mean I remember that night and I remember you were so upset and all I wanted was to make you feel safe and... but I was angry and confused and... I didn't want to hurt you..."
"Yea well, too fucking late,"
He moves closer to me again reaching out for me once more but I resist him. I was a mix of emotions right now and I didn't want to be touched at all.
"Baby - "
"No, you don't get to 'Baby' me. You lied to me. I'm falling apart and to make it even worse, you fucking lie to me? " I cut him off and place my hands on his chest stopping him from leaning into me and even though I was so angry and hurt, I loved the feeling of his warmth through his plain black t-shirt under my hands.
"I love you," He says and I can feel my tears falling down my cheeks again.
"No, just get outta here" I cry but he catches my hands against his chest, just as I was about to push him away again.
"No I'm not just gonna get outta here. I didn't tell you about Susan because we broke up shortly after that and I didn't really think it was important. I knew you we're going to slip eventually so... ok yea... maybe I should've said something, but -"
"Chris-?" My voice breaks.
" Andi, you're the one. You were always the one and as much as I tried to tell myself that you weren't, you'd show up and I'd fall for you all over again,"
"Chris - ?"
"Andi, I want you to marry me,"
Did he just ask me to...? No. No, that can't be right.
"What?" If I could've picked a time where I wanted to hear those words, I can tell you it would not be at this particular moment. As he still holds my hands to his chest,  his blue eyes hold their gaze to mine and I'm flabbergasted at the fact that he just proposed to me in the middle of a fight.
"Marry me," Chris says, his voice deep and calm.
"No," I say still angered and annoyed.
"No?" Chris furrows his brow, looking surprised at my answer.
"No... no, this is not how you ask someone to marry you. For one thing I don't have any clothes on, and another thing we're in the middle of an argument here. You don't get to diffuse the argument by asking me to marry you," I say pulling my hands out from under his.
"I'm not trying to diffuse the argument, I'm asking you to marry me because I want you for the rest of my life," He reaches out for me and this time I don't resist him. He pulls me close, his hands moving around to my back, his fingers skipping across my bare skin as he touches his forehead to mine.
"Chris - "
"Marry me," He says once more, his blue eyes looking straight into mine so intently and after a few moments I close my eyes and move to brush my lips across his. He pulls me into him even closer and I press my bare chest against his and before I know it, he is laying me back down on the floor with him hovering over top of me. I suck his bottom lip and he moans quietly while my hands make their way down to the bottom of his t-shirt. His tongue flicks at my top lip as my fingers make their way up under his shirt, feeling his warm smooth toned chest.
"Oh fuck man... can you close the door at least?"
Startled, Chris quickly pulls away from me and I try to hide myself under him since I'm still completely naked as Kim's voice stops us in the moment.
"Sorry, Kim," I call out and try to stop myself from giggling.
"Yea... sorry... uh..." Chris trails off as he looks back at Kim, shielding me from his view and tries not to laugh as well.
"Fuck..." Kim calls as he stomps back down the stairs. Chris then turns back to me, still over top of me.
"So... is this a 'yes'?" He asks. I close my eyes and listen for a moment, the sound of everyone downstairs laughing as the music continues to float up the stairs. I then flick my eyes open to look into his beautiful blues full of love for me and I give him a little half smile and a small nod as a smile spreads across his lips.
"Yea?" He smiles.
"Yea... yes Chris, I'll marry you," I say shakily feeling the blood rushing to my cheeks and my stomach flip flopping as I realize the words that floated from my lips. He cups his palms on either side of my face, brushing a few curls away that were across my eyes and he softly brushes his lips across mine once more. He hesitates for just second but then I intensify the kiss, immediately sucking his bottom lip, moving my legs to wrap them around his hips as he takes me in his arms, making love to me like I am the only one for him.
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darke15 · 2 years ago
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CHAPTER 86: FLASHBACK: THE MAN IN GREY
Live in six hours (Sunday, February 19 @ 12:00am Mountain Time)
┍━━━━━━━━━━━ ★ ━━━━━━━━━━━┑
“Останавливаться,” the shadow from the corner said, taking a long stride out of the darkness and into your field of view. His arm flashed in the buzzing lights that streamed from above you. Stop. 
Another whine came from your lips as you knocked your head against the table and his metal fingers curled around your wrist. You paused for a moment, relishing the cool metal that soothed the irritated skin as he ran his fingers between your wrist and the straps. You hummed a sigh as he did, loosening the straps only slightly before he dipped back into the shadows. 
“Ты навредишь себе,” he said, his voice gritty and low and muffled by his mask as steel blue eyes melted into the dark. You’re going to hurt yourself.
You rolled your eyes slightly, relaxing back as he watched over you, “Доктор уже делает это.”
The Doctor is already doing that. 
