#if this starts a ship war I’ll laugh but since there’s 5 people total in the aquafandom I decided why not choose violence

[ormymarius]

3 & 21!

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you’ve seen on tumblr

well I’ve seen a lot of bad takes on this hellsite it’s hard to find the worst one but aquafandom worst take wise it’s gotta be the time people tried to fight me in my inbox about incest shipping like I genuinely don’t care if people do or not — not my thing so stop harassing me over it just bc I said it’s a problem people are more likely to ship orm with his brother than other characters like manta 😭 sorry to bring that up like twice now anyway

21. Part of canon you think is overhyped

Idk any canon that is considered overhyped aquafandom wise?? but I suppose I’ll go with Mera: Queen of Atlantis as an overhyped canon story since I see it everywhere even today. could’ve been better. Mera deserved her own story where Orm wasn’t the co-star and there just to get beaten up in the end. Tula should’ve been the co-star.

choose violence ask game

[starfire-s]

here’s a list of the best, mediocre and worst kdramas i watched in 2020

no one asked for this but it’s happening because i have thoughts (also all opinions are my own if you disagree then get well soon i guess... no i’m kidding make your own posts about it don’t hate me please) ahsjsj anyways click to read a lengthy post and if you actually read the whole thing then thank you i hope you enjoy this wild ride! 

THE BEST KDRAMAS -

mystic pop up bar - this show had everything i ask from a kdrama literally i can name it all found family (to real family), well thought out characters, a mystery plot, special effects, soft romances that were well written, a happy ending! no show in 2020 even comes close to how good this one was! the writers literally guided you throughout the whole thing so you could come up with theories and didn’t do a ‘aha! gotcha’ thing where they want to prove the audience wrong but they wanted us to be right and satisfied! the worst part about the drama is that it’s still so underrated and people just brush it off as some random fantasy show but it’s so much more than that! 1000/10

flower of evil - who doesn’t want to see lee joon gi being the son of a serial killer, living with the name of a man who is in a coma, and hiding his real identity from his wife who is a detective? this show constantly had me at the edge of my seat on a weekly basis so the emotions i went through while watching this are unparalleled! the writers also did such a good job on writing a coherent story that made sense and tied up all the plot points in the end. just a really satisfying show to watch! 10/10

where your eyes linger - i literally bought a $8 viki pass to watch this show so it should tell you everything you need to know about how i feel ahsjsj the episodes were 10 minutes long but we got a good story with well written characters who got character development in a total of 80 minutes it’s insane! honestly it’s still hard to believe this show had rookie actors because they were just so emotive that you could feel all the happiness, sadness, yearning and pining! probably one of my fave kdramas this year because of the acting that i always constantly rewatch! would recommend 10/10

crash landing on you - okay so this drama was actually released on my birthday last year and it was a time in my life when i was going through a lot so maybe it’s the comfort this show provided me through that time this is why i have such a soft spot for it? like the romance was good, it was funny, there was found family, the nk soldiers were all softies, there were strong female leads, soft male leads!!! ahh!! no other show on this list made me think about the unification of south korea and north korea irl because i wanted se ri and jeong hyeok to be together 4ever! but the only issue i had with this show was the ending they gave seung jun if they didn’t do that i’d give this show a 10/10 but just for that they get a 9/10

psycho but it’s okay - this was one of those shows where you’re literally like ‘wow everyone here needs therapy’ but this show was amazing i loved the story telling and how each episode related to children’s book/fairytales! the writers also did a good job with how carefully they talked about mental health in depth without villainising their characters but actually tried to make the audience understand why they were this way which included all the side characters too who had a well thought out story in each episode! also the dynamic between moon young, kang tae and sang tae was everything to me the actors all did an amazing job portraying their characters, it truly was a healing drama. the only thing i didn’t like about this show was the whole plastic surgery plot with the mother like that was very far fetched but it provided drama so i’ll let it slide because the rest was amazing. this show is a solid 8.5/10

18 again - another underrated gem! who would’ve thought a remake of that zac efron movie could be this good!! lee do hyun stole this show for sure the way he portrayed his character and gave heart eyes to his kids (when he’s only 25 irl was the best thing i saw this year ahsjs) i loved the family dynamics in this show, i loved how it talked about what it’s like to be young parents and how society still think it’s taboo to be divorced! it’s a show that makes you laugh and cry at the same time and that’s why everyone should watch it! however, the biggest clown thing this show did to me though was that i got sls for the first time while watching a kdrama... hwang in yeop if u’re reading this i love u and u deserved better 🤡 that aside this show was a 8/10

itaewon class - i actually didn’t watch this drama as it was airing because i thought i wouldn’t enjoy the plot but when i watched it i binged the whole thing in 2 days and my biggest regret is i didn’t watch it sooner! everyone knows i have a soft spot for park seo joon since he’s my favourite actor i’ve literally watched all his dramas like he could star in the trashiest drama out there and i’d still watch it and be like wow (looking at she was pretty 👀) this show aside from the acting had one of the best revenge plots in a kdrama! just watching a character realistically hustle his way to reach the top while fighting the corrupt man whose son killed his father was so so satisfying to watch! however, the love triangle in this show was questionable idk what they were trying to do with that but it personally annoyed me! but still i’ll give this show a 7.5/10 because i enjoyed it a lot!

do you like brahms? - kim min jae and park eun bin.. that’s all you need to know about why this is a good kdrama! i’m usually not a big fan of melodramas and everyone knows i prefer rom coms but this show was just so perfectly melo that i loved all the angst and pain we got!! also just watching two introverted people awkwardly fall in love was amazing! the characters story arcs were also handled pretty well with song ah finally learning to speak up for herself and joon young learning to express how he truly feels! but... the love square? was probably the most annoying thing the rest in my opinion was nicely done! i know people had mixed feelings about the ending but i loved that after all the pain joon young and song ah went through they got a happy ending together! 7/10

find me in your memory - okay this show started off very slow and it was confusing at the start but as it progressed everything in the plot started to fall into place! i mean this show really took opposites attract to a new level where the male lead could remember every single detail from his life but the female lead had to forget some of her traumatic memories to help her cope with her life! they were also tied together through a mutual character who was a big part of their lives in a different way! just an interesting melodrama with interesting characters i liked it! and moon ga young... i love you queen!!! 7/10

THE MEDIOCRE KDRAMAS -

more than friends - was the storytelling in this show groundbreaking? no. was the acting decent? yes. also probably the main reason i stuck with this show until the end! i think we can all agree lee soo had the best character development on this show he started off as a bad boy who wore one ear stud to actually becoming a well liked character... who else did it like him? no one. also the chemistry between the mains was 🔥 but the second male lead was so annoying is there a opposite word for second lead syndrome because i had that for sure! i think the best part about this show was the people i watched it with on here... shoutout to the five of us ahsjsj also this show introduced me to a talented actor/singer like ong seong wu (y’all know my kpop knowledge is nonexistent so no i didn’t know he was in a band called wanna one) all in all a predictable show but i had fun watching it so 6.5/10

tale of the nine tailed - i didn’t actually watch this show i watched it through gifs and instagram posts ahsjsjs so am i qualified to talk about my opinion definitely no... will I talk about it anyways yes lmao. lee rang deserved better that’s all goodbye and take care. 5.5/10

start up - probably one of the most awaited opinions. y’all thought this would be in the worst kdramas section but i decided to give this show some rights. the show started off strong, lost it’s way after episode 6 and then the last episode gave me what i wanted so i have mixed feelings. the writing was not the best i think we can all agree, love triangle as a plot device? wow so groundbreaking 🤡 the characters on the other hand... i loved every single one of them i mean ship wars? i don’t know her. the show had a lot of potential that was wasted but we also got some cute moments between the characters so there was really no winning or losing with this show? but in all honesty you can’t put a talented cast together like this and then just decide to give the audience a mediocre plot but the writers did exactly that! i think i can redirect y’all to my ‘crimes this show committed’ post for a in-depth analysis. lastly nam do san was a GOOD and REFRESHING male lead and ji pyeong was also a GOOD and FUN second male lead!!! this show gave me the ugliest ship war ever that i was transported back to my high school tvd days so thank you for that!! but the cast was loveable and all had a lot of chemistry together so here’s a 5/10 maybe that's too generous but... i think the reason why i didn't enjoy watching this show as much was definitely because of the tag on here lmao

THE WORST KDRAMAS -

the king eternal monarch - i miss clowning this show so much. the amount of braincells i lost while trying to understand this plot... i should be compensated by the writers. however, woo do hwan was a treat to look at on a weekly basis... however the writers kept decreasing his screen time even though he had a dual role... make it make sense? and i cannot comment on the plot of this show because i still don’t understand anything? also in my opinion tae eul and lee gon were the most bland couple of 2020, there was no chemistry between them and there was just a random kiss in episode 5 and they randomly said i love you... where was the development? also lee gon was soooo boring and such a one dimensional male lead! literally all the side characters were so much more interesting and the cast was good... but this plot. 2/10

do do sol sol la la sol - i wanna fight the writer who decided that the plot twist on the show would be that jun is a minor? i had no expectations from this show but it looked cute and nonsensical but that plot twist made me run the other way so fast that i never looked back! just because jun is a boy they really thought this would be excused like lmao we all have critical thinking skills???? the clown behaviour. a solid 1/10

record of youth - i hate this show so much. imagine not utilising park so dam who just starred in the biggest oscar winning movie to her full potential. imagine just making her a love interest to park bo gum’s character in the year 2020. i watched it up until episode 6 and i kept waiting for her character to get development... but it never happened so i dropped this show. also this show featured the MOST useless love triangle i have ever seen in my life like what was the point? also park bo gum’s characters family was straight up annoying (minus the grandpa) but they got so much screen time like that should’ve been given to park so dam... also villainising a gay side character for no reason at all in the year 2020? this show was a waste of my time i want the 6 hours i spent watching this back. -100/10 

backstreet rookie - i watched one episode of this and literally wanted to rip my eyeballs out of my head. idk what ji chang wook was thinking when he signed this drama i think he lost his ability to read because that's the only reasonable explanation for why he chose to star in such a dumpster fire show! this show had a racist character... had a high schooler kiss an adult... sexist jokes... just the worst things you can think of in a drama... this show had it. i still can’t believe so many people watched this show to the point where it had better ratings than pbio... really made me question everyone’s taste? but sorry can’t relate my taste is excellent so here’s the rating this show actually deserves -1000/10

if you made it this far... thank you for reading. let’s continue to love some kdramas together and get clowned by others in 2021! looking forward to it 😅

[avani008]

fic writer tag game!

Tagged by @allegoriesinmediasres and @partialdignity. Thank you both <3!

how many works do you have on AO3?

83.

what’s your total AO3 word count?

267, 880. (Oh...wow.)

how many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Baahubali, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Jodhaa-Akbar, Padmaavat, Star Wars, Greek Myth, Arthurian Mythology, Fairy Tales, Genghis Khan-Music Video, Smallville, Devil's Cub, Ever After, Persuasion- Jane Austen, Idylls of the Queen- Phyllis Ann Karr, Bridgerton Series - Julia Quinn, Sliding Doors, Hamilton, Black Panther, Original Work.

(20, effectively)

what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Copilot (342)- the eternal WIP which fills me with SHAME, because "Han adopts Rey" still objectively strikes me as a good premise for an AU, but (1) the subsequent films didn't seem to find their relationship as interesting as I did and (2) by now, I have no doubts some genius has already written it, and better than I could!

Coming Home (299) - Proof that therapy fic and tragic parent-child relationships are....kind of an Avani thing? Welp.

Kathodos (230) - I am delighted but also...kind of surprised this one is so popular??? Anyway, I enjoyed turning the Hades/Persephone myth on its head, and my recip in the challenge was both lovely and seemed to enjoy this, so that's what really matters!

Enchantment Passing Through - (193) Eventually I might finish this, I guess, but it would involve a lot more planning and outlining and HP-deep-diving than I particularly want to at the moment. But again, I am so grateful people seemed to have liked this little prologue and been so kind about it!

Nidhana (157)- The fact that--presumably--one hundred and fifty actual people have read this and enjoyed it never fails to bring a smile to my face. I love you all so, so much.

do you respond to comments, why or why not?

In theory, yes, but I've gotten so far behind it doesn't seem like I'll catch up for a bit!

what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

*shifty eyes* Hahaha, angst? Me? Surely you jest. Seriously, though, one of the Tumblr Mahabharata break-it AUs? Or if it has to be on AO3, personally I thought Sarvaga was the saddest, but if any of you guys disagree, I'd be curious to know!

do you write crossovers? if so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

*laughs* Oh boy, do I ever. Um, aside from those already mentioned, there is a perma-drawer fic Baahubali/Black Panther crossover featuring dreamworld friendships, which is probably the weirdest thing I've actually even started to draft....

have you ever received hate on a fic?

If I have, I'm plainly too oblivious to realize it. Mostly, though, I think that this is because my readers are unbelievably kind to me.

do you write smut? if so what kind?

I don't, largely because I'm no good at it. I'll stick to innuendos and the occasional off-color joke, for everyone's sake.

have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to the best of my knowledge!

have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I recall!

have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! With the fabulous @parlegee, brainstormer/beta extraordinaire who patiently reads all my overenthusiastic drafts/notes and doesn't laugh.

what’s your all time favorite ship?

Ooh, this is a hard one. Um. Lois Lane/Clark Kent was probably an early one I imprinted on, but also Pratham/Gauri, the leads from a really terrible but also hilarious Indian soap from when I was a kid; Amarendra/Devasena probably works its way up to a lifetime one from all the thinking/ficcing/meta I've done about it; and honestly, I've been a Krishna/Rukmini stan since I was a wee one (Female agency and strikes against patriarchal-arranged-marriage FTW!)

what’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Eventually, we will finish the Ramayana space AU because it really is the best of our crazy AUs. It just--might take a bit until then.

(On the personal front, I will finish this origfic someday? Mayyybe?)

what are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, characterization, plot, humor (I hope?)

what are your writing weaknesses?

Action scenes, smut scenes, That One Scene you need to get the plot from Point A to Point B but is boring as anything to hurry up and get done.

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

IMO, best used as a garnish/minimally--otherwise, you risk breaking readers out, even if they are familiar with the foreign language you are using. That said, there are always exceptions: in Sarvaga, linked above, I use the direct transliteration of dialogue in Tamil, because a translation wouldn't at all convey the duality or the intent of it after all.

what was the first fandom you wrote for?

Really bad Lois and Clark fic, IIRC, which were mostly syrupy missing-scenes and episode tags.

what’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I think I have to go with Nidhana, simply because I can't believe I actually finished a multichapter fic with an actual plot!

Tagging @walburgablack @parlegee @queenofmahishmati @mockingjaypin @carminavulcana @holy-muffins @oldshrewsburyian @tuulikki and literally anyone else who wants to do this and wasn't tagged already!

[smallblueandloud]

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 for the writing ask- I AM SO SORRY I COULDNT STOP!!! xoxo

aaaah these questions look SO GOOD thank you so much <3 <3 for this ask meme, which will be open all weekend!

1. tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

i pulled open all of my WIP google docs for this and my laptop started whirring ominously, lmao. this is going to be a Little Long but i love talking about my wips so who cares!! (under the cut because EXCERPTS)

guys and dolls but gay - very, very casual rewrite of guys and dolls if sky masterson was a woman. i’m loving how chill i’m being about this one because it’s so much fun to not have to worry how i’m going to write lyrics in a not-weird way and just focus on the story. this one’s first because it’s theoretically closest to being finished.

sky, laughing: “oh? people. all the people you turn down every day. well, i imagine there’s someone out there that’ll catch your eye.”

sarah, stiffening: “...yes, there will be.”

sky: “and what might this person be like?”

sarah: “he will not be a gambler, for one.”

sky does not miss the pointed pronoun. “i’m not interested in what he won’t be, i’m interested in what he will be.” she sits down on the desk, in a pointedly masculine pose, and sets her fedora next to her - at her most Hot Queer, basically. “how will you know when he gets to you?”

my fic for the aos rarepair fic exchange - i can’t give any plot or ship details, for obvious reasons, but it’s 1.3k and i’m having fun with it!

steven roadtrip of destiny - canon divergent fic set at the end of steven universe future where steven goes on a roadtrip instead of... canon. it deals with some heavy emotions and it’s also a character study so it’s tentatively shelved until i get around to rewatching suf. but i am projecting on steven like crazy and it’s really, really cathartic. it’s taught me a lot about myself too lmao.

He’s never been anonymous before. He kind of likes it. It means he can fold his arms on the table and put his head down without Pearl worrying about his posture, or someone asking him if something’s okay.

In the last few months, he’s grown to hate people asking him how he’s doing, or if he’s okay. He always ends up lying, because he doesn’t want to worry them, and he ends up feeling worse.

Probably because it’s more of him supporting other people without supporting himself.

He should have told someone how he was feeling. He should have reached out. Sadie could’ve helped him. Lars would’ve listened. Connie would have hugged him and then found him the appropriate mental health professional.

