#it’s okay tho hunter you lost a brother and your daughter

[panic-in-the-multiverse]

Missed you Hunter

[tagthescullion]

📁 x (however many you have) for an AU where Bianca survives and is recruited into the Titan army (#dark!Bianca)

Okay I spent literal weeks on this bc I have a WIP of Bianca being alive and I have yet to decide whether I want her to be on the good side or the bad side.. you see, having more Big Three Kids on the bad side is such an interesting concept to me bc they're the ones with the strongest powers and the fight would've been much more equal.. anyway here we go:

(This became a bit long, I'll just add the cut)

(And in the end I decided this is how I'll be continuing my WIP after all)

Also this was for the: send me 📁 and I'll send you a headcanon!

Bianca doesn't die, she accidentally falls into the Labyrinth where she runs into Chris Rodríguez

They get out of the Labyrinth in Arizona where Clarisse finds them and recognises Chris and Bianca's name and accidentally tells Bianca "oh whoops, your brother ran away and nobody did shit about it :)" bc I love Clarisse but she's on the brutally honest side

Bianca is, understandably, very upset, you're a kid, you hand your brother to authorities who are there to help and send him to a safe haven and they just... let him go... bitches

Anyway, Bianca's bitter. Nico's gone, Zoë, her big fat crush, is dead and Artemis "did nothing to help" (bear in mind Bianca wasn't present there), and the only people to help her are a well-meaning but unequipped daughter of Ares and her petite and strong-willed mother (who loves Bianca bc she can stumble through French and play Bach on the piano)

So Bianca's picked up by the Hunters, lieutenanted by none other than not-a-fan-of-the-gods Thalia Grace

Thalia doesn't mean to put Bianca against the gods, hell she herself had an almost fall-to-the-Dark-Side moment, but she doesn't like the gods all that much, with perhaps a few exceptions

The only difference was that Annabeth was there to make Thalia see sense, whereas after months of looking Bianca doesn't have a fucking clue where Nico is

Thalia takes the Hunters to NYC, first they visit darling Percy who Bianca used to see like such a heroic figure but now? Damn now in her eyes this older boy has let her little, helpless brother alone in a foreign country plagued by pagan gods who seem to give no fucks about their children

Percy's explanation doesn't satisfy her at all, and then he goes and says "btw I think we know who your godly father is" and Bianca's like "??? I killed skeletons when none of you could, I know bc the Force told me so that my beloved Zoë is in Elysium, shadows stick to me like sand on the beach??? And I remember my mamma calling dad Ade??? who's my papà then?"

Sarcasm aside tho, Bianca is upset bc she had vague memories of a caring father but this god isn't the same, he didn't help Nico? he didn't find her? he almost let her die? what a father, eh?

Thalia realises Bianca's about to escalate into a full blown fist fight with Percy and she's like my money's on the girl "let's go to CHB, see if they know anything, why don't we?"

Mr D is mildly concerned under a façade of disinterest and Chiron's full of "we're so sorrys" that remind Bianca of when her neighbours got letter from the government saying "KIA we're so sorry he died bravely" which ofc pisses her tf off

She wonders out loud how can gods be so careless specially when they're losing campers to Kronos' side all the time

And guess who's there to hear her? Ah, yes, our darling spy. Silena wastes no time sending word to Luke that there's this Hunter who's two seconds away from storming up to Olympus to murder them all

Luke's still recovering from the fight in Mt Othrys, but he still knows Thalia's not happy with the gods, he knows she'll unknowingly help poison Bianca bc he knows about CJ now, and knows that a certain Jason Grace is there bc he was taken by Juno when he was a toddler, and that it's a big part of why Thalia was so hateful towards the gods

Luke knows Thalia well, and Thalia sees the parallels between her lost little brother and Bianca's little brother... at the time, Thalia has no clue Jason's alive nor does she know whether Nico's alive

"He is" Bianca insists, but "what does she know?" Thalia thinks but out loud she only says "the gods don't care about us, they're just slightly better than Kronos"

Not particularly convincing ofc, and Luke tells Silena to take advantage of a potential recruit in the Hunters, who they haven't been able to get hold of so far

And how tf does a daughter of Aphrodite contact the Hunters without calling attention on it? through no other than Clarisse

Because Bianca has a soft spot for Clarisse, after all, Bianca's a kid, she's hurt and confused, and Clarisse offered her shelter when she was at her lowest, so ofc Bianca keeps in contact with her

Clarisse and Silena are best mates ;) and eventually Silena discovers such a pretty music box that plays that same song Bianca played for the La Rues

Clarisse is a bit surprised Silena remembered that particular detail but eh, Virgos are like that, so she tells Silena she can hand it over to Bianca whenever they saw each other again

Clarisse ofc thinks it's such a Silena move to gift pretty thing to little girls who feel sad, she's a good Samaritan and what not, isn't she? such a lovely friend

Bianca likes going over to the La Rues every so often, Clarisse shares every bit of information she has, and Bianca grew fond of the mother-daughter pair, and then Clarisse gives her that music box... it's so pretty

Pretty and useful, she finds out

The music box has a little ballet dancer, if you press it, it sounds like... what was it that Nico and his little friend in Westover liked to play with? walkie-talkies!

And she messes around for a while saying dumb random things and getting no reply until one day she hears Silena's voice come back to her

At first it's chit chat, "did you like the music box?" "isn't it cool that it does that?" "it's okay to be upset about your brother" "how come Artemis hasn't helped yet?" and that's the thing about pre-teens, they're so easy to convince

Besides, Kronos is no fool, the moment Silena gets a hit with the "gods are so insensitive" he throws dreams Bianca's way... the true destruction of the war she can't remember properly, runaway demigods unsheltered and alone, and finally: Nico.

