#corrupted princess must die

[conceiteddemon]

I feel like there is going to be a princess schism in the upcoming episodes because on one hand you have Snow White and Cinderella and Rapunzel and La Bête who seem to be pretty committed to the idea that they are inherently corrupted and in order for something better to happen all traces of the past including themselves must be destroyed

VS

Elody, who just met the man who failed her deeply and died a hero in a rather futile battle, coming back and apologizing for his mistakes and acknowledging that things are hard and that he let her down, but he is committed to becoming better, to trying, because that’s all you really can do and even if she never reciprocates again he will continue to try to be better, not for her sake but for the sake of others that he has grown attached to

Rosamund, who despite having the shit kicked out of her in terms of destiny and unsure if true (romantic) love even exists is fully committed to the group she has found herself in and in particular wants to make their lives as happy as possible from trying Pinnochio’s awful cocktails to hyping Ylfa up and trying to get her a training bra, Rosamund who is so full of love, maybe not for the stories, but for the people in them, and on some level recognizes that she is in control at least partially of ‘the stories within the stories’ that hurt her the most and she can tell different kinder ones

And Mira, who we don’t know a whole lot about yet other than that she would rather her Prince be happy without her than dead, who reconciled with Alba’s role in her narrative quickly and doesn’t seem to blame for the choices she made, and whose story in the neverafter diverged from its most common, oldest rendition not because she chose to kill her prince like Alba expected but because she refused to commit suicide after losing everything, because she found herself in pain and alone and separated from everything she ever knew and REFUSED to die

[wearethekat]

Anticipated Upcoming New Releases

Anticipated by Me. Asterisk for titles where I haven't read anything by the author previously (ie sounds cool but unvetted)

*Hammajang Luck, Makana Yamamoto (14 January). In a far-future world, a thief is approached by the partner who betrayed her for one last job just after getting out of a prison planet on early parole.

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales, Heather Fawcett (11 February). Book three of a series, in which Emily deals with the repercussions of being engaged to a faerie king.

Wooing the Witch Queen, Stephanie Burgis (18 February). Romantasy in which an evil sorceress queen gets catfished by a disguised imperial archduke pretending to be a librarian in a gaslamp setting.

The Tomb of Dragons, Katherine Addison (11 March). Reportedly actually coming out this year! In book 3 of the series, Thara Celehar investigates a case involving an old cemetery and a miner's group.

A Gentleman's Gentleman, TJ Alexander (11 March). Alexander sticks their nose into the Regency genre with this t4t lord/valet romance.

*Murder by Memory, Olivia Waite (18 March). A sci-fi mystery novella set on a generation ship, where a ship's detective investigates a mysterious murder.

*Aunt Tigress, Emily Yu-Xuan Qin (18 March). Reformed monster Tam investigates the murder of her aunt in Chinese folklore inspired urban fantasy Canada.

A Drop of Corruption, Robert Jackson Bennett (1 March). Sequel. Our Sherlock Holmes coded detective investigates the disappearance of a treasury officer with the help of her trusty assistant in a complex secondary fantasy world.

Don't Sleep With The Dead, Nghi Vo (8 April). Vo returns to the fantasy Great Gatsby setting with this novella from the POV of Nick Carraway post-novel events.

*The Gentleman and His Vowsmith, Rebecca Ide (15 April). An accidentally falling in love with your wedding vendor by during your arranged marriage book, now with a locked mansion murder mystery.

Advocate, Daniel M Ford (22 April). Book three of a series. Insufferable lesbian necromancer Aelis is summoned back to the capital to investigate an accusation against her former teacher.

Saint Death's Herald, CSE Cooney (22 April). Sequel to my particular favorite Saint Death's Daughter. Lanie Stones must contain her murderously ambitious (and dead) great grandfather before he conquers the world.

Ascension, ST Gibson (13 May). Sequel to Evocation about the contentious urban fantasy wizard polycule.

The Incandescent, Emily Tesh (13 May). A professor at a magical academy deals with some troublesome demons. (I'm VERY excited for this one)

The Mercy Makers, Tessa Gratton (17 June). Criminal heiress Iriset uses her ability to create magical disguises to infiltrate the palace and free her father, insinuating herself into the lives of the emperor and his sister in the process.

Last Night Before the War Was Won, Emily Skrutskie (24 June). Two redshirts unexpectedly don't die in a fantasy apocalypse after a band of plucky heroes intervene, forcing them to contemplate their one last night stand.

The Memory Hunters, Mia Tsai (29 July). Secondary world academia about using memory magic powers for archaeology.

Hemlock & Silver, T Kingfisher (19 August). A retelling of Snow White from the point of view of a healer trying to cure the poisoned princess.

[localfanbaselurker]

I’m watching Voltron: Legendary Defender for the first time and here is what I have had to say per each season (this is 1-2) (3-4) (5-6) (7) (8)

Pre-Watch Knowledge

->big transformers type robot

->pretty alien girl that looks like princess yue from A:tLA

->they are the epitome of color-coded characters

->space??

->there was crazy people in the fanbase that sent cupcakes laced with something to the creators

->queer baiting (this one in particular got me)

->klance.

->^honestly I only knew that because people were comparing it to zukka and I wanted to check it out

->my friend really likes it

Post S1 thoughts-

->that cliffhanger was crazy imagine they weren’t renewed for a s2

-> i went on tumblr after and youre telling me they made that show IN TWO YEARS?? EIGHT SEASONS. IN TWO MF YEARS?? that is insane. props to the writers bro they fr must of known what they were doing.

->all of these characters already scream “doomed by the narrative”

->my fav characters are pidge and lance

->I definitely did NOT expect yue Allura to be British

->bonding moment.

->^like yeah okay i get it now

-> the healing pods are a very interesting concept. Like, what if you get some ailment that it doesn’t recognize?? Do you just die??

-> genuinely felt so bad for Not Yue. Allura. Allura when they had to remove her father’s memory thing. Like yeah I know the castle was corrupted or wtv but bro imagine. Your entire race is dead. your mom, who you previously knew alive is now most likely dead. You already had to go through losing your father once, and now you have to lose him again. Any sliver of hope you had of staying connected with him is gone, because the entirety of his essence is now gone. She’s stronger than me, I would have never given him up so easily. I admire that about her.

->I also made the horrible mistake of going on ao3 after

yk for gits and shiggles… and when I go to a new fandom I always search by hits to see the classics first yk

…

WHY are you guys so 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂… I genuinely shed a tear what. I was flabbergasted to say the least.

On that note the top 23 were about redguy/blueguy getting smoochy-smoochy with each other so I guess that should be a hint as to what you guys like

->the description of the show says the robot (voltron) is operated by “five teenagers” but that shiro guy has to be AT LEAST 25. He is pushing 30 you can’t convince me otherwise.

->for now it’s kinda giving atla except the war is intergalactic and lasted 10,000 years instead of 100.

->all the other characters seem to have a pretty clear background, but we haven’t yet heard about Keith’s backstory, so I want to know (I know now, this was my initial thought)

->shiros backstory/ptsd is very interesting, lots of angst possibilities i see

-> I had an inkling that pidge was…genderly different. (At first I thought she was transmasc)

Post S2

-> WHERE is my man. Where did he go.

-> Pookie please come back. Now. It’s not a suggestion.

->KEITH BACKSTORY I PREDICTED THEY WERE GONNA SHOW US YAY I LOVE BEING RIGHT

-> he’s galra! Soooo much whump opportunity

-> the whole “Allura doesn’t hate you she’s just a little upset to find out ur part of the race that killed off her entire peoples and family and okay maybe she does hate you” scene with keith and hunk is really giving that scene in atla: the southern raiders where zuko thinks katara hates him and sokka reassures him (badly) while he was just trying to get laid w suki.

->^ that’s gay

-> the aliens they met are going to be very important, aren’t they?

->^ oohhh so this is where the “langst” stuff comes from? he’s just kinda insecure i think, but it can’t possibly just be this episode that has that tag so high, unless flanderization is just really popular with you guys, but already suspect that unfortunately

->^Allura high key ate with this

->the “Blade of Marmora” people are definitely gonna be important later

-> the mall episode was soooo fun! fav s2 episode for sure!

->^gay. It’s literally giving “two bros chillin in a hot tub. five feet apart cus they’re not gay”

-> I know of 2 ships now. klance and allurance. I only see the former though, the latter seems more like a running gag/unrequited crush thing (for now i suppose)

-> Coran is an icon. I love that whimsical man. he’s beekeeping age per say.

-> I need pidge to find her brother and father man I feel so bad for her PLEASE DOBT TELL ME THEYRE DEAD ILL LITERALLY DIE.

