#nyssa might have had a last name

[infiniteglitterfall]

Honestly, what does "hasn't been born yet" even mean for a time traveler. That they haven't been born yet in whatever time they're visiting? Or that Susan herself had been born in his personal future and went off traveling with his first(??) self? The latter is more interesting, at least.

In that case, it could mean he had been a father before, but not to Susan's parent, and was still going to be again.

Or yeah they could just mess up. Moffat was extremely big on just saying and doing whatever was most interesting at the moment, and abandoning it the moment it became inconvenient to him personally. But that's not the norm anymore - I hope.

People who have seen under 20 years of Doctor Who: Aw I can't believe they teased the Doctor's family but we didn't learn anything

People who have seen Too Much Doctor Who: THEY CONFIRMED SUSAN'S PARENT HASN'T BEEN BORN YET?? FINALLY A SIGNIFICANT UPDATE!! WE ARE MAKING REAL PROGRESS!!

[somnoir]

Prodigal son beyond time - Part 1

Ra's Al Ghul had a son. No, it's not Dusan we spoke of right now. Ra's Al Ghul's first born child was a peculiar boy that was forged by the Lazarus Pits—or so what he says.

Talia has never met her brother.

Her brother, it has been years since she's found out about him yet her father never gives them a name—he thinks them unworthy of it. Even if he was not present, her brother continues to be the favorite, to be the child their father praised most. His absence is a glaring hole in her father's heart (though she is not sure if he has one).

It is no secret amongst the league that Ra's nameless son was unofficially the heir, even when Damian was born.

Talia has doubted her brother's distance many times, and yet she finds evidence of him over and over again.

Her father writes letters, strange ones that vary in language, dialect, grammar, writing styles. She did not mean to read one when she was young, but she couldn't help herself when she had seen it.

My dearest, son of mine,

It has been an age since last I beheld your presence. I find it most disquieting that you have not seen fit to visit, though I am not ignorant of how poorly time aligns itself with your affairs. Yet still, I dare to hope that you might bestow upon me a portion of your time, if but briefly.

Your siblings have inquired after you once more. Yet I am acutely aware that it would be unwise to bind you to this mortal realm for too great a span. Their hearts, tender and unfortified, lack the endurance I possess to weather the long absences your path necessitates. Nevertheless, I am not blind to the hope you carry—to one day stand before them, whether that moment lies near or far in the veiled expanse of time.

She could not finish the lengthy letter before the letter vanished from her hand, a burst of green and strange liquid slipping from her fingers. Talia had been startled, too young, assuming that this was Lazarus water that has stolen her father's letter.

And she found her father looming behind her, his expression stern get there was amusement in his eyes.

"Your brother is a curious person." Her father hummed, "He's powerful."

"We are not... Allowed to meet him?"

"Not yet. Until you steel your hearts." Ra's nodded, "Your brother does not stay in one place for long. But he is soft hearted and loyal to the family. You give him reason to stay and he will stay."

His hand, firm and guidind, pressed against her shoulder in a tight grip. "And I will not let any of you weaken him."

On that day, Talia realized that her father truly did love her brother. In his own strange way.

The next time she reads a letter, Damian was but a babe of one, cradled in her arms as a letter written on green paper rested in her father's hand. It was open, the wax seal carefully sliced from the envelope.

"Father."

"Talia." He replied nonchalantly, eyes flicking to Damian, his eyes softening momentarily as a longing look slipped to the letter.

Talia's heart tightened, resentful that her father was beginning to see his favorite child on her own son. She could not allow that...

"Your brother has written to me. It has been... Almost a year... Since the last." Ra's hummed, turning to Talia, then Damian, before flicking yet another letter to her. It startled her.

"From your brother." Ra's sighed, "I made the mistake of writing about Damian and now he wishes to meet you first. Not Nyssa, not Dusan—you."

"My brother?" Talia hesitantly accepted the letter. "I do not even know his name..."

Ra's clicked his tongue, "He signed it in his name. You will know from that letter." He paused, glancing back at her. "You have yet to prove yourself worthy, Talia, but... Damian's birth will surely being your brother back home."

Talia's heart palpitated in her chest.