(God, Steven wants a hug. Also the appropriate mental health professional? Whoever that would be.)

untitled aos fic - i don’t want to give a lot of details because :eye emoji: and also i don’t know much about what the plot of this is going to be anyway, lmao. but here’s an excerpt:

daisy “that actor who doesn’t shut up about data harvesting” johnson (@daisyquake) tweeted: two weeks :eyes emoji:

Elena Rodriguez | Seven Cents S2 Streaming On Netflix Now! (@yoyorodriguez) retweeted and added: the problem with being friends with daisy is that you SHOULD have some insight into what her tweets mean but you still have no idea

Fitz (@justfitz) retweeted and added: Try being married to her

untitled star wars twins fic - because i am a total and massive nerd. i’m just kind of stuffing everything i have feels about from the post-anh era into this and planning on figuring it out later? i’m really loving talking about the culture of alderaan (and the culture of the survivors) and also i just love writing luke and leia’s relationship... so much......

(no excerpt for that one because i’ve basically posted all of it in various posts lmao)

aos ds9 au - i’ve posted a LOT about this already and i want to keep the plot a surprise but fsk is in this and married and half the cast is aliens, what else do you need in life.

“Good morning,” says Jemma, coming into the room with her hair wet and her uniform crooked. “Hello, darling.”

“Hi,” says Daisy, turning her face up for a kiss. Jemma obliges absently as she walks past, looking around the room.

“Has anyone seen my hair clip?”

“No,” say Fitz and Daisy in unison.

and of course, last but never least in my heart, chapter 3 of the magnum opus - writing this is on hold until my brain decides to stop hitting me over the head at every possible moment, but there’s like... 2k written so far? it’s. it’s going.

“Yeah, yeah,” says Coulson, and makes quick work of the right gauntlet. It’s only halfway through the left one that his fingers slow and he says, quietly, “Simmons designed these, didn’t she?”

She lets out a quick breath. “Yeah.”

He stays quiet for a few more seconds, finishing up the last of the straps, making sure they’re tight enough. Finally, he says, “She should be helping you with these.”

Daisy pulls her arms back and swallows down some words, or maybe a couple of feelings, or maybe a sob. “Yeah, well.”

2. tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

the last sentence of the magnum opus!!!!!!!!!!

no, lmao, i’m gonna try to be serious. i really, really want to write some librarians fic in the near future? also MORE OF THE SENSE8 AU. i’m DYING to write some stuff about that. especially sam’s cluster, for some reason? Let’s Make Him Suffer (Comedically)! one day i’m gonna finish that list of what cluster/situation each song is about and then it’ll be over for all of us!

3. what is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

i spent about eight months imagining a scene where riza hawkeye was really injured and mustang was holding her in his arms (basically the promised day scene but with more privacy) so does that count?

hmm, just for some other possibilities: glinda telling dorothy about elphaba, laura somehow seeing or speaking to natasha during catws, a good omens au of the good place (specifically the ”i don’t even like you!” / “you doooooooo” scene), kencyrath au of star wars (ESPECIALLY THIS ONE, except setting up the first scene alone would take 7k, but i want to talk about leia and luke and their MESSED UP TRUST ISSUES in this au).

oh, also, something about star trek tng where jean-luc and beverly and jack were in love and then jack died and picard left. more specifically a scene set during the pilot episode where jean-luc very cordially offers beverly the option to transfer off the enterprise, that he wouldn’t dream of holding it against her, and beverly very cordially telling jean-luc to go fuck himself. i want to write 30k of that broken triad. i want it so bad. i dream of that fic. maybe one day when i find myself with a completely empty month or two, i’ll binge all of tng and Write Some Stuff.

4. share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

since you and i have tww in common, i’m gonna do a tww fic! otherwise i’d have to reread literally every fic i’ve ever written, lmao.

(this is long but i put this post under the cut so i have RIGHTS. also consider this a sneak peek for the j/d fic in the sense8 au?)

“It’s okay,” says Helen. She sits for a moment in silence, seeming thoughtful. “The Congressman and I are in the same cluster,” she says eventually. “I’d- I supposed that’s easier on the Secret Service?”

“Yes,” says Donna. “The-”

She stops herself from saying anything further. President Bartlet and the First Lady aren’t exactly quiet about who’s in their cluster, especially with senior staff, but that doesn’t mean she should go talking about it in an unsecured room in LA, of all places.

To cover for her blunder, she gives up something else: “The same with Josh. They got really lucky with him, actually. It’s just him and me, so they won’t have to worry about anyone threatening the Chief of Staff through the barista in the local Starbucks.”

Helen looks up from the Ohio numbers she’d drifted back to, a slow smile creeping up on her face. “Josh is in your cluster?”

“Uh-” says Donna, feeling like national security wasn’t worth whatever she’s just blundered into. Oops. “Josh- Josh is my cluster, ma’am.”

She catches her mistake the second it’s out of her mouth, but Helen doesn’t call her on it, more focused on other revelations. “No wonder you two look at each other the way you do!” she says, sounding delighted. Donna shuts her eyes, praying for this to go away. It’s not that she’s ashamed of Josh - it’s just so, so complicated, and other people never think about how difficult it was. Still is.

i’m just... i really liked the idea of donna fumbling and having to reveal this to cover up for what else she was going to say? i don’t know why i’m so charmed by this. i think it’s because it would be impossible in the show - you can’t show what someone was going to say on television, not without a lot of setup and very careful scripting. it’s just a really fun situation to write about and i’m really proud of this conversation in general.

also helen santos was a dream to write and i love her a lot. i kind of want to write one of the fics in the series about her and her cluster solely because like... look at her. she’s a delight in literally every scene. i love her.

5. what character that you’re writing do you most identify with?

daisy johnson!!! i love writing daisy johnson!!!! she is the most adhd character i’ve ever written and i literally just have to transcribe my own inner monologue and it works perfectly!!!!!

Swing shift: 1600 hours to 2400 hours. Daisy always ends up getting back to her quarters at like 0030 hours, when Jemma is asleep and Fitz is reading some kind of technical journal. Then she has to eat replicated pizza, alone, and freshly replicated pizza is actually pretty hot but it feels cold at that time of night, like, spiritually.

6. what character do you have the most fun writing?

...whoops i literally just answered that lmao. uh. i also really love writing sky masterson in the guys and dolls fic? she’s just weaponized hot queerness in a suit and i love her for it. she is intentionally trying to seduce this repressed lesbian and it’s really funny and also really hot of her and it’s so much fun to write.

also, i wrote chidi for the tgp fic and it was possibly the most fun i’ve ever had with a pov, although that was also because i was purposefully trying to mimic the tone of the show. i still think that line about michael and a grenade is, like, the funniest i have ever been in my life. but chidi’s panic was surprisingly easy to write? all of tgp’s characters have such STRONG voices, it makes writing fic ridiculously easy as long as you don’t get stuck on a plot for six months.

7. what do you think are the characteristics of your personal writing style? would others agree?

oof, this one is ALWAYS tricky. uh? uhh?? i’m going to ruin everything by saying this but i basically alternate between the same two sentence structures and i am really frustrated about it. i also alternate between the same two styles of endings and i always use the same beginning (set scene, main character pov, thoughts-as-exposition, back to scene).

BUT ON A MORE POSITIVE NOTE i like to talk about emotions and relationships and character development!! i have my “queer subtext goggles” superglued to my face, lmao. i like to think about how characters must have felt about things in canon and how it must’ve influenced them. i like making people deal with the consequences of their actions, especially how it’s influenced they themself. i also just really, really like writing people who love each other, whether it’s romantic or platonic or anything in between. i just want them to be happy! i just want them to stick together! doesn’t matter what fandom, i stand by it.

[owlswing]

ROTBTD TAG GAME

Okay, so I was tagged by

@ohlooksheswriting-wips

! Thanks for tagging me!

Answer these questions and tag your rotbtd friends! And please don’t reblog this, put your answer in a new post 😊✨

Name/nickname?

My blogging name is Owlswing, but I also go by Owl :)

How did you get into rotbtd?

Oh, gosh... I was about 15...? Anyways, I liked all of the movies individually, and I ended up stumbling across some fanart of all four of them together, and then I saw tags like “the big four”, and the rest is kinda history. I got in deep on a dying fandom and never left...

What made you stay/come back?

Hahaha! See, fandom was dying/dead when I came around, so I never left. I just started a really long Hogwarts AU that is still not finished... (also after checking the timeline for the last question, I realized that said Hogwarts AU is almost 5 YEARS OLD! Maybe I should do something special for the anniversary???)

Out of the four movies, which one is your favorite?

I mean, I absolutely love them all, probably wouldn’t be in the fandom if I didn’t, but... I have to go with Httyd. Hiccup is just a really relatable character for me, and I just love the exhilarating feeling I get every single time I watch Test Drive. It’s just so beautiful.

Dreamworks Dragons or Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure?

You know, I think I need to go with Tangled Adventure on this one. While I love the Dragons series, I feel like Tangled did a really good job of staying true to the original characters while also adding more at the same time for more dynamic plots and such. I think it was just really well done, and there are no plotholes/awkward overlaps like there are sometimes in httyd (that could be because there are less movies so not as many toes to step on) but still, I think Tangled Adventures was really, really well done and I must give credit where credit is due! :)

Which one do you prefer to be made a sequel of, Brave or Rise of the Guardians?

It’s hard because I really want BOTH... I think I would prefer a remake of Brave with the original director, Brenda Chapman, because I feel like it would’ve been so much better if she hadn’t been taken off a project that was inspired by her own relationship with her daughter. Yeah. I’m still mad about that Disney.

But for overall sequel I would probably go with Rise of the Guardians. Brave seems like more of a stand-alone plot to me, so trying to shoe-horn in something else has high chances of being not so great *coughfrozen2cough*. Where as rotg has many characters with different legends and stories to be told, a whole book series to draw from, it’s a whole world that we’ve only explored one small part of, and I would’ve liked to see well-adjusted team dynamics/family-team antics of the guardians! :)

OTP/BrOTP(s)?

Ah, see I’m really NOT against any of the ships, I’m just not big on shipping in general. There are very few ships that I’m actually, ya know, Into. So I’m definitely more of a Brotp kinda gal. I love me some good, healthy, and strong friendships! Found Family? That’s my ish! Love that!

Favorite character(s)?

Hiccup. But there’s a special place for each of them. I’ve seen myself in each of them and nothing can really replace that feeling.

Favorite AU(s)?

Okay, I gotta say Hogwarts AU cause I’m chin-deep in that right now. Soon to be drowning. Simultaneously the best and worst decision of my life. Haha! Just kidding! Anyways, I like this AU because I’m really big on fantasy, and it just makes sense; why four people from completely different walks of life ended up in the same place at the same time? I think it’s pretty cool and it’s such a big world to explore!

Besides that... I would say a War AU could be cool, like medieval fantasy or futuristic sci-fi. Pirate AUs and Circus AUs will also always catch my attention.

Pick one! favorite B4 house placement in Hogwarts AU? | favorite B4 nation/bending headcanons in ATLA AU?

Okay, so for Hogwarts Houses I definitely have preferred Houses, but the whole system is so generalizing to begin with I really believe that any of the four could be in pretty much any house if you really want, but here are my preferences:

Hiccup - Ravenclaw

Rapunzel - Hufflepuff

Merida - Gryffindor

Jack - Slytherin

As for bending headcannons, I really haven’t put a lot of thought into it, but that question is very intriguing... I’d probably do something like...

Hiccup - Air, because the peaceful Nomad lifestyle and the desire to fly and explore and be free is just very fitting. Also he could befriend Toothless instead of a Bison, confusing everyone because they thought Dragons were dangerous!

Rapunzel - Earth, because for one thing I love breaking norms in this way! I love the idea of Rapunzel being the dainty, pretty princess but then she busts out some of the most badass Earth Bending moves, invents metal bending to escape Gothel, is just very kind but if you piss her off she’ll totally wreck you. I think this would be A LOT of fun. Also, I think it would be fitting with the whole “flower” thing. I also think it could be an interesting character arc where she’s not very good because her personality doesn’t exactly fit the “traditional earth bender attitude” and being raised by Gothel (”You? A bender! Oh, honestly Rapunzel, don’t make me laugh!”) could leave a lot of insecurities that she would have to grow and work through. I think it could be really beautiful.

Merida - Fire, on the flip side this one is kinda typical I imagine, but I would say (also on the flip side) make her afraid of it. Make it the one thing that Merida isn’t, well, Brave about. She doesn’t like fire bending. It could potentially make her a disgrace to her royal/noble family. It also would explain why she’s so good with a bow and sword: she chooses weapons over bending. Unlike Rapunzel who wants to learn but is hindered and must overcome, Merida would be against learning and would eventually have to learn that it is a part of her and learn how to accept it (after possibly visiting the dragons with Hiccup or whoever the avatar would be cause who the heck knows? could be interesting if none of the Four are the Avatar. Make a fifth character the Avatar and the Four could just be the teachers...)

Jack - Water, obvious, I know, but giving Jack ice powers AND another element makes him WAY to OP. I would say Jack is actually not a natural at water bending. He’s always accidentally freezing everything! (not unlike Katara). He has to work hard and earn his title as a master, eventually becoming the best because he trained harder than any of the others and surpassed the other water benders that used to torment him back in his home village! I also think Blood Bending could be an interesting plot device here (maybe Jack is tempted to use the technique because he’s worked so hard and still isn’t good enough? Or just in general Jack’s inner battle between the darkness and his fun-loving personality...)

......Dang it. I think I just started plotting something. o_o

Pick one! since this is 2020, any hot takes you want to give us? | what old fanon tropes that you still enjoyed to this day?

I will always love brotp between Jack and Hiccup! Absolute favorite. I also love the idea of the four having sleepovers and telling each other everything and overall being supportive and loving towards each other. All the positivity and fluff!

Any fic recs? Or if you couldn’t think of any, what was the last rotbtd fanfiction that you read? (It could be an old work or a recent one, do share!)

Uh... I honestly haven’t been reading many as I barely have time to write, but I did hear of one that I think is pretty good! It’s a pokemon AU by Acecove! I’ll link it below...

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13320856/1/Pok%C3%A9mon-World-Evolving-Together

Whew! That was a lot! Anyways, I’ll tag @emixa26 and @adaminaart!

[atamascolily]

The cover of Junior Jedi Knights #5: Vader's Fortress by Rebecca Moesta features Anakin and Artoo dodging blaster fire while Tahiri does a bad-ass leap and Darth Vader looms in the background. So I guess this next field trip is to wherever the hell Vader's fortress is located... and given that this book was published in 1997, I'm pretty sure it isn't Mustafar.

Readers, I squealed with delight when I realized they were actually going to Bast Castle on Vjun.

[cut for length and discussion of Dark Empire]

Vjun's first appearance was in Dark Empire, but it's the main setting for Sean Stewart's Clone War-era novel Yoda: Dark Rendezvous (2004), which happens to be one of the best Legends books ever. Period. Drop everything and go read it now. Stewart's Vjun is a Dark side Gothic horror wonderland full of crumbling castles, crazed nobility, and flesh-eating moss. I love it, and you will, too.

Vjun also appears in various video games, with no less than Kyle Katarn describing it as "a big, dead, important rock". High praise, indeed.

Oh, and if you're curious, Wookiepeedia says Vjun is "pronounced as "VAH-JUHN" in Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, but in Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron, it is pronounced as "VUHN"".... so anything goes, really.

Anyway, so having dealt with his heritage by going to Dagobah in the last book, the logical next step is for Anakin to actually go and visit Vader's castle in person. You know, exposure therapy. Right?

Okay, let's see what the text says.

Anakin, Tahiri and Uldir are hanging out on the landing pad on Yavin IV waiting for Tionne to show up. Tahiri loves Tionne so much, she doesn't mind waiting around, and she wishes she could have gone with Tionne on this latest trip to Borgo Prime and I just... I love their relationship, okay?

Tionne has a new ship - the Lore Seeker! Anakin uses the Force to determine it's in great shape despite its odd appearance. (It has sails to harness solar wind, lol!)

“I’m glad to hear you say that,” the Jedi instructor said with a smile. “I thought so, too. But because the ship was so old, I was able to buy it from a Randoni trader for a song.”

“How much did you really pay?” Uldir asked.

Tionne shrugged.

“Just a song. Really. While I was looking for Jedi legends, I came across an ancient song that told about the very firstRan - doni merchants and the vaults where they hid their wealth. The trader was so interested that she offered me the Lore Seeker in exchange for the song. Now come help me unload my cargo, and I’ll show you some of my other treasures.”

DID I MENTION I LOVE HER???

Also, Tionne got some other stuff, too:

“You may carry this Twi’lek story-chain, Tahiri-each link tells a different part of a story. Please be very careful with it. Uldir, here is a holodisk. It holds a recording of some very old Jedi songs. Anakin, would you please carry this scroll? I’ll take the tapestry.”’

AHHHHHH, I LOVE THIS.

But Tionne found out something else important "in an old fortress on a planet called Vjun" and this is where I started SCREAMING because I know exactly where this is going and this is such a great set-up - especially since none of the kids have a clue.

Of course, they want to go, and Tionne's trying to be diplomatic about it.

“Does anyone live in the fortress?” Anakin asked.

Tionne shook her head.

“Not anymore.”

“Well, if it’s really that important, don’t you think you ought to go find it?” Tahiri said. “And don’t forget that you promised to take me with you this time.”

“I’d like to go along, too,” Anakin added.

“Yeah, it sounds like fun,” Uldir said.

Tionne frowned.

“I’m not sure Master Skywalker will approve. It could be a bit dangerous."

LOLOLOLOL, since when has that ever stopped anybody in this series?? But according to Tionne, the danger isn't Sith ghosts or anything like that - it's other people trying to snag a certain treasure first.

