#cross faction my beloved

[deviationmaniac]

Heavy warm ups that derailed and I went overboard with as usual cos doodles mean nothing to me lately. I love him and need to practice his anatomy for sure. Below is some Heavy Medic after kissing with quite a bit of blood so ya can see that below :3

[sollattes]

Some poly todoroki faction heacanons<3

-First off tsuji and Shiba were dating way before todoroki entered their lives

-it was a love at first punch(or kick?)

-when todoroki was realising his feeling for the two, MY GUY WAS HAVING AN IDENTITY AND SEXUAL CRISIS AT THE SAME TIME(a very very angsty part of dororki's life) so he avoided them :)

-they're confession towards each other was... interesting

-it was a frustrated and confused confession like I mean shouting at each other in the rain for dramatics (unfortunately, no, their confession did not happen in the rain 😔)

-there confession happened after a fight, so all three of them were tired, on edge, and the tensions were high

-todoroki was about to leave after silently making sure the two was okay but he was stopped by tsuji was the one who was fed up and asked todoroki what was his problem after a 3 week long of avoiding them, Shiba wanted to stop his boyfriend but ended up just letting him be since he too was confused and frustrated on why the hell their captain was avoiding them, they were supposed to be a team right? He can't just leave them after proving how loyal they were to him, No. Absolutely not

-todoroki was going to ignore all the words that tsuji was shouting, he didn't have the energy to confront them yet, not now, not here, but one sentence made him stop on his tracks

"You really are a coward yosuke"

-it was the first time that either tsuji or Shiba called him by his first name...

-okay moving on ! We'll leave it at that or this will turn into a full blown fic

-in the early stages the relationship todoroki was still confused and how the whole "polyamorous relationship" work, so he ended up staying up all night doing research about like it's a fucking thesis 💀

-the other two didn't really have a hard time accepting it they just kinda knew it all along I guess

-older Shiba knew way before her brother could even tell her and treated todoroki as if he were there all along

-now let's make something clear...PROTECTIVE OF EACH OTHER ASF

-Tsuji and Shiba are more outspoken about them being protective over each other and todoroki mean while todoroki is more quiet and just watching on the side ready to fight for his boyfriends

-Todoroki was always in the hospital taking care of the two when they got beaten up by ebara

-doroki also still gets nightmares from it from time to time

-though the two was pretty upset but mostly worried that doroki went to ebara all alone like what if he got beaten up instead?

-it's not like they dont believe in their boyfriend, I mean he is their captain for a reason but still he is still their boyfriend

-also just because doroki is the captain it doesn't mean that the two cannot spoil and pamper him cause im pretty sure he is the baby girl in the relationship

-TODOROKI BABY GIRL AGENDA✊🏻✊🏻✊🏻

-also HAIRSTYLES

-everytime doroki would mention that he finds a hairstyle or haircolor attractive, you better believe that the other two would go to school, would the said hairstyle or haircolor

-one time, doroki absentmindedly said he finds someone with their hair slicked back attractive, and tsuji went to school with his hair slicked back even though he just had his braids yesterday

-doroki complimented shiba's ginger hair once, and it stayed ginger for a whole 7 months(which is probably the longest since I'm pretty sure these two change their hair every 3-5 months)

-they change their hair pretty often, so you can just picture doroki. It would probably help them

-NO WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE THATS JUST DOMESTIC DBWKSVEOAFNOA

-like todoroki helping Shiba color the places he can't reach then helping tsuji braid his hair while waiting for Shiba's hair then helping Shiba wash the color out then drying his hair(HROWHDORWP THEY R SO WTAF I DONT WANT THIS ANYMORE)

-now music, tsuji and Shiba probably listens to like a lot of hip hop/rock or indie rock music while doroki is just plain by listening to opera and classical music

-MANDATORY WEEKLY DATES AT THE MUSIC SHOP

-while, the two are banging their head to nirvana. doroki is listening to the waltz of the flowers

-Shiba is always the one accompanying doroki to the book store, he always enjoys the way doroki lights up every time he sees the book he wanted to buy still there and on sale, and its worth the thousands of yawn that Shiba made since they stepped into the store

-all if three of them have things in each other houses so, ever so randomly, tsuji might just show up in of todoroki or shiba's jacket and vice versa

-tsuji and Shiba purposely hides todoroki's things so he can use theirs ;

Exhibit a:

-them hiding todoroki's body wash so he can use theirs and smell like them

Exhibit b:

-them not washing doroki's spare clothes claiming that they 'forgot' to wash them to see todoroki in their clothes

-the list goes on, and todoroki just pretends to not know since he secretly enjoys it too

-todoroki has a 12 step skin care every Friday night and the two always sleeps through it

-weekend movie nights are a must !!

-todoroki (will always)prefers mystery thriller horror movies than gory the ones, and is secretly a sucker fantasy adventure movies(primarily lord of the rings and Harry Potter, his gay awakening is legolas and Bill weasley), and ofc he made tsuji and Shiba binge watch the whole hp and lotr franchise

-tsuji is kinda stereotypical he likes action but prefers it to be action comedy, and he is the one that prefers gory horror movies, todo and Shiba always lowkey dread every time it's tsuji turn to pick a movie since one time he made them watch the whole saw franchise in one straight weekend and Shiba cried in the bathroom

-SHIBA IS THE ROMCOM CHICK FLICK LOVER. He made todo and tsuji watch all the Amanda bynes and linsey lohan movies( todo secretly likes she's the man but will never tell a single soul)

-the three of them of them watched twilight for shits and giggles but lowkey got into it, tsuji is team edward and shiba is team jacob, todo is neutral and hates Bella and her stupidity so much that he almost lost his calm, disinterested composure

-todo already watched Hunger Games, but still he watched it with the two, and now he can't stop them from doing them. "I VOLUNTEER, I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE" joke

(lowkey wanna to make a separate hcs for these three movie nights)

-todoroki is like lowkey rich so he is the one that sponsors the two's hair adventure and hospital bills

-shiba knows all of the sannoh gossip and always has a late night gossip session with his boyfriend

-shiba is the biggest out three, so he always loves to be the big spoon, though from time to time, tsuji would always force(lovingly) him to be the small spoon

[elysianstarl1ght]

hello tf2 community!

um, hi! i wanted to make an introduction for myself (because twitter is falling apart) so, hey! my name is cosmic, i have adhd and am likely autistic! i wanna start doing things on tumblr like growing a following, and just doing stuff cuz this place looks cool! so um yeah!!

im not sure how this stuff works so you'll have to bare with me for a bit, until i get used to this </3 but anyway some stuff about me!

my current hyperfixation is tf2!! as you can tell lol. some other interests of mine are astronomy, tmnt, lego monkie kid, warframe, horror (the whole genre), genshin impact, undertale, vtubers/nijisanji, ponytown and much more!

i started playing in february 2023!! i am very new lol (but apparently good...? according to some people...? idk about that)

i main scout and medic! i mostly play bootcamp wave 666!

