#not proud of how disconnected it all is from the actual dragon

[the-chattering-tower]

Lines, shadows, and adding a white contour around the top of the head are future me's problems, but! New accent on the horizon!

Was originally gonna be the usual of one warm, one cold, but I love the purple and gold on the second one way too much to let go of it

[lady-phasma]

sooo...in the wake of all of that...thoughts? feelings?

i actually really enjoyed it!! i feel like they dialed down the volume of the drama (still there ofc) but they made it more understated so it hit a lot harder and i think they did it really well, plus everyone's acting was a-mazing <3 i'm so excited for what comes next :))

Hi! I have been sitting on this for a while because life got crazy (root canal, birthday, back to work). Plus I really wanted to have time to think about my answer.

I'm going to do a "positivity sandwich" - I learned this as a lead at one of my retail jobs. 😂 It helps people receive negative feedback.

I agree that the acting was phenomenal. I posted about Emma's acting and how brilliant it was that they only spoke four words in the entire episode. I think TGC really brought it as well, thankfully with more screen time as aged-up Aegon. Everyone did a great job with what was scripted. (I think that's an important qualifier for me.)

I am overall very underwhelmed. I know that the season had to set up the events that immediately followed Luke's death and the ramifications. I just felt like the pacing was off. I would have liked a cliffhanger between B&C getting in the castle and the actual event. Move that to the beginning of episode two and give it more than 8 mins or whatever it was. Not to make it more graphic, that choice was fine with me, but to make it have more emotional impact. At this point, the beginning of episode two is going to feel disconnected from the final scene in episode one.

We have seven more episodes and I am in it for the long run (as long as Matt is in it). I didn't have expectations for episode one really, just seemed... anticlimactic after all the press and hype they threw at us. I love my dragon soap opera and hope the pacing will get better. I'm certainly looking forward to Harrenhal and how crazy/spooky those glimpses of it are in the trailers. And, as always, the more dragons we get, the better.

Lastly, in addition to Rhaenyra, Rhaenys, Alicent, and Helaena were so well performed in this episode that they are the main reasons I want to do a rewatch before Sunday.

I have lots of questions (like Corlys doesn't know who Alyn is?) and lots of ideas (Daemon encountering Alys is going to give me so much brain rot if it happens), but mostly I have no expectations other than Matt. Kind of unrelated, I am oddly proud of him for getting top billing after Paddy left. That's really cool.

[aegonbeingfakeisracist]

I love a6 but its unfair how he has more connections to the rhoynish culture than his martell family members. This is why it should have been rhaenys instead.

It was certainly a choice to have Arianne and Quentyn so disconnected from that heritage. It’s not that it’s unrealistic from a modern perspective, at all, but when it comes to the specific context of the story, where all people can recite very detailed stories from their family history and they are extremely proud of the impressive feats of their ancestors, to have Arianne and Quentyn take such an academic view on the Rhoynar, rather than having any kind of emotional connection, is questionable. It’s especially egregious in Quentyn’s case.

Arianne can at least provide Myrcella with an explanation - Nymeria burning her ships, the orphans of the Greenblood mourning, the songs to Mother Rhoyne. Quentyn literally looks at the Rhoyne and does not think about his ancestors. His reaction to the dragons has no connection to his forebears’ experiences. Arianne at least identifies strongly with Princess Nymeria and so there’s a theme present in her chapters about leadership and women in power that’s couched in Martell family history. But Arianne, too, is disconnected. She explains the Rhoynar on Garin’s behalf. She thinks of and admires her country’s national heroine, but never really in terms of how she led her people to safety and brought elements of their culture into Dorne. This is despite the fact that Arianne is in a unique position among her family members in terms of what framing her story in terms of her cultural heritage could yield. On a surface level, yeah, because she’s a woman from a family descended from a legendary female figure and where the balance of power has historically been led by women, but there’s much more to it. 

Think about the Rhoynish legends of the Long Night - their story doesn’t involve a sword ending it but a negotiator. Just as Nymeria won her people a home through negotiating for an alliance with Mors Martell, by leaving Ny Sar instead of fighting, the Rhoynish story of what ended the Long Night was a diplomat. That’s Arianne’s entire thing - she’s good with people. She likes people. Every success she has is a result of her talking to people and convincing them to see her way. This makes her unique amongst her family, because who else do we see with that skillset? Not Oberyn, who prefers to act, physically fighting the Mountain with his spear. Not Quentyn, who fails in his negotiations with Daenerys. Not even Doran, who for all his similarities with Arianne lies. But Arianne, whose manipulations don’t involve lying, who doesn’t fight physically, who succeeds when she sets out to convince people to side with her. It would be so cool for this to be tied with an actual cultural connection to the Rhoyne.

I’m not sure I agree about the Aegon thing. Certainly, if it can only be one character with that connection, I’d want it to be Arianne every day of the week. And I definitely agree that it would have been more powerful for Rhaenys to have lived. However, I don’t think I agree that this specifically is one of the reasons that’s true. Aegon is every bit as Dornish as Rhaenys is, even though he resembles their father moreso than their mother. He deserves to have this connection to his maternal heritage. And I think it would be a not-great choice for the emphasis being on Dornish-looking Rhaenys having more of a connection to her mother’s heritage than her brother when she is the elder. As compelling as her potential struggle with this conflict could be and as much as it could be very interesting for her to want to lean into the side of her family that embraces her in a way that her grandfather never did,  Rhaenys also has more reason to lean into the idea of being a Targaryen than either Aegon or Daenerys - she was a Targaryen princess in real terms. She actually lived in Westeros. Aerys sneered at her, but Rhaella loved her. If handled delicately, the idea of her clinging to her Targaryen heritage and eventually forging an identity that is both Martell and Targaryen, or even ultimately renouncing what’s Targaryen in favour of what’s Martell, could be powerful. But it’s iffy to have Rhaenys, the Targaryen princess with a better claim to the throne than Daenerys and actual firsthand experience with being a Targaryen, be more heavily associated with the other side of her family than her white passing half brother, you know? He may not look it, but it’s his, too.

The issue really to me is Arianne and Quentyn. Because with Rhaenys and Aegon, it would be a kind of gross point no matter which of them it was - the Targaryens get more of a connection to Rhoynish culture than the Martells??? They should get that connection. But Arianne and Quentyn should also have that.

[llendrinall]

I'm with you on how terrible we found Fantastic Beasts. Now let me ask, how would you have written/built the Fantastic Beasts storyline?

I have not watched the 3rd movie so it’s possible that they have managed to turn it all around, but to start with I would give some actual connection to the movies beyond the title and characters. Otherwise it just feels like those children books: “X goes to the park”, “X in the supermarket”, where we see the same people in different situations but they are disconnected from each other.

I probably would have gone a different route all together, but suppose Warner has already hired the actors and started building the sets so we must use at least some elements from the movies. In that case I would make a story of discovery and reflection in three parts, with narcissism being the main theme.

First movie

Newt goes to NY with his magical bag. Most of the film is the same, but we get a sense of Newt being less childish (less painfully obvious and thinly surreptitious wand waving around muggles) and a bit more selfish. However, we should like him more for it.

Newt is, to the society of the time, completely mental. Rather than going on hunts and collecting trophies, he is recuing animals! I would emphasize that the animals he keeps have been compromised and can’t be safely returned to their habitats and since conditions and wizarding zoos are deplorable, he keeps them with him. The exception is that thunder bird he has come to release.

And that’s his goal, releasing the thunder bird, which he pursues with extreme focus. He doesn’t care about anything else which is why he is so open to Jacob the Muggle. Newt could be imprisoned* and Jacob would be obliviated into a stupor, but Newt doesn’t care about personal risks so he doesn’t care about the danger he poses to others. He is selfish that way. A generous kind of selfishness, sure, but dangerous.

I’m sorry, but the President of the MACUSA is not a woman nor a POC. It must be a white man surrounded by white men, one of whom might be either Catholic or Jewish and that’s all the diversity you see. Are there POC wizards? Yes. But not in positions of power. There is a bigger emphasis on the separation of wizards and No-Maj, with waaay more surveillance and harsher punishments. Suspicion alone may be enough to break your wand in some cases.

* And that’s how I could believe that POC wizards and witches (WWs from now on because “magicals” sounds weird) aren’t intervening in muggle spaces. They must be suffering similar levels of racism. They are tolerated, maybe they have better prospects that POC muggles, but that’s it. I can’t believe none of them would show some solidarity to the Non-Maj, unless it meant being summarily executed.

(Oh, and there would be this scene in which we see law-abiding and conscientious Tina stalking the house of an African-American muggle family. Nothing is said of it, other that Tina used to work with a muggle-born partner but now she works alone. Keen-eyed viewers will notice some hoodo trinkets in Tina’s flat, and a photograph of Tina with an African American woman, and then we will know).

I don’t remember Credence’s storyline very well, but it doesn’t matter. What is important is that Graves (powerful white man Graves) develops some sort of empathy. He doesn’t want it, but it’s there in his heart now. Maybe something with Newt’s animals. Some “beast” (look at how they say beasts and not animals) should have maimed and eaten Graves, but doesn’t because Newt is there in all his animal-loving glory. Graves gets to see the monster as merely a scared and hurt animal and learns to treat others with some decency and kindness.

That would be a nice classic movie, (prejudiced man gets over himself), but we can’t end it here. I would even allow for Tina’s scene stalking the house to be cut in order to have time for the climax: the moment when Graves realizes his society and his government may not always be right and defies direct orders by helping Credence. As I said, I don’t remember what the deal with Credence was, but Graves fixes it. There will be a personal cost to his career, but losing a promotion is nothing compared to saving a life, which is what he does. No ambiguous explosion or cloud of smoke. Credence is evidently and irrevocably safe at the cost of Graves being demoted.

There is no Gellert Grindelwald whatsoever, except maybe some government secretary mentioning they like that guy from Europe.

Second movie

Set in London rather than Paris. Newt receives the visit from a lovely, lovely, gentleman who, as it turns out, doesn’t think Newt is a fool. The charming gentleman asks Newt about the dragons, specifically the ones in Gringotts and oh, oh, Newt is against it. It’s abominable and unethical. But Newt would rather not think too much about it because, what can he do? He would rather focus on helping those he can and on spreading his thoughts on animal conservation. He is publishing a journal, although he admits it doesn’t do too well. He has twelve subscribers and seven of them openly mock his papers during dinner parties.

The charming gentleman says, but what if Newt could do something about it? What would Newt be willing to do? Would he break the law?

Newt laughs. He is forbidden from leaving the country. He is no stranger to jumping, crossing, tampering or breaking the law.

Marvelous! The charming gentleman reveals that he, like Newt, is unhappy with their society. It is weak and corrupt* and someone must do something about it. They have to fix it.

So the charming gentleman introduces Newt to some other like-minded friends and together they plan a heist to get into Gringotts and release the dragons. It is time to build a society one can feel proud of!

We get the heist, which is clever and delightful. The charming gentleman is brave, smart and powerful with his magic. There is a moment when some of the co-conspirators, and even the charming gentleman himself, get inside some vaults. This is not what they had planned! Not at all. But the charming gentleman assures Newt that he has good reasons.

They get out. And here comes the Nagini moment. Meaning I really, really, really, don’t need to see an Asian woman condemned to whatever that was in the second movie. I don’t need to have beautiful Neville kill a woman who has been turned into a snake and then a Horcrux.

But, do you want an “oh no” moment? Here it comes.

Because of the heist, Gringotts revises their security measures. That poor dragon in Deathly Hallows? The one with scars who had been conditioned to fear a certain sound? Newt’s fault. And the charming gentleman doesn’t care.

We have established in the previous movie that Newt is somewhat selfish and short-sighted. He rejects his society and cares only about his animals which is very nice. Newt is well intentioned, but that is not enough. Not caring about politics is the privilege of those in the elite (and despite Newts’ eccentricities he is very much the elite). The previous movie had Graves’ awakening. The man discovering something about himself in this movie is Newt.

Newt realizes that he must be an active participant in society. Sadly, he only realizes it after he has helped Gellert Grindelwald steal a number of very important artefacts as well as some gold to fund his project to reform Europe.

The epilogue of the movie has Albus Dumbledore visiting Newt, telling him not to be too hard on himself because he, Dumbledore, also fell for Gellert lies. And if Newt wants to do something about it, Dumbledore has some ideas.

* History fans might not realize immediately, but hopefully they will catch on the fact that all of the beautiful arguments from the charming gentleman are about weakness of the state, which is a common fascist trope.

Third movie

In which characters from previous movies are brought back without having to completely destroy their personalities.

Graves is in Europe and he pays a visit to Newt to ask for his help. Graves is using his new found empathy (that he didn’t want) to investigate a series of highly suspicious murders and incidents. The victims were all Latinas so it was dismissed, but Graves thinks there is something.

Two scenes later in comes Tina, who has quitted her job in order to track the murderer of some friend’s friend. An African American child is dead, no it was not the No-Maj, it was someone else, someone who wanted to cover their tracks and leave no witnesses and Tina is going to eat their heart.

Is it possible that Graves and Tina are after the same person? Yes and no. It is two different henchmen but Dumbledore has no trouble going beyond the small picture to see the pattern. He knows Grindelwald always had an interest in powerful artefacts, not just the Deathly Hallows.

Grindelwald has stolen the Macguffin, a powerful artefact belonging to a Latin-American community. With that and the Elder Wand he will be unstoppable. Oh no!

But! Newt realizes there is something missing. The raven is not a symbol of death in all cultures. Grindelwald might not fully understand what he has taken or how to use it.

So Graves and Tina go fight Grindelwald’s organization and be awesome together, delaying Grindelwald’s big coup. Meanwhile, Newt illegally leaves the country, goes back to NY, takes Queenie and deploys her. Because Queenie is nice. She plays the vapid pretty woman, but she is above all nice and if someone can make a hurt and distrustful community open their door to strangers, it is going to be Queenie with the help of Jacob’s bread.

And, indeed! They succeed. The bruja Latina explains about the Macguffin. Grildelwald doesn’t understand what he has stolen. It is not meant to be used like that at all.

They go back to Europe quickly, Newt relays this information to Dumbledore and he steps to his duel with Grindelwald armed with the knowledge and insight that comes from showing some measure of respect to other people for once.

(And if it seems that Dumbledore’s victory rests on other people’s work, well, Dumbledore’s main trait is his ability to earn people’s trust and devotion. But I guess Newt and Queenie could have brought the bruja with them and after a nice chat with Dumbledore she agrees to share their secrets with him, so he has the opportunity to show he is different).

Rather than having a man realize something, this movie is about the consequences of not opening your eyes: Gindelwald’s fall. It would also nicely establish Dumbledore’s best manipulative traits. If we must have het couples, Tina saves Newt’s from some mook and taker a kiss. Graves goes with the pretty Lestrange, I guess, to have a long life of morality sanctioned crimes.

(A TV show. Twelve episodes. Cancelled after the first season. Graves and Lestrange are back in the States helping oppressed communities and dodging the MACUSA and whatever the equivalent of the FBI was back then).

[italian-pastry]

BNHA Kid Headcanons

(For @yourwildflowerbouquet )

KIRIBAKU

-Eijirou had always wanted a lot of kids

-and Katsuki can't say no to his husband

-so there's 5 of them

-(damn 5 whole children)

-their kids call them Papa (Eijirou) and Dad (Katsuki)

-the first one is a girl

-she's just a copy-paste katsuki (personality wise) but with a better attitude

-they were figuring out how to raise kids

-they did pretty well, I think

-Her quirk is Fragmentation (She can make spikes on her body, then shoot them off like missles)

-her name is Mieko (Already Prosperous)

-the second one was a boy

-he ended up much more like Eijirou

-overall a radical little dude

-his quirk is Lavanic (he secretes lava like how Mina secretes acid)

-his name is Akio (Bright Man; Manly; Hero)

-(wow so original)

-the third one was born a male but she's more comfortable identifying as a girl so she's a she and that's that

-suprisingly timid for being raised by Katsuki and Eijirou

-also surprisingly, she still manages to be more like Katsuki whilst being timid

-passionate, stubborn, probably has some sort of complex, etc.

-her quirk is Pressure Blow (she hardens her own skin, but not as strong as Eijirou can, and when it breaks, there's an explosion)

-her name is Hiroki (Bright; Hope)

-the last two are twins

-which really surprised Katsuki

-"wtf why are there two"

-"well, kat, there is such a thing as twins"

-there is a girl and boy

-katsuki was horrified when his mom told him that the girl acted just like he did when he was a baby

-the boy is much more chill

-he just wants to play sports is that such a crime?

