#from that time we got sucked into a magic book (again) and then he got mad at us for being fake halloween fans

[egophiliac]

A guy who just wake up from a coma -> what did i miss?

Pomefiore was the last plot i follow before real life made me forget about our silly boys. How bad has the plot become now for our gang? Also who is that Gojo looking guy?

anon, I am so sorry and I mean this in the best way, but I do think episode 5 is the absolute funniest place to have stopped following Twst because shit starts escalating SO fast after that. episode 6 literally starts with a secret government shadow agency breaking down our doors and kidnapping students. zero to a million instantly.

and like...that's not even the zaniest thing so far? Ortho's hacked into the collective human unconscious. there's time travel (sort of). "Crowley might be Malleus' long-lost father" is a serious theory. if you'd told me any of this back pre-episode 6, I would have asked for the link to this unbelievable but highly intriguing fanfic.

also, episode 7 gave us (and then immediately took away 😔) the best character in the whole story:

[crowsintheforest]

it's been a few weeks, by the time I post this, since I finished wind and truth. mostly I wanted to write out my thoughts as best I can, think on it some more, because for the first 48h after I finished I mostly was just laying around like

this got out of control so putting my thoughts behind a cut. tl;dr, book good, I have lots of thoughts, can't wait for 2031 or whenever we get book 6 (and also the next mistborn trilogy, ghostblood trilogy, my guy)

overall, I really liked it! sanderson makes very breezy high fantasy books: characters who are easy to love, big world-shaking plots with strong small-scale interpersonal stuff, themes of love despite the horrors, and some of the most fascinating magic systems around. we got to see a bunch of that last one all tossed together, with all the world hopping going on.

it's been really neat seeing sanderson improve as a writer. while I don't think this is necessarily my favorite sanderson book (or my favorite stormlight, for that matter), WaT shows off how much he's grown as a writer and a storyteller. using 1400 pages to maximally show 10 days of story, across multiple perspectives, nations, and worlds, gives him a lot of room to expand to a breaking point, and he manages to hold it all together, even weaving themes of the power of collaboration and interpersonal responsibility, the false promise of acceptance without responsibility, the value of redemption through choosing over and over again to change, and how kaladin stormblessed is able to be exactly where he's needed at just the right time.

(extremely minor nitpick, but I do wish he'd lay off of using literally so often)

the plot was fine, and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to keep track, even with fifteen billion things going on (if you're reading this far, you probably know what this book is about, but here's my best shot: over the course of 10 days before the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny of dalinar v odium, dalinar and navani try to figure out why Honor died and end up with the worst babysitting gig; shallan tries to do a stabby and gets sucked into said history along with rlain and renarin, who are just figuring themselves out a bit; kaladin and szeth go on a murder road trip to szeth's home of shinovar; adolin tries his best to keep azir from falling to odium's forces; and venli desperately tries to find a home for her people and herself).

that was long. so I think the easiest way for me to do this is go character by character. so let's start.

I wrote so much I'm sorry

kaladin stormblessed: my emotional support bridgeboy going out there emotionally supporting the most mentally unwell people in this book. his dance with syl was a bright spot (even as szeth got kidnapped for murdering), and he's grown so much. I called him taking the herald position pretty much from the moment it opened for szeth, but that didn't make the journey he's on any less glorious. he's finally going to get a fucking break and hopefully help himself and the others heal. herald of second chances indeed.

also kudos to kal for getting tf out of the line of succession dalinar tried to en-dad him with by fucking off to a completely separate planet. maximum avoidance of lighteyed-ness through maximum acceptance of responsibility. I love him so much.

shallan davar: comparatively, not quite the depth I would have liked for shallan? but like kaladin, a lot of her emotional growth and development was in oathbringer/RoW, so getting to see her cut loose and accept herself, and use that acceptance for maximum output/knife was great. she and kelsier are going to fuck each other up and I am going to giggle with glee.

adolin kholin: I loved adolin before this book, I loved adolin during this book, and I will love adolin forever. his journey in this book is an interesting parallel to dalinar's and kaladin's, accepting his relative lack of supernatural power but also embracing his role as a leader and a helper. he helped maya! he helped his armor spren! he helped yanagawn!!! he used a candelabra in a duel!!!!! finally, he made the leap about oaths v promises before dalinar did, which strikes me as very adolin and also deeply sad because dalinar's dead and adolin never got to tell his dad about his realizations.

quick ot3 aside: I'm not okay that it's kaladin's gifts to shallan (boots to ground her) and adolin (a sword to support him) that got them both through their wedding. I'm not okay that kaladin is the first person they think about to improve themselves, after their spouse. I'm not okay that kaladin thinks of them as inspiration, and hope, and the drink with friends he's never going to get because his body's fuckin buried in shinovar and no one knows he helped to reforge the oathpact. I'm not okay about any of this.

dalinar kholin: so that oaths v promises thing? that dalinar has to accept because, as navani told him halfway through, he's gotta listen before he jumps, even when they're in agreement? yeah. breaking his oath to force a cosmere-level intervention, and make the other shards deal with odium. trading his life, his soul, his freedom, and his legacy, so that others might survive. and he dies protecting his grand-nephew. one of my favorite war criminals in fiction. I'll miss him very much.

szeth-son-neturo: did not expect him to give up his oaths in his apotheosis. in retrospect, very well foreshadowed, and I love that it is a decision that he took into himself, with hope for a future he never thought he deserved. his pokemon trainer journey through shinovar had some great fights in it, but idk, for all that he was the flashback character this time around, I don't feel like I learned anything new about him. maybe this is the end of his story, and I'm okay with that. hey sando can we meet his wife in the next books, she seems cool (and helped him bury kaladin's body for their first interaction, that's wild).

navani kholin: needed more of her. not sure how, and what we got was good, but...agh. I think she suffers the most from the condensed timescale post-RoW.

gavinor kholin: lol sanderson pulled an angel-and-conner on us. I had to put the book down for this one, I was giggling so hard for the wrong reasons. goofy ass twist my guy. based on a rugpull of navani losing the kid that I didn't entirely accept. can't wait for adolin to run into him in the future

sigzil: reading this book after reading the sunlit man was an exercise in emotional devastation and I will never get over sigzil finding himself, finally, and then willingly giving it up to save his spren and his comrades. fuck moash, seriously.

lift and vasher: what a duo. good luck with this one, vasher, you're going to train up a terror. you deserve it, after, what, Mad Sciencing your way to anti-light? for someone so smart, you're a dumbass.

hey btw where is vivenna, can't wait for that reunion (aka vivenna trying to gut vasher, which he deserves, what the fuck were you doing with gavilar my dude)

renarin kholin and rlain: much like navani, I feel like they kind of got the short shrift, although theirs feels less bad I think? navani felt like her continuation got cut short, but renarin and rlain both feel like their story is just beginning. which is probably the point? anyways, I like them both very much, more please. gay love saved the planet.

venli: really liked where we ended up with venli, who not only came to terms somewhat with her past devastation against her own people, but made the call to reach out to her enemies in order to forge peace. something about renarin and rlain's decision for a chance for the future via freedom of the imprisoned over continued oppression in the name of stability; paralleling venli and the singers' choice to reach out to jasnah, their oppressors and enemies, to mark their own space and nation? it's so good. I'm probably the most excited about this particular plot/nation-building moving forward.

thaidakar: kelsier what the fuck are you doing and why did you inquisitor one of your eyes, you know what happened to your brother (oh no now I'm sad about mistborn series 1 again)

jasnah kholin: you know what I realized, writing all this up, that led to jasnah's downfall? she hasn't really changed this whole series so far. journey before destination, you know? unlike pretty much everyone else, she thought she'd already finished her journey. she's the fourth ideal pretty much before the series even starts (maybe? I might be wrong), she's the smartest person in the world, she's taken steps to fill what she thinks is her weakness (strength on the front lines). but she never acknowledged that she could be fatally flawed, that she made terrible mistakes in what she thought was good, and never reconsidered her position as potentially hypocritical. I know we're getting jasnah flashbacks late in the series, so I'm excited to see where she goes in the future, but boy her shit got rocked by fen and odium.

hoid: lol. lololol. looooooooool.

[thatwritergirlsblog]

10 worst ways to start a book

1. An irrelevant point of view

It's extremely frustrating as a reader to read the opening scene of a novel, get invested in the story and start rooting for the POV character, only to have that character never show up again or show up as an unimportant character.

Your readers will feel betrayed. Why did they get emotionally invested in this character? Why did they care?

One of the most important functions of your first scene or chapter is introducing your main character and getting the reader to root for them.

Don’t waste that crucial moment on an unimportant POV.

2. Too many characters

Starting to read a new book is usually a bit confusing. You have to get to know new characters, a new world, a new writing style etc.

Don’t add to that confusion by introducing two dozen characters in the opening scene. Readers won’t remember their names or care about them; they’ll just feel overwhelmed and confused.

Additionally, readers will also struggle to root for the main character, because there are too many other people crowding the scene.

3. Telling

My name is Lisa. I’m a short, feisty brunette who loves horse riding. I have two best friends called Anna and Daniel, and we carpool to college every day. I have a crush on Josh, one of my tutors, but he’s twenty-seven and isn’t interested in me.

Telling is boring. It has its place, but the start of your novel is not it. The above paragraph could have been an interesting scene in which you showed the reader all the information via action and dialogue.

Unless you’re using subversion to surprise the reader, e.g., My name is Lisa and I’m a class-three demon, don’t start with telling. 

Immerse the reader in the story through action, dialogue and the senses. Show us who the main character is, don’t just tell us.

4. Description

Please don’t start your book with a page-long description of the setting. In fact, I would recommend not starting with description at all. 

Yes, a few lines of description later in the opening scene is fine. But the reader needs to care first. 

No matter how beautiful your writing is, readers won’t be sucked in by a five-paragraph description of a field.

5. Worldbuilding info dump

Please don’t start your book with an explanation of your world’s climate, politics, history, magic system etc. 

Once again, the reader needs to care first. 

There needs to be action and conflict and a compelling plot. The world exists as a backdrop for the story and the characters – it’s not the protagonist and it shouldn’t take up the opening scene.

6. The dream sequence

The main reason that this is a bad way to start your book is that it’s been done way too many times.

But that’s not the only reason.

It also feels like a betrayal to the reader, because they got invested in the story and the character and the events, and then you tell them it was never real.

And oftentimes the storyline and world of the dream is much more interesting than the actual story, which makes the latter look very boring in comparison.