He is alive, she knew it! But he's by himself, he looks so thin and dirty and... devastated. He looks devastated.

It's all the gods' fault. Their civilisation's rotten!

Kronos tells her it's easy to get him back... but not with the gods' help. what has your father done for the both of you? what has your Artemis done to get him back? niente, Bianca, niente

Bianca's not an idiot, she knows this creepy, powerful voice is up to something, and her grandfather has always told her no big favour comes for free. "what do you want from me?"

"Information." "That's all?" "That's all."

Bianca wants proof, no deal is made without insurance. Kronos shows her Nico again, he shows her Minos, the danger Nico's in, and bc Kronos is a stronzo and we know it, he lets her think it's her fault. you abandoned him, you owe him this.

Bianca falls for it. Kronos is right, isn't he? she left him with camp, camp didn't do shit. she should've known that!

"How do I help him?" "Keep us informed about the Hunters' whereabouts and plans" "How?" "The music box"

And so Bianca's now a spy

Voilà

This was so long, I'm soooo writing this now

[transmascdeanwinchester]

You got any trans man dean headcanons? 👀

I don’t know when u sent this so sorry if I’m answering late!!!

Also I just have the basic bitch set of trans dean headcanons tbh but they make me go feral so I will repeat them!!

- lazurus rising when cas brought dean back he put him in the body he’s always deserved (the mirror scene lives in my head rent free baby!)

- teenage dean stealing testosterone from hospitals and pharmacies when he had the chance bc they moved around too much for him to have a stable prescription pickup plan

- John being pissed for awhile that dean’s not his “perfect little girl” like he thought but getting over it bc dean is so determined to emulate him to prove his masculinity that it just makes him a better more fierce hunter and protector so John gets over it in like a year (Dean’s always been Like That anyway,,, in the grand scheme of things it’s less Distracting to have this small ongoing conflict that John just calls him Dean and does the passive aggressive “you wanna be a man? Act like it.” bullshit you know how it goes)

- Dean knowing he’s not a girl from a young age (like probably about 6) and teaches Sam to call him Dean and that he’s his brother from the time sammy can talk (Sam doesn’t learn Dean’s name is legally Deanna until he’s starting middle school)

- Dean binding in his teens by wearing those tank tops that are like skin tight but also stretchy material? With the built in bra part? he wears two of those under all the Normal Winchester layers and it gives him the flat chest (what isn’t flattened completely gets lost under his dad’s leather jacket he wears to school every day)

- it goes without saying but Dean, age 7, cut his hair for the first time in a shitty hotel bathroom mirror by trying to copy a dude in a shaving ad in a magazine (John didn’t even notice for three days)

- Dean gets top surgery after sam goes to Stanford when he’s supposed to be on a solo hunt (he tells John he’s hunting something but really he’s recovering at Bobby’s)

- Bobby, we are not surprised, is a good father figure and shut that shit down when dean explains that he’s just gonna hole up in a motel once he gets his surgery (“Boy, do you know how fucking dirty motel linens are? I am NOT letting you die from an infection and most certainly not leaving you Alone for months defenseless”)

- Dean using makeup to make his jawline a little sharper and more square even tho the iffy food situation growing up made sure he barely has any roundness to his face to begin with

- on the flip side dean playing up his fem features to use as a distraction when he hustles pool

- dean training his voice by trying to copy the sound of his favorite singers voices (and John since he hears his voice most consistently)

- dean knocking the shit out of transphobes (the comments don’t even have to be directed at him, he hears them and it’s ON SIGHT no question)

- dean acting like a womanizer bc that’s what Men Do and it’s all just literally part of his carefully constructed hyper masculine image bc it’s so so difficult to pick up anyone when what’s under theclothes don’t match what can be seen on the surface (Cassie is the first person he sleeps with and he’s so terrified but she doesn’t care holy shit she doesn’t care?)

- Dean chooses to keep his name close to his birth name bc that’s the name his mother gave him and he doesn’t want to disrespect her by completely changing it

- On the topic of dean’s hyper masculine image he constructs it from a mix of John and from the action movies he studies religiously when he has the chance (this is what boys like this is what every man dreams of being I have to like this too-) even tho he has enough action and violence in his actual life thanks,

- Dean not being big on faith because he can’t imagine some higher power choosing to make him be born in the wrong body and make him work so hard to fix it himself like life wasn’t hard Enough

- Dean being so immensely pleased when word gets around the monster worlds about the Winchester Brothers,,, the validity of your reputation being cemented in the way you’ve carefully crafted it to be

- Dean rationalizing that it’s okay for him to spend time and energy on making sure he’s presenting masc and getting the body language and mannerisms down because it helps him be better at his jobs as protector of his family and as a hunter (men are thought of as stronger/scarier, men are taken more seriously when interviewing locals/victim’s families, more authority is afforded to men)

- dean almost shooting a man in a bar bathroom when he’s fourteen and just needed to deal with shark week stuff real quickly but this drunk decided a “teenage girlie only has one use in a men’s bathroom” but dean just knocks him out and sprints back to the motel (dean doesn’t use public bathrooms after that if he can help it)

- dean not knowing the word transgender until he finds it in a library book while he’s supposed to be researching but really he’d heard the slur and needed to be clear on why it made him feel so icky so he was looking it up in the dictionary and he’s like Oh that’s Me

