#i care so much about fergus

[thewardenisonthecase]

oke first of all I'm fucking dying this is too funny

second of all bitch i had never connected the dots with "sword up close" line now i'm gonna go cry in the corner

I was rewatching the scene where Cousland talks to Fergus and depending on dialogue options, Fergus can say "One day you'll meet someone who can handle you. Mark my words"

and now I'm imagining Fergus meeting romanced Alistair and being like oh my fucking god-

[gemsofthegalaxy]

I really do love Evan and Sam together as a romantic couple because their whole deals are so very opposite but also so similar.

Sam, she's so charming and charismatic, it makes sense that in the first season she ends up dating this jock and she gets along well with him (although I believe Fergus has some dorkiness to him, too, lol). But it's revealed in the second season her self-esteem is very low and she's now hung up on the idea that it isn't her natural charm and kindness, but the fact that she's been using magic which means everyone is fake. She can't trust people's good opinions of her. It's very "you love me at my Sam Black, at my Sam Britian, but can you handle me at Sam Bulter?" what happens when she's not charming, or accommodating, when she has a bad day. There's also a certain degree with Sam seeing herself as nothing but her charms, she doesn't think she's particularly capable or smart outside of her kindness, which is why it's so amazing that Danielle selected the mind track for her to get better in and Sam insisted she just felt a Connection to the magic of knowledge, rather than charm. It's amazing how charming and kind she is, but she doesn't want that to be all she is.

Evan was always so insecure over being so weird, so it makes sense he ended up with K at first, who is also a certified weirdoTM and he gets sort of insecure about where he stands with Jammer because Jammer starts out just so normal. Evan feels threatened at least a bit by Jammer's friends, thinking he can't fit in with them, and he also says the same thing with Sam to a degree being like "Well I wouldn't want to freak out Ariana Grande" (As Sam points out, Ari is also a freak tho so >_> yknow). But during the adventure, sort of like Danielle, Brennan decided to go with the magnetism/charisma stat to increase because he felt like Evan was starting to truly just accept himself. Take him or leave him, that's Evan Kelmp, he's the haunted white guy and his friends love him and you might love him too if the two of you click but he's not gonna be worrying about that all the time to the point he's sick every day. Still, Evan does struggle about being wanted and he's able to communicate that to Sam, you know, blanket invitations don't work for him but she says no, for real, I would spend day after day with you. I'll cook you food, not just a generic invite, please actually come over. And he's so excited about that, it's adorable. That's an aside, anywayy.

I have liked Evan and Sam together since season 1, I always felt that she cared about him not only in the way she generally cares about people but she just, really clicked with Evan in a way that may seem funny to onlookers because of the aforementioned "pretty, popular girl who gets the jocks, befriending straight up haunted weirdo". But, as I outlined above, they have more insecurity in common because both of them understand why people like them when they're useful/kind/etc but doubt if people will truly love the real them, or them when they're going through tough moments.

And over the course of S2 it was sooo clear that Brennan meant for Evan to be crushing on Sam. He loves her so, so much. He really admires all of his friends and he also thinks the world of Jammer, too, to be fair, but Evan is sincerely endlessly impressed with Sam and everything she does. He acts like she hung the moon in the sky. I truly do think that Evan would be happy just to see her be happy, his love for her is very pure and he'd be okay if it weren't romantic as long as she still wanted him around and cared about their friendship- but I think he's in love with her, and knows that somewhat early in the adventure.

Because Evan is so sincere, thinks Sam is so cool and so good, it gets across that he truly means it. He doesn't just see Sam Britian and care about her fame. That's cool, too, but he would love her no matter what her job is. He truly loves Sam for Sam and she believes him, and loves him back, and even if she could be dating some celebrity (which she could, easily) she chooses to be with Evan instead. And in that choice, Evan knows she loves him for him, too, because why else would she choose that?

i just. love them so much you guys.

[aziraphales-library]

Hi there!!! I was wondering if you happened to have any fics where Crowley calls Aziraphale ‘sweetheart’? Any other pet names are amazing (including angel of course) but I’m just very in love with the idea of Crowley calling Aziraphale sweetheart

Thank you so much for all you hard work!! This blog is a lifesaver <3

Hello! We have a #pet names tag you might enjoy, but here are some fics in which Crowley calls Aziraphale sweetheart...

Four times Crowley called Aziraphale "sweetheart" without noticing (and One time he did) by TheLadyZephyr (NR)

"Sweetheart" (1290) - A person who is very dear to another; one who is loved. From sweet (adj.) + heart (n.) Over the years, Crowley has called Aziraphale "sweetheart" on at least four different occasions. He just hasn't actually noticed himself saying it.

In love, I am, with everything you do by 2ambiace (G)

Following the phone call with Crowley during lockdown, Aziraphale contemplates the letter he wrote and whether he should've taken Crowley up on his offer to 'slither over' and watch him eat cake. Aziraphale finds the courage in his love for Crowley to invite the demon over and cake and love confessions and kisses are shared.

Let Our Epilogue Be Soft And Sweet by Tenoko1 (T)

Crowley hit his palm against the steering wheel. “Of course I’d get upset, angel! Those bastards have tried to kill you twice, Aziraphale! Twice! I spend every damn day worried they might try again! Now-- Now-- your conveniently found and rescued angel is on the loose,” the road forked, and they veered off to a smaller country road, flying past a sign Aziraphale didn’t need to see to recognize, though Crowley gestured wildly to it, “in a god-forsaken national park? Well outside of London where no one can hear you scream? This mystery angel that just so happens to be leaking grace and emoting a distress signal so loud you can still sense it?” Crowley dragged a hand down his face. “Angel, sweetheart. Wake up and smell the trap.”

Waking Up Married by Caedmon (E)

"So you’re telling me that my options are either to convince this man I just met and drunkenly married to stay married to me for six months or lose two thirds of a billion pounds?” “That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” Fergus said. “Fucking shit,” Crowley spat. He hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment before rubbing his eyes with his fists. Now his job would be twice as hard. He needed to talk Aziraphale into staying married for six months. Should he try begging or bribing? This was a huge ask, and Aziraphale would be well within his rights to tell Crowley to fuck off. But Crowley was prepared to offer him pretty much anything, up to half of the trust, if that’s what it took. He didn’t care. But that was only part of his concern. Even if he got insanely lucky and Aziraphale agreed to stay legally married to him for the next six months, how the hell was he going to talk Aziraphale into dating him during that time? And was it foolish to even try? One thing at a time, he decided. First, he needed to convince Aziraphale to stay legally married to him. Then he could set about wooing his husband. He hoped.

flightless by viperinz (T)

Crowley finds Aziraphale injured and without his wings long after he stops the Second Coming all on his own. He just didn't expect their reunion to be so morose, and so final.

Sugar And Spice by ladydragona, SylWritesStuff (E)

Queer technology giant Anthony J. Crowley is just about ready to throw in the towel after relationship after relationship has failed, but there's a new barista at the company coffee shop and he's cute and sweet and Crowley's never been able to resist blond hair and blue eyes. The tabloids will have a field day, they always do, but his assistant is getting married and a temp is needed. A temp who really isn't very good at making complicated coffees, has past experience in reception, and absolutely no idea that the latest complicated coffee order came from the owner himself. Aziraphale only knows that he's handsome, patient, and was the first person who told him he was doing well. How could he refuse the temp position? Or, he soon discovers, more.

- Mod D

[sassenach77yle]

7x11 “A Hundredweight of Stones”

Holy Michael ...high King of Angels...coming to meet the soul...

...and leading it home...to the Heaven of the Son of God.