7. Looking in a mirror

Once again, it’s just been done too much: A character looking in a mirror and describing their physical appearance to the reader. 

Firstly, no one describes their appearance in detail when they look in the mirror.

Secondly, the reader doesn’t even know who this person is. We don’t know if we’re interested in the character yet. We don’t know why we should care. So, we don’t want a detailed description of the character’s appearance right off the bat.

Show us interesting aspects of your main character’s personality, hobbies and life. Weave in physical description as it becomes relevant. It’s not important enough for the very first paragraph.

8. Starting way too early

Yes, most books don’t start with the inciting incident (although I recommend that they do), but the start of your book shouldn’t be too far away from your inciting incident.

So, don’t start with a long scene describing the main character’s everyday life. The readers want the thing to happen.

Providing context and introducing the main character is fine, but don’t leave the reader hanging for too long before you get to the good stuff.

9. Trying too hard

“Your first line has to be amazing and hook the reader. It needs to be something no one has ever read before.”

I bet you’ve heard that piece of advice hundreds of times. It’s not bad advice, but taken to the extreme, it creates an opening that is disjointed, conflated and confusing.

Your first scene should introduce your character, story and voice. So, don’t write a single line of profound purple prose that has very little to do with your actual story as a first line.

Focus on writing a good story. Introduce the reader to the book and make the main character intriguing. You don’t need a mind-blowing first line.

10. The lesson

Most books have a theme or something the author wants to say. Oftentimes, that takes the form of a life lesson.

This is good, but the lesson needs to be subtly woven into the story.

It should not be forced down the reader’s throat in the very first scene.

Don’t tell me what I’m going to learn, show me the lesson through the story.

If you’d like to read a Fantasy Adventure novel that does not have any of these opening mistakes, check out my debut To Wear A Crown.

Reblog if you found this post useful. Comment with your own tips for writing a good opening scene. Follow for similar content.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Do you two have heretical thoughts about the dementors? (I always thought it was funny that they are actually way scarier and more threatening than the main villain group in a lovecraftian sort of way and seemingly can breed but can't be easily killed,but are just mentioned as an afterthought).

Heretical? Not sure, not sure what the common consensus is on dementors.

Our thoughts are generally that the dementors were created through some magical experiment accident/a catastrophe a long time ago, enough so that the origins of them have become obscured. (I believe this is in Pottermore somewhere but let's just go with it). My guess is that, originally, there were very few of them relative to the then wizarding world's population. However, the few there were were unkillable, terrifying, soul sucking monsters.

My guess is that, sooner rather than later, the idea occurred. Now, if you have an unkillable tiger next door that will eat someone, if not many, and you have no means of destroying it... whom, exactly, are you going to feed to it? Are you going to risk it eating just anyone or are you going to give it people who 'deserve' it or are otherwise a nuisance.

I imagine very early, the practice of feeding dementors law breakers or otherwise selecting some poor sap to keep them at bay was founded. Eventually, they managed to move this feeding ground to a remote island in the north sea that no one would ever visit, and they discovered that if they just let the dementors hover about, but not eat anyone, then a few humans could keep them complacent for many years without having to sacrifice an entire person.

Problem is, I imagine as they kept being fed and sustained, suddenly there's more dementors as they have enough energy to reproduce. You now have an island in the north sea that is fucking swarming with the things. Worse, the number of dementors is now vastly outstripping the number of people the wizarding world would naturally send to prison.

And so now we have a problem.

In a way, I think the Voldemort business helped disguise some of this. Suddenly, there were so many people who had done truly heinous things, who deserved imprisonment, that Azkaban was a booming business after likely years of drought. You have murderers, torturers, everyone you can think of in there with life imprisonments staving off the dementors for decades to come.

This may be part, though likely not all, of the reason trials were so rushed through in the aftermath of the first war and the sentences were so long. Part of the reason Sirius Black may not have got a trial was the wardens of Azkaban banging on their pots and pans screaming, "FRESH BODIES!" and since it felt so obvious to everyone that Black was a Death Eater anyway, why waste time on a trial?

But then, even when there's so many people in there, there's a tension with the dementors. They seem to be a barely contained force even as Fudge tries to use them multiple times for his own ends. He sets them loose and then "uh, children, please don't go near them because sometimes they want to snack and all the prisoners are dried out husks at this point". We're told that the dementors are displeased, specifically, that one of their precious meals have gotten away from them and that this is a problem. Hagrid is immediately sent to Azkaban for a crime in Harry's second year, which when it was believed he committed it when he was a child, had then resulted in an expulsion and not imprisonment.

And we hear news, though never see any of it, that in book seven dementors have been set loose (as Azkaban is now empty and nothing to feed them) and are wandering about the country.

I imagine after the second war, as there's a purge of Death Eaters and sympathizers, the problem is put off again, for a time, as the dementors happily get to munch on those who are imprisoned... But sooner or later, those people will be sucked dry and then we'll have the same problem, but worse, as there are likely now even more dementors.

And yes, it is interesting how blase wizards are about it, but I can see how this happened. Dementors are a reality that the average witch and wizard rarely, if ever, has to deal with. They're on the island of Azkaban, they eat the prisoners. The story is that, and I can't even really call it propaganda as it's something that everyone simply believes, that wizards and witches are ultimately in control of dementors. They're the ones who decide where they can go, who they can eat, and while they're terrifying, they're no more terrifying than dragons who are kept in reserves in Romania. And if you come across one, well, you use the patronus! If they're set loose somewhere they're not supposed to be, it's because some evil witch or wizard purposefully did that. The reality of what Azkaban really is, not so much a prison but dementor containment, is one that would simply not occur to anyone.

We see distress in people like Fudge, who personally have to deal with them and "oh god, they're bargaining with me, what the fuck", but it's evident that even he doubts himself as a) he believes he has them firmly in hand and of course can control them b) the idea that these things are only doing his bidding because the wizarding world had been feeding them an ungodly amount of prisoners over the century/that first war had great timing and really put off this problem for another 10/15 years is one that is so horrifying, so insane, that he'd be mad to even think it to himself.

But I suspect in 10/15 years after the events of canon, there's going to be yet another dementor problem, and one that no one will want to acknowledge and most won't even realize what, exactly, the problem is.

[twistedminutia]

Which Housewarden Has the Most Practical Signature Spell?

This question was triggered by my thinking about the signature spells the housewardens have are… not always super useful under most circumstances. As this post will be covering all housewarden signature spells, there will be spoilers for Book 7 parts only available in JP.

Riddle Rosehearts. Signature spell: Off with your head. Creates a collar around the neck of the target(s) which prevents them from using magic.

It was Riddle’s signature spell that got me thinking about this in the first place, honestly. Mostly because his spell seems very practical on its face. He’s actually the housewarden who seems to use his signature spell the most, after Azul, which would make it very practical. Right?

Except his spell is only practical at all because of two specific circumstances. One, he is in a position of authority and able to deal out punishment to rule breakers, and two, he is in a location with a lot of magic users. In Twisted Wonderland, humans who use magic are much less common than humans who do not use magic. Outside of NRC, Riddle’s spell isn’t going to have much more use than a fancy collar about 90% of the time.

In summary, Riddle’s spell appears practical, but only because he’s in the perfect circumstances for it. If he was in different circumstances, it would be much less useful. 5/10

Leona Kingscholar. Signature spell: King’s Roar. Causes anything of Leona’s choosing within a certain radius to crumble into sand.

This is, again, a spell that is only practical under certain circumstances. It’s definitely a powerful spell, but you’re not exactly going to be whipping it out every single day, unless you’re a glassmaker (and even then, you need specific sand to make glass and we don’t know what kind of sand Leona makes).

That being said, it’s not like the spell has no practical uses. It’s an extremely powerful offensive spell and it means people would certainly be cautious about approaching Leona in a combat situation. He’s a prince as well, so we need to consider that he’s more likely to get targeted for political reasons. A powerful spell like his would be a deterrent and a means of protecting himself and defending others.

All in all, it’s another powerful spell, but it’s hardly one you’re going to get much use out of under normal circumstances. 4/10.

Azul Ashengrotto. Signature spell: It’s A Deal. By signing a scroll, Azul can take any power he chooses as part of a contract. If the terms are broken, the contracted party will have to obey Azul.

Okay, so this one’s a weird one. It’s been stated before in canon (I believe Jade and Floyd touch on this right around Azul’s overblot) that Azul does not HAVE to make a contract in order to take a power. He can just do it (he was using his signature spell when he overblotted, for example, without needing the contract). However, this is difficult to control (since he just sucks out ALL a target’s abilities instead of one) and it skirts along the lines of forbidden magic, so he uses the contracts.

Obviously, this limits practicality. To gain the power, he needs to get the target to agree to the contract and he needs to fulfill whatever his end of the bargain is. However, Azul is cunning and good at hiding his motivations to get what he truly wants. He can’t get people who don’t agree, but he can leverage people to get them to do so.

In general? This is the most practical spell we’ve seen so far. It’s got wide applicability (it seems to be implied in his backstory that he’s not limited to taking magic) and it’s something that can be used every day, even making it part of your job (which he does)! 9/10, subtracting a point for the inconvenience of the contracts.

Kalim Al-Asim. (What, were you expecting Jamil? Read the top again- it’s housewardens, not overblotters!) Signature Spell: Oasis Maker. Using only a small amount of magic, Kalim can create a downpour.

This is one of the spells that got me thinking about how practical some spells are, because this spell is discussed as impractical in story. Kalim states that the spell is mostly useless in a time of irrigation and running water. It’s good for some water fun, but not a super useful spell. In some ways, this could be seen as a reflection of Kalim himself, or maybe even how he sees himself: fun and flashy, but not really useful.

This makes it more interesting when, later in the chapter, Azul notes that the spell is incredibly useful in a different context! Go to a land without water and suddenly Kalim is a king. That’s why he’s wealthy in the first place- being able to create water made his family important. And it could be another commentary on Kalim- he’s really only fun and flashy in this setting, but he’s also more capable of being beneficial to those around him than he realizes.

So. Is Kalim’s spell practical? Well, yes and no. Azul’s right in that it’s more practical than Kalim was thinking, but that practicality is context specific. But being able to make clean water no matter what is useful in a lot of survival situations, and could help a lot of people, so… 4/10. Practical under the right circumstances.

Vil Schoenheit. Signature spell: Fairest One of All. Vil is able to curse any item with any condition he chooses.