┕━━━━━━━━━━━ ★ ━━━━━━━━━━━┙
Previous Chapter » CHAPTER 85: WAR DOGS 
✪ Bᴀᴛᴛʟᴇ Sᴄᴀʀʀᴇᴅ : Aғᴛᴇʀᴍᴀᴛʜ
♜♠ Tʜᴇ Sᴏʟᴅɪᴇʀ & Tʜᴇ Sᴘʏ
⧗ Tʜᴇ Rᴇᴅ Rᴏᴏᴍ
» Jᴏɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋᴇ sɪᴅᴇTᴀɢʟɪsᴛ
━━━━━━━━━━━
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blackmetalstellar · 5 years ago
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Black Metal Stellar top 2010-2019
No real order here, just pure (and insane) Black Metal :
1. Schammasch - Triangle
https://youtu.be/CQ5lgS8DN48
2. Spectral Lore - III
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq2uQHd3w_g
3. Dornenreich - Flammenmensch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAw_gqaig8U&list=PL295B62C84C360BBC
4. Blut Aus Nord - Memorial Vetusta III - Saturnian Poetry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FKjDJDZQ3w
5. Bestia Arcana - Holókauston
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv2XAeoFVxE
6. Volahn - Aq'Ab'Al
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPQtAMUN3Pk
7. Decline Of The I - Rebellion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1m80pA0WN0
8. Glaciation - Sur Les Falaises De Marbre
https://youtu.be/5Iu41GhDrmQ
9. Der Weg Einer Freiheit - Unstille
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFwTeqpUllo
10. Akhlys - The Dreaming I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_SK1Gn63f0
11. Sordide - La France A Peur
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvRHXP2RCcE
12. Amestigon - Thier
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2La1PAFp-4
13. Khaos Dei - Opus II - Catechism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAnlioS8NmM&list=PLM1Y-v_RSGBzUV5GyE3Zjra8_qKJudO3h
14. Shining - VII : Född förlorare
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl1oEpnCSFg
15. Absconditus - Katabasis
https://youtu.be/STXAEJKaeHU
16. Dodsferd - Wastes Of Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPXACVif8PA
17. Tod Hütet Uebel - Malícia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sndjd0S8P_Q
18. Kvltist - Catechesis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngmM31nezPE&list=PL_PNXapeu58C3s5A0sIztLWSBeiEBmuQJ
19. Selvans - Lupercalia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry558-9ORhg
20. Ur Draugr - With Hunger Undying
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDNYwXz0c1Y
21. Black Twilight Circle - Desert Dances And Serpent Sermons
https://youtu.be/fY8egIF4B3c
22. Titaan - Kadingir
https://youtu.be/51Bv-BjXr-E
23. Morte Incandescente - …O Mundo Morreu !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij2KsGkKhlk&list=PLa1fa0H5sJDalsAMpKlTfxLLb_u8hcNWA
24. Cripta Oculta - Ecos dos Dólmens Esquecidos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_kFmfI8tAE
25. Black Howling - O Sangue E A Terra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW_7zeXLZ_Y
26. Misþyrming - Söngvar Elds Og Óreiðu
https://youtu.be/_RFkNeI-pJ8
27. Grey Aura - Waerachtighe Beschryvinghe Van Drie Seylagien, Ter Werelt Noyt Soo Vreemt Ghehoort
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSXOiFcf2II&t=1s
28. Paria - Surrealist Satanist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iHARlOuLoc
29. Árstíðir Lífsins - Vápna Lækjar Eldr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PRkyZMixwc
30. Abhor - Ritualia Stramonium
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I40ktCyizmw
31. Temple Koludra - Seven! Sirens! To A Lost Archetype
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5NFV-VK7pQ
32. NEDXXX -  NEDXXX
https://youtu.be/xrpB1wMf2G8
33. Minenwerfer - Alpenpässe
https://youtu.be/KljxIoJJwbY
34. Nightbringer - Ego Dominus Tuus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuO7EPgEtBM
35. Endalok - Úr Draumheimi Viðurstyggðar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pxGturmRh4
36. Black Cilice - Banished From Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_5kdIhx_to
37. Trono Além Morte - O Olhar Atento Da Escuridão
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngUvYc0mIwY
38. Aversio Humanitatis - Longing For The Untold
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih1A32pAeQs
39. Viles Vitae - IV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f9MhJN14W0
40. Theurgia - Genómasis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E045wFeZmHo
41. Blaze Of Perdition - Conscious Darkness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf1zkmd8kB4
42. Battle Dagorath - II - Frozen Light Of Eternal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk6nurt5Pcs
43. Andavald - Undir Skyggðarhaldi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV6DcOGWg1g
44. HWWAUOCH - Into The Labyrinth Of Consciousness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNADkLRRNG0
45. Wolves In The Throne Room - Celestial Lineage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXe5244hb4M
46. Osculum Infame - The Axis Of Blood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xXgN4op0Ek
47. Deuil - Acceptance / Rebuild
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3JurC3zu2c
48. Omitir - Cotard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_VfQU-iIsA
49. Imber Luminis - Imber Aeternus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIDqJuFXdak
50. Panopticon - Kentucky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBzd8yMUs1k&list=PLt7__XHhJCZbvoGkI1CanIpxC7ULuQ7jz
51. Pestilential Shadows - Depths
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfWf51vRtu0
52. Blood Stronghold - From Sepulchral Remains...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd7ay8W_sk4&list=PLR77jXkFrAjSJJD4b2h7r-5u4p1w7Gzgw
53. Rauhnåcht - Urzeitgeist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WQhy7Dt6dU
54. Cebren-Khal - A Mass Of Despair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt--doP5hjY
55. Sapaudia - Furvus Spiritus Ancellus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wAvQobnAIs
56. Borgne - Royaume Des Ombres
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKODe9LmrJQ
57. Darkspace - Dark Space III I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnMqLgDdgoM
58. Negative Plane - Stained Glass Revelations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGeDYcWe86M&list=PL6EA6E8F8B60FA9FF
59. Regarde Les Hommes Tomber - Regarde Les Hommes Tomber
https://youtu.be/x_b1J8Webhg
60. Ecferus - Pangaea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgfIYHmEsW0
61. Cult Of Fire - Triumvirát
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KBV8AXoItI
62. Ygg - Ygg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5WhhuoG1Po
63. Shaidar Logoth - Chapter II - The Ritualist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN82bnLMXlk
64. Darchon - The Stygian Black Beyond
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVn8InZ7Gkk
65. Verge - Sex & Violence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoRqGgXh7gQ
66. Aptorian Demon - Libertus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hD28QEmlAA
67. Grisâtre - Esthaetique
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_744nXOTAY
68. Suspiral - Delve Into The Mysteries Of Transcendence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfZDSQR44tg
69. Imperium Dekadenz - Procella Vadens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZy0n3cCHvU
70. Anus Mundi - Les Heures Pâles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydlyfOfTY8A
71. Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6ElARRA0JI&list=PLPkyV9qqKhSwLIUxZGiBhdcAiW71lyb96
72. Temple Nighside - Condemnation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myxTkZyL6k4
73. Invehertex - Hacia El Vórtice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHcCiUoDzpg
74. Jassa - Lights In The Howling Wilderness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5jt1nZw_lE
75. Kosmokrator - First Step Towards Supremacy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LQaVJyJqLE
76. Israthoum - Black Poison And Shared Wounds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVjS_PUl3yM
77. Druadan Forest - The Loremasters Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4vYSVMy74k
78. Ifrinn - Ifrinn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_pzY30RvpI
79. Dakhma - Passageways to Daena (The Concomitant Blessings Of Putrescing Impurity)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVWjaaEtOAo
80. Mistur - In Memoriam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCsCMFNhpBA&list=OLAK5uy_mdL4oc0JfTbHBvx0brRK6iLSvGOtauyD4
81. Merknet - More Ancient Than The Emptiness
Sorry, no link, but very good album, underestimated.