June 16, 1778

The forest between Philadelphia and Valley Forge

IAN MURRAY STOOD with a stone in his hand, eyeing the ground he’d chosen. A small clearing, out of the way, up among a scatter of great lichened boulders, under the shadow of firs and at the foot of a big red cedar; a place where no casual passerby would go, but not inaccessible. He meant to bring them up here—the family.

Fergus, to begin with. Maybe just Fergus, by himself. Mam had raised Fergus from the time he was ten, and he’d had no mother before that. Fergus had known Mam longer than Ian had, and loved her as much. Maybe more, he thought, his grief aggravated by guilt. Fergus had stayed with her at Lally-broch, helped to take care of her and the place; he hadn’t. He swallowed hard and, walking into the small clear space, set his stone in the middle, then stood back to look.

Even as he did so, he found himself shaking his head. No, it had to be two cairns. His mam and Uncle Jamie were brother and sister, and the family could mourn them here together—but there were others he might bring, maybe, to remember and pay their respects. And those were the folk who would have known Jamie Fraser and loved him well but wouldn’t ken Jenny Murray from a hole in the— The image of his mother in a hole in the ground stabbed him like a fork, retreated with the recollection that she wasn’t after all in a grave, and stabbed again all the harder for that. He really couldn’t bear the vision of them drowning, maybe clinging to each other, struggling to keep— “A Dhia!” he said violently, and dropped the stone, turning back at once to find more. He’d seen people drown. Tears ran down his face with the sweat of the summer day; he didn’t mind it, only stopping now and then to wipe his nose on his sleeve. He’d tied a rolled kerchief round his head to keep the hair and the stinging sweat out of his eyes; it was sopping before he’d added more than twenty stones to each of the cairns. He and his brothers had built a fine cairn for their father before he died, at the head of the carved stone that bore his name—all his names, in spite of the expense—in the burying ground at Lallybroch. And then later, at the funeral, members of the family, followed by the tenants and then the servants, had come one by one to add a stone each to the weight of remembrance.

Fergus, then. Or . . . no, what was he thinking? Auntie Claire must be the first he brought here. She wasn’t Scots herself, but she kent fine what a cairn was and would maybe be comforted a bit to see Uncle Jamie’s. Aye, right. Auntie Claire, then Fergus. Uncle Jamie was Fergus’s foster father; he had a right. And then maybe Marsali and the children. But maybe Germain was old enough to come with Fergus? He was ten, near enough to being a man to understand, to be treated like a man. And Uncle Jamie was his grandsire; it was proper. He stepped back again and wiped his face, breathing heavily. Bugs whined and buzzed past his ears and hovered over him, wanting his blood, but he’d stripped to a loincloth and rubbed himself with bear grease and mint in the Mohawk way; they didn’t touch him. “Look over them, O spirit of red cedar,” he said softly in Mohawk, gazing up into the fragrant branches of the tree. “Guard their souls and keep their presence here, fresh as thy branches.” He crossed himself and bent to dig about in the soft leaf mold. A few more rocks, he thought. In case they might be scattered by some passing animal. Scattered like his thoughts, which roamed restless to and fro among the faces of his family, the folk of the Ridge—God, might he ever go back there? Brianna. Oh, Jesus, Brianna . . . He bit his lip and tasted salt, licked it away and moved on, foraging. She was safe with Roger Mac and the weans. But, Jesus, he could have used her advice—even more, Roger Mac’s. Who was left for him to ask, if he needed help in taking care of them all? Thought of Rachel came to him, and the tightness in his chest eased a little. Aye, if he had Rachel . . . She was younger than him, nay more than nineteen, and, being a Quaker, had very strange notions of how things should be, but if he had her, he’d have solid rock under his feet. He hoped he would have her, but there were still things he must say to her, and the thought of that conversation made the tightness in his chest come back. The picture of his cousin Brianna came back, too, and lingered in his mind: tall, long-nosed and strong-boned as her father . . . and with it rose the image of his other cousin, Bree’s half brother. Holy God, William. And what ought he to do about William? He doubted the man kent the truth, kent that he was Jamie Fraser’s son—was it Ian’s responsibility to tell him so? To bring him here and explain what he’d lost? He must have groaned at the thought, for his dog, Rollo, lifted his massive head and looked at him in concern. “No, I dinna ken that, either,” Ian told him. “Let it bide, aye?” Rollo laid his head back on his paws, shivered his shaggy hide against the flies, and relaxed in boneless peace. Ian worked awhile longer and let the thoughts drain away with his sweat and his tears. He finally stopped when the sinking sun touched the tops of his cairns, feeling tired but more at peace. The cairns rose knee-high, side by side, small but solid.

He stood still for a bit, not thinking anymore, just listening to the fussing of wee birds in the grass and the breathing of the wind among the trees. Then he sighed deeply, squatted, and touched one of the cairns. “Tha gaol agam oirbh, a Mhàthair,” he said softly. My love is upon you, Mother. Closed his eyes and laid a scuffed hand on the other heap of stones. The dirt ground into his skin made his fingers feel strange, as though he could maybe reach straight through the earth and touch what he needed. He stayed still, breathing, then opened his eyes.

“Help me wi’ this, Uncle Jamie,” he said. “I dinna think I can manage, alone.”

1 A Hundredweight of Stones ~ Written in My Own Heart's Blood

[salix-triandra]

for the ask - Sam Butler from mismag! (this is ivy btw just on my extremely old technically-main blog 💀)

Thank youuuu I would love to talk about the wondrous and incandescent Sam Butler:

I feel like Sam is getting her flowers in Season 2 and flew under the radar a bit in Season 1, but Season 1 established that Sam's strength lies in seeing the emotional connections between people and that she has a very strong emotional intelligence. She sees how people matter to each other, but her insecurities break my heart as they don't let her internalize how those connections often spread from HER. S2 shows us that she has spent so much time convinced that people don't actually like her but are liking a spell she is casting on them, even though the reality is that people genuinely like her. She is charming, but she isn't just charming; she has a strong desire to know things about others.

I've only ever shipped Sam with Evan, I'll be honest-- in season 1, she was the first person to say hi to him and attempt to include him the moment she met him. Sam literally talked demons out of possessing him. It blindsided me when Evan and K were the pairing in S1 (though by the time S2 began, they'd broken up) because I saw Sam's genuine care and affection for the person Evan was and I saw K's more surface-level fascination with Evan's situation and sad-boy deal over his person-ness. No K hate, it's literally their arc. And in season 2, that care and affection has continued to grow between Sam and Evan from the start, as early as episode 2 when Sam sees Evan giving into a violent urge and stops him bc she's worried about him, when she notices Evan is being really violent with his shadow, and when Evan carries Sam across a sea of lava and they have an emotional talk about wanting to be in each other's lives. And the whole time K and Sam are talking about what Sam wants in a partner it keeps cutting to Evan doing something off to the side... and then epsidoe 3 happens where Evan fucking dies and Sam is the only person who can look at the shadow version of him? And how she's the one to ask all the right questions to determine how to get Evan back to life? And from that point onward, we see them both prioritizing each other first in everything: in combat, in emotional scenes; they gravitate towards each other before others. I could talk about this part forever but won't bc this is about SAM and not the two of them as a couple. She is so attentive, caring, and loving; it shows in the way she sees Evan as a normal person, and he validates that for her by showing that he consistently sees to the core of her.

Non-romantic OTP, K Tanaka and Sam are Pink Pals forever, childhood friends that were super close, grew apart in adolescence, and then re-connected as 17 year-olds. They care for each other a lot and are able to have tough conversations together even if it means getting a little tense because it matters to them.

I know this doesn't count as an unpopular opinion about Sam the character, but seeing as how I don't have any, I would love to see more art of Sam with her natural hair or, at the very least, with some of the protective styles she would wear under her wigs! I'll contribue myself sometime soon, but I'd love to see it from other people, too!