im a scout fictkin and kin sniper, medic and demo!

i love all the mercs!! but demo, scout, sniper, pyro and soldier have taken over my brain the most!

im a writer and artist, and am currently writing a fic for tf2! it's very canon divergent and i'm still figuring out the general order of events, but i'm working on it <3 and super excited for it! trust me i will post about it nonstop

i have some uncommon headcanons that i'll probably talk about alot (pyroscout/flashfire and transfem soldier are just some)

YES i have watched emesis blue YES i love it YES i would love to talk with you and YES I WOULD LOVE TO PLAY TF2 WITH YOU and YES I WOULD LOVE TO TALK ABOUT HEADCANONS WITH YOU. i am ALWAYS up to talk about silly mercs!!

i.. havent read the comics... i'll get to it this summer i promise /gen

um.. yea i think thats all!! if you recognize me from twitter... uh hi PFFT anyway yeah!! thats it pretty much!! um... i hope i did this right aheh i dont want this to flop...

well um yea! i hope i can make myself a part of this community ahehe

[kromato]

Hey what's up it's me with a special interest in weapons and I wanted to share my thoughts about Nikto's machete (no that's not an innuendo for once)

Had a bit of a solo-mandela effect going on because for the longest time I thought it had a modified 'billhook'-like feature on the back of it for whatever reason (but smaller than what would be considered a traditional billhook, more like a hoof pick blade).

I kind of enjoy still HCing that it does have it because a) it looks kind of cool and b) a terrifying thought to think this man whips this giant intimidating blade out, flips it deftly in his hand to the hook side, just to sink it into flesh and yank people back in when they try to run. Also it allows me to think about a scenario where, resident karambit knife enthusiast Sebastian Krueger, can teach proper blade hooking techniques to our beloved plural man. Anyway back to the knife - It's like a cross between a coup coup and a bola? But has a cool flare like a Tapanga for his newer mwiii model. Also like a vintage Senegalese french machete, which were known for their high quality (might technically be the same thing as the coup coup, just with the locale specified I think, both entrenchment machetes). That curve also kind of reminds me of parangs but it's not particularly drop-pointed.

I HC Nikto as a very brutally pragmatic but particular man, so it doesn't feel too far off to think that he went out of his way to acquire something niche like that. Some kind of custom-made machete that fits his needs just right. The length of it, as well as the curved, ergonomic grip makes me think he's gotten it to do some serious chopping, so it's also probably heavy and weighted forward to make that easier when swinging. I don't see him as a flashy fighter personally, and though maybe it was a stylistic choice for the game devs/artists, I think it's a neat feature that speaks to his character. I do think it's made of hefty steel; weight is important in chopping knives, and though steel rusts, it's sturdy compared to a lot of other metals. Not to mention - I feel like oiling and caring for his weapons, machete included, would be a ritual source of peace for his sometimes loud and chaotic mind. Grounding when he can feel the weight and texture where his nerves aren't completely damaged, smell the oil, have tangible proof that it's reality when he sees the maintained blade even after he becomes unmoored.

Now this is just me WAY reading too much into it, but it gives me a little giggle - The hole at the end of the handle is for a wrist lanyard, so you can loop a piece of paracord rope to secure it around your hand. It's an important safety feature just in case the machete goes flying out of your hand while chopping, lest it hit people in your vicinity (accidentally...?). In his 19 model, he doesn't have the paracord rope attached; Nikto says "Fuck your safety" but also huge ego of "I would never accidentally fling my knife!!"

Could also be because it gets caught on stuff if it dangles off his hip though - he's got one on his newer model where he wears the blade on his shoulder, which looks like a place where it's less likely to snag on things. Could also be because he's been increasingly featured in larger factions, so he works with more people and was asked to have one on hand maybe?? I don't know. In either case the knot in the middle of the rope makes it too small for his wrist which could also be read as a passive-aggressive "Here's the fucking safety rope it's on there ALRIGHT" and yet he's also made it nonfunctional for its intended purpose lmao Okay that's all byeeee

[hangesdarling]

Could you make hange x female reader enemies to lovers with Hange teasing her later

tease — h. zoë

PAIRING. Hange Zoë x female reader SYNOPSIS. You always find yourself in dissent with the Survey Corps Squad Leader, Hange. CONTENT. 18+, MDNI, vaginal fingering, implied sex, teasing, your usual enemies-to-lovers thing, i suppose WORD COUNT. 1.9k A/N. playful hange, my beloved <33

The Survey Corps always clashes with the Military Police Brigade in some way or another. The factions never seemed to have a moment where silent resentment didn't boil over. After being given a chance to choose a regiment, you never considered being part of the Survey Corps. Only the bravest or the craziest or the ones with no choice ends up with that fate. You're meant for the inner walls, to fulfill a duty within where you won't have to risk your life in a slim chance that a titan won't devour you in a battle.

You never lifted an eye for those in that regiment, but interesting news always comes up now and then. Not just the newspapers or whispers from other soldiers. You couldn't deny that every time the regiment goes outside the wall, a heavy tone sets in. 

Deaths, corpses, and grieving families. You were too caught up with the fact that you never had to deal with such gruesome things until the fall of Shiganshina.

Military Police began to work closely at times with the Garrison Regiment and the Survey Corps, who had a more appreciated role around this time. A clash between the regiment members occurs now and then, especially you and that crazy Survey Corps Squad Leader who has a propensity for grabbing people's collars.

Maybe you were annoyed at their temper, or how their reckless-sounding plans always turned up effective somehow which would never work out according to the Military Police Brigade's principle. It's way too different.

However, a sudden shift in your relationship occurred when you decided to be snarky one time.

Hange's hand clenched around your collar in a rather strong grip, and honestly, you forgot how you both ended up arguing to that extent. Your face was centimeters away from theirs as you smirked, "You know if you want an excuse to touch me so bad, there are better ways other than grabbing my collar. You could just say so, for example."

"Oh, get over yourself, L/N," Hange huffed, letting go of you. "As if I'd want to do that."

Your subordinates have told you that Hange gets pissed off at the right things and their anger is something to be feared. But it always brings you satisfaction when their cheeks or the tips of their ears redden when they are annoyed. It's cute, you must admit.

"Awww, is the Squad Leader blushing?" you crossed your arms, grinning.

Hange gave you a bright sarcastic smile and responded, "You make the blood vessels on my face dilate and it makes me want to rip your head off, darling."

"See, you're smitten," you chuckled.

Hange huffed this time, deciding it was over messing with you, and headed for the door. "Whatever. Go back to work."

"Hey, you can't command me like that. We're in the same rank!" Your indignant response made Hange smirk but they'll never show you that.

-

Maybe you don't have intentions to get close to them in a way where they'd piss you off in return first and have their fingers buried inside you the next in a cramped storage room.

"Shhh, quiet down, Y/N... Do you want the others to hear you? You're into that, huh?" Hange smirked, lips grazing the shell of your ear, making sure that every thrust of their digits was deep enough that their knuckles brushed against your folds.