- Bobby doesn’t actually meet Sam and Dean until after Dean’s cut his hair for the first time and Sammy can only say half words (most Dee, which is good enough for Dean) so one of Dean’s first impressions of Bobby is him asking John “didn’t you have a daughter?” and John just giving a tired sigh because he’s too busy with the hunt he’s here for to try and get into it but Dean butts in with “No, he’s always had two boys, I’m Dean and this is Sammy” and Bobby doesn’t comment on this little high pitched voice or question it much because he’s babysitting this kid for the next two weeks and he doesn’t want it to be a hostile two weeks (and it never becomes a problem because by the end of week one Bobby never even entertains the idea that Dean isn’t a little boy)

- After Dean gets back from Hell literally the only thing that trips Sam and Bobby up (aside from that he just resurrected lmao) is that his shoulders are more squared and he’s just built more like he should be (see previous point about cas rebuilding him as he should’ve been!)

- Dean never having much money but he still donates to queer charities when he can (makes a point of it in June especially)

- Dean hangs a trans flag in his room at the bunker (and one in the dean cave too)

- The insane validation Dean feels at being called The Rifhteous Man (also the fact that Heaven Knew he was a man all along but didn’t lift a finger to make that any easier to show the rest of the world adds to dean’s general hatred towards them tho)

That’s all I can think of right now but just!! Trans Dean!!!!

Thank u for asking friend!!!

(@bowie-boy I am tagging u bc idk if u will see this post so hope that’s okay!!!)

[spnstalker]

I am not ready to say goodbye to Sam Winchester

I am not ready to say goodbye to Dean Winchester

I am not ready to say goodbye to Castiel

Not ready to say it to Jack

To Bobby

To Rowena

To Amara

To Elieen...

I can’t believe that one show just one show that I’ve tried to avoid because of supernatural stuff...have changed my life.

I know that I am not the only one that thinks that but...

I’ve been focusing to make my life better to solve all of my problems to be better daughter better sister better friend better person better me. I’m still trying it...but I have focused too much and make myself uncomfortable in my own skin. Yeah I’m opening up because I have started to watch this show and it changed my perspective of life.

Supernatural started with a two brothers losing their mom as a kids and turned into two grownup men fighting not only demons outside but inside themselves.

They lost everything (friends,family,lovers) but they kept fighting. Not only them but a big part of characters did the same thing .

They had and lost their faith in god,themselves,their friends,almost everything

They have wanted to give up since the first season but they didn’t they kept fighting through bad times,the worst times

Of course they weren’t OKAY they tried to move on but something worse would always come to them every time...

They definitely had suicidal thoughts first few times(maybe more) and they have been depressed for a while but just imagine if they even tried to kill themselves Chuck or someone else would always bring them back with same feeling of guilt,with a blood on their hands,with same thoughts,people they can’t bring back...so of course they had nothing else to do but to keep fighting.

And Supernatural started with two brothers but it’s not all about them all about saving people,hunting things,heartbreaking scenes of losing someone you love...NO not giving up of yourself and your friends,trying to make things right even if it’s not something you like , something you don’t want to happen.

Sam and Dean are not the only characters with a story of losing people they love and they’re not the only ones that kept fighting after that. Bobby had to kill his wife and became a hunter and an alcoholic . He had no kids,he gave all of his life to his boys,Sam and Dean. Jody was happy until she lost her family she felt lost so she tried to find someone to be with and she made her own new family with girls that were in same situations as her. Alex finished her school and found a normal job she always wanted . Claire was innocent child when Cas took her dad, she was in the same situation as Winchester brothers.Her mother left her for finding something she won’t find . Claire became a criminal then found her love in hunting and then found happy ending with Kaia . Rowena and Crowley weren’t bad they have their own stories everyone those and I love it so much. Jack grew up too fast (I’m gonna cry) he BECAME GOD

And now Castiel’s story...

Well I think everyone knows what his story is. For us his story has no happy ending but for him it’s what he wanted he wanted to feel free to be finally happy and in peace . He made us all cry (hope it’s not his last scene tho) ! He won this war...

I am so happy about “it is how it is” but I don’t want end the show with just two brothers helping people , I want whole family , families because of the main thing (well for me) in the show is that THEY DONT LEAVE FAMILY BEHIND and THE FAMILY DONT END UP IN BLOOD

In real life people fighting with same feelings , thoughts like these characters . Guys you are amazing , you make mistakes everyone does but don’t give up try to glow up yourself make your own life better LETS KEEP FIGHTING FOR OURSELVES:) because if we don’t we can’t help people we love

So yes I don’t want to say goodbye to supernatural but everything has the end

Writers,spn cast make the perfect end this supernatural family needs🙏🏻🙏🏼🙏🏽🙏🏾🙏🏿

[ambidextrousarcher]

Sarcastic StarBharat Reviews: Episode 16- In which we visit Kuntibhoj.