-> pidge is sooooo cool i love her so much she’s literally the pookiest of the pookies

-> Who tf is gonna be the black paladin now. Keith sure as hell isn’t ready for that. maybe Allura?? Cus yk she kinda already leads them a little bit

These are thoughts I had compiled over a while now. I am on S5E3 as of now (07/03/24) but I wanted to document my thoughts either way. I will post on the tag “laura’s first vld”

[amiya-shirou]

Spoilers about the ending of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (the manga)

The most striking thing about Nausicaä as a story and the way it fully embraces its ecological message is its complete understanding of mankind as part of the cycle of life rather than insisting on separating it in "pure nature" and "impure humanity". The forests and the insects of the modern world that for so long have been seen by Nausicaä as better and more noble than her kind are revealed to be born of science, yet never once she stops seeing them as sacred: what is science if not a result of a natural forces? what's most important is not how they were born but how they act. both the Ohmu and the lab-grown fungus developed beyond the matter of their birth. "Purity" is a useless concept, and so is categorizing things as pure and impure. The vast forests we're introduced to at the start of the manga are quite literally called "Sea of Corruption", full of toxins that are harmful to "normal" lifeforms, yet they're revealed to be what's slowly healing the planet. The Earth is, quite literally, reborn on top of the carcasses of the Ohmu, eaten by the fungi who are then eaten in turn by the plants. "Life" is not an immaculate, pure phenomenon. Similarly it's impossible to stay pure when going through life, something that's said to Nausicaä herself at some point, about how despite all her heroism and goodness she can't pretend to remain as clean as a child - to conclude her journey, her hands also end up stained with blood. To the point that trying to set themselves apart from that impurity is what's most associated with inhumanity, since it's equivalent to separating mankind from nature, which is exactly what ended the Old World - to the point that the pure, natural world dreamed of by Nausicaä is something that would deadly to the current humanity, accustomed to the toxins.

Though I must admit I don't have either the knowledge or interest in delving too deep into its ecological message and whatever discussion I'm sure people have about whether transcending humanity/nature is truly a sin (and, again, Miyazaki himself supported the idea of the creation growing beyond the scope of their creation; and Nausicaä firmly believes in humanity's potential to become able to live in the "deadly" pure natural world once they overcome the suffering it entails; plus the whole anti-war sentiment of letting go of your fear and anger to survive, which is a form of accepting your impurity but still choosing to rise above it), but really what's most interesting to me is the way this line of reasoning relates to the more personal level of human growth and the themes of war and revenge.

And this is something that I feel is best shown through the character of Kushana.

She was introduced as a terrible villain who commits atrocities only for the rest of the manga to humanize her in a way that resembles a twisted version of Nausicaä (they consistently reach some manner of mutual understanding; they're both warrior princesses who gather similar amounts of respect and loyalty from their men and care about them in a similar way; Nausicaä was also described at the start as being consumed by rage), corrupted by growing up in the sick environment of the Torumekian court rather than in the much more accepting and free Valley of the Wind. And I love the tragedy of how she's so used to live this way, guided by anger and revenge, that even if she's perfectly conscious of her situation and has fully realized the pointlessness of revenge and what she needs to do to be more like the protagonist she initially refuses to be freed from it. Many times during the course of the manga it's advanced the idea that since humanity is fundamentally corrupt then there's no hope for them to truly change, and they should all just die and give way to a purer world.

Yet this remains a manga about the hope of humanity persevering, being able to learn and grow while overcoming their "impurity", and as someone who was born amidst corruption yet was able to reach the same state of mind as Nausicaä it's no wonder how multiple characters believe in Kushana as a pillar of the world to come and someone they want to guide the people. Even her vile brothers are shown to have become the way they have due to the evil and corruption of the royal courts; in the Garden, separated from it all, they're also allowed to show the better parts of themselves, in what's described as the "first happy day of their lives". Even her father was capable of doing good in his last moments. And similarly even the kind Nausicaä stains her hands, accepts sacrifice, has to learn how to understand and communicate with the Warrior God, a "child" she felt guilty about not feeling love for.

"Good" and "evil" are intrinsically mingled in humans, and thus whether to do good or evil is a conscious choice every person has to make, however altered by personal circumstances it may be. Much of the manga revolves around the foolishness of war but it's never presented as "they simply didn't know better". it's not a coincidence that Kushana's core scene follows talks about how the Court of Monks is ignoring the ecological consequences of their biological warfare: the war is being waged by people who know exactly what they're doing, who know the damage and sacrifice and suffering they're causing but still make the conscious choice that it's worth risking it all as long as long as they can win, and in this sense Kushana was the same: "there's not much difference between being at the mercy of desire and being a prisoner of hatred". Kushana, her father, her siblings, the Emperor and his brother: all of them understood exactly what they were doing. They simply accepted it, surrendering to the "inherent violence" of the human race rather than making the conscious choice of opposing it; and with this perspective it's no wonder everyone is so struck by Nausicaä, who is in turn capable of doing exactly what they judge impossible, who refuses to give up to the idea of a fundamentally doomed humanity and wants to give everyone a chance to live and do something better.

[cosmicpack]

As someone who loves Zelda and is back in the voltron building. Klance/voltron Tears of the Kingdom au??

I’m putting Keith in Princess Zelda’s role. Because he’s the one who leaves the team.

I’m putting the rest of Voltron as a mix of Link and the other sages.

Now spoilers for TOTK as I will be using it for plot elements.

The Voltron crew arrives on a planet to help them out. The come thinking it’s the Galra causing problems, and while there are some on the planet whatever is happening here is having a negative impact on them to.

They find out that there is an illness spreading on the planet. Anyone who interacts with Gloom, this dark sludge like substance, becomes sick for days and depending on the exposure can die. The Gloom seemed to be coming from underneath the castle.

Allura, wanting to help the people, offers for the Voltron paladins to check it out. They suit up, helmets on, and head down. They find a passage underneath the castle with all these strange carvings telling the history of an ancient war, though the ending is covered up with stones. They head farther down where they find a corpse like creature being held down by a glowing green hand.

The hand loses power falling to the side, as it does so a stone (a Secert Stone) falls off it and slides to Keith’s feet. He bends down to pick it up and it starts to glow gold.

Before anyone can comment the corpse starts moving. “Keith” it calls as it straightens up. Everyone is on the defensive now taking a slight step closer to Keith

“how does it know your name?” Pidge calls in concern.

The corpse continues its body straightening as it speaks “and you must be the rest of Voltron. Shiro, Allura, Pidge, Hunk, and Lance.” He calls looking at each member as he does so. “To think Rauru put his faith in such pitiful creatures” he then launches an attack straight at Keith. Shiro gets in between his brother and the blast but it results in the destruction of his Galra arm. Lance takes a shot at the creature and it grazes its cheek drawing blood. The creature laughs at them before releasing a large amount of power, raising the castle above them up into the sky and causing the ground under them to give way.

The ground under Keith gives way first causing him to fall. Lance jumps after him and almost catches his hand but the arm from before latches on to Lance stoping his momentum. He watches as Keith falls into the depths below a gold light surrounding him before he’s gone from sight.

The arm lets out some magic of its own and takes the others to an island in the sky.

Lance wakes up to see the others all safe and sound but no Keith in sight.

Shiro wakes with a new arm, the arm from the cave now taking the place of his Galra arm.

They all find that their bayards have been corrupted by the gloom and no longer work.

As they look for away off of the sky island they find a small golden portal. From it they hear Keith’s voice asking for their bayards. They trust him and place their bayards through. The portal closes but it’s enough to have the group hopeful that Keith is alive somewhere.

The crew learns that in order to defeat the demon king they need to awaken 6 spiritual sage by claiming their Secret Stones.

This is where I need some help. The sages powers canonically are:

Water

Fire

Wind

Lighting

Spirit

Light

Time: Keith.

Keith is already filling the role of time. Where does everyone else go?

I think Allura should be light, Shiro as spirits (they guy has died enough to earn that)

Lance is all passion: fire. But he’s also someone who tries to keep people calm: water.

Pidge is lightening. He’s being able to supercharge tech is a great idea.

Hunk, there’s no ground or earth option. I was thinking Fire as it’s used by the goron (rock people)

And then whatever is left is going to Coran because he deserves to help. He’s the most excited about all of this. (He’s deeply worried about Keith but he finally gets to fight along side the paladins.)

As they unlock their new abilities they also find hint that Keith has left behind for them.

Keith fell back in time. He’s now 10,000 years in the past with no way home. He’s helping the Royal family and trying to find a way back.

This is where I need to decide if this is just a random planet and use the names of characters from the game or make it a full au and make the king Kolvian and the Demon King Zarkon.

Anyway the demon king attacks killing all of Keith new friends and only being stopped by the sacrifice of the king’s life. Devastated at the death of his friends and knowing that thing is going to awaken again. That that thing is going to face Voltron next and likely kill them all to, he’s desperate for a new au to get back to his team, a way to help.

Along his journey he’s learned that a weapon steeped in the Secert Stones holy light will gain the power to injure the demon king. The bayards, with their connection to Voltron, have some of this holy power as Lance was able to damage the demon king. But it’s not enough. The power that they need would have to soak into the weapons for centuries and Voltron doesn’t have that kind of time.