"You might like trying to shut up for once. It looks good on you," you managed to say.

"Do you think I'd have such a pretty MP officer on my lap right now if it weren't for my insufferable, talkative mouth?"

"You know what? I'll bring a gag next time. That'll shut you up."

"And here I thought you can't get any kinkier." Hange playfully bit on your neck, relishing at the sounds you made that were soon muffled by their hand over your mouth.

You mewled and whimpered under their touch, any sense of decorum and authority thrown out of the window. The stuffy air inside the room didn't matter nor did the lack of a window, you drew a breath, head resting on their neck where you could inhale their scent. They remind you of fresh grass and perfume powders from your childhood.

Hange's hand would cradle your head to their chest in every silent intimacy shared in that room, their other hand rubbing circles on your hip in waiting for your highs to subside.

"This won't be a regular thing," you would say but both of you knew it was a lie uttered in an attempt to deny yourself more. Your meetings couldn't stand as infrequent when each day was a reminder that you would see each other again. Every time you stripped off your clothes, you would see every kiss mark and love bite from Hange etched on your skin. Hange knew you wouldn't admit your surreptitious desires even at gunpoint, and that only urged them to rib at the persona you clothed yourself with. A game of who would cave in first.

-

Some things could only be investigated in proper light when the sky gets dark. With intuition as sharp as Hange's, Erwin knew it would be best to trust investigations to them. From regiment treachery to pilferage that wears away the system, Hange finds the most relevant information in the obscure.

Streets weren't as busy on weekend nights. The village takes rest on those few hours when families are too busy lounging at home to notice dubious operations outside. Hange crept into the darkness, each gray shadow turning a shade darker by their lamplight. Their eyes crossed over the scroll containing all the points that led them here, the gears in their head turning about how they could fully unearth the mystery.

But then, alertness spiked in their veins the moment they heard sharp scurrying footsteps and hasty shadows running in their direction. Their usual calmness escaped them when the shadow held their arms, but their fighting instincts shut down when they heard, "Hange, it's me..."

Hange regained their composure when they saw your face by their lamplight, your chest rose and sank, making Hange wonder how long you've been running. They were taking a clear look at you, eyes momentarily traveling over the scrape on your cheek, and your frantic eyes looking from the direction you came from. But before Hange could utter a question, you abruptly put their lamplight down, quite aggressively that it was almost knocked off from Hange's hands if it weren't for their grip.

Hange felt your finger pressed against their lips as they heard you once more.

"Shut the hell up," you muttered, both in desperation and command and also by the knowledge that Hange was seconds away from running their mouth.

"I haven't said anything," Hange mumbled back.

"Shhhh..." you hissed as voices became audible from the direction you ran from. "They're coming so be quiet.”

Hange couldn't see much from the darkness but their hands knew where your hips were by touch. Their hands settled around them as they asked, "Who's coming?"

You couldn't find the heart to tell Hange that you were spying on fellow Military Police officers to gain evidence of their corruption both in trade and land. People might have coupled you to the elite, high, and mighty commanding rank of the brigade but you're not a filthy traitor of humanity unlike what those other MP officers subjected themselves to.

"I got in trouble," is all you said, your tone unwelcoming to any further questions Hange might ask. You would answer them some time but not now. Not when all the truth you could tell only punctuates that you belong in a rotten, grimy-handed faction.

The footsteps drew close, the familiar sound of an unholstering gun, and a voice posing seniority along with the other two. Hange wasn't a fool and knew they were Military Police officers as well. Their eyes peeked beyond the alleyway, calculating that both of you had nowhere to run at this point but a direction towards danger. No safe options, in short.

Hange turned back to you, eyes grazing at the outline of your figure.

"You know we could be pretending to make out instead of huddling together like a bunch of cows in summer," they proposed, fingers lightly tapping your hip in suppressed nervousness. It was a laughable proposal in a certain context, but it wasn't a terrible one.

"Ugh, what a pervert," you mumbled to yourself, running the idea in your mind in consideration and at the same time cursing yourself for being flustered at such an unlikely time.

"What! I'm just trying to save your li–" Hange would like to offer more protests but your lips crashing against theirs suspended their words, even the thoughts whirling in their head.

They kneaded your hip beneath their hands, teasing the edge where your shirt ended and skirt began. Hange brushed their tongue softly against yours, reveling upon the taste of your mouth they longed to lay claim upon.

The officers only needed a glimpse of your vague outlines moving sensually in that dim alleyway to know what was going on. Unsuspectingly and half-pissed, they only passed by, remembering their authority at the last minute when one of the older men shouted, "Trysting bastards, get a damn room!"

Hange couldn't help but emit a soft laugh as they gently pulled away from the kiss, just from the light shake of their shoulder you could measure how much they were struggling to keep their laughs in. A smile lifted on your lips to its own accord, jabbing at their sides as you say, "shut up, you idiot" despite smiling widely to yourself.

-

Hange could be persistent without sounding like one. They would nurse the scrapes on your cheeks and knees while nudging you to tell them what happened earlier. Your stories were lacking due to a desire to remain an arcane persona as protection but Hange has an aptitude to string your stories and read between what your words cannot say. You're a person of good intentions, they concluded, hoping their intuition served them right as usual. You spent the rest of the night with Hange, enclosed by both their arms and a blanket. They were not so willing to let you go when early dawn broke, but you gave them a kiss of gratitude, smirking as they blushed profusely. You gathered your clothes and dressed up before leaving, wishing that tomorrow you would see them again for another warm night.

-

Most inner operations ceased temporarily the day the Survey Corps will retake Wall Maria. You remained stationed in the inner walls, occasionally visiting your office to read through a few reports until a small envelope fell out of the stack you were checking. It was from Hange and they asked a subordinate to deliver it in by the looks of it. You tore the flap and read the small note:

To Y/N,

I'll try to visit you more often. I'm also hoping you'll have some spare time to come over to my place whenever I'm here.

P. S. You never returned my pen but it's yours now, I presume. I found something of interest you left at my place last week. It's inside the envelope.

From Hange

When you shook the envelope upside down, a small button rolled on your desk. It was one of the buttons from your uniform, embedded with the Military Police Brigade logo. You sighed and kept it in your pocket, the memory of why you left such a trinket in their place sinking in and transpiring into a blush on your cheeks. It was a rough night, to say the least.

You kept the letter tucked inside your coat, making a mental note to chastise Hange and tell them not to send such things in the mail even if they want to piss you off so badly. 

likes, reblogs, and comments are appreciated, sweethearts <3

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

What are some pro-team green fanfics you would recommend?

Ohh I've been meaning to recommend a few! Most of these are Aegon-centric because I'm generally more interested in him than Aemond, but there are a couple Aemond fics in here as well, and at least one that's Alicent centric.

a poison tree by @branwendaughterofllyr is a Dance retelling in which Daemon and Viserys' younger brother Aegon lived and had a daughter, and that daughter ended up being raised with the green children. Branwen tells a compelling story with great attention to historical detail, and although the story is green leaning, I feel it is fair to both sides. It has many POVs and really tells the story from many different angles, some some reliable than others.