-the girl's quirk is Explosion (can send out a burst of energy like an explosion) and the boy's is Implosion (Explosion but in reverse)

-the girl's name is Kana (Powerful) and the boy's name is Tatsuhiro (Dragon, Immense Power)

-they're one big happy family

-Mieko has fully sharp teeth (like Eijirou) and the twins have partially sharp teeth

TODODEKU

-Shouto was worried when Izuku brought up the prospect of having kids

-he didn't want to fuck them up because he had a terrible dad

-"Izuku you didn't have a dad and I wish I didn't have a dad we're gonna fuck up this poor kid"

-Izuku respected his wishes and accepted the fact that they probably wouldn't have kids

-until Shouto had a chat with Natsuo (after Natsu became a dad)

-"Here's how I think of it, little bro; I'm gonna be the best fucking dad to this kid to show Endeavor that no matter how badly he fucked me up, I can still be happy with a better family than he will ever have"

-that certainly changed Shouto's perspective on things

-"oh yeah don't forget to have a good support system and do research on how to raise a kid or idk ask someone with actually good parents ok good luck buddy"

-So Shouto was lile "hey maybe we can try this kid thing out I did research and I'm feeling a bit more confident in my ability to raise a human"

- Izuku: :DD

-So they had a son!

-He's real chill (he's the mom friend and proud of it)

-imagine Shouto's overall chillness, but with Izuku's caring nature

-his quirk is Half-Flurry Half-Firework (he can make snow from one side of his body and sparks from the other)

_his name is Toshi, for obvious reasons

-(All Might cried)

-Izuku was like "look at how well we're doing with our son! Man, we we're worried over nothing!"

-"let's have another"

-"what"

-"you heard me"

-so they had another!

-Poor girl was born with the curse of blue eyes and red/pink hair

-Shouto was happy that she at least got Izuku's freckles to balance it out

-Homegirl is just Izuku minus anxiety

-she'd be unstoppable if she really tried

-her quirk is Thermostat (she can raise or lower the temperature of the air around her)

-her name is Arakan (Worthy One; Hero)

-Izuku: Wow I love our kids and how not screwed up they are :D

-Shouto: one more

-Izuku: wha

-Shouto: Just one more

-So they had one more

-she's a very good girl

-very respectful and sweet

-her quirk is black ice (ice, but black)

-her name is Youdai (Gentle; Shine)

- The kids call their parents Chichi (Izuku) and Daifu (Shouto)

-Sometimes called 'Chi' and 'Dai'

-These kids have 1 (one) grandpa and his name is Toshinori and he's their favorite

-The kids' grandmas are also very popular in this household

TSUYURAKA

-Ochako was pretty excited to have kids

-And tsu wanted them too so it all worked out

-They had a son first!

-he's a sweet boy who loves everyone and has a deep passion for life

-he does fall on the autism spectrum, but he works hard to not let that hold him back

-Tsu and Ochako are very supportive of their boy

-his quirk is Space Boy (He can increase or lower the amount of gravity affecting himself or anything he kicks)

-his name is Takiyo (waterfall)

-fun fact: he has half-n-half hair (half brown half green)

-their second child is a beautiful girl

-she's sisterly and energetic

-she doesn't really "get" hero culture and the desire for that lifestyle

-her quirk is Frog Morph (she can turn into a frog)

-her quirk is pretty plain, but she doesn't care

-her name is Ezumo (Fountain; cloud)

-Ochako and Tsu didn't have another kid for some time for no one reason

-but they did have another!

-he's a wittle itsy bitsy baby boy!

-he has a moon birthmark around his left eye

-AND heterochromia

-(man their kids have alot of half-n-half bastard traits)

His quirk is Orbit (anything he touches starts to orbit around himself)

-His name is Tsuki (Moon), but he's nicknamed Usagi (Rabbit)

- the kids call their moms Haha (Ochako) and Mama (Tsuyu)

-Since Ochako and Tsuyu didn't take each other's last names, their kids have alternating last names

-Takiyo and Tsuki have the Asui last name, and Ezumo has the Uraraka last name

SHINKAMISERO

-Denki and Hanta were the ones most excited to have kids at first, and Hitoshi was like 'cool go nuts I'll help raise them'

-So, biologically, their first kid's parents are Hanta and Denki

-but he's still very close to Hitoshi

-he looks and acts a lot like Hanta

-he's an all around sk8r boi

-his quirk is Electric Tape (basically Hanta's quirk but he can send and harness electricity via his tape)

-His name is Takeo (Warrior)

-one day when he was young, he had a really bad nightmare, and the only one of his dads awake was Hitoshi (since he's an insomniac)

-Hitoshi listened to his boy's rambling, and told him that no matter what monster or villain comes after him, he promises that he'd always protect him

-but one day, some B-tier villains broke into their home while Hanta and Denki were out doing Hero things

-Hitoshi tried to take them down, but they anticipated fighting him and had a strategy to take him down and ended up knocking him out

-when he was woken up by the police, they discovered that Takeo had been taken by the villains

-for five days, the villains had held him for ransom

-and for those five days, Hitoshi worked literally non-stop to try and track down and rescue Takeo

-after those five days, they ended up paying the ransom, and Takeo was returned to the police and his family safely

-except for a large gash on his shoulder he got during the initial break-in

-the whole event deterred Hitoshi from having more kids

-he was very anxious about being there for Takeo, and Hanta and Denki understood that

-so he and his husbands didn't have kids for like 15 years

-at this point, Takeo is a teenager, more independent, and is stronger/can tale care of himself

-Hitoshi feels better now about being able to put his attention elsewhere (focus less on Takeo)

-so he brought up to his husbands "Hey, do ya maybe wanna have another kid?"

-and they were like "omigosh yeah totally yes let us have another child"

-and there were twins!

-one boy and one girl!

-Hitoshi was just as confused as Baku when twins showed up

-"hol' up I only signed up for 1 kid not 2"

-"too bad they're yours"

-"Two for the price of one!" <- that's Hanta

-Biologically speaking, both of them are Hitoshi's, but the boy has Denki's DNA and the girl has Hanta's

-the boy has a resting bitch face and cries a lot

-the girl has resting sad face, but she's actually pretty cool

-the boy's quirk is Electroshock Therapy (mostly like Denki's quirk, except when he shocks you, you're under his control) and the girl's name is Mind Bind (it looks like Deku's Black Whip, except whenever it wraps around someone, they're under her control)

-the boy's name is Masashi (Commander; General) and the girl's name is Maemi (Honest Child)

-it's a bit weird for Takeo to have newborn siblings, but he loves them regardless!

-the kids call their dads Dad (Hitoshi), Pop (Denki), and Dada (Hanta)

AOMINA

-since I HC that Yuuga is graysexual, he didn't really vibe with kids for a while after they were married

-but Mina was totally fine with that!

-"hey it means I can still say fuck in my own house it's cool it's cool"

-although when Mina expressed further interest in kids a bit down the line, Yuuga was like "mmmmokay why not"

-and they had a girl!

-she has pink skin and weird eyes like Mina, but blonde hair and purple eyes like Yuuga!

-she also doesn't have horns

-she's very much like Mina

-she comes off as narcissistic at times, but she just has enough self-confidence for two people

-her quirk is Glo Splash (from one side of her body, she secretes one of the chemicals that make up the liquid in glow sticks, and the other half of her secretes the other chemical. She can mix them together to make it glow!)

-her name is Minako (child of Mina)

-Mina is not allowed to name their children anymore

-so when their son is born, Yuuga named him

-he got pink hair and horns and yellow eyes, but normal skin and normal eyes

-he's oddly very timid and anxious, which gives him a disconnect from the rest of his outgoing family

-his quirk is Lazer Horn (he can shoot lasers like Yuuga's from his horns)

-his name is Yukio (Snow Boy)

-the kids have hyphenated last names (Ashido-Aoyama) as opposed to having only one last name like their parents

-the most fab family has matching names: Yuuga and Yukio, Mina and Minako

-both the kids are fluent in French, and know snippets of English (we stan multilingual families)

-the kids call their parents Père (Yuuga) and Mama (Mina)

HAGOJIROU

-since Tooru was already pregananant when they got married, their first kid was quite a tad older than the majority of their Classmate's kids

-eh it's fine tho

-the first kid was a beautiful girl!

-due to her quirk, she likes to wear bright, complex clothing as to not go unnoticed

-she also makes a point to talk relatively loudly especially when in crowds

-her quirk is Ninja (physically, she is only an outline. She cannot be seen if she is standing still or the person looking for her doesn't know she's there)

-her name is Chieko (child blessed with wisdom)

-they had a second child a few years later on

-a boy!

-his fav hero is Ground Zero (to Mashirao's dismay)

-anyone who says otherwise can catch these hands

-he is also a woman respecter 100% through and through

-he can and will kick ass

-his quirk is Invisishift (he can turn himself invisible)

-kinda plain, but he loves it!

-his name is Ryuji (Dragon Child)

-A couple years after that (7-8 years or so) they had one more kid

-yet another boy!

-he's a lot like his mom (likes pranks, friendly, just a cool dude)

-he has really poofy curly hair

-his quirk is Tail (it's just Mashirao's quirk idk what to tell y'all)

-his name is Taishiro (Ambitious Boy)

-(i JUST learned that he shares his name with Fat Gum that was not planned I promise)

-all the kids can kick ass

-"Martial arts is an excellent form of exercise for children!" <- Mashirao

-the kids call their parents Mum (Tooru) and Pops (Mashirao)

-everyone's last name is Ojirou

MOMOJIROU

-Momo was really excited to have kids when their friends started announcing their pregnancies/having kids

-Baby Fever if you will

-Kyouka also wanted kids, but wasn't as outwardly excited as Momo

-and they had twiiiiiiiins

-also one boy and one girl

-because apparently there can't be same-sex twins in my headcanons

-the girl is more like Kyouka

-kinda punk, wants to be a hero, all that jazz (haha music)

-the boy is more like Momo

-elegant, charismatic, wants to go into Hero Management

-the girl's quirk is Stereo Heart (she has earphone jacks, and can play any sound she's ever heard, plus combinations) and the boy's is Bass Boost (he also has earphone jacks, but he can only alter his heartbeat (increase bass, vibrato, ect.))

-the girl's name is Satoshi (Intelligent History) and the boy's is Utano (Field Of Songs)

-both the kids are musically talented and very smart

-thanks for the great talents, moms!

-the kids call their parents Mom (Kyouka) and Mama (Momo)

-sometimes Kyouka and Momo can't tell which parent the kid is calling for, so they usually both yelling back (or the wrong one)

-it's a whole process to get the attention of the mom you want

-"HEY MOM"

-"YEAH?"

-"NO NOT YOU, MAMA, I SAID M O M"

[greenygreenland]

Operation New Me: Father Figure Wu & Reader

-⛔if you're sensitive, to things like bullying, fist-fighting, mentions of insecurities etc, I don't recommend reading this⛔

-young Morro is in this because I love him

Summary: You're beginning your first day of high school despite being a dropout since like third grade

"Are you ready?" The question was quite innocent and short, yet held a deeper meaning only you seemed to catch. Morro didn't pay any attention to what Wu was saying as you stuffed the last of your supplies in your book bag, and to be honest, you weren't sure if you'd ever be ready for today.

You spent the past week meditating and reading whatever material you could to catch up on what you've missed, but it just wasn't enough--it'd never be enough. How could you even think of cramming seven and up years of knowledge you didn't even understand in a mere month?

"(Y/n)?"

You adjusted your bag around your shoulders and walked through the monastery doors to meet Morro and Wu on the front steps. "Sorry. Let's go." Morro gave you an odd look, sweeping his bangs out of his eyes with a huff. "Don't act so worried. If you can survive Sensei's training, you can survive anything." You snorted and ruffled his black locks. "Being a ninja is a completely different concept than being a student at school. You learn things you don't even use, so it's a waste of time."

Wu shook his head dismissively. "It is not a waste of time. What you will experience there is something even I can not teach."

"Which is?"

"Social skills." he plainly replied with a smile. You zipped up your (f/c) sweater as a chilly breeze passed. The sun had barely risen over the horizon, leaving the moon high in the sky for drifting clouds to cover. "All you know is the monastery," continued Wu, "and life as a ninja. What happens if you are thrown in a situation you cannot 'ninja' your way out of?" You pursed your lips together, which Wu took as an 'I don't know'.

"Exactly, which is why you must get out in the world and learn." he said with a reassuring smile. "You are sharp, so I have no doubt you will be okay."

You continued down the monastery steps in a comfortable silence. It wasn't unnatural for you to be quiet at this time of day, especially since you weren't a morning person. Once you finally descended down every last step, Wu summoned his elemental dragon.

When Morro asked why he didn't do it in the first place, Wu said it was to get a bit of 'exercise in' and to learn a lesson of 'gratefulness'. Boy did the last one stick, because despite practically living at the monastery for more than half your life, rarely had you ever ventured down the steps.

The cool, crisp air against your face, the natural wind in your hair made by nature and not Morro, and the view of the endless skies just made you feel so alive. In the air suspended upon a golden dragon was something you missed. "When was the last time we got around like this?" you shouted over the wind. Morro grinned as brightly as the rising sun. "'We should do this more often Sensei!"

He chuckled a little and gave his reins a good shake. "Hold on!" The dragon flapped his wings and you were suddenly speeding through the skies, cutting passed the cool winds at speeds no man could ever reach.

"SENSEI!" you screeched. He laughed loudly as Morro cackled in your ear. "SCARED, (L/N)?!" he shouted.

"I'M NOT--! SENSEI! OH MY--!"

The dragon steadily slowed, continuing into a descend towards the city below. Wu let out a playful laugh. "That was a lesson on keeping your guard up, no matter how comfortable you may be." You placed your free hand over your pounding heart with a long sigh. "Well that's a lame lesson, Sensei. I saw my life flash before my eyes."

"Did you now?" he inquired with a chuckle. Morro snickered along with him, a look of approval on his smug face. "Sensei," you grumbled, "you're more like Garmadon than you think."

Landing in Ninjago City was like being in a dream. It was bigger than any village you've ever visited, and the buildings, although in construction, remained taller than anything you've ever seen in your life. "Woah..."

Wu smiled, ushering both you and Morro towards the high school. When you set eyes on the building, you had to blink a few times to fully comprehend its size. Windows lined the three stories that seemed to stretch out all the way to the end of the block. As for te cream colour exterior, you thought it blended nicely with the modern-ish touches.

Wu guided you towards the front gates, where dozens of students plowed their way up the stairs and into the front doors. Some lingered on the front lawn to enjoy their breakfasts with friends. "It's a pretty big place, isn't it?" said Wu. Morro snorted and sassily crossed his arms. "That's why we're in a city Sensei." You rolled your eyes and pulled out your schedule.

Your Sensei placed a comforting hand on your shoulder. "School is a ground for learning, so don't feel like you have to know everything. Just remember what we leanred together and everything will be fine." You tried to match the smile on his lips, but it just wouldn't happen. Besides almost cutting off one of your fingers with a katana last month, this had to be the scariest thing you've ever done.

"Our paths don't always go in straight lines," added Wu, "so don't feel like you have to have this day perfect." You nodded in understanding. Morro sent you a quick thumbs-up and a 'don't die' face that you snorted at. "Well, I'll see you after...school." You turned on your heel, preparing to march onto the school grounds like any other student.

Describing the school as 'big' and 'modern' was an understatement. It was humungous and actually quite nice to look at. You wished you could say the same, positive things about the students, but they didn't look too welcoming. Not only that, but for the first time in ages, you felt...

...out if place.

You really didn't fit in here with your sweater bearing your sensei's mark on the back and your own on the front. All the other girls here seemed to wear a skirt or dress in navy blue or black and plaid while you chose to wear trousers specifically for martial arts. The boys were no different with their white button ups, sweater vests or plain sweats.

You checked the dress code before hand to make sure you wouldn't embarrass yourself, but even then, here you were, already afraid of making the mistake of wearing the ancient fashion of your Elemental Master ancestors under your (f/c) sweater.