So, uh. Does anyone else think this is like. Ridiculously overpowered? Might as well just give him the ‘do whatever you want all the time’ spell because that’s basically what this is. He has, in canon, paralyzed people with food, almost put someone into a cursed sleep with food, created acid, and paralyzed someone by getting them to touch lakewater. What. The. Hell. Are there limits on this spell? Is Vil perpetually one mental breakdown away from creating ‘you obey everything I say now’ water and dumping it over a crowd????

Okay. Rambling aside. This is a ridiculously practical spell. Clearly there are limits (I would imagine he can only affect so many people/things or hold it for so long before he can’t keep it up anymore) but it’s pretty damn strong. 10/10.

Idia Shroud. Signature Spell: Gate to the Underworld. Idia can open the gate to the Underworld in the S.T.Y.X. headquarters.

I feel bad but... It's not the world's most practical spell, is it? It's cool, and clearly necessary, don't get me wrong, but like. How often does this come up in day-to-day living? It might be practical for his job, I guess, but it doesn't seem to be useful in most circumstances.

I obviously can't rate this one very highly. Sorry, Idia. One point for its usefulness to his job. 1/10.

BOOK 7 SPOILERS

Malleus Draconia. Signature Spell: Fae Maleficence. Allows him to put people into ageless sleep while surrounding the area with a wall of briars and thorns.

This one's a harder spell to categorize, because we know what the spell has done so far, but we don't know it that's all it can do. I may be wrong on this, because I've only read the portions of the chapter that have come out in English, but it's not confirmed that this is the only thing his spell can do- like it's never been stated 'Malleus' spell puts people to sleep always.' It could be that this is the extent of his spell, but it could also be more like Vil's spell. If we'd only read Book 5 and he hadn't explained it, we could have assumed that Vil's spell could only be used on food. But it's actually much broader. I'm saying this because I don't want to rule out that Malleus' spell might be even more powerful or flexible than shown.

That being said, I can only judge on what I have. And what I have now is the ageless sleep bit. It's certainly not the most practical spell ever, though it could have its uses. As a defensive spell, it seems pretty good. You could trap an army with it, or create a protective barrier for your people until danger has passed. Still, I don't think this is a spell Malleus could use every day.

It's primarily for defensive purposes, so same as Leona's. 4/10.

[cynthiav06]

Percy is a dude from the category of screaming "what the hell did you do!" and solve all the problems in 5 minutes. Everyone would have been dead a long time ago if it wasn't for him.

I have mixed opinions on this. On one hand, Percy is the type of person to wait about for the problem to disappear by itself just so he doesn't have to deal with it. Cause even before he found out he was a demigod, he was 100% done with everyone's shit.

But I do agree that he would be able to solve all problems because through so many books we have seen that no matter how much prior planning Annabeth or the Seven or anyone else does, Percy always does his own thing at the end. And it works out mostly for the better than whatever initial situation anyone else had in mind because Percy thinks almost too well on his feet. Every time.

But Percy has such low self esteem that he sees the fact that he has to make so many improvisations more so as his plans never working as less so as an exceptional ability to adapt. Especially when at times he can easily sense that some titan/giant is too powerful so he maneuvers around a direct fight and ends up defeating them by pure strategy and still ends up thinking of himself as "Oh shit I seriously had no plans. I am so reckless and stupid".

His whole character arc could have been evolving into a more confident and self assured but still the usual sarcastic laid back version of himself who no longer doubts his own abilities and becomes the great leader he showed many signs of being. But no, Rick had to ruin it all because, for some reason, 10+ books later and almost all the characters are still the same, just decorated with even more trauma. Rick being Rick, and instead of showing characters working out their traumas and insecurities, he just slaps a relationship on them, and lo and behold, all is better again somehow.

I am kind of disappointed that we never got to see Percy or any other members of the Seven do any solo missions(aside from Annabeth in MoA) . She almost had the very quintessential realization about she needs others and how her hubris will ruin everything if she doesn't keep it in check only for whatever she was doing in the later parts House of Hades and all of Chalice of the Gods to take away even that little bit of character development.

And cause solo missions working out perfectly well for Percy while most other demigods struggle a bit to make it work might finally make him realize that his plans don't suck and he is actually a really really good strategist and somehow an even better manipulator. (Though more on that and his observational skills later).

Or make characters like Frank and Leo whose unique abilities and perspectives on combat could have been shown off more, making them all become more self-reliant.

And even so we could finally get proper idea of limits of certain characters like Piper (cause charmspeak isn't going to get her everywhere) or Hazel (we so need more scenes of her surprising demigods and monsters with not only her unique jewel abilities and her magic.) Plus Nico's combat limits, Jason's stamina limits (no I am not considering that part of canon, you can't tell me it's true, I refuse to stand by it), Thalia's character development as well as her honing her powers and combat abilities more.

So yeah, we really should have gotten a few solo missions instead of so many short stories and all. And a bit more cross-over highlighting the power levels between the Norse, Greek, Roman, and Egyptian demigods/magicians/Valhalla residents/Valkyrie and so on.

To sum it up, tons of missed opportunities by Riordan and even more tragic and terrible progression of previously great characters who just needed a well-made character arc or even some favoritism. (I am looking at Grover and Rachel, who both could have done so so much if Rick had only realized the awesome potential they had).

I have said it many times that it's #percy jackson supremacy. So hell yes everyone would be dead without him, and he is arguably the best protagonist out of any other fantasy action book series. All hail Percy Jackson, the master of sass, and the most beloved but somehow still the most misinterpreted character in the fandom. Really liked this ask, would love more of these regarding Percy or any other characters.

[cheesecakeluvrs]

Shampoo is my least favorite character in Ranma ½ and I’m tired of pretending she's not

Listen, I tried to be a girls girl, we all know all the “rivals” in Ranma suck and are all terrible people but for most of them I’m able to just look past it and see the comedy. I think both Ukyo and Kodachi are hilarious and I love it when they show up but I just couldn’t force myself to feel the same way about Shampoo. One of the things I actually liked about Ukyo and Kodachi is they don’t love her but a lot of the time they’re able to be chill with Akane. But since Shampoo doesn’t care about Ranma’s feelings and knows he won’t love her she takes to going after the one thing that is stopping her from forcing Ranma to marry her, Akane. She takes Ukyo’s manipulation, Ryoga’s obsession, Kuno’s creepiness, Kodachi’s aggression, multiplies that by 10, adds psychopath and boom you have the fan favorite character. I don’t find her funny, I don’t find her cute, I don’t find her entertaining… I just find her annoying.

I was honestly just able to ignore all this but after spending some time on the internet I learned more and more about the fans of Ranma and Shampoo. Of course, of course, of course, you can ship whoever you like, I don’t care, I mean I’ll have like way less respect for you but I honestly don’t care. The thing that pisses me of is when people bring down Akane in support of their ship. Obviously Akane’s not perfect but she is by far one of the nicest people on the show. Definitely more than any of Ranma’s other fiancées. If you think Akane hitting Ranma sometimes because he is being a jerk is worse than Shampoo actively forcing Ranma into marriage, not giving one thought about his feelings, using all kinds of different magic and manipulation then also on top of that being an outright murderous person to Akane then you need to stop being blinded by the cute little chinese girl who you insist can do no wrong. Also if you really want to get into it Shampoo also hits Ranma along with Akane.

I can’t recall a time off the top of my head (now i'm sure there is) where Shampoo actually cared for Ranma without having some ulterior motive. If you gave her a deal to kill Akane and marry Ranma but he would never be happy again, she would take it in a heartbeat. I just can not see any perspective where Shampoo would be a better choice for Ranma. That boy started crushing on Akane the second they met and definitely hasn’t stopped. He definitely cares for Shampoo as a person but I don’t think he likes her as a person. I mean I think Mousse needs some new glasses because those are clearly not good enough if you think Shampoo is actually worth anything.

Yeah Akane’s not some super strong and amazing martial artists. Sorry she didn’t grow up in some ancient place and has been training since she was an itty bitty baby like all these other people. Thats a part of her character. I heard someone say shes not good enough or good for Ranma because shes not focusing on her training enough and too much on school unlike Shampoo. What? And again again again again opinions opinions opinions opinions you can like or dislike whoever you like… but… if you dislike Akane while also praising all the other female characters… then of course you're entitled to your opinion but like get outa here.

When a female character is hated that doesn’t deserve it I am here, and if history repeats itself with the remake you people don’t know the crimes I will commit. You know a comment I saw on I think it was Shampoo and Ranma’s wiki, “I’d gladly take her over that bitch Akane”. I’m gonna be real, that's what got me fuming. Did Akane kill your parents? I don’t know man, I’m just a teenage girl, I should be studying for school but instead I do this in my free time. I know a lot of people just can’t write women but I feel like a lot of the time it’s not that the women are written poorly it’s that you go into every show, book, movie, manga, comic, anything with this perception and automatic response to hate on female characters and defend this by saying they’re poorly written. RIP Akane, RIP Sakura, RIP Katara, RIP literally any live action female superhero, RIP Rogue from ‘97, and RIP all my ladies out there.

[local-ground-apple]

Jello hello could I request meeting Jade and Silver (separate) for the first time?

Sure ! I had so much fun writing this i am once again bullying sebek

You had one job.

Yet you failed splendidly and gracefully. Oh, and with a loud crash as well.

You got assigned with Sebek to do your history project. None of you two was thrilled about the mere prospect of working together. You both expressed your disgust and lack of will to cooperate to your professor, who only ignored your loud and intense pleads, leaving you two to deal with the situation.

After a long (and loud) rant from Sebek why he absolutely hated to be paired with a weak and magicless human and equally loud and annoyed speech from you; you both decided to suck it up, do the project as fast as possible and then never speak to each other ever again.

That agreement worked perfectly well for you. You were never fond of Sebek, mostly because he seemed to be always reminding you about your mortal form and lack of basic, magic knowledge. Oh, and he was constantly screaming, which only triggered you. So naturally you responded with even more aggressive yelling to establish dominance.

You two were supposed to meet up somewhere in Diasomnia dorm. Sebek had explained to you the route at least like 10 times, yet frankly, you felt quite lost the moment you stepped inside the enormous castle. It was quite dreary and dim. You couldn’t quite make out your surroundings, yet alone figure out in which part of the castle you were exactly.

You were lost and annoyed.

On top of this, you were carrying a bag filled with various books that could be needed for the research and they were extremely heavy. Not only you were stranded somewhere in the dark castle that seemed quite scary to you, but you also had the additional weight. You sighed heavily, cursing Sebek in your mind.