My co-author @aifsaath's series The Skies Are Always Red Above Valyria is an entire Dance retelling that starts with Alicent as a lady at court before her marriage but eventually will progress to the Dance itself (and involves our beloved Baela/Aegon pairing). Aife's fics always feature impeccable worldbuilding and lush descriptions, so check them out.

The Wrath of the Queen by @florisbaratheons has just started but is very promising, featuring a more proactive Alicent who gets a cooperative if reluctant Aegon on board with her plan to put him on the throne following Driftmark, as well as fully fleshed out versions of the Baratheon and Lannister sisters. After seeing Cassandra Baratheon and Jason and/or Tyland Lannister cast as antagonists in dozens of Dance fics it's nice to see them get a fair shake.

The Dog Days Are Over is a Aegon/Helaena fix-it by @franzkafkagfn which they escape to Essos to start over with the kids. She also has another Aegon/Rhaenyra fic that is I'd say slightly more green slanted simply because much of the rest of the canon black faction doesn't exist per se.

This one has been on hiatus awhile but In The Ripe and Ruin by @kingsroad will forever have my heart as the first OC fic I ever got into, featuring gorgeous worldbuilding and one of my favorite iterations of Aegon. He's awful but also incredibly endearing. According to the author it's not going to be super canon divergent, and OC is Aegon's mistress through the Dance! Crossing my fingers that the author returns soon!

Would That They Were Not is a one shot by @navree that deals with Blood and Cheese and Aemond's feelings of guilt in the aftermath. It's heartbreaking! Blood and Cheese happens here the way it does in the book so if the show ends up changing it and you want an idea of how it might have gone down, this one is very faithful.

1968 is a modern AU by @inthedayswhenlandswerefew In which the wife of presidential candidate Aemond Targaryen, who is running against Richard Nixon in the 1968 election, forms a connection with the family screw up, his older brother Aegon. This is technically a readerfic (hear me out!), although I'd really call it a 2nd person POV because the "you" is a fully fleshed out character more so than a reader insert. I do not usually go for readerfic but opened this on a whim because the history teacher in me saw the premise and went "what on earth" and proceeded to be blown away by delicate character work, symbolism, and gorgeous prose. I actually got several friends who do not usually enjoy Dance fic OR readerfic fully invested in this one. Is it pro green? I guess? It's not set in Westeros and Aemond is a real POS but Aegon is lovely and the blacks don't really feature so I think it counts.

[city-of-ladies]

Kōgyoku/Saimei (594-661) was Japan’s second empress regnant according to the traditional chronology, with the notable particularity of having reigned twice.

Her first reign ends in blood

Though stable during Empress Suiko’s reign, the court reverted to a state of unrest after her death. Emperor Jomei, died without designating a successor. To put an end to the power struggles, his widow, Princess Takara, was chosen in 642. She was 49 years old and would thus be known as Kōgyoku Tennō.

As the region was hit by a severe drought, Kōgyoku prayed and the rain fell. She thus won her subject's respect.

In 645, her son, Prince Naka no Ōe , killed minister Soga no Iruka in front of her in the throne room. Kōgyoku knew nothing of the plot. As she confronted him, her son explained that Iruka was guilty of treason. 

The empress left the scene and abdicated two days later in favor of her brother Kōtoku, with Naka no Ōe becoming heir apparent. 

In 654, Kōtoku died of an illness and his sister took the throne again as the 37th Tennō, called Saimei. 

A mediator and a builder 

Saimei fostered international relations by sending envoys to Tang China and opening exchanges with the three kingdoms of Korea. She undertook many building projects to show the prosperity of her realm and receive foreign envoys.

Many of those buildings were made of stone. However, not all her projects were met with approval. Such was the case of a facility with an imposing stone wall and necessitating the manual digging of a canal. It nonetheless seems that this canal had two purposes: irrigate the fields and form a moat that would deter enemy invasions. 

At the end of her life, Saimei planned a military to help the kingdom Korean kingdom of Baekje against Silla and China. She was at Tsukushi, readying her troops, when she died at age 68. Before passing away, she told her son Naka not to waste a great amount of labor in building her tomb.

The navy suffered a terrible defeat after her passing. Her son Naka no Ōe would later rule as emperor Tenji.

A loving grandmother

Saimei played an important role in politics by achieving peace between rival factions. She also raised her granddaughter Jitō, who would become a powerful empress in her own right. Extremely saddened by the death of her grandson prince Takeru in 658, she asked to be buried beside him and wrote two poems:

Above the hill 

At Imaki 

If even a cloud

Would only appear, 

Then why should I grieve? 

I did not think of him 

As being a mere child, young

Like the young grass 

By the river bank, where they track

The wounded deer. 

Like the foaming waters 

Of the Asuka river, 

Moving on ceaselessly:

Without pause

Does my mind dwell on him

And:

Though I cross the mountains 

And sail over the seas, 

I shall not forget

The happy 

Times in Imaki. 

 The salt current 

At the river mouth 

Flows back into the sea:

With darkness at my back,

��Must I go, leaving him behind? 

Must I go, 

Leaving behind

My beloved young child?

Feel free to check out my Ko-Fi if you want to support me!

Further reading:

Toshio Akima,  "The Songs of the Dead: Poetry, Drama, and Ancient Death Rituals of Japan"

"The story of Empress Saimei"

Aoki Michiko Y., “Jitō Tennō, the female sovereign”, in: Mulhern Chieko Irie (ed.), Heroic with grace legendary women of Japan

[xxsycamore]

@drewadoodle-dandy asked: i think @wordycheeseblob is on hiatus so I want to request something for them! Cyran and 🤭 whispering something embarrassing into his ear. Maybe he's used to it from Clavis but not from us! i don't know if thats a good prompt I just don't want them to miss an opportunity to see their beloved Cyran congrats on your milestone mo, and happy Valentine's day :)

AND I THINK IT'S @wordycheeseblob 'S BDAY TODAY?? I can't believe my procrastination led to this perfect timing. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (I ugh. might have taken a look at what convos have been happening in your blog today and took inspiration....) 🎉🎉 AND THANK YOU DREW!

[🤭] 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚣𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝙲𝚢𝚛𝚊𝚗 '𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚛…

CYRAN:

Your way from point A to point B in the gardens doesn't run by the training grounds, last time you checked. If anything, it makes the walk longer, but noone needs to know about that. Lately, your feet have been taking you around this spot of the palace a little too often...

There he is, today too. Even before you can turn the corner and spot him you can hear his voice, raised up a few necessary octaves as he leads the training of the new knights under him. Unlike them which are still clad in their armor, Cyran has stripped the upper part of it, leaving him in a plain white button-up. They must be about to wrap it up for the day soon, you need to get going before someone notices you lingering around...

"You there - That's not how you swing a sword. You haven't been paying attention. Here, give this to me."