And what is this special object? the kids want to know.

Tionne’s face lit with a wondering smile, and she gave a happy sigh.

“It’s Obi-Wan Kenobi’s lightsaber!”

ITS A MACGUFFIN! Also, given all of Vader’s issues with Obi-wan, the fact that he kept his old master’s lightsaber in his hidden Gothic Drama Castle is... something. But I digress.

Cut to Luke, being Luke.

Luke Skywalker, dressed in a comfortable black flightsuit, sat on the stone floor in the room where he meditated and did his office work. At the moment, though, Luke was not meditating. Before him in the center of the room stood his barrel-shaped blue and white droid, ArtooDetoo. It was time for Artoo’s routine cleaning. Anakin’s older sister Jaina often helped Luke with this chore, but the Jedi Master didn’t mind doing it himself. He actually found it relaxing. With his tools neatly laid out on the floor and fresh packets of lubricant beside him, Master Skywalker opened ArtooDetoo’s front panels and got to work.

After checking the droid’s numerous electrical connections, Luke added a few gadgets and upgrades Jaina had scrounged up for Artoo: a retractable mirror attachment, a power booster for the comm unit, and a new focusing lens for the hologram projector.

I'm sure NONE of these upgrades will come in handy later on in the book. Nope. Nope. Nope. Move along, nothing to see here, just a boy and his bro-bot.

Ikrit is hanging out on top of Artoo's head during all of this, when there's a knock at the door. Luke asks him to open the door and Ikrit DOES and I don't know why I find this so adorable, but I totally do. More of this, please.

Luke looked up from the packet of slippery lubricant he held in his hand, then smiled when he saw who his visitors were.

“Come in,” he said, “all of you.”

His words seemed to open an invisible dam, because people and noises instantly flooded into his quiet room. Luke laughed as everyone tried to talk to him at once.

“Master Skywalker, I have wonderful news,” Tionne said. “You’ll never guess in a million years,” Tahiri added.

“Can I go with them?” Anakin asked.

“Yeah, me too!” Uldir said.

News of Obi-wan's lightsaber makes Luke have all kinds of Feels (and a handy flashback for those who have forgotten the movies). Luke's like, Oh, yeah, Bast Castle, I've been there before back in Dark Empire when things got weird, and Anakin FREAKS OUT. Tionne's like, huh, maybe that's why my contact said only family had a right to claim the lightsaber then.

Tionne wants Luke to come with her, but Luke is meeting with Leia for pressing NR business, so Anakin volunteers to go as the family rep. I love that Luke looks at Ikrit first, and only says okay when Ikrit nods. Of course Uldir wants to come too, and Luke is about to say no, but Tionne's like "he's just going to stow away, so you might as well and the cargo hold on my ship is too small for him plus our stuff" so Luke caves. DID I MENTION HE'S A SOFTIE?? And with Artoo and Ikrit to help, Luke feels good about it, but again, he insists on the parental permission first.

[Oh, no, I just realized that Luke might not want to go back to Vjun after all the traumatic shit that went down in Dark Empire, and that's ALSO horrifying to contemplate. Like, it's not dangerous anymore, so he's okay with sending Anakin there with supervision, but he might not be eager to re-visit it? MY HEART.]

We skip that scene, though, and jump immediately to everyone in the Lore Seeker, and Tionne teaches them about lightsabers. Nomi Sunrider is namedropped (queen!) but overall lightsabers are reified, and I don't know how I feel about that tbh, even though they are admittedly SUPER COOL LASER SWORDS BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ.

Fortunately, Ikrit's there to say "Not All Jedi," since I am not, which catches Tionne off guard, since she didn't know he was a Jedi master. Tionne is apologetic about treating Ikrit like a pet, but Uldir continues to be a jerk, especially when Ikrit starts sharing his own personal trauma. And then Ikrit declaims about Anakin and Tahiri's powers, but graciously includes Uldir once Uldir pokes him about it.

The skies of Vjun are stormy, so it's a bumpy ride down. They land outside the castle instead of on the landing pad at the top because the weather is so awful. Anakin did his homework, and explains the situation (Dark Empire recap!):

“Did Uncle Luke tell you anything about the fortress itself?” Anakin asked.

“I don’t know much about it.”

“Well, I found out as much as I could before we left. Apparently Vader built Bast Castle as one of his private strongholds; he was a powerful man. After both he and Emperor Palpatine died, some of the Emperor’s followers brought a copy of Palpatine’s body here-a clone. This second Emperor was defeated too. Since then, the fortress has been abandoned, as far as we know.”

“I still don’t get it,” Uldir said to Anakin. “Why would your grandfather choose to build in such a desolate place?”

Oh, you sweet summer child.

They spy another shuttle, and Tahiri is forced to wear shoes again so they can climb up in the rain. It's basically the Stairs of Minas Morgul from LOTR, only the rain is turning to sleet. Artoo hates stairs and Ikrit rescues him when he falls off - but he can hack the door open, so that's good. The hall has a giant, larger-than-life statue of Darth Vader toppled over on the floor, because... drama.

Then the laser fire starts, and everybody ducks for cover. Artoo uses his newly-installed reviewed mirror to deflect the laster bolts, so they can disarm the automatic security system. Tionne steps in with her lightsaber when Artoo gets shot, and she and Ikrit start tossing random objects to block them while the kids race for the control panels and it's epic. The statue explodes and Artoo manages to hack the system right before he powers down.

Uldir clapped one hand down on Anakin’s shoulder. “Not half bad for a kid,” he said.

Quiet, you condescending fuck. Yes, I know, he's like 14, but he's still obnoxious as hell here.

Anyway, they repair Artoo, except he can't climb any more stairs (I'm so confused how he did it earlier, but okay), and they debate whether to split the party. The smart answer is always "No," but they eventually do anyway, because plot. Tahiri's just happy not to wear shoes. You'll be happy to know that the bathrooms still work. This whole thing feels like an RPG dungeon crawl and I'm HERE FOR IT.

Tahiri notices the floor's texture shifts and that turns out to be a clue and I LOVE THIS. There's a secret pit trap full of spkes, and then suddenly they're attacked by monsters. But eventually, the others find them and deduce that they're holograms. Anakin IDs himself to a door and it opens into a secret chamber... and then this happens:

At the same moment, a puff of smoke erupted in the doorway, and a dark-haired man with a neat beard, tawny eyes, and a deep purple cloak stood before them. The man threw back his head and laughed, although Anakin couldn’t see what was so funny.

“The powerful Mage of Exis Station thanks you,” he said. “I would never have found the lightsaber without your help.” He snatched the weapon from Tionne’s hand. “But I’ll take it now.”

Tahiri starts pestering this guy with questions and he is startled enough to admit he's the Mighty Orloc. Tahiri realizes he's a stage magician, but even so, he manages to open a trapdoor, sending Tionne and Ikrit elsewhere. The kids rush him, but there's smoke and when it clears, Orloc has vanished.

Ikrit and Tionne are fine, and they start looking to rejoin the kids, who are searching for them and/or Orloc. Artoo and Uldir take a tunnel while Tahiri and Anakin go up stairs. Everyone keeps tossing the stale Imperial ration bars they picked up earlier to test for traps, and the RP gamer  in me approves.

“What’s this?” Tahiri asked, pointing to a raised platform that held a huge tube made of black plasteel. Wires and hoses snaked out from the cylinder in all directions. She ran a hand along its smooth side and found some sort of control panel.

“This looks like the tubes they use to bury dead people in space,” Anakin said.

It's actually Vader's bedroom! They find a little hidden hologram of a young Luke and I just... can't even...

Anakin opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The little hologram of a young Luke Skywalker turned in a slow circle, so that they could see it from every angle.

...Anakin felt a lump form in his throat. “My mom keeps holograms of me and Jacen and Jaina on her desk at work, and Dad has one of me and the twins in the Millennium Falcon. I think Darth Vader was just doing the same thing.”

“So maybe he wasn’t all bad,” Tahiri said in a soft voice.

Anakin starts to feel better about coming to Bast Castle, which is good, because he has Deep-Seated Issues that need to be resolved.

Meanwhile, Uldir sees the lightsaber as a magical talisman that will help him become a Jedi. He abandons Artoo and confronts Orloc, who draws the blade on him. Orloc offers to teach Uldir his powers if he'll come with him. Orloc's looking for the Holocron in Vader's private quarters, and Uldir is tempted, but ultimately turns him down because he realizes Orloc is a fraud.

Anakin and Tahiri find Orloc and Uldir and Tahiri slides down a pole to confront him. Orloc attacks her with the lightsaber. Tionne and Ikrit show up, and Artoo uses a high-frequency blast to distract Orloc long enough for Ikrit to yank the lightsaber with the Force. Orloc disappears, and Uldir mentions the Holocron in Vader's private quarters. So Anakin and Tahiri take them back there.

Tionne's like, let's GTFO, but Uldir suggests they test it, which is a mistake, but Tionne agrees. OF COURSE Orloc comes back and snags it. They chase Orloc through the castle, and there's a lot of trap door shenanigans, but ultimately Artoo helps save the day and they get the holocron back, even though Orloc conveniently escapes.

(Maybe I've been watching too much Scooby-Doo, but I honestly expected Orloc to say "And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling kids and your talking [lagomorph]!" ...maybe in the next book?)

Ikrit suggests they use the ships in the hangar to fly down to the Lore Seeker instead of walking. Anakin suggests Ikrit keeps the ship, since he seems to enjoy piloting, and I don't know how Ikrit is piloting this thing since he's a lagomorph, but it makes him happy, and they all make it back to Yavin in two ships without incident, which means it's time for the inspirational moral!

“It feels good to be back,” he said with a sigh. Tahiri giggled. “That was certainly more of an adventure than I had bargained for.”

Tionne looked at her two students.

“Are you sorry you came with me?”

Anakin shook his head.

“The trip was worth making. I learned some interesting things about Darth Vader.”

“I learned to trust the Force and not just my eyes and ears,” Tahiri said.

“And we did find a lightsaber and a Holocron,” Anakin said.

“And a new ship for Ikrit,” Tahiri added. “So I think we’re glad we came along, but it may be a while before we go looking for adventures again.”

HAHAHAHA, right, kids. You just keep thinking that.

Ikrit names his ship the Sunrider after Nomi Sunrider, because he, too, stans a legend. Anakin and Tahiri ask if they can take the turbolift up to the Great Temple when Luke starts walking up the outside stairs, and Luke has NO IDEA WHY THEY HATE STAIRS, and... on that note, the book ends, with Luke being VERY confused. [I like that Moesta remembers the Great Temple has outside stairs, but... THE LAYOUT STILL MAKES NO SENSE!!!]

So, I don't know how to feel about this book. PROS: I love the character details with Luke, Ikrit, Tionne and Tahiri, and I like how all of the adults continue to be responsible while still allowing opportunities for the children to be competent and show initiative. It's great to see Bast Castle, and the whole thing has the feel of a classic RPG dungeon crawl. Yay for Artoo saving the day ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, lol.

CONS: Uldir is annoying, and I wish he'd stop being such a jerk. None of the characters have ever played RPGs and it shows in their lack of genre-savvy. And I guess we'll see Orloc again in the next book, because... it feels like there wasn't much resolution of that particular plot in this book... no resolution to who Orloc actually is, or what or why. I feel like this book is part one of a two-episode plot, and I wasn't expecting that, but okay.

It's unclear if Obi-wan's lightsaber has any further plot significance or if it's just a macguffin. Ditto the holocron. But given the next book is Kenobi's Blade, I suspect Orloc's going to try and snag both, and Uldir is going to have a Not-So-Secret Test of Character about it. (To be fair, he passed the one in this book, so he's not all bad, but he's so obnoxious, it's challenging for me to give him credit where it's due.)

This book also kinda sorta falls into the "Jedi lightsaber fetish" trope, which I hate. Don't get me wrong, I love the laser swords and they are freaking awesome, but I hate how everybody latches onto "Jedi = laser sword" business as a symbol of identity. I know, I know, Star Wars is really ambivalent about whether the Jedi are Space!Samurai or Space!Monks, and I just... lean more towards the latter than the former, I guess?? But like I said, the lightsaber is more of a macguffin here, and Ikrit at least lampshades the issue a little bit, so I feel better about it.  

Also, it just occurred to me it's unclear whether Tahiri hates shoes, sand, or stairs more, lol.

[basic-cable]

Fic Rec Bingo

I saw this making the rounds on Twitter and decided I’d like to try it (mostly because I enjoy going back through my list and reminiscing about the ones I love but haven’t read in a while), but didn’t feel like Twitter was the best place to post mine. I’ve got both Dreamwidth and Pillowfort, but I haven’t really used them. This is probably the kind of thing that should go there, so maybe I’ll post it there, too. We’ll see. 

Anyway, I only read in four fandoms, so maybe my recs will be boring to most people. But they’re good stories, and maybe there are even some people out there who haven’t read them. 

I don’t expect any reblogs or anything, but maybe people will see it and decide they’d like to take part, and then there will be more fic recs out there making the world a better place.

I put them under a cut because the descriptions and stuff take up so much space.

1. A fic you love without knowing the source material Take the Pieces and Build them Skywards by quarterturn Bandom ** Frank/Gerard ** 44,816 ** Explicit ** Character Death Gerard's not happy with his life, but that doesn't mean he's particularly thrilled when he wakes up dead. To add insult to injury, he finds out that instead of crossing over, he's been chosen to join the ranks of the grim reapers. Things get more complicated when he falls for one of the living, a waiter named Frank Iero. And just when everything finally seems to be falling into place, Frank's name shows up on the list of souls to be reaped. Loosely based on the TV show Dead Like Me.

I don’t know anything about the TV show Dead Like Me; when I first read this fic in 2009, I had never even heard of it. I’ve wondered since then if I like it even better because I don’t know anything about the source material, but I’ll never know.It made me laugh and cry; it’s an emotional roller coaster, and I love it.

2. A fic with a premise that shouldn’t work but does

An Inexplicable Occurrence of Angels by stele3

Bandom ** Frank/Gerard ** 35,192 ** PG-13 ** No Warnings

I've messed with the band timeline, clearly. This is set in summer of 2005... but it ain't the Summer of Like. This is a story about second chances and gutting through your own failures, but never letting them defeat you. Take that, bitches.

Frank (Frank!) is a literal angel, okay, but there is not a thing I don’t love about this story. It’s angsty but still manages to be cute and charming as fuck, and the characterization is great.

3. A fic you’ve reread several times

Seeds by thesardine

Sherlock ** Gen, supposedly ** 5,475 ** PG-13 ** No Warnings

In a fit of boredom Sherlock plants some seeds, may or may not eat one cracker, and definitely waxes dramatic on the sofa for a while.

Sherlock struggles with a bit of depression caused by boredom, and accidentally discovers a hobby he slowly learns to allow himself to enjoy. I love this a lot; the author takes us into Sherlock’s headspace, so you’re painfully aware just how much he needs a distraction, and how much better off he is with John in his life.

4. A fic you still remember many years later

In Care Of by Fangs_Fawn

Harry Potter ** Gen ** 45,319 ** PG-13 ** Child Abuse

During the summer before sixth year, Harry finds an injured bat in the garden and decides to try to heal it...and an unwilling Snape learns just what kind of a person Harry Potter really is.

Between the Dursleys getting what’s coming to them, and the redemption of Harry, Snape, and Dumbledore in each others’ eyes, this story has really stuck with me through the years.

5. A comfort fic

Nature and Nurture by earlgreytea68

Sherlock ** Sherlock/John ** 203,273 ** Mature ** No Warnings

The British Government accidentally clones Sherlock Holmes. Which brings a baby to 221B Baker Street.

Thousands of words of fluff. Literally. There’s not a lot of conflict in this story, which makes it a great comfort fic when your mind is too busy or real life is too depressing.

6. A cathartic fic

The Quiet Man by ivyblossom

Sherlock ** Sherlock/John ** 157,369 ** Explicit ** No Warnings

"Do you just carry on talking when I'm away?"

Post-Reichenbach John is walking the line between fantasy and reality, choosing to stay with the Sherlock in his head rather than deal with the reality where he no longer exists. He eventually manages to attempt a normal life, but he’s bored and basically sleepwalking through his days, so when Sherlock finally reveals himself, it’s the best kind of relief. They go after the last remnants of Moriarty’s web, in hopes of a second chance at the life they should have had together.

7. A fic you’d print and put on your bookshelf

Saving Sherlock Holmes by earlgreytea68

Sherlock ** Sherlock/John Mycroft/Greg ** 139,494 ** Mature ** Underage

Okay. So. This was literally supposed to be, like, three or four chapters as a prologue to the show. Sort of a "what happened in the Holmes childhoods to make them the way they are today." That's why it's set in the time period it is, because I thought I was eventually going to leave them to go on to the show. And then...I got a bit carried away and thought, Here I have established the two young Holmes boys. Now what happens if, instead of making them wait twenty years, I give them everything they need to fix themselves right now? Forty-three chapters later, you have this story.

To be honest, I would like to have most of my favorite fics in book form, with actual pages, that I could pluck from my actual shelf and sit and read without the glare of a screen between us. But I do enjoy the feel of this story, and I do believe it would make a good actual book.

8. A fic you associate with a song

Unholyverse by bexless

Bandom ** Frank/Gerard ** 186,764 ** Explicit ** Violence & Character Death

“He thinks I have stigmata,” Frank said, because what the fucking hell, it couldn’t get any worse. He might as well just lay it out.