,,That annoying, loud, green, insolent, bloody lizard”

You muttered under your nose, as you dragged yourself and your bag through another, never-ending stairs. Of course, he couldn’t pick you up after classes and walk with you to the common room of Diasomnia. No, he had to force you to find your way through it.

You swore mentally to yell at him the moment you finally find him. You planned quite long and elaborate rant filled with various arguments why it was such a douchebag move to leave you alone to find your way through the castle.

You took yet another step, silently praying that this staircase ends soon, as you were too tired and too exhausted to deal with this. Your prayers didn’t seem to be listened to. No, instead you were about to get a heart attack of the century.

,,Oya, Little One, what are you doing in this part of the castle ?”

A slightly confused, yet cheerful voice sounded right behind you, as you felt a warm breath tickling your skin, making every single hair on your skin stand from the sheer surprise. You let out a startled yelp, as you dropped the bag from your hands, spinning on your heel to see the person behind you. As you were greeted with Lilia Vanrouge hanging upside down, dangerously close to you, your heavy bag fell down the stairs with a loud crash.

You facepalmed, as you sighed heavily.

,,Well, maybe now this idiot will find me”

You muttered quite annoyed, as you eyed the scattered book at the end of the staircase. Great, now you would have to walk down once again to get them. You were positive that you were going to fight Sebek today out of pure annoyance with that god forsaken knight.

Lilia titled his head, looking at you in amusement, as he finally appeared right by your side. His eyes rested on your figure, as he was carefully observing you. He was more than aware that you were supposed to visit Diasomnia dorm today; after all he had granted Sebek’s request to let you stay here for few hours. He certainly didn’t expect that his fellow student would leave you on your own to find the way.

,,My, my, what a mess. I suppose I will have to talk with Sebek, however first we need t-“

Lilia’s words were cut by another voice that seemed a tad bit sleepy. Almost as if that person was abruptly woken up from a deep sleep.

,,Did something happened ? Oh, old man…”

You squinted your eyes, as you tried to make out the figure standing at the bottom of the staircase. Frankly, you were quite dazzled, as you held your breath for a moment. The man standing before you was simply stunning. His slightly disheveled, silver hair seemed to sparkle in the dim light of candle lights; as silky strands gently adorned his pale face. He was slightly rubbing his eyes, trying to wake himself up, as he tried not to yawn. Your eyes rested on his muscled arms, as he bend down to start picking up the books scattered.

,,Oh, Silver”

Lilia’s cheerful tone of voice brought you back to reality. You violently shook your head, stopping yourself from daydreaming about Silver, as you rushed down the stairs to help him pick up the books. You opened your mouth to attempt to convince him that he didn’t need to help you and that you could clean up after yourself, yet he stopped you, his words once again knocking out your breath.

,,Oh, and who are you ?”

He asked softly, as a smile lips graced his lips. Before you had a chance to respond, Lilia cut in. He was currently leaning casually against handrail, as he watched you two clearly amused.

,,It’s Y/n, Sebek’s friend”

That’s it. You had enough. At the mere mention of your classmate’s name and the word “friend” in the same sentence, you felt your blood boil. You clenched your fists, as a scowl appeared on your face.

,,I’m definitely not Sebek’s friend”

You stated firmly, rolling your eyes. Lilia only laughed in response, totally dismissing you. You could feel Silver’s curious gaze on your form. Quite bizarre, he had never heard his old man refer to someone as Sebek’s friend. He was positive his fellow colleague wasn’t able to form any relationship with anyone, given his difficult personality and loud demeanor. It seemed that you weren’t the exception.

As you and Lilia started bickering, Silver pondered for a brief moment. Y/n, Y/n, Y/n…Your name seemed familiar. He was sure he had never seen you before, apart from brief glance during your unexpected arrival when you managed to shock everyone. Perhaps he was too sleepy to properly remember your face.

And then he connected the dots, as he finally remembered one thing.

Recently, Sebek had been nagging a lot more than normally, making sure to rant about certain someone to Silver. Obviously, it was you who were doomed to do a group project with Sebek. Silver felt bad for you, you seemed like a nice person who didn’t deserve to put up with his colleague.

,,Oh, Silver ! Would you be a dear and guide our lovely Little One to common room. Sebek must be waiting for them”

Silver only nodded in response, as he took the bag filled with books, despite your vivid protests to carry it for you.

,,Of course, here, follow me”

You’ve always stayed neutral and avoided every mess that Yuu with his friends ended up creating. You didn’t interfere in Heartslabyul and Savanaclaw drama, not even bothering to help prefect of Ramshackle dorm to stop the overblots.

You preferred not taking part in anything that could potentially be dangerous, avoiding anyone who seemed shady or strange (which basically meant like most of the students).

However, Yuu bargaining away Ramshackle dorm where you also stayed was the last straw that made you snap.

You clenched your fists, sighing heavily in frustration, when you were literally kicked out of your room. You didn’t even bother listening to Yuu’s explanations.

You were surrounded by idiots. That you knew earlier, however you never expected your prefect to lack so many braincells.

By idiots who weren’t even capable of handling such “simple issue”, as you had phrased it. In your eyes, the whole situation was quite easy to resolve and you weren’t listening to Yuu who declared that you were going on a war with something way more serious than you had anticipated.

,,I need to talk with Azul. Now.”

Your voice was firm and determined. Jade raised an eyebrow, as his lips cracked a smile in amusement. He certainly didn’t expect to see you here out of all people. Even Azul didn’t include you in his plans and equations, expecting you to ignore whole situation and lay low.

Oh, how wrong was he.

,,Ohh, is this angelfish?”

You furrowed your eyebrows and rolled your eyes hearing Floyd’s nickname. Frankly, you didn’t have the time nor mental energy to deal with his bullshit right now. You impatiently tapped your foot on the floor, as you crossed your arms on your chest, trying to appear more irritated and intimidating than you were in reality.

You earned only an amused chuckle from Jade, who was enjoying the situation a tad bit too much. He had never expected aloof and quiet student of Ramshackle to personally waltz to Mostro Lounge and demand an appointment with Azul without scheduling it earlier.

,,I need to talk with Azul”

You repeated. This time, Jade could sense tiredness, frustration and a bit of urgency mixed together in your tone of voice. You were quite tired, he supposed judging by your slightly disheveled hair, wrinkled uniform and dark bags under your eyes.

It was quite understandable.

After all, you were just an ordinary human who had no magical knowledge prior to attending this school. It wasonly natural that you would be trying your hardest to understand material and keep up with your classes, which would explain your visible lack of sleep.

However, Jade wasn’t letting his guard just yet.

Something seemed off about you.

Perhaps it was a mischievous glint in your eyes, barely visible to anyone else apart from him. Jade only noticed it, because he could spot the same spark staring right back at him in the reflexion of his mirror.

You may have been just a mere mortal who could be easily overpowered by Floyd, however Jade wasn’t planning to underestimate you just yet.

,,I’m afraid Azul isn’t able to see you right now”

You huffed in annoyance. Of course, he wouldn’t be able. Jade’s polite smile only seemed to widen at your discomfort.

Thankfully, you came prepared.

You glanced back, slightly tilting your head to your right, before your eyes were again focused on Jade’s figure. He raised one of his eyebrows slightly, asking you a silent question, yet you only smiled at him in response.

Something definitely was off about you.

Jade was positively right.

A mere second later he had heard a loud crash resonating through the whole Mostro Lounge accompanied by few other, concerningly loud sounds of something falling to the ground, disrupting the peace. The way your eyes slightly flashed with a glint of determination were enough to tell Jade that you were the one behind them.

He briefly glanced at his twin brother who was more than eager to go check out the situation and deal with any eventual intruders. Normally they would rush there without any hesitation. However, this time Jade stopped himself for a brief second.

He had never considered you to be a formidable foe. In his eyes, you could never pose a real threat to him or his brother. They would easily take you down in a fight, given their superior strength and abilities.

Yet his instinct told him that he shouldn’t underestimate sleep-deprived, stressed and desperate student from different world. Especially since they never observed you to estimate your abilities.

You seemed like a wild card to him.

,,Floyd, would you care to check out that noise?”

Jade asked politely, nodding his head in the direction of his brother who was more than eager to do what he was asked to. After all, he had sensed another opportunity to squeeze some poor, unfortunate souls and he was than happy to oblige.

Jade’s eyes never left your figure. You didn’t move in the slightest. You stood your ground confidently with a soft smile gracing your lips, as you crossed your arms over your chest. He returned your smile, quite proud of himself.

Checkmate.

Your desperate, yet foolish attempt to distract him and slip past him to Azul’s office failed splendidly. Jade sensed that perhaps if they played their cards right, there was a chance you would return after few days in even worse state and Azul would be able to strike a beneficial deal. Of course, after doing throughout research about you. Checking your patterns, routines, habits and preferences to determine how to bribe you into signing a golden contract.

At the mere thought, Jade let out an amused chuckle.

You only titled your head, pretending to be slightly confused.

,,What is so funny, hmm?”

Oh, what a bold creature you were. In Jade’s eyes you were just a delicate angelfish who was foolish enough to confront a big, bad eel. Quite amusing. He would definitely convince Azul to coerce you into a contract.

,,Excuse my behavior. That was quite a nice attempt, I’m afraid it won’t work as you had predicted”

Jade stated calmly, as his grin slightly widened. You didn’t falter.

No, your expression seemed to change a tiny bit. Not everyone would be able to see the way your eyes glinted, as you struggled not to let out an amused chuckle. You shook your head, almost as if you were dismissing his previous statement.

Something seemed off about you.

Yet before Jade even had a moment to ponder over this question, you cut the distance between the two of you, standing dangerously close to the man before you. He didn’t seem alert, since he was sure he would overpower you easily if you tried to force your way through him. He was more amused, as he once again raised his eyebrow, eyeing you carefully.

,,You’re quite the confident one, aren’t you?”

You mused, as you didn’t move a muscle.

Something seemed off about you.

Jade was sure of this.

You had no impulse control and you didn’t seem to be aware of the consequences of your actions. You were playing with fire, tempting him and testing his limits. If Jade wasn’t so focused on your expression, perhaps he would notice the way you were slightly trembling. From fear or maybe from excitement, you weren’t quite sure. Adrenaline was running through your body, as you were counting seconds in your brain, anticipating the perfect moment in your risky and bold plan.

You were prepared to execute the final blow and reach your goal.

You were desperate and determined enough to do it.