The episode begins with a shot of the map, it focuses on Hastina. Then we cut to a scene of Vidhur saying that Jarasandh has married his daughter off to Kans and surrounded Hastina. (Is that actually a canon fact? I doubt it, but I shall withhold judgement.) He continues that Panchal alone is the Kingdom between Magadh and Hastina. Honey Boy says that the Southern Kingdoms are their friends. Paragon of Perfection intercedes. He says that Vidharbh is friendly, but to Magadh and not them. Satyavati says that if Honey Boy leaves on a Vijay Yatra (IDK what that is, but I guess it’s Digvijay?) then he’ll have enmity with many Kings. (Huh? Isn’t Digvijay where he subdues Kings? At least that’s what I think it is in canon.) But if he doesn’t, the Jarasandh will think he is powerless and attack them. Mr Angry Drama Queen and Annoying Poseur enter. Drama Queen does his usual angry perfunctory pranipaat, then states that it seems a matter of great importance is being discussed because the King and his whole council are present. Honey Boy does a pranipaat to his elder brother. He continues that there is a grave problem and asks for Drama Queen’s help. Drama Queen, as usual, reacts angrily. He asks if he should be of service to the King and if that’s the case, why their grandmother had to call him when he’d have obeyed the King’s orders anyway. He sarcastically stresses the ‘Maharaj’ part of the sentence. Honey Boy says that he can only request things of his elder brother, not order him around. Drama Queen states that if a King requests, it is equivalent to an order. He continues, asking if he is destined for death or imprisonment. Everyone looks shocked. Satyavati exclaims “Putr! What are you saying? Why would you be punished?” “For the crime of being an elder brother, Rajmata. Being a King’s elder brother, is that less than any offence?” “Elder brother, listen to me. I and Vidur think that you should be Hastina’s prime advisor. Pitamah and the Rajmata are also okay with it. It will be a position above the Mahamantri.” “But such a post doesn’t exist! Will you create one for me? What is the purpose of that? What use is this blind man to anyone?” I honestly don’t want to shame disability, but most disabled people try despite their problems. This guy is hardly the only blind person in the world, why does he drag his blindness into everything? “The darkness of his eyes casts a shadow on his brain too, isn’t that so, Mahamantri?” “Elder brother…” I give full points for being tenacious in the face of extreme ott drama to Honey Boy, if not much else. “Leave it be, Pandu! Leave it be. When I was a child, I used to cry as I wanted to see the moon. Mata Ambika used to give me a sphere of gur (jaggery) and convince me it is better than the moon. I am no child, hence there is no need to give me false platitudes.” He walks out. Phew. I hope that’s drama quota done for the day. Obviously, I am not so lucky, for Drama Queen turns. “I have a question. A coronation is a yagna, something that cannot be done without a wife,” (You mean Shantanu was married to Ganga at that time? No, I don’t think that’s possible so, hi! Canon fail #25) Vidur tries to intercede but is shot down. Drama Queen talks about tradition, his Dharma. Wait, this guy actually has a Dharma? He talks about eligibility, makes a jibe at Vidur and turns to leave. “I will prove my eligibility, elder brother,” Ah, Honey Boy, honestly I don’t know how you haven’t lost your temper yet. “You can test my eligibility if you wish,” “Time alone can test us, Pandu. I am not time, merely a time-worn man. Wed before the yagna of rajya-sthapna, Pandu, to a maiden who’s sons will protect Hastina, such as my sons with the Princess Gandhari.” Ugh. Those kids just lead to ruin, dude. Pandu’s sons, at least the younger four, do way better. “Isn’t a good wife an eligibility for the King?” he hisses, stalking out. Mr. Annoying Poseur does a pranipaat. Honey Boy glares at him. Scene changes to the precap scene. Satyavati worries Mr. Annoying Poseur might make Drama Queen revolt. Mr. Paragon of Perfection spouts philosophy. They come to the conclusion that Honey Boy needs to marry ASAP. Seriously? Okay. Cue precap scene. Once Satyavati is done angsting about the lack of suitable ladies, the scene cuts to hunters with bows in hand galloping through greenery. They’re following a deer that’s trying to protect its kid. They shoot. A lady shoots an arrow that shatters all of theirs. Ah, I can see the archery genes, lady. It’s obviously Kunti. The BG music of Suryadev Sogaye… plays. I actually like that song, tho I hate the git it’s meant for. “Princess, why have you broken our arrows?” asks a hunter. “Have we committed a mistake?” “Not a mistake, an offence,” says Kunti. “The deer has a baby, have not seen? Taking a mother away from her baby is the biggest sin you a do. A baby without its mother will have nothing but fear.” You know, I was actually liking the beginning of this scene. I don’t like it anymore. Nope. It’s obviously heavy foreshadowing for Kunti being Karn’s mother rather than Arjun’s. Ugh. I don’t want this! It’s blatantly whitewashing that git and he hasn’t even entered yet. It’s clear that he’s gonna be glitterwashed even more than the paragon of perfection. Anyway. A lady enters on a horse. “The King has called you to the palace.” “For what?” asks Kunti. “The date for your Swayamvar has been decided.” Oh. “Swayamvar?” There’s a shot of Kunti galloping back and then the camera focuses on something that looks suspiciously like the set of the Kashi Swayamvar. Preparations are clearly going on. Kunti enters and does a pranipaat to her father. “Ah, daughter, you are here,” says Kuntibhoj. “Have you announced my swayamvar father?” “I do it with much pride, it will be done with the pomp and splendor of a festival,” “But…” “No. An auspicious event should not be started with words of uncertainty,” Gosh, is there one character in this cast that is not an ott philophist? Seriously?? “You only told me that an auspicious event should not be attended with fear in our hearts.” “Are you afraid of the Swayamvar? You have pleased Rishi Durvasa himself, what do you need to fear?” She turns away. “Something…something is there, father,” she says. “What is it? Only an offence can cause such worry and I have complete belief that my daughter is innocent of any offence that can injure my reputation.” Kunti looks at him. “What is the reason for your worry?” “Father, I..” she starts. Kunti’s friend has terror in her eyes. “If I leave, who will take care of you?” Her friend heaves a sigh of relief. “Brother is only a child.” Says Kunti. “My child,” Kuntibhoj hugs her, kissing her on the forehead. “You have taken too much care of me. Worry about your husband now. Dream of happiness and joy. I believe that the best man will be your husband. Hence, I have sent invitations to the best Kings of Aryavrata.” Scene switches to Hastina. Vidur is opening a letter, speaking of Kuntibhoj’s intention to hold a swayamvar for his daughter, Kunti. Satyavati is against attending. “She is not his daughter, she is the biological daughter of Shurasen, a Yadav. How can a girl who’s not a Princess become a Rajmata?” Excuse you? Have you looked at yourself, lady? When were you a Princess? Hypocrisy, seriously. Bhishm says that she has the twin qualities of Kuntibhoj and the Yadavas. Vidur says that they will be allied to two countries at once. Satyavati snaps that she’s not on the lookout for allies, she’s on the lookout for an eligible Princess. Oh, BTW, I’m pretty sure that no one was opposed to Kunti’s ‘eligibility’ like this, so here comes canon fail #26. Bhishm speaks about Kunti pleasing Durvasa, saying that she would have Dharma’s blessings on her. Scene switches to Kunti on a riverbank. “What were you going to tell the King, Princess?” asks Kunti’s friend. “That the daughter he thinks of as pure and divine has a secret in her heart.” “A secret that can shame you in front of the entirety of Aryavrata. What use is it confessing that? It was a mistake made in innocence. Remembering that is useless. Forget it.” “How can I forget?” asks Kunti, to the tune of the very beautiful BGM mentioned before. “I can still see that vision…” Scene flashes back to Kunti falling down with a basket of flowers in front of Durvasa, standing up, taking the basket again and walking over to him. She looks way older than 13-14, so here’s Canon fail#27, as Kunti was no older than that when Karn was born. “I am pleased with your service, Princess Kunti. Before releasing you of the same, I, Rishi Durvasa, hereby give you a mantr that will give you the power to have a son from any God you wish.” Oh, no. They’re gonna bring Karn into the picture! Ugh. Kunti bows as she is gifted the boon. Scene flashes to her calling the Sun God. Surya makes an entry, telling her that her son by him will have the same brightness. (Oh, really? I honestly can’t see any brightness in the canon Karn, but hey this is glitterwash Karn, so obviously it’s the brightness of glitterwash, no?” “Son?” asks Kunti. Episode ends. Precap: “Who will be the person that doesn’t think my mistake to be identity? Who will accept me?” asks Kunti. Scene flashes to Kings entering. Pandu stops a swordfight between two Kings. “Someone would be there, right?” asks Kunti. Camera focuses on Honey Boy.  