It didn't take a genius to know you were rhe new kid on the first day of school. Everyone else seemed to know each other from middle school or even primary and long before that while you had no one. They loved to gawk at you and side-glance your clothing as if you were some foreigner from a different realm. It was then that you began realising just how disconnected you had been from the trendiest and latest fashion.

"Only paintings wear her clothes."

"Don't tell me she's a villager."

"I bet her dad's a farmer."

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Your clothes were still widely used in not only martial arts, but villages and small towns. You also weren't a villager, and for the record, your father wasn't a farmer when he was alive. He had to be one of the greatest Elemental Masters and just so happened to pass on his element, light, to you.

You were proud of your heritage, but the amount of scorns you kept getting throughout the day kind of made you want to believe you were someone else.

Lunch was slow to come, especially during your algebra one class. When it finally hit you that it was time to eat, you made your way outside to take a seat far away from the students sat at picnic tables in the courtyards or laid flat on top of blankets on the grass. You took refuge from all the drama and scowls under a lone tree.

The music of its swaying leaves helped calm the ache in your heart. It was a reminder of all the lessons you learned throughout your life from your sensei Wu and Garmadon. You had to be patient, kind, calm and--

"Oh I'm so, so sorry." You looked up at the girl who had spilt her soda pop over your head. She and her two friends quietly snickered to each other as you wiped away the sticky mess with your (f/c) handkerchief. A strained smile made its way onto your lips. "It's...fine."

"Here, let me help you." One of the girls kicked at the dirt, sending pieces of fresh grass and pebbles into your face. She let out an evil laugh as her friends joined along. "Sorry, I can't touch you or I'll be infected with your grandma fashion." You wiped the dirt out of your face and jumped to your feet. "I dare you to say that again."

"If I touch you, I'll be infected with your grandma fashion." the girl repeated with a smirk. Perhaps Morro had rubbed off on you, or you had been thinking about your old Sensei Garmadon too much, because before any of the girls could blink, you snatched your lunch out of your bag and flung it at the group of girls.

One of them blindly lunged at you, making a mad grab for your hair and giving it a good tug. You wrapped your hand around her wrist and gripped it tight enough to cease her blood circulation. She let out a cry and let go as you swung around and blocked a punch from her friend.

A crowd began to form as you wrestled with the girls. All of the drama could have been over if you had gone full-out and actually fought back, but the Art of the Silent Fist worked well enough with them. You weren't about to give what your peers wanted: A fist fight.

"What is going on here?"

You dodged a punch to the face and spun around as another girl made a grab for your collar.

"Hey! No! Stop fighting!"

You paused in your footsteps as your History teacher parted through the crowds like the Master of Water, Maya. He suddenly let out a shout and threw out a hand, but you were too late to notice the uppercut to your jaw.

Later that day, you awoke to the one and only face of your Sensei, Wu. As you sat up in bed, he handed you a cup of warm Jasmine tea. "How are you feeling?" You rubbed your sore face and head with a low groan. "I'm dizzy."

"That must have been quite a punch, because you've been sleeping the day away." he said. You took a sip of your tea, surveying your bedroom with a frown. "You...picked me up from school?" Wu nodded. "Your bag is in the kitchen if you're wondering. Dinner should be done in another hour; I made some soup that'll make you feel better."

You caught a glimpse of your bedside clock, your jaw unhinging. "Eighteen thirty [6:30PM] already?" You jumped out of bed and scrambled towards the door. "Why didn't you wake me up? I have so much homework to do, and I was supposed to help you cook--" Wu calmly stood from his seat and placed his hands around your shoulders. You didn't even realise your hands were shaking until he guided you back towards your bed and took a seat at the edge with you.

"What happened at school today?" His calm eyes were swirling with a serious concern you couldn't ignore. It made your heart ache again, and all words everyone threw at you flow into your head like a broken record. The faces of your peers and their smiles they hid behind their hands, the pointing and the laughing, and then the fighting...

...oh, how could you forget, even for a moment, how awful that made you feel? Hos awful everything made you feel? The hot anger in your chest seemed to grow heavier and heavier.

If I touch you, I'll be infected with your grandma fashion.

Only paintings wear her clothes.

Don't tell me she's a villager.

I bet her dad's a farmer.

"(Y/n)?" called Wu. "Are you alright?" You heaved in a shaky breath to centre your hurricane of emotions. "I...I'm fine Sensei." You forced a smile. "Those girls were only looking for trouble. I got distracted by a teacher telling them to stop, so that's why I got hit. If I weren't distracted, you bet I would have blocked that punch." You chuckled a little to try and lighten the atmosphere, but Wu wasn't so easily convinced.

You should have expected that, but you hoped he would take the bait and just leave you alone for a bit. That was all you wanted, and that's how you liked it. Wu knitted his brows together as if he were searching your face for any clues of what else might've happened. "Is that all, or...?"

"Yeah." you casually replied. "I'm fine. It's just a scratch." Wu slowly nodded before leaving your side and venturing into the hallway. You were about to flop down on your bed, but he quickly popped back into your doorway. "I forgot to tell you, Garmadon's visiting for the weekend." Your eyes lit up, all that anger and weight in your chest vanishing. "Really?" Wu smiled so you did too, for real this time around.

"Yes. For real."

---

The only motivation keeping you from ditching school and running all the way back home was the fact that Sensei Garmadon would arrive in just two days. All you had to do was survive two more days of school before you were free on the weekend to do whatever the heck you wished. In theory, two days didn't seem so bad, but as soon as you entered the jam-packed building flowing with sleep-deprived teens, you realised just how long two days really was.

Along the way to your homeroom class, a guy had the audacity to spit his chewing gum at you. Of course, you dodged the flying projectile like a pro, but someone collided with you last second and the gum landed straight in your hair.

You remember spending the rest of the day dealing with fifty thousand insults about your clothing again, a few angry teachers giving fourty-five minute lectures about yesterday's fight, and having your whole grade blame you for the incident. Someone slammed you into a locker for payback while a group of girls decided it would be funny to trip you in the hall and scatter all your classwork on the floor.

You scrambled passed people's sneakers, madly grabbing at all the papers as if your life depended on it. You didn't have time to sort the jumble of packets and loose worksheets back into their respective places, so you threw everything in your bag and made a run for your next class.

Your teacher looked you up and down as you took a seat at your desk. "Late and running in the halls?" she inquired. "Detention! Tardiness will not be tolerated in my classroom." Your classmates sent you side-glances as you covered half your face with a hand. "Great. Could this day get any worse?" you grumbled.

Fast forward: it did. Passed the bullying and passed the tripping in the halls, the gum in your hair refused to come out, so during lunch, you had no choice but to cut it. You being you, whipped out a kunai knife that a teacher 'so happened' to see. And besides getting another detention slash possible suspension, you hadn't even started cutting your hair, leaving you with a wad of gum practically super-glueing all your locks together.

Wu had no idea about the detentions, so when you exited the school about an hour later than you should've, you deeply wished you hadn't left at all. He had his hands on his hips as you made your way down the front steps, and Morro looked like he wanted to give you a good punch in the face.

"I heard you had two detentions in a row!" exclaimed Wu. "What happened?" You handed him a yellow slip of paper and stuff your hands in your pockets with a huff. "Both my teachers want to have a 'parent teacher conference' with you tonorrow."

Wu looked like he was torn between being angry and confused, but maybe that was because he realised just how exhausted you looked. Your shoulders were slumped while your voice remained in a monotone, and you had your hood pulled high over your head (to hide the gum stuck in your hair). Morro stood on his tippy-toes to get a good look at the yellow slip of paper. "What did you do?" he questioned. "You're usually the 'good' one."

A bitter laugh escaped your throat that you couldn't hold. Wu frantically looked up from the paper to get a good look at your face, a deep frown spreading on his face. "Can you please take off your hood (Y/n)?" His voice was gentle and soft, as if he were afraid of scaring you.

"Yeah, I can't see your face."

Wu gave Morro a scolding shake of his head before turning back to you. "There's no point in hiding your face."

"I'm not hiding my face...I just...I like keeping my hood up." Wu folded the yellow paper and put it in his pocket with a sigh. "Come here (Y/n)." You hesitantly trudged over to him and he placed a hand on your head, gently pulling down your hood. Morro gasped as Wu's gaze bounced from your tired expression to the wad of gum tangled in your hair.

"Who did this to you?"

You wanted to tell him that it was an accident, that someone left their gum on the table and you were just unfortunate enough to lay your head down and get it stuck in your hair. But then you saw the fierce fire in his eyes and felt his strong resolve to help you. There would be no point in lying to him and Morro if he'd eventually find out anyway.

"Some guy at school did it."

"How?"

"He spit it at me. I tried to dodge, but someone pushed me and it got stuck in my hair."

"What about the detentions?"

You hesitated. "It...it was..." Morro pursed his lips together angrily. "Don't you dare lie!" he exclaimed. "Lying doesn't grt you anywhere." A sigh escaped your lips. "I was late to one of my classes because someone tripped me on purpose in the hallway. Some other guy threw all my stuff on the ground, so that's why I was late. I got another detention after that because I tried to cut the gum out of my hair with my kunai."

Wu's eyes doubled in size. "You what?!"

"I tried to cut my hair with a kunai knife because I didn't have scissors." you repeated. Wu ran a hand over his forehead. "Father, help me." he grumbled. "(Y/n), you do know that weapons are prohibited? This...school is..." He trailed off and motioned for you and Morro to follow him.

"How about we go home and discuss this over a nice cup of hot tea?"

PART 2

[i-dream-of-twilight-sparkle]

Chapter 20: Dragon Soul

Upon the next morning, Spike wakes up. He quickly looks over to make sure Twilight’s bottle is still there, and indeed it is. Even with all the precautions they took, the last trip to Saddle Arabia certainly turned dark quickly and quite traumatizing for Spike. So Spike gives a sigh of relief. And decides to open Twilight’s bottle right away in the room, instead of letting Twilight pop herself out as he makes breakfast.

He takes off the stopper, and immediately a purple swirl of smoke pours out, shifting once the end of the smoke once again forming into Twilight’s shape from the waist up. Once she’s completely formed, she stretches her hooves, and smiles. She looks down to sees Spike, down on the floor of the room.

Twilight: Good morning, Spike!

Spike: Good morning, Mom!

She then proceeds to float herself down, disconnect her tail from the bottle and shift the tail into the rest of her body.

Twilight: Let’s get some breakfast before we return to Saddle Arabia to get Malakhar and Celestia to help us find the cave your birth mother died.

Spike: Of course! Who knows if the trek to the cave, will take long so we better have something in our stomachs at least

Spike and Twilight head to the kitchen in the castle and Spike makes another batch of toast for him and Twilight. Twilight then also precedes to deactivating all the protective measures they put in the castle from last night. Once they’re finished, Twilight tells Spike of another thing she’ll probably be doing once they’re done in the cave.

Twilight: By the way, Spike. Trixie went up to me last night to tell me Starlight wants to see me sometime today for something. So once we’re done paying our respects for your Mother, I’m going to go see her.

Spike: Sure thing! What is it about? School of Friendship stuff?

Twilight: I actually wasn’t told what it was about, but I guess I’ll find out later. But for now, let’s go get Malakhar and Princess Celestia.

Twilight opens up a gum portal back to the palace in Saddle Arabia. While Twilight and Spike put themselves with protective measures in the castle, the Sultan and Sultana also beefed up their security and put a guard at every door of the guests that are staying to go to the wedding. Just because Twilight would be safe, doesn’t mean her friends staying there would be. So they put the extra measures to protect all of Twilight’s friends in the night. No suspicious movement ever came about during the night, but even the palace guards certainly wanted to go with the same better safe then sorry feeling.

Twilight reaches the front of the palace and is meant with the Saddle Arabian Royal Guard captain who is thankful nothing happened this time around.

Guard Captain: Good to see you made it, Princess Twilight. All your friends have been safely protected throughout the night as well.

Twilight: Thank you Captain, I appreciate all the effort to assure us our safety after last time.

The captain bows and let’s Twilight and Spike in. Both then head in the direction of Malakhar and Kubuya’s room. Before they actually get there, the room actually opens and Malakhar walks out. He sees Twilight and Spike are already here.

Malakhar: Real eager to visit that cave, huh? I guess it does mean a lot to you. I can certainly start leading you there as soon as we’ve gotten Princess Celestia with us.

Twilight: Before we go, how’s Kubuya?

Malakhar: She’s fine, just still sleeping. We had a fantastic time at the ball last night, you have some very talented friends in Equestria. And we were also very happy for Pinkie Pie, when she started her relationship with Cheese Sandwich on stage.

Not to mention your friend Moondancer’s impressive dance moves she showed with the Prince! Which speaking of which, we’re happy the Prince finally found a special somepony that legitimately loves him. I don’t think we know Moondancer very much, her dancing was the first time we ever saw her. Is she just a regular dancing pony over in Equestria?

Twilight: No, in fact I don’t think many ponies have ever seen her dance until this ball. That was the first time I’ve seen her dance too. Perhaps I should of guessed given her name, but I guess I didn’t really spend enough time with her to find out about it.

Moondancer’s normally a lot like me, you could even say Moondancer would be closer to what I’d be like if I had a more normal life, rather then becoming the hero and Princess of Equestria I am now. She’s very much a bookworm like myself, normally.

Malakhar: Well then, I can’t wait to get to know her once she’s fully moved in to Saddle Arabia. Another you sounds like the best thing to us. And if Moondancer becomes Sultana, I’m sure she’ll be a very popular one. I think her dancing skills from last night is already the talk of the city from what I overheard from many of the Saddle Arabian citizens that attended the ball.

Twilight: I bet! She absolutely mastered some of your nation’s classic dances. There is absolutely no way I’d be able to do what she did even if I practiced dancing for the next 1000 years. I’m such a terrible dancer myself, heh.

Twilight sheepishly rubs the back of her head as she admits her rather poor dancing skill.

Twilight: But… Ahem, I guess we should now go find Princess Celestia.

Malakhar: Right, let’s go.

Twilight, Spike, and Malakhar walk the halls of the palace looking for Celestia, they eventually find her speaking with Sultan Theandri.

Twilight: Pardon if I’m interrupting an important talk Princess Celestia, but I believe you agreed last night to come along with me and Spike to the cave in the desert?

Celestia: Oh no worries, Twilight. Me and the Sultan were just having a pleasant conversation about the ball last night. I imagine you’re here so I can help you find where Spike’s egg was found?

Sultan Theandri: Wait, Spike was born here?

Celestia: Indeed. Remember when we came across a deceased dragon in a cave in the nearby desert? The egg that Malakhar presented to me happened to be Spike’s egg

Sultan Theandri: Amazing! Perhaps I should update Spike’s honorary citizenship here after the battle with Zathir, with birthright citizenship!. Actually, is it ok if I come along on this as well? It will be sort of like a nice little return get-together.

Malakhar: Though we’ll be of course missing my Grandfather, but sure it’ll be nice to have you along as well for a real re-visit.

Sultan Theandri: Ah yes, Hisan Manat. Great stallion, I’m sure he’d be proud of what you’ve done yourself, Malakhar.

Malakhar: I’m sure he would too…

As Malakhar reflects about his Grandfather,  he along with Twilight, Spike, Celestia, The Sultan, along with protective guards go onto a trek to the cave. Very much mirroring when Malakhar and his Grandfather set out to go where they saw a dragon land from the backyard of their hut.

((Story continues after the break))

Spike meanwhile keeps up a solemn face as he knows he’s about to see the resting place of his birth mother. He considers Twilight his mom through-and-through and nothing’s ever going to change that. But he feels like it’s still going to be a feeling of complex emotions to visit for him. As on one hand this is where his birth mother met her end, but also in a more positive spin, he’s visiting the place his egg was first laid before he’d end up in Equestria.

Soon they reach the mouth of the cave. But first, some guards check if anything dangerous is in the cave or if there’s any danger of the cave collapsing suddenly that could kill or entrap the Sultan. Though they do have a backup this time of Twilight using her magic to save the Sultan, as well as Princess Celestia’s strength in magic should something come up. The guards exploring the cave come back and give the go ahead for the group to go in.

When the group goes in, they see a large towering pile of bones, particularly the ribcage of the dragon that died. And as they look around they also find many of the other bones of the long tail, wings, claws, long neck, and a large skull. This huge skeleton had to be all that remains of Spike’s birth mother. Twilight at first kind of want’s to closely examine the skeleton to satisfy the curious scientist in her, but she also doesn’t want to perhaps do that right in front of Spike who might not want to see his birth mother’s remains treated like a museum exhibit. So for now, she keeps her distance.