Taking a deep breath, not waiting for Jade to respond, you gripped tightly the hems of his jacket, as you abruptly pulled him down. Before he had a chance to react and grab your wrists to stop you, you pressed your lips against his, knocking a breath out of him. Jade’s eyes widened, as you had managed to catch him off guard. His hands reaching out in your direction to push you away stopped midway in the air, as his surprised form didn’t dare to move a muscle.

You were kissing him desperately, pouring all your emotions into it. You bit down on his lip, earning a shocked yelp. However, the pleasant feeling was soon replaced with bittersweet pain spreading in his kneecaps.

You kicked him, quite hard, while your lips were still pressed against his.

Then, you abruptly pulled away, as you slipped through his confused form that was trying to regain his composure. Jade had reached for you, yet you were faster, avoiding his hands with grace, spinning around as you sprinted towards the door handle of Azul’s office.

,,I got in! EVERYONE SCATTER”

You yelled, glancing one last time behind you. Your eyes fell for a brief second on Jade and you gave him last one wink, as you forcefully yanked the door, entering inside to face surprised, yet impressed Azul.

[artxstic-scr1bbles]

I... think I went a little overboard with their hair-

Ramble UTC:

HOUSE OF CARDS

[Or H.O.C]

—-—-—-——-—-—-—-——-—-—-—-——-—-—-

Have you ever wondered what lay beyond the pages of your favourite novel? Could there be a world different than ours, just a few words away?

—-—-—-—-——-—-—-—-——-—-—-—-——-—-

The story revolves around three teenagers—

Akui Yūrei, Celine Hashimoto and Akarui Kurosawa (left to right).

Two of them close friends, one... not quite. Akui's existence is debatable, to put it simply. He's not quite 'human'.

Currently residing in Wonderland, the three of them try to get by without getting into trouble with the locals. The company is not very pleasant if you need to run for your lives every other second, is it?

Celine and Akarui had been waiting impatiently for a new novel anticipated for in the market— a retelling of the famous Alice in Wonderland, written by Louise Benetton. Advertisements looked promising, and promotional merch was already running out from high demand. The two teens had pre-ordered one right before it had sold out, of course they were excited. Their money was on the line. A month later, and, they recieved their money's worth in the mail—

House Of Cards.

—-—-—-—-——-—-—-—-——-—-—-—-——-—-

There's a lot more— but that will make this post too long... I'll post another one elaborating on this soon. Basically, the trio got sucked into the book when they had fallen asleep reading it. The locals are mainly divided, but not limited, to two categories-

-> Decks -> Cards

You see, in Wonderland (the book realm) the power (based on magic) hierarchy depends on how many souls you have collected, either dead or alive. Living ones have more value in magic, but are riskier to keep, considering they can topple you over with the right strategy.

Decks are those who have collected one or more living souls. Cards are the ones who live independently— those who have not yet collected any souls.

»» A Deck can become a Card if they lose all their souls.

»» A Card can become a Deck by collecting souls.

Where these souls reside are all variations of different pocket dimensions all Cards and Decks have. One is there by default, forever changing to reflect your life. It is possible to create others, and it is the favoured option. Locals have named them 'Weeping Lands', for the eternal somber melody they can hear from there. Some say it sounds like a forbidden lullaby, pulling them to a deep slumber, while others say it sounds of their lost loved ones, calling out to them in the distance.

Another thing special to Wonderland is a phenomenon observed as 'Carding'. This is something that takes place with very soul not native to Wonderland— an attempt by the world to adapt to you, and for you to adapt to it. Symptoms vary. The first one is memory loss and inability to recall certain events, in this case memory of the life before Wonderland. Then follows delusion that you truly do belong in Wonderland, have always lived here, and never had a life outside of it. Individuals having passed this stage never make it out of Wonderland. Because once the Carding process is completed, it is near impossible to escape, the world simply won't let you. After all, you belong here, don't you?

Then follows alteration of physical features... though what exactly and the extent varies from individual to individual. And, how long the Carding process takes also varies. Younger individuals are most vulnerable to it, however, given that they are naive enough to give in rather easily.

Story's mainly about the trio's shenanigans and their attempts to escape, thwarted time and time again by a certain someone and his right-hand man who will cameo soon.

—-—-—-—-——-—-—-—-——-—-—-—-——-—-

This is basically what I have for now! I have a list of characters ready for the main cast— but only five of them are fully completed.... Gosh this one has a LOT of world building. Plus so many characters. I'm positively both excited and overwhelmed. Suggestions are, as always, welcome! This story has been on my backburner for far too long, I'll be posting about my other one too very soon.

That one has a more original plot line lmaooo

@liliallowed @salzab my writing moots, look at what I have conjured up this fine midnight.

[sirhamburrger]

chapter 3: deskmates empty [rayne ames x f!reader] || wc: 758 || prev. chapter || next chapter

“he told me to set a few reasonable goals for this semester and have a detailed report on his desk by friday,” she groans to max. “and i am not paying for express mail services.”

“looks like mr sandman's already got it out for you, huh.” max smiles sympathetically, though there's a glimmer of mirth in his eyes. it quickly turns into a full-blown smile as he waves to someone behind her.

“hey, rayne!”

she freezes as rayne brushes past her to set his stuff down at the vacant seat right by max's. intense golden eyes lock with her own.

“morning,” he says simply.

“good morning,” she mutters, watching a couple of giggling girls snap up the seats beside and in front of him. they retreat into a corner of the classroom once noticed, their laughter giving her a serious migraine.

“say, why d’you think orter mádl has such a huge stick up his ass?” max snickers, but the question is a serious one. she waits to hear rayne's response as he settles into his chair, seemingly deep in thought.

but their conversation is cut short by the loud voice of their magic history professor, and max groans upon seeing who it is. “lucci? again? how could we be so unlucky?” and they are. claude lucci is the most self-absorbed professor at easton, and chances are they won’t learn much this year.

“you're good at magic history, max. there's no need to worry.” rayne's tone is calm and sincere enough, but it does nothing to stop his friend's bemoaning.

“what if he makes me tutor wirth mádl again?”

“what if he makes you tutor wirth mádl again?” she says at the exact same time, and they share a brief glance before bursting into peals of laughter.

“students!” lucci hollers. “here's your classroom seating arrangement for this semester. find your seats and settle down.” he raps his wand on the blackboard, and lines of chalk materialise on its surface.

max makes a face of disgust. “what are we, seven years old?” but professor lucci is not one to be defied, and all the students grumble as they move to their new places. abyss razor is seated in front of her - at least it's not abel walker, she thinks - and max sits right beside him.

she squints her eyes to look again at lucci's ridiculously small handwriting on the board. her deskmate is… damn, she can't seem to read a single word on that blackboard…

an all-too-familiar figure slides into the seat beside her, his pile of books stacked up infuriatingly neatly. he bristles slightly when he sees her affronted expression. 

oh, no.

and then she hears the same stupid giggling coming from the same stupid fangirls. 

honestly? what she wouldn't give to sit by wirth mádl in the corner instead.

“if you have any violent objections, please see me after class to make alternative arrangements-” yeah, that works for her- “i hope you'll learn to be flexible and enjoy working with new people-” rayne ames is nowhere near new to her, and no, she won't enjoy this- “you'll be doing your midterm projects with your partners, so start getting to kn-”

she buries her head in her hands. okay, sure, rayne's good at history. and he may or may not have been top in history finals rankings in freshman year. and in sophomore year. but still, if lucci expects them to work together-

“quit looking like having to work with me is the worst tragedy you've ever faced.” rayne's deadpan voice cuts through the clutter in her mind, and she sits up ramrod straight. “remember that horrendously failed calculus test in freshman year?”

“shut up,” she hisses. “or do i need to need to bring up last year's fortune-telling practical? really, don't pick an elective if you're gonna suck at it. you know what? move your stuff-” she jabs at the sleeve of his robe, which lies on the table between them, almost touching her quill box. “move it. now.”

he grumbles, readjusting his belongings, only to see her drawing a line on the table with her wand. “you're vandalizing school property-” he starts to say, but it glows, revealing it’s a temporary charm.

“and you, ames, need to stay away from me. cross this line and you get explosive diarrhoea, so don’t even test me, okay?”

it's not a long-term solution to keep the peace, though, and she's all too aware of that. what to do, then?

make rayne ames concede to her bidding.

yeah, that seems achievable.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

mádl brothers shade? thrown.

it is 2a.m. at the airport, and what better thing to spend time on than a long-overdue update?

TAGLIST: @xenop0p

© sirhamburrger 2024

[thecomfywriter]

Why do you think Hilbert has so many simps?

okay! welcome to hilbert day! starting it off with a fun one. hi sol! thanks for the ask! let's get straight into it!

day five of tcw's 12 days of askmas--hilbert's peculiar fanbase [no spoilers]:

this is goofy because i think i actually know the reason why (unlike morreial). there are a couple of reasons i've picked up on for why hilbert has "simps".

(1) he's an interesting character:

i feel like this is the biggest factor, but i might be wrong. hilbert as a person might suck ass, but as a character, functionally for the narrative, he's FASCINATING. bro is mysterious. he's a villain, sure, but he's conflicting because in his pov, he's almost persuasive. not only towards alan, but (as i have experienced it) towards the reader as well. i feel like while reading hilbert's chapters, i found myself liking him more and justifying his existence in the story. he might be rotten to the core, but the guy exudes presence and a certain level of charisma that keeps him intriguing and entertaining.

plus, there's the entire desire to figure out what he's actually like. what is his true face? how does he look when he's not manipulating someone? who was he before the plot started? a big part of hilbert's character is the uncertainty behind his lore, which kinsa incites people to figuring him out. you almost want to make a definitive opinion about him, but each pov represents him in such conflicting ways, its hard to set your mind on if he's actually a good person or not. alan is deadset on believing hilbert has changed and wants to redeem himself. caramel refuses to even entertain the idea. morreial is just pissy at him, and cara has an odd sense of neutrality and fondness. soilaila hates him enough to try and mob him on the first day, but no one is actually arresting him for some reason. even without his limious status, he seems to hold the most power in this situation, and it begs the question why and how.

(2) bro was a dilf:

I KNOW THIS ANSWER IS WAY MORE UNSERIOUS THAN THE LAST ONE. LMAO. HEAR ME OUT.

hilbert in his prime is the entire reason why i personally started to feel conflicted about him. apart from being gorgeous (bruh... the luscious silver hair, the battle scars over his muscular body, the striking baby blue eyes, the slightly blushed cheeks and his maleficent smile? bye-- i had no business making him that majestic 😭😭), he also had this glory to him. there was a slight arrogance, but it almost felt like he deserved it. bro held the limious title for SIXTY YEARS. he went from being a nobody earth-elemental to one of the most powerful people in soilaila. he rose the ranks, got knighted by von doro herself, and became markum's biggest rival. he has this esteem to him that is simultaneously commanding and hot as balls.