Getting through this episode honestly took me days, hope things speed up now...

Tagging my usual mutuals: @ratnas-musings @butchcaroldanvers @mayavanavihariniharini @hermioneaubreymiachase @mayavanavihariniharini @iamnotthat @allegoriesinmediasres @chaanv @medhasree @whydoyoucareaboutmyusername

[wetalkinboutbooks]

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

Summary: People lived because she killed.

People died because he lived.

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. 

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the king on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds—and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine. (Taken from Goodreads)

Our Ratings: 

 → Geena: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 → Kae: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall: We Hunt the Flame is a rich Arabia inspired fantasy with characters that you easily fall for (like the two of us with Altair lmao). Personally, we wouldn’t classify the romance as an insta-love, it’s more of an insta-annoyance and gradual build up to feelings. The story keeps you on your toes and Hafsah does an amazing job at tying in different plot points together. Also, it’s got that amazing unlikely group of friends trope :’) SO if you haven’t already, check out this book we highly recommend it! 

Spoiler-Full Discussion Below...

The Good: 

→ The Premise and Characters

Kae: So we start off with Zafira hunting in the Arz, a forest that is full of darkness. Once you go into the Arz, there is no coming out. But our girl Zafira is a baddie and she can travel the Arz without much trouble. She can always find her way out. She hunts in the Arz for her village because it is an icy, barren land and it is their main source of food. The thing is, Zafira is a woman so no one can ever find out she is the famed Hunter of the Arz, or she’ll probs get like, banished. But her two best friends, Yasmine and Deen, know her secret and keep it safe. Along with her sister and bedridden mother. Zafira has acquired this wonderful hunting skill from her father, who taught her everything she knew so she could fend for herself and well… Those skills came in hand because he got lost in the Arz one day, kind of went crazy, stumbled out, then tried to kill his family. So Zafira’s mother did what she had to do and killed him to save her daughters. She (Zafira’s mother) has been plagued by nightmares since. 

Geena: Kae outlined the premise of Zafira’s story really well! On the other hand we have Nasir, the crown prince of Arawiya and one of the most feared assassins across the caliphates. He’s also hated by literally everyone in his life… especially his dad. Nasir was raised (See: forced) into becoming the Sultan’s weapon, killing anyone that dared to oppose him. We find out that Nasir’s mom, the Sultana, died ~mysteriously~ when he was young and after that his dad went batshit crazy essentially. Nasir does everything as a means to get his dad’s love and approval (even though he likes to pretend that he’s just doing shit just because ‘i have no life so might as well kill’). Nasir ends up falling for some servant girl, who’s tongue the Sultan serves to him in a golden box. After that he is very angsty like, “I can’t love anyone :( ” Or so he thinks. 