“Oh, well,” said Brian into his hands. “Of course.”

Every time I so much as think about this series, MCR’s Heaven Help Us starts playing in my head.

9. A fic that inspires you

Turn by Saras_Girl

Harry Potter ** Harry/Draco ** 306,708 ** Explicit ** No Warnings

One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.

Frankly, I love every single thing this author has ever churned out, but this one is my very favorite. Harry gets a glimpse into what his life could have been, and a chance to make big changes he desperately needs. 

10. A fic that brought you on board a new ship

So, So Fucked by Anonymous

Bandom ** Pete/Patrick ** 12,565 ** Mature ** No Warnings

Pete accidentally "outs" himself and Patrick on Good Morning America. Only problem? They're not gay. What now?

I was reading strictly in Harry Potter at the time, and wasn’t interested in bandom at all, but my best friend was doing betas for someone who was writing in bandom, and she ended up getting into it and then wrote this one, and kept calling me about it to bounce ideas around, and the story was so cute, and Pete and Patrick were so cute, and I suddenly found myself totally invested. Honestly I think it may have been one of the best things that ever happened to me.

11. A fic you wish could be a movie

The Anatomy of a Fall by novembersmith

Bandom ** Frank/Gerard ** 107,525 ** Explicit ** Violence & Character Death

The unholy union of a high school AU and a ghost story. Gerard's life takes a strange turn when his family moves to a small town in Vermont and he discovers the locals aren't all what they seem to be. Also includes: unexpected nature walks, murder, pining, improper treatment of crime scenes, a number of bone-related puns, high school bullies, and a short-range shrub named Ferdinand.

This story has excellent imagery that I think would work really well on the big screen. Plus I can’t even hear the name of it without my heart doing flip-flops.

12. A fic that led to you making friends with the author

Seven ficlets for Valentine’s Day Part VII by RedOrchid

Bandom ** GSF ** 1,042 ** Mature? ** No Warnings

Panic-as-cleaning-equipment-AU Valentine's Day GSF.

I technically don’t have a fic for this bingo square, but this one comes close, I guess. The author was already in my larger circle of friends, but we didn’t actually talk to each other? She wrote this crack ficlet around the same time we started talking to each other more, and I still vividly remember it because of the genius involved in turning band boys into literal cleaning equipment. The line “Ryan bristled” has stuck with me to this day.

13. free space

Elf ‘Verse by mokuyoubi

Bandom ** GSF ** 103,247 ** Explicit ** Underage

Modern AU where Ryan is a famous poet, and he and Spencer are fiercely private and insular and stupidly co-dependent until Jon shows up and effortlessly breaks down all their walls.

Or

Wherein Brendon and Frank are Christmas elves who, inspired by Will Farrell movies, venture into the real world to become rock stars. Or something of that nature.

I’ve got a lot of love for this universe for various reasons, but it’s also fun and heartwarming and honestly, I don’t really need anything else.

14. A fic you’ve gushed about irl

Harry Potter and the Battle of Wills by Jocelyn (and her mum)

Harry Potter ** Mostly Gen ** 137,385 ** Basically PG-13 ** Character Death

Harry mourns his godfather as the war finally begins in earnest, bringing tragedy and new struggles for all those on the side of Good. If they hope to win, all quarrels must be set aside, new alliances must be forged, and Harry Potter must find the courage to face down dark wizards, his own emotions, and a destiny he did not choose. Snape blows his cover as a spy to save Harry from Voldemort.

This begins after Order of the Phoenix, and the story and characters read more like canon than any other HP fic I’ve read, so because of that and because it’s so, so good, I like to rec this one to people who are new to fandom.

15. A fic you associate with a place

Stately Homes of Wiltshire by waspabi

Harry Potter ** Harry/Draco ** 57,582 ** Explicit ** No Warnings

Malfoy Manor has mould, dry rot and an infestation of unusually historical poltergeists. Harry Potter is on the case.

Wiltshire! I’ve never actually been there, but this author is really good about details. The story is also lovely and funny.

16. A fic that made you gasp out loud

Home is a Name by Arsenic

Bandom ** Frank/Gerard ** 39,314 ** Explicit ** No Warnings

MCR Clinic of Love. Companion fic to Wednesday Night Boys.

Okay, so this one is actually a sequel, and the first installment, Wednesday Night Boys, should 100% be read first. It must be said, though, that while the sequel doesn’t have any warnings, Wednesday Night Boys is about the Panic! kids as prostitutes, and has warnings for graphic violence, rape/non-con, and underage sex. The MCR guys work at the free clinic, and Home is a Name focuses on them. They’re honestly both gorgeous stories.

17. A fic you found at the right time

real or not real by thearkdelinquents

Anne with an E ** Anne/Gilbert ** 11,587 ** PG ** No Warnings

“I could do it.” Gilbert said, looking straight ahead.

Anne stopped. “What?”

He turned to look at her; they were just outside Green Gables now. “I could do it. I could court you.”

“What- We- You- I- You don’t like me like that.” Anne sputtered.

Gilbert smirked at her. “Well we could pretend. I could court you and be your fake boyfriend.”

For one of the few times in her life, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert was speechless.

-

a fake dating fic but it's basically just a shirbert To All The Boys I Loved Before au.

I really, really loved Anne with an E. When the final season was released, I spent a weekend binge-watching the entire show, and then it was over and I was bereft, so I decided to see what was available on Ao3, and I found this, and it was exactly what I needed. And now I have another fandom.

18. A fic that you would read fic of

Left by lifeonmars

Sherlock ** Sherlock/John ** 45,153 ** Mature ** No Warnings

John Watson is left-handed.

He’s tried not to let it affect his life, but as any Lefty knows, that’s almost impossible.

In this universe, all right-handed people have some kind of power, or ‘knack’, most of which are mild and easily categorized. Sherlock’s is rare and believed to be the only one like it in the world. John is left-handed, part of the 10% of the population without a knack. I would read all kinds of fics of this fic.

19. A fic that made you laugh out loud

What to do When Your Flatmate is Homicidal by hyacinth_sky747

Sherlock ** Sherlock/John ** 58,650 ** Explicit ** No Warnings

Sherlock takes Molly's advice when dealing with his dangerous flatmate.

Heartwarming and hilarious. I laughed a lot.

20. A fic with a line (or two) that you’ve memorised by heart

A Necessary Requirement by Bexless

Bandom ** Frank/Gerard ** 3,759 ** Mature ** No Warnings

Right, here is the extremely silly storylet I wrote BY HAND on holiday. On PAPER. With a PEN. My god. The things I do when I'm separated from my beloved net. It is set during the Summer of Like (Warped '05, for those of you who don't know) and is basically a product of my reaction to various pictures of Gerard groping himself on stage, which led to me obsessing about his dick and what it might look like. As usual, I chose to work this obsession out through Frank.

This fic could have gone to multiple other squares, but I am not usually the kind of person who can quote lines from things, and I have many lines from this story committed to memory. I’ve read it multiple times, because I read it every time I need a pick-me-up or a good laugh. Or if I’ve read something scary and I need something lighter before I can actually get up and move around my house...

21. A fic that gave you butterflies

Pretty Much A Sex God by adellyna

Bandom ** Spencer/Jon ** 3,985 ** PG-13 ** No Warnings

Jon and Spencer’s first date.

The Jon in this story is so soft and warm and fluffy and his character makes my heart and stomach do weird things.

22. A fic that embodies something you value in life

A Marauder’s Plan by CatsAreCool (Rachel500)

Harry Potter ** Harry/Hermione ** 865,520 ** PG13 ** Violence/Death/Underage

What if Sirius decided to stay in England and deliver on his promise to raise Harry instead of hiding somewhere sunny? Changes abound with that one decision...

ALSO

Harry’s New Home by kbinnz

Harry Potter ** Gen ** 318,389 ** PG-13 ** Abuse

One lonely little boy. One snarky, grumpy git. When the safety of one was entrusted to the other, everyone knew this was not going to turn out well... Or was it? AU, sequel to "Harry's First Detention". 

In these two stories, Sirius and Severus throw everything they have into creating the best possible world for Harry, as he is their number one priority, because that is exactly how parenthood should be. 

23. A favourite AU

Performance In a Leading Role by Mad_Lori

Sherlock ** Sherlock/John ** 156,714 ** Explicit ** No Warnings

Sherlock Holmes is an Oscar winner in the midst of a career slump. John Watson is an Everyman actor trapped in the rom-com ghetto. When they are cast as a gay couple in a new independent drama, will they surprise each other? Will their on-screen romance make its way into the real world?

This has got quite a bit of schmoop, which isn’t usually my thing, but this story is so, so good, and I always love stories that describe Sherlock realizing and appreciating how extraordinary John is.

24. A fic you stayed up too late to finish reading

Collared by VelvetMace

Sherlock ** Sherlock/John ** 83,028 ** Explicit ** Violence & Rape/Non-Con

In a world where the British Empire is still strong and slavery is her economic backbone, John has become a terrorist for the abolitionist movement. He is caught by Mycroft, enslaved, and given to Sherlock for training. The goal: To test a new kind of slave collar with the power to break even the strongest willed fighter. One that will make even John learn to love being a slave.

Dubious consent, and humiliation. I remember staying up very late reading this one, even though I had to work early the next morning. I just couldn’t put it down. 

25. A fic that made you feel seen

Buy Handmade by jjtaylor

Bandom ** Frank/Gerard ** 18,755 ** Mature ** No Warnings

He knows something else is going to happen; his life isn't always going to be this. He just doesn't know what has to happen for that change to come, for him to wake up and become an artist with an Etsy page and a home studio, and to never have to see a cubicle again.

This is the story of my heart. I have felt Frankie’s feelings and thought his thoughts, and I love that he does something about it, and I love Gerard so, so much. I first read this in 2009, and my love for it has never wavered. I could have used this one for a good half of the bingo squares, but it’s the only one that could go here.

[honeylikewords]

Talk to me about tros!!!! I need to know about Poe!!

Okay, I’m finally sitting down to answer this anon, and a few things before I start!

1. Most of what I’m going to say will really only make sense if you go see The Rise of Skywalker yourself. While it’s far from a perfect movie, it’d take way too long for me to try and transcribe everything that happens in the film, and the context and nuance of certain scenes. So, yeah, while it’s not a good movie, if you’re invested in seeing how the movies have played out, you should probably go see it yourself.

2. I have some... mixed feelings about the movie. I also know that what I don’t like, I can choose to ignore; despite the disappointments of the series, I don’t have to take Rian or JJ’s bullshit as MY canon. I get to decide what I do and don’t adhere to as canon. Everyone else has their own varying scales of how they respond to canon-- some are super adherent to canon, some don’t care about anything at all-- and that’s fine. So although I have beef with how all this unfolded, I also know that I can take my love that I have for the characters (and all the potential that The Force Awakens had) and carry that on through my own interpretations, re-writes, et cetera, and I can choose to ignore the poor decisionmaking on the parts of Disney and Rian/JJ/who-the-fuck-ever. 

3. This ask is very open-ended, so I’m going to have to put some parameters down for myself because otherwise I’d get too overwhelmed with the breadth of information I’d need to present about TRoS. A comprehensive review would be really hard to write out, so I’ll just list some initial impressions (I haven’t been able to see it a second time, but likely will in the near future), and some of the relevant Poe-related issues in the films. If you wanna know more, feel free to send in more specific questions (specificity can help, because with my neurotype, I can easily be overwhelmed by large, “general” questions, and getting more granular can help me rein in and focus on a specific idea)!

4. Also, this post isn’t going to be friendly to R*ylo or people who straightwash Poe/are only interested in him as a straight guy. R*ylo is fucking gross, and I’m gonna rip it apart in this post, and Poe isn’t straight. I try not to be too aggressive on here (I’m generally not very aggressive at all!), but the fandom is just so toxic and vile at times that I feel like I need to put my foot down on these topics and say a firm “no” to R*ylos and Poe straightwashers. Oh, and I’ll be talking about the racism in the movie, as well as in the fandom, so buckle up for that, too. So consider this the “bigots begone!” spell as I wave my wand and attempt to shoo them all away!

Anyway...

From here down are spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. If you’re interested in seeing the movie spoiler-free, please scoot waaaaay past this post! Last warning!

And, with that out of the way, here we go!

Alright, here’s a list of stuff as it occurs to me. I’m almost overwhelmed with information, so it’s hard to condense my thoughts, but I’ll try my best!

1. The whole Zorri thing was a fucking nightmare, but not as bad as it could have been. It was really bad, believe me, but, like, it can be ignored easily (though if you’re anything like me, it’ll still leave a sour taste in your mouth). Like I predicted, Zorri was introduced to straightwash Poe and effectively quash any queer interpretations of his character and relationship with Finn. 

But, like, Poe and Zorri had no chemistry. It was almost embarrassing; they were clearly trying to work the “badass woman” angle, but, eh, she was just, basically, a minor blip on the radar; incredibly boring, incredibly useless, and just, like, a “sexy lamp” that could easily have been replaced. She added literally nothing to the film and was blatantly just an insert to try and prevent people from being able to make the case for a queer Poe. But, too bad, Disney! Poe is pansexual, dumbasses!

Oh, and while I’m on the topic of Poe’s queerness, I should add that I’m not really a big FinnPoe, myself; when it got big after the release of The Force Awakens, if felt like just another creepy Tumblr fetishization of male relationships, so that really set the tone for how I’d see it in the coming years. It’s grievously oversexualized on this site, but I also respect that, for many actually queer fans, the ship represents seeing themselves in Star Wars, and I do totally see their bond as canon. I completely acknowledge that Oscar wanted to represent the queer fans who wanted his character to be queer, and in that way, FinnPoe is definitely canon in some form! 

So, I do have a complex relationship with FinnPoe, in that it’s not my personal favorite ship (I vastly prefer FinnRey, since I never really felt that Finn and Poe had a romantic tension, but felt that Finn and Rey did), but I do respect the importance of it for queer fans and for trying to push at the limitations a major series like Star Wars has had for so long. Star Wars has been dominated as a straight, cishet, white man’s fandom; it’s time other people got a chance to love it and see themselves in this vast universe, too.

The cast also seems to be leaning into FinnPoe as a form of protest against censorship and homophobia in the fandoms and film world. They’re using their positions as major film stars to push back and say “hey, queer folks belong here, too”, and that’s so great!

But, anyway, the point is, Zorri sucked, and Poe’s not straight. He’s certainly capable of being attracted to women, but he’s not a straight dude, because he’s equally capable of being attracted to men and nonbinary people as well. 

Thankfully, Zorri and Poe never actually form a relationship in TRoS. He jokes about asking for a kiss, she tells him to go, and then he, at the end, sort of motions his head as if to say “wanna go kiss?” and she, again, tells him no, which he shrugs off. It’s pretty shitty, but easy to ignore.

Anyway, Poe is pan, Finn is pan, Lando is pan, Luke Skywalker is gay and nonbinary, Rey is nonbinary and probably ace, maybe interested in girls, I’m still ironing my hcs for her out, and no one can stop me! Go ahead and try to kill me, Disney (and homophobic Star Wars fans); if you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine!

2. Poe’s “backstory” is such a fucking trainwreck. They basically tried to nix a bunch of what was already canonically established in order to, get this, make Poe a drug dealer. 

It’s a little more complex-- the idea is that Poe was a pilot for a group of pirates for about six years, from the age of 16 until he was 22-ish, and ran Spice, the drug in Star Wars-- but it’s also not. It’s really bad. 

Way to take a canonically noble, hardworking, Latino character and reduce him to the most shitty, racist stereotype imaginable. I’ve already complained about him not needing a “dark” past, but this? This is somehow worse than him being, like, a bounty hunter, because it carries political implications and is just such a stock, trash stereotype that we don’t need in this world or in our fantasies. It’s ridiculous, and I refuse to acknowledge it.

Worse yet, it’s said that Poe “ran away from home” to join the pirates to “avoid responsibility” at age 16... dude, Poe has been shown in EVERY PRIOR CANONICAL APPEARANCE TO CRAVE NOTHING BUT RESPONSIBILITY. Yes, he’s a hothead, but he’s responsible! He wants to labor and take on caring for others because he’s a hardworking, compassionate, headstrong man! Ugh!

I could go off forever about this, but I’m already feeling myself grinding my teeth, and for the sake of my blood pressure and psychological wellbeing I’m not going to make myself go feral over it right now. Deep breaths, K, deep breaths...

3. In things I did like: Poe got promoted to general, and he made Finn a general alongside him. He really grew into his position, and I’m so proud to see him as General Dameron of the Resistance. He deserves it. 

4. Poe and Finn had SO many good scenes and such great chemistry. I loved seeing them bounce off each other, and their relationship made me laugh and smile and feel warm, even as everything else was falling apart. I love my boys!

5. Poe gets grossed out by bones. Canon. Love a squeamish king.

6. Oh, ugh, I just remembered that they tried to frame Poe and Rey as having an aggressive relationship with each other and I rolled my eyes. How dumb can they be? Ugh. I don’t even have the energy to try and unpack how ridiculous all that is. More deep breaths...

7. In terms of the worst thing to happen in the movie... R*ylo, like, gets shoehorned in. Honestly, looking back at all the predictions I made a few months back, I’m entirely right; everything I predicted came to pass. This included.

It was shitty and bad and nearly all the cast has spoken out against it now that their contracts with Disney aren’t as binding, and seeing it happen on the big screen was just... oh my god, it was horrifying.