I would have loved to see Sam get to have more time with Fergus Pontz, a character who she dated in S1 and then saw very briefly in episode 3 after Evan got killed-- we find out he followed the Pilot Program's pathing from island to island and then ended up somewhere with bomb in his chest?? and he died??? so she never got to meet back up with him and find out how he survived things; clearly something in their old dynamic was haunting her and it would have been nice for her to get that closure with him.

Thank you again for asking!!!! I loooove this series very much and Sam most of all :)

[verdicloud]

hello everyone!! happy feburary and welcome to my “jellicle ball appreciation posts” series where i discuss my favourite part of the whole musical! specifically about the 1998 version because, oh boy, my love for this recording of a 10 minute dance break knows no bounds. refer to this video for the names of the different sections of the jellicle ball aaaand let’s begin!!!

jellicle ball appreciation posts :

perfect timing

anyone who’s danced before knows that doing all those moves, especially for more fast paced dances, takes exceptional strength and control to execute them well. in order to have that control, and of course because moving your limbs and getting from one place to another takes time, you sometimes have to sacrifice one extra second to perform the last move before moving on to the next one. for example, watch bombalurina after “arabesque” as she’s getting into place for “warsaw (ecstasy)”. unlike most others, she raises her arms a little late because she has to run into position from the back. although it’s a pretty minor issue, when this happens your performance can appear delayed and you often end up rushing the following move.

so one of the most satisfying things for me to watch as an ex-dancer (besides straight up satisfying dancing which we will talk about in the future) is someone hitting their mark on a dance move perfectly or even a little early. one example of this is, during “slow paws” jemima’s arm movements are completely in time with the music, and she raises her arms perfectly on cue during “arabesque”.

but absolutely nothing scratches this itch more than watching tumblebrutus, or fergus logan, dance. seriously, who gave this man the right to be THAT graceful???? i cannot even express how euphoric it is to watch him during the jellicle ball and i sometimes open the film just to watch him. i genuinely love the “boys ballet” section so much because of him and fergus logan has become one of my favourite dancers in the show, or ever, if not my favourite. and for the same reason (but not the only one) tumblebrutus is also one of my top favourite cats.

when tumble and misto stand up and do their windmill thing during “spikey”, fergus is completely focused on dancing. you can see it on his face. as a result, tumble is eager and ready to do the next move, and it shows because he hits the mark perfectly and my gosh, i hope you guys know how much i wish i could absorb that moment into my soul. and the way he “windmills” is just like, he swings his arms so freely and effortlessly and elegantly and so in time with the music, it’s just so pleasing to watch. compared to jacob brent, who’s more focused on staying in character, which i absolutely don’t blame him for since he has a very important role, but as a result he ends up windmilling a little bit late and rushes the next one. mistoffelees’ dancing has more of his flavour and spark, but tumblebrutus’s movements are just so freaking refined and graceful and everything, and i highly doubt this will be the last time i talk about fergus logan in these posts.

as much as i love these “perfect timing” moments though, i also happen to care a lot about the moments like i mentioned in the first paragraph, because there’s something beautiful about seeing the humanity behind a piece of art, especially in the case of dance and professional dancers. it shows that no matter how fantastical this world is or how impressive the cats’ feats are, these are still actors, human beings, and they make mistakes on stage sometimes too and that’s ok. it just shows how much effort is needed to pull this off and put on a successful show. cats the musical is one of the only pieces of media that i know of, where it can break the immersion in a serious manner (or even unintentionally) and have it make the experience even more magical.

part 2~~

[thethirdromana]

Books I read for the first time this year - 2024 edition

I did this last year, and even though no one read it, it was fun so I'm doing it again.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins I loved The Woman in White so much that I had to have more Wilkie Collins right away. It is aggressively of its time, but very readable and gripping all the same. And I found the ending deeply satisfying. I should read more Wilkie Collins.

Julia by Sandra Newman This is the story of 1984 retold from Julia's perspective, with extra bleakness and a somewhat odd take on the ending. I think this would have benefitted from me having read 1984 more recently. I'm glad I read it; I don't think I will ever read it again.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells I merely liked this, and feel oddly guilty for not loving it as much as the rest of tumblr seems to. Possibly this would have benefitted from me bingeing the series instead of stopping at one.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen In the spring I decided it was time to read the two Austen novels I hadn't read before. I enjoyed Mansfield Park, though it's not destined to replace Sense and Sensibility as my favourite Austen novel. This is because Edmund, unfortunately, is a drip.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro I loved Remains of the Day so much that I thought I should read more Ishiguro. There's the usual unreliable narrator and glimpses of hidden darkness that you'd expect from Ishiguro in Klara and the Sun, but it's a lighter read overall, which is to say it didn't devastate me in the way that the Remains of the Day did.

Persuasion by Jane Austen One of these novels that's so totemic it feels weird to review it. It's like saying I quite liked the ocean; the ocean doesn't care.

I quite liked it, though.

The Temeraire series by Naomi Novik The first of several recommendations from tumblr. I read the whole series one after another without a break. The amount that I enjoyed each novel was directly proportional to how much it was the Aubreyad with dragons - so the first and final books were my favourites.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Lots of people have this as their favourite Andy Weir novel but I am not among them. It was just a little bit too cuddly for me, I think, and I was also well into Time To Orbit: Unknown at this point (a web serial, so I've not included it on this list), which is in a similar style but better. The title pun is great, though.

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume This is an early detective novel from before people had really figured out how the genre should work. An interesting read but not a particularly satisfying one.

The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin An incredible book, but I found myself wishing I could have read the version of it that Le Guin might have written later on in her career, when she came to focus less on male characters.

The Riverside Trilogy by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman This was another tumblr recommendation and I loved these, with the sole exception of the ending of the Fall of Kings. Queer love, sword-fighting and some of the most lavish and enticing descriptions of food that I've ever read - this is a significant percentage of I want in a novel.

The Documents in the Case by Dorothy Sayers and Robert Eustace I can't believe I hadn't read this earlier. I love Dorothy Sayers, I love the way she observes people, and I particularly love the way this novel brings a slice of the 1920s bohemian world to life. This means I have now read all of Dorothy Sayers' novels and should probably getting cracking on the short stories.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland Another tumblr recommendation! This felt a lot like reading fanfic - the tropes (enemies to lovers!), the writing style, the way the characters bounced off each other. I enjoyed it, though I did find myself wondering how readers who weren't used to fanfic norms would feel about it.

Spirit Level by Richy Craven This was a debut novel by someone who I've followed on Twitter (and subsequently Bluesky) for ages. It's a comedy novel about a man who can only see the ghost of his dead friend when he's drunk. I found it more sweet than funny.

Jeeves and the King of Clubs by Ben Schott Jeeves and Wooster fanfiction, but with an official licence! Entirely readable, but the best of AO3 is better.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller A gorgeous retelling of the Iliad from the perspective of Patroclus. The prose is lovely; the ending, a little wobbly.

Tall and Dark by Suzannah Rowntree Sometimes I download novels onto my Kindle, forget any of the context, and pick them up without any prior info. Usually that's great, but it served Tall and Dark badly. I thought that it was going to be the kind of novel that the opening made it seem (a governess who can see spirits fakes being a medium in a non-fantasy setting) instead of what it was (a romp with fantastical monsters). The monster romp was fun, but I'd probably have enjoyed it more if I'd read the blurb and been prepared for what to expect.

The Night Raven by Sarah Painter More women who can see ghosts, but this time in an urban fantasy context. I was not really in the mood for urban fantasy when I read this, which did a disservice to another readable book.