The prospect of her baby, her son, her child—the mere thought that her baby would be the thing that successfully brings her brother home was... Outstanding.

"Read it in your own time... After that, seek me out."

Talia does not know... What to particularly do...

But she takes Damian, watches as her father leaves, and hurries along to her own quarters.

Talia tucks her son into the crib, narrowing her eyes at the nursemaids that were hired to nurture her son. She dismissed them immediately, watching as they silently leave the room. It is only when silence reigns does she takes a seat on her bed as Damian slumbers in his crib.

(Her hands tremble as the letter rested in her hands. It was light, not heavy, her her hands tremble as if she could not handle the weight.)

She takes in a deep breath, takes a dagger and carefully slices it away from envelope. It's intricately made.

The letter is written in the same green paper that her father received.

The letter read as thus:

My Dearest Talia, It would seem that I am now to be regarded as your brother, for Ra's has deemed me his son. Admittedly, this turn of events is of my own doing, as I endeared myself to him centuries past and found solace in his companionship, coming to view him as a father in truth. Yet you, his daughter by blood, remain a stranger to me, as do Nyssa and Dusan. How peculiar it is that Father should act in such a manner, withholding such introductions with his customary inscrutability.

She takes in a deep breath, awes by her brother's penmaniship... And then suddenly the writing style changes. Morphing from the olden age, the formality of a noble, to...

Anyways! Since you're my sister, I don't think I have to keep writing to you the same way Ra's does. It feels awkward to me, y'know?

She was not expecting that change but...

I've always wanted to meet you all. But my duties to my realm are hard. I can't freelt leave. It's especially worse since my world's time doesn't correlate to yours.

You might find the change of writing styles weird, but in all honesty, I'm from the 21st century. It's just that time never did agree with me. Had to comply with the old man on writing like that since he likes it. Weird, right?

But anyways! I heard you had a son! Congrats by the way. I'd like to meet him too, actually. Aside from that, I heard from Ra's you don't know my name.

Well, he's decided to call my Danyal as it's the Arabic version of my original name "Daniel". Though I often go by my nickname Danny. But it has been a delight to write to you, Talia. Hopefully, I'll be able to meet you and your son in the future.

Since you have my name now, you can write me letters too! It'll find me eventually.

Your brother,

Danny

Her brother's name was Danyal... Her brother went by Danny.

Talia blinked.

Her strange brother was a being that traversed through time, a person who was born in the 21st century... Her brother could be somewhere in the world in that moment and in another time the next.

She pressed the letter to her lips, unable to hold back her smile.

She had quite the silly brother...

And amongst her siblings, Talia was the first to know her brother's name. That bit about being able to write letters to him made her finally understand why her father was so possessive of a name.

(In the Infinite realms, High King Phantom received a letter from his estranged younger sister. He really didn't mean to find family in the Demon's head, but he found it anyways.)

Masterlist

[ssa-neeks-prentiss]

Whumptober day 5!

Bau x fem!reader

Word count : 1k

Anguish : Extreme pain or suffering, both physical and emotional

Everyone in the BAU had hard cases sometimes. Like, JJ always had hard cases with children. But, for some reason nothing seemed to affect Y/N. She was what the FBI deemed a 'perfect agent'. Nothing fazed her or got in the way of her work. She was never tired. Never sick. Never anything except the utmost agent.

They also found her to be very isolated, she would say no to outings to bars with the team, she would say no to going to any of the others houses. She was always at work or at home.

Speaking of home, the team didn't even know where Y/N lived. They knew nothing about her personal life. Well. Not until this case. Then they would know everything. And why Y/N Y/L/N was the way she was.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

It had all begun when you were in the conference room, JJ had said there was a case. An urgent case. You were sat up in your chair, waiting for JJ to arrive with the case files. You had preferred a paper file, just like Spencer did. You worked best with the genius.

Your eyes followed JJ as she walked into the room with the files and iPads.

"This case has been requested to us by the higher ups."

Ah. So this must be a major case then. But why us? There were many other teams that could do it better than them. You could hear murmurs of surprise from the others but you ignored them as JJ spoke again.