But Keith does. Using his limited control over his new time powers he calls out to the team asking for their bayards. Once he pulls them back to the past he has to find away to keep them around an active Secert Stone.

In the past he was also told that if one was to swallow their sacred stone they would transform into an immortal dragon. Doing so with enhance their power but cause them their humanity.

Keith knowing the consequences, swallows his stone before he transforms he grabs the bayards with the hope that his team will find him in the future.

He transforms into a dragon the bayards becoming infused to the crystals on his back, being infused with holy power for the next 10,000 years.

The team has seen this dragon flying around the whole time, but they don’t know it’s Keith until they all unlock their Secret stones. The team is devastated.

Shiro just lost his little brother. Yes he’s alive but he’s completely out of reach.

Lance and Keith were dating, he’s lost his boyfriend. The love of his life.

Pidge has lost her bother. He might not be Matt but he has earned his spot by her side. He’s family and now he’s gone.

Hunk has lost his friend. Keith might not have said it often but he cared deeply for the team and he and Hunk were quite close. Add in the fact he’s his best friends boyfriend and the two spent a lot of time together.

Allura and Coran have just lost 1/5 of their new family. They’ve already lost everything before now they are losing more. Allura considered Keith her best friend. Things were rocky when his heritage came to light but it pushed Allura to grow and become a better person.

Keith is gone and he can’t come back. The only thing they can do is to stop the person who took him. Keith made the decision to become an Immortal Dragon but he wouldn’t have had to if the demon king didn’t exist.

The team go up to get their bayards from Keith and then head to fight the Demon king.

[will80sbyers]

So I already talked about how the plot of Legend (1985) seems it could fit in a parallel with Will, Mike and Vecna in a previous post but I'm finally watching the movie and I'm finding these things interesting:

SPOILERS

So Lily is a princess with a pure heart and she's in love with her friend Jack, one day she commits a sin when she's with Jack but against his recommendations, by touching a sacred creature (the unicorn)... If the two unicorns die this brings perpetual darkness to the world and the villain needs that...

She didn't do this intentionally but basically after this happens the goblins sent by the villain kill one of the unicorns and take the horn, this transforms the earth from a beautiful summer to a frozen land full of snow where even time seems to stop (Upside Down much)

Jack thinks she's dead for a bit but then meets other creatures of the forest that reveal he must be sort of the hero and save the unicorn so he goes on a journey to take the weapons

At the same time, while Jack was taking the weapons, Lily wants to remedy her mistake so she goes to seek the other unicorn to protect her when she learns that the goblins want to kill her too, but she gets captured by the goblins and brought to the villain that looks very Vecna like in how he presents himself, there is one of the main scenes where he comes out of this giant mirror and the first thing that appears is his hand

Also the villain is fascinated by lady Lily (Will) because she is pure and he talks to some evil spirits that tell him to corrupt her before and make her one of them ( do I have to explain??? )

So he makes her see some illusions and dresses her up as an evil version of herself, Lily tries to resist him while he gives her jewelry and stuff to corrupt her

(very Vecna)

Meanwhile Jack found out she's still alive so he goes where the villain brought her with other characters that help him and he makes up a plan to use the shining things in the house and make the light of the sun come inside the place because the light kills the villain

The villain and Lily start to talk, and he offers her to spend eternity with him and says stuff like

"I was content with solitude, until that moment I felt your vivid presence."

Imagine if Will has powers and Vecna felt it and took him because of that!

He also says to her that he values her thoughts and he's trying to manipulate her and make her join him!

She pretends she's accepting him and she asks him one wish, that she'll be the one to kill the last unicorn (what if Max is the unicorn, or Holly! Or El ? )

He accepts... But remember she's tricking him 🤭 he even says this shit to her about ''creating a new world'' like Vecna wants to make a new world

at this point, Jack is watching her almost kill he unicorn and other characters think she really joined Vecna so they want him to kill Lily

but you know, true love and all that....

Lily frees the unicorn and makes her run away! The villain, that's called Darkness, hits her and Jack goes to attack him... they fight while the other characters try to make the light go inside to kill the Darkness... Jack takes the unicorn horn and stabs him with it while the light comes inside and almost finishes him, Darkness is holding onto the walls before a void of space and Jack cuts his hand making him fall in the void!!!!

At the end of the film Lily is under a sleeping spell and Jack has learned confidence in himself and has to find a way to wake her up now (Mike's confidence journey eheh)

he has to keep a promise he made to her to save her so he goes to do that, he has to retrieve a ring in a lake.... he does that, brings it to her and then the true love kiss wakes her up! They kiss!! Super cute!! Happy ending and obv the unicorn comes back to life and all is good!

some final moments:

I love you, Lily. Come back to me. Come back to me.

I… love you, Jack.

I love you, Lily.

I had such a terrible nightmare.

Did you? It's over.

Jack, was it all a dream?

You're safe now.

So many terrible things happened. I… I learned something about myself… and something about you.

What's that?

You belong here. You're my prince.

I'm only Jack.

My Lord Jack.

My son was right, this was a good movie!!!

[yourheartonfire]

You are an ancient, sentient cursed sword known for corrupting even the most valiant and well-intentioned of heroes. However, you cannot corrupt the most recent hero whose hands you have fallen into - not because of their purity of heart, but because of their incorruptible cynicism.

Prompt courtesy of @writing-prompt-s

The Wielder was silent - too silent - during the planning meeting. So Gleamsteel held its thoughts to itself too, and was not surprised at the council's close when the Wielder walked off not to dinner at the campfire but to an empty grove where they drew Gleamsteel and opened their mind willingly.

I need your help, the Wielder thought, stepping smoothly through the first practice sequence. We can break through the tower defense, but once we do there's no way we can stop the sorcerer's ritual and save the princess. Am I wrong?

Gleamsteel thrummed. It's a one in a million shot... it ventured.

The Wielder didn't laugh out loud, but Gleamsteel could hear the tired scoff down their mystical connection. That's what I thought. Okay. They shifted into the second form. Okay. The princess has to die, and it has to look unequivocally like the sorcerer's fault.

Holy shit, Gleamsteel articulated before it could stop itself.

This time the Wielder did sigh out loud. It's not personal. I feel bad for her. I'd save her if we could. But she's just one person, and if that ritual goes off everyone in seven leagues dies. They cut downwards with extra venom. That's not a balanced risk, not for someone just because they have sentimental, maybe symbolic value to the king.

Hm. Gleamsteel pushed its tendrils towards that disgust. Such a selfish order, to put countless other sons and daughters at risk to save his own -

Knock it off. The Wielder straightened out of their form, swishing Gleamsteel's tip down into the dry dust. I told you I don't want to be king and I don't want to be a king maker. Stop with the creepy whispers or it's right into the bin with you when this is down.

Then what do you want?, Gleamsteel snapped. You don't want fame -

Crowd loves to see yesterday's hero fall, the Wielder said, spinning the sword in their hand and slicing through a theoretical foe.

You don't want power -

Ugh. What would I do with it? Make things worse?

You want wealth? Riches?

The Wielder ended the sequence not with a flourish, but with a perfectly controlled thrust. You know my terms. I want my due, and I want to walk away alive. You help me and I'll help you get into the hands of someone more, ah, amenable. Isn't that what you want?

Gleamsteel simmered with rage. How are you... Why won't you let me help you? You must want something!

Momma always said look out for them insisting on giving you something for free. The Wielder stuck Gleamsteel into the soft grass under an oak tree, picked up their flask of water and drank deeply. 'Cause that only means they're hiding the cost until its too late.

If Gleamsteel had lungs and teeth it would've snarled.

Stay focused here. The Wielder crouched beside the blade. Tower. Defense. Princess. Ritual.

"Chosen One?" Came an uncertain voice. "You all right?"

The Wielder stood swiftly, seized their sword and sheathed it, giving a reassuring nod to their companion. "Clearing my head. Big day tomorrow, eh?"

"Indeed," the companion said, clearly relieved to be in the Wielder's presence. But Gleamsteel felt their eyes cut to the hilt, felt the threads of doubt and the hunger to be chosen themselves...

That one, Gleamsteel whispered to the Wielder. I'll get you through tomorrow and you'll give me to this one as my next Wielder.

Done, the Wielder said immediately and clapped their friend on the shoulder to go with them to dinner.

[pascaloverx]

Forbidden Romance (+18)

Summary: You are in love with Prince Thor. He will soon be King and is hosting a ball between Kingdoms so he can find his future bride. Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Asgard is not ready to accept the Chief of the Royal Guard as the new Queen.

Warnings: inappropriate language, use of violence and adult content in the future of fanfic. some characters belong to the Marvel universe and others were created by the author. This chapter has adult content (smut). Minors do not read or interact with this fanfic.

chapter five chapter seven

Chapter Six

A week after King Odin's illness became public, Asgard was in Thor's hands. What didn't seem like a big problem until power started corrupting the man you love. Thor decided that no marriage would be officialized until he got married. Which now seemed to be the last thing on his mind. Although he was seen with Lady Sif and on another occasion with Princess Jane, no marriage seems to be forthcoming. Odin looks too pale for a King as he murmurs in pain on his large bed. You approach gently, as if afraid of what will come next. And you are afraid of what comes next.