A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro This was Ishiguro's first novel, where he hadn't quite figured out the fine line between an unreliable narrator who hides things from the reader, and just not telling you what the fuck is going on.

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro I did not finish this, but I got about two-thirds of the way through before giving up, so it's going on the list. This is where I went from "I like Kazuo Ishiguro" to "I like some of Kazuo Ishiguro's novels". Amazing that it's possible to make an Arthurian romp set in the early Middle Ages (two of my favourite things!) so dull.

On the Beach by Nevil Shute This was the best novel I read all year. It's the story of a small group of people in Australia, waiting for a cloud of nuclear radiation that has already killed the rest of humanity to reach them. Other writers might have shown people having crazed reactions to the end of the world; Nevil Shute shows ordinary people responding in dignified and quiet ways. It was utterly devastating.

So Disdained by Nevil Shute This was a lot lighter than On the Beach and generally fun, though the heroic role played in it by Italian fascists was uncomfortable.

Circe by Madeline Miller Good, if a little bit less well-constructed than The Song of Achilles, though some of that has to be down to the source material.

The Autobiography of Mr Spock by Una McCormack It's a truly impressive feat to synthesise the assorted contradictory Spock lore into something that makes coherent sense. Una McCormack sees the world of Star Trek as a darker place than I prefer to, and as a dedicated Spirk shipper, maybe I was never going to be entirely happy with this. It's very well-written but perhaps not quite for me.

The Anglo-Saxons by Marc Morris I realised I'd got to nearly the end of the year without reading any non-fiction. This was a great way to address that. I already knew a fair bit about the Anglo-Saxon period but this was a very enjoyable way to fill in the gaps.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir I gave in to the need to know what everyone on tumblr seemed to be raving about. Lesbian necromancers in space was always going to be a winner with me, though at times it was a bit Warhammer 40k-esque (mountains of skulls! rivers of blood!) for my tastes.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Overtly feminist fiction is usually my bag, but I didn't vibe with this. It's patronising towards its autistic-coded protagonist, and I wish it didn't spend quite so much time emphasising how hot she is. I could have done without the sapient dog, too.

Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue Lesbian historical fiction featuring Anne Lister? Obviously on to a great start. The plot was a little constrained by the messiness of historical events, and there were a couple of bizarre modern references that threw me out of immersion when I reached them, which was particularly odd given how meticulous most of the research was. But I'm nitpicking: this was a gorgeous novel overall.

[viva-la-runaway]

I think I mentioned my headcanon about Wheatley’s siblings in the RickRatt post. So, I thought I'd share these while I work on my Pride Month drawing.

All the siblings are characters either from the game, or from the series “Meet the cores” on Youtube by Harry101UK. I own none of these characters.

Small TW: Implied child neglect (nothing too detailed.)

I’ll start off by showing y'all my more recent Wheatley design. This is the one I usually stick to these days

Then right here is the older design, and with him is my human design of Space core.

Headcanon time, yippee :D

So, almost all of Wheatley’s siblings come from different moms, but they all have the same dad. Ray, Clark, and Rose have the same mom because they're triplets. Rick and Wheatley have the same mom, but she died while giving birth to Wheatley

Most of the kids don't have much contact with their moms, as they all grew up with their neglectful fathers. Their mothers were never in positions to care for them entirely or were products of one-night stands, so they usually just ended up in the care of the oldest three brothers.

Rusty, Fergus, and Chuck were in charge growing up. They each worked jobs to help feed the younger siblings, while the middle kids did things for their neighbors to earn extra cash.

For such a chaotic and sometimes rather unfortunate life, they all turned out fine and got jobs at Aperture. Wheatley’s good record at work actually helped most of the siblings get jobs there, even if some of their jobs were rather unimportant in some peoples eyes.

Wheatley was actually rather brilliant before he was turned into a core. He was still very talkative while working at Aperture. He also tended to be a bit clumsy and often made mistakes, sometimes forgetting to do his work because he was too busy yapping at his coworkers. Those little flaws are what I imagine led to his selection for the core experiments.

If you guys want more specific headcanons, I have a TON. I guess this could be considered an Au, so I'd love to share more if you guys have any questions about it. :)

[danjaley]

Evolution of the Revolution Storyline (long read)

I still can't quite believe it all made sense in the end - I've been working on that Revolution storyline from the moment I decided to continue the McCarrics open-end. And that was in 2020 (or in 1738).

First there were these famous two lines:

Rosalie's son: Would you like to take on a charity case? Fergus' son: I've learned to be cautious when people ask me like this.

The charity case was a French refugee priest whose story I later split between Sœur Thérèse and Père Leclerc. Fergus' son wasn't cleft-lipped at the time (but always half-orphaned), and Rosalie's son wasn't gay. I don't remember exactly, but I think that happened when I was trying to work a French nobleman into the story. We're getting closer to the point where it will clash with the other gay male storyline. Which I plotted even earlier because it connects to Alasdair's story in the end.

It took me ages to think of marrying Nicolas to Marianne's daughter. Originally Marianne had three children, the oldest being named after his father Charles. Originally, Marianne arrived at Rosalie's place in a state of indignation, before the war broke out:

Marianne: … so I said to Charles, this was the last straw, if they’re starting to arrest people for any opinion whatsoever, I’m not staying in this country a moment longer. Charles being a Scottish Royalist made a difference so far, but I wouldn’t rely on it any longer. He does though – funny, as he always wanted to be so French. I just hope he won’t come to regret having his own way. So I said, give me the children, I’m going to visit Rosalie until this nonsense is over. You cannot be careful enough with your heir, don’t I know it? Oh and I brought Lucie’s governess as well. I’m sorry to intrude upon you with such an entourage, but she wouldn’t have stood a chance on her own, poor girl. I’m only glad the other two are safe. Roseanne went to Cologne with her husband and André had the good sense to join an English trading company.

Charles jr. was then the father of Lucie and the governess was already Sr. Thérèse. Much of the closing-the-school dialogue is from that time, although it didn't include Béatrice then. One or both of the Charles were to die in the Revolution later.

Marianne: It – it says Charles is dead. Rosalie: Good Lord, did they behead him? Marianne: Mercifully not. He was arrested and then they weren’t sure what to do with him. But he took ill in prison and … I should have been there! Remember how Father sat with Fergus day and night – Rosalie: No I don’t – remember? And Fergus died anyway. Charles knew he was risking his life. You’d probably have died before him in prison. You did what you could with offering to take him to Scotland and at least you got the children away.

Rosalie is alluding to the fact that she only learned of Fergus' death several weeks later, which I was writing at the same time then.

At that point, the unrelated Nicolas died in the same wave of executions as Charles. Rosalie, as usual, was trying and failing to read Jonathan's emotions.

Rosalie to Ysobel: Do you think Mathew has time to come for a visit? I’m worried about Jonathan. He takes it awfully hard about Charles – more so than Marianne, and she’s his mother. At least I think it must be about Charles, as there weren’t any other deaths in the family recently; but I didn’t know they were particularly close; they only met a couple of times.

At that time Matt sometimes communicated by writing into his notebook – until I realized how much work that would be to pose!

Jonathan: Don’t you dare write anything down! It’s exactly what you think it its. (hands him the paper) Matthew: Gawd, I’m shorry. Jonathan: I’m glad you’re here. It's good to have someone who knows what’s the matter. Matthew: Ye should dalk ‘o yer barentsh though. ‘ell ‘em y’ lost a loved one i’France. ‘hat’sh almoshd ‘he truth, and ‘hey might let y’ off ‘he hook wi’ marrying.

Another interesting point is that I transcribed Matt's speech differently then, than I do today. Also I reused several motifs of that dialogue in other places.