It really was.

But thankfully, Kylo died, so the ship can’t really continue! Yeehaw!

8. I actually did like parts of the ending. I’ll talk about that more if anyone asks more specific questions, but right now, I’m kinda burning out because of the wide net this ask casts, so I’ll have to defer for the moment.

At any rate, it all happened exactly the way I thought it would, bleh. Like, so much shit in the movie went down exactly the way my TRoS predictions post said, it’s almost scary. 

Honestly, though, just running through all this is exhausting me; I really can’t make myself go through it all in this particular format. So, I’ll just leave this here as it is, and if anyone has any specific questions-- what I thought of specific moments, characters, scenes, etc-- send an ask! But this is all just really wide and general and burning my brain out to try and process it all again, so more specificity in future asks might help me stay more on track and not get overwhelmed trying to explain every single thing all at once. 

I have tons and tons of thoughts about it, ranging from what I loved to what I’d have done different about the whole series, but I just don’t have the psychological wherewithal to make myself write everything out in one giant, dense, indecipherable post: it’s just all too much, so I’d need to break it down into smaller, more specific questions.

This probably isn’t a super-satisfying answer, but feel free to just send specific asks and I’ll answer them, no matter how many! It just helps to have a specific line of thought to follow, so feel free to ask about each individual thing and I’ll try to answer!

Thanks!

[b0ne-marrow]

Valorverse - Ships

Welp. I wanted to doodle one of the "Crack"ships I came up with after watching the recent MLP movie, and started a doodle page where I was gonna add more ships and stuff that came to mind, as I saw another Crack-ish ship that I liked and debated on as well lol I moved some doodles and made them their own drawings (The Ocellus drawing I posted recently was one of them for example) and struggled to fill the page but I remembered one of the old ships I touched upon LOL. And without further ado I shall get to the ships. 1. Derpy x Kerfuffle This is the crackship I am talking about above, lol. I don't know where it came from, but I just find this ship dynamic really sweet. Both Kerfuffle and Derpy are adorable rays of sunshine and I only imagine their relationship as a goo-y mushy mess, lol. They met when Kerfuffle came to Ponyville to visit Rarity's boutique after the Rainbow Roadtrip movie. She had to mail something out while visiting and they just hit it off right off the bat. It didn't get romantic for a while, but they were always close, bonding over their cheery demeanors and shared (But vastly different) experiences as disabled ponies. I imagine Derpy to be really romantic and kinda like a Crow/Raven, finding little things that she loves and reminds her of Kerfuffle and giving them to her. (Also I struggled with Kerfuffle's leg on this so I'm sorry if it looks off. it was hard to translate it into my style of drawing legs, plus I redesigned it a bit lol. 2. Marble Pie x Sugar Belle Now this one came kinda out of nowhere lol. It was kinda spawned from a lovely headcanon drawing piece done by :iconItsTechTock: itsTechTock that you can see here!: https://www.deviantart.com/itstechtock/art/HC-Sweet-As-Pie-808490066 They, of course, didn't ship them and talks about something completely different, but my brain started thinking about them and thought they'd be really cute together actually, lol. I feel like in the Valorverse they met through Big mac, both of them being his exes. Sugar Belle just adores how shy Marble is, even though she's trying to help her overcome that. 3. Fluery Heart x Ocellus I saw this ship (Well, Flurry Heart. Fluery's the Valoverse's version of Flurry) in an adorable drawing you can see here: https://www.deviantart.com/peachydust/art/AU-NextGen-Carina-806723551 and I've liked it since, though I have a bit of qualms with it pertaining to my nextgen. (Mainly the age gap if I'm going to be right honest but age gap doesn't necessarily mean youKnowWhat's going on.) Fluery and Ocellus met on "official" princess duties. Princess Cadence has done all she can to strengthen the bond between Changelings and Ponies since the war broke out, and because of that there's been a lot of meetings between them and other leaders around the world. Since Fluery and Skyla are both technically princesses, she would bring them along (as well as her other children occasionally) with her. For similar reasons, Thorax and Chrysalis would bring Ocellus with them. Not really being a part of the political aspects of being Princesses, Fluery, Skyla, and Ocellus would often wander off and go do something else while the adults talked things through, though it took a while for Fluery to be interested in what they did. (I'll post a writing here at some point about that.) Soon enough they would become the closest friends, even making time to go see and talk to each other outside of meetings. Though Skyla didn't go with them outside of the meetings, and eventually had to attend them herself, she was the big sister of the group making sure they didn't get in too much trouble, lol. One day, as they're hanging out, Fluery happens to drop a particuarly funny joke that gets Ocellus really laughing, and she kinda realizes that wow... she's really cute when she does that and oh... she kinda maybe possibly has a crush on her BFF. Ah shit. Skyla totally gives her shit about it though cuz she knew since the beginning lol. I might keep this just a crush on Fluery's end, Ocellus not really picking up on it or not repricating her feelings. I'm not sure though. I do at least think it'd be hilarious if Ocellus didn't pick up on it at first, lol. 4. Pharynx x Tymbal(?), Feelings Forum Changeling I kinda hinted at this one in the Ocellus drawing lol. So I saw it in a stamp: https://www.deviantart.com/cascayd/art/Pharynx-x-Feelings-Forum-Changeling-Stamp-776221176 and at first, I just found it weird and not really my ship tbh but it really started growing on me after rewatching the episode they're in the last few days, lol. Total grumpy pants that's completely soft for a ray of sunshine/calm gentle person is just a trope I like lol. Tymbal knew Pharynx before the hive transformed and they were kinda close then. She wasn't nearly as hippy-ish and theraputic as she is now though, and was actually a hardcore fighter herself. She identified as a guy before the transformation mainly because most Changeling drones/guards did. She and him were great together in battle and were buds because of it. It broke her heart to see her friend struggle so much with the new changes in the hive, wishing she knew how to help besides with the Feelings Forum and Art classes that he hated. She really couldn't reach him until after his transformation. After that, Pharynx seemed to open himself up to getting help and and participting in other things within the hive. Only then was she really able to help, getting him to vent out his feelings in a more healthy way and particpate in the creative art classes there are. Suddenly, Pharynx finds that the icky and yucky feelings and frilly bullshit the changelings did together were a lot more tolerable when he did them with people he loved and was friends with. and eventually, with all the time they've spent together, they fall in love. and Pharynx fucking HATES it and how she makes him feel. He started getting feelings for her first, and he really didn't cope with them well at all. He'd kinda lash out at her, not being able to handle his emotions, but he eventually settled down and they get together with a decently healthy relationship. He still gets flustered though, she just melts his heart lol. 5. Pistachio x Star Tracker Honestly, I was just looking to ship someone with Pistachio. I think their nerdy attitudes combine really well together too lol. Some of Star Tracker's favorite moments with Pistachio are when he starts gushing about fashion or something else he's passionate about, and he just keeps blabbing and Blabbing and BLABBING and will talk to him about it for hours. He just loves listening to him and thinks it's adorable and cute to see how long he'll go. Being a guard when he grows up, Star really appreciates the little things and time they spend together. I guess this is when they're younger and first figuring their feelings out. Anyways i'm like brain dead I'm so tired so I'm going to bed, lol. I really hope you enjoy this doodle. Adopts should be coming next!

Posted using PostyBirb

[greekmythstoldbyanasshole]

Odysseus

So first off, we’re going to talk about Odysseus. Odysseus was like that smart, but weasely guy you know. The kind of guy who is great to have around if you need to find a way to sneak out of a bad blind date, but also the kind of guy who cheats on his wife while she’s sitting at home literally turning away handsome and rich guys left and right. 

But I digress. 

So, Odysseus was on his way back from the Trojan War on his way home to Ithaca. The place, not the college. At this point, his ego must have been huge, since he created the entire field of hacking when he designed the original Trojan Horse. 

After leaving Troy, Odysseus and his buddies were looking for a place to stop and chill out for a bit. I mean, I probably would have just grabbed a couple of Red Bulls and tried to power through until I got home, but that’s just me. They eventually found an island and thought, “This island probably isn’t full of monsters, so that’s cool.”

Island was totally full of monsters. It held the terrible Cyclopes, known for horrendous things like living in caves, eschewing government (and law) and grouwing crops from rain personally sprinkled by Zeus. Seriously? This is the description that these guys get? They’re horrible because they are special farmers who live in caves and fuck with the government? They’re only a few steps away from being a US Senator. 

Odysseus, feeling like Jesus, took 12 of his guys with him to do some ‘splorin’. He told everyone else to stay on board and remain at the ready at their oars, to which I’m sure the not-cool-enough-to-be-a-part-of-the-landing-party guys gave a very convincing nod and said, “Ya, we’re totally going to do that.”

O-dawg and crew then saw a cyclops and decided that the best course of action would be to follow the fucker while holding a wineskin full of specifically unmixed wine. None of that “Barefoot Red Blend” bullshit. 

Ok, so at the beginning of the story, I know I said that Odysseus was super smart, but the following tidbit makes him seem like a bit of a moron. He took one look at the big, ugly, Fox News Conspiracy touting Cyclopes and was like, “It’s customary for all Greeks to be, like, super inviting hosts, who give out sweet gifts to their guests. I’m sure these guys will be like that and not murder us in their caves or anything.”

Then, like a normal Air BnB guest, Odysseus waited in the bushes until the cylops started tending to his sheep, and then snuck into his house. 

When they got into the cave, everyone started bitching about how musty and cluttered it was, as if they hadn’t just broken in hoping for free shit. There were baskets full of cheese and animal pens full of lambs and little baby goats, who were hopefully weraing those little pajamas like you always see on Facebook. The cyclops had made a bed out of willow branches because Ikea hadn’t been invented yet. 

After a while, Odysseus’s homeboys started getting nervous about the whole, “breaking and entering” thing, so they suggested some light robbery. 

“Why don’t we just take some cheese and leave?” They asked, like dicks, “We can always come back later for some lambs.”

Odysseus decided to take the moral high ground. He packed up their things, left a nice tip and a detailed review, got back on his ship and sailed home. 

Just kidding. He acted like a baby. 

“They’re supposed to give us a gift because we’re their guests,” he pouted, knowing full well the difference between an intruder and a guest. He also had a name! How great. His name was Polyphemus, which definitely doesn’t sound like a sexuality. 

So Polyphemus came back to his house and had his sheep with him (like a normal person), rolled his rock-door into place and then milked his sheep. When he was done, he realized that there were 13 strange men in his cave. Not one to judge, but what kind of life does Polyphemus lead that he doesn’t notice 13 random guys in his house? Just how into milking his sheep does he get? Also, what were Odysseus and his crew doing while they were waiting? Politely coughing to let him know that people were watching? There are so many questions. 

When Polyphemus finally got around to talkking to them, he said, “Who the hell are you guys? Like, pirates? Or what?”

Odysseus, super pumped to get his weird guest-gift, said, “We’re Achaen soldiers. We were just fighting in Troy, but we got blown off course, so now we’re here by Fate. We’re in your cave because Zeus says that hosts should give their guests gifts...so...you know...”

“Dumbass,” Polyphemus retorted, “We’re Cyclopes, bruh. We don’t care about Zeus’s laws. We helped him defeat the Titans, so now he waters our plants. He’s essentially our sprinkler system. But,” he continued, “I do care about something. Where did you land your ship?”

As soon as Polyphemus said this, all of Odysseus’s men were probably like, “Fuck. We’re probably not getting that god-damned gift basket.”

Odysseus, though, being the king of thinky-thinky said, “We don’t have a ship. Poseidon decided to smash it against some rocks. We are the only survivors.”

Suddenly, Polyphemus remembered that he hated the number 13, so he grabbed the 2 nearest guys to him, smashed their heads against the wall, and then fucking helped himself to a nice meal. 

Cyclops Cave Air Bnb:

           We got some free cheese and the goat yoga was fantastic, but the host fucking ate my cousin. 2/5 stars

After that, the cyclops laid down on his sad excuse for a bed and went to sleep. 

After apparently just hanging out while his buddies got devoured, Odysseus pulled his sword out of his ass and charged headlong at Polyphemus. However, he paused halfway down the cave as soon as he remembered that there was a big-ass rock blocking the doorway. Remembering that he was better at verbal jousting than physical activity, Odysseus put down his sword to think up a plan. 

After waking up, the giant strolled over to his kitchen, cracked 2 eggs and made himself an omelette. Only, instead of eggs, it was men. Because this guy is just terrible. 

After this, Polyphemus led his sheep out to pasture, and rolled the stone back into place, because everyone in this story is a dick. 

At this point, Odysseus’s men start to cry, which is the first reasonable reaction anyone has had up until this point. Meanwhile, Odysseus decided to try something useful for a change. Among his weird collection of things, Polyphemus had a “hug olive wood log” which was “definitely not a dildo.” Odysseus told his men to sharpen the log and then harden it in the fire. 

When Polyphemus got back, he milked his sheep and then ate some Panda Express while watching Ellen. Nah, he ate more guys. 

After the cyclops was done eating, Odysseus gave him some of that crazy, unmixed wine. Which was apparently a big deal because, apparently back then, everyone would lose a drinking competition to a college girl named Amanda who passes out after 1 1/2 Bacardi Breezers. Anyways, Polyphemus downed it. 

“You know,” the cyclops slurred, “If you tell me your name, I’ll give you a gift.”

At this, Odysseus got a guest-gift hard-on. It didn’t matter that literally half of his men died, he was going to get some decorative bath soap. Odysseus just smiled like a sleazeball while pouring more wine. Not yet having gotten the spins, Polyphemus continued drinking. This whole cycle repeated itself again, and not until the cyclops was good and wasted did Odysseus say,

“You want to know my name? My name is Nobody. That’s definitely what everyone calls me. Nobody. I would tell you to ask my buddy over there to vouch for me, but you fucking ate him.”

Accepting this to be as normal of a name as Polyphemus, Polyphemus said, “Well, Nobody, here’s your gift: I’ll eat you last!”

At this, the cyclops laughed so hard that he threw up the wine and human bits, and then passed out in all of that. 

Gross. 

Without a moment to lose, Odysseus and his men pulled the log “out of hiding,” whatever that means, and stuck it in the fire until it was as red-hot as early 2000′s Ricky Martin. The men took the flaming rod and jammed it into the cyclops’ eye hole. Since he had killed all their buddies, they made sure to wiggle it all around and keep it there until his blood boiled out of the socket. 

Gross.

Meanwhile, Polyphemus was understandably freaking the fuck out. He was causing such a hubbub that all of the nearby cyclopes came over to see what all the yelling was about.

“Dammit, Polyphemus, what is wrong? Surely nobody is killing you by force or treachery?” they asked, apparently unaware of all the strapping young men in the cave.

Polyphemus screamed, “Yes! Nobody is killing me by force and treachery!” 

Apparently fed up with his sarcastic-ass answers, the other cyclopes said, “Ok, man. Whatever. If you are alone and screaming like that, you must be crazy. Try praying to Poseidon to cure your womanly hysteria.” And, without opening the door like decent friends, you know, to see if he was actually ok, the cyclopes just left. “Eh, he’ll be fine.”

Hearing all of his definitely-not-getting-Christmas-presents-this-year friends leave, Polyphemus screamed. He shoved the boulder out of the way and stood in the opening, ready to catch any shithead who tried to escape. However, Odysseus weren’t no bitch. 

Later that night, after the cyclops had put in his earplugs or something, Odysseus stole some branches from the branchopedic bed and used the branches to tie groups of 3 sheep together. He did this just enough times so that each of his buddies would have a 3 sheep luxury package, but not enough for him, because he was an arrogant motherfucker. 

After tying the three sheep together, he told his crew to each grab on to the belly of a sheep, which, I guess, were huge? Odysseus took the biggest ram for himself (phrasing) and held on. 

Instead of waiting until, like, 5 o’clock in the morning to grab some sheep, the poor suckers spent the whole night hanging upside down. When the sun finally rose, Polyphemus let his sheepies out to play. As the sheep went by their blind master, he tapped each one on the back to make sure no one was escaping. The following is how I picture that scene to have played out:

*pat pat*

“Hmm, this is weird. 3 of my sheep must have gotten tangled in my bed and got stuck together. I’ll deal with that later. Next!”

*pat pat*

“God, my sheep are dumb today. 3 more sheep are stuck together. Good thing I’m patting these sheep down for escaping prisoners, or I might think someone was up to something.”

*pat pat*

Odysseus and his big ram *wink wink* were the last to leave. As it came near the cave’s entrance, Polyphemus put on his Border Patrol cap and stopped the ram.

“My old buddy,” Polyphemus said to the ram, probably while looking in the wrong direction, “why are you in the back today? You usually lead the group. Maybe you feel bad that daddykins got blinded by that big, mean bully, Nobody? And he got me drunk! Rude. I’m sure if you could talk, you would tell me where he is hiding.”

But he couldn’t talk, because he was a ram, and that would not be logical. Like the rest of the story. 

Odysseus had a mild panic attack when Polyphemus *pat pat*ed his ram down, before it waddled over to its friends in the pasture. 

When all the sheep had gone far enough away from the cave, Odysseus and his men released themselves from the sheep. Can you imagine how badly their arms must have hurt at that point? I mean, I sometimes need to take a break when I’m straightening my hair, and that takes, like, 8 minutes. Tops.