Kae: Then we have our secondary characters. Like, the ‘friends we made a long the way’ characters who all def were trying to kill one another but it’s cool now ‘cause they love each other :) 

Geena: The magical artifact was the magic of friendship :’)

Kae: LMAO YES. So we have Kifah, she is from Pelusia and she is a badass legendary warrior who is fast as lightniiiing, WILL ABSOLUTELY kick your ass with a staff (she won’t hesitate, BITCH) and she’s also really pretty and tall and she brings her own snacks and seasoning. I can relate because I too, bring seasoning and snacks when I know they will be needed. Kifah is funny, sarcastic, and one of the few people that has a witty retort to Altair and his tomfoolery. She also has a thing for Altair. 

Altair, we love him! He’s a big buff boi with pretty eyes and a dazzling smile. He also makes a lot of dick jokes and is an absolute CHILD. But we love him for it and so does Kifah. They have the hots for each other.  My boi doesn’t have good aim and he killed his homie on accident but we’ll get to that later. He is the #1 general in Ghameq’s (Nasir’s father) army and is ordered to tag along with Nasir on this unintentional road to friendship. He is the sunshine in Nasir’s life and Nasir HATES IT BECAUSE HE’S AN EMO BOI. 

Geena: ALTAIR IS THE SUN TO NASIR’S MOON HONESTLY. ALSOO, we got our two best boys that unfortunately didn’t make it to the end :/ Deen, aka the boy that loved Zafira enough to go on an impossible quest with her and then die for her too. He’s Yasmine’s older brother and an absolute sweetheart who wears his emotions on his sleeve when around Zafira. In a way, he was Zafira’s first boyfriend who she didn’t love romantically. Deen proposes to her and she’s like *radio silence*. I DIED AT THAT KAE…. SHE WAS LIKE “NO COMMENT” 

Kae: RADIO SILENCE LMAOO SHE WAS. She pulled a, “okay but like the arz tho…”

Geena: But yea! Deen literally dies in the first few chapters because of Altair’s shit aim…. No one ever hand him another bow and arrow again plz. So like I’m thinking Hafsah made him super sweet the first few chapters just so we would be devastated when he died like 5 chapters later or something.

We also have our wise old Safin (essentially an immortal Elf but like cooler) Benyamin, who is centuries old and a book nerd (relatable). He and Kifah join Nasir, Altair, and Zafira later on in their quest, and he seems to know a lot more than he lets one. We learn that Benyamin is the living embodiment of that one meme “Baby jordans, never worn - for sale” bc of his baby that didn’t make it :/. He wants the whole crew to be like a little family so bad that he enforces the word “zumra” aka gang on them and overall he was sly but sweet nonetheless and he too…. Kicked the can… all for the zumra :’(  

→ The Ride or Die Relationships

Geena: One thing that Hafsah Faizal writes really well is the friendships between Zafira and the small crew that knows that she’s actually the Hunter that’s been keeping them fed for years. Zafira’s absolute best friend, Yasmine, supports Zafira in all her decisions EXCEPT for the decisions where Zafira parades as a man. Deen I suppose is the same as Yasmine, except he’s less snarky. It’s canon that Zafira would lay down her life for Yasmine, and not to sound like a weirdo but Zafira was wildly jealous when Yasmine got married to Misk... like “ugh now I have to share my bestie with a man??” only explanation is that Zafira is bi confirmed. Also, where we had Zafira ready to die for Yasmine, we also have Deen ready to die for Zafira (and he does...😭). IDK how Deen was hot, smart, sweet, and everything in between and he still died. Hafsah gave us the perfect man and was like “yeea FUCK that, the only love interest will be leech-scars sad boy.” ANYWAYS, The Zafira-Yasmine-Deen triangle is a whole “I would die for you” thing, whereas Yasmine is more of a “I would kill for you” and I think that’s beautiful :’) 

Kae: Alrighty, so we also have the relationship between Altair and Nasir. They aren’t as close as Zafira, Deen, and Yasmine. At all. But they kind of have this “if it were not for the laws of this land, I would kill you” thing between them and it’s hilarious. Nasir is constantly like, “I can and will kill you, you bastard brute of a man” and Altair is like “do it bitch, I dare you” and Nasir tears up and stomps away like a brat. But as this journey continues, Nasir gets a newfound respect for Altair because he soon learns Altair isn’t a dumb brute at all and is actually pretty bright. Did we mention they’re brothers? Yeah, that’s a thing. But Nasir doesn’t learn this until the end of the story. Did Altair know the whole time? Yes. Did he swear to their mother to protect him? That as heavily implied so also yes. SO now Nasir is like, “oh noooo, I wanted to kill my brother and was also ORDERED BY MY BITCHASS DADDY TO KILL HIM” then boom goes the dynamite and Nasir finds that he can be a good boi. ANYWAYS WE LOVE ALTAIR IN THIS HOUSE. 