82. Lux Occulta - Kołysanki
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXuBb0FiAOQ
83. Do Skonu - Великое пробуждение среди великого сна
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIlr8VM5qnw
84. Void Omnia - Dying Ligt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agokb6YF7ZY
85. Endlichkeit - Teile I-VIII
https://endlichkeit.bandcamp.com/album/teile-i-viii
86. Ondskpat - Arisen From The Ashes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwvSmSgp7FQ
87. Absolutus - Pugnare In Iis Quae Obtinere Non Possis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlHsG7cDAAo
88. Seeds Of Iblis - Anti Quran Rituals
https://youtu.be/VGayS__fdLQ
89. Catacombes - La Démoniaque
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFyJ8J9SO7I
90. Serpent Noir - Erotomysticism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBWFeZez5M0
91. Abigor - Leytmotif Luzifer (The 7 Temptations Of Man)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25p9-ifqjLo
92. Summon - Parazv Il Zilittv
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0V7PdBTiCA
93. Se Lusiferin Kannel - Valtakunta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNrX9hk63gQ
94. Voces Magicae - Atavisms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BHFXp5Dzow
95. Dagorath - Evil Is The Spirit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxocPoPYMzk
96. Cosmic Church - Ylistys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1ZTtlIyuKY
97. U.N.C.U.L.T - אוּסִיפְרְטְנְסְמַאֶל קַנְטְבְס אַדְרַמַלַס אוֹסְטִיבְם (Ucifrtnsmael Cantvs Adramalas Ostivm : Anti-Estrutual Formulas Da Genesis Do Anti-Mundo)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qccZxzeXvQ
98. Spectral Wound - Infernal Decadence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29Ncl7clJjo
99. Det Eviga Leendet - Lenience
https://youtu.be/zMhZ-4PaQLc
100. Bölzer - Hero
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXdd7vNyQE0
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the--sad--hatter · 6 years ago
Text
Name Calling (31)
FANDOM - MARVEL MCU
PAIRING - BUCKY X READER (female reader, no physical descriptions)
WARNINGS - ALL OF THEM, SMUT, VIOLENCE ANGST
DESCRIPTION -  In which the ongoing and bloody war of words between you and Bucky turns in your favor when a disgruntled one night stand of his lets slip a secret when you run into her in the elevator… Now you have all the ammunition you need to destroy your enemy but you don’t plan on killing him quickly. Oh no, Bucky Barnes was going to suffer and you were going to enjoy every second. You just didn’t count on how much you would enjoy it.
Current Word Count -  86,565
MASTERLIST
Moodboard by @talesofakindredspirit
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Chapter Thirty One - Roses And Thorns
It took you and Bucky an embarrassingly long time and a very loud coughing fit from Steve to notice you had an audience. You looked up just in time to see Wade creeping towards you with his arms spread.
“What? I just wanted a hug!” He lied.
You met Tony’s eyes for a brief second before he turned on his heel and stormed away from you.
“Hug Bucky.” You told Wade and ran after Tony.
You heard the distinct sound of someone being hit and Wade yelping as you ran after your dad.
“Dad, please wait.” You begged as you caught up to him in the hallway.
He stopped and whirled round to glare at you.
“Him? Of all the people in the world Kit Kat did it have to be him?” He said hoarsely.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t do it to hurt you.”
“Hurt me? Why would seeing my daughter sticking her tongue down the throat of the man who snapped my mothers neck hurt me?” he laughed derisively.
“Please.” You begged softly.
“Is this some kind of late teenage rebellion?” He demanded.
“Dad, I love him.” You protested, very much aware of how you sounded like a Disney princess.
“You’re a kid. You don’t know what love is and he’s not the one to show you. He’s a hundred year old brainwashed assassin. He’s unstable and violent and broken.” Tony yelled.
“Who else could understand me?” You asked.
“Not him. Not him. You want someone who understands you, date Romanov for god’s sake.”
“But I love Bucky. I don’t know why or how it happened. He’s the one I need and you don’t understand how much I need him.” You insisted.
“You’re right about that. I don’t understand.”
“I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt you.”
“After everything I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me?”
You recoiled from him at the harshness of his words and didn’t see the look of instant regret on his face as you turned and ran away from him, stifling your sobs as you fled.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
You had found refuge on the second floor, on a window ledge. You were perched on it, your head leaning against the glass.
What Tony had said had hurt you because there was truth in it. You did owe him everything and he deserved better but… So did Bucky. Your heart broke for Tony but Hydra was responsible, not Bucky and it wasn’t fair to punish him for what he had been forced to do.
Tony knew that, and he had forgiven the former assassin but that didn’t eradicate all the pain. Just like knowing it was hurting your father couldn’t eradicate the love you felt for Bucky.
You needed to pull yourself out of this funk. Vernichtung’s continued mental incarceration depended on you giving into the good emotions you experienced, not dwelling on the bad. You had to have faith that you and Tony could find your way through this.
You heard someone approach and saw their reflection in the window before you saw them.
“Remy?”
“I was wondering where you were hiding Ma’petite. Your lover is looking for you.” he informed you.
“I just needed a second to breathe.” You said.
Remy sat next to you and smiled softly, offering you something with a flourish. It was a single red rose.
“Remy I...”
“Ah, don’t fret. I know you only have eyes for The Soldier. Remy wants you to have the rose as a reminder of how Remy sees you.” He insisted.
“And how does Remy see me?” You asked.