Then I was completely stuck where to go from Nicolas' demise. I was thinking of his wife or sister turning to Jonathan for help. At some point it struck me that Roseanne could double as this wife, which would also provide a story how they first met. Since the two Charles were nothing but confusing, the youngest brother André became the heir, so those lose ends were tied up. At this point I wrote the prison-scene and the argument between Jonathan and Roseanne. Originally I wanted to leave it a mystery what he told her "alone, outside":

Jonathan: I want a word with you. Alone. Outside. ... Roseanne (returning, blushed): Pack a bag each. We’re going to England.

Only in England it would have turned out that he told her Nicolas was in the crate, not that he was the Italian lover. But that proved too complicated and artificial.

Then there was a phase in which André came home to die and his father Charles survived. Originally, Marianne's outburst of anger at Matt is from that context and it was Charles who spoke. There was a lot more bitterness as they realized Nicolas had been smuggled in a crate, but their own son won't come alive again. In this version, Lucie was orphaned and adopted by Roseanne and Nicolas.

André: You must be very brave and do everything your aunts and uncles say. They’ll take you to Scotland. It’s beautiful there, and safe. You have a wonderful family there too. I couldn’t think of a better place for you. Lucie: But I want to go to Scotland together with you! André: I wish we could go together. But I must go and be with your mother now. You’ll always be our little girl. Don’t forget that.

In the end it was all too similar to Fergus' story. And there's more tension with André knowing Nicolas' secret now.

Lord Alfred Benjamin Clarke is named after an inconsiderate English tourist in a 19th century German morality tale. He ordered a customized engraved glass with his initials (ABC) and never picked it up. In the end they give it to the school-teacher as a present. With Jonathan being completely inspired by the classicist movement, it was the most logical thing to send him on an art-related rescue mission. It took me another while to figure out the fastest way would be for Richard to engineer the whole thing:

Rosalie: I’m writing to Richard immediately. Jonathan: There’s no time to send a letter to London and wait for a reply. Besides I doubt if Richard can leave at a moment’s notice. I’ll tell you what we’ll do. This foppish member of parliament, whom he’s counselling, wrote me just recently about a Roman torso he wishes to acquire. Probably Richard gave him my address. I haven’t felt like replying to this nonsense yet, but now I think I’ll take the commission. The torso is in France, just a few miles outside of Paris.

The idea of claiming to be Scottish subjects was inspired by how the Schottenkloster in Regensburg avoided being disbanded. They weren't exaaactly Scottish property, but it took decades to contact the Crown about it, and then they obviously kept the free monastery offered to them. It's disbanded now anyway, but half of its archive is kept in Edinburgh and a nuisance to all researchers.

Béatrice was there as a name for a long time, but her storyline is fairly new. It was clear from Nicolas' earlier behaviour that he wasn't particularly interested in his daughter. And it was clear from later scenes I've already written that she adores him (somewhat undeservedly).

The very latest addition was actually Matt killing the prison warden. I felt that there was a decisive incident needed at this point, one that would get them all away safely, but at a high price. Before, Matt wasn't very closely involved in Nicolas' rescue. That's why I cut his longer speech as he comforted Jonathan after the break-up. Now he only says "Bloo’y ungra’eful idiot!", because of his own share in saving Nicolas' life. He did it so that Jonathan could be with his love, and now he just goes ahead and breaks up. I felt Matt would be less than ever in the mood to see Nicolas' point of view.

Matthew: There were timesh when I deshpished the arrogan’ idio’ for having a wife an’ children an’ not being con’ent. Bu’ don’’ forge’ he wash imprishone’ for weeksh, facing exshecution. No’ody deshervesh tha’. Eshpeshially no’ for being with you. If he wantsh ‘o reform hish life, he migh’ shtart by being more tac’ful an’ grateful ‘o you.

[notsoblackandwhite101]

Rewatched 'Crushed Out' (Ep 6B) and just wanted to talk about how it plays into my headcannons!

SOOOOO this is the episode where Dylan falls in love with Portia. It plays some impact in how I view Portia's character, but I also see it as a good look at Dante to (H'es my favourite character, can you tell?).

Dante is shown to be almost gleeful at helping Dylan be 'more goth.' by making him destroy the things he loves.

However I always found this a bit... odd. Dante seems like a good kid, who knows when things go too far regarding his siblings feelings, at least when he's mentally well (Read not 'Dante's Inferno' ep.) Yet he's causing Dylan so much emotional pain here. However the more I thought about, the more I realized that's not really what Dante's happy about. I'm willing to bet that whenever Dante hangs out with his family or even just Dylan and Dante 1 on 1, they usually do what anyone BUT Dante wants to do. Not because they don't care about him but because his interests aren't as universal as other activities. This is Dylan doing stuff Dante is into. Nihilism. Goth culture. Dante is happy Dylan is doing what Dante wants to do!

Another reason I think this is true is because what happens when Dylan finally breaks? What happens when Dylan doesn't care anymore (Or is better acting like it)?

Dante doesn't look happy about it.

I mean, he's not worried either, but he's not excited or even just smiling a little, or looking smug/pleased. He's just... this. He doesn't even change expression until the next scene. What I think is going on with Dante is that he's... mildly concerned. Maybe wondering if this is actually good for Dylan or what Dylan really wants. However I think he chooses to listen to what Dylan and Fergus are saying over what he's seeing. The last time we see Dante this episode is when Dylan shows up to dinner. Its hard to make out his expression but maybe he is just silently supporting Dylan's new look.

WHICH launches me into my next talking point. Character ages.

Its often stated in promo material and the show bible that Dylan and Dolly are 'tweens.' AKA 11-13. I never really believed that. They're in charge of how many kids? Day and night? Along with taking them out to places? Plus with the amount of dating Dylan and Dolly do, I always found it a bit odd for that age range. I do have some theories for this though. That age group may have been used just for pitching. Animation companies hate using protagonists over 14 for their main characters. (Glances at Amphibia and the Owl House respectively. Then Glares at Infinity Train.) So they just say their characters are this age and have them act older. Or this detail was left on the cutting room floor along with other stuff. I actually see Dylan and Dolly closer to young adult. 17 or a little older? Still irresponsible in places but responsible in others.

Why do I bring this up here? Well because after the dinner scene, Fergus and Dylan go to the Cat's Canal gig. You know, the goth rock event.

So the big question here is... WHY DIDN'T DANTE GO?! Its just Fergus and Dylan that went! Despite this being Dante's thing!

One theory could be that Dylan didn't want to watch him AND try to catch Portia's attention. However I think its more that Dante isn't actually old enough for and event like this. I head cannon Dante at 14 in the show. Gigs like this can have drinking,drugs and other things that Disney won't show you XD. Dylan, around 17 or 18, would be able to go and likely have safe judgment. Dante would not.

COURSE this is all just headcannons of me looking too closely at a children's cartoon! What do you guys think about this? Love to hear your ideas!

[renee-writer]

Love Comes First Chapter 44

AO3

https://archiveofourown.org/works/57780913

“Today, you are one!” She holds up one finger to the excited babies. They, feeding off her energy, bounce up and down in their cots.

 

Jamie, watching from the doorway, grins. Isaiah David and Hanna Rebecca see him and start to cry out, “DaDa!”

 

Claire turns and smiles at him. He walks all the way in, joining her.

 

“Amazing that you are one, guys.” He says to them.

 

“They were just born,” she says to him, “or so it seems.”

 

He chuckles. “It seems James was.”

 

“True,” she sighs out, “it goes by way to fast.”

 

“Aye, so let’s soak in this day,” he lifts up the babies, together, “right guys. It’s your birthday.”

 

They squeal. Nappies are changed and they are dressed in their birthday outfits.