After getting off the sheep with jello-for-arms, they grabbed a bunch of lambs (with their mouths?) and hauled ass down the mountain. When he finally reached his ship, Odysseus, being an arrogant moron, turned around and yelled, “You! The guy who was a dick and ate your guests, the ones who totally didn’t sneak into your shitty cave, I hope you enjoy the punishment Zeus has in store for you!”

Polyphemus, the guy who didn’t just hear the whole sheep plan, nor the sheep yoking, nor the lamb stealing, heard this taunt from forever away on a boat in the middle of the ocean. Pissed, he grabbed a piece of the mountain and threw it at the ship. It’s a whole new level of angry to rip off, and then throw, a piece of mountain. The piece of mountain grazed the ship, which resulted in a mini tsunami. This pushed Odysseus back into the shore. His crew frantically pushed the boat back out, where they doubled the distance they had before. Odysseus was about to call out to the cyclops again, but his crew told him to shut the hell up and be glad that they had escaped. However, Odysseus was mad and arrogant, and Twitter didn’t have the balls to block his account, even with all the racism and threats of nuclear war, so he yelled again. 

“Cyclops! If anyone asks you who blinded you, you can tell them it was Odysseus of Ithaca!”

Hearing this, Polyphemus remembered a prophesy he’d heard about the Boy Who Lived. No, not that one. About Odysseus. He prayed to Poseidon in the style of Veruca Salt, if Veruca Salt had become a dictator. 

“Don’t let Odysseus make it home! Actually, no. Let him go home, but all his friends die! And...it takes forever! And when he gets there, there’s a whole bunch of shit going on! And make his lawyer get arrested for paying off a prostitute! And kill his hamster!”

After praying/bitching, Polyphemus threw another mountain chunk at Odysseus. This throw also resulted in a mini tsunami that pushed his boat to shore. This time, however, it pushed the boat towards the rest of Odysseus’s fleet, which apparently existed. Instead of booking it, the men decided that right then was the best time for a gyro, so they ate a feast of the lambs they had stolen and drank DILUTED wine. When the sun rose the next morning, they took sail. They were happy to be alive, but also really sad about the guys who had been turned into BK’s Chicken Fries. 

But, the fun was just beginning because Poseidon was pissed. 

[takaraphoenix]

Jercy Week Day 5: Soulmate AU

Percy Jackson did not believe in soulmates.

Sure, everyone was born with a mark on their body, a very individual sign that only soulmates shared. That was real. Percy had one too – a horse made of clouds, with thunder and rain around it. But that didn't mean he believed that his soulmate would mean he'd have a happily ever after.

His mom had a sign too. A soulmate symbol. But it wasn't Percy's father. And it definitely wasn't Percy's stepfather Gabe. Sally had a soulmate, but for six years, this abusive, disgusting man had lived with them and had made their lives hell. Not once had Sally's soulmate swooped in to save them both, a knight in shining armor, bringing happiness to Sally.

No, Percy and Sally had to help themselves.

Percy learned he was a demigod, he got the head of Medusa and Percy and Sally ended their own nightmares, became their own knights in shining armors. Because soulmates wouldn't save you.

That fact got driven home hard a couple weeks after they had saved Thalia Grace's life.

"Jackson. Wait up!", called Thalia out, a confused frown on her face.

They were at the beach together, a week before Percy's fourteenth birthday. Grover and Annabeth were already standing at the sandy shore, Annabeth holding a water-ball. They wanted to play and Percy was the last to arrive (Connor and Travis had roped him into a prank so he ran late).

"What?", asked Percy confused and turned toward her. "Come on. It is on. Zeus vs Poseidon."

"The duel of the century!", announced Grover with a broad grin.

"Your soulmark", stated Thalia as she approached him.

"Urgh. It's so cheesy for the son of Poseidon to have a storm-spirit as a mark", snorted Annabeth. "Not that Percy really cares about that. You know, he doesn't believe in soulmates. Even though they are scientifically proven. We've had a lot of discussions about this."

Annabeth's soulmark was a military helmet with two torches crossed behind it and a small owl sitting on it, staring right at whoever looked at the soulmark. She wore it with pride and especially after learning she was a daughter of Athena, she grew eager that her soulmate would be war-related too. Perhaps a child of Ares, or sorts? She absolutely believed that soulmates meant happily ever after. Most of Percy and Annabeth's arguments were about that.

"No. That's not...", started Thalia and grabbed Percy by the arm.

Annabeth and Grover exchanged a confused look and walked up to them. Percy started getting a little uncomfortable by the intensity of Thalia's stare as she looked at Percy's biceps.

"I know that symbol", stated Thalia, eyebrows knitted.

"Wait. Hold on. You know Percy's soulmate?!", asked Grover excitedly.

He was convinced that Percy would change his mind once he'd actually meet his soulmate. Percy just rolled his eyes at that every time. Though he had to admit, the prospect of meeting his supposed soulmate was a little... unsettling. Made him nervous.

"It was the mark of my brother", whispered Thalia softly.

"Wait. Brother?", asked Annabeth slowly, staring at Thalia in surprise.

There was pain written all over Thalia's face. "I... had a brother. Jason. He... He died... when he was two. That was... That was why I ran away, in the end. H—He... died. I'm sorry, Percy."

Despite his claims that he didn't need a soulmate or believed a soulmate could provide him with any kind of happy ending, it... was still different to hear that he would in fact never find happiness with a soulmate because his soulmate was dead. Percy swallowed hard, unsure what to say or think.

/break\

"I still can't believe you're alive", whispered Thalia.

Jason, Piper and Leo had returned successfully from their quest yesterday and Thalia had made the huntresses stop at Camp Half-Blood so she could reconnect with her brother. She still had a hard time believing her brother was alive, had been alive all this time. The Grace-siblings were sitting together on the roof-top of Zeus Cabin, watching the stars.

"I can't believe you're alive either", muttered Jason, leaning heavily against Thalia.

They had been talking for the past three hours, updating each other on their lives. Thalia's eyes found Jason's upper arm, where right above the branding from Camp Jupiter stood the proud stallion made of clouds and storm itself. She bit her lips.

"As much as we talked about ourselves, I... there's something I have to tell you", started Thalia.

"What is it?", asked Jason concerned.

"I know your soulmate", replied Thalia, brushing her thumb over his mark.

"W—What? I've been searching for them for forever!", exclaimed Jason, getting excited.

"Ye—eah. You should curb that enthusiasm", sighed Thalia. "He... doesn't believe in soulmates. And he's been thinking you're dead."

"Well... I... I can convince him that soulmates are a good thing", muttered Jason with a puppy-pout. "Who... Who is it? Can you tell me more about him?"

"Percy Jackson. I'm pretty sure you already heard about him", chuckled Thalia.

"He's... the rock-star of this camp", grunted Jason surprised. "Everyone talks about him. All the time. It's Percy this and Percy that and everyone's desperately looking for him, because everyone loves him. And he... you're sure he's my soulmate?"

"Positive. It's the sam", hummed Thalia, flickering Jason's soulmark. "Percy, he's a sweetheart. But don't tell him I said that. We're... I mean, we're friends. He cares a lot about the people he loves and he loves fiercely. He... is a strong fighter. He loves swimming, which, obvious, I guess."

"I really wanna meet him", sighed Jason, wrapping his arms around his legs.

"Well, you got the chance to be his knight in shining armor", grinned Thalia teasingly.

/break\

"You look so nervous", snickered Leo teasingly, elbowing Jason.

"We're returning to my... home", whispered Jason. "And my... my soulmate will be there. It's a lot, okay? So back off, firebug. I'm trying not to sweat a bucket here."

"You really think you can convince him that soulmates are real?", asked Piper with a frown. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be a downer here, but Annabeth talked about how... he doesn't believe in soulmates due to past experience and all..."

"I know that", sighed Jason, running his fingers through his hair. "I can just... I'll be myself and if I can't make him fall for me, guess... he's right. But I'm not giving up without a fight, right?"

"Very right!", declared Grover loudly and excitedly as he came to clap him on the shoulder.

Grover had insisted that he was going to join them on the Argo II. After all, his best friend was out there and he was going to go and get him back. Definitely. Which was more than welcomed, because Chiron had been uncomfortable sending the demigods without some guardian and since Coach Hedge's wife was highly pregnant, there was just no way he'd tag along. Not to mention the part where Chiron had been very doubtful about the highly temperamental satyr.

"You do have the blessing of Percy's best friends", grinned Leo, motioning at Grover and Annabeth.

"You really do", agreed Annabeth, both eyebrows raised. "We want you to convince Percy that love is real. He's not meant to be bitter, it really doesn't fit him at all. He's cheerful. It's only soulmates he's bitter about. And he shouldn't be, because he deserves to be happy."

Jason smiled faintly and blushed as he ducked his head. He really hoped Percy would accept him.

/break\

"A—And you think my... soulmate is on that ship?", asked Reyna, looking up at the sky.

"That ship definitely came from Camp Half-Blood and that means Annabeth will be on there. She fusses about me way too much not to be on there", grinned Percy, nudging her.

Reyna blushed and brushed her hair out of her face. Percy had spotted the soulmark on Reyna pretty soon, but only after his memories returned could he place the helmet and owl. After returning from the quest, Percy got to sit with Reyna and talk to her. Tell her about Annabeth. Just because Percy didn't believe in soulmates didn't mean he couldn't respect that others did.

"Percy Jackson, why would you get yourself abducted by a goddess?!"

The next moment, Annabeth collided face-first with Percy's chest, hugging him tightly. Percy laughed as he returned the hug, burying his face in Annabeth's golden curls, just to be hugged from behind. Turning a little, he cracked a smile as he saw Grover.

"G-man. You came too", grinned Percy, wrapping his arms around them both.

"Of course! You're my best friend!", huffed Grover seriously. "I was super worried about you!"

Percy smiled, feeling tears prickling in his eyes. He turned a little toward where Reyna was hugging a blonde guy. Smile growing, Percy steered Annabeth toward the hugging duo.

"There's someone I need you to meet, Annie", grinned Percy. "You're gonna be happy about this."

"Oh, Percy, there is someone you need to meet too-", started Annabeth.

"Reyna, this is Annabeth!", announced Percy with a broad grin before Annabeth could finish.

Reyna turned around, eyes large. For a moment, Annabeth was confused, but then Reyna pulled up her shirt, revealing the sign on her hip-bone. Annabeth made a strangled sound and clasped one hand over her mouth. Percy huffed and rolled his eyes.

"I can't show you mine because it's on my shoulder-blade and I am not stripping down to my bra in front of total strangers, but... that's my sign", whispered Annabeth in disbelief.

"I know. Percy said so, when he saw it. He recognized it", replied Reyna with a shy smile. "Hello. I'm... Reyna. Praetor of New Rome. Daughter of Bellona."

"Praetor?", whispered Annabeth impressed.

"Oh, our girl got herself an important girl!", whistled Grover. "You go!"

"...Grover. Tune it down, or she might murder you", advised Percy.

"Percy, you wound me, Annabeth would never-", huffed Grover, stopping when Annabeth glared. "Okay, she might actually murder me. I'll just... steal Percy here and update him, yeah? Yeah."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and waved her hand at them, just as Reyna took her other hand. The two girls walked away, talking softly. Frank and Hazel had taken over smoothing things over on the Roman front, introducing people to each other. There were others with Annabeth, Grover and the blonde guy. Two, who were now talking to Frank and Hazel, but before Percy could go and investigate them, the blonde guy pushed between them, right in front of Percy.

"You're Percy. Percy Jackson", whispered the blonde with the broadest grin possible.

"Percy, this is... Jason. Jason Grace. Thalia's... younger brother. Who was never dead but sacrificed to Juno and all our favorite goddess brought him to the Romans, because he's a son of Jupiter", stated Grover. "A—And I'll go and join Piper and Leo. We get caught up later, yeah, Perce?"

Percy would have protested if he had any words left. Jason Grace was dead. His soulmate had died when he was two. Thalia had told him that years ago. Jason Grace was dead, or... not.

"Hi. Uhm. Hey. I... urgh, I have no idea what to say", sighed Jason and rubbed his face. "I've been dreaming about this moment for so long. But I never really thought about... what actually to say. And now that I see you, here... you... you're so gorgeous."

"Right", sighed Percy, slowly running his eyes up and down Jason. "Look. I don't... believe in this stuff. We're gonna work together to win this war and we can... be friends. But I am not expecting to ride into the sunset with you or whatever, so... don't expect that either."

"Okay", nodded Jason with a small smile.

"...Okay?", echoed Percy a little confused.

"I've lived with your best friends for the past six months. I was prepared for you to not want this. And... And I respect that. I respect you", started Jason softly. "I'm not... I'm not going to push and make you uncomfortable by asking for more than you're willing to give. Friends is... good."

Percy was genuinely surprised, but in a very positive way.

/break\

Percy was laying on his back on the deck of the ship, staring into the night sky and thinking about Tartarus, Damansen and Bob. Shuddering, he wrapped his arms around himself. He startled when someone threw a very soft jacket over him. Tilting his head, he saw Jason standing next to him.

"Can't sleep again?", whispered Jason gently as he sat down next to Percy.

Slowly, he laid down next to Percy and even slower, Percy started cuddling up to Jason. Jason was warm and comfortable and very soothing. Brewing the storm together with Jason had been the best feeling ever. Jason had not been pushy at all, he was actually a pretty good friend. A great sparring partner, good for comfort and gossip and companionship. Percy... really liked Jason. A lot. Reaching out, Percy gently traced the storm-spirit on Jason's arm. The soulmark. Jason huffed and wrapped an arm around Percy's back, pulling him closer. Percy felt safe and warm in Jason's arms.

"I never believed in soulmates...", started Percy slowly, tilting his head up. "My mom was 'left' by my dad. My stepfather was an abusive piece of garbage. We had to... save ourselves. Neither her soulmate nor mine came to our rescue. And then Thalia told me you're dead. But... my mom... she... found her soulmate. Paul. My new stepfather. He's... great. And he makes her smile like I have never seen her smile. And you're... great. You're nice and sweet and I really like you and... I don't know if I believe in happily ever after, but... I think we might... stand a chance. Can I... kiss you?"

Jason stared at him and then he broke into the broadest smile ever as he nodded wildly. As they kissed, Percy smiled softly. Maybe not happily ever after, but perhaps happiness, right now.

 ~*~ The End ~*~

Read this here on FFNet & here on AO3

[prompt-master]

Get The Massage

[dachi-chan25]

Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 3 Pt. 2

WARNINGS: SPOILERS (obvs); not a Khaliiiisi fan; Jonsa shipper so I might talk about it.

————–

4.- Euron Sparrow (I feel like I should add Captain somewhere) makes his heroic entrance in KL, and I find this kinda intresting, Hot Pie told Arya it was Cersei the one who blew the Great Sept of Baelor like it was common knowledge, but like how do people in Westeros know this stuff? news travel by ravens, and merchants and soldiers perharps but common people don’t know the High Lords and Ladies motivations and information has a way to get twisted (the best example I can think of is Season 5’ s troupe from Braavos, they told the story of Joffrey’s ascention and his death in a very pro-Lannister light) so I’m really interested in knowing just what did Cersei said about the whole affair. I mean people’s reaction to Ellaria and co. is pure entreteinment for them, they have no real beef with them but still interested in all this stuff.

We have Cersei herself sitting on the fugliest chair of the 7 realms (aka the IT) while Euron gallops into the throne room (like Euron can you be a lil’ less extra??) and presents her with her gift while shading the fuck outta Jaime, anyway Euron wants to put a date to their wedding but Cersei is having none of that until the war is over.

Euron still is looking for a fight with Jaime, and says he hopes the can have a bro talk about just how kinky is Cersei in bed (LMAO Euron is awful but he makes me laugh a lot).

Now we have Cersei in the dungeons with a very bright pink lipstick on (where do you even get that stuff???) and talks about Oberyn vs. The Mountain, she is just taunting Ellaria and has a very emotional moment while talking about Myrcella (Lena Headley is a hell of an actress, as much as I hate Cersei I don’t want her to die if only to keep enjoying her brilliant performance)

Then she kisses Tyene and reveals Qyburn managed to find out the poison Ellaria used with her daughter and her revenge would be forcing her to see Tyene die, and then wipes away the poison-pink lipstick and drinks the antidote like a total badass (RIP bad pussy).

So getting revenge turns her on and she goes to kiss Jaime and gives him head (like wow there has been a lot of oral this season), they end up on bed, and one of Cersei’s maids knocks, Jaime is like oh no, nobody must know!! And she’s like I’m queen so I can do whatever the fuck I want (no, that’s not how it works, that’s what got your monster of a son killed dumbass) anyway it seems short hair is lit now (cool cuz I got short hair too) and doesn’t say anything about literal incest in front of her (very wise dear).

Now apparently Cersei has a visitor from the Iron Bank (remember they are hella broke thanks to Robert?) and she has to deal with it, to be fair Cersei is a hell of a negociator, she manages to convince the emmisary to give her 15 days to pay her debts and trash talks D once again (the fuck bitch me too).

(round here I get confused about the order of the scenes but I’ll try)

5.- So Theon is found by a surviving ship and the Captain treats him like dirt for not fighting for Yara, and pls leave my son alone.

I have nothing much to add really was a pretty short scene and I hope to see more of Theon next episode.