The group just generally remains quiet as a sort of moment of silence. And then Spike slowly starts walking more closely to the skull of his birth mother. Twilight not sure how Spike is taking seeing his birth mother’s remains, she calls out to him in some concern.

Twilight: Spike… are you ok? If this is an upsetting sight, even if you never knew her. We can get out right away.

Spike turns back to Twilight and first nods side-to-side to indicate he’s fine.

Spike: I’m ok Twilight, I’m just thinking to myself…

Spike turns back to looking at his birth mother’s remains and makes a heavy deep breath. He puts a hand over his dragon tear necklace. And in his own mind, pays his respects for his birth mother.

Spike: (I never got to know who you were… but if what Princess Celestia told me was true… you set me and Twilight on the paths that we’re on to this day… As soon as I heard that… I felt an obligation to see where you laid in eternal rest… even if you can’t hear me, being dead and all… I want to express thanks for laying the egg containing me here, and instructing Celestia from beyond the grave, so that I would end up in Twilight’s hooves…

I know you also wanted me to find the perfect mother since you weren’t able to live to take care of me yourself… and I believe you got your wish, wholeheartedly… I just wish you could see if your wish came true…  if there was a way to, I’d love to have you to see me and Twilight… I’m sure you’d agree that your desire was fulfilled… and Princess Celestia’s as well…

It might be silly to say it, given it’s probably not going to actually do anything… but I desire you to come see us. Wherever you are… if you were able to visit Celestia’s dreams… perhaps there is some way to see us after all… please… I desire to see my dragon birth mother…)

Suddenly, the Dragon’s tear necklace starts glowing, which surprises the entire group in the cave including Spike himself who looks down wide-eyed.

Spike: Whoa!

Twilight expresses huge concern, not knowing what is happening

Twilight: Spike?! What’s going on? Why is your Dragon’s Tear glowing?!

Spike: I’m not sure! But something must be happening! I was just thinking to myself before this!

Twilight: It must of heard whatever you were thinking, then!

Spike: It couldn’t be granting what I thought about… could it?

Twilight: What?! You’re saying you said some sort of wish? What was it?

Spike: I… think we may just see in a moment…

As the Dragon’s Tear continues to glow the group awaits for what exactly Spike thought about. Unbeknownst to them outside, a large white streak of energy comes down into the atmosphere like a comet. It quickly flies down to Saddle Arabia and quickly approaches the cave. Guards warning the group of what they might have mistook for something attacking.

Royal Guard: Everyone duck!

The entire group goes prone on the ground as the energy comes into the cave with a loud whoosh. The energy then stops just above and in front of the skeleton of Spike’s dragon mother in a large sphere.

Celestia: What in Equestria is this?!

The entire group looks awestruck at the sphere, eventually the sphere starts taking a new shape. The sphere starts transforming, and in time it’s becoming clear from the silhouette that it’s becoming a dragon.

Spike: Oh my gosh, it may actually be happening! This thing must be my birth mother’s spirit!

Twilight: No way… We’ve never seen ghosts before! Are we sure this isn’t some dangerous shapeshifting monster?

Twilight is quickly prove wrong however as the silhouette of the dragon fades out and even gives at least some of the color of who it was supposed to be. Celestia, Malakhar, and the Sultan recognizing those colors.

Celestia: Pink scales…

Sultan Theandri: Green back plates…

Malakhar: Twilight… Spike… this is the dragon who died here… and Spike’s birth mother… there is no mistaking it… She looks exactly as I saw her back then…

Twilight just is speechless, wide-eyed, and mouth agape. The others basically confirmed that the spirit had been summoned. Was this what Spike’s desire was that the Dragon Tear granted? Do Dragon Tears have the ability to allow the living to see and even contact the dead? She is just entirely mind flooded, as the spirit continues to show more of the dragon who died here. Soon the full dragon can be seen. with a white glowing outline over the entire body and the spirit being somewhat transparent

The spirit dragon’s head comes into full view, eyes closed but are soon opened. As she looks around, and finds she was summoned at the very spot she died in. She then takes a look at all the ponies around her until she finally takes a look at the little purple dragon with the glowing Dragon Tear. She lowers her head to take a closer look at the little dragon. At first, kind of freaking out Spike. But she then smiles, and with a gentle voice that slightly echoes, that the other ponies can’t tell if it’s because of the cave or just an ominous effect of a spirit. She says…

???: Hello, my child…

Spike goes wide-eyed hearing the voice of her mother for the first time and doesn’t even know what to say first to of all things, the spirit of his birth mother. He manages to lightly raise a claw and waves, though it’s a bit shaky and he just ends up replying with:

Spike: U-u-ummm… h-hi?

Upon hearing the voice of the spirit, that’s when it sort of sunk in to the ponies in the cave that this was real. A dragon that supposedly passed away years ago is now in front of them. Most just standing there with mouth agape, but perhaps most attentive is Celestia who realizes she… recognizes that voice.

Celestia: T-that voice! I could never forget it… you were the voice in my dream! I knew it!

???: And I recognize your voice as well, Princess Celestia. I admit, I’m a little surprised I got this chance to appear before you all as well. But I’ll relish it, I’ve long wanted to know for sure if me and Celestia’s joint desires were granted. I see that I had a young son in the egg I left here… Tell me Princess., who was the one who hatched my son?

Celestia: Her name is Twilight Sparkle. Princess Twilight Sparkle in fact, she’s the purple alicorn next to your son. I promise that she very much fulfilled many of my wishes, she and her friends freed my sister. Twilight was also quite the worthy student, she would become a Princess of Equestria. And within a year from now, I will officially step down and let her take the reins.

And I do believe that she fulfilled your wish too.

???: I am happy to hear that everything worked out for you, Princess. Though to be absolutely sure that I got my wish as well, I must hear my son’s own opinion. What do you say? Has she been the perfect mother for you, that I wished

Spike thinks for a moment but first suggests something else before he gives his answer.

Spike: I promise I will answer you soon, and I also assure you that you’ll like my answer. But… I don’t think we got properly introduced, I know that being… well… dead… can kinda make introductions rather weird. But I’d like to at least know the name of my birth Mother before I say anything. In exchange, I’ll say my given name for you to call me.

???: I suppose that’s fair… my name… is Jennesis

Spike remembers that name from a conversation with former Dragon Lord Torch.

Spike: I… I remember hearing that name… former Dragon Lord Torch mentioned you!

Spike’s birth mother, now known as Jennesis just gives a deadpan expression on the mention of Torch. Just about the equivalent of reminding Rarity about Prince Blueblood.

Jennesis: Ugh… Torch… he was one of the most self-centered jerks of a mate I ever met… I tried to make it work in the few years I was with him… but he just never got better… I cringed whenever he called me Jenny…

Spike: Heh, no wonder he mentioned that you would of never agreed to lifetime marriage if it existed in the Dragonlands.

Jennesis: Yeah… because our relationship was mostly beneficial to him… pardon if this is a rather dirty subject in front of you ponies. But Torch mainly loved me for our intercourse together, and my kindness towards him he only really just took advantage of to get me to have sex with him every week or so.

He didn’t like abuse me, as he did actually somewhat respect whatever kindness I gave him.

Besides, I was bigger then him at that point, if he had ever tried to hit me. He’d face the wrath of an angry full grown female dragon.

Regardless, I wouldn’t say him wanting to have a pony-style lifetime marriage with me is him necessarily saying he cared about me. Just simply what’s best for him every now-and-then.

Spike: I guess while we’re on the subject of mates, I don’t suppose you know who my birth father could be?

Jennesis: I’m afraid I couldn’t specify, since I likely had multiple mates at the time I could of possibly started incubating your egg, and I’ll admit they may have been mainly one night stands, where I didn’t even get the names of them. I will say at the very least that they were all dragons about as big as me at least. Even if I know that doesn’t exactly narrow it down that much.

Spike: Gotcha. That’s alright. I don’t necessarily need to know who my father is, that’s sometimes normal for Dragons after all.

Jennesis: *nods* Now what is your name? Perhaps it shouldn’t be right to call you my son when you have had a new mother that I’ll be speaking with… as soon as she gets out of her shocked trance *giggles*

As Jennesis noticed, Twilight still has her mouth agape that all this is happening, maybe even partly regarding the subject manner mentioned in her conversation with Spike. Occasionally blinking, but otherwise has barely said a word. Spike himself laughing a bit, though soon goes on to tell his birth mother’s name.

Spike: My name is Spike.

Jennesis: Ah, Spike. Simple name, but I guess it works. Anyhow, I am actually somewhat familiar with how I was summoned, but was never certain I’d actually get the chance to get summoned down like this. But I’m glad that I did, so I could meet you, and hopefully with what I hope was indeed your “Perfect mother”.

Spike: I suppose I should answer how I feel about Twilight then. Yes, I very much consider her the best mother I could of asked for. We sort of grew up with each other first, at the time I was hatched. Twilight was a little too young to consider herself a mother. But through her entire rest of her childhood and teenage years as Celestia’s protege. And then a few adventures after meeting our friends in a town called Ponyville, we sort of became closer.

Then one fateful day in Saddle Arabia, she became a genie. Which gave her the chance to be able to take care of me for far longer then if she remained a mortal pony. Of course, she’d find out later that she was going to be able to do so anyway when Celestia was ready for Twilight to ascend into an Alicorn, but she couldn’t have known that at the time, plus the fact she chose to be a genie for my sake was a huge sign she saw me more then simply a younger sibling or an assistant.

She very well knew that becoming a Genie meant she’d one day outlive her friends, but she realized perhaps that she wouldn’t be where she is had she not hatched my egg, she’d never be where she was then and perhaps felt some responsibility for me. I also impressed her during our very first visit to Saddle Arabia when I did everything I could to help Twilight learn about herself as a genie, I helped her realize some of the pros of being a genie, after she had a pretty disastrous introduction to becoming a genie after Malakhar tricked her. Even if Malakhar had good intentions. I kind of had to go-to bat for the part of her mind that was now an internal conflict in Twilight’s own mind on whether to stay a genie or not.

And when the decision came down, she hugged me for the remaining minutes of the time limit. Promising at the very least that she’d be around for the next 1000 years.

Then, about a year after she became a genie… I came to a realization about me and Twilight’s relationship. And through showing some of our memories… I would call Twilight my mother for the first time ever… it caught her by surprise, to the point I wasn’t even sure if she was going to actually agree to being my mother… but then she teleport hugged me, and said she would be honored to be my mother. From there, she’d adopt me the next day and we’d proceed to have more adventures over the many years since. It took a little while for the butterflies in my stomach that I felt every time I was about to call Twilight my Mom, but now I’m at a point where I casually call her Mom all the time.

So what I’m saying is… I definitely think your wish for my perfect mother was granted. Albeit it surely was a slow process and wasn’t as simple as soon as Twilight hatched me we were mother/son right away. As Twilight’s own mother and Celestia generally helped out early on, but what matters is I consider Twilight my Mom now… and there’s no one else I’d rather it be…

Twilight finally breaks out of her trance as she’s been listening to Spike’s heartwarming summary of how they’d come to see each other as Mother and Son. Giving out joyful tears.

Twilight: Spike, what you just said deserves a hug…

Twilight walks over to Spike, sits down and hugs him tightly. Spike hugging back as well. This makes Jennesis smile, as it looks like indeed she got what she wished for.

Jennesis: I’m thankful, there was a part of me that was scared in my final moments I might of messed something up when I sent out my desire. But, looks like the power of the dragon’s tear as long as a desire has been said before it loses power, it still gets granted…

After a long hug, they finally let go and Twilight finally starts talking to Jennesis. Twilight’s ears perk noticing something Jennesis implied.

Twilight: Wait, Jennesis. What do you mean by that? Wasn’t there no dragon tear found around you when you died?

Jennesis: The truth was, I actually did cry out a pretty large tear before I died. A pretty big chunk too, I knew I was dying in the cave so I had to act fast. I had just laid Spike’s egg, and I quickly spoke into the Dragon’s tear that I desired the egg find the perfect mother. I saw the Dragon Tear work it’s magic giving the egg a barrier of magic protection that you, Twilight, would break in order to hatch Spike.

However, I had been away from Saddle Arabia for so long, I wasn’t sure if there were any remnants of that radical part of the Anti-Genie regime that wanted to use dragon tears to make those awful genie controlling devices. So after making my desire, I destroyed the dragon tear. Crushed it into pieces and used my last breath of fire to turn the pieces into unusable ashes.

Malakhar gasps

Malakhar: (So that’s why my grandfather never saw one back there…)

Jennesis: I had lived long enough to know things about just about everywhere in the world, including Saddle Arabia. I knew that Dragon tears had immense powers, especially when used by a dragon, in fact… it’s because Spike made his desire to see me known to the dragon tear on his necklace… that I was even able to be summoned. Becoming a genie is literally the only other way a non-dragon can harness the power of a Dragon’s tear. And even then, they don’t quite have all the same abilities a dragon with a Dragon’s tear does.

As you can see by myself being here, Dragons using Dragon Tears can summon the spirits of the deceased. Though one caveat, is in order to summon a spirit. The dragon themselves or at least someone else that is touching the dragon’s tear must be related by blood, had been lovers, and/or have had a close friendship. You can’t just simply look up the name of a historical figure that you never got to know, think of them, and summon them. You had to actually have known them, or hope they were somewhere in your family tree.

Twilight’s admittedly sort of disappointed with that, but she might understand why and asks just to clarify.

Twilight: So basically… the Dragon’s Tear has to actually sense a legit close relationship of some kind with the spirit in order to summon them. Whether they were family, friends, or even lovers that have passed?

Jennesis: Exactly

Twilight: What if a family member was at odds with another even after they died and thus not really close? Does that mean they’re cut off from being summoned?

Jennesis: Well, if a family member wasn’t particularly close with another family member even after they died, usually that would mean the one that could summon them probably likely wouldn’t want to summon them to begin with. But I suppose if you convinced someone to summon a family member they didn’t like, the blood relation is still strong enough to summon them on it’s own.

Though blood relation doesn’t necessarily just override a need for friendly relations with a family member, it also overrides if you never knew them to begin with. Like, I don’t think Spike necessarily loves or hates me, since he never got to meet me before I died. But he could still summon me, purely from blood relation.

Twilight: What if… someone bystanding a spirit summon sort of becomes friends with a spirit by talking to them. Does that work as a sort of loophole?

Jennesis: Unfortunately, no. Even if say we officially became friends now, you’d still need Spike or if you just so happen to find any friend or other dragons that I was a mother to that’s still alive. If hypothetically the one who summoned me was another dragon that was not Spike, and you tried summoning me because we became friends while I was a spirit. It wouldn’t count.

Twilight: Alright, I think I understand. If I’m hearing this right, when my friends in Ponyville have passed… me and Spike should be able to summon them from being great friends with them… Spike, suddenly one of the biggest cons about being a genie will be much less bad!

Spike: Yeah! That’s awesome! And we can also help others see beloved friends and family members who have passed!

The others in the group speak up

Malakhar: I could see my Grandfather again!

Sultan Theandri: I could get advice from all the former Sultans and Sultanas in my family dynasty! Or give advice myself if a future Sultan should they remain in blood relation!

Celestia: Me and Luna could be able to see our many departed generations of friends and loyal guards and staffers!

All of them just perhaps have some of the biggest smiles they’ve had in a longtime, joyful tears just thinking about the possibility of seeing either friends or family that have long been gone. Though Twilight gives an ahem before giving one more important question to Jennesis.

Twilight: Say Jennesis… how do you know all this anyway. A lot of what you told us isn’t something I’d expect a dragon from outside Saddle Arabia to know. You seem quite knowledgeable about Dragon Tears and Genies.

Jennesis: Well… I could say it’s just from how long I’ve lived. As after all when I died, I was well past 100,000. But I suppose it’s true that I wouldn’t have come across such knowledge, had I never met Jinn.

Twilight: *gasp* You met Jinn?!

Jennesis: Yes, it was a real long time ago. In fact I may have actually been Spike’s age at the time I first met her. But Jinn was a very fascinating pony, I learned a lot about Saddle Arabia, genies, and of course the Dragon Tears in the thousands of years that I got to know her, and call her a friend. Many of my own morals were taught by her, and I’d also assist her in her plight in escaping the Anti-Genie regime.