"Your Majesty, I fear for the well-being of our realm. I know your health is fragile, but your eldest son will cause the ruin of Asgard. I can assure you of that," you speak assertively as you approach Odin's bed. He looks at you with weakness. He is too weak.

"Child, do you fear my son's recklessness or that he loves you more than he loves Asgard?" King Odin speaks with great effort. You feel sorry for the King who once embodied the greatness of Asgard, but now symbolizes its potential decline.

"Since when, Your Majesty, have you known?" You ask, ashamed, feeling like a complete idiot for thinking the King didn't suspect your affair with Thor.

"My brave child, since Thor laid eyes on you, I knew. It is the duty of the King to know everything that happens in his realm. Know that by my will, you two would never have been involved, but Thor begged me, swearing to become a successor worthy of Asgard. That's why he will not marry you. Believe me, separately, I hold you both in great esteem. But together, you will be the end of all that is good in Asgard. Therefore, even on my deathbed, I will tell you what you must do, so that my son does not prevent you from marrying Prince Steve." King Odin speaks with a certain superiority. Even in his dying moments, the old man feels superior to you, even though he doesn't seem to hate you.

"You put me where I am today? I'm where I am today because your son couldn't control an erection? Give up this speech of superiority. You've aged poorly like a rotten bag. I'll probably be a Queen who, besides being loved by the people, will be loved by my husband. Whoever he may be. Now choose, do you want me to be the queen of Asgard or of Kyrax? Decide quickly, for by the course of our conversation, you will die before your son decides his bride. Trust me, Allfather, if I don't marry Steve, your son will be the first King of Asgard to have a non-noble wife. You can count on that." You say, approaching the King of Asgard, while he seems almost sickened by your threat. Amidst sideways glances and coughs, Odin finally managed to approach you.

"Have a ceremony under the sacred fire captured in the war against the Starks, you need someone from the nobility to officiate. Loki can help in this situation. That's all you need. I should add that you should consummate this marriage as soon as possible." King Odin looks defeated as he trembles in bed. Not all the royalty in the world can save the soul of a great sinner.

"Any other recommendations, Your Majesty?" You speak with contempt and pity at the same time. Odin looks at him as if he had to deliver bad news.

"I'm sorry to inform you, young lady, but you will have to do me one last favor before this is all over. I want my son engaged to Princess Jane. I beg for your help in this matter." Every word that came out of Odin's mouth seemed to be his last. His breathing is so weakened that you fear he will die before you leave the room.

"Consider done." You say leaving the room quickly, a little upset with what you're about to do. It will be the official end of your story with Asgard. Your story with Thor. You walk with heavy steps to the King Regent's room. Thor is lying in his bed. As soon as you enter his room, he stares at you.

"If you're going to come into my room like this, wouldn't it be better to lie down next to me?" Thor speaks with his eyes half open as you slowly approach his bed.

"I believe this is your future wife's task, no woman who has spent the last few years seeing your dick almost every day, Your Majesty." You respond, standing in front of Thor's bed.he is covered by sheets but visible naked.

"Jealousy looks good on you. I never thought you would feel threatened by anyone in this realm I've been involved with. It seems like it was wrong." Thor says as he slowly crawls onto the bed to standing with his legs open in front of you. All that stopped you from seeing him naked was the sheet. 

"Your father asked me for something. I want to know if there's any logical reasoning left in that brain of yours. He wants his marriage to Jane. He thinks you and her will be a good couple." You say, getting closer and closer to Thor. He doesn't seem to pay attention to what you're saying but at the same time he is paying attention to you. Horny was never a problem in our relationship. 

"What do you think?" Thor asks as his hands roam your body. He gently touches your belly, moving up to your breasts. You know how this will end. After all, that's what you came for. You take off the clothes you're wearing, mentally thanking yourself for not wearing armor. 

"I think you should marry her. You two are a good match, she will be a good queen. You two will probably have beautiful children." You say as you feel Thor's hand grip your ass tightly. An involuntary moan came out of your mouth.

"And you came to have sex with me to convince me that I should marry Jane?" Thor says as he holds your waist, laying you down on his bed. You kiss him, with desire. This is your farewell to him, the end of an era. Your lips felt like they belonged together. Your hands held tight to Thor's hair as your lips took possession of his lips.

"I came to say goodbye. So please, Your Majesty, shut up and enjoy." You say, dragging the sheet that still covered Thor's body and throwing it away. Thor holds your ass, slapping each buttock as he guides you to ride him. When his dick enters you, you feel an impulse to bounce, causing a strangely pleasant sensation. You and Thor look like animals, as he scratches your ass while holding onto it, you bite all over his neck. Sometimes biting Thor's lips and holding tight to his hair, you feel like it's going to overflow. 

"I don't want to say goodbye to you." Thor says as he enters you again, at a slow pace as if he doesn't want to end. However, you don't want to talk about feelings, so you start to sit on the Thor's cock faster, letting out grunts as you felt him inside you. Your hands hold Thor's body tight as you feel your orgasm coming. Thor seemed lost between moans and the desire to take over your entire body. His hands firmly holding your thighs as he pulls you closer as if he wants to tease you. His dick moving in and out of you faster and faster, your bodies getting sweatier and sweatier while your heart feels like it's going to come out of your mouth. Your breasts bump against Thor's chest causing a good sensation, until you feel his hands cupping your breasts. It all felt very carnal and real. The desire between you is very real.Moments later, you and Thor cum. You then allow yourself to give him one last kiss, tasting blood as you ended up causing a slight injury to his mouth while biting it.

"I don't like Jane. She seems like the perfect match for you and that bothers me. But it's very clear that you and I have a destiny to follow and that destiny is not with each other. I hope that one day you see that." You speak while you still feel Thor inside you. You hug him while still sitting on him and get up, picking up your clothes. It's time to put your plan into action. 

"You know all this doesn't change my opinion, your Prince Steve will return to the kingdom of Kyrax. And you will stay here. By my side." Thor says and you almost feel the need to laugh. He really thinks he owns you.

"Obviously, Your Majesty. I will withdraw because there is no place in this room for me and your ego. Make good use of your solitude." You go to the exit, where among Thor's things, you find what you came looking for. The key to the secret hall that holds the sacred fire. Now let's see who will side with whom.

To be continued...

[fearthefluff]

Fantasy Romance Recommendations Pt.1

I'm a big fan of Fantasy Romance books but I've noticed that a lot of recommendations lists have the same books over and over again. Nothing against Sarah J Maas, Jennifer Armentrout and Holly Black, but I have read their books already and I'm looking for new suggestions. And thus, I decided to make my own little list (with help from @housebaylor and @shirewalker). Maybe it will help someone somewhere. XD ***Some of the books listed here are not Romance novels officially but all have romance and have HFN or HEA endings Fantasy Romances The Fallen Empire Trilogy by Grace Draven The Kraelian Empire has ruled with an iron fist for centuries, its grip unyielding until the power of three women, and the men devoted to them, break it.

The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden Vasya Petrovna is a young woman gifted with the Sight which allows her to see spirits who inhabits the world. The arrival of Christianity spells trouble for her and the world of the spirits at large. This story has her rebel against her fate as a woman in medieval Russia, go on a great adventure and meet amazing characters.  One of my favourite.

Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher A subversive take on Fairytales! After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince, Marra―the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter―has finally realized that no one is coming to their rescue. No one, except for Marra herself.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.  It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. Celia and Marco's beautiful story of challenges, love and magic. Beautiful haunting magic. Radiance by Grace Draven Two people brought together by the trappings of duty and politics will discover they are destined for each other, even as the powers of a hostile kingdom scheme to tear them apart. The Bird and The Sword by Amy Harmon Magic is forbidden and gifted people are sentenced to death. Lark, a voiceless young woman, has a gift she must keep hidden. The day her mother was killed, she told lark's father she wouldn’t speak again, and she told him if Lark's died, he would die too. Then she predicted the king would trade his soul and lose his son to the sky. A Fate of Wrath and Flame by K.A. Tucker Portal Fantasy! Gifted thief Romeria is transported into another world into the body of a treacherous princess. Romeria is plunged into a startling realm of opposing thrones, warring elven, and elemental magic she cannot begin to fathom. Only read the first book so far Married to Magic Trilogy by Elise Kova Shared Universe, Fantasy Romance, Stand Alone Novels About Young Women and their Unexpected Romances with Magical Men Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa Callypso Lillis is a siren with a very big problem, one that stretches up her arm and far into her past. For the last seven years she’s been collecting a bracelet of black beads up her wrist, magical IOUs for favors she’s received. Everyone knows that if you need a favor, you go to the Bargainer and everyone knows that sooner or later he always collects. Only read the first book Promise of Darkness by Bec McMaster Princess. Tribute. Sacrifice. Is she the one prophesied to unite two warring Fae courts? Or the one bound to destroy them? If you like S.J.Maas you might like this YA Fantasy Romances Uprooted by Naomi Novik Agnieszka lives in a quiet village bordering a corrupted Wood. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik Multiple POVs fairytale Miryem gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk--grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh--Miryem's fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. The Girl who fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh Mina's people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering. An Enchantment of Raven by Margaret Rogerson With a flick of her paintbrush, Isobel creates stunning portraits for a dangerous set of clients: the fair folk. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—Isobel makes a deadly mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes, a weakness that could cost him his throne, and even his life. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson Elisabeth was raised in a magical library where dark magical grimoire are kept. She hopes to become a Warden whos job is protecting the Kingdom from their powers. Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. Shielded by Katlynn Flanders Hidden Princess, arranged marriage, yearning! A kingdom ravaged by war, and the princess who might be the key to saving not only those closest to her, but the kingdom itself, if she reveals the very secret that could destroy her. Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassment - a condition which makes her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season - but when the strange, handsome and utterly uncouth Lord Sorcier discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into dangerous and peculiar faerie affairs. A Crown of Wishes by Rosha Chokshi Book 2 of a series. A captured princess and a wise prince team up and to win the Tournament of Wishes, a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor. ****Part 2: Urban Fantasy recs to follow.****