“Roses can grow and flourish in the harshest of climates. The most beautiful roses have survived the worst conditions and they have the sharpest thorns. You, my dearest, are the most beautiful and sharpest Rose of all.” He told you.
You tentatively reached out and took it from him, bringing it up to your face so you could inhale the sweet scent, a small happy smile graced your lips. Good emotions.
“Thank you.” You told him softly.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Tony found you not long after when you had wandered outside to look for Bucky.
“The Professor and I have spoken. I think it’s best you spend some time here.” Tony told you.
“I do something you don’t approve of and you ship me off to boarding school, is that really how you want to play this? You realise I’m not a child? I’m an adult, at some point you have to accept that.” You raged.
“You’re sheltered, you haven’t been exposed to many people outside of The Avengers. You haven’t been exposed to people like you. These people can help you with what’s going on inside your head and all the powers that are inside you.”
“No.” You stated.
“No? You do realise I OWN the Avengers compound and the Tower. If I want to send you somewhere else, I can.”
“You realise I can call Fury and go join him, or anyone on the UN now that I’m legit. Hell, I bet I could tell Wade I’m moving in with him and he’d roll with it. You aren’t my whole world anymore Tony, and I know that’s scary for you. You need to learn to deal with it though.”
It was a rare instance where Tony was shocked into silence.
“You will always be the person I love most in the world. When I think of home, I will always think of you first. But because of you I am my own person now and I get to make my own choices. You don’t have to like or agree with them but you do have to let me make them. I guess if you’d rather push me away though… Well just know I’ll be waiting to come home when you’re ready.” You told him.
“I’ll never kick you out. You can stay in the compound but I’ll be staying in The Tower for a while. I just can’t… I can’t look at you right now Kid. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me, but you did.” He told you and walked away.
A few seconds later you heard the unmistakable sound of The Iron Suit taking off and wiped away a stray tear.
“He’s an idiot.” Logan said from behind you and you whirled around in shock.
It was a rare person who could sneak up on you, you must have been distracted.
“What?” You asked.
“Your dad, he’s a fool. Hearts not something that can be controlled or reasoned with. You love who you love, there’s no way around it.” He elaborated, somehow managing to sound gruff and sagely wise at the same time.
“Yeah but the man I love was manipulated into killing my fathers parents.”
“Nobody’s perfect.” Logan retorted with a shrug.
You snorted and once you started laughing, you couldn’t stop.
“Your friends are getting ready to leave.” Logan informed you.
“I guess that’s my cue. It was… nice to meet you?” You said unsurely.
The savage and wild man still made the skin on the back of your neck prickle. He huffed out a noise you guessed was a goodbye as you ran off to find Wade before you left. Wade was, unsurprisingly trying to sneak onto The Avengers quinjet and being hauled off it by Bucky. Bucky saw you coming and rolled his eyes, dumping the red clad mercenary at your feet before storming off to stand with Steve by the jet.
“Wade, I’m heading off now.” You told the merc, pulling him to his feet.  
“Peaches no! Say it aint so!” He cried dramatically.
“Don’t worry, I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you again soon.”
“Oooh foreshadowing!” He gasped.
You chuckled and threw your arms around his neck.
“Thank you for everything. You’re a good friend.” You whispered and kissed him on the cheek.
“Never washing this mask again. In fact I’ll keep this one safe with my unicorn!”
You laughed as you walked away, turning your head to deliver your parting shot.
“See you around Daddypool.” You purred, winking at him.
You walked over to Bucky and Steve and the latter turned to you.
“Ok, Miss Grey and I have worked out a schedule for you to split your training between the Compound and here, barring missions.” The Captain informed you.
“You did what now?” You questioned.
“You’ll be doing sessions with the Professor and you’ll have a tutor as well to help train you.”
“Tutor… I have a… Oh for fuck sake.” You grumbled.
You turned to Bucky, exhausted by the recent events.
“Remember when I said I wanted us to just be us and then a whole load of crap went down?”
“Surprisingly I had noticed. Want to go home, lock the door and just be us?”
“Oh I really really do.”
“Come on then sweetheart.” Bucky said and threw you over his shoulder.
“James!” You shrieked as he chuckled and slapped your ass.
“We are in a school!” You hissed.
“There’s a joke in there about calling him Sir.” Clint quipped as Bucky carried you onboard.
You flipped Clint off as Bucky gently set you down on the seat and kissed your forehead affectionately.
You were going home and you were ready to relax and spend some uneventful time with the man you loved.
Things with Tony were rough but you had to have faith it would work out.
“Let’s go home.” You sighed and leaned your head on Bucky’s shoulder.
Outside the school Wade Wilson formed a love heart with his hands to frame the quinjet as it took off.
“Until we meet again Princess Peach. Oh don’t worry you, yes you reading this. Deadpool will return!”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
This is a fairly short chapter, to wrap up this part of the arc. Also my THIRD chapter today. It’s to say thank you to you all for rallying around me when people were being mean and to say FUCK YOU to idiotic cowardly anons. 
Bucky: I'm so glad we have finally admitted we are in love. Reader: Me too, I'm glad it's out in the open and I'm sure Tony will come around eventually. Bucky: Yeah, so should be smooth sailing for us now huh? Deadpool: Oh man, you guys don't understand how sadistic the author is.
@nerdandproud-86 @harrison-shot-first@chook007@thejourneyneverendsx@thelostallycat@inquisitor-selvala@the-corruptor @iovher@kendrawr-kitkat@phoenix-whiskey-tears@the–real-wombat@buckitybarnes@fairislesheets@angieptt@meganjonezzzz
@dugan365 @fluffeh-kitty@memanda17@krystallynx@theonelittleone
@piscesbarnes @free-as-fishes@tarastudiesalot@captainamericasbeard
@dropthepizza346 @jaynnanadrews @likes-to-smell-books@drdorkus
@life-wanderer @metalarmlover @animegirlgeeky @jsmith509
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ears-awake-eyes-opened · 5 years ago
Text
Eighty-sixed
(Slang for getting rid of something by burying it, ejecting someone, or refusing service. This is a fic about Langdon Shaw and his December 1926 memories of magic that weren’t quite washed away. This is one of my favorite stories I’ve ever written. I may write another chapter in time.)