Though this kind of stuff would be easier, and quite frankly safer, if you could summon Jinn, somehow someway. I do at least know Jinn had a family, after she let herself become mortal again. Do any of you know someone of blood relation to Jinn? Or… but this would be kind of unlikely… someone who was good friends with Jinn back when she was alive

Malakhar immediately speaks up on the former. Twilight ponders a bit before she realizes they also have somepony who was good friends with her too.

Malakhar: My marefriend, Kubuya is blood related to Jinn

Twilight: And there’s also Somnambula! She’s been in limbo for a long time but she was brought back a few years ago, and she was friends with Jinn back in the day.

Jennesis: That’s great! Bring them both, just for good measure.

But perhaps I should at least give the short of why I must start going, and tell you that there is a danger to summoning too many spirits at one time. You shouldn’t summon down more then 50 pony-sized spirits at one time. Nor more then 2 fully grown dragon-sized spirits, it’s quite frankly risk enough to summon me down for reasons Jinn will explain soon.

Spike: Are you saying you don’t want us to summon you ever again?

Jennesis: Not ever again, just don’t overuse it, by summoning me all the time. I’d like to see you as much as I can, being your birth mother and all, but us spirits actually have a purpose where we go. Again, Jinn will clarify everything. And it’ll be safer for the world that she’s the one explaining all this, rather then me. Since she’s only one pony.

I do want to say that I’m proud of the dragon you are, Spike. And I am happy that you have found your perfect mother that I desired. Even if you never summon me again, I am most certainly eternally happy that what I desired has come to pass. As for you, Twilight, the perfect mother that I wished for. I am so happy to hear about your dedication to my son. Please continue to be the best mother for him, I know you’ll be very capable.

And to Princess Celestia, thank you for listening to me after your dream that one time. Doing that was risky on my part, and couldn’t really do that for much longer then I did. But I had to make sure things came out favorable to the egg. I am also happy to see all your wishes were granted as well, I wish you a happy retirement along with spending plenty of time with your dear sister.

Spike, Twilight, and Celestia all have joyful tears at Jennesis addressing them all.

Spike: Thank you for setting us on the paths, that we are on now. We will always appreciate that.

Twilight gives Spike a wing hug while waving to Spike’s birth mother.

Jennesis: Thank you Spike, now please deactivate your dragon tear and allow me to return…

Spike: Alright Jennesis, my birth mother. Perhaps I’ll summon you again some other time just to talk for a bit. But until then, this is goodbye.

Spike closes his eyes, focuses as he puts a hand on his Dragon Tear once more. The tear had been glowing the entire time Jennesis has been in the cave, albeit a decent amount dimmer then it was when she was being summoned. It starts glowing brighter again, as the spirit of Jennesis starts forming again into the giant sphere that had left the group in the cave awestruck. Finally, the Dragon Tear’s glow fades away slowly as it now as the sphere once again goes into a comet shape but now going out of the cave. Once the spirit has left, the group in the cave just looks at each other all with smiles on their faces as they are in full realization what kind of avenues this revelation brings up. But of course, they plan to do what Jennesis told them….

Summon the first ever genie in history, and learn some important stuff she knows about this newfound ability of the Dragon’s Tear.

UP NEXT: Chapter 21 - Life is Magic, Part 1

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Approximately how close is Luca to the rest of the hphm gang? Like... A number out of 10 ? He seems like a cool character and i kinda wanna know more about his relationships with the lot... Sorry for bothering

You certainly aren’t a bother! I welcome questions like these and find them flattering! If anything, this will help me define Luca and their relationships because I’ve been wishy-washy about that, for sure. (Oh, just so you, Luca uses they/them.) 

Rowan - 11/10. This is Luca’s best friend, no question about it. The closest and most important bond in their life, second only to Jacob. At this stage I very well might just ignore the whole concept of MC and Rowan becoming distant because even though Luca does have a twin, they tend to see Rowan as having that level of importance and trust. Needless to say, Y6CH18 completely shatters Luca’s world and leaves them spiraling, and they still are. 

Ben - 6/10. It was stronger in the early days, when Ben was still timid. Luca never wanted to believe Rowan’s theory about him, they always trusted Ben. But when he abandons caution for recklessness, Luca is about driven mad trying to keep him safe. It’s stressful, it’s not fun, and admittedly Luca’s opinion of Ben sinks at this point. 

Penny - 8/10. These two have always been close, the dearest of friends, and Luca will defend Penny to anyone who talks trash about her behind her back, which is definitely possible for people who get as popular as her. Going off of canon, MC and Penny tend to hang out a lot, and that works fine because they’re Housemates and best buds. Penny’s parents adore Luca too, so that’s nice. 

Merula - 9/10. One of the major contenders for a potential end-game. I pretty much wrote Luca around their interactions with Merula. From first, they never hated her. Simply found her perplexing and mildly annoying. They didn’t blame her for the Bulbadox powder incident. Even then, they were showing her mercy. This inkling of mercy eventually evolved into genuine care and protective instincts toward the Slytherin witch who reminds them so much of their brother.

Bill - 6/10. A solid pal, like a big brother. He doesn’t fill the hole that Jacob left behind, but I chose my URL for a reason, and Bill would be there for Luca and they’d get along quite well. Sharing solidarity in how they both trust Rakepick, and heartbreak when that comes back to bite them. 

Skye - 8/10. This is just the story of Merula and Luca, but translated to Quidditch and without the phase of being opponents. Luca was very wary around Skye and not impressed by her at first. But by the end of Season 1, they had grown fond of her, felt loyal to her, and despite being keenly aware of her flaws, they stuck up for her and tried to gently guide her toward making smarter choices. 

Murphy - 5/10. They aren’t that close. Not that they aren’t friends, because they totally care, and Luca appreciates his company. But compared to the other folks on the team, Luca and Murphy are friendly with each other, but haven’t really opened up or connected on an especially deep level. 

Orion - 8/10. This right here, is the guy who fills the hole that Jacob left. I can’t quite explain it but there’s something about his wisdom and serenity that Luca just latches onto. They seriously admire him, enjoy his company, and want to make h him proud. They’re basically in awe of Orion, and he seems to see a lot of potential in Luca as well. 

Rath - 5/10. A relationship that was initially built upon uncertainty and fear gradually evolved into being an unconventional friendship through the events we see in the Rath TLSQ. Luca never wanted to be at odds with Rath, but admittedly it does feel a little awkward to trade friendly and affectionate banter. 

Tonks - 9/10. A complete disaster, an absolute nightmare that is constantly spawning chaos...but she’s just so damn lovable, and it’s not like Luca doesn’t have a history of surrounding them-self with people who are equally dodgy. Tonks is one of their closest friends, though she also felt slightly awkward around them for a while, as Luca’s aunt is Alice Longbottom, who was victimized by Tonks’ own aunt, though obviously Luca never holds this against her.

Tulip - 9/10.  Another contender for end-game, and could even share them. Tulip swept Luca off their feet almost immediately. Whatever winds up happening, it’s safe to say she was their first crush, and they always found her amazing. Growing very close to her in Year Three, especially thanks to their mutual connection to Merula. I like to think that Tulip knows she needs someone to reel her in now and then, even if she won’t admit it. Luca does that for her. 

Barnaby - 6/10. Similar to Murphy, it’s not that there’s any issue in this relationship, because there absolutely isn’t. Luca simply didn’t grow as close to Barnaby as to some other people, but they always thought very highly of him and similar to Ben, they were protective of him and wanted to keep him safe from harm. Also, his hugs were always amazing. 

Ismelda - 5/10. Luca had ambivalent feelings toward her for a while, after Year 3. They’re not really a hateful person, but they weren’t very fond of her. Made a couple of attempts to make peace, but they didn’t really go anywhere. After “Crushed” they came to understand her more and begin to develop pity, which only evolved further by Year 6, at which point they would unironically hang out with her. She begrudgingly appreciates the company.

Charlie - 6/10. Like Bill, he has a warm and cordial friendship with Luca that is able to flourish more regularly as they share classes, and Luca could honestly listen to Charlie talk about dragons all day. They don’t always understand, but Charlie’s presence is calming, and that’s why they like it.

Andre - 4/10. Luca and Andre get off on the right foot, but they barely talk. To Luca, Andre is that one friend that they wish they could get to know better, and feel bad because they never have time for them. Andre is so disconnected from the plot, but he does nice things for MC like making them outfits, Luca would appreciate it.

Jae - 7/10. In my headcanons, Jacob and Jae knew each other before Jae was at Hogwarts. So Luca and Jae were friends when they were young, but fell out when Jacob disappeared. Avoiding each other until Year 5, whereupon they reconciled and reconnected, becoming better friends again. 

Badeea - 5/10. Obligatory clarification that this is due to them simply not being very close, not because there’s any bad blood, there isn’t. Luca thinks highly of Badeea and admires her abilities and she admires their heart and kindness. There isn’t much more to say about the friendship than that. 

Liz - 6/10. Luca seriously respects her and always has. Sure, she’s a bit odd, but they more than agree with her about a lot of things that most people wouldn’t. They care about the well-being of creatures too, and Liz is always fun to be around, even if her personality is a bit prickly. She gets along well with the likes of Penny and Barnaby, no way she wasn’t going to like Luca.

Diego - 3/10. Okay, this one is actually due to some friction between the two characters. Diego just entirely rubs Luca the wrong way, and he eventually catches on to that. They’re never enemies or anything, but they’re also not really friends either. I just feel like Diego would be the most sexual person in general, and Luca’s very ace, so it’s a struggle for them to coexist. 

Talbott - 6/10. Luca’s very fond of him, and grows to sympathize with him during his quests. Talbott is just such a relatable guy, and while Luca isn’t the most anti-social, they understand the instinct. I also like to imagine that they’re less pushy than MC is in-canon, and that Talbott appreciates this. Luca is the one cat that Talbott can tolerate.

Chiara - 8/10. She’s closer to Luca, because they do share a House, so how could they not be? She was part of their friend group since Year 1, alongside Tonks, Penny, and Rowan. These two have a lot in common. They’re both socially awkward, but caring Healers who are on the quieter side but carry dark secrets they aren’t responsible for. Of course they connect. 

Beatrice - 9/10. These two would become the most unlikely friendship, but would quickly become close. Beatrice is the chaotic type Luca gravitates toward, and Luca has the gentle energy of someone like Penny without the appearance of being pretentious or trying to control Beatrice. I think she’d very much appreciate that and latch onto Luca the way she did Ismelda. I see these two understanding each other quite well as time goes on.

This was fun! Thank you for sending it my way!

[zulies-doodles]

Thoughts on Tales of Arcadia: Wizards 

Tl;dr Similar to 3 Below, I thought it was good and really enjoyed it but had some issues with pacing and decisions made with some of the characters

WIZARDS Spoilers below the cut

Things that I liked!

-The world building, I really loved the introduction of the arcane order and the whole plot within Camelot and how the war of the trolls and gum gums played out and also diving deeper with magic in the world

-Douxie is now one of my favorite characters. I love his design and personality and generally really enjoyed him this season. Also seeing him try so hard to become someone to be proud of before finally accepting himself and his ways of doing things made me happy. 

-Archie is just, so good. He’s a dragon cat what do you expect

-I liked seeing more of Morgana and Merlin and having more depth to their characters. Also Merlin and Douxie’s relationships was interesting  and even made me cry a bit. (I do wish we had more time to explore that relationship tho)

-I love that Jim and Claire and others in the trollhunters main cast were brought back cause well, I loved Trollhunters so much and im glad I got to see more of them! Especially seeing more troll Jim in action.

-troll jim troll jim troll jim troll jim

-Claire’s new hair, just thank you. One of my main pet peeves was how odd claire’s hair looked in troll hunters. I’m pretty sure no teenager uses that many hair clips like that, im sorry. 

-I loved that we got to meet Deya, she was a good character

-The visuals in this show were sooooo good, the designs (especially the arcane order cause holy shit) and the opening and the creative ways to show magic and how to fight with it. 

Now onto things I think could be improved/didn’t like much.

-The pacing was soooo off in the second half of the season, like damn? The conflicts after the time travelling stuff felt so random and disconnected all of a sudden and it felt very messy even if it had very cool moments in between. Like 3 below I think wizards would’ve benefited from another season. Have the first season be the time travelling stuff and have the second season be the arcane order conflict. It would also give us more time with the characters all together again, especially since some were thrown in last minute like krel and also maybe even time to explain who the heck that pink-haired girl was???? like seriously???? and also more time with Douxie and Merlin cause from archie’s comment apparently it was supposed to be almost a father-son relationship?? and i really didn’t feel that part of it. Just mentor and apprentice.  

-Steve, just, damn. Like, I get they wanted comic relief but steve wasn’t even funny, they just made him act like an idiot and scream all the time and not even finish off the character development that had been building from before.  

-I did mention i was happy with the art and designs but one thing bothered me, why’d they give lancelot the same model as steve. like its fine if it was just a one-off gag but then he stayed as an actual character so it just became... weird i guess??? I’m not sure why they made the decision

-also Deya’s design was fine except the green color and her haircut, it just didn’t look that great to me personally

-One thing I’m veryyyy unsure about is Jim being human again. Though I like to see him back to himself and it’ll probably make him happy, I’ll have to see what they do with that in the movie to know how to feel about it. Especially since they made such a huge deal about Jim making a huge sacrifice to become a troll and save humanity so they’re gonna have to give us a very good reason to just reverse that decision. ((though, even if it might be a bit of a cop out, I wouldn’t fully mind Jim having troll form when he dons the trollhunter armor and having human form when he doesnt.)) Also, I’m not sure what they’re gonna do with the amulet but I hope he’s still trollhunter?? it just feels odd after having a whole series about him growing into the role to suddenly not have it anymore. I hope they don’t go that route.

Those are my main thoughts for now. In general I enjoyed it but I think it needed things to improve, especially the pacing. Trollhunters is still my favorite of the 3 and in my opinion, the best executed. I ended up liking Wizards more than 3 Below but I think thats mostly cause the finale didn’t make me upset like 3 Below did and I enjoyed the setting a bit more since it felt more connected to trollhunters. Also having Jim and Claire in the spotlight again probably helped too. But I don’t think it was bad, It’s strength was definitely the characters and setting, it just couldve been better in terms of storytelling.

[pheacas]

do you have any underrated musical suggestions?

Yes!!! I don’t actually know how to consider a musical “underrated,” especially because I have been a bit disconnected from general fandom, so I’m kind of basing it on if most of the songs have under 100k listens on Spotify. I’m also going to probably stick to musicals that do have cast recordings, instead of only audios or videos (as I know those aren’t easily available). Also, almost all of the musicals also have a canon LGBTQ+ relationship, if you’re looking for some much needed musical representation!

Lizard Boy

This is literally one of my favorite musicals of all time. It’s a three person musical depicting a superhero origin story about a boy who, after an encounter with a dragon turning his skin green and scaly, secluded himself away out of fear for years until his want for human connection makes him finally get out on a search for more in life. It’s such a fun listen, even without having any videos (and I think only one audio). Definitely check it out my top recommendation, and I really do hope it eventually gets to go somewhere.

We Are The Tigers

This is one I’m really surprised doesn’t have as many streams as I thought it would? I always thought this one was relatively popular, but that might just be in my little group. It’s a classic horror movie set-up, a cheerleader sleepover where a serial killer strikes, and everyone is trying to survive while figuring out who the killer is. The soundtrack is so good, I think anyone who likes many of the other popular teen musicals will instantly fall in love with this one as well.

Head Over Heels

Ah. Head Over Heels. Suffered such a horrible fate in the 2018-2019 Tonys season. A jukebox musical using exclusively Go-Gos music, it’s such fun and positive musical! After the Oracle tells of four prophecies which will result in the loss of the kingdom’s beat, a power which governs the land, the royal family goes on a a journey to try and escape fate. Not to get stuck on the 2019 Tonys because old news but their lack of noms was truly a robbery of the highest caliber they deserved acknowledgement.

 Cruel Intentions

Another jukebox musical, this time various songs from the late 90s and early 00s. Based on the movie of the same name, it focuses on two rich step-siblings betting on if the boy can get a proud virgin to sleep with him. It’s definitely not the best musical here, but it’s so fun especially if you’re into that era of music.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story

Okay, I said only cast album recordings, but the Colton Ryan and Drew Gasparini lovers in me couldn’t leave this one out. Love musicals like Dear Evan Hansen and Next to Normal talking heavily on mental health and/or enjoyed the book or movie of the same title? This is for you! There’s only videos of a some of the songs, but I think it’s a charming musical I’m still hoping goes somewhere! (Still waiting on that cast recording Colton mentioned forever ago)

We Aren’t Kids Anymore

My current obsession. It just came out recently, and it’s a song cycle from the guy who wrote the musical right above this one! Hey again Drew!