[thepacifistrouter]

About the Portal Zelda AU

So, I wanted to post this to specifically talk about 2 of the 3 Triforce Holders in this AU.

Since I think we can all agree Chell is the most easy to understand , let's talk about the other 2.

Tbh, this, also, was born from my friend's mind, but I'll try to explain it wirh mu words cause it just clicked with me.

I know some of you, maybe even a lot of you, must think Wisdom is not exactly the Triforce piece that fits better with Wheatley exactly and that Power (or maybe none at all) would fit him better, but-but hear.... read me out!!

If you're a Zelda series fan, even if you haven't played all the games, then you must know that Princesses Zelda's role in the games are normally more like passive than active, normally the one who need to be helped or that help giving Link (who's normally the muscle and the puzzle solver) answers, directions or weapons to defeat the evilness around. She rarely takes direct action.

Far from what some think and what the game (or more like GLaDOS) wanted us to believe, I've never thought Wheatley is a moron, not a genius either, but he is not a moron, he just has his own way to think and people around him took that as moronic ideas/actions/decisions. Even if you are agreed with me about that or not, there is another important fact here... wisdom is not really attached to inteligence. Is actually more tied to the knowledge we have about life and our surroundings, how we use it and the decisions we make about it. We can see both in differents Zeldas AND in Wheatley.

Just think about it, he was easily crushed by GLaDOS when we were right in front of her, BUT, knowing there was no way he could do something to fight her so we could escape, who thought about a plan to let GLaDOS disarmed? who guide us to the right place where we could do that with no being catched in the process or to the Portal Gun? who helped us escaping from that final GLaDOS test chamber? lighted our way thinking he could die if he did? and even as a bad guy he came with some silly, but also some good ideas for his own purposes.

And some of you must be thinking, but we haven't had evil or corrupted Zeldas, we haven't had Zelda being our companion during the adventure. Uuuh, yes, yes we've had (SPOILERS FROM DIFFERENT ZELDA GAMES ALERT), for this first, what about Hylda from Lorule (a Kingdome that use to be like Hyrule), what about when Ganondorf possesed Zelda in Twilight Princess? not to for the second, we've had Spirit Truck's Zelda and we could debate if BotW Zelda could count as an spiritual companion until some point. Not to mention how she was so insecure about her fate and destiny.

Heck, we could even debate OoT Zelda's smartnes of her decisions!

As for GLaDOS

First of all... like... come on is GERUDO GLADOS, I mean, how cool is that?? how cool could that look?!! besides, I think it fits her pretty well

Let's remember GLaDOS was not meant to be the main boss of the Facility in the first place, the whole thing was made for Cave Johnson at first, but things turned out... different and here we are.

Apart of that, she is very Ganondorf coded. Arrogant, powerful, ambitious, intelligent and cunning, a great planner, she only cares about her own ends. She tried to kill everyone as soon as she was activated, and every time they tried to stop her they failed, even tricking most people into believing that she didn't. But she's not the wisest, she just happens to insult where it hurts someone who not only hates her, but also has too much power (which was indirectly her fault). She's perfect to be the first final boss of the… game?… let's say the AU.

You might be thinking, but there are not redeemed Ganondorfs or even allies in the games!!... and you're right :P but, this AU would also include a bunch of first times in Hyrule's hystory. There are things that still need to be builded, but we're letting that for another day.

Aaand that's it for.

Sorry I'm bad at summarazing n.n

Pleasedon't doubt into letting any doubt you could have about this See you next time!

[shannonsketches]

Thinking about Restorative Justice AUs this morning and I'm gonna copy/paste from the friendchat

part one:

Like yes okay I did listen to the apology song from book of life recently and after a moot posted something about the producer interview where zelda might’ve dismantled the monarchy after seeing how kingdoms are formed but didn’t have time in the game and I had feelings about it but imagine an TotK au in which the sages wanted to make gan human again because the circumstances of his corruption were also rooted in evil and the power of friendship means sovereign states full of love or something whatever you get me but like, they do the thing where they’re working on reigning gan in by seeing him (tm) and when it starts to work sagebody rauru is like ‘what are you doing he’s a monster No restorative justice (/personal grudge bc yknow he killed his wife)’ and light arrows him which makes him get monstrous again and goes after rauru and the kids have to figure out how to stop two stupid dogs from ripping each other and the whole world apart again

part two: (Re: That ^⁠ )

because I got hit with Apology Song from Book of Life AND I Know Who You Are from Moana -- Restorative Justice AU in which Riju is the one that can reach him because she knows what it's like to be a kid in a position she didn't ask for (in fact the exact same one he was born into) who is doing her best and she knows how angry and scared he must've been because she is also angry and scared and she knows he must be loyal to the darkness now because he felt betrayed and forgotten by his people but they still remember who he was before and she knows he used to be a hero and she knows he just wanted to keep his people safe and she can forgive him if he can forgive her but his enemies are her friends now and his people are okay they're okay and he doesn't need this power anymore his people are safe his war is over and he can come home to rest (die, finally)

and what if rauru light arrows him but hits riju (she's okay) and gan gets beasty and fights rauru and zelda splits them up and chains gan and rauru is like 'good chained like the beast you are' and goes to kill him and finds out he is also trapped by Zelda's light magic and she's like 'no this is fucking over goddammit i've seen how a kingdom is made and all of this is wrong i'm dissolving hyrule' and rauru's like '>:0 princess zelda-' and she's like 'QUEEN ZELDA. I AM THE DAUGHTER OF HYLIA'S LIGHT AND YOU WILL HEAR ME' and she banishes him back to the sacred realm so he can see his wife and be at peace whether he likes it or not and she destroys the malice/gloom on Gan and fixes Riju's injury with one like big untapped power boom she's been trying to reach this entire series and Gan can just sit with Riju and get to see her, this strong young Gerudo who is so brave and loves her people so much, and he can just idk crumble into sand and be part of his desert again

there was a Whole Movie in my head this morning

Bonus:

So Riju gets the closure of knowing she did destroy the evil that killed her mother and also gets to see and know and bury a legendary gerudo king and help his soul find the peace he clearly couldn't get on his own and Zelda gets the closure of knowing the cycle has ended and her power was ultimately used for good and Link gets the closure of just getting to hug all of his friends after a supernatural war

now he can go be babygirl to his boyfriend and his boyfriend's wife

and zelda can go be a hippie communist like her great great great great great x100 grandmother before her

and Baby Teba whose name escapes me can go be a great archer and Yonobo can go back to doing mining and capitalism

inevitably pissing off a dragon in the depths who will come out and eat them all

[kenandeliza]

WIP tag fun: Tell me about "Ocarina of Time: The Boy with No Fairy"?

It is basically an alternate universe that swaps Ganon's role and Link's role as heroes and Villains. There are some plotholes but im still working on it

'Boy with no Fairy' is an AU: Any Holder of the triforce of Courage or any reincarnation of the first hero is corrupted instead of any holder of the triforce of Power, this includes OOT Link.

In this fanfiction in particular, It is told from the perspective of Saria, from her friendship with Link to slowly realizing that he is a monster that cause Hyrule in shambles.

Instead of the original OOT, Ganondorf is de-aged to fit Zelda's age and Link is born as a kokiri instead of a Hylian, and unlike other Kokiris, he never had a fairy. There's a magic within himself that prevents Fairies to be near it.

In this AU, Fairies are what tells right from wrong, as the kokiri children do not have that innate conscience unlike Hylian children. Without a Fairy, this version of Link doesn;t have a conscience, he does whatever he wants.