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He slipped into the speakeasy at 86 Bedford Street and shook off the rain that was falling outside. Brazen in his distaste for prohibition and in his taste for whiskey, he opted for the sidewalk entrance rather than sneaking around back. After all, he was Langdon Shaw, and he went wherever he wanted and he did whatever he damn well pleased. Nobody objected... except, of course, his father. But that was old news, as old as Langdon himself. He tried to think as little as possible about the man, and Chumley’s was a good place to go to forget awhile most anything that needed to be forgotten.
The room was hazy warm with cigar smoke and conversation. Tonight Langdon wasn’t interested in either, just the booze and the forgetting.
He approached the bar and nodded to the man pouring drinks, “Lee.”
“Hiya, Shaw. What’ll it be tonight?”
“Whiskey. Make it a double.”
“Sure thing. Comin’ right up.”
“Run me a tab tonight.” Langdon flashed a wad of cash but didn’t need to. The barkeep knew he always paid up. And if not, Shaw Sr. was easy enough to find.
Langdon took the glass and scanned the room for a table in isolation. He settled into a booth at the back. Music was playing low, drowned out by chatter. He tossed back half the whiskey and the individual voices became a collective hum, like the hornets’ nest he and Henry Jr. had found as kids in a hollowed out tree in Central Park.
His brother had been missing going on two years now. The details of Henry’s disappearance nagged at Langdon as a memory just beyond his grasp, like a word playing on the tip of his tongue that he couldn’t spit out, so he would just sit at his typewriter staring at a blank sheet of paper.
He and Henry had been at odds most of their lives. Langdon wouldn’t have expected to hurt, not quite remembering what happened to his brother, or even not knowing at all. But the reality stung, still, like that hornet he couldn’t outrun. He drank the second half of the whiskey in a single gulp, same as the first.
Raising his glass for a refill is when he saw her, a young woman sitting at a table across the room. Her eyes, fixed on his, were the only part of her that he couldn’t recall, though he couldn’t place why she was so familiar. Dark hair fell below her ears in waves, the kind that flow natural like the tide at night. Her skin was fair and her cheeks flushed. She reminded him vaguely of the porcelain doll his mother had kept in a hope chest, hoping for the daughter he wasn’t. But his familiarity with this woman staring at him now didn’t live in stagnant glass. His memories were alive and uncertain. She wore modest clothes, in contrast to the atmosphere, but he couldn’t stop himself from gazing along the length of her. Twice.
A server refilled his glass, and he hardly noticed. Who IS this girl?
She looked at him unmistakably and without flirtation. His hair caught her attention first, damp tonight and damp in her memory. The kind of memory you reach for but can’t quite touch; colors when the sun peeks out after rain. The stubble on his face was longer than the 5 o’clock hour, as if he hadn’t shaved today, perhaps not yesterday either. But his clothes were sharp: a pressed collar and a loosened tie. His eyes were unrecognizable. She wanted to get a closer look. She needed to see more.
Langdon picked up the glass of whiskey, and drank it absentmindedly, never taking his eyes from her as she approached. He was used to women approaching him in places like this, with winks and smiles, eager for shared drinks. They usually wore sleeveless dresses and showed a sliver of their thighs, just enough to make him want to see more. They danced close, and occasionally he took them home and lost himself in their bodies, when they wanted that too.
This woman was different. She didn’t smile, at least not now, not at him. But she didn’t take her eyes from him either.
“Is this seat taken?” she asked.
To another woman he might have said smoothly, “I’ve been saving it for you, doll.” But he wouldn’t trifle with this girl. Something inside him wouldn’t allow it.
“No,” he answered simply.
“Would you like to be alone?”
“No.” His answer surprised him. “Please,” indicating with an open hand that the space beside him was hers if she’d take it.
She took it, keeping a distance. She smelled faintly of vanilla and wet wool. Her coat was unbuttoned, and the porcelain quality dipped to her chest, unadorned with necklaces or pretense.
“Can I buy you a drink?” He asked out of habit, like a phonograph playing on repeat. He didn’t want her drunk, but he diid want to hear more of her voice. He wanted to place her in his memory, and he couldn’t.
“I already have a drink,” she said.
He hadn’t noticed her glass. “I see.”
“I’m Marie.” She extended her hand in such a way that he didn’t know if he should shake it heartily or curl his fingers with hers and kiss them. He silently cursed himself for not introducing himself first.
“Langdon.” He took her hand without either a shake or a kiss. Her skin was warm and unfamiliar. His grip was light and lingered too long perhaps, but she didn’t protest.
She was assessing him too, this man who tugged at her memory. His eyes were green in the light of the bar, green like clover that popped up in Central Park. It bloomed white flowers which no one else seemed to notice. She picked them in passing and put them in a tiny glass on her windowsill.
He noticed her eyes were the same shade of brown as her hair. Her gaze was soft on him, soft inside him, as if he had a soul or something. He scoffed at the notion and eased his hand away from hers.
She filled the emptiness with her glass, and took a sip.
“What are you drinking?” he asked in lieu of tasting the flavor on her tongue.
“Gin. ...I think.” She smiled at last. “It’s hard to know sometimes in these places.”
“Lee gets the good stuff. If you ordered gin, that’s what you’ve got.”
Marie wanted to touch him again, to smooth the wrinkles in his suit. He was a stranger to her, and at the same time he wasn’t.
“Do you mind if I...” She brought her fingertips to his forehead and pushed back a lock of wet hair without waiting for an answer.
Langdon was mesmerized. This didn’t feel like flirtation, but his body lit up in the familiarity of her.
“How do I know you?” he asked.
“I’m not sure.” She withdrew her hand, suddenly hesitant to reveal too much. “I... I remember your eyes closed in the rain. Rain that went on for hours.”
Lightning flashed in his memory and turned the grey clouds blue. Lightning flashed in a dome, a giant snow globe without snow, filled with evil and good. He didn’t know which was which, and he didn’t care. Both were thrilling. It was the story of the century, untellable, yet clamoring in him to be told.