Geena: OKAY SINCE KAE MENTIONED IT, AND THE WHOLE ALTAIR-NASIR THING. See since I have poor reading comprehension, I didn’t realize that Altair had promised to protect Nasir. SO THIS BRINGS ABOUT THE QUESTION of the servant girl, Kulsum, that Nasir realizes is working for Altair. The same girl that appeared around the time Nasir’s mom “died”, so does that mean Altair had sent her to help console his brother 👀 Does Altair feel partly responsible for the Sultan tearing out Kulsum’s tongue?? If so… both Altair and Nasir need mad therapy 

The Bad:   

→ The Sea Monster

Kae: So, this isn’t inherently bad and we honestly have nothing bad to say about the book, let’s get that straight. But we wanted to mention it because it was eh. So we have a sea monster scene when Altair and Nasir are on their way to the island. It’s from an old folktale they’d heard growing up, that sea monsters lurked in the sea. They end up running into a sea monster and it is blind and attacking their ship. It is following them by sound so they eventually realize they need to shut the hell up. But then there is our wonderful golden buff boy, Altair. He starts singing, taunting the sea monster and Nasir is like “BOY IF U DONT-” but then his singing kills it. Apparently, the monster hates music and song? So there’s that. It as a very quick scene and I kind of wish I was longer and more dangerous. I wanted some bloodshed! Maybe a sunken ship! But it was still okay. 

Geena: Kae said everything that had to be said about that scene. And I agree, it was cool to have a monster from the author’s folklore, but at the same time, it didn’t really add much to the story other than the fact that Altair knows how to sing (whether he can sing well is a different story).

The Ugly...Crying:

→ The Lion and The Sultan

Geena: This is going to be very cliche but the ugliest thing in this book was the Sultan, our main villain, who is later revealed to be controlled by the Lion aka some ancient ifrit-safin hybrid dude that was the cause of all of Arawiya’s problems. First off, we find out near the end that the Sultan is possessed by the Lion because Nasir’s mom had a big swig of dumbass juice and gave the Sultan a pendant from the place where the Lion was imprisoned. So, following his mother’s “Death” Nasir watches the Sultan’s descent into a sort of madness and suffers under his dad’s abuse. The Lion is also Nasir’s Mom’s Ex so you can imagine what kind of shitshow that was. The Lion is also coincidentally Altair’s dad, and I’m guessing the Lion was like “fuck them kids” because he wanted Nasir to murder Altair... his only son :/ ANYWAYS, the Lion is a terrible dad 0/10 should ever have kids. 

ALSOOO THIS BITCH WAS OUT HERE CONTROLLING ZAFIRA HALF HER LIFE??? And was instrumental in her dad’s death, since he’s the embodiment of dark magic -- which makes up the Arz (evil forest) -- we learn that the Lion coaxed Zafia’s dad into entering the forest and essentially turning him mad, which lead to her mom killing him. AND IN A WAY, he can control Zafira?? Or at least get into her head.

Kae: Geena said everything perfectly. The Lion is a skank bitch and we HATE HIM. But if we hate him, that means he was written really well so HELL YEAH HAFSAH. Now to the Sultan.  The Sultan, like Geena said, is possessed by the Lion. And upon learning that in the book, I kind of felt bad for him and Nasir. Nasir remembers when his father was kind and loved him. He has watched the decline of the Sultan and this drastic change from kind to 100% evil as fuuuck. The Sultan has no control over this and Nasir just wants to please his father to get that love back from him. He sees small flashes of the man the Sultan used to be, but they are very quick and sometimes he almost misses it. The real Sultan is stomped out by the Lion whenever he peeks through. 

Geena: Like can the sultan see the shit that the lion is doing? BRO THAT WOULD BE TORTURE! Oh my god, when they finally break the spell on him there are going to be so many tears between Nasir and his dad.  

Kae: YOO WHAT IF IT’S LIKE HE CAN SEE EVERYTHING OUT OF HIS OWN EYES BUT CAN’T CONTROL IT? DUDE NOW IM EXTRAAA SAD. 

Geena: What’s sadder than all that? THE FACT THAT OUR FAVOURITE HIMBO, ALTAIR, GOT LEFT BEHIND. At the height of the action as Nasir and the surviving zumra are escaping we find out that Altair never makes it to their escape ship…. Even though it was Altair’s powers that helped them escape. And then we find out that he’s stuck in the Lion’s lair…. Thinking that no one cared to look for him… scuse me while I weep…. Hafsah didn’t have to do him like that 😭 

Kae: OKAY MOOD. YOU SAID IT PERFECTLY. And like, she wrote that part so well. Because you know how sometimes the reader knows something the characters don’t? Like, NONE OF US, THE READER OR THE CHARACTERS realized Altair was left behind until Hafsah mentioned it. It was heart-shattering. And everyone is instantly like “shit shit shit shit we fucked UP. We have to go back.” But they can’t go back. So everyone in this feels horrible. Altair feels horrible because he thinks his friends (and beautiful warrior crush) have left him behind. Nasir feels horrible because he left his brother. And the rest of the zumra because they left their friend. Also, the reader, because we see how all this shit went down. It’s just a whole roller coaster of emotions and ALTAIR IS LOVELY AND WE WANT HIM BACK. But this also leaves potential for him to switch sides and join his evil father. It’s totally a possibility and we do NOT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO OUR FAVE. OUR HABIBI (because he calls Nasir that and Nasir, the brooding death prince hates that) HAS TO COME BACK SAFE AND UNHARMED... fin

Conclusion 

Geena: That concludes our review, we didn’t really touch on the romance and so on but it’s how you say… a slow burn? Also, we had so many thoughts about the characters because they’re all soo interesting and have their own stories that we LOVED. Hafsah did a great job at world-building and introducing her individual characters gradually, she didn’t just slap us with like six characters at once and call it a day. AND HER PLOT TWISTS??? POETIC CINEMA… As a self-proclaimed dunce, I did not see half of them coming, every single thing I thought would happen didn’t happen. For example, I thought that Benyamin was Altair’s dad at some point. Overall, this is a great Arabia inspired fantasy with engaging characters and a fast-paced plot that keeps you guessing what’ll happen next. I give it 9/10 (-1 for Altair’s suffering). 