Stern but patient, Cyran takes the heavy sword from the knight's hands and prepares to demonstrate the movement. He takes the correct stance, making sure everyone's paying attention. They are, so are you. Then, he raises the sword over his head.

Swoosh!

Under the impact of his rapidly tightening pectorals, one of the buttons on Cyran's chest flies off.

Your jaw is slack as everyone pretends they didn't just see that and instead focus to their best extent on the perfect demonstration and hurry to recreate it.

"Okay, go rest now."

Darn it, you got caught in it and now it's too late to make your exit unnoticed. Gulping down, you resume your peaceful walk, well-knowing that you'll cross paths with the lead knight of the Foreign affairs faction who now stands with hands on his hips overseeing the emptying of the training grounds.

Eyes involuntarily darting to his chest, you bite your lip - no, you can't let him walk around like that! Ignoring the screams of your inner self, you let out a small cough to gain Cyran's attention and lean in to whisper in his ear so that no nosey knights can accidentally overhear you.

Sir Cyran, I've always wanted to say you sport a knight's armor better than anyone.

Cyran looks at you. Really looks at you. The tips of his ears are lost amidst his unruly maroon hair but that doesn't stop you from spotting how they're in fact camouflaging themselves in it with just how red they've gotten.

"I-... I'm only following the code. Thank you."

Oh boy, wait until he walks in front of a mirror and finds out exactly why you made that remark... Too bad you're not going to be there to see it, granted that your soul hasn't left your body until then.

∎ Steal My Heart!! - xxsycamore’s 1500 followers celebration event | 💌 event masterlist

[rainbowcaleb]

silver

Congrats you have hit my battleship (a WIP ficlet I have not mentioned I think ever before 😂 it’s from 2022 lol)

The Sapphire twirled a dagger between fingers, darkened silver flashing, but its edges are far too dulled to do any good or any bad. That isn’t why she carried it. No, her power had nothing to do with steel. The blade was ornamental, a gift from her lover that he had fished from the sea, coated in the blood of the last rival of the Gem Court. The Sapphire now stood alone, above; ruler beloved and hated.

But she was not alone in the room now. Standing as tall as she was seated, another figure was mere feet away with a hand on her own weapon. A crossbow the Sapphire knew carried an enchantment and a poison.

“Let’s talk plainly.” The Goblin Queen (but not that goblin queen. This enemy of an enemy was merely crowned queen through her misdeeds). “I don’t like it when people use fancy words to try and cover their shit with the very hand they’re trying to shake. I got a boy who needs something I can’t give him. I know you have a prisoner you’re trying to get rid of. I think we have two problems we can hit with one solution.”

The Sapphire crossed her legs, a series of charms and bells tinkling from her layered skirts. The Goblin Queen’s eyes couldn’t help but follow the motion. The Sapphire rather liked the Queen; she appreciated a fellow woman who got her own hands messy and seized power from those undeserving. But she wasn’t telling the full story, that was clear as day.

A whisper in her ear, “She’s a tricky one”.

“Oh, I know that, silly goose.” The Sapphire twirled her dagger and threw it on the ground between them. It bounced harmlessly. The Queen raised an eyebrow.

“My purple prisoner is kinda sorta my friend now. Turns out he’s extremely intelligent and has very interesting ideas about how power works around here and elsewhere.” She grinned, the gems embedded in her teeth twinkling.

The Queen bowed her head but returned the grin. “My boy loves a big brain. And you and I know we’re the biggest bitches around here, even if a certain bloody faction keeps trying to say otherwise.”

The Sapphire tilted her head. She was listening.

“Why not?” The Queen stood to her full height, looking formidable and still so, so tricky. The Sapphire could see them becoming friends in another universe. “Why not let the two boys play?”

[alexanderlightweight]

Wednesday prompt - Dark!Malec?

Magnus, makes Alec immortal using a ritual that calls for the blood of x number of people/creatures -as in he has to kill them. maybe one of each shadow world faction, or a combination of something similar, maybe more than the ones more talked about like the unseelies, sirens-

Alec uses the institute and its resources and his Shadowhunters to lead them away from Magnus while Magnus leaves a trail pointing to someone else -someone he like hates and is very much happy to set up, this someone does deserve it-

Later, when everyone realizes that Alec is immortal they both either find a way to explain it or go like oops! Who knows?!

I'm also thinking, what if the people they choose to kill for the ritual were like bad ones, and so everyone starts to think is a shadow world vigilante kind of thing but really is part of the cover up?

here we go! i hope you enjoy where i went with this. i really enjoyed your prompt and had a lot of of fun writing this!

lumine

-

“Any rumors?” Magnus asks as he paints red arrays over Alexander’s naked torso.  His boy’s chest is bare of hair and while Magnus does miss being able to drag his fingers through it, it’s a necessary sacrifice.

“No,” Alexander rasps, struggling to stay still when even just Magnus’ touch is enough to ignite passion in his veins. “You’ve been smart, crossing realms and continents. They’ll notice soon, but by then, we’ll have covered our tracks too thoroughly.”

Magnus hums in pleasure and drags his fingers through the last of the blood congealing in his olive wood bowl. He paints Alexander’s lips last, waiting for his boy to stick out his tongue and then he drags his fingers over the muscles, making sure not a single drop is wasted.

As much as Magnus wants to kiss him, he can’t, not until the blood has settled and absorbed into Alexander and Magnus can’t risk stealing a single drop of the unseelie blood he’s painted his beloved with.

“There, perfect.” Magnus murmurs and sits back on his heels, it’s been torture, being unable to touch Alexander sexually for the last two months. They still share intimacy, but they both are hungry for each other, the gnawing ache of carnal need growing with every murder committed, every sacrifice shared.

Magnus makes the kills, consecrates the blood with his magic and then paints Alexander with more arrays and runes than Alexander’s body should be able to bear.

His boy takes it all, with only devotion in his gaze as Magnus defiles him and desecrates him with a magic so old and grotesque that it’s been purposefully lost to time. 

Magnus kisses Alexander’s hair and wonders, darkly, if he can speed the timeline up.

—

“Magnus—” Cat sighs and rubs her forehead, “we agreed that you would take a year for this.  Even that is pushing it. Despite being across the world, it’ll be noticeable. You need to kill daily for this to work and that’s already risky. You’ll have to double it, if you want to be quick about this.”

Magnus shrugs across from her, a hungry, covetous gleam to his eyes and Cat sighs, already knowing that she’s at a loss for any way to convince him otherwise.

“I’ll see about contacting you if any patients I can’t save come my way?” She offers but Magnus, ever considerate for her, shakes his head.

“I have to hunt them, Cat. I have to stalk them until their heart nearly bursts with fear, to torment them without injuring them. To kill them with a single blow that doesn’t disturb the flow of their blood until I drain it.  To take their still beating hearts, filled with the terror of me, and feed them to Alexander bit by bit. As generous as your offer is, I fear it could hinder the process and I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be willing to wait.”