THERE. I SAID IT. ARE YOU HAPPY?

all of hilbert's young chapters in sai just had me simping in the comments of the annotated draft LOL. i was so far gone it was embarrassing.

(3) the narrative:

the narrative purposefully tricks the audience a lot of the time, mainly because alan has the most chapters, and he sees hilbert in this truly respectable light. paired with how much magic hilbert knows, there's a certain degree of fascination to him that is naturally developed over the course of the book.

--

again, i could be totally wrong about all of these. for all we know, it was that one hilbert edit and the fact that bro has a v-line of the gods that caused him to develop his fanbase. you'd have to ask them. but these are personally my reasons for being on the fence with this guy. as i said previously, he's rotten to the core, but my god is he fascinating.

thanks for the ask, sol!

-- the holiday limited-edition tag list --

@wyked-ao3 @an-indecisive-nerd @drchenquill

@paeliae-occasionally @theink-stainedfolk @inseasofgreen

@thelovelymachinery @the-letterbox-archives @illarian-rambling

@bunnymermaidwrites @the-golden-comet @sm-writes-chaos

@leahnardo-da-veggie @corinneglass

[please tell me if you don't wanna be tagged i promise i will stop 🥺]

[merakiui]

OMG with your caption of "milkshakes at monstros lounge is about to taste 10x better with Jades secret ingredient" made me have a brain rot.

IMAGEN FXCKING FLOYD DRINK IT AND NOW WANTS IT STRAIGHT FROM THE SOURCE 😭 in that fic you said that we were first passed to Floyd but he was too bothered so we got handed to Jade. So imagen he somehow find out and now wants us in the same position that we are with Jade but with HIM.

Or Azul is also a degenerate so taking a book from Jade we go back to working for him tasting his potions that for some reason also made us lactate..

OR SOME OF OUR FRIENDS SEE/HEAR WHAT GOING ON OR MAYBE WE TELL THEM AND THEY TRY TO "help" US BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH WE WHERE ALREADY MILKED IT STARTED TO FILL UP MORE TO AN UNCOMFORTABLE LEVEL AND THEM BEING OUR BFF AND "totally not weird or have feelings for us" CONVINCE US TO LET THEM HIM. While it's either but them sucking or playing with our nipples with a bowl under to not make a mess 🤞☺️💕

OH AND IMAGEN THEY FIGURE OUT THAT THE REASON THE MILKSHAKES TASTE BETTER IS BECAUSE OF THIS AND OUR BFF STARTS USING THE MILK THEY GOT OUR FOR US FOR THEMSELVES 🤭 now they self proclaimed themself our lil helpers (or milker).

Now we can also have multiple BFF and they all help us at the same time too to get all that fullness out of us 🥰

-Yours truly, the annon that you awakened their lactation kink onces again 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

YES YES AAAAAAA OTL

(cw: yandere, brief nsfw mentions, unhealthy behaviors/relationship, lactation, female reader, brief mentions of pregnancy)

Floyd and Azul are so incredibly fake. T-T they only want you when you start producing milk. Most fake fans ever, switching up like that… Floyd complains about how lucky Jade is, and Jade has to tell him that it was Floyd who wanted nothing to do with you in the beginning. He’s merely looking after you as you’re now his contractual obligation, though he would be lying if he said he wasn’t attached to you. He’s become rather enthralled. Jade has written the potion recipe down, even perfected it after some more trial and error (which you were more than happy to assist with) and so now he has a potion that’ll have you lactating for at most a full day. <3

Floyd’s too impatient to fill bottles and jars up, so he’ll just pull your shirt open and tug your bra up and take it straight from the source with his greedy mouth. I like to think Jade watches the both of you so fondly, so happy that his favorite people are getting along well even if you’re squirming and telling Floyd to be more gentle, to slow down, to put his teeth away.

Azul goes absolutely insane when he learns of that potion. You can’t tell me he also wouldn’t have the biggest lactation kink ever. It ties in nicely with the breeding kink. Jade has him sample some dishes made from your milk, along with a glass of your milk, and he’s easily able to tell there are notable differences. He asks if this is goat’s milk rather than cow’s and Jade smiles deceptively and says he’ll show Azul who to thank for the delicious ingredients. He brings Azul to you, where you’re currently trying to deal with your swollen, leaky tits while Floyd is doing everything he can to try to steal at least one sip. If only you could see the dollar signs in his eyes… Oh, you’re so marketable! He could definitely capitalize on this.

Now that Azul knows of this, it’s over for you. But before he decides to sell your milk or use it for Mostro Lounge dishes, he wants to touch and squeeze and fondle you. I imagine he just stares at you for the longest time because his brain is short-circuiting trying to remind himself that you aren’t pregnant; this is just the result of magic. You aren’t pregnant or filled with eggs, but you could be. You’re not pregnant. He’s never fucked you before. But what if… Azul milks you once and out of sheer instinct he places his hand over your belly and mumbles something about how he can’t wait to be a father. (pathetic tako delusions…)

Imagine they give you the potion so often that you start to lactate on your own, if only a little. Magic definitely has more of an effect on your body because you can’t use it or sense it like mages can, so it’s definitely possible it might do something to you internally. Imagine being with Ace and Deuce and you leak through your shirt and you’re so embarrassed trying to explain what’s happening and Ace is poking fun as usual, while Deuce is in shock like, “Milk comes from women?!?!?!?! The store-bought milk I drink,,,,,, came from a woman????” Deuce already had a lot of respect for you, but now he is a million times more respectful because it can’t be easy filling all those milk bottles. (Deuce, never change. You are a sweetheart.)

Ace will want to sample directly from you. He teases you a lot, squeezing your breasts just to watch the wet patches on your shirt become larger and more noticeable. Deuce thinks that the two of them should bring you to someone who can help. Ace supposes that’s fine, but before that he needs a taste. Be a good best friend and let him taste you. There’s nothing weird about it. Best friends help each other out all the time. Ace and Deuce bring you to Trey because he’s responsible and oh-so-wise, and Trey also has this moment where he just stares at you, mouth slightly agape, before he has to clear his throat and quickly act normal and relaxed and calm and level-headed. Did I mention how relaxed he is? You cannot lactate around Trey. He will want to use your milk in the sweets he bakes (Riddle’s strawberry tarts are about to be so delicious), but he’ll also want you against the counter while he fucks you against it, pretending the both of you are married and he’s knocked you up and you’re lactating in preparation of the baby. He’s so not normal about this; he’s so down bad.

The brain cell duo bring you to Housewarden Riddle and he is overcome with so many emotions. Riddle is so flustered and he snaps at Ace and Deuce to cover you while he figures out what to do next. But you know Che’nya’s probably lurking around, and if you happen to be outside and a pair of invisible hands grope you and you’re suppressing moans while milk trails down your tits…… Riddle is fighting a losing battle here. He has never been so,,,, conflicted. So acutely aware of the female form. So immersed in how you sound when Che’nya’s teasing you. Riddle wants you and your milk so bad, but he has to be polite and respectful. He will help you and after the fact he will not think about it again. He will not lie awake at night, staring into the darkness and wondering how it might feel to drink directly from your breasts. For once the Octavinelle trio have done something good, even if this good thing is the byproduct of dubious behavior.

Ruggie learns of this and you know he’s going to want in. Let him have a taste, won’t you? He couldn’t get breakfast because he was running all around for Leona. He’s parched! Likewise, Leona probably hears of it from Ruggie or he catches the gossip from his dorm members and now he’s demanding Ruggie to bring you to him. Leona’s much more composed about the entire thing. He’ll tease you a little with a cocky smirk, asking if you like being in the spotlight like this, if you like his hands on you, if you like being milked and treated like a commodity by some (Octavinelle). Leona actually handles you very gently when he milks you. He respects women and their bodies, so he doesn’t want to hurt you or cause you any discomfort. Sometimes he thinks you’re pregnant (which could also be another reason why he’s oddly sweet to you), but he quickly reminds himself that that wouldn’t be possible because if you were pregnant it would be with his child and his child only. If you point out his behaviors, he’ll gruffly tell you you’re delusional and that he’s not doing this for your sake. It’s just his means of having access to a little snack when Ruggie’s taking forever to bring him his lunch.

Though Malleus can’t sense life within your belly, sometimes he’ll think you really are pregnant when he sees you lactating and he thinks of how pleasing it would be to raise little ones with you. He visits every night, not only to see you and spend time with you, but to help should you be kept awake desperately trying to milk yourself empty. Malleus is also gentle when handling you, his voice so soft and fond when he speaks to you, praising you and calling you all manners of endearments to show you that you should not be self-deprecating or disgusted with yourself. He thinks you are absolutely perfect; this is nothing to be ashamed of, nor does it make you unsightly in any way. He’s probably kissed you while his hands were cupping your breasts. There’s something so intimate in kissing while he’s touching such a special, sacred place. Every day the temptation to sweep you off your feet and away to Briar Valley consumes him. He could build such a happy family with you. Lilia certainly encourages it.

[eleanor-bradstreet]

Thoughts on Bridgerton season 3

No one asked, but putting it out there. (Written after viewing part 1.)

The Good

Polin - it’s their season after all. There is plenty of them and a lot of scenes pulled right from the book. I don’t think Colin/Newts is all that charismatic or great at acting tbh, but Pen/Nic is carrying the season. Seeing through her eyes, there is a compelling story of self-acceptance, struggle and romance. I was whooping whenever she got steamy with her man.

Debling - wonderfully acted and such an interesting addition to the ton, I love this character. He is so kind and honest, he deserves the world.

Francesca & John - Hannah Dodd is doing a wonderful job. We get to see the one and only shy Bridgerton, which is novel. Her odd chemistry with John is magical and I am already fucked up about them. I’m more invested in them than Polin 😅

Eloise - we are seeing more facets of Eloise which is wonderful. That she is willing to look deeper at peoples’ true character - including Cressida and Pen, though the reconciliation with Pen isn’t finalized yet. Cressida also makes Eloise check herself, her assumptions and privileges which is crucial for her development. She’s growing this season.

The Cowpers - redemption arc for Cressida incoming! We are learning that her bitchiness stems from a competitive nature, which she feels she must have to secure a good match thanks to pressures from her awful parents. This is interesting in its own right but please please please have Sophie also being mistreated in their household. That would be the bow on top.