Apparently there is a limit on videos I can include so I couldn’t embed one here but just think of Colton Ryan, Lilli Cooper, Bonnie Milligan, Nicholas Christopher, and Raymond J. Lee here.

Jonathan Larson Project

This isn’t really a musical, but it has a lot of popular actors and actresses singing music from my favorite lyricists ever, so I had to add it at the end. It’s incredible that some of these songs, after two and a half decades, finally were recorded, and it really deserves more attention. It has a variety of styles, and there’s at least one song you’re destined to love. My personal favorite is Valentine’s Day (although I have to say that because it’s from Rent), but I love them all.

Imagine there’s Lauren Marcus, Andy Mientus, Krysta Rodriguez, Nick Blaemire, and George Salazar here.

I’m sure there’s more I can’t think of at the moment, but I thoroughly enjoy all of these, and I hope you can find at least one that really resonates with you!

[itachi-uchiha-deserved-better]

Fun Meta asks: 3. 4. 5. 11. 17. 20. 23. 25. -Sorry for asking so many. Curiosities of one writer to another. Feel free to omit any of these.

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 have this scene in my head between Itachi and my OC. She’s chasing him down against orders after his massacre of the Uchiha clan because she refuses to believe that things are what they look like. And when she manages to catch him, she’s able to use her mind prison jutsu to stop him from leaving and tells him about how no matter what anyone says, She refuses to believe that he is the monster the village wants to paint him as. As she’s trying to convince him to come back to the village with her, her body is weakening more and more from the chakra poisoning caused by using her jutsu. Eventually he gives her something, a sort of vague acknowledgment that she might not be wrong. He tells her that he may need her help if Sasuke wavers from the path Itachi has set for him but he can’t risk her remembering anything, so he uses Tsukyomi on her, leaving her near death in the forest for her Anbu teammates to find.

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

We know the details of the war. We are unfailingly familiar with the facts. Michael led the nine choirs against Lucifer and his followers. We know that Lucifer’s assault on heaven was swift and viscous, striking for every advantage, exploiting the weakness to be found in soldiers hesitant to lash out against those who once were called brother. We know that in the heat of the battle, Michael called the seven remaining arch angels together. Among the cacophony of blades and bloodshed the seven marched and behind them a solemn silence followed. Together they marched and they struck at the dragon. “Beloved,” they cried, “Why, beloved Lucifer? Why have you done this? You were the first in God’s eyes.” We know that the seven cried as they pierced the dragon’s hide and brought to bear on him the full force of the power of heaven.             We know that our father lost the war, but we know in the way a student knows the facts of history. They may sit and memorize the hows and the whys of history, but they are at their core, disconnected from it. So it is for us. We know what happened during our father’s rebellion. We understand the nature of our father’s sin, the sin which we share by our shared blood. We lack the intimacy of memory. We know, but these events are no more than words on the pages of our minds. 

I wrote this as an intro to a WIP called Children of the Damned, a story that was supposed to be about a group of angels who hadn’t fallen from grace but were cast out of heaven because they were the children of lucifer. They were supposed to be a neutral force, something between demons and angels who’s job was to protect all of humanity- the good and the bad. The project never really went anywhere but I still have the intro draft sitting in my WIP folder. 

5) What character that you’re writing do you most identify with?

I have a character called Zero (she was originally from a DnD campaign that ended up falling apart.) and her whole shtick is that she is a researcher for the Arcanum- basically an orphan who managed to get into the big magic school of the setting and is now a glorified grad student researching for her thesis and has to bounty hunt to fund her research. She is socially awkward, painfully shy, very disenchanted with the world but fascinated with her chosen field of study and constantly stressed out by budgets and deadlines. And since I’m an eternally stressed out grad student I relate to her pretty hard. 

11) What do you envy in other writers?

The ability to see and work towards an overarching plot. I can do drabbles pretty well because my brain works in scenes, but I have a really hard time stringing those individual scenes together into something coherent with an ultimate end goal. 

17) Do you think readers perceive your work - or you - differently to you? What do you think would surprise your readers about your writing or your motivations?

Absolutely I think that people perceive my writing differently than I do. I mean, all of my writing is ultimately informed by my own life experiences and ultimately no one else has experienced my life, so I’m sure that readers are viewing my work through the lenses of their own experience. As for me? Probably? Idk I am pretty vague with my online presence so I really have no idea what people perceive about me. As for surprising people about my motivation....Honestly I really don’t know. My motivation to write is usually because I have a scene in my head that wont leave me be until I put it on paper and sometimes that leads to a larger idea and sometimes I just leave it at that. 

20) Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

So Idk that it’s something most people pick up on, but I am a percussionist at heart and so Cadence in writing is a big thing for me. One of the things they teach you when you learn, say, snare drum for instance, is to use words to identify certain rhythmic patterns. Well my brain took that and sort of applied it to all language. There are things, feelings that you can evoke just by substituting a short word for a longer word. For example- Pain, Hiss, Break: these are all short, sharp words. And using them in a sentence will provoke a different sort of sensation or feeling than words like agony, mournful, shattered, breath which are longer more lyrical words. Idk if it makes any sense to other people, but that kind of cadence drives the imagery in a lot of my writing. I have an essay about it (or did at one point). 

23) What’s the story idea you’ve had in your head for the longest?

The Ichor Blade. Three characters- Matthias, an older man, a healer who’s formed a deal with some kind of dark entity and uses the power of the dark magic he has gained to heal people at the expense of his own life. Zero- an arcane acolyte from the arcana consortum, she is a very adept mage, but clinical in her approach to magic and tasked with hunting down rogue magic users as part of the agreement that funds her research. And Illomenn (I-LL-OMENN), a creature of supernatural origin known as a Hex which are essentially manifestations off all things that trouble the world. Illomenn is a minor hex, the manifestation of bad luck. They are brought together by chance after Matthias and Zero encounter several Major Hex’s- plague, malice, and war. Zero is affected by plague and cannot use most of her magic without it destroying her body. Matthias is trying to help her undo the curse and in the process they find Illomenn and recruit his help in using a relic called the Ichor Blade to destroy the curse and to seal away the hexes from the world. 

25) What part of writing is the most fun?

Honestly? Watching people read what I wrote and listening to their thoughts afterwards. Its kind of like cooking for me. The actual process of making something is fun, but the most satisfying part is knowing that other people enjoyed it. 

[mamabearcat]

Into the Woods - Part Five

Hey! I’m having trouble blocking out my big ass fight scene - I want it to be awesome sauce, so I’m spending extra time on it. But, because the first half of the chapter is an entirely different pace, I thought I’d let you have that now. So, short chapter, but sooner! Thankyou so much for all the love this fic is getting - seriously, I’m so flattered and amazed. 

Also, a quick explanation - in this AU, I’ve decided youkai age the same as humans until they hit their peak physical strength at around thirty, and then their aging process slows down (makes more sense to me anyway - who would wanna be stuck in their awkward teen years for decades!) Inu’s in his mid twenties, a couple of years older than Kagome.

Tagging my two main cheerleaders for this @clearwillow and @keichanz and also @redflamesofpassion​ @xxracheyxx @mcornilliac@inuyashasnook @cstorm86 @xfangheartx @wenchster

Song inspiration for this one is The Last of the Real Ones - Fall Out Boy

I was just an only child of the universe And then I found you And then I found you You are the sun and I am just the planets Spinning around you Spinning around you You were too good to be true Gold plated But what's inside you But what's inside you I know this whole damn city thinks it needs you But not as much as I do As much as I do, yeah'

Cause you're the last of a dying breed Write our names in the wet concrete I wonder if your therapist knows everything about me I'm here in search of your glory There's been a million before me That ultra-kind of love You never walk away from You're just the last of the real ones

Part One  Part Two  Part Three  Part Four

 Kagome couldn’t stop smiling as they walked away from the dojo and back down the darkened hallway. She was still scared, terrified even, of the confrontation still to come, but suddenly her whole existence made sense.

 She’d made sure to never reveal to her family and friends how utterly disconnected she’d felt from her life in Tokyo. No matter how hard she’d worked, how hard she’d studied, how hard she’d laughed to cover the existence of that small soft voice, she’d always felt that she didn’t fit. A weirdly square peg in a teeming city of smooth round holes. The discovery that she made sense here in this place was a little overwhelming, but in a good way.

 She tightened her fist around the grip of the bow; it was comforting feeling the roughness against her palm, the weight of the quiver on her shoulders. She had purpose. And discovering it had rather a lot to do with the gruff but good hearted hanyou walking beside her in the darkness. She gave the large calloused hand that was safely leading her through the gloomy hallway a grateful squeeze.

 A sudden thought occurred to her. “Hey Inuyasha?”

 “Yeah?”

 “You said before that you grew up knowing what you were destined for. How did you know exactly?” The gloom was lessening, she could just about see his silvery hair now, and she was relieved. She had always been a little afraid of the dark, and it helped to have something to focus on. She could see his pointed ears swivelling back towards the sound of her voice, and she pushed down a sudden urge to reach up and touch them, find out if they were as soft as she hoped they might be.

 “My father was a Guardian, so I grew up here in this house. There was no way of escapin’ it. And then when I was ten, I was chosen by the Tessaiga”, he said, reaching back with his free hand and fondly patting the axe handle near his shoulder. Light from the onsen was filtering down the hallway now, making it easier for her to watch her step, but in the shadows behind his back she saw a pulse of yellow light surrounding the axe, as if in response to his touch. “The Tessaiga originally belonged to the first youkai that battled alongside Midoriko, and it’s passed down to each new Guardian to wield after they’re chosen. Each generation pours more youki into it – it’s sentient to some extent; knows who the best match for it would be. And it chose me.”

 “Wow!” breathed Kagome. It was so fascinating to learn that outside her regular boring existence in Tokyo there was a place where something this magical continued. Especially now that she had found out that she had some part in it.

 “Was there some sort of ceremony when you found out?” she asked eagerly, moving up to walk beside him now that she could see better. She could just picture it; a crowd of Youkai children all reaching out to touch the axe with no response. Then Inuyasha laying a small clawed finger on the handle and emerging triumphant, holding the axe up over his head with those cute puppy ears standing up straight on his head, a proud beaming smile on his face. It made her happy to just think about it. She was surprised to hear his cheerless sigh.

 “Not exactly”, he shrugged, guiding her past the onsen and back into the main room. “About fifteen years ago, Ichiro and my father were asked to help at another shrine – the Guardian’s never usually leave the shrine unprotected, but a dragon youkai clan moved down from Tokyo causing trouble. The bastards thought they could run some sorta yakuza style drug smuggling operation outa the port in Fukuoka, and it would have been bad if it had escalated to include our area. My father and Ichiro didn’t want to take the risk of a physical attack on the shrine, in case it released Naraku. There ended up being a massive battle with several shrines involved. My father never came home.”

 “Oh, Inuyasha”, gasped Kagome, squeezing his hand gently, “I’m so sorry!”

 “Can’t change what happened. He was a great dad, and I missed him for a long while; still do, but I’ve learned to live with it”, he said, shrugging again. “Anyway, Ichiro made it home relatively unscathed; he’d managed to bring the Tessaiga with him. Said that a choice would have ta be made between me and my brother, seeing we were the only ones left from the original youkai blood line. Everyone was expectin’ Tessaiga to choose Sesshomaru, me included.”

 “Why?”

 He scratched the back of his head self-consciously. “Well, he’s the eldest – he’s nearly ten years older than me, and he’s full youkai. His mother is an inuyoukai, like my father, and comes from a very influential family in Kyoto with a lot of political clout in youkai society. My mother was human, just a local girl from the village, with no other family of her own. My father fell in love with her and after I was born, they got married. Sesshomaru and his mother had already moved back to Kyoto. They’d been divorced for a while before he met my mother.”

 Inuyasha stooped to tip a ladle of water over the fire pit, dousing the embers. The only light in the room came from several covered lanterns which hung from brackets in the wall at regular intervals, and the round full moon rising over the mountain, shining through the large window behind them. Inuyasha’s hair gleamed like polished silver in the moonlight, and Kagome noticed his amber eyes glowed, cat-like in the semi-darkness. She supposed that made sense, seeing he could see well in the dark.  

 “So Sesshomaru didn’t live here with you?” She put down her bow and quiver and picked up the empty teacups and saucers, placing them back on the black enamel tray with the teapot and tea caddy. She followed Inuyasha as he took the tray from her and carried it and the kettle over to a small sink with a hand pump.

 “Nope. Just me and my Dad”, he said, pumping water into the sink and adding the remainder of the hot water from the kettle and a small squirt of detergent. “Mama died when I was eight, from a fever.” He picked up a teacup almost reverently, stroking around the gold rim and over the hand painted image of dainty plum blossoms before he placed it in the hot water along with the other teacup and saucers, washing each carefully. 

Kagome swallowed a small noise - she realised with a pang of empathy that the tea set must have belonged to his mother. She had wondered earlier why such an obviously rough and ready outdoorsy type of male should possess such a thing, but now it was perfectly clear. Spying a dish towel on a hook, she took it down and dried each cup carefully after he’d washed them, placing them back on the enamel tray next to the ornate tea caddy. Smiling his thanks, he rinsed the teapot, and passed it to her for drying.

 “Sesshomaru only came back from Kyoto because Ichiro called him to let him know about Dad’s death. Both a them thought Tessaiga’s choice would be a formality - they were pretty pissed when it chose me.”

 “But why would my Great Uncle be mad if the sword chose you?” she wondered, placing the dry teapot on the tray. “I mean, you were obviously meant to be the Guardian?”

 “Uh…” Inuyasha paused, looking sideways at Kagome, who smiled in understanding and patted him on the arm.

 “You can say whatever you like about him. I only met him once, when I was much younger, and I didn’t like him, not at all.” Kagome hung the dish towel back on the hook and crossed her arms, glowering at the memory. “He came to my Father’s funeral, tried to get my Grandpa to turn me and my very pregnant mother out of my father’s house so it could be sold, seeing my father had left no will. Grandpa refused, and they yelled at each other. I think it caused some sort of rift between them, because Grandpa stayed in Tokyo to help look after us, even though he didn’t really like living in the city at all. And Mama told me when I was older that Papa had moved away from Takamori village because he didn’t like the way the Higurashi family controlled everything.” She startled at Inuyasha’s rumbling growl.

 “That explains a lot actually. He said he wanted to wait until he’d spoken to your grandfather before choosing a successor, but if they weren’t talkin’ to each other at all… keh! It sounds just like somethin’ he’d do. Whenever my Dad wasn’t around, he spoke to my mother like dirt. Misogynistic bastard.” He growled, pulling the plug to empty the sink. “He never liked me either. Didn’t let a day go by without lettin’ me know how Sesshomaru would a been a better choice. He didn’t like youkai much, but he liked half-breeds even less.”

 His eyes widened suddenly and he swung around abruptly, turning to face Kagome. “Wait, you said that he came to your father’s funeral?” Kagome nodded. “And you said that the first time Midoriko spoke to you was just before your father died?” Kagome nodded again, and Inuyasha’s sudden roar of anger made her jump.

 “Fucking bastard!” he yelled. “He would a known! He would a been able to tell that Midoriko had chosen you, and because he was a narrow-minded bigot, he chose to look the other way! You could have been here Kagome, all those years ago!” He paced the length of the room, snarling, clenching and unclenching his fists spasmodically. His voice deepened, his previous pleasant baritone gravel becoming harsh and rasping. “Always knew there was somethin’ wrong. I couldn’t trust him. We never worked well together; our spiritual energies never blended. And he always said it was cause I was a hanyou, that Tessaiga made a mistake. That I was a mistake.” He roared his anger towards the window where the shrine on the mountain was just visible in the light of the full moon. “YOU’RE LUCKY YOU’RE FUCKING DEAD ALREADY BASTARD, OR I’D TEAR YOU APART!”

 “Inuyasha?” said Kagome uncertainly. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up in response to the pure rage rolling off him as he paced around the room. She understood why he was so angry. She would be upset too if they didn’t have much bigger problems to handle at the moment. She had to try and help him calm down.