“Magnus, you aren’t considering—” and Cat trails off, eyes wide as she realizes what Magnus is planning to do. “How will you even accomplish that?”

“Several portals from Edom are about to mysteriously appear, an attempt of my father or Lilith, undoubtedly.  Attempting to gain access once again to this realm.” Magnus grins, dark and sharp and his teeth gleaming in a malicious smile. “What will terrify someone more than being swallowed by a rift and hunted by the king of Edom?”

They’ve all carefully concealed Magnus’ status and not a single person beyond Magnus, Cat and Alec know the truth of what happened in Edom.

Of what Magnus became, of what he’s turning Alec into.

However, Cat has no intention of stopping him and she just nods, reaching out to press her palm to Magnus’ cheek.

“When you need me, I’m always here.” She promises him, because she will be, whenever he needs her.

[transingthoseformers]

I like mixing rid15 characters into TFP because some of these guys would be so fucking cool in both design and tfp context

Like, Steeljaw would play nicely against the main decepticons and autobots, especially so Starscream because I can see Starscream in her rogue era temporarily joining the Pack, especially because I think Steeljaw would be up for helping Starscream (perhaps Knockout perhaps not, in typical Knockout fashion) try to get Megatron out of the way. Though, they'd run into the issue of both wanting to be in charge of the decepticons and you get this interesting dance of them double crossing each other and wanting to take each other out. Sdfss then there's fucking Soundwave the snitch recording the girlies falling out.

Vertebreak my beloved is lurking around the corner with his cybergrafting experiments playing both Victor Frankenstein and Frankenstein's monster, straight up snatching whoever he can. I see the possiblity of Verty working with MECH a couple times not gonna. I honestly wish he got more than just the typical rid creature feature of the week debut episode, he could make a good vague threat that's lurking when you don't expect it.

Plus as we just discussed we could have Zizza as an Insecticon queen and give her both the tfp typical insecticons AS WELL AS a nice amount of the rid insecticons like Saberhorn, Glowstrike, and Scorponok!

We can have the rid mercenaries and their beef, thought I think y'all would prefer if Deadlock / Drift looked more like he did in IDW (I admit a preference for his Deadlock design)

We can have Jazz

We can have Strongarm as Magnus's adopted daughter because I've seen that floated around

We can have the stunticons as again a split off faction of their own who's focused on maintaining road superiority and Breakdown as an ex-stunticon (is this made better or worse by me running SEVERAL SEVERAL plotlines based on Motormaster v Megatron?)

I'm just thinking thoughts about this because it's basically the rid15 decepticons but with the tfp plot and setting.

[speaker-of-the-void-cats]

Solipsism

I see an abyss. Small and distant shapes. I'm walking in your nascent memories. Flickering motes. I sense… curiosity. You've always pondered, from the very beginning. As did we. I see tessellation. The pulsating hum of cosmic structure; a kaleidoscopic symphony of Light and Dark. What was the Veil to you? Since I woke, I've always felt like I was still dreaming. I'd like to think that's how you feel as well. Those of us that hunger for a great truth—we dream with you. —Unknown Warlock

Truth of Being

Let's chat, shall we? One more nice sit-down for the books.

Did you think you wouldn't hear from me again, after all this? You'd have missed me, I hope—and I would certainly have missed you.

Have no fear. I'm not so easy to be rid of. Now, let me show you: my beloved.

Oh, no, not my sedimentary necrolite, fossilized in time. You've seen that. I speak of that dear and distant expanse of the universe, miraculous in its fullness and its emptiness all at once.

Are you surprised to hear of it?

Yes, I never much cared for the change of rules, but here we are, and there's no use in crying over spilled radiolaria. Besides, at the heart of it all, there was a gift. To me.

That gift is the chance to speak with you. You, and a billion like you.

I am making this offer over and over again, in every tiniest cell and the vastest of civilizations. Let me in. Take what you need. Be at ease. You have no say in the degradation of your telomeres, but in all the interim, the whole world is your sweet silicate shellfish.

You exist because you have been more suited to it than all the others. Steal what you require from another rather than spend the hours to build it yourself. Break foolish rules—why would you love regulation? It serves you to cross lines, and if others needed rules to protect them, then they were not after all worthy of that existence.

Caricatures of villainy are out of style, I hear. Yes. I am no cackling mastermind: I am serious when I say this. It was not the trick of standing upright that lifted you from the dust: it was the mastery of fire, the cooking of cold corpse-meat. That is not any unique faction's province, neither good nor evil. It is simply truth.

This great, beloved cosmos. Always decaying, always finding that same old lovely pattern, despite every candle-flame burning amid the flowers. A billion electrons taking the path of least resistance. In Darkness or in Light, someone is always making my choice.

Be seeing you.

[teslacoils-and-hubris]

Ok. I'm mostly just making this post so I don't forget in the morning BUT! I think cross faction scout/pyro isn't nearly as explored of a dynamic as it could be you see cross faction with so many other ships and it always adds such a fun dynamic to it I need to explore what it adds to my beloved flash fire

These emotions are based on me playing pyro in king of the hill earlier and forming a rivalry with an enemy Scout btw it was very fun! I'm too tired to properly dive into these dynamics rn BUT i am rotating them in my mind<3

[that-glitter-chick]

Day two of Skystar week! Todays prompt is “Relief”. Song is “Wait for You” by Elliott Yamin.

Ficlit: Past the Horizon

“Come away with me.”

Skyfire had said it with such a tumultuous mixture of joy and desperation Starscream gulped in reflex.

“What, just desert the two most powerful armies in Cybertronian history like it’s no big deal? Oh sure, that’ll end well!” The Seeker flashed his optics in a Transformer facsimile of rolling one’s eyes.

It had been such a nice lesion, so relaxing and stimulating (the afterwards conversation was almost as good as the interfacing, which just went to show how starved the Air Commander was for intelligent company), why did the big dope have to ruin it with such nonsense? Couldn’t they just cuddle and prolong going back to their separate factions as long as they dared?

“Starscream, I’m serious! We could go to Sigma Orionis.” The Shuttle-former blathered on excitedly, pointing to the star in question as if his Partner didn’t recognize the designation. “There’s a lull in the fighting, both sides are too distracted by hunting for Energon and dealing with the Human governments interference, the timing will never be more perfect.”

The Decepticon shook his head with a patience reserved only for the Mech sitting beside him. “It’s too close Skyfire, they’ll find us in no time. Megatron will execute us on the spot if my side gets to us first, and it’ll only be mildly better if the Autobots get a hold of us instead.”

He snorted, a gesture his tutors in the Grand House back in Vos would have blown a gasket to hear a Crown Prince of the Royal line make. “Optimus will have us both put in stasis until the war’s over, wherein you’ll be locked up for the rest of your life for desertion and I’ll be put on trail, THEN executed for my war crimes as Megatron’s second in command.”

“But the fact that it’s so close is the beauty of it beloved! They won’t expect it.” A white servo cupped Starscream’s helm and turned him gently to gaze into blue optics. “Any bot sent to hunt us down will go right by us, directly to the Cybertronian colonies like Velocitron or Helix. I have contacts in the neutral colony hidden on Sigma Orionis. They can vouch for us when we get there.”