Marcus Anderson - hello handsome! He is wonderfully acted and immediately has a warm spark with Violet. The mystery is built as to why Lady D is so aggravated by him. What has he done in the past that makes her wary of him?

The music - great instrumental covers of on-point pop songs and revisiting a few tried and true Bridgerton original themes.

The Bad

Kanthony - But only for part 1. I'm guessing they had to work around JB's busy shooting schedule, but it sucks they found a lame way to essentially write them out of episodes 2-4. I'm happy to see from the trailer there will be more of them in part 2.

Benedict - for fucks sake, he does nothing. Season 2 might as well not have happened. Not only is he not sad nor frustrated with Anthony about art school, he has no introspection or personal development in part 1. He’s just shoved in the background again, making sassy little comments and fucking a random lady. Where is this ‘crucial role’ the showrunner mentioned? What ‘comes to a head’ for him as Luke keeps alluding to? All of his material must happen in part 2 because there is nothing in part 1.

The fucking Featheringtons - I know the entail is a plot line set up by season 2, but getting into microscopic detail about the sex lives of the elder two Featherington sisters is not the comic relief the show thinks it is. It actually makes me nauseous. The whole ‘race to produce an heir’ could have been a single line explanation from Portia and screen time with the Featherington couples could have been spent on more Benedict.

The sex - part 2 better be mind blowing because Nicola’s claim that Polin has ‘won the steamy battle’ is unfounded based on the first four episodes. Okay we’ve got Anthony and Benedict each with a scene between the sheets kissing ladies but not a single Bridgerbum to be seen. The claims of ‘threesomes’ and ‘lesbian sex’ are extremely generous. It’s 5 seconds of Colin kissing sex workers and them peformatively kissing each other. I know we have the mirror scene coming in part 2 which threatens to blow the roof off anything Saphne and Kanthony did but thus far, I am unimpressed. It feels more buttoned up than ever.

Now, I have also watched part 2 in its entirety. Without spoiling any details, see below the cut for a general note.

Part 2 contains some MAJOR twists that I feel are going to fracture the fandom. Brace yourselves.

[queen-of-deans-booty]

The Bad Seed: Part One

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.4k

Warnings: canon angst and violence, extra angst, feeling broken and utterly helpless to the point of depression, wanting to die

Summary: You're on the hunt for Rowena for her to fix whatever she did to Castiel. The kids are back home where they belong, but you're not sure if you're fully home yet. If you're going to start to fully heal, you're going to need outside help.

Season Eleven Masterlist

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. I love seeing any and all comments <3

x

You don't know what you were expecting the Bunker to look like when you finally returned home to it. The last thing you remember is the Bunker being in a wreck because Dean killed the Stynes. Right before I came in and almost killed them. You're not sure how you'll be able to walk the halls of the Bunker knowing what you almost did to it, to Sam and Dean. It's different now. You have your soul, your kids are back, and both you and Dean have the Mark gone. Things are going to be better. You're going to make sure of it.

If I'm going to try and make things better, I have to start here. I have to bring myself to be better. The kids deserve it. Zeus and Colonel run down the metal stairs, happy to be home. You hold Maryann in your arms while Dean holds Joanna, and Noah trails behind with Sam. This is going to be a fresh start; you've determined it to be.

"I'm glad to be home," Noah smiles. "So, where were you guys?"

"What?" you ask.

"You were gone for an entire year. What happened?"

You and Dean look at each other. There is no way in hell you're telling your kids about your time as a soulless bitch. They don't need to know how you were on your way to kill them. They don't need to see their mother in that light.

"We'll talk about that later. Right now, why don't you get settled in, okay?"

You step into the library and see someone hunched over at the table. They turn and you see it's Castiel.

"Uncle Cassie!" Joanna squeals happily.

She's about to run to him but he holds his hands up in warning.

"Please, keep her away. I don't want to hurt her." You hold your kids back and look at Sam and Dean who look concerned for their angelic friend. The whites of his eyes are deep red and he looks physically sick. Something is wrong. "I need your help."

"Go to your room. I'll be right there."

Thankfully, the kids listen. Zeus and Colonel slowly approach Castiel, unsure if the angel is good or bad. Zeus growls in warning and you whistle for him to come to you. Both dogs listen obediently and sit by your side even though they are both ready to attack Castiel. This is the first time you've seen Castiel since you got your soul back, and you can't help but be a little emotional. God, will I ever stop crying?

"Castiel... I... I'm so sorry for what I did to Claire... to you... It's unforgivable."

"That wasn't you."

Will you please stop saying that? It was me. Stop giving me a free pass. I don't deserve it.

"Yes, it was. I shouldn't be forgiven. Don't forgive me."

"I understand. Maybe you can make it up to me."

"How?"

"When we cast the spell that removed the Mark, Rowena took the book and ran. Before she did, she put the dog-attacking spell on me. I'm handling it a bit differently than humans. It's killing me slower. You were able to suck it out of those two men in the bar. Dean told me about it. You can do it again."

You look down at your hands, suddenly terrified. Sweat trickles on your hairline, your eyes go wide, and your hands start to shake slightly. The thought of using magic again terrifies you to your core. You're not sure if you can ever be okay with using it again. You step back once and both dogs look at you in curiosity.

"I can't. I don't know how."

"Like he said, you did it last time," Dean encourages. "You can do it again. I have faith in you."

You clench your hands into fists and remember a time when you ruined yet again someone's life because of your magic.

Ty and his friend come out of the shadows with blood streaking out of their eyes. They look like the girl Rowena spelled when you first encountered her. No matter. They won't have a chance to hurt you. Dean steps away to let you handle witch business, and you turn to Rowena with an amused smile.

"Is this meant to scare me?"

"It should considering you don't have any magic."

You look at your hands and red magic pours from your palms.

"Wanna rethink that?"

Rowena sets the glass of wine on the bar counter and stands up in fear. Ty runs at Dean but you thrust your outstretched hand at him without looking away from Rowena. Ty stops in his tracks and looks confused as to why he can't move. His friend charges at you but you thrust your other hand at him, causing him to stop in his tracks. Your magic shoots at them and encases their bodies. You pull your magic back, pulling the spell from their bodies. You move your hands toward Rowena, use the spell along with your magic, and blast her back. She topples over a table and some chairs, falling on her ass on the floor.

"Come here, boys," you say. Ty and his friend are compelled to listen to you. You stand in between them and place your hands on both of their shoulders. Your eyes shine red as do theirs so you know they're under your command. "Listen here, pets, she's your target now. Go fetch."

Dean puts his hands on your shoulders, pulling you out of that horrid memory. You killed both men to prove to Rowena that they mean nothing to you. You killed them. I'm a murderer.

"I can't," you whisper fearfully.

"It's okay, we'll think of something else."

"I'm so sorry, Castiel," you shake your head.

To keep Castiel at bay, he handcuffs him to the floor so that he can't go anywhere. Castiel locks eyes with you, and you suck in a sharp breath at the intensity of it. You turn and head to your kids' bedrooms. Maryann doesn't need a crib anymore, so you'll have to either move her to another room or transform her room to better fit her needs. You stop by Robert's closed door and touch the wood. He was her twin. She should be right next to him. If you have any other children, you'll move them into another room.

"Mommy!" Joanna's room is right across from Maryann's, so you walk into her room to see her pulling something out of her backpack. "Look what I made in school."

"Oh, wow." You take her artwork and admire the scribbles on the pages. There is one of stick figures with names above their heads. It's your family. Even Noah. Even the dogs. "This is really good, sweetie. I'll hang them on the fridge."

The kids are going to go back to school, you decide. They are on summer break which gives you time to look for schools around the Bunker for them. The only issue is who is going to take them to and from every day. You could do it but you won't be like this forever. You'll want to hunt with magic, and you can't always be here to support them. You love your family and only want the best for them, and the best is someone who can care for them when you can't.

This is not being a bad parent. I'm not a bad mother for admitting I need help. To give your kids the best life they deserve, you're going to need outside help.

"Mom? Can we go play in the backyard?" Noah asks as he approaches from the left.

The backyard. You vaguely remember Dean being in the backyard as he tried to practice his magic. Your magic. From when he had your soul in him. You don't remember much from your time in Dean's head but you know he fucked the backyard up to the point where only you can fix it.

Not now. Not like this.

"Uh, I don't... Why don't you stay in tonight? You and your sisters can watch movies. Daddy destroyed the backyard. It's a long story. It won't be forever, only until we get situated back here. Okay?"

"Okay," Noah nods.

"Thank you, Noah."

You leave his side to let him take care of Maryann and Joanna while you head back to the brothers and Castiel in the library. The angel is wrapped up in a blanket as if he's really sick. Sam's laptop is open next to him but he's not using it so you grab it and sit on the far end of the table, away from everyone else.

"I'm just saying we got nothing. No one saw anything unusual going on at the house the day the baby disappeared," Sam says.

You're not sure what they're talking about and frankly, you don't care. You only have one thing on your mind and that's your own babies. Your family.

"If this is truly the Darkness we're talking about, it's more of a time bomb than a baby," Castiel says.

"Yeah, but it is still a baby, right? I mean, the Darkness I saw was an adult. So, it still has to grow up."

"The Darkness is almost infinite power. I'm not sure what 'growing up' means in this case."

You're not even sure where to start looking. Not just anyone can look after your kids, so you have to be really specific in your search. There are forums for hunters to go on and chat with each other, so you might as well start there. You might be a terrible mother, but you're not going to let your kids stop their education.

"What are you doing?" Dean asks.

"Finding a nanny for the kids who will take care of them when we can't."

"Are you serious?"

"I know what I'm doing," you mumble and continue to type.

"Well, God kicked this thing's ass once before, right?" Sam asks, bringing Dean back into the conversation.

"Yeah, it'd be nice if he put down the Mai Tai and show up for work."

"I wouldn't count on it."

"It's possible he's around. Closer than we think, you know?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Dean's right, Sam. I believe he made a fairly definitive statement when we walked away."

Castiel stands to get the blood flowing in his legs only to realize that he's shackled to the floor. The sound of chains is evident when he moves but you all ignore it. He shuffles his weight from one foot to the next before sitting back down again.

"I hate to point this out, but you both know who we might need to help deal with the Darkness, right?"

"Don't even say it," Dean glares.

"He was God's scribe. He did hear about everything."

"Damn it, that's just like saying it!" Castiel starts to growl lowly. "Cas, you alright, pal?"