 

Downstairs, their older siblings are blowing balloons up and hanging banners.

 

“I want to tell them.” Sophia whispers to James. They are placing the tablecloth on.

 

“I know. But baby, it is Isaiah and Hanna’s day.”

 

“Your right. I am just so excited.”

 

“Me too baby.” He hugs her.

 

Marsali sits, way to pregnant, to help much. Fergus stands behind her, helping Faith hang the happy birthday banner. Sitting beside her, Leah rests her hand on her bump, where Joel moves around.

 

“Hey Joel. Are you excited about the twins birthday too?”

 

Marsali smiles at her.

 

“He is.”

 

“Cool.”

 

The twins sit in the middle of the wrapping paper after opening all their presents, with the help of Leah and Peter.

 

They throw it around more interested in them, temporarily at least, then their new toys.

 

Their family watch them with joy. More pictures are taken. They already have pictures of them smashing their cakes and opening the presents.

 

“Oh.” Marsali’s utterance gets Tabby’s  attention. She sits closest to her.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“I think I am in labor.” She calmly says. Fergus hears her, turning quickly and hurrying over to her side.

 

“Baby?”

 

“I have been having pains for awhile. I just didn’t want to take attention away from the babies.”

 

Claire, noticing the stress coming from the couple and her daughter, comes over.

 

“Claire, Marsali is having contractions.” Fergus’ voice gets high. Claire is calmer.

 

“How far apart are the contractions?”

 

“Around six minutes.”

 

“Okay, let’s get the doctor called.” Fergus fumbles for his phone.

 

Faith comes over and kneels beside her. Placing her hand over her bump, she begins to pray for both the parents and Joel.

 

Over the last three months, she has focused more on her faith. That and her work in the hospital has matured her, to her parents joy.

 

Tabby and Peter take care of the twins while Jamie and Claire see to the couple, helping her through the next few contractions while the doctor instructs them.

 

They are to head directly to hospital. Fergus already has the hospital bag in the boot of the car and the car seat in the back.

 

When the excitement dies down, Sophia and James share a look. He nods.

 

“Mama and da, we are pregnant.” She announces.

 

It is a very memorable first birthday.

[aziraphales-library]

Helloooooo again! Hope you are doing well! I have a request for some fics and I was wondering if you happen to know if there are any where Aziraphale and Crowley get married in Vegas after a drunk night (this is a very specific niche so if you can’t find any that is perfectly ok!) and it doesn’t even have to be in Vegas, just accidental marriage fics are cool too. Thank you!

Hi! Here are some drunken Las Vegas marriage fics...

to have and to hold, probably by seventhstar (G)

They have long, drawn out arguments about this, if they can even be termed arguments; onlookers inevitably describe their tone of voice as 'fond' and their mode of communication as 'bickering'. The wine is passed back and forth between them. Marriage, Aziraphale argues, is divine. It's about love. It's about making promises, and keeping them. It's about faith and hope and devotion. Marriage, Crowley replies, is infernal. It gives two people who love each other endless opportunities to ruin it. It's about power and money and pain; it's caused more evil than it ever has good. Or, the one where they get drunk married in Las Vegas.

Waking Up In Vegas by Supergeek21 (T)

Crowley and Aziraphale wake up hungover after a night out in Vegas.

Ouroboros by FriendOfLoki (T)

“We should get married!” Crowley blurts out. His face is burning the moment the words leave his mouth and enter into the night. He’s not quite sure how he got here. Or, the story of how Aziraphale and Crowley drunkenly marry each other one night in Las Vegas.

Oops! by Mimsynims (E)

This must be a dream. A fantastic, soul-crushing dream. That’s the only explanation. Right? “Aziraphale, did you hear me?” Bugger. Not a dream. “Pardon, what was that?” Aziraphale reluctantly dragged his eyes from the simple yet perfect ring on his left hand. A ring that matched the one on Crowley’s left hand. His friend, Crowley. Best friends Aziraphale and Crowley are on holiday in Las Vegas. After a getting a bit too drunk the night before, they wake up with wedding rings on their fingers. Sounds like it should be easily dealt with, or is it..?

Veni Vino Vegas (I Came, I Got Drunk, I Got Married) by A_N_D (T)

After a whirlwind drunken evening, author Az Fell came home from Rom-Con without his heirloom pinkie ring – but with a wedding license from a 24-hour Las Vegas chapel. Elsewhere, book fan Tony Crowley woke up with a hangover, vague memories, and a brand new ring he’s only seen in author photos. Mutually attracted, mutually terrified the other one thinks it was all a regrettable mistake, they turn to their dear but anonymous online friend to vent and ask for advice. …Maybe they should tell each other their screennames someday.

Waking Up Married by Caedmon (E)

"So you’re telling me that my options are either to convince this man I just met and drunkenly married to stay married to me for six months or lose two thirds of a billion pounds?” “That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” Fergus said. “Fucking shit,” Crowley spat. He hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment before rubbing his eyes with his fists. Now his job would be twice as hard. He needed to talk Aziraphale into staying married for six months. Should he try begging or bribing? This was a huge ask, and Aziraphale would be well within his rights to tell Crowley to fuck off. But Crowley was prepared to offer him pretty much anything, up to half of the trust, if that’s what it took. He didn’t care. But that was only part of his concern. Even if he got insanely lucky and Aziraphale agreed to stay legally married to him for the next six months, how the hell was he going to talk Aziraphale into dating him during that time? And was it foolish to even try? One thing at a time, he decided. First, he needed to convince Aziraphale to stay legally married to him. Then he could set about wooing his husband. He hoped.

- Mod D

[bill-y]

Completely unrelated fandom post but I've been getting back into Dragon Age again for Veilguard and I had to make a lil doodle of my HoF 😔☝️

His name's Godfrey Drogo Cousland, but most people call him Fred. (Drogo, if you're a freak) (Keeping up with the weird ass Cousland name cause what the fuck is a Fergus?!)

Just his eyes, it's a lil wonky but boo!! (Don't ask about the lashes)

Headmorph and some info about him under cut! 😫

His headmorph: (very silly) ((yes it's from the fem headmorph. I wanted to be a pretty boy who looks like a girl who looks like a boy who looks like a girl who looks like a boy)

Godfrey (Fred lmao) is very much about duty first before anything, since Bryce probably raised outstanding citizens. He did, however, throw a tantrum spanning multiple days when he was conscripted by Duncan. (Understandably so) He was the most bitter, conniving cunt in Ostagar but quickly straightened himself when he realized the threat of the blight. Also has a bit of a soft spot for Alistair (they do gay shit like care for each other) due to the whole grieving thing.

Unlike Alistair, he is the model Gray Warden, morally dubious and always thinking of the greater good. Alistair is sort of his moral compass, urging him to do better than just the status quo.

He's found home in the Gray Wardens. He's skrunky 😔

Will probably post a fic Abt him bye HAHAH.

[nightxcreature]

The Empty

Warnings: death, torture, stabbing, angst

Pairings: CrowleyxFriend!Reader(female), LuciferxEnemy!Reader

I feel like I should apologize for this? Idk, it’s just angsty and sad, it made me feel all the things while writing it so maybe it will make you feel the things while reading. Love you love you love you all. 🫶🏼

“How did we find ourselves here?” He questions from across the cramped room. His voice is raspy, but I’m not sure if it’s from the shackles around his neck or how much he had been screaming earlier. Black hair caked to his forehead and his brown eyes have gone dull in the time since we had first been taken captive here.