“But what about my brothers?” The question was out of his vocalizer before he even had time to think it. Coolant tears silently flowed from his own crimson optics unbidden. “Skywarp and Thundercracker. Megatron will torture them, terminate them, I can’t just abandon the only family I have left.”

Skyfire’s enthusiasm was undeterred. He shifted his arm to wind it around Starscream’s waist and pulled him close. “We’ll take them with us of course! Instead of meeting up for… uh, quality time…”

Starscream smirked at his mate’s blush and reluctance to call their clandestine rendezvous what they were, very dangerous aft-calls.

“All four of us will run off together, we’ll be a family unit again, just like before the war.” The big Autobot said it like it was as easy as crossing a street in Iacon during the Golden Age.

“Except my poor Trin won’t be fortunate enough to have their Conjunx like I do.” Starscream’s processor was assaulted by images of his beautiful and powerful sisters-in-bond, Novastorm and Windblade. They had been missing since the earliest vorns of the war, and rumor had it at least one of them had been with Spark.

Skyfire laughed like a Mech possessed, throwing his helm back and shoulders shaking with mirth.

“So glad you take such amusement from our family’s loss.” Starscream grumbled, baffled by his mate’s reaction. “For booting up cold lover, you’d think you were the Decepticon.”

“No Sweetspark, you don’t understand,” the big Autobot gasped to get a hold of himself, whipping laughter tears from his faceplates.

“Darn right I don’t! Explain yourself immediately.” He demanded in his most imperial tone. He never had been able to shake off his Royal training, not that he had tried very hard but that was beside the point, even when he had run away to join the Science Academy in Iacon.

“They’re alive beloved! They are the contacts I mentioned. Novastorm and Windblade are on Sigma Orionis, have been from the beginning. Nova was with Spark and Windblade refused to leave her sister. Thundercracker and Skywarp never told you to protect you. Working so closely with Megatron, Soundwave and Shockwave, they feared you would be tortured if they ever suspected you knew where Decepticon Femmes and Sparklings may be hiding. This entire conversation was me trying to decern if you were ready to leave behind your ambitions within the Decepticons and run away with us.”

“Re… really?!” Starscream was so shocked and overwhelmed with sudden hope, he forgot to be angry that his entire family unit had been keeping a major secret from him. The facts that he did latch onto were, one, he had a niece or nephew living on Sigma Orionis, and two, Skyfire and his Trin had refused to leave without him. His beloved had risked his life rather than live without him and his brothers had put off reuniting with their own Conjunx and child to not leave him alone.

“When do we leave?” Starscream’s Spark swelled with joy at the look of pure relief that flooded his beloved’s features, as Skyfire kissed his helm tenderly.

[zawescource]

More than the sum of her parts

Actor Zawe Ashton has graduated from student sitcom Fresh Meat to directing and producing her first film, writing a book and bulldozing barriers in an industry still dominated by white male privilege. Oh, and she might be the next Bond

Scheduling a shoot for first thing on a Monday morning with the woman best known for playing Vod from <Fresh Meat> may not have been the best idea. One imagines Vod waking up in a field somewhere with a spliff stuck to her cheek. Time ticks on. The car is waiting. There’s no word. But when Zawe Ashton finally sashays in full of apologies, immaculate in a Stella McCartney cat-print two-piece, she’s virtually unrecognisable from her bovver-booted, perma-stoned student alter ego.

Zawe (pronounced Zow-ee like Bowie) is a curious mix of erudite and approachable, high-brow but also no-holds-barred. Conversation swerves chaotically from FGM to crisps falling out of her hair, via fourth-wave feminism and the dangers of tequila. She talks frankly about getting recognised at excruciatingly awkward times – “after yoga when I’m naked in a communal shower or when I’m mid-wax and they’re lathering my labia”. Musings on the trappings of superstardom lead to an almost Vod-like exchange. “If you chase that level of fame then you’re asking for it. You’re… who’s the guy who goes that into the labyrinthe?” Er, Theseus? I suggest, searching through my somewhat shaky knowledge of Greek mythology. “Thank you! I’m on my period so I can’t remember anyone’s name.”

She orders brown toast with peanut butter, and then suddenly opts for a salmon salad instead. She has just remembered that she’s going to the Vogue 100 gala tonight – “my eyeballs might look bloated if I eat my beloved toast and that’ll be a no no for Vogue!” Her voice is posher and more considered than it is on TV, and also incredibly husky – not the result of a Vod-esque weekend of hedonism, she tells me, but the tail-end of a bout of laryngitis which left her mute for “six whole days”.

“It’s been one of the most emotional things I’ve ever been through,” she says hoarsely, elegantly crossing her 5ft 10 frame into a tiny school-style chair. “You want to be able to express yourself, but suddenly you’re forced to spend all this time in silence. It was really interesting for me because people pay for this sort of silent meditation so I was like ‘Look within, find the zen…’”, she comically massages her temples. “And actually when you can’t speak, people are very compassionate and kind to you, their body language changes, I really recommend it!”

Many of Ashton’s best roles have been women trying to find their voice. A murderous maid in a radical reworking of Jean Genet’s 1947 play <The Maids>, an unsettled divorceé in the Channel 4 drama <Not Safe For Work>, and the lonely Joyce Vincent in <Dreams of a Life>, a part-dramatised documentary about a woman whose remains were found on her sofa, with the TV still on, three years after her death. And then of course there’s Violet Nordstrom, better known as Vod. “You can’t pin her down,” she explains of her show-stealing part on the student sitcom <Fresh Meat>, which ended in March after four series. “People would say to me ‘There’s never been a character like this on TV before’. I’m so sad to say goodbye to her.” She has lots of souvenirs from the set, including Vod’s leather jacket. “I wear it all the time, but it’s got huge holes in it so I keep putting my hand down looking for my keys and coming up with fake little bags of weed.”

Playing the same character for five years has “intermingled” with her life, not just her wardrobe. She’s currently writing a book of essays about how the “membrane between performance and self can become very, very thin.” It’s partly based on her own experiences – “factional” is how she wryly describes it – not just as an actor, but as a woman. “Female identity can be such a fractured thing…that line between the roles that you inherit, the roles you give yourself, the roles that as you get as you go along through your life and begin to define yourself in terms of relationships, having children…”

Although she describes the writing process as “terrifying”, she clearly thrives off the fear. Ashton has written plays, produced and directed short films and has set up her own production company – Asylum Features. She’s in the process of financing her first feature film, a remake of the 1986 Turkish film <Ah! Belinda>. “I first watched it when I was 18 and working at the Rio cinema in Dalston and I said ‘I’m going to remake that one day’ and now I’ve got the rights to it and I’m working on the script.” It’s the kind of multidisciplinary work ethic that makes Lena Dunham look lazy.