"It's the spell," he grunts.

You look at him from over the top of the laptop in guilt. You wish you could help him but you can't use your magic. You're taking a break from that part of you.

"We were hoping your angel wiring would fight it off or slow it down at least," Sam sighs.

"It appears I simply respond differently from humans."

"If you were human, you'd be gone. With you, it's like it's digging deeper."

You look back down at the computer and will the tears away. You're so sick and tired of crying. Now that the kids are back, you can't be crying. You have to keep it together for them.

"You know, Rowena's the only one who can remove it. Besides Y/N, of course."

"We're doing everything to find her, okay? So far, we got nothing."

"It's getting worse," Sam whispers to his brother, but you hear.

You find a forum online where hunters go to chat and spread news about hunts and other things that should stay in the hunting community. You make a new post and immediately start typing, already knowing what to say.

If anyone is looking to watch after three children for hunter parents, please inquire with me. Oldest is almost thirteen, the middle child is almost six, and the youngest is just about three. I need someone to work full time and to stay with us. Someone to take them to school every day. There will be weekends and days where one of us will be with the kids so you don't have to be, but serious inquiries only. I should mention it's for the Winchester family.

Not two minutes later, you're getting replies flooding in. Most of them aren't serious at all. Maybe it's the mom in you, but you can weed out the bad ones just looking for a paycheck.

"Wow, Winchester? Good luck to whoever gets that job."

"Nah, working for the Winchesters is a death wish. They kill anyone they come into contact with."

"Does it pay well?"

Hearing that your family is poison really hurts but you don't listen to what they're saying. You keep scrolling through the comments without hope until you come across one that you have a good feeling about.

"My name is Molly. I've worked with plenty of hunter's families. Should you feel the need for a nanny, please message me."

"Dean, come over here." He gets up and walks around behind you so he can see the screen. "She's worked with other hunter's families before. I have a good feeling about this one."

"Are you really serious about this?"

"What are we going to do, Dean? What happens when school starts again? Are you willing to stay home and take them to and from school? Do you want Sam to stay home? Me? The least I can do as a mother is make them continue school but I can't very well do that when we're hunting all the time."

"You want to bring someone new into our lives? Our fucked up lives?"

"She knows about the supernatural. This is a hunter's forum. She says she nannied for other hunter families. I think this could be good for the kids and give them some stability."

"Are you just doing this because you don't want to face up to anything else?"

You sigh and look down, focusing all of your energy not to cry right now.

"I am doing this to give our kids the best lives they can have. With that comes education. I might not be a good witch or a good hunter but I can be a good mom by doing this for them. We have the room here." You look at your husband with hints of tears in your eyes. "Let me at least talk to her."

"Fine, talk to her," Dean shrugs.

Dean kisses your head and walks back over to the two men. He takes out his phone and dials someone, and you look back at the computer screen. You click on Molly's profile and private message her.

You: Hey, I saw your comment on my post. If you're up for it, I'd like to meet you in person about the job.

x

Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[sadiegirl2021]

DAY FIVE - POWERS

GWYN'S HERITAGE

“My grandmother was a river-nymph who seduced a High Fae male from the Autumn Court. So I’m a quarter nymph, but it’s enough for this.”

Gwyn gestured to her large eyes—blue so clear it could have been the shallow sea—and her lithe body.

“My bones are slightly more pliant than ordinary High Fae’s, but who cares about that?”

_______

“My mother was unwanted by either of their people. She could not dwell in the rivers of the Spring Court, but was too untamed to endure the confinement of the forest house of Autumn.

So she was given in her childhood to the temple at Sangravah, where she was raised.

We were the result of that sacred union with a male stranger. She never found out who he was, for the magic chose him that night, and no one ever showed up to ask about twin girls.

WHAT WE KNOW

Gwyn is 1/4 Nymph from the Spring Court, 1/4 Autumn Court and 1/2 Mystery. She's got an invoking stone that provides the power of healing and protection. And she glows when she happy.

WHAT COULD HER POWERS INCLUDE?

Fire: SJM made a lot of hints towards Eris being her grandfather (Rabbit Hole Post), and we do know for a fact she has Autumn Court ancestry. Quotes from the books that hint at fire power -

Nesta meeting Gwyn, her power recognising her (unknown) flames: A crackling sort of energy buzzed around her, and Nesta’s power grumbled in answer.

How Feyre described her rising Autumn court flames: My blood heated, and I took a breath to cool it, to cool the magic crackling at the insult.

Eris talking about the Made dagger: Eris sucked in a breath. Feyre said, “You can sense its power.”

“There’s flame in it,” Eris said...

Her nymph heritage: I think she'll have an affinity for water, but no powers (maybe the ability to hold her breath for long periods of time).

Glowing when she sings: One thing to note when she glows is that she's incredibly happy when it happens. Singing brings her true joy, and that's reflected in the positive language Nesta uses to describe Gwyn singing. Her song is like sunshine and a ray of light. This reminded me of what Rhys said to Feyre in ACOMAF.

"Well, at least now I can gloat that I can literally make my mate glow with happiness."

Right now, singing is the one thing that makes Gwyn happy. She goes off on a rant to Nesta about how amazing it is, and you can feel her excitement in the writing. Maybe SJM is only using light as symbolism for Gwyn's joy, or it could be hinting at other powers…maybe she is linked to the Day Court or another solar court.

Her invoking stone:

“It’s an Invoking Stone.” Gwyn unfurled her fingers, revealing the gem within her hand. “Similar to the Siphons of the Illyrians, except that the power of the Mother flows through it. We cannot use it for harm, only healing and protection. It was shielding us.”

We know it works, but will we see Gwyn use it again the way it's intended? Will she wear it on her head again like the other priestesses? I'm going to guess 100% YES! And it will be used to heal/protect someone important in the next book (I'm guessing Azriel or maybe Emerie/Nesta).

The Lightsinger Theory: We just don't know enough about them to put Gwyn in this box. But it can be fun to write about it from a non-evil perspective (because why would SJM take the evil route!?).

If you look up "Lightsinger," there's no fantasy lore about them, so SJM has made them up. If Gwyn is a Lightsinger, then I highly doubt what Cassian said is 100% accurate. Lore can change as stories are passed down. Cassian mostly describes a Kelpie in ACOSF, which means he knows the name Lightsinger, but perhaps not what they actually are or what they do.

"A kelpie is designed to lure and kill, just as a wolf is designed to hunt its prey."

“There are lightsingers: lovely, ethereal beings who will lure you, appearing as friendly faces when you are lost. Only when you’re in their arms will you see their true faces, and they aren’t fair at all. The horror of it is the last thing you see before they drown you in the bog. But they kill for sport, not food.”

My headcanon is that a Lightsinger is linked to the moon or holy light. When researching Lightsingers, the closest thing I found to them were Moonsinger priestesses from Game of Thrones.

If it's moonlight, and Gwyn is in fact a Lightsinger, then that could explain why Azriel's shadows like Gwyn's light but hate sunlight.

To quote the Moonmaiden Shadowheart from BG3: "You can't cast a shadow without some light."

It's hard to guess which way SJM will go for Gwyn's powers, but there's certainly a lot of potential. SJM spent time fleshing out Gwyn in Nesta's book, so we can expect to get answers in the next one. She's certainly been set up to be very powerful!

Original Image - Ozan Çulha on Pexels

@gwynweekofficial

[distinguisheddwarffriend]

My brain is FULL of TH fic ideas but I've already got 3 WIP and most of them are just "what if"s with no plot so I'll just post them here I guess and maybe some writing god hears me/ reads them and someone else actually uses them.

Here's Nr. 1:

Frerin did in fact NOT die at Azanulbizar but was transported into our modern world, sometime in the second half of the 19th century.

After some adjusting (industrialization is in full force but it's still not as 'bad' as it would be rn) he builds a life, him being a dwarf meaning that he ages extremely slowly compared to us lowly humans so he has to move after a while and again and again.

He lives in the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy, Finland.....

He fights in both world wars depending on where he lives during that time (WW1 on the German side, WW2 on the UK's), other than that he goes to university and works all kinds of jobs like policeman, fireman, soldier, teacher, carpenter,smith, weaver, factory worker, violinist etc etc etc

Around 1900 he meets this fella J R R Tolkien and befriends him, and after a time finds out that his friend is writing books about middle Earth, not only that, but one about his very own brother. Tolkien apparently is a seer of some kind because it's still almost a century until "The Hobbit" would happen (he does the math).

Frerin helps Tolkien with authenticity for his books, because the dude is smart and found out about Frerin after he corrected his Khuzdul one time too many.

Anyhow, after reading what will happen to his family, he becomes a mite bit obsessed with returning to Middle Earth and having ammased quite some wealth and with the help of some friends in high places starts founding various research projects into things like teleportation, multiverse, magic, alchemy, you name it. He also becomes a member of the Freemasons due to his occult knowledge.

In around 80 years there's almost no progress towards Frerin's goal of returning home, he does still have a research company but only a small group of mostly students works on the multiverse hypothesis, the rest does all kinds of stuff, technology, energy, whatever.

He has for the time being settled somewhere in Scandinavia, is a College Professor for Sociology and Political Science and volunteers as a social worker for troubled children.

He is fostering 2 or 3 children himself (ages 6 - 16) and has two grown up adopted children that still live & work with him (they found out about him), a guy & a lass ( both early twenties).

Somehow (don't ask I don't know) the whole household (meaning Frerin, his two young adult children, the foster children, his south American householder, her tiny dog and their personal Butler (more of a live-in family friend by now, think Niles from "The Nanny")) all get sucked into a portal or whatever end get spit out into Middle Earth.

Not at Ered Luin of course, that would be easy, no, but somewhere extremely inconvenient. The Lone lands, the Brown lands, Moria, something along the lines of "we are so fucked".

So now it is a few years (1-3, or the characters have too much time to become Mary-Sues), before the quest to Erebor, and they have to reach Thorin before then and somehow survive a world filled with orcs (and elves!) while juggling a 6 year old, a tiny & barky dog, a cliché Mamacita, a British butler, and Frerin's realisation that he has gotten much too used to modern convenience.

(my weak ass would probably include some romance between one/more than one of the original characters and the canon characters, I'm a sucker for Fili or Kili x OFC and rare pairings like KilixBifur or ThorinxNori and I want Frerin to date an elf or Bard I think.)

.... Does this sound like something you would read/write? I'd maybe try to write this with someone else, alone I don't dare to. What do y'all think?