 “Inuyasha!” As he strode past her, she reached out her hand, tugging on his sleeve, and squeaked in surprise as he flicked his gaze toward her with a snarl, his teeth shutting with a loud snap. The sclera of his eyes was a deep ruby red, and jagged purple marks snaked across his cheeks. He looked savage and wild in his anger, ready to hurt anyone who opposed him.

 But instead of doing the obviously rational thing and running away, Kagome threw herself toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burrowing her face into his chest. She could feel the frantic pulse of his heartbeat and the vibration through his chest from his increasingly loud growls of anger. The axe on his back seemed to pulse too, a heavy dominating presence against her own, demanding that she submit and cower. His clawed fingers wrapped around her upper arms with bruising pressure, but she refused to pull away.

 “Inuyasha, it’s okay!” she shouted, tilting her face to the side, trying to be heard over his anger. “We found each other, and it’s all going to be okay. Please, I need you to calm down! I don’t know how to do this by myself!” The snarls grew less intense, and the pressure around her arms lessened. She felt Inuyasha’s head drop to hers, his cheek resting on her hair, heard him struggle to calm his breathing. She tried to squeeze her arms around him even tighter, rubbing her face against his chest, the buttons on his shirt hard against her cheek.

 “It’s okay”, she repeated softly. We’re together now. It’s okay.” The growling stopped altogether, and his arms wrapped around her shoulders.

 “Sorry”, he sighed heavily, still trying to calm his breathing. “Sorry you had to see me fly into a battle rage like that Kagome. That should only happen when we’re in mortal danger. I lost control a myself. ” He rubbed his cheek against her hair, and Kagome made a soothing sound. “Kagome”, he sighed wearily, his voice still a low and rasping. “It’s just, for the last fifteen years I was told that I wasn’t enough. I thought there was something wrong with me. And you said before you had felt the same way. And to find out it was because we were meant to connect and had been deliberately kept apart… I’m sorry Kagome.” His hands moved to rub up and down her upper arms gently. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

 Kagome looked up and shook her head, relieved to see the anger fading from his face. “There’s no need to apologise - I’m glad I could help. We’re meant to be a team, remember?”

 She reached up hesitantly to stroke feather light touches over the fading purple marks on his face, smiling a little as a blush flooded his cheeks to cover the jagged lines. “Inuyasha? I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but… before, there was this moment where I felt… like a link… a… a…” Her own cheeks flushed, and her expression twisted in frustration, groaning at her inability to put what she felt into words. She pulled her hand from his face to clutch at his shirt, hiding her face in his chest again.

 “I felt it too”, he said softly, resting his chin on the top of her head. “It was our souls accepting each other as a guardian pair. A bond formed – you accepted me as your protector, and I accepted you as the heir of Midoriko’s spiritual power. It don’t always happen like that Kagome.” A short rumbling growl vibrated against Kagome’s chest. “You only gotta look at how well me an Ichiro worked together to see that.” He swallowed; Kagome could feel the movement of his Adam’s apple near her forehead. “Part of my training was reading the shrine records. They said sometimes, a pair of guardians is reborn, wanting to find each other again. They said it only happens when it was a very strong pairing, a true friendship.”

 “A friendship?” repeated Kagome, unable to hide the slight tone of disappointment in her voice.

 “Sometimes friendship, sometimes… more”, breathed Inuyasha, the blush on his face intensifying.

 Kagome tipped back her head and beamed at him, her eyes lighting up, a blush still pinking her own cheeks. Then she looked at him seriously, standing up straighter and releasing him from her hug. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed herself away from him a little, creating some space between them. “But first, Naraku”, she said in a very serious voice.

 “Of course”, agreed Inuyasha, in the same serious tone. And they both walked over to the genkan, sitting down to put on their boots in a determined way, lacing them tightly, securing weapons, ready for the fight to come. But Kagome couldn’t help the small smiles and glances she continually sent his way. And she couldn’t stop her heart beating faster and the swooping feeling of pure joy she felt when he returned each little gaze with a beaming fanged grin.  

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Part Six

[jaehyukiewrites]

right here, right now

1.5k Words | suggestive (no acutal smut)

↳ fem. reader + haechan

↳ 📁 extra info: when you two are at a your sisters sweet 16, its hard for hyuck to keep his hands to himself with you in that dress and all.

You ran your hands down the front of your dress, smoothing out the bumps. The dress hugged every curve on your body and you looked beautiful. Hyuck stood beside you fiddling with his tie, huffing and pouting. You watched him from the corner of your eye, smirking to yourself.

“You’re such a baby.” You tease, turning to face him and grab a hold of his tie.

He watched your fingers intensively, moving in ways he’ll never understand. Hyuck was good at a lot of things. He’s an amazing singer and dancer and never failed to crack a smile, but learning how to tie a tie was never something he could do.

“But I’m your baby.” he caught your eyes and you smiled. 

“You’re so cheesy.” 

You finished working your magic and placed the tie down, letting hit his chest. You grabbed a hold of his collar, adjusting it for him. He could not take his eyes off of you. You were so beautiful to him, the way your skin glowed, that little spark in your eye whenever you said I love you. He took in how good you looked, how sexy you were...

The effect you had on him was unreal. 

“What?” You asked, dropping your hands from his collar.

He shook his head and you frowned your brows at him, crossing your arms. He turned on his heel, and made his way to the nightstand.

“What do you mean no?”  You asked, agitated at his silence. 

Hyuck sat at the edge of the bed, the mattress dipping. He reached towards the nightstand drawer and pulled it open. You walked over to him, your heels clicking against the wood. You sat beside him, an annoyed expression on your face. He loves to do this, see you get all bothered with him. That little pout on your face, and your flushed cheeks drives him crazy. 

He reached in the drawer for a long black box. The anger on your face faded away and was replaced with curiosity. He shifted his body to face you. You’re eyes left the box and you looked at him but he didn’t look at you. 

He opened the box, facing it towards him so you couldnt see it yet. 

“Close your eyes.”

“Wha-”

“Just close them.” He whined, a small smile creeped onto your face. Even when he was trying to be all serious his lack of patience always got the best of him. 

You shut your eyes tight, waiting for Hyuck to do something. The silence was eerie, until you heard the box snap back in place. The weight shifted on the mattress, and you heard Hyucks dress shoes tap against the wood.

He made his way behind you, sitting again. You could hear his breaths, and him being this close to you made your insides light on fire anticipating his next move. His finger tips grazed the side of your neck as he gathered all your hair to one side. 

Even his small, simple touches, made your skin spark. Every time he would touch you it felt like the first time he ever did. Something cold hit your chest and you jumped a little, and you could hear Hyuck chuckle. You heard a small ting of metal snapping together and you smiled to yourself. 

Hyuck lowered his hands from the back of your neck, removing one completely but keeping the other one there. The smile on your face faded away as you heard his body shift closer to yours, his chest flushed against your back. Your breath hitched.

Your eyes were still shut, every breath he took sounded like a gush of wind, and every touch sent shock waves through your body. Hyuck dragged his fingers across the back of your neck, bearly touching it, bringing them them all the way around slowly till his hand reached the front of your neck. You could feel a burning pit in your stomach and you swallowed hard. 

His hand tightened lightly, putting some pressure but not too much, a small gasp leaving your lips. Hyuck’s lips pressed into your shoulder ever so softly. His lips worked their way up your neck, and you tossed your head back to rest on his shoulder giving him better access. His hot breath against his skin, and his touch was making you hot and bothered and he knew so. 

You let out a whine when his lips disconnected from your neck, missing his touch. He moved his lips to your ear, his breath like a fire breathing dragon. 

“I don’t know how you expect me to keep my hands to myself tonight when you’re in that dress” He whispered in your ear. 

Your eyes snapped open and you pushed yourself off of him. You turned your head, giving him a dumbfounded look.

“Donghyuck! There are going to be actual children there.” You scold him.

“They don’t need to know...” He trails off, grabbing your hand. 

You jerk your hand away from his and push yourself off the bed. Is he really being serious right now? He can’t keep it in his pants at a 16 year olds birthday party? He was being incredibly ridiculous, you glared at his smirking self. 

“Hyuck I swear on everything holy, if you do not keep your hands off of me tonight.”

“What are you going to do about it sunshine?” He provoked, standing up. He looked down on your small figure. 

“Hyuck-”

“Alright, I’ll behave.” He groaned. 

“Thank you.” You sighed in relief. 

You should have fucking knew it. Little boy blue could never keep off even for a few hours. He always had to touch, even in front of young teenagers. You were visibly angry as you stood by the carter, asking for some water. You sipped on your drink, watching Hyuck approach you. His eyes were dark, and you knew his exact intentions.

“You’ve been hiding from me. I had to resort to talking to your crazy aunt with the 4 cats.” He pouts.

“Maybe you should stay over there.” You offered, raising a brow at him. As much as you loved him, when he was needy, oh boy was it like taking care of a toddler.

“Y/n” He whined. “Stop being mean.”

“Stop being horny” You snarked.

Big mistake.

Something flipped in Hyuck, like a light switch. He grabbed your free hand and pulled you along. You scoffed and tried to pull away, but he shot you a look that immediately shut you up.

You followed him through the banquet hall, no…more like he dragged you through the banquet hall.

Hyuck opened the staff room door, closing and locking it behind you two.

You placed your cup of water onto a shelf and crossed your arms.

“Hyuck what the hell?” You questioned.

“I know this is a high schoolers birthday party but we cant just fuck in the closet like some high school students.” You snapped.

You opened your mouth again, but shut it immediately your eyes met with Hyucks lustful ones.

“So you want to act like a brat huh?”

You stayed quiet. He stepped closer to you, the gap between you two becoming smaller by the second.

“You were so loud and proud a few seconds ago. What happened baby girl?” His body was a few mere inches away from yours. Your chest rose and fell rapidly, as you stared him in his eyes.

He grabbed the back of your head roughly, your hair wrapped in his fingers. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t want him to take you right here, right now.

He moved his lips close to yours, hovering above them ever so slightly. You became so desperate for his kiss as you watched his lips. He looked into your eyes, his orbs dark filled with lust and hunger. Something told you that when you got home you were in for it.

“Enough.” You thought to yourself. You went to kiss his lips but he pulled your head back and chuckled.

“Oh no Y/N, remember…I have to keep my hands off of you tonight.”

“Hyuck please” You whined. You caved into him.

He wanted to see your fucked out expression, he wanted to hear the way you would moan his names, your nails down his back, but you started acting up. He couldn’t give you what you wanted now.

“Actually you know what? I think I’m okay now.” He let go of the back of your head.

Your eyes widened as you watched him walk towards the door.

“Wait, are you serious right now? All night and now you just want to stop?” You scoffed in anger.

He stopped in his tracks and turned his head over his shoulder.

“You better keep that mouth of yours in check baby girl or you’ll really be in for it when we get home.”

And with that, he walked out of the small staff room leaving you high and dry.

[spearcast]

SO  i finally finished the Roz Rundown as i’ve been calling it, the general correct timeline and story lines of Roz as to where i’ve gotten here. i’m putting it under the cut. she LONG so if ya’ll read this i apologize

Born alongside her twin sister on Tatooine to mother Yvait Pabura. Roz is born with yellow eyes like her father. Both twins have their mother’s brown hair. Lyn, however, has regular brown eyes. Both have sharp canines.

THE DEFINING INCIDENT;  at the age of four, Roz kills a Zygerrian slaver with the Force in defense of her and her sister, and Force-chokes another in defense of her new adopted togruta mother, Roxxa Vela. Her birth mother killed the Zygerrian slaver with her slugthrower rifle and buried both of them in the sandy yard away from the farm.

When Roz turned eight, four years after said defining incident, Luke Skywalker showed up on their doorstep. Well- in reality, he had been showing up on the Pabura farm’s doorstep and talking with Yvait, and visiting the children. It was just that at eight, Yvait gave both Roz and Lyn the option to go with Luke and train at his Jedi temple on Dantooine. Lyn was unsure, and hesitant; ultimately, the “elder” twin declined and wished to stay with her mothers all year round. Roz, however, at the pushing of her best friend Jhoren and the encouragement from Luke himself, jumped at the chance to train with the legendary Skywalker.

Roz trains with Luke and the other padawans until she’s 12. Through these years she returns to Tatooine every other season so she can still keep close with her family. She’s transported by friends of the Harsh family (Yvait’s mother’s family), the Taaks- Nesota, T’seri, and their hybrid daughter Tabiit. This creates a bond between the Taaks and Roz, especially as Tabiit becomes sort of an older sister to the girl.

The year that Roz is 12 is the year Ben goes fucking crazy. “Canon” says he didn’t kill anyone, but in actuality he did. The transformation from Ben Organa-Solo into Kylo Ren is a bloody one, and Roz stumbles out of her hut to be greeted by the dead bodies of her fellow students, everything in flames, the Knights of Ren, the three or so remaining padawans at Ben’s side, and Ben- with his hands bloody and his lightsaber reddening, extending those bloody hands to her. He asks her to trust him and come with her, where she’ll be safe. And she almost takes his hand but after feeling the rush of cold come off of him and the others she turns and jumps into the ocean despite not knowing how to swim. She manages to survive despite being hurled against the rocks at the bottom of the cliff; she gets herself into an eroded alcove and only after she feels the lot of them leave, begins climbing the steep steps that lead her back up. Luke is distraught, sobbing, screaming at the bodies of all of the fallen- when he senses Roz, and goes to her, and the two embrace and cry and mourn and he promises her he’s going to get her to safety. He’s going to get her home. In his hidden escape ship he calls Leia and Han, he calls Yvait, he calls Nesota for back up just in case those who did this to his temple return.

They’re just leaving Dantooine’s atmosphere when his ship is attacked by Alrai Kal’eeb, Roz’s biological father, and his crew of pirates and slavers. The Order is offering big money to anyone who can find any force sensitive kids and bring them to Snoke (and his new pet). Luke will always define this as his final great failing- after failing all of the padawans at his temple, he feels he failed Roz by not saving her from her father’s clutches.

Alrai Kal’eeb being a stupid, ugly man doesn’t realize as he and his buds are jetting away from Luke’s damaged ship that the Amazon and the Taaks family are there to kick ass and take names. In the skirmish while the ships are connected, Tabiit finds Roz and rescues her and carries her back to the Amazon where they disconnect with Nesota and T’seri and flee to safety. (T’seri goes back for Luke in their personal ship and takes Luke to where Leia and Han are.) Roz, after going back to Tatooine to her family who is crying and so, so happy she’s safe, decides to fly with the Taaks for a little while and offer her service to them for saving her life. They agree, also because staying in one location would draw too much attention and they don’t want the Order to track her down. At fourteen, two years later, they return to Tatooine so Roz can go back to her family.

This is a mistake though! If only because that’s when Roz stumbles upon her farm under siege by the Order. Ren and Hux and Phasma are at the helm for the first times in their lives in the Order and they’ve got Roxxa and Yvait tied up and on their knees before Ren and Hux. Lyn is nowhere to be found. Hux ends up shooting both Roxxa and Yvait and Roz does the smart, terribly scarred thing to do and runs back to the Taaks.

Roz transforms. She is no longer Roz Nuun Pabura. She is now Roz Sunborne. The Taaks take care of her and Roz stays with Tabiit when she pairs up with an old friend, Corellian and Mandalorian bounty hunter and space pirate, Rhys Th’on. The trio bond and help each other. It’s within the next two years that Roz also is gifted the Taaks’ family heirloom connected to the Force- the lava crystal lightsaber belonging to their great grandmother Aremna Taaks, who was a Jedi but left the Order bc she wanted a FAMBILY. (Aremna Taaks may or may not be a technical sister or cousin of Ahsoka Tano.) The lightsaber calls to her and Roz /loves/ it. This is in addition to the one she built at Luke’s temple (the one with the krayt dragon pearl as the crystal which is a silvery-yellow color).

Roz needs a teacher! So she, Tabiit, and Rhys search out the vibes Roz is getting and they meet up with Ahsoka Tano, Sabine Wren, and Ezra Bridger. Roz has THREE teachers. Well, two technically, but Sabine loves her and teaches her what she can because fuck it. Fuck it. Roz gets to be trained by the coolest motherfuckers. Die mad about it if you’re mad about it. This info will most likely shift a little when the Ahsoka & Sabine Hunt Down Ezra show eventually comes out.