Kae: Ngl I totally forgot about the romance. “It means nothing” GAH THE FOOL. BUT YES. I can’t believe we forgot the romance and their collar bone touching. Also the inevitable ‘omg I just caught you coming out of the bath and now I see your scars oooo’ and honestly tho mood because I wouldn’t avert my eyes either. ANYWAY, the world-building is beautifully written as were the characters. Geena is right. Everyone has their own stories and the time was taken out to tell each one. None of the characters were dumbed down and neither were their backstories. They all had their own personalities and interests and quirks. The fantasy, the magic, and the history was rich.  There was never a boring moment. I give it a 10/10 because I was super entertained and the slowburn was to die for. BUUUT. I’m still SICK that Deen was killed off five minutes into the adventure because I would’ve loved to see him giving Nasir the ~death glare~ whenever he looked at Zafira ASJDADKLJK. 

Geena: IM CRYING, YES I AGREE 100% Wish we had gotten that good ol’ Deen-Nasir beef.  

Kae: omg it would’ve been such a good beef because I feel like they would absolutely become friends at some point and HATE that they respect each other. WELP. THAT BE ALL, FOLKS. READ THIS BOOK CAUSE IT’S GOOD. 

[awed-frog]

Why do you think is Cas so seperated from the Winchesters? I get it if the following ep is without Misha or end of Ep8 is about SamDean being captured- But why the other instances like at the end of Ep2 even tho Ep3 shows Cas is there, why at the end of Ep7? (or the beginnig of Ep8) Why are Sam and Dean just walking away as if Cas staying with them isnt even an option for them? If its about Cas lackof belonging arc then s/t should it be called out by the narrative? using Crowley maybe

Hey - sorry I left this so late. It’s exams period, so my blog may be a bit hectic and weirder than usual until the end of February or so. 

Anyway - that’s an interesting question, and you could answer it three different ways.

From the characters’ perspective, Cas doesn’t stay long with the Winchesters because he doesn’t know he truly belongs there and he feels he doesn’t deserve it, anyway (*goes and cries in a corner*). 

Narratively, there’s still this deux ex machina fear - the idea that keeping around an all-powerful character will make the story boring, because if Cas can just solve all the problems and kill all the monsters, then what’s the point? This is mostly the reason why Cas’ been so mistreated by the narrative so far - brainwashed, possessed, hunted down, imprisoned and finally mutilated - and I’m hoping that all the weak!Cas moments we’ve had this season are aiming right there - at showing Cas isn’t this perfect warrior who can win everything without even trying and, therefore, that it make sense to have him around a bit more.

Finally, from a RL point of view - introducing new characters is always tricky, because they could upend existing dynamics so completely as to change what the story is about - and, unfortunately, we tend to be creatures of habit, so even when change is well done or overdue, we may not like it. This is a problem for all long-running shows - sometimes actors want to leave, or are fired, and other times the writers simply feel the narrative will become stale if they don’t shake things up, so they do (with varying degrees of success). 

Now, Supernatural’s got a bit more leeway in this department because its fandom can produce miles of metas explaining away every single mistake they make so it actually fits in the underlying narrative because of its lack of a distinct genre - as a half funny, half excruciatingly painful coming of age story featuring all kind of unnatural stuff, it can believably introduce any kind of new character, from a vampire BFF to a surrogate daughter to an actual daughter who grows up and is killed in the space of one episode (okay, bad example, but still) and somehow make it work. Having Cas in the Bunker, though, living and hunting with the Winchesters 24/7 - that would change a lot of things, especially because, as much as he’s come to care about Sam, Cas’ primary bond (however you want to read it) is with Dean. So, well, I do understand that the people deciding this sort of things are scared to try it, even leaving aside all those ‘real world’ implication I know nothing about (salaries, contracts, actors’ availability, who knows). 

I hope this answers your question?

(I have to admit - personally, what pisses me off the most about Supernatural’s current format is not that it revolves around Sam and Dean only, but that they sometimes move in a world where nothing else even exists. For instance, this magnificent Bunker full of secrets and spells and weapons and information - why the hell aren’t they sharing it with other hunters, if they’re serious about wanting to save people? And as for that last time the world was ending - why didn’t they ask for help, or say goodbye to anyone? Also, I find it stretches credibility to think neither of them never has even a partially off-screen breakdown because of their past, or the people they lost. I mean - don’t need, or want, long-ass speeches about this and that - but, for instance, Dean casing an old, possibly haunted bookshop while Sam talks to the owner - Dean coming across a battered copy of The Hobbit and clenching his jaw - that’s it - that would be plenty enough. Or, I don’t know, Sam making a mess in the kitchen and justifying himself by saying Jody’s roast sounded easy to make, but yeah. There are so many small ways to show these characters don’t move in a void, after all. 

And also - this is relevant to Cas, and to your question, because Cas is really where you see it. Both brothers have an incredibly deep bond with Cas by now, so it makes no sense whatsoever that Cas is never mentioned in any way in those episode where Misha is not there. I have to say - they’ve gotten better at that - for the last two seasons we’ve had phone calls and a couple of lines explaining the thing away - but this used to be a real problem, which, to me, even undermined characterization several times. 

But, yeah - the bottom line is that they can’t keep hurting Cas or having him do strange things forever (it’s hardly believable that Crowley’s not more present, tbh) - let’s see how they work it out moving forward.)