The Great Deku Tree doesn't want this Kokiri near anyone as he is potentially dangerous, so he is placed in the Forest Temple instead.

many centuries later, Saria befriended Link and the two became best friends after she practiced her song. She expressed that she wants to go out into Hyrule but couldn;t because the forest magic in Kokiri Forest is the only thing keeping them alive, they can survive outside for a few hours, but eventually they'll die. Link kept that thought into mind

then the Gerudo war with the Hylians came along, A woman gave a baby girl to the Kokiri as a temporary safe haven for her. a few years later, after the war ended, the king picked his daughter from the Kokiri settlement, promising to return the favor one day and giving them a letter with his signature in case they need to show it to the kingdom for proof.

This made Saria longed to see the kingdom of Hyrule even more because she misses baby Zelda. Link, seeing his friend sad, had an idea in mind, something that will change Hyrule forever. He had seen the inscriptions in the forest temple, that there is a mythical artifact, the Triforce hidden in the Temple of Time, an artifact that can bring a wish to reality.

Link has a plan, a plan that will eventually doom Hyrule

since this is too long, i will explain it as if it was a greentext post

>Be Link

>Prepare enough power to do your plan [years have passed , zelda and Prince Ganondorf would be 10 years old at this point]

>create queen gohma with his powers to harm the great deku tree and get the kokiri emerald [it's filled with forest magic so he can be outside the forest while wearing it]

>Kill Mido because he discovered you while he enters the sick great deku tree

>Leaves kokiri forest with the intention to gather the other two gems from the two tribes to open the temple of Time

[plot holes are in here but im working on thinking about it]

>gathers all the triforce after Prince Ganondorf stupidly opens it and seals himself away for 7 years

>Wishes that Hyrule is overruled by Kokiri forest magic so the kokiri can live in Hyrule

>Kokiri forest magic turns regular hylians into stalfos and skullkids

>The remaining Hylians are in Death Mountain and Kakariko village

it's still a work in progress, so it's a bit rough, by the end of the story, it has to end by Saria realizing his friend is a monster and he must be stopped.

I am planning to write ganondorf's side of the story one day, where after the hylian-gerudo war, he is consumed by hatred of hylians. His mother was killed by the Hylians.

at 10 years old on the peace treaty event, he plans to gain the king's trust, and the princess' so he could poison his food one day and marry the princess, ursurping power and enslaving them one day. He followed along what he thought was Zelda's delusion about a prophecy on an evil "forest kid" so he could get close to her.

Then one day, after he got the mastersword, and 7 years have passed, Hyrule field is filled with dangerous monsters and plants, his own people thought their prince had betrayed them whereas Link gave them an oasis in Gerudo Desert, so they serve him now.

The character arc I want for ganon in this story is for him to let go of his hatred of Hylians after seeing them suffer like his people, he had always thought that hylians were weak but after seeing them fight alongside them. He will eventually become not only Hero of the Gerudo but The hero of Hyrule as well

again, this is still incomplete

sorry for mucho texto

[kahlanmars]

BAD FEELING part. 4

I know I'm a bit early but I'm so happy about this fic.

As usual, english is not my first language so please have mercy.

Comment if you want me happy! *gif not mine*

part. 3

4. Princess Daisy

When the parade starts you quickly realise it's easier than expected to be up in the chariot. You wave at the crowd and you can't help but notice a lot of people are screaming your name. Some adds "Princess". Princess Daisy. 

When you begin to move fast, you have a black glitter trail behind you. Once again Portia is a genius. 

Clark is glittering too, but he doesn't want to wave or even smile. His strategy must be something else, something he decided with Haymitch. You don't have any right to be jealous, you are well aware, and yet you are, especially when the two men talk about the games without you. It's like Haymitch and Effie are yours and Clark is someone else's, but he has every right to be protected too. 

The parade ends in an hour and you all go to a new building, a penthouse (because the last district is the highest one), to get prepared for the party.

The penthouse is fabulous, very modern and large, you think eight houses of your district could be in this penthouse. It makes you sick, but also you have to live there for a week and then you have to die, so it's not your place to have a conversation about welfare. You might as well enjoy what you have now.

You are going to your room when you are blocked in a corner. 

«I'm fucking sick of Princess Daisy»

Clark has his bare hands on your throat, and he squeezes and squeezes more and more. 

«Pl-please.» You panic, trying to breathe. You don't have much time. You gasp for hair, and without even thinking you raise your knee and kick his nuts. 

He screams in pain, and you remember that Holly always used to say "When you are in trouble, be sure that whoever wants to hurt you won't get up". And so you use your stilettos to kick him in his chest.

At this moment the elevator opens and Haymitch and Effie come in, shocked.

You are quick to run to Haymitch. The first one who speaks wins the game, like in school.

« What the hell is going on?» He asks, but he still accepts your hug.

«He tried to strangle me!» you say, trying not to scream. Not only because your throat and neck hurts, but also because you want to be calm.

«Is it true?» Effie asks in a concerned tone as she approaches him. 

«She is a degenerate!»

Haymitch looks at you worried and examines your neck. «Are you all right?»

You manage to smile at him. «I fought back.»

«Does she have a scar? A mark? Is she okay for the party?» Effie wants to know. «You two, on the sofa. It's time to explain.» Effie is strangely scary when she’s assertive.

You obey, but you don’t want to sit next to him, you are scared. Like she reads your mind, the woman comes close to you. You always have to thank her for something. She is so sensitive for someone who always lived in luxury. 

«She is-» Clark starts, but Haymitch shuts him with his hand.

«In pain because of you. She tells us first.» Then he mumbles to himself «Unbelievable, like teenagers.» 

He doesn’t listen, though, and speaks first. «She seduced my sister. She is a degenerate, wicked.» 

Effie lets out a gasp. «Is it true?»

«We were fourteen.» You really don’t want to cry, it would make you look weak, again. «We were friends, and we kissed once. We didn't even know what we were doing. His father beat the shit out of me for that.»

«She is a deviant. She corrupted Dianna.»

«Dianna and I liked each other!» You snap, «And I never saw her again!»

«She’s at home, where she can’t be impure.»

You begin to cry silently, feeling judged by everyone. The fact that neither Effie or Haymitch are defending you is a weird confirmation that you are, in fact, corrupted. You don’t have the courage to look them in the eyes.

«I think I’ll prepare myself for tonight.» You say, after a minute. «And Clark, if you try again to do something like that I’ll kill you before we arrive in the arena.»

The dress Portia made you for the party is simpler, light blue with puffed sleeves and again a low cleavage. Portia must be thrilled she has an adult this year. You find the outfit adorable, but you are not in the mood, the only thing you want to do is go to the bed and cry.

Unfortunately it is not an option, so you try your best to smile for the scene and you get into the car with your escort, while Haymitch and Clark are in another one. You never got into a car before, and you would be so excited in another circumstance. 

«I wanted to apologise, Daisy.» Effie begins to say. She looks concerned. «I just didn’t know what to say.»

«It’s ok, Eff.» You say, trying your best to ignore the tears you want so bad to let go. You know that Panem doesn't allow even talking about that, so the escort must have been upset.

«No, it’s not. I was just scared. He hurted you and we didn’t want to… I don’t even know what we didn’t want to do. Make favouritism, I think.» 

«I understand.»

«Haymitch is talking to him right now.» She caresses your hair. «We will protect you from now on.»

You let out a sigh as you rest your head on her shoulder. You won’t protect me in the games and he is going to kill me.

You have to admit the party is marvelous. Rivers of champagne, bizarre outfits and a lot, a lot of food. When your mentor gets close to you he places a hand on your wrist and he never lets go, as he promised during the parade. You are confused on why, but you don’t complain. In a way or another, with the help of alcohol, you manage to say hi to everybody, smile and wave.

«You have to try the caviar!» A woman suggests, as you decline respectfully. 

«I can’t, not in this dress, I’ve eaten everything I could.»

«You can drink this.» She hands you a purple drink. «It makes you sick, and then you can eat again.»

Your smile fades. They throw up. They get voluntarily sick to eat more, while your people in your district die of starvation. You force a grin, because the woman could still sponsor you, and your mentor repays you with a nod. «I’ll try it another time.» 

«Haymitch!» An old man calls him, and he greets the victor you know as Chaff. You know Chaff because he is a friend of your mentor, but you couldn’t help but feel a little off towards him, like something is not right.

He lingers the eyes through your body and you suddenly feel nauseated. «And who is she?»

«You know who she is, Chaff.» 

«I’m Daisy Pinecone, we met each other in District 12. I used to work for him.» You explain, even if you doubt he really doesn’t know. He just wants to play, he is drunk. Your mentor is not drunk, you notice. But even in the district when he was wasted he never looked at you like that.

«He used to hide you, you mean. I wish you worked for me!» He pulls you close to him and in a second he is kissing you on the lips. He is kissing you! You push him away, clearly upset. 