6.- Back in Dragon Stone we have Jon talking with Tyrion, he says he was wrong to have come and wants to go back home (OMG my poor baby) cuz it’s clear D has no intention to help him, Tyrion tells him to cut her some slack (I mean I kinda agree it’s not easy to believe and fight with a dude you just met but then again she was very rude and antagonistic) and goes around telling him about all the good stuff D has done (k I get his point, but were you there to see the conquest of Meeren and Astapor Tyrion?? No, you got there when shit hit the fan due to Danisss incompetence as a ruler, so I fail to see how someone as clever and analytical would make such blind statements unless that someone is in love) Jon agrees reluctantly.

7.- Winterfell!!! At last!!! So we see Sansa talking with Lord Royce, LF and the Maester about the resources they have for Winter, and she is Walking around the castle looking over the preparations and making questions and very good suggestions every now and then.

Seeing this scene struck me this is the first time we see someone actually ruling, allow me to explain: the first 2 shots we get of D and Cersei are of them sitting on their thrones but doing nothing but serve themselves (D with trying to force Jon to bend the knee and Cersei with her revenge) now of course they’re preparing for war against each other, who gives a fuck about food or warm clothes in winter amirite Ladies? Well, A GOOD RULER that’s who, Sansa is still Lady Sansa she does not parade titles around nor she sits her ass on the court room and calls it a day or calls herself Queen, yet she is the only one who acts like one. If she doesn’t know something she immediatly asks, she seeks solutions and acts quickly, that suggestion about adding leather to the armors was a little detail but so huge because she doesn’t only care about the armor being strong but also that it keeps her people as warm and comfortable as possible, and Imma cry because it’s such a huge difference from other selfish rulers we’ve seen in the series.

Anyway, LF starts by saying ruling suites her well (dammit the first time he and I agree with something) but says she is too focused on the WW thing, she answers that they should (thank god at least someone believes in Jon) he warns about Cersei and honestly is hillarious because she knows bih!!! And she tells him as much, honestly Sansa is getting more savage in her responses to Baeless what a time to be alive!!!! Littlecreeper then proceeds to talk like a fortune-cookie, I tried to make sense of it, but still confused he tells her not to fight battles anywhere but her mind ( k I think he means being analytical and politicaly savvy, not rushing into conflicts everywhere) also that her friends are enemies and enemies are friends (bottomline I think it’s trust no one cuz alliances shift a lot in time of war, or at least that’s what I think it means) and that she will she things she has seen before (ummm so like people are predictable and she only has to observe and she’ll realize she knows what kind of people they are and thus predict/guess what they’ll do because she has already dealt with that, or is he talking about parallels or what??? Idk why is he so cryptic now???) it mattered not cuz Sansa gets called to the gate, and…

Bran!!! He is back!! And Oh my god Sophie Turner’s performance is A+ her expressions are beautiful and really made me cry, Bran is very changed tho, and I see he is getting a lot of hate but why? He is clearly dealing with a lot of difficult stuff, he IS the Three Eyed Raven now, seeing past/present/future must be hard on his psyche and the threat of the WW is overwhealming so stop pls.

They are under the weirdwood tree, Sansa looks adorable sitting in the snow and hugging her knees to her chest, and she just about kills me when she says “I wish Jon was here’ now of course I know she says so because she wishes Jon could share the hapiness and relief of having their little brother back but still (my shipper heart) and immediatly says WF is his (honestly Imma say this now, fuck the people who called her a power hungry bitch, you don’t like her or find her boring? Fine we all are allowed to have characters we like and dislike, but the blantant misogynistic hate Sansa’s been getting since day one has been overwhelming, fans of her get called delusional and anti-feminists for supporting an embodiment of the patriarchy and other willful misinterpretations of her character and I’m glad D&D have shown she is not what the fandom’s been acussing her of) putting the final nail on the Starkbowl coffin. Bran reject his title as Lord because he is the TER, and Sansa, the girl whose only contact with magic/supernatural stuff has been through what Jon told her, immediatly belives what her little brother says and not only that she asks him to explain what does it means because she wants to understand him (and OMG what a concept actually listening to people!!!) now I understand why every actor on the Stark fam wanted Sansa on the IT or Winterfell, she is an amazing ruler.

Bran triggers her ptsd talking about what Ramsey did to her, and she very graciously excuses herself, while Bran stays back to get some work on the NK business. I think this was a way to make her stop asking questions and kind of showing what his powers are about? But I’m not sure.

——-

Again too long, so a part 3 is necessary for the final parts of the ep.

[singingwordwright]

So, about Robert...

In another post-2x16 post, someone had remarked about feeling there was something off about Robert.

I agree. There was just something shifty going on, and I don’t think it was just blackmailing Imogen.

In the books, it turns out that Valentine has a guy on the inside in Idris. I don’t remember if it was the Consul or Inquisitor Aldertree (since Imogen Herondale was dead by that point.) Valentine kills one of them and the other ends up siding with him.

I could totally be on crack here, but ... What if that ends up being what’s off about Robert? What if he’s the guy on the inside?

What’s my rationale? Well, there are a few things:

1) There’s the 2x20 synopsis:

Jace and Clary rush to make a final stand, but when a traitor is revealed, Jace and Clary may have a bigger fight on their hands than expected. Meanwhile, Alec and Izzy must fight off a large mass of demons that have unexpectedly shown up, as Luke and Simon head to the Seelie Court to deal with some unfinished business with the Seelie Queen.

I think we’re supposed to believe this is going to be Sebastian, but I honestly don’t see how they can drag out the “Jonathan is right under their noses” stuff until 2x20. I’ll honestly be surprised and probably a little annoyed if it goes on beyond 2x18, because at that point it will have just become an idiot plot.

2) There’s Valentine’s confidence that he’s going to be hailed as a hero [for destroying the Downworld by raising Raziel to grant him a wish].

The only way that can happen is if the Shadowhunters believe the Downworld to be an immediate and present danger when Valentine wipes them out. If the Downworlders go to war with the Shadowhunters, this would definitely be the case.

The news about the Soul Sword being in the wind is extremely likely to kick off that war. And who has knowledge about the Soul Sword? Robert Lightwood. Who just dropped it in the lap of his son, who is dating a warlock and shouldn’t necessarily have been relied upon to keep that information to himself.

3) The affair thing. Our attention is being drawn to Robert’s affair so often that it’s starting to feel like a bit of sleight of hand, diverting us with one hand so we don’t notice what the other is doing.

I could go even further and suggest that maybe the affair never happened (of course it did in the books, but this whole notion of Robert being a traitor is something that wasn’t in the books, so why should the affair story follow the books?) What if Robert let Maryse believe he was having an affair to cover up secret meetings to collude with Valentine or Valentine’s followers?

4) In support of point 3, I offer this: the deleted scene between Valentine and Maryse.

That parting shot, specifically. “Give my regards to Robert.” Helllloooo?

What if the reason Valentine knows Maryse is lying is because he knows Robert is colluding, and thus Maryse’s claim that cooperating with the Clave was all Robert’s doing is a lie?

5) Isaiah’s assurances at SDCC that the Marcian ship will sail. When asked if Robert would still be around,  laughed and said “I hope not.” People have speculated that this means Robert will die, and it probably does, since we already know Maryse doesn’t intend to divorce him. I guess the question is, under what circumstances will Robert die?

See, there’s sort of a thing in TV and movies about giving characters the deaths they deserve. Like, this is well-coded into the language of filmmaking. When you kill a character, you’re saying something.

If you kill an innocent character (*cough*you-know-who-i’m-talking-about*cough*) you’re making a statement about the bad guy. If you kill a character who isn’t innocent, though, you have to give that character a death commensurate with whatever it is they’re being “punished” for.

Having an affair, odious as it is, doesn’t really seem like it’s a bad enough sin to kill the character over, ykwim? So if they’re going to kill Robert, he needs to do something to merit that death, or it’s going to look like killing him was a disproportionate punishment for having the affair.

These are only the things I can come up with off the top of my head before my first cup of coffee. I’m sure there are more.

[winterfellchild]

When did you start shipping jonsa and why? And what would you like to see regarding their relationship in season 7?

When did I start shippingjonsa?

Iwrote a long reply when I first saw this message because I wanted tosay why I liked Jon and Sansa separately longbefore I started to like them as a couple but this is already tooolong so I’ll talk just about Jonsa.

Well, that’s a toughquestion because I’m not sure exactly when I started, it justhappened during season 6… I think the better answer is that withoutknowing that I was doing it Jonsa was already a thing in my mind.

BeforeI start just let me say that I already said why Jonsa is so specialfor me here so maybe I’m going to repeat myself a little but bearwith me I want to say something more :)

Let me start with saying that Iwas not shipping anyone before Jonsa, I had some couples I liked/like( Jamie/Brienne, Arya/Gendry, Robb/Talisa, Sam/Gilly) but shippingsomeone seemed too much so even if I’m a hopeless romantic thatmost of the times always find someone to ship in everything I see GoTwas the exception and it was alright for me.

Butsomething changed when I saw Jon and Sansa hug in 6x04, that is themost poignant and satisfying scene in all 6 seasons… for me nothingcan beat that hug:

Jon’sface show that he can’t believe what he is seeing, and that’s a lotfor someone who just died and came back to life;

Sansathrowing herself in Jon arms is heartbreaking because she just runaway from a monster who raped her for months.

Bothof them touched the bottom during season 5 and I was ready for moresh*t to happen because it’s GoT and there is always a new bottom totouch for my favourites, especiallyif they are Starks.

Iadmit it, I was ready for more angst but not for an happy moment.

Ithink I started to ship Jonsa in that moment, but I’m telling thetruth when I say I was not consciously doing it… I was justobsessed with the hug and by the time episode 6x05 was airing I hadwatched the hug scene so many times that I lost count ( and evenafter 6x05 I can’t say how many times I keep rewatching that scene).

Anywayafter the hug I liked the idea of them together but I didn’tconsciously add a romantic meaning to that idea… I was just sohappy to see Jon smile so much.

Ithink his smiles are worth more than a thousand words because seeingJon Snow smiling so much is out of character. I know he smiled beforebut when I thought of Jon Snow before Sansa got back in his life Ithought of him brooding alone on the Wall now I think of him smilingat Sansa… it’s a 100% improvement.

Anothermoment that got me deeper in this ship is when Sansa gave Jon thecloak, not because cloaks exchange is a clear reference to marriagein Westeros ( at that time I was not thinking so much about it) butbecause it has the Stark sigil and Jon was not allowed to wear hisHouse sigil before because he is a bastard so all he can wear is asigil with colors reversed. I know there are no colors on that sigilbut I don’t think Jon ever wore the direwolf sigil before so that wasanother meaningful moment.

Andof course “I like the wolf bit” is so cute and not platonic at all, but really when I seethe Stark sigil or I hear one of the Stark saying “I’m a Stark”that has such a powerful emotional impact on me that I go a littleout of my mind everytime and I don’t see much else.

Thestory told us many times that a name is not just a name in Westerosand that there is power in a name and I’m totally irrational for theStark name and consequently the Stark sigil.

Thatsaid in ep 6x10 when Sansa said “you’re to me” I was laughinglike a crazy person while almost crying becauseit was too much… after 6 seasons finally a Stark said it loud andclear. That’s what Jon wanted all his life, that’s so important forhim… she really couldn’t have given him something more important.

Ididn’t expect more from that scene but the forehead kiss was thecherry on top of an already worthwhile scene.

Andit’s not just because Jon kissed Sansa on the forehead ( who know,maybe a cheek would have been less visually striking) but it’s theway he did it, with his eyes closed he gave her a not so shortkiss… like he was savoring that kiss.

Withthat kiss I finally reached a boiling point, I was shipping Jon andSansa… the chemistry was too hot ( do I really need to talk aboutall the fighting and screaming that happened? Some of it bycandlelight? Or Jon’s heart eyes? Jon stared at Sansa fondly everytimethey were on screen like he was tring so hard to understand her and for me he felt fascination and wonder at her most of the times he looked at her) and the meaningful scenes are too many toignore, the season was done but I wanted more of Jon and Sansa.

Forthese reasons season 6 was a slow but constant path towards Jonsa forme.

Iwas never worried about the fact that they are cousins, I read toomany historical novels to ignore the fact that cousins marriage wasnormal in that setting and I know a think or two about Europeanhistory to know that cousins marriage is not just fictional material.

Thestory has a precise setting so I find it boring to read the samecomments over and over again from people who ignore that setting.

Forexample Pride and Prejudice ( I know that’s a love story and ASOIAFis not, there is no need to tell me that, but I’m talking about apossible romance here set in the an historical period so it’s a goodexample) was published in 1813 ( ASOIAF is based on centuries beforethat so there were even less moral restrictions on marriages) andcritics commonly regard Pride and Prejudice as an autobiographicalnovel so what it’s said in that book is a realistic example of  theenglish society in the past and guess what? There are two cousinsmarriages ideas in that book and one of them is between two cousinslike Jon and Sansa with the same degree of relationship.

Ican use thousand more examples but really if fans choose to ignorethat even the Wars of the Roses, G. R. R. Martin drew heavily fromthe War of the Roses ( the honorable Northagainst the cunning South),ended with a cousins marriage there is not much hope to stop the annoyingsame comments to be posted over and over again and in truth I don’tneed to convince anyone, to quote the Three-Eyed Raven :

“Thepast is already written. The ink is dry.”

thehistory is not something anyone can change, but if fans are happyignoring it who am I to say what they should do?

Ijust think it’s so ironic that some fans call Jon and Sansa grosswhen they don’t share much DNA and have many historical examplesbecause they ship a pairing that share almost the same amount of DNAthat real siblings share… the world is full of inconsistencies.

Anyway I’m going off topicandthis is already a long post and there is another question that I needto answer.

Whatwould I like to see regarding their relationship in season 7?

Adeclaration of never ending love, a marriage, children, by the end ofseason 8 Jon and Sansa old in Winterfell surrounded by their verylarge family… ok, I know that’s too much but a shipper can dream.

Talkingseriously I would like to see more heart eyes from Jon and him slowlybut constantly realizing that he is doing not so well in showing hisbrotherly love and his actions and stares are not platonic at all.

Iknow that he won’t be in Winterfell much so I hope that after chokingLittlefinger because of Sansa he will broodoverhis relationship with Sansa all the way to Dragonstone.

Afterhe will arrive to Dragonstone he can start to broodover why he spared Theon life because of Sansa.

Andof course before leaving Dragonstone I want him to brood over why hesaid to Tyrion that Sansa is not his wife ( I think it’s inevitableto talk about Sansa and Tyrion marriage, it’s the elephant in theroom, an obvious problem that maybe they will not want to talk aboutbut it’s important to talk about it for the North).

Yes,I’m petty since I want Jon to brood all the time but really he needsto brood a little since he will leave her after he promised toprotect her and since they won’t be together I just hope he will thinkabout her a lot.

Ifhe will want to smile again he can go back to Winterfell anytime…of course he can’t since there is a great war to fight so he willbrood over Sansa for season 7.

Asfor Sansa in Winterfell she will busy to protect his crown fromLittlefinger.

Iknow she will be resolute on this because she is not going to giveany trust to anyone that is not family anymore.

Ithink that Jon’s decision to leave Winterfell in her hands will havean huge impacton her because it’s a real proof that he trust her and that she ishis equal… before anything  romantic I think Sansa need to restoreher faith in men.

It’sreally a necessary step towards becoming ready to love someone forreal for the first time in her life.

Inmy opinion Sansa will just start to think about a possible romanticrelationship between them only after Bran will tell them about Jon’strue parentage, maybe near the end of the season, but not beforebecause she has not much experience in love and the only times shetrusted her heart her father died, that’s a big scar in her heart soeven if she will have some feelings about Jon she won’t acknowledgethem before she will be ready to love him freely.

Ithink if it will happen D&D will put another Ned/Cat 2.0 parallelon how Sansa will start her relationship with Jon:

“Lovedidn’t just happen to us. We built it slowly, stone by stone, overthe years.”

Isee Sansa more pragmatic even over matters of the heart and Jon moreimpulsive.

Andthat’s also the reason why I think we saw more heart eyes from Jon inseason 6 than from Sansa and that there will be not much progress inseason 7, if something will happen it will happen in season 8 whenJon will have a clearer mind after some time away from Sansa andSansa will have a more open mind for love after some necessaryhealing of her heart.

Ialso believe everything that happens in the show is essential and agood reason why D&D put Sansa in Winterfell cutting her Valestoryline can be because they needed time to build Jon and Sansarelationship… if it’s going to happen it won’t be an easy love story so they need solid ground before starting to write about it.

[ephemeralem0tions]

Stow Away PART 3 - Hanji: Home

Now I’ve posted a full chapter here on tumblr unlike the last one wherein I asked people to go to my AO3 account instead. But I would appreciate it if you check out the AO3 Version as well

Theme: Captain Levi and Stow Away

Rating: PG

Warning: Curse Words, Eye Water? Maybe, Graphic depictions of violence (does this count as nsfw?)

AO3 version overe here x

Send a request here >>> ASK

PART 1 || PART 2 || PART 4 || PART 5

"Levi!" she waved at the short man as he passed by the dock, jogging with his co-trainees. She picked up her pace and caught up with him who scowled at the sight of her. "I know you missed me" he 'tsked' at her statement while she laughed.

"Shitty glasses what are you doing here, aren't you supposed to leave at damn five in the morning? Took a quick crap or something?" his sense of humor never changed.

"Yeah, quite a long shit actually" he tripped and she chuckled even more. "I'm just here to say goodbye"

"You talk like you'll never return four eyes" he hissed.