“You looked up at the sky,” he whispered what she already knew, “Years ago.”
She nodded.
“What did you see?” He kept his voice low, understanding they were exchanging secrets long held alone.
She scooted close. To others they would appear as lovers.
“A bird,” she murmured, “A golden bird with two tails. I think... I think he made the rain.”
“I remember the rain,” Langdon spoke into the soft patch below her ear, all at once longing to kiss her there in the resonance.
“What else?” Her whispers turned electric. She was aware of his breath against her neck and her thigh touching his. But this was more than physical. This was digging up something long buried.
“I remember...” He hesitated to use the word witchcraft. He’d been burned by that term before, shamed and not believed. He wanted more with this woman, but how could he trust her when he didn’t trust anyone?
“I remember ...magic,” he said instead.
She turned to face him. His lips were parted, with the word filling the space between them.
“Do you think we’re the only ones?” she whispered into him. Gin mixed with whiskey in a potion of breath without touch.
“There must be others.”
“Will we find them?”
“I don’t know, Marie.”
She liked the feeling of him saying her name.
“I didn’t expect to find anyone,” he added, “Yet here you are.”
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dominaecaede · 6 years ago
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Tomorrow Never Comes
Chapter 5 results: 86% chose to leave Enji behind
〘 twitter 〙
The following story will have themes such as blood, gore, situations that may cause anxiety and major character death. If you are sensitive to any of these, please do not proceed.
Chapter 6: Sorrowful Clockwork
Enji grit his teeth. With one arm, he used all his strength to keep the door as closed as possible while his other reached into his pocket. He reached to give Kirishima something and held it in his hand firmly, not wanting it to drop.
"You give this to Shouto."
Kirishima's eyes widened and took the object but before he could say anything, Enji had already shoved Kirishima towards the window with his force. Midoriya caught him before he could fall and lead him to the window as Dabi helped them jump. The ebony haired man looked back and gazed at Enji, his teal eyes emotionless but his eyebrows scrunched with overwhelming emotions. Enji only blinked at him and nodded. Dabi didn't respond at that, only breathing out air as if he was holding it. He turned and made his jump, leaving Enji alone.
The man wasn't afraid, though. That would be beneath him. He closed his eyes, his grip slowly loosening and the world around him began to blur. Instead of the screeching noises behind the door, he could hear Shouto's screaming and Rei's sobbing. He could hear Fuyumi laughing at something she was watching on TV and Natsuo shouting at him with held back anger. He could hear the past as if it were right in front him. The last image in his mind was Rei holding an infant Shouto in her arms. She cradled him and held him close, singing a soft lullaby to lull him to sleep. That lullaby echoed in Enji's thoughts as every other sound around him was blocked out.
"Take care of them."
And as he knew then, the rest of the world went dark.
Kirishima and Midoriya landed on the patch of grass with a harsh thud. Dabi followed but he landed better than the other boys did. Todoroki and Rei rushed to help them up, Midoriya wincing and gripping his side. Todoroki began looking around not long after.
"Where's... Where's my dad?"
Kirishima and Midoriya only looked at him with sympathetic eyes. No words were needed to make him understand. Todoroki fell to his knees and looked at the ground, but not one tear fell from his eyes. He felt conflicted; the man who beat him for his own intentions and the man who was also his father didn't make it. Rei knelt down next to him and rubbed his back, her grey eyes softening. The spiked redhead began slowly walking towards him and knelt down, handing him what Enji gave.
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"He uhh... He wanted you to have this," he spoke.
Todoroki looked up and took it from his hands. It was Enji's hunting knife. The blade was cold but sharp to touch and the handle red with their family kanji engraved into it. The two-toned boy looked up towards the window they fell out of and already knew they were too far from it to hear any sort of sound. By then, it began to rain. Cold droplets fell onto the group's faces. He took a deep breath and gripped the handle, slowly standing up to stash the knife into his belt.
"Let's get going," was all Todoroki said before he began heading away from the hospital. Midoriya and Kirishima looked at each other with sympathy as they soon followed with Dabi walking behind.
When they got back to the pharmacy, they were greeted by unexpected guests. Three of the creatures were banging and scratching against the door trying to get in.
"Shit...!"
Bakugou immediately acted on the scene and began running towards them. He gripped the metal pipe he was carrying and bashed it against one of their heads, knocking it down and rendering it motionless. Another creature gripped Bakugou's shoulder and yanked him back and it's jaw opened wide to take a bite. Bakugou's eyes widened in panic but the sound of a gunshot rang loudly in his ears. The creature that gripped him fell to the ground and created a pool of it's blood around the gunshot wound to the head. Another bullet fired on the last one and it fell down like dead weight. Bakugou blinked and looked around at the bodies, clearly not knowing what happened just now. He looked forward and saw that Dabi had pointed his gun at one of the bodies before putting it back in it's holster. The blonde released a shaky breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Fucking demons...," He muttered.
Kirishima and Midoriya walked towards Bakugou to see if he was alright as Shouto knocked on the pharmacy door. When there was no answer, he began speaking.
"Aizawa-sensei? All Might? It's us, open the door!"
When there was still no response, everyone furrowed their eyebrows with concern. After a few minutes of silence, someone unlocked the door and slowly opened it. A familiar face with long black hair was brought to light, and her dark eyes lit up with relief.
"Todoroki-san! You guys! I'm so glad you're safe!" Momo smiled.
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As she opened the door more, the group only got more worried. Her clothes were tattered, the side of her face was bleeding and she had small cute on her elbows and knees. They didn't hesitate to hurry in as the girl quickly closed the door and locked it. When they got in, Midoriya had to take a step back. The pharmacy was trashed and there were blood stains on the floor. Some bodies were on the floor but they didn't belong to their class nor any of the creatures. In fact, the bodies wore a type of uniform he didn't recognize.
"Yaoyorozu...," Shouto began. "What happened here...?"
Momo began to speak but before she could, Jirou, Kaminari, and the rest of their classmates came out of the storage closet. They looked like they were hiding from something.