«Back off, Chaff.» Haymitch warns him but you can sense he is not angry, and that makes you raging. He always protects Chaff, he trusts him, and he is betraying you. 

«Oh c’mon, she has to get used to it if she becomes a victor!» 

What does he mean? You try to ask your boss with your eyes, but he ignores you and continues to speak to the fellow victor. You immediately leave his hand, angry and scared. 

Everyone keeps eyeing you like you are a rare animal in a zoo, and you are twenty four, you know stories. You heard of victors treated badly, Holly told you about Haymitch’s family, and right now you just want to go away, in your district. All this people that is now smiling at you will see you dead in a week.

You can’t do this anymore. You begin to feel overwhelmed, let out of air, and you look for the first window open.

You nearly think that maybe, maybe, if you really don’t have any chances you could jump. It would be easier. Just a little jump. Would they pick another girl from 12? You don't think so, they already had the parade.

While you are considering it, you feel an arm against your hips and in a moment you are trapped. You begin to panic but a familiar voice whispers into your ear.

«Shh, it’s me, it’s only me.» It’s Haymitch. He can’t see your eyes, but you bet he knows you are crying. He has his nose in your hair, he is hugging you from behind and you are still shivering.

«You abandoned me.» You say angry.

«I was protecting you.» He rebuts. You snort.

«Not from Chaff.»

«I can’t let them see I care.» He explains. Not like last time? Not like with his family? Or are you telling yourself stories? 

«I can’t do this anymore.» You admit, defeated. «I hate everybody in here, I want them dead.»

«I know, sweetheart.» He caresses your arm and you take his hand like it’s the only thing that keeps you on earth.

«How do you do this?» You murmur. «How do you cope?» 

«I don’t recommend my ways.» He is an alcoholic, of course. You would kill for a drink right now, but something tells you that you need to stay in control. «You are better than me.»

«I can’t play the part any longer.» You are so scared you are not going to be Panem Princess anymore. Someone will know it’s not you, someone will ruin you and you won’t have any sponsor and die. «I can’t be their perfect princess.»

«You can. You must.» He tightens the grip on your body. «Remember who you are. Say it.»

«I’m Daisy Pinecone.» You begin. «I’m a girl from District 12. I wanted to be a teacher. I like sweets and pretty dresses.»

«You are kind.» He orders. «Repeat.»

«I’m kind.» 

«You are beautiful.»

«I’m beautiful.» 

«And you will get out of there alive no matter what.» 

«And I’ll get out of there alive no matter what.» You turn around to face him, a little reassured. «You really are a great mentor.»

«Let’s go to the penthouse, I think our presence here is no longer required and I need to drink.»

The penthouse is silent, Effie and Clark are still at the party when you arrive. You cried a little in the car, but now you are calm. Haymitch, on the other hand, is skittish. He is really trying to be as sober as he can, but he is an addict. You hand him a bottle of something, you have no idea what, you take another and you sit on the couch with him. 

«You are not drinking it.» He tries to command you, but this time you ignore him and drink without even a glass.

«Do you think I’m impure?» You ask him after a while, not facing him.

«What?» He asks, surprised, then he understands. «…Fuck Clark.»

«Fuck Clark.» You agree. «But you didn’t apologise. Effie apologised.» You point out.

«I don’t think you are degenerated, impure or all the other bullshit Clark said to you. I know you enough to see what you are.» He puts a hand on your knee. «But I have to ask you something.» 

He is smiling devilishly, so it’s not important. «Ask whatever you want.»

«Do you have a crush on Effie?» 

You gaps. «What the hell?» Are you that good of a liar? Because you thought it was obvious you had a big soft spot for your late boss. 

«You always gush on her and want to make her happy!» He argues. 

«It’s because she is a good person and she cares for me!» 

«”Effie apologised”.» He mocks you. Oh, the drinking is working you see. 

«Effie did it. Do you have a crush on Effie Trinket?» You can't help but feel a little jealous, they have to work together all the time, and your escort is stunning, they are the same age. It would make sense.

He shakes his head. «Any girl at home we can use to gain more sponsors with a big scandal?» He wants to know. He is very curious, isn't he? Especially for someone who doesn't clearly answer your questions.

You let out a sigh. «I’m not in love with any girls and, I’m telling you this even if you don’t have any right to know it, I like both men and women. We could use a guy.»

With that explanation you let out a big sigh. You are exhausted.

«You must be tired, go to sleep.» He suggests.

«I can't. If I go to sleep I'll have nightmares.» 

«You have to sleep. What about sleeping pills?»

«I tried but they didn't work.» then you have an idea. You wouldn't do it if you weren't going to die soon, but you are, and even if Haymitch is the smartest man alive maybe he will allow a little manipulation.

«Would you…» You do your best pout and puppy eyes. To be fair you are scared and you did cry. And Portia made a miracle out of this dress and you may look good tonight. «I think sleeping with someone I trust might help.»

«I can't.» He stops you. «I sleep with a knife. I can't risk it.»

He caresses your cheek with his callous hand. You melt at the gentle touch. «I understand.»

You understand, but you say it in the saddest way possible and you look at him through your lashes until he lets out an unpleasant grunt.

«Just until you fall asleep, then I'll go. And just because you need to sleep to train tomorrow.»

«You know I also walked in these high heels and my feet are killing me.»

He glances at you, not moved by your performance. «Now you are pushing it. Get up.»

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

I wonder why vampires aren't shown to be as depressing as Aleksander is. (Idk anything about this book but since I follow you I have been reading all these metas and DAMNNN)

LMAOOOO first of all formal apology for subjecting all my previous followers who didn’t sign up for TGT meta to all of this TGT meta.

But also, I would argue that some, to even a lot, of vampires are that depressing? The Louis du Point du Lac archetype is a very prevalent one, that then got eventually watered down to the angsty Angels and Edward Cullens of the genre. (I would argue that Aleksander is directly written in conversation with the latter type) And the Vampire Chronicles/Interview With the Vampire itself, with its cast of varyingly wretched, depressed, and traumatized immortals, arguably redefined the vampire genre entirely.

Meanwhile, if you were following my blog before this, I’m assuming you’re here for Hellsing. In that, vampirism is partially a metaphor for trauma, or at least a past that cannot be overcome and turning to self destructiveness for it. Alucard’s entire personal motivation and goal is to die.

In my gradual fandom hop from Hellsing to TGT, I basically just went from analyzing the inner workings of one murderous and miserable, 500+ year old war criminal for anons in my inbox to another— only one of them happens to be Dracula!

(And I have said a couple times before that I think the Darkling is written like a vampire.)

However, I’d agree that there are key differences in the way Aleksander is depressing, and I think that is down to the themes, narrative function, and cultural associations that vampirism frequently lends itself to.

Since you aren’t familiar, I’ll sum up the plot of TGT as briefly as I can. It starts out as a very typical chosen one fantasy, where the protagonist Alina Starkov, an overlooked and unremarkable orphan serving in the military, is discovered to be the lost princess the super special, never before seen magic user with the special type of sunlight magic that the entire country has been waiting for to save it from the shadowy, monster filled dimensional rift, smack dab in the middle of it, that’s been making everyone’s life hell. She’s immediately whisked away to a life of luxury, and taken under wing by The Darkling, the mysteriously goth and pretty commander of all magic users who possesses the antithesis of her power. If she can summon light, he can summon shadows. He’s supposedly “only” one hundred years old, but his ancestor created the Shadow Fold. And he’s soooo sad and guilty about that inherited mistake and he’s determined to fix it. Alina’s supposed to to help him do it— chiefly, through the power of a mythical amplifier that’s meant to enhance her power. But the mid point of the very first book is that shdgdd after a big makeout scene with very dubious vibes, one of Alina’s magic teachers, herself turning our to be the Darkling’s mother, reveals that he’s much older than he claims and that he created the Shadow Fold and has no intention of destroying it, as opposed to using it as a weapon against other countries. And he also means to use the amplifier they’ve been searching for to magically enslave her and take her power for his own. So Alina runs away! And this sets off the rest of the series which is a race to get to each of the three mythical amplifiers before the other does. And generally evading the Darkling who has now gone gloves off and doesn’t mind showing himself to be an unfeeling mass murderer.

The narrative from this point on positions him chiefly as Alina’s foil, as her potential future and worst case scenario. As she amasses her own power and makes sacrifices in the name of defeating him, she’s presented as essentially being in danger of falling into the same path of corruption over centuries. Because, crucially, now that she has the amplifiers, she will also be immortal. And he is both convinced that she must turn out like him, but also that her immortality positions her as his equal above mortals, and as his companion, even if he must capture her and break her will down to make her see that.

The series’ main themes— handled with… debatable success— are that of autonomy, greed, the corruption inherit in accumulated power, and the pitfalls of means to an end morality. The particular ways that Aleksander is a uniquely miserable character are inextricable from his role in the story and what he is meant to represent. But the in-universe circumstances of his immortality also change things a lot.