"Of course I'd be back!" she assured him. "Just not leaving for five months without you knowing. Plus you'd be graduating in a few more weeks, I figured I should say good luck for your final assessment and congratulations for being a General" she smiled at him while he stopped on his tracks to look at her with a surprised face.

"What do you mean General you four eyes?" he whispered.

"I'm not supposed to tell you, but Erwin had plans to make you a General" she ran away from him.

"Oi shitty glasses come back here!" he growled while she just laughed, running back towards the galleon where they would sail in a few moments. She smiled, she could never get used to finally sailing the world in expeditions. This would be her third assignment, two years after graduating, yet her excitement never faltered.

"I'll be back I promise!" she hollered, staring back momentarily before resuming her sprint towards the ship.

"Miss Hanji!" Moblit screamed as soon as her feet padded the wooden platform to board. "We've been looking for you for about ten minutes now, we would have already left you" he scolded her, and on cue, the ship began to move, just as she hung on to one of the sail’s ropes.

"Well I can't leave without assuring him of my return, he'd already lost enough when we were attacked in the barracks almost two years ago" her eyebrows furrowed at the reminiscent of the unfaithful night.

"But I hope you won't run away so suddenly all the time" Moblit sighed. She placed her arm around his shoulders as he crouched down to her height.

"I'll be fine as always Moblit, don't baby me" she chuckled. "I made it out of training and did not get deployed for office work. I've went through so much hardship you can probably throw me in the ocean and I'd find my way back safely" she joked. "So lighten up and stop being such a huge ball of anxiety" she patted his shoulder with her free hand. "Now! We sail the seas!"

Her hand gracefully moved through the paper, defining lines and removing those that don't matter much. The sun warming up her face on contrast to the semi-cold wind that brushed through. She had just finished monitoring the water conditions, it was a perfect day to sail, and a perfect day to relax. She wondered if Levi also saw the beautiful calm sky at the moment, or if the weather was even perfect back in Britain. He sure deserved a better world, one where he could feel safe and never alone.

She set down her journal, finally satisfied with the portrait of Levi she drew. Moblit was a better artist than her, she made a mental note to have him fix the portrait for the later. It wasn't perfect, yet as long as she got the eyes right, she was okay with it. It was what mattered, his cold and unexpressive eyes that only she, had the privilege to see right through.

A loud thud startled her. She stood up from the side of the deck and followed the noise. A faint groan followed after, something was wrong. She fished out the knife Levi had given to her as a gift when she graduated. It was a replica of his own, nothing like the others. It was beautiful, with intricate patterns carved in silver along the handle. She treasured it, and brought it everywhere like he did with his. It was always latched down her thigh, prepared for any battle that came in her way.

"Titans!" a booming voice shouted from the top of the foremast before a black signal flare was fired. Soon after, hooks came shooting from below every direction of the deck.

Her blood ran cold, a sense of deja vu happening inside her mind. How she despised the titans for making hers and Levi’s life miserable. It had been three years since she fought war with them unexpected, and here she was again, feeling the flames of the enemy’s wrath.

She hid herself behind some barrels, not having any gun to fight with. A shot rang, the soldier who first spotted the terrorists plunging down to the hard wooden floors of the deck, bleeding and without life. Her heartbeat accelerated, she was seeing her colleagues lifeless and murdered once again.

"Watch out!" she heard from behind her, just as a bomb rolled a few inches from her. She quickly rolled away, covering her ears as the explosion happened. She hissed at the heat and checked herself as she stood up, no burns, but a scab had formed on one of her arms that hit the floor. She stood up, flipping her dagger to block an opponent's sword in front of her. She gave him no time to recover and kicked him right at the stomach, causing him to fall with a groan.

"Miss Hanji!" Moblit's worried voice echoed through the crowd.

"Moblit I'm right here!" she screamed, trying to head towards his direction, only to be blocked by another Titan who looked at her with a dirty smirk.

"Lassy, what do you say I spare you if you come with me for some fun aye?" she cringed upon his words.

"There's no way I'd side with an enemy, but I'd spare you a dance!" she shouted and spun to hit his foot, but he was quick to jump and punch her to the gut.

"I hate to break it to you lassy, but I'm a good dancer" he smirked.

“Wanna bet?!” she growled, remembering Levi’s lesson about footwork, she went from under his legs when he attempted to kick her and slashed his right ankle. He fell down, hissing as a red streaks began to trickle down the floor.

"Miss Hanji! Where are you! No! Don't lower it yet please!" she heard Moblit again, pleading.

"Moblit!" she screamed back, yet she was grabbed by her opponent on the floor. "In a real war, nothing is fair, even if the combat had been done, if your enemy is still alive, there’s a chance of you dying" she growled, muttering her own words. She lunged her dagger towards the hand that wrapped around her ankle. Decapitated fingers dropping to the deck and she made her escape, dodging from side to side.

Another bomb exploded from the bridge, The captain crawling out when his incomplete lower limbs failed him. Her breathing became ragged, hearing, becoming deafening silence, then a long beep. Fire covered her surroundings, hot and suffocating, the wooden fourth of the deck behind burning within the rage. Her mind drifted off to Levi, who would be waiting for her to come back, supposedly after five months. She could not give up, someone was waiting for her. She certainly would not die here and now, not when there is something beautiful waiting for her back home.

"No please we have to wait for the rest of the Intelligence Division! Miss Hanji Zoe and Miss Ilse Langnar are still in there!" Moblit pleaded once more, his voice snapping her out of her trance.

"Boy we aren't dying here! Lower the mast!" she saw him, as he wailed, trying to get out of the escape boat, his voice desperately searching for her, yet he was held down by all the frightened men who refused to make his request.

"Miss Hanji! She's right there!" his eyes met hers while he pointed, asking for his comrades to save her.

"There are other boats about to be let down boy get down!" just as she was about to run to be spared, five explosions simultaneously blew, targeting the other escape pods. Moblit's boat fell down to the ocean, mast breaking from sudden the tension.

"Moblit!" she peaked from the deck, while he waved furiously at her. "Moblit I'll find a way to get out of here! Go now!" a growl approached from behind her, she whipped her only weapon, almost out of time.

She held the sword she was blocking from the dull side of the blade and pushed as hard as she could, her back leaning towards the railing of the deck. A sudden sting from her left arm made her wince. Blood trickled down from her peripheral vision, but it only served as another motivator for her to fight, and go home. The man she was faced with smirked, she followed his gaze down to her beloved knife and growled.

"Ohh no you ain't getting this" she hissed, using her knee to hit him at the side and twist his arm forward. She bended, bringing the man to her back and hoisted him to fall towards the water. She dodged another one that punched and lifted a leg so her new attacker would also fall off the ship. She silently wished the ocean would devour them, all of the Titans, but she knew it was impossible.

A massive explosion came from the rudder and the galleon started to tip from behind. She ship was totally hopeless, it was going to sink. She immediately ran towards the bow sprit, if something was to sink last, it would be it. She watched as others rolled and fell, loosing balance and sliding through the floor, possibly meeting their death once the ship completely sinks as they get covered and drift off to the depths of the ocean. She dodged through them, keeping her target location in mind. Her journal slid at the deck, she caught it and held on to a stray rope which was thankfully connected to the wooden bow sprit. She used all her strength, pulling with her arms and ignoring the burning sensation on her palms.

Once she reached the the top of the sinking boat, she tiptoed carefully to the edge, placing both the journal and the dagger in her belt pockets. She didn't think twice, diving towards the water as soon as wood started to crack. She swam as far as she could before grabbing a stray piece of oak that floated beside her. She panted, laying her head to the side as she watched the galleon sink, deeper and deeper until it was out of sight. Her eyes began to searched for Moblit's boat, they already seemed like a small spec from the other side of her.

“Moblit!” she screamed, although her throat was restrained from the saltiness that came through her lips when she dove. “Moblit!” She hollered again, hoping for a response, but she got none. Tears started to fall from her face, as the small spec of hope she once saw, finally turned to nothing.

She coughed out the remainder of the water that entered her system, gasping to replace them with air instead. She threw the piece of wooden plank that kept her afloat for hours aside. Her legs wobbled like jelly, eventually giving up as she laid down on the sand, not minding the grains that stuck to her hair, fingers, and wet clothes. She was beyond tired, having to swim non-stop till she sighted land.

“Dios mío!” (My God) she whipped her head to the sound of the voice, a platinum short-haired woman running down barefoot to her aid. “Querida- dios mío! Qué le pasó!?” (Dear- my God! What happened!?) her eyes squinted, not knowing what the girl who now knelt beside her, was saying.

“Rico! Encontraste un sirena?” (Rico! Did you find a mermaid?) another man started to jog to their direction.

“Mitabi! No es el momento para bromas! Ayúdame aquí!” (Mitabi! This is not the time for jokes! Help me here!) the tall man groaned, lowering himself down before lifting her up. She flinched at the sudden touch, but her mind clouding up with fatigue, slowly making her drift off to unconsciousness.

“Querida! Cual es su nombre?” (Dear! What is you name?) the girl’s voice was starting to put her to sleep, the foreign language ringing unto her like a lullaby, beautiful and sweet. “Querida! Quédate por favor! Quédate con nosotros!” (Dear! Stay awake please! Stay with us!), the tempting slumber finally taking over her.

“Ella empieza a despertar!” (She’s starting to wake up!) she groaned, feeling the soreness of her whole body as the unfamiliar language rung against her ears once more.

“Bueno, no asustes a la pobre chica Mitabi” (Well, don’t startle the poor girl Mitabi) the woman shushed her companion as she finally took a clear look at them, this time, not in the verge of passing out. “Cómo estás?” (how are you?) she was sure the woman asked her a question, based on her tone, but she did not know what it was, nor what to answer.

She started to lift her back up from the bed, her hand flying to her head almost immediately as she felt sudden dizziness. She took notice of the way her scarred arm was now bandaged, her white button up now changed into a yellow one. As much as her legs felt numb and her body ached, she remembered her journal and dagger. Her eyes searched frantically for her items, upon not feeling down down her thigh.

“Ay ay ay querida! Necesitas descansar primero!” (Oh no dear! You need to rest first!) The girl placed hands around her shoulder attempting to make her calm down.

“My dagger!” she hollered. “Where did you take it!” the woman only looked at her confused, a language barrier suddenly making her frustration ride even more. “My knife! Where did you take it!?” she screamed, the woman flinching at her sudden volume.

“Rico! Un paso atrás” (Rico! Stand back!) the man protectively had his arms around his companion while she stood up, enduring the pain that she felt.

She scouted the small house, a space with nothing much to hold except the bed she laid on, a small kitchen and dining table enough for two, and one long couch to rest on. Her eyes finally set on her holster that was placed safely on the kitchen counter, along with her now dried up journal. She quickly limped towards her belongings and latched them around her tie, a sense of security taking over her.

She looked back at the duo who had only seemed to take care of her for what she could assume was a couple of days. She sighed, knowing she had done nothing for them in return, and even scared them with her impulsive behavior.

“Thank you” she softly whispered, taking one final apologetic look at her saviors before making it out of the small shack.

She put her hand out unto her eyes for shade as sunlight and tropical heat enveloped her as soon as she stepped out on the streets. The sound of waves hitting the shore were faintly heard as she looked around her. Her surroundings looked like a small town beside the sea, one that lived off fishing and trading basing off the small market that she was now padding on.

It was a busy place, merchants and buyers hollering over the foreign language se could never get accustomed of. She was searching of a clue on where she was, hoping that she could at least make a way for home once she knew the place. Vendor stalls had one thing in common, ‘Cádiz’ written on the wooden frames before what they sold. She thought well of her geography, and silently thanked her knowledge for knowing that she was in Spain.

A ship’s honk caught her attention, the loud blare echoing through the busy street. She followed the noise and spotted trading galleons in the distance, her feet padded forward, towards the wooden dock, then down to hide inside an empty barrel. She peeked outside the hole, cautious of any person who might detect her presence. She waited till she was lifted, men groaning and complaining about how one particular load was heavier than the others. She may be guilty as a stow away, but she’d get used to the consequences of getting lost over time.

Her laughter erupted from the roof top, as foreign curse words hollered from below. She bit an apple, sticking out a tongue at her pursuers who could do nothing else now that she was four or five meters off the ground, unreachable and definitely full of loot.

It had been almost a year since she had left the mother land, a year she’s been far off from home, and a year away from Levi. Even if she was used to being a shoplifter to get though, shifting towns everyday or two, cities in a week or less, and countries in a month or more, day by day, her thoughts would always go back to the home where she truly belonged. Heart yearning to go back, and hopes, never dying that she would soon board a boat that would be her free ticket home.

She slung her newly filled sack over her shoulders and threw the finished core back to the angry mob, chuckles masking the apologetic and sad look on her. She was used to being a criminal in order to survive, but it didn’t mean she liked it. It was just a final resort when running out of choices, a decision she made to sustain herself. Not that she’d be staying in one place too long to be caught by local police or military anyway.

She hopped off from the roof and landed on a secluded alley way, devoid of any human attention. She slung a merchant’s cloak she had stolen from the past city she had been to, over her shoulders, and pulled the hood down her head to cover her face. The next agenda was to make it out of the town, an hitch a ride on a farmer’s carriage to go to Brazil, where hopefully, she can board another ship and sail to another destination.

The crowd kept her blended, she made her way through the streets without getting caught and soon found a kid she bribed with a bag of candy.

“Cuál es tu nombre?” (What is your name?) she asked him with the smile, the boy seeming kind enough, responded to her.

“Connie Señora” (Connie madam) he smiled.

“Adónde te diriges?” (Where are you headed off to?)

“Uruguay” the boy answered. She took the small pouch out of her bag and looked in, counting if it would be enough to repay the teen. Nostalgia washed over her, remembering the time she gave Isabelle a bag of candy so she could pipe down. Now, she would double over, or even give all the candy in the world just to hear her voice again. She brushed away her thoughts and gave the kid the bag of sweets.

“Puedes dejarme abordar contigo? Por favor?” (Can you let me board with you? Please?) the boy took a peek, then drew one out to taste. Once his face lit up, he gave her a sweet nod, making her grin much wider.

“Por favor, espere un momento, señora. Usted puede montar en el carro con las mercancías mientras que llamo a mi amigo Sasha” (Please wait a moment madam. You can ride in the carriage with the goods while I call my friend Sasha). She followed the boys request and patiently sat at the rear, while the boy retrieved a brunette from a nearby cantina. They were soon off from Argentina, then Uruguay where she knows she can walk till the boundary and shores of Brazil.

She took out her journal carefully, looking at its worn out and nearly full pages. Aside from new discoveries and language notes, she kept a small diary in it to confide whenever she felt the need to. But most important of all, the small portrait of Levi she drew before the tragedy, served as a small reminder for her, that he’d be waiting no matter what.

She looked at the ship in front of her, the familiar name having a ring on her, although she had forgotten why.

“S.S. Wings of Freedom” she read, having to squint, due to her worsening eyesight. Five years, she didn’t change glasses, and five years, her hopes never changed. She just kept on hitch hiking, walking, traveling, living the life as a stow away, knowing one day, she may go home.

Her figure reduced immensely, ribs and bones, showing off, unlike the time when she trained, and muscle was prominent despite her thin stature. Her cheeks had caved in as well, becoming more hollow than before.

She admitted to getting tired of the life she lived, but she was never tired of searching for home, for a way back to him. Although sometimes, her mind would tell her that its logical to just give up, probably starve somewhere or go to jail and have no problems about finance and food for the next ten years, her heart would always have home etched unto it. She might have been declared dead from the last expedition she partook in and failed, but she had her instincts that told her to move forward. A feeling, that someone is also looking for her, and that someone, was in the name of Levi.

She poked out her tongue and scratched her head, trying to remember where she saw the Wings of Freedom before. She had thought of the chances that she already board the boat before, after all, the Philippines is a small country compared to those she roamed around in for the past few years, but it did not quite ring for that option. She thought of an insignia, or a clan that came up with it, but to no avail, she thought of nothing. Her instincts yet again, bothered her, telling her to board and be either, home, or at least close to home.

“Oluo!” A ginger woman screamed, making her hide behind a crate in an instant. She looked at the in coming pair, a set of British features and language making her eyes light up, but the sight of blood, making her wince despite the injury not being her own. “I really wonder how you manage to bite your tongue so much” she scolded her companion.

“Geez Petra you worry to much! Lets just load the crates and be gone with this filthy dock” the way he spoke, quite familiar to her, yet not quite, and weird.

She sneaked inside one of the crates labelled ‘watermelons’, keeping an eye out through one of the holes to observe her surroundings.

“Stop acting like the captain and just do some work will you” she leaned backwards as the pair made their way to her direction.

The man started to lift her crate, he made a smirk at the woman beside him while she rolled her eyes, an amused grin plastered across her lips as he tried to show off. He huffed and cracked his knuckled, preparing to lift. Hanji muffled out a laugh as he dropped the crate back to the dock with a thump, not even an inch up the air. The woman laughing as well with his mishap.

“Don’t laugh at me!” the man growled, but the girl never stopped laughing. “Oi Gin! Help me with this one! Shitty melons so fucking heavy!”

“I said stop copying the captain” the girl turned back to a serious tone as the crate was finally lifted off the ground.

“Aye aye Petra” she heard him groan.

PART 1 || PART 2 || PART 4 || PART 5