"You guys...!" Sero blinked and ran towards them with a relieved yet shocked expression. "Where were you?!"
Midoriya couldn't form any words. "W-We... We--"
"We went to go save my mother," Shouto answered firmly as Rei looked passed his shoulder.
Kaminari blinked upon seeing the woman then looked back at Shouto. "You saved her? But how?"
"It doesn't matter how," Sero huffed. "You should've been here helping us!"
"Guys please, fighting won't get us anywhere!" Momo stepped in. The girl then looked back at the group with sad eyes. "There were... These men in odd outfits. They broke the door down and Aizawa-sensei fought them off while we all went to try and find somewhere to hide. We tried fighting them but Kaminari knew we didn't stand a chance so we hid in the closet. They took Aizawa-sensei and All Might. I... I don't know where they took them or who they even were. I feel like such a coward for hiding..."
Shouto began looking around as Kirishima placed a hand on Momo's shoulder. "You're not a coward. You couldn't fight them off and it wasn't your fault. You did the smart thing. I think you acted manly!" He flashed his famous toothy smile.
Momo blinked and giggled. "Thanks, Kirishima-san..."
In the meantime, Shouto knelt down at one of the bodies and turned it over. The body was covered in blood was it doesn't look like it's from those creatures. It had stab wounds. Upon closer inspection, Shouto discovered that there was a badge on the male's uniform. He used a clean part of the body's shirt to wipe it clean and blinked in surprise.
"Hiro...," He repeated the name engraved into the badge. Shouto also saw a symbol next to the name. It was all too familiar.
Rei walked towards Shouto and knelt down next to him. "What do you see, son?"
Shouto then stood up and looked back at the group. "It's Clearnox. These people... They're from the same company who tried to take my mother."
Bakugou grunted in disgust. "Should've figured."
"Clearnox... The company that tried making quirks better?" Sero raised a brow.
"Yeah," Midoriya answered. "They caused all this from their stupid project. If these people were from there and our teachers are gone, then that can only mean they took them for experiments. I mean, why else would they take them there?"
"Experiments? What?" Kaminari blinked. "That's a little crazy, Midoriya. Where are you even getting all this information?"
Shouto looked down. "From my father, before he... He...," He trailed off and Kirishima gently rubbed his back.
Dabi finally spoke up while he examined the area a little more. "To sum it up, Clearnox was experimenting on people in order to make their little project work. It backfired, and now shit hit the fan."
Jirou jolted. "Wait a minute, what's a villain doing here?"
"It's a long story," Midoriya smiled. "We'll explain it later on but for now, we need to think of a plan to rescue them!"
"Bro, that's like the heart of the zombies isn't it?" Kaminari shuddered. "That would be suicide!"
"What do you want us to do, Pikachu? Stand around and let them die?" Bakugou snapped.
Mineta looked down. "This is all fucked up."
"Okay, we're not gonna get anywhere with you guys not having a reliable weapon," Dabi spoke up again. "And I doubt any of you know how to use a gun. You might wanna change your clothes, too."
"Eh? What's wrong with our clothes?"
"Because you can see that uniform from a mile away," Dabi snorted. "And since there are actual guards in that building and not 'zombies', you're already as good as dead."
Everyone blinked in confusion. Shouto sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Advice from a former villain might actually be useful...," He mumbled.
"There's a weapons shop not far from here. It's just down the block." Dabi then pointed at Bakugou. "You, blondie. Go find a bag big enough to store some weapons and clothes in."
"Hah?" Bakugou's eye twitched. "CALL ME BLONDIE ONE MORE TIME AND I'LL KILL YOU."
Dabi wasn't fazed. "Funny. Just go do as you're told, kid."
Bakugou huffed but didn't bother to argue. He stomped towards the direction he remembered finding some luggage when the place wasn't so trashed and they were still exploring. Kirishima followed and when they returned, they brought two wide duffle bags. Dabi began heading towards the door.
"Good. Let's go."
"Wait!"
Midoriya and Shouto looked back to find Momo walking up towards them. "May I come with? I'd like to help. I couldn't when they were taken, so... Please..."
Jirou looked at Momo with worry. "Yaomomo, you're still bleeding! Don't push yourself!"
Shouto's eyebrows pinched together with concern and he walked towards the girl. He gave a sigh and a look meant to comfort her. "Yaoyorozu, you have to stay here and tend to your wounds. Besides, you can still help us from here. Think of a way to get you all to a safer place while we're gone."
The raven haired girl gave her friend a look of disapproval, but she trusted his judgement. She sighed then nodded, and gave a look of determination. "Okay!"
"Then let me come with," Uraraka stepped up. "You'll need the extra pair of hands if you want to arm all of us."
Midoriya blinked with concern. "But what about your mother?"
That queued the brunette to look back towards the woman. Her mother looked at her and smiled. "I'll be fine," she spoke as she tended to Momo's wounds. "Go on."
Rei looked back at both Dabi and Shouto before pulling them both into her embrace. "You two be careful," she gently said before releasing them. Shouto nodded as both of them went on their way.
--
As they approached the weapons shop, the busted front door and broken windows were already a bad sign. They entered the building and saw that all the shelves had been emptied and the display cases broken into. Midoriya went to check the back but when he returned, he came back empty handed. Dabi clicked his teeth.
"Dammit. Looks like this place was stripped clean before we could've gotten to it."
"Then what are we supposed to do now?" Shouto questioned.
Dabi began pacing back and forth. He rested his stitched hands on his waist as he looked around searching for an answer. The group stayed quiet as he did, and it would've seemed it had been minutes before the former villain spoke up again.
"We'll have to go to the headquarters."
The group blinked. Bakugou raised his eyebrow. "You can't be serious."
"I know we have a shit ton of weapons stored in case plans backfired," Dabi explained while he was already heading towards the front door. "The relocation is harder for heroes to find, but it's not like anyone cares anymore."
"But wait," Midoriya spoke up. "What if the villains, you know... attack us?"
Dabi didn't bother looking back when he answered. "Trust me. That won't be a problem."