Vampiric angst is usually tied to the overtly, or otherwise thinly veiled, Christian concept of damnation. Vampirism is culturally a curse, drinking blood to live, and fearing the sunlight is meant to be monstrous. There are individual instances (World of Darkness, some of the True Blood lore) where vampires have their own doctrines and believe themselves to be chosen or better than mortals. But typically cultural associations with them are uniformly negative.

In TGT there is the vague implication of “shadow powers bad” but it’s mostly framed as prejudice against something unknown. Meanwhile magic isn’t inherently awful, and the more powerful a magic user the more long lived they are, hence Aleksander pretending to be 100ish was believable. But hardly anyone else actually lives into multiple centuries the way he has. He’s an aberration. There’s also no element of like readily making anyone else immortal, so Aleksander ends up in this kind of bewilderingly lonely position of being isolated in his power and having no real idea of how or why this happened (beyond his equally long lived mother explicitly trying to have The Most Powerful Child Ever)

I think similarly, immortality as something that’s given to someone at some point during their life, as is the case with vampires, tends to evoke themes of stagnation and being frozen in time. Aleksander is a VERY inadaptable character, who isn’t really able to comprehend how much his sense of morals has been warped over the years. But he’s very driven and forward looking?

I feel like vampires as a concept don’t lend as easily and immediately to the “I am going to create widespread political change” type. And again with no preexisting associations with being cursed or damned, nor their being the inherent need for murder to survive, I think Aleksander ends up being in a position where he’s both more and less morally ambiguous. He’s not inherently monstrous, he only becomes that way through gradual, and inadvertent moral corruption. There’s no element of “succumbing to his nature.” He can keep thinking that he’s fully morally correct as long as he believes his goals are worth it and his sacrifices will have a return on them. The fact that he easily could have turned out completely differently and never been a villain at all is integral to his character.

Vampires conversely tend to deal with corruption of the soul/moral character at the point of immortality, or about consciously trying to combat the corruption of a known and acknowledged baser nature.

I’m aware that I’m making a lot of generalizations and assumptions about the ready thematic functions of vampires in fiction, but I hope this makes sense? Basically I think the tragedy just comes from a different direction.

Anyway, while I’m talking about vampires, I want to circle back to my earlier point about the Darkling feeling Edward Cullen influenced to me. Shadow and Bone was published in 2011, and with how slow moving the traditional publishing industry is, it’s safe to say it was written at least a year or two prior.

This would be towards the tail end of the post Twilight paranormal, and specifically vampire, romance boom. It was not at all uncommon to see unironic romances focusing on impressionable teenaged protagonists with poor self esteem, getting with 100+ year old love interests who, in singling them out (for their “maturity” and discontent from their peer group) validate their self worth, but also completely isolate and impose their own values on them.

The first half of the very first TGT book follows those same tropes pretty closely, and the initial romance heavy book marketing was basically indistinguishable from that crop of books.

To be clear, I think wish fulfillment stories are fine lol, but it’s really interesting to think of SaB (and the Darkling!) as a deliberate deconstruction in response to those trends.

Anyway this kind of went all over the place.

TLDR: I think vampires are?? frequently just as depressing?? They just tend to do it in mildly different ways. Also I have a soap box about Aleksander being a direct take on Edward Cullen (and others of his character type) being easily read as a controlling and abusive groomer.

[tantive404]

Willeia fic idea. Double agent Leia and Tarkin as her handler and lover

👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

That sounds…. so cool? 😍 And has a lot of potential! The intrigue, the drama… and of course the ultimate question of how Leia ended up in this position to begin with. Did Tarkin corrupt and manipulate her? And what motivated her to become an imperial agent? I’ll definitely have to write this AU; thank you anon!

Have a snippet as a sample of what is to come:

The Grand Moff drummed his fingers on the table before him, waiting for her response. His most faithful of agents… so promising and skillful in her manners… placed firmly in the ranks of the enemy where she would least be expected.

By all accounts, Princess Leia of Alderaan was the model citizen of the Empire. Youthful, bright eyed and eager to please. Quite a charming young lady, if he did say so himself. He had snatched her away from those treasonous influences of her early years, reshaped her into his image.

He was extraordinarily pleased with the results.

A tone rang at the door, and despite the discipline with which Tarkin typically conducted himself, his heart rate increased at the sound. He knew it could only mean one thing— she had arrived.

He pressed the button to open the door, letting her in. Dressed in a slinky, seductive black dress, she was quite the picture— and the Governor knew she must have worn it for his eyes and his alone.

Despite her girlish appearance, she still made a rather sweet attempt at behaving like a soldier, folding her arms behind her back and twisting her features into a stern scowl.

“Sir,” she reported. “I’ve managed to map the rebels’ latest battle plans. They’re preparing to relocate their base, out of concern that the Empire’s forces are tracking them. The Hoth system… an ice world in some far-off corner of the Outer Rim.”

“Excellent work, agent,” the Grand Moff smiled appraisingly from his seat. “And is there any suspicion directed toward you?”

“None, sir,” she answered— a sense of pride evident in her tone.

Satisfied, Tarkin’s manners relaxed— moving from the stern dignity of a military man to the tender lover Leia knew so well. The Wilhuff whose manners she had come to learn so intimately, the man behind the rank, reserved for her and her alone, in the stolen moments they managed to snatch between missions.

“Come here, Leia,” he whispered, patting his lap. Obedient, she moved toward him, perching herself lightly on his chair and turning to face him. She leaned in and gave him a sharp kiss on the cheek. Savoring his taste… the reassuring scent of linen and lavender which she had been left without for so many long months.

“Well, old man…” she spoke up in that playful, cheeky voice of hers. “Did you miss me while I was away?”

He stroked her hair fondly, his slender fingers entangling themselves in her braids.

“Of course, of course,” he purred. “You know how I worry when my good girl is missing, stranded among those rebel vermin…”

She giggled and rolled her eyes.

“Stars, Wilhuff, I’m not a child; I can handle myself just fine. You shouldn’t underestimate me…”

“Certainly, my pet. Far be it from me to demean the skills of my favorite agent…”

He pressed a kiss to her neck, causing shivers to break out all across Leia’s flesh. Secure in his grasp, she gazed out toward the stars, pondering what strand of fate had led her down this path. What strange incidences had brought them together.

She knew had been a time when they hated each other, when she was always at his throat… that the Leia from back then, so naive and full of hope, would have said she’d die before submitting to him. But that Leia felt like a stranger to her. So far away… as if it were a different galaxy entirely.

She wanted only him. Only him and a measure of peace and order for her people— the security he’d promised her when she first joined forces with him. She would remain safe in his strong arms.

She looked up at him, warm adoration in her eyes.

“Let us adjourn to my chambers,” Wilhuff said. “I know there is a great deal I’ve missed out on in your time away… I want to learn all about it…”

[ryukang1995]

Mortal Kombat AU - early lore details

The tournament was proposed by both Raiden and Jerrod to the Elder Gods after forseeing visions of an impending armageddon of the realms caused by Shao Kahn.

The Elder Gods decree that two realms must compete in ten tournaments once every generation. If Outworld wins ten victories, they can conquer and invade the opposing realm.

Raiden is actually a loyal ally to both Jerrod and Sindel, and both Earthrealm and Edenia are aligned against Shao Kahn's reign of Outworld.

During the battle between Outworld and Edenia, Sindel gives birth to Kitana, and Jerrod hopes to train her as a great warrior and princess capable of defending her home realm.

Unfortunately, Edenia loses ten tournaments, and in the final battle, Shao Kahn kills Jerrod. Not only is Edenia merged with Outworld, but Shao Kahn takes Sindel as his queen.

Refusing to put up with his tyranny, Sindel drives herself to suicide, but Shao Kahn plans for his shadow priests led by Quan Chi and Shang Tsung to resurrect her soul under their dark magic if all else fails.

Shang Tsung used to be a warrior of Earthrealm’s Order of Light until he was seduced by Shao Kahn's dark magic. At one point, Shang Tsung met a sorceress named Omegis in Earthrealm, but after her death, he blamed Raiden, and thus began Shang Tsung’s corruption into a cursed sorcerer who thirsts for human souls.

In preparations for the Mortal Kombat tournaments between Earthrealm and Outworld, Raiden found his champion in a noble monk named Kung Lao (or The Great Kung Lao, if you will). Despite being chosen to defend Earthrealm, all Kung Lao wanted in life was to live in peace with Jen, a woman whom he began a relationship with.

Kung Lao won the tournament against Shang Tsung, but while his victory preserved safety for Earthrealm, it also granted stunted immortality for Kung Lao, meaning that he wouldn't age until the next tournament, and that his loved ones would grow old and die naturally before he can.

With Jen and the rest of his allies dead or retired, Kung Lao had no choice but to compete in the next tournament. Unfortunately, for Kung Lao and Earthrealm, he would be killed by the four armed beast Goro.

Goro would dominate Mortal Kombat for nine generations. If he wins this final tournament, Earthrealm will fall like Edenia before it.

More koming soon...