“I’m fairly certain it’s because someone in this room deemed himself ‘King of Hell’ and imprisoned the archangel, Lucifer…but, what do I know. I just work here.” I snap, wiping at the sweat on my forehead. The stench of death had been wafting through the room, and I’m unsure at this point if that smell is actually me or the corpses surrounding us, either way…it reeks. I need a shower, some kind of sustenance, and to find my way out of this shithole.

Crowley scoffs and rolls his eyes, “Former archangel. I don’t think the term still applies once you defy Daddy and buck the system, Darling.”

The large door containing us to this prison slams open and in walks the man himself, all red eyed and confident.

“Good morning, Ladies.” He says with a cocky smile, “How’d you sleep?”

“Like a baby.” I retort, a small smirk playing at my lips, “How about you, Princess?”

Crowley sends a warning glance across from me and then glances back to Lucifer, “When are you going to give this up? Neither of us are going to tell you anything about the Winchesters or your little soul sucking spawn.”

“I’ll give up when you do.” Lucifer replies as he struts over in my direction, “And I think I know just how to make that happen.” He snaps his fingers and I’m pulled immediately to his side, the feel of cold metal against my spine, “Now, I don’t normally have to resort to using these flimsy tools, and I’d love nothing more than to just wiggle my nose and paint the walls with your blood, but I wanted to make this…impactful…” He slices into my lower back and I scream as my skin sizzles, “Crowley, I’m going to give you until the count of three to tell me exactly where my son is, or your friend here is going to become Swiss cheese.”

“You think I care about her?” Crowley spits, “She just works for me. She means nothing to me.”

“Well…then you won’t care if I do this…” I feel a hand wrap around my hair and yank hard enough to make me see stars. The knife suddenly moved from my back to my chest, a millimeter from plunging into my heart.

“Please…”I whisper weakly, my eyes wide and watery, “You don’t have to do this.”

Lucifer wraps a hand around my throat and yanks me closer, “I don’t have to, but I want to. One.” He drops the knife lower and quickly slices into my stomach, pain searing into me again, “I’d hurry up if I were you, Crowley.”

I cut my eyes toward Crowley and slightly shake my head, “Don’t.”

“Oh, no. I think you should.” Lucifer cuts in, pushing me by the shoulders to kneel in front of him, “Two.” He sinks the knife into me again, this time into my shoulder, and my vision begins to blur. Though I can’t see him I can hear the wicked smile on his face as he giggles, pointing the knife in Crowley’s direction.

“Are you really going to let her die over this?” He chokes out between laughs, “Seriously?”

“Better I die than you find the boy.” I whisper quietly, locking eyes with my favorite demon, “Fergus, thank you for being my friend. I’ve never quite had one like you.” Crowley and I maintain eye contact as Lucifer puts the knife to my throat.

“How sweet…you sure you don’t have anything to tell me, Fergus?” Lucifer teases though Crowley stays silent as a mouse, never moving his eyes from my own; A silent confirmation that he understands my sacrifice, “Okay, this is on you, Pal. Three.”

The knife slides smoothly across my neck and I’m immediately welcomed into the arms of inky blackness. The scene from before, my final moments, slowly disappearing from my mind. I am nothing but this void. This mass of blackness, ebbing and flowing and living and dying, all at once. Floating in this abyss is the first taste of peace I’ve had in what feels like a century. Finally, nothingness. Finally…Empty.

Tags:

@lmhf1

If you’d like to be on my tag list let me know! Also requests are ALWAYS open. 🤙🏼

[the-frostiest-of-flakes]

Test Run

Fandom: rotbtd | Characters: Merida, Rapunzel, Hiccup, Jack Frost

Prompt(s): Merida, Favorite AU

Word count: 1851 | Warnings: None | Read on AO3

Summary: While giving her new gear a test run, Merida nearly dies and winds up meeting several budding heroes. Some more impressive than others.

Author's Note: I wrote this for the third week's prompts of the 2023 Big Four Fest, which were Merida and Favorite AUs. My favorite au is a very specific one by lucidorange on tumblr, and it's based around the larger superhero au. Unfortunately, the creator of the au deleted their tumblr account a while back, so everything I know about the au is thanks to the wayback machine and reblogs of the comic. (You can find part 1 here)

I tried to give the triplets more unique personalities while still staying in line with the au versions. I hope you enjoy!

---

Merida DunBroch, daughter of the wildly successful owner and CEO of DunBroch Technologies, Fergus DunBroch, was doing her homework.

Or, that’s what she was supposed to be doing.

In reality, she was perched on a flat roof thirty stories up, the lights of the city shining like stars below her.  It was beautiful, and the wind gently caressing her face only added to the serenity.  Unfortunately, it was currently being ruined by multiple voices jabbering in her ear.  Tuning back in, she found that they were still going on about features and safety and blah, blah, blah.  Pretty much everything she didn’t care about.

“—and if you notice sparks, tell us immediately and drop the—”

“If you’re done yapping,” she interrupted, grip tightening on her bow, “I’m gonna take this gear for a spin now.”

“Be careful,” buzzed one of the three nearly identical voices in her ear.  Her amazing sister-senses told her it was Hubert.  “This is just a test run — we don’t know if there are any glitches with the suit or bow.”

A second voice — Hamish — piped up, “Not that there will be any, considering we made it.”

“Don’t encourage her,” Harris broke in.

Merida rose, a wolfish grin spreading across her face as she looked to the ground below.  So, so far below.  “When have I ever needed encouragement?”

Three matching groans reached her ears, but she barely heard them over the rush of wind as she stepped over the edge—

And started free-falling.

All she could hear was the roaring of air in her ears as it whipped strands of hair out of her ponytail and stole the breath from her lungs.  Her gut was long gone, left behind on the rooftop.  The city lights pulsed brighter, getting ever closer.  To most this would be a nightmare.  But to her…to her it was exhilarating.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end.  Grasping an arrow from her quiver, she drew her bow, changing the setting to “Zipline” with a flick of her thumb.  Ah, the beauty of having genius inventor brothers.  Aiming for a nearby building, Merida fired.

And was promptly disappointed.

Yes, the arrow flew true, arching through the air with the precision only a master could give, but it did so without the intended zipline attached.  Leaving Merida still falling to her doom.

Okay, so maybe she should have checked that feature before jumping off a building.

A lump of panic rose in her throat.  “Uh, guys?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve already broken it,” came Harris’s response.

Oh, she was never going to live this down, was she?  “I, uh.  Might be about to die.”

There was silence on the other end.  All at once, her brothers’ voices came pouring over each other in crackling mayhem.

“It hasn’t even been five minutes—”

“—You are so irresponsible—”

“—More inheritance for me!”

Gritting her teeth, she was about to cut through their chatter when something soft and golden wrapped itself around her waist and promptly yanked her to the side.  She was no longer falling, but being swung like a pendulum.  Grabbing at the fabric that led away from her waist into the dark of the night, she realized it wasn’t fabric at all.  It was thousands of strands of golden hair.

What in the bloody hell…?

A moment later she was dropped — surprisingly gently — onto another roof, much lower than the one she had originally been on.  The hair loosened and fell away, disappearing in a flash.

“I don’t know what happened,” said a voice from the shadows, “or what you’re going through, but killing yourself isn’t the answer.”

Merida sprung to her feet, narrowed eyes scanning her surroundings.  It seemed to be the roof of an apartment building, with a box-like entrance to a stairwell in one corner.  And yet, no sign of whoever had— wait, there!  There, in the shadows of the entrance, was a girl, parts of her golden hair somehow still managing to gleam in the dark, giving away her position.

Her hair…

Calling it long would have been an understatement.  “Long” gave the impression that the hair went down to her waist, maybe a little ways past.  But the mass of yellow didn’t stop there.  It went to her feet, and then continued off, spilling over the edge of the building like a waterfall of spun gold.