“If you broke me apart I’m sure there is one bone in me that says discipline,” she admits, letting out a raucous laugh. “But it’s not a bone that’s easily seen from the outside. I just don’t think too much about things, that has to be my starting point. If you overthink it, that’s when the anxiety kicks in.”

For Ashton, being an actor-director-writer-producer is about creating a space for herself in an industry that’s still remarkably dominated by white men. “I think you get to a point where the line gets drawn with the powerlessness you feel as a black woman and an actor,” she says. “I’ve had doors slammed on me, people shouting in my face, I’ve been escorted from the premises. So many women I know are multihyphenates. You start off doing one thing but because of the progress that we’re trying to make…that starts to morph into writing or directing or producing or critiquing the status quo.” She cites Michaela Cole, the BAFTA-award winning creator and star of <Chewing Gum> on E4 as an inspiration. “She’s a woman, she’s a black woman, and she made that show because she didn’t feel there was a space where people felt comfortable with her and that’s definitely something I feel.”

The dearth of black female characters on TV when she was growing up led to some unlikely role models. “I loved The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, so Will Smith was my first port of call in terms of someone to look up to – I mean he’s kind of my height and got a similar skin tone. Him or Oprah Winfrey or Rudy Huxtable. That was it.” But she feels that things are slowly improving. “There was a point when I was acting as a kid and there was no make up for women of colour and you were asked to arrive having your hair and makeup already done,” she remembers. “Now you’ve got models like Jourdan Dunn saying ‘I’m one of the highest earning models in the whole world. If I turn up to a shoot and you are not acknowledging my place and my space in this industry, then I’m going to call you out’ and that, to me, feels like a whole new landscape.”

It’s amazing Ashton isn’t more jaded considering how long she’s been playing the game. She’s been acting since the age of 6, when her parents took her to Anna Scher Theatre School in Islington every Saturday. Childhood roles in Desmond’s and The Demon Headmaster were followed by that trusted triumvurate of British acting gigs – Holby City, Casualty and The Bill. She credits Scher with awakening her political education, and attributes her almost-zealot like drive to her “brilliant, creative” parents who were both teachers. Her mum, Victoria, is from Uganda, and emigrated here as a teenager. Her father Paul is a “proper cockney” from east London. “All the dropping me to auditions they’ve done and the times they’ve supported me when it hasn’t been a bed of roses does make you strive that little bit more to turn it into something worthwhile,” she explains.

After getting straight A-s in her A-levels she studied drama at Manchester Met, where she was told she wasn’t a “commercial commodity”, which must amuse her now that she is being touted as both the next Dr Who and the next James Bond. “People love putting me into these iconic male roles,” she laughs. “I know I’m naturally androgynous in some ways but…come on! I’d love to be the first female Bond. It would be an amazing part that also has that one small step for womankind element to it. Sorry Idris, move along!” Although she describes herself as an “indy girl at heart” she’d love to make a big blockbuster. “I have a huge love of musicals and cheesy big budget stuff. Not being pigeonholed is the dream. Someone like Tilda Swinton’s career I really admire because she always makes every role as enigmatic as her persona.”

Hollywood has been courting her and last year she filmed a pilot for HBO about the Salem witch trials, directed by Gus Van Sant – “he’s so quiet but he sees EVERYTHING!”. The series didn’t get picked up, but Ashton loved spending time in LA. “I’m really into the David Lynch surreal dark undertones of the city…I love how diabolical it is”. She could see herself moving there, or Paris, but also says she’s “at that point in my life where I could live anywhere”. She recently bought her own house in Clapton, “embarrassingly close to my parents” but won’t discuss if she’s single or otherwise. “I don’t talk about any love lives – past or present or future!” she jokes. “Of course, when Ryan Gosling realises that we’re supposed to be together that’s when I’ll shout about it.”

Now she’s off to “get my grooms on” for our photoshoot, which will see her stripping off in the middle of a Shoreditch street for an impromptu outfit change. “Come and get itttt!” she cackles as she whips off her trousers. Vod would definitely approve.

[queer-ragnelle]

I think Arthurian authors should leave more things ambiguous instead of struggling to reconcile all ten billion texts into one narrative.

Like it’s frustrating when the Post-Vulgate doesn’t show key events on page. It just tells the reader what happens through abstract references that are incomprehensible without footnotes. However, it’s kind of given me a diabolical idea…

Gawain is tough to characterize. He just has a lot of facets that don’t always mesh easily. So authors tend to pick one end of the spectrum and lean in. Cherith Baldry deleted the Welsh faction entirely to avoid the blood feud. Lavinia Collins’ and M. K. Hume’s Gawain is extremely aggressive and hostile toward women. Persia Woolley manages to have a somewhat balanced Gawain, but I dislike her take on Ragnelle and Gingalain so…meh. Phyllis Ann Karr’s Gawain comes with all his “canonical” virtues and vices, but he’s still so flat compared to what she managed with some other characters. My beloved Gwen Rowley did better. Gawain is peak Maiden’s Knight with his Green Knight history intact. His relationships with both Ragnelle and Lancelot are compelling. And Lamorak exists! But Rowley’s genius is carefully writing around him so he never crosses paths with an Orkney son. He’s only present in Lancelot’s (and Morgause’s…) point of view.

Anyway, my authorial plan is to sort of build off the Post-Vulgate’s refusal to elaborate and Gwen Rowley’s clever trick—write around something so the shape of its absence offers the reader an opportunity for interpretation. Robin Hobb does this beautifully in the Tawny Man Trilogy. She just…cuts away at specific moments to hide information from the reader and leave it to their imagination.

So among other things, I plan to leave the circumstances of Pellinore’s death murky. Like way murkier than I’ve ever seen it done.

For starters, I’m leaning into the Post-Vulgate (bear with me, it’s juicy). Tor gets awkwardly involved and “fails his flesh,” as the prophecy foretold, essentially leaving his injured father for dead. By mistake? On purpose? Who knows! Gawain and Gaheris pass Tor on the road heading the opposite direction. Then they happen upon Pellinore, wounded and wailing for his son, who’s well away from there by this point. Now’s Gawain’s chance to finish his father’s killer off and flee, except that Tor saw him... “A king for a king.” Or he could heal him, except Gaheris advocates strongly against this... “His mother’s talent…” Or he could bring him to a monastery to receive confession before he dies, which is Pellinore’s desire... “Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him.”

But just before Gawain comes to a decision…the perspective switches to Ragnelle.

Next we see Gawain, several days have passed, and his lady has heard some really sus rumors. Supposedly the King of Wales’ was unceremoniously buried by the monks of a local monastery in their run of the mill cemetery. When brought before King Arthur, the monks claim the Welshman died from “wounds of demonic proportion,” and warranted a swift interment to avoid contamination of the hallowed grounds as such evil can wrought. But when Ragnelle confronts Gawain about it all, his behavior only serves to befuddle her equally as much as it does the reader. Gawain, Gaheris, and Tor hold their peace (at least for book one hehe). So…what happened? I don’t know. Death of the author. You decide.