The group tailed behind Dabi as the former villain lead. The brunette was looking down with worry. She looked uneasy, and it didn't take long for Midoriya to notice. He asked if everything was okay but he didn't get a response until a few seconds later.
"I'm just finding him hard to trust...," she whispered. "I mean, I appreciate his help but why continue to help us, you know? How do we know he won't turn his back on us...? How do we know it's not a trap..?"
Midoriya furrowed his brows.
Is Dabi:
• trustworthy?
• or hard to read?
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ialwayscomewhenyoucall · 6 years ago
Text
A Wolf at Her Heels
Chapter 1/10
ten x rose
This is the story of Rose Tyler.
Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth, hopping through endless dimensions to find her Doctor. We all know how the original story ended.
This one ends differently.
In this story, Rose has a little help from her friends, and from a Wolf.
**A Journey's End fix-it, because sometimes I want a happily ever after**
Chapter 1 - The Professor
(The Twelfth Doctor)
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
Rose knows the voice, even though she’s never heard it before. She looks up from the tea she’s been sipping for twenty minutes, cold now, to see a man with wild grey hair and piercing eyes slip into the chair across from her.
“Hello Doctor,” she says softly, the hint of a smile flitting at her lips.
If he’s surprised to be recognized in his new body he doesn’t show it. “Hello Rose.” There’s a tone in his voice she’s never heard before, a warmth that feels somehow new. Maybe it’s just the Scottish accent. She tucks the thought away to examine later.
“If you’ve been waiting for me how come my tea’s gone cold?” she teases, reaching across the tiny table to fold a hand into his. Should it be this easy to step into old habits with him? Somehow she knows the Doctor she’s looking at is much older than the Doctor she’s looking for. Centuries older. It’s the eyes, she decides. Those eyes have seen--
Rose’s thoughts are interrupted by a gangly twenty-something boy with floppy black hair that keeps falling into his eyes. “I loved yesterday’s lecture, Professor. I can’t get it out of my head, actually. Do you really believe time travel is possible? And we could achieve it someday?”
The Doctor levels a serious gaze at the young man. “It doesn’t matter what I believe. What do you think, Mr. Jossen?”
Jossen appears to struggle with first his thoughts, then his words. Finally he says, “I’m not sure what I believe, Professor. But I hope it’s true. There’s a whole universe of possibilities out there, just waiting to be explored.”
The Doctor winks at Rose. “Right you are, Mr. Jossen. Right you are.” He nods at the boy, then adds, “I’ll see you in class on Monday. Don’t forget to do your reading.”
“Of course, Professor. Sorry to interrupt your, uh…” He looks from Rose, to the Doctor, to their entwined hands on the tabletop, then finishes with a slight blush on his cheeks, “I’m just sorry to interrupt.” He flees.
Rose lets go her giggles as soon as the young man is out of earshot. “Alright. For one, you didn’t have to torture him like that. And two, you’re a teacher now? At a university? How did that happen? I’ve seen wonders, but this…” She grins, clearly both mystified and at ease.
“That? That wasn’t torture, just a bit of fun. Jossen can handle it. And he needs some discomfort now and again. He’s headed for big things, that one.” She recognizes the far off look in his eye, the one he gets when he’s living things that haven’t happened yet. She gives him a moment, then taps leg of the table with her toe. He snaps back to the present with a blink. “Right. As for the rest--” He gestures expansively about, an all-encompassing type of gesture. “It’s really too much to go in to at the moment. We just haven’t got the time, I’m afraid.”
Rose hears the ticking sound in her ears--the one that’s been following her ever since she started traveling with the dimension cannon--grow slightly louder. She pushes it back; she’s with her Doctor, and will not let herself panic.
“Nardole is down guarding the Vault so that’s no worry, and--” The Doctor stops, biting back whatever he’d been about to say. “Well, that’s nothing to be going on about right now. The point is, I myself have got loads of time. But you,” he points at Rose, then at her wrist, “have only got about five minutes, yeah?”
Rose goes lightheaded, and the ticking sound drowns out all every other noise around her. But then the Doctor is there, holding her in his arms and murmuring into her hair. When she opens her eyes she sees the underside of the table and realizes she must have slid off her chair. “Wha happen?” she says. Her head feels like it’s stuffed with cotton.
“What happened,” the Doctor says drily, “is you used up 86 seconds of our time together passing out.” He brushes a kiss against her forehead and adds, in a much gentler tone, “Are you alright, love? I know this dimension-hopping takes its toll.”
Sinking deeper into him she says, “I’m alright, Doctor. For the next three minutes anyway.”
The Doctor’s voice grows serious. “Rose, I need you to hear me. I imagine you’re getting these things out of order, but you’re clever. You’ll get it right in the end.” He kisses her again, this time on her mouth. “Alright, Rose?”
Rose nods, then buries her face in his neck. Those eyes, she can’t bear to see the look in those eyes.
“No, Rose, I need you to look at me.” His voice is so raw she can’t help but look up. She bites her lip to keep herself from crying out.
“Listen for the Wolf, Rose. Everything depends on it. Everything.”
She shivers. She’d heard the capital letter in his voice.
“I’ll listen, Doctor. Promise.”
And suddenly she’s aware of the ticking again, feels the moments running through her fingers, and she tries to grasp just one to hold onto, to keep for herself.
“Doctor?” She sits in front of him, the stones of the courtyard biting into her knees. Ignoring the pain she smiles up at him through her lashes, her tongue poking at the edge of her smile just so.
“Rose?” She hears the catch in his voice.
She kisses him softly on his lips. “I love the accent.”
There is just enough time to see his look of astonishment and pleasure before the dimension cannon pulls at her middle and she is gone.
***
author’s note: This story came about because I read something on tumblr about how we should all write our stories, that even though x number of people have already written a nine x rose coffee shop au doesn't mean *you* shouldn't write *yours*. Because every single one is different. And it made me realize that even though there are already half a million (minor exaggeration) Journey's End fix-its...well, no one's ever written mine. So I should get on that. And then an idea was born.
So anyway, here's my contribution. Now it's half a million and one. ;)
***
@doctorroseprompts
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