Roz is 17 when she starts hunting down Kylo. She’s still 17 when she decides to join the Order for a bit after dabbling with the Resistance also. She is technically a double agent via Leia’s orders but she still is doing it for selfish reasons.

It’s a stint of a year and a half with the Order before she gets hit with reality and accidentally kills Kosmik’s aunt and is only praised for it by Kylo. This disturbs her greatly! So deeply! It’s after this that the Siege of Quarzite happens and while at first Roz is like !!!! FUCK YEA it’s then revealed the Order wanted to essentially kidnap the Kage people because of their prowess as warriors and turn them into enslaved soldiers. Roz is like oh wow I fucked up!! In this time she starts getting really strong with the Force and almost rips some of the Knights of Ren apart during training the last time before she yeets out of the Order. Kylo is like… she’s just fucking mad it’s whatever. OG Ren Ren (aka original Ren?? I’ve only read a little about him but he seems interesting and weird I like him) is like… nah man she’s Different. (This would be the spot in the story where it’s starting to hint at Roz being the descendant of Revan.)

She kills her dad somewhere in that year and a half also. That story is really good and it’s when she’s found by Tabiit and Rhys before Kylo finds her and it’s. It’s good. Roz’s patricide is actually meaningful and not horrible and it’s a moving on point. It’s one of the reasons she starts becoming herself rather than living in Kylo’s shadow still. Baby’s growing up.

Roz leaves the Order! She’s so fucking lost! There’s a funny story in here somewhere where Hux actually assists in her escape because he a) hates her fucking guts and b) wants to see Ren suffer and c) is almost completely sure she has none of the Order’s information which is……. Wrong. But. She doesn’t have enough info to stop what happens in TLJ I guess. Might rewrite some stuff. But this is also where her story starts pulling away from the main line. Roz really doesn’t want to associate with Kylo ever again, she hates him a lot more than she could ever love him, and she just gets ANGRIER but she gets angrier with a PASSION and a FIRE and an UNDERSTANDING of how she feels. No more vague feelings and no more wanting to save him.

She’s like 19-20 when she gets a vision of her Aunt Cora (her dad’s sister, Kage warrior mama) and also of a woman who may or may not be Shmi Skywalker reminding her that Jhoren is on Tatooine and that he needs help breaking the slave trade once and for all. She calls in anyone she’s met within the past years- which, again, somewhere in there the Amazon gets her crew and is joined by Khorde Khell and his ships (the Tuskat Retribution, the Revenant Concordia, and the Zakkeg Bolide) as well as gathers the Teal Squadron and the like; somewhere in there she meets and loves up on Miss Badass Senator of Coruscant Lenore Baccre Moorheart and also somewhere in there dearest Lenore becomes a FORCE to be RECKONED WITH (Padme would be proud mama ILU so much).

The Crew Stage A Slave Revolt On Tatooine. They Kill A Lot Of Slavers. They Kill A Lot Of Hutts. Goodbye Hutts. Tatooine Belongs To The Sand People Now. And The Criminals. And The Slaves Most Of All Because They Are Not Slaves Anymore. Fuck You Star Wars Tatooine Has No More Slaves. There Was No Bargain Bitches!!!!!!

Uhhhh also Roz gets really fucked up when Luke dies. She feels it in her bones. She gets kinda confused when Kylo dies tho. She’s like…. Yay? But Also??? Screaming??

When Luke dies Roz has a meeting with his force ghost on Tatooine during a binary sunset because I’m emo. That’s Her Dad. Like Her Real Dad. Fuck that other guy. But also Roz is like wait have you blue hallucinations always been force ghosts??? And Luke is like ALWAYS?? Turns out Roz’s special connection to the Force is being able to talk really easily with the Force ghosts!! Fuck those 5 minutes Rey had with all of them- Roz even talks to ANAKIN even though she doesn’t realize who it is. She talks to him a lot, actually. (They’re very similar okay??? OKAY??? I know it’s super OP but let me live, she’s Special alright, she’s my Special Little Baby Who Talks To Ghosts And Kills Things)

So like… she helps the Resistance return the Kage to Quarzite where they create their own happy peaceful empire, she reunites with Lyn because Lyn doesn’t die in this one!! Haha retcon. We still kill their moms tho sadly. But like!! Yay the Galaxy is at Peace!! Oh ALSO Roz is the descendant of Ancient Sith Lord Darth Revan and Badass Bitch Bastila Shan. Roz is like IDK who those people are but cool cool I guess.

Then she returns to the Temple on Dantooine and discovers the ruins of the Jedi Enclave and finds a MASK and turns out Roz is haunted cause she gets fucked up by all of the Force Ghosts who tell her some SHIT is coming but she’s like ???? Why?????? Everything is PEACEFUL why can’t it STAY peaceful???

And then BAM Sith Lord Hyaljenasha “Yaljen” sith pureblood who has been frozen for thousands of years (was around when Revan was around, just not powerful then) and when he awakes he’s like….. That’s a Revanchist force signature singing if I’ve ever FELT one! And he’s like…. Obsessed with Roz a little but he wants to train her

He’s got novitiates which are like his apprentices but he’s so technically old (even tho physically he’s closer to Roz’s age, so like between 22 and 27) that he doesn’t believe in the rule of two lmfao. He’s got Nevtay Strake who’s an Umbaran force sensitive, she’s a snooty bitch who wants everything to burn. He’s got Johaale Garnak who’s Chiss and unfortunately not force sensitive, but they’re a boss ass motherfucker who knows how to fight with weapons especially a lightsaber. They’re cool. Like. Chaotic neutral. Not even evil wtf. He’s also got Carnhea Wellew, a twi’lek woman who is supposed to be a juxtaposition to Roz- they’re very similar, Carnhea has been through some shit and is angry because of it and she needed direction with her immense force abilities. Yaljen is that direction for all three of them! They Love Him a lot and are Way Too Attached to him and while he cares about them also he kinda becomes one-track-minded when Roz Revandescendant comes into play cause he’s like…. Whew…. Wipe me off the face of the GALAXY please. Lemme teach you. Please.

The reason they’ve gone undetected since Yaljen’s awakening is bc he was like…… WOW the force is fucked up now. It wasn’t this fucked up when I went under. We gotta lay low. Gotta literally keep the Force close to the chest here. So they fly under the radar! Amazingly enough!

This is where I’ve gotten. Roz and the crew are like….. HM….. Yaljen is very kinda scary and he has a hold on a lot of strings that we don’t know about but we can’t kill him outright bc he’s so powerful and has powerful darkside followers and also fuckin Johaale who’s a batshit talented motherfucker…

Roz is like. Teach? Him teach? I learn his secrets and destroy him? And everyone at first is like you just didn’t get to do that to Kylo so you want to do that to Yaljen but then they realize it’s probably for the best to wait it out until they can get like. HELP.

Roz has training stints with Yaljen. Yaljen sexy! Roz is like Hm. Yaljen adores Roz and is very patient with her and is very kind and reassuring and Roz is like HM.

Poe and Finn are also gay I’m making canon now. I say this because they appear sometimes! As the heads of the Resistance as it stands they interact quite a bit with all of the squad. Sometimes there are double dates with FinnPoe and Jhorhys (Rhys and Jhoren), sometimes triple dates including ChorZeebs. It’s cute!

IDK where to go from here so I’m just gonna…… leave this all here for now

[twxntrash]

So basically the things I’m working on that are close to being finished.

The Archmage (and The Trickster to a lesser extent) Novel about a teenage boy who is the archmage (aka has godlike magic. Or rather the potential for god-like magic cause he only really has the hang of fire magic atm)having to secretly protect the world, takes place in modern-fantasy where humans cannot see magical, mythological, folktale creatures. Just rewriting some chapters and plot points.

Human Disaster Theory- I am not proud of this one. It’s erotica. I started writing it because, apparently, you can make a lot of money writing erotica. It’s also primarily two college seniors trying to grab some semblance of control over their lives that they feel the world does not let them control, and having no idea if they are just friends with benefits or an actual item. Emotional breakdowns while flooding college bathroom, questioning religion, dying mothers, broken dreams culminating in them moving to new jersey to get a job at a company and the other at a sex shop. Is the only thing I’m working on that the characters are all straight/cis. Though IDK yet, I might have Lily and Emma have a thing going on.

Twilight but Gay: Twilight Edition: Title a WIP. A college human meets bartender falls in love, the bartender is a vampire. There are werewolf packs, but the werewolves and vampires get along because that rivalry is old and cliche. a lone alpha begins turning humans into werewolves through drugs to create his own pack to take over the territory, vampire and wolf pack work to eliminate all the new blood wolfs and their alpha, the human gets dragged in.

and not almost done, very far from being complete

The Champion: a GOT style multiple POV characters high-fantasy saga following a war-torn continent with knights, dying magic, and a legendary champion of the gods who really doesn’t want this but was never going to have a choice of fighting in this war or not because she was literally raised to be a soldier before finding out she was a champion. There are dragons, gryphons, chimeras and more serving the Beast King, though he does not want to be a king, and a giant fucking sea monster known as the Leviathan that obeys the Sunstone King, who is currently a ten year old who somehow manages to be more mature than the adults at time. 

Abysswalker- A recent idea i’ve been working on fleshing out. High-fantasy, scifi, every sort of setting and universe you can think of rolled into one. Follows Xero, a former Dragonknight (powerful knight in service to a dragon-god) whose entire universe and reality was devoured by an eldritch god. Somehow they were able to survive and found themselves trapped in the Abyss (space between realities) for god knows how long. Is now disconnected from time and space and can cross over into different universes and realities. Creates their own family through friends from different universes and decides to hunt down and kill the eldritch gods.

[buttsonthebeach]

I noticed Ellana likes to say "you deserve this". So, prompt: 5 times Ellana told Solas he deserved something, and .... either 1 time he told *her* or 1 time he believed her, your choice. (Or both :P)

Ahh this took me so long. But I hope you enjoy it, dear friend!!

References events across several fics in my Hamilton x Dragon Age series.

My Ko-Fi || My Commissions (slots currently available!)

Pairing: Ellana x Solas through the years

Rating: General

1.

The first time she tells him he deserves something, it is a simple thing - her help rearranging his cottage, after bringing artifacts back from the Hinterlands.

“This is not necessary, Herald,” he tells her as she moves papers and books aside while he balances the shards that the oculara revealed in his arms. “I could have managed.”

“Please,” she says, beginning to arrange them on his desk. “I can’t have our resident Fade expert be seen struggling with his own door. How would that make the rest of us look?”

He snorts. “Few people in this world regard a ragged elven apostate as an expert in anything.”

She looks at him, serious, concerned. Grey eyes bright with conviction. “Well, I see you as an expert. And you deserve to be treated as such.”

It has been so long since he believed he deserved anything, and she is so bright and fleeting, and this whole world is so dull and wrong, that he can ignore her that first time, and return to a world where he knows he deserves nothing.

2.

It gets harder to ignore, this idea that he deserves things. She takes him to Harritt to have armor crafted specially for him, armor that will protect him and will enhance his casting. She has watched him carefully, already knows what would suit him most. She asks him which watch he would like, what his opinion is on which road they should take.

Why? He wants to ask. Why treat me with kindness, when I am the reason you wear the markings of a slave as if they are something to be proud of? As if I am not the cause of the magic burning through your left hand?

He has to remind himself that she does not know. That even if his shame is a live coal in his chest at all hours of day or night, he has hidden it as well as always. Even from someone with eyes as piercing as Ellana Lavellan’s.

But even if she can’t feel the heat of that live coal, she feels something in him. Nurtures him in small and important ways. Keeps showing him, in word and in deed, that he deserves things.

A would-be god appears. A mountain falls. He thinks she is dead - and that he would deserve nothing less than to lose her just as she started to become real to him.

But she isn’t dead.

She crawls bleeding out of the snow and limps back to him, and as he studies her in the veilfire torch, her exhaustion and determination, he knows what she deserves, and so he he takes her to Skyhold.

3.

“You don’t have to mourn alone, Solas.”

She doesn’t explicitly say that he deserves it, but she doesn’t have to. Not in that moment. She has shown him, again, and again, and again.

And that’s why he kisses her.

Why he takes her to bed and loves her, lays both of them bare.

I can deserve this, he tries to tell himself, each time he loves her. Each time he says it to himself he starts to believe it a little more.

But then there is the Temple, and the Sentinels, and the Well, and the hundred reminders of the world and the people he destroyed.

Then there is Crestwood.

And none of her words, none of her actions, can make him think he deserves it at all.

4.

It is many years before she tells him he deserves something again. War and death, a whole continent, and all his lies separate them. But even those things cannot separate them forever. Even everything he’s done cannot stop Ellana from telling him what he deserves.

When he surrenders to her and ends the war and the death, she is back to telling him what he deserves with action and gesture and expression alone. With the way she turns her back to him when they are on the ship to Kirkwall, but never all the way. With the way she looks at him when she thinks he is not looking. With the way her lips are always set into a hard, thin line when their eyes do meet.

You deserve this. You deserve my silence. My anger. My hate.

It is the first time that Solas starts to believe that he actually deserves what she is offering.

But before that belief can become complete - a solid, real thing in his stomach, a punishment he can carry for eternity - she tells him he deserves something else.

She takes his hand in a quiet garden in Hightown, and even if she doesn’t say the words, she tells him he deserves forgiveness with the way she leans her forehead against his. The way she says that she wants to try again.

Solas’s throat closes up around those thoughts. Forgiveness. Can you imagine?

5.

After they move into their own home, in a brand new country called Enasan, and they start to learn their way around the new life they are building, they both realize that they have no idea when their birthdays are. Both of them come from cultures that don’t make too much fuss about them. A thread that connects their people through the millennia. But they see other couples celebrating each other once a year, and Ellana wants that for him.“I’m going to pick a day and spoil you,” she says. “And that’s that.”

And she does. She wakes him up one morning with a rain of kisses, with his favorite cakes for breakfast, with a new book on advanced enchanting, the ink so fresh you can still smell it, the binding so new that it cracks when he first opens it. They sit in bed together as he reads and the morning is sweetness and warm skin.

“You deserve this, you know,” Ellana says softly, drowsily, disconnected from any particular thought or thread in their conversation.

Solas stops for a moment. Swallows down the urge to say no, I don’t. He kisses her forehead.

“Thank you,” he says, and it is all he can say around the lump in his throat.

And the one time he told Ellana

Ellana is a confident woman, sometimes to the point of brashness. She picks a course of action and she follows it. She had some insecurities, to be sure, when she first became Inquisitor, but the years have largely melted that away. She knows her worth, she knows what she deserves.

It is, strangely, becoming a mother that seems to undo part of this.

Then again, anyone subjected to hours of grueling labor, to a long recovery afterwards, to waking every few hours and nursing and nursing and nursing, to making sure to eat enough to keep up the nursing - anyone who had felt their body change and grow over nine months and was now witnessing it change back again, not to what it was before but to something else - anyone who had gone through those things was most likely entitled to a little insecurity.

And the truth was that in the months before Ashara was born, Solas had filled himself full of insecurity. Let it spill out into rash actions like finding Falon’Din’s orb, like lying to Ellana. Some of those feelings did still linger. Sometimes he held their tiny, perfect daughter and studied her curled fists, her soft cheeks, her little kicking legs. The way she still curled up frog-like against his chest, legs and arms tucked in, the same way the midwife said she had been in her mother’s womb. She trusted him to give her the only comfort she’d ever known while he held her. How could he deserve that?

But seeing Ellana staring down at their sleeping daughter in her cradle one night, her brows drawn, her gray eyes full of doubt, he knows it is not time for his own insecurities. It is time to give back everything she had given to him over the years.

So he goes to her and puts one arm around her waist and pulls her tight against him.

“What is it, vhenan?” he asks.

Ellana shakes her head. It takes her a moment to speak. “I am so worried that I will never be enough for her.”

She leans into him and he accepts her weight. Let him carry her, for a while, after everything she has carried.

“You deserve this,” he says, putting every ounce of feeling he can muster into the words. “You will always be enough. More than enough. I doubt many things, but I never doubt that.”

She turns to look at him, gray eyes studying now, piercing like daggers. Then she softens, and leans her forehead against his cheek, and he takes her into his arms and feels a surge of gratitude for this moment: that he deserved enough second chances to have this most important chance. The chance to tell her just how much she deserves.