“Are you okay?” The girl asked again, her voice just as soft as her hair had been.

“‘m fine.  And I wasn’t trying to kill myself.“

The girl stepped out of the shadows, confusion making furrows in her brow.  They looked out of place, and Merida had the sudden urge to smooth them out.  “Then what were you doing?”

“Testing out my gear.”  She motioned to herself and the bow that was still in her hand.

The girl’s green eyes lit up with understanding.  “Oh!  You’re like me then!”

“Like you?”

“Yeah, you know.  Superhero, vigilante, whatever you want to call it.”  She flashed a grin, bouncing on the balls of her feet.  “This is so cool!  I’ve been working alone for so long — well, not really alone, I mean I’m technically working alongside the police but that’s nothing like having an actual partner — not that you’re going to be my partner, I didn’t mean to imply—”

“Whoa, slow your horses!”  Everything was suddenly falling into place, from the freaky hair to the large purple crown perched on the girl’s head.  “You’re Swift, aren’t you?  The vigilante people are claiming is running around?”

The girl — Swift — nodded.  “Yes, that’s me.”

“I thought you were an urban legend!”

“Nope, I’m real.”  The smile on her face grew ever wider.  “And so are you!  Ohhh, this is so cool!”

Despite herself, Merida could feel one of her eyebrows raising.  This was…not how she had expected her first meeting with a vigilante to go.  Granted, she had never really thought about it before, but Swift had a strangely innocent demeanor about her.  She wasn’t remotely hardened or threatening.

Three loud beeps sounded from Swift’s pocket.  She withdrew what looked to be a burner phone and grimaced at whatever was displayed on the screen.  “Sorry, I gotta go.  There’s a fire downtown and a…dragon?”  She squinted at the screen.  “I think that’s a typo.”

Merida perked up.  A fire and possibly also a dragon?  That would be a perfect test run for the gear!  Never mind the fact that her original test run had almost ended in her own demise.  “Mind if I come with you?”

The look on Swift’s face could only be described as ecstatic.  “Of course!  But, uh…since you’re having some issues with your equipment, would you like me to carry you?  It’ll be faster that way.”

Well, she certainly didn’t want to die or get left behind.  “Sure.”

Golden hair came whipping up and around her waist, and a second later she was swinging through the air again.  It took all her willpower to suppress a scream.  From the way the city was whizzing past below, she had been right to agree to Swift’s offer.  She would have been left in the dust long ago otherwise.

Soon the sound of sirens and the sight of orange light licking the night sky reached her senses.  As well as…Snow?

A moment later the two of them were safe on the ground outside a burning apartment building, above which was a dark cloud.  From the cloud fell a flurry of flakes, killing the fire slowly but surely.

Swift frowned.  “That’s…weird.  It’s the middle of September.”

Merida’s comm piece crackled to life.  “So…are you still there?”  Came Hamish’s voice.  “I need to know if I won the bet or not.”

She rolled her eyes.  “Yes, I’m here.”  At Swift’s quizzical look, she gestured to her ear.  “‘m talking to my brothers, sorry.”

“Dang it.  Wait, are you with someone?”

“Just another hero I met.  Turns out that vigilante, Swift, is real.”  Merida followed said hero as she ran towards the entrance.  “And now we’re gonna stop a—” she broke off at the sound of shattering glass.

The two girls skidded to a halt as a large black bundle landed in front of them.  It was metallic, and as it slowly uncurled itself they realized what it was.

It was a metal dragon.

The craftsmanship was astounding.  From the textured metal and leather to the glowing green lights that constituted eyes.  There was an air of intelligence in them, making Merida second-guess whether it was really insentient or not.

The reason for its previous ball-like state became evident as well.  Clutched between its paws — talons? — was a child.  Covered in ash and smoke, Merida could barely make out where the kid’s dark skin ended and the gray smudges began.

“That’s the last of them!” Called a voice from above.  A moment later a brown-haired teenage boy dressed in black and green landed a little ways away, not noticing the two heroines.

All at once, the fire went out.  Instead of flickering flames, the building was now covered in layers of frost and ice.

Merida gawked at the now blue-tinted structure.  Just how many super-powered people are running around in this city?!

Swift was helping the dragon move the poor girl to a safe spot for when the paramedics would arrive, acting as if this kind of thing happened every day.  And hey, maybe it did.  Before Merida could decide what to do to help, another boy landed next to the first, this one seeming to float down with effortless ease.  His blue eyes were locked on her as he pulled down his hood, revealing a shock of white hair.

He grinned.  “Hey, look at that!  We’ve got an audience.”

The Brunet turned, finally noticing her.  He flinched, shooting a glare at his companion.  “Jack!  You said we wouldn’t be noticed!”

“Actually, I said we wouldn’t get in the papers.  Big difference.”  He was in front of her in a flash, lifting off of the ground like a leaf on a breeze.  “That’s some outfit you got there.  Who are you?”

Merida pursed her lips.  She certainly wasn’t giving this weirdo her name.  If she was going to be a vigilante like Swift, she’d need an alias.  “Atlas,” she finally answered.  “And what are you two supposed to be?  Dragon Boy and Frosty the Snowman?”

The brunet made a noise akin to a broken squeaky toy.  Jack only smiled wider.  “Close.  The name’s Frost.  And you can call my sidekick whatever you like.”

 “I am not your sidekick!”

Merida sighed internally.  These two yahoos were obviously just playing around — although the metal dragon was pretty impressive.  

“Well, aren’t you Miss Popular,” Harris’s voice rang in her ear.  “Just how many people have you met tonight?”

She had forgotten her comm was on during that whole exchange.  Great.  She turned away from Frost and his sidekick/partner/friend and whispered through clenched teeth, “Shush.  I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.  I promise.”

“You better.  We’re already making popcorn.”

[killersansofficial]

ABOUT ME!!

Hello! To start this off, I am a very chaotic, loud person who loves people, drawing, and mischief! I like to make fanart and draw stuff I know will make people happy and smile, and I aim to be a kind and caring person! If I notice you are seeming sad, I will message you privately to try and cheer you up (although I’m not a very comforting person…)

I am a female and go by She/Her.

I still sleep with (1) stuffed toy…I’ve had him for 9 years and his name is Happo 😭

My birthday is 7th of October

I say ‘Nuh uh’ and ‘that’s crazy’ a lot

I care a lot about people I like, so that will lead a lot to me asking and talking to you.

I’m 14 years old (damn I’m old) and I live in Australia! 🇦🇺

My favourite food is beef, and I really like mint chocolate ice cream!

My fandoms include: Undertale/UTMV, Helluva Boss, FNaF, TADC (The Amazing Digital Circus), South Park and Wings of Fire! (There might be more but I can’t think of anymore right now lol) I’m also interested in anything to do with ghosts (such as abandoned asylums and stuff like that), I love music and singing, I have a guitar I can play one song on, and I love colouring!

I have three dogs (about to get another one), I have Fergus the pugzu, Leo the Labrador, and Teddy the toy Moodle (the dog were getting this year we will name Lulu, she will be the same dog as Teddy from different parents and our hope is to breed them)

Extras: My favourite colours are blue, purple and yellow. I have a large family of 7 members with my mum and 5 with my dad. I am weird :P I have weird taste in food (I like pineapple pizza, I love spicy food, I love liquorice, etc.) I don’t have a regard for my own personal safety (for example I will eat way too much spice my body can handle or I will jump into a lake fully clothed in the middle of winter off a small rock side (I have done both before))!

DNI if: you are a proshipper, you’re rude, hurtful or disrespectful toward me or anyone else I know, you are homophobic/transphobic, sexist, or an overall asshole

Thank you and I hope if you follow me you don’t mind a bit of chaos!