"The first victim is 25 year old Auryn Caladrius. She was stabbed through the heart and left with a message saying 'You must've lost your heart, so I'm here to return it.'

Caladrius. That was the name of an agent in the CBI.

"What's so interesting about this case that we were requested?"

JJ frowned at your tone. It was void of emotion like always when debriefing. But she answered your question anyway.

"Each of the victims are part of under the wrap families. Files that not even Garcia's hacking can reach."

It was then silent. No one noticed you had paled. They were murdering under the wrap families. Which means yours might not be safe.. Crap.

You shook your head before anyone could notice your pale face.

"The next victims?"

JJ frowned again. You knew what she was thinking. You knew what they all thought about you but you had to be the best, or your family would be revealed. But it may not last much longer.

"Next is 30 year old, Blaze Barnes, also stabbed through the heart with a note stating 'I will find them before you find me. I will find every single one of them.'"

Barnes was of course another popular agent, responsible for the jailing of many people, you would just stop commenting about each agent and listen.

"Flora Clarke, 14. Same death, with a note saying a name 'Alexis.' No surname or nothing."

You paled. Alexis. Your younger sister, she was also 14. Could be a coincidence.. Right?

"Cassie Hawksley.. 3.. The note had another name and another paragraph. 'Soleil. I will find all of their names until every last one has been found and then I will murder them all."

It was then Hotch that spoke up next.

"Uhm.. How many victims have there been with names on the notes?"

"Seven."

You were doing you best not to shake. Alexis. Soleil. This was no longer a coincidence. They were targeting your family. The family that meant everything to you.

"11 victims? How come we haven't been warned until now?"

JJ shrugged as Emily asked the question.

"They wanted to keep it from causing mass panic. They're still looking through files to find out who has a family with those names. They have to do it long hand due to not having any hackers that can reach the files. But onto the next victims."

"Nyssa Rodriguez, 27, 'Clover, lucky number 3. How many are left to go? Only [first initial of your first name] will know. So hurry up before I find all of them.'"

"It.. Seems to be a personal vendetta against one person. They're trying to find every member of their family, correct?"

You asked no one in particular. They all agreed though. And Spencer spoke verbally.

"So we have to find who has a family with these names and get them to help us."

JJ nodded.

"The rest of the names and notes are in your files. We can read them now to speed things up. It is also a local case so we can stay in the precinct.

You nodded and scanned the rest of the victims. The rest just had names until the last one.

Kaia Cunningham; Spark

Mars Thompson; Edith

Elsie Crawford; Ayla-Jane

Myra Hawksley; Maisie

Remy Ryder; Aria-Rae

Kade Monroe; Celeste.

Mars was the only one with an extra note.

'Only 4 more left. How do you feel being hunted down? Do you even know it's your family that's next. I know you will get this case. So chop chop. The clock is ticking.'

The rest of the victims had an extra word that was either 'tick' or 'tock'.

"I guess the Tick and Tock's refer to the clock on the note Mars was left with. Though, what do these victims relate to for the reason they were murdered other than they were under the wraps due to having an agent as a family member?"

Spencer asked and Emily wondered aloud.

"Maybe it's to do with age? The notes have a small number in the corner correlating to the victims age."

Only if Emily knew how on the mark she was.

You were worried. No one has seen you break. But you don't think your pain will stretch this far. If anything happened to your family you would lose it. And the team would not want to see what happens when you lose control...

Okay that sounded cringey. But still. No one had seen you be anyone except the cold, collected perfect agent. And this had resulted in someone hunting your family like a pack of rabbits.

[gallifreyanhotfive]

Random Doctor Who Facts You Might Not Know, Part 60

Very soon after regenerating, the Second Doctor had pulled a large earring out of a trunk in the TARDIS, which he described as very fashionable once and remembered that at one point he used to wear it. (Novel: The Power of the Daleks)

Borusa once wrote a history book titled Rassilon the God. (Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible)

Like all other Time Lords upon initiation into the Academy, it has been confirmed that Susan once gazed into the Untempered Schism. (Audio: E is for...)

Many years after Nyssa left the Fifth Doctor to stay on Terminus, she had an adventure with the Fourth Doctor. This meant the Doctor had met Nyssa before Traken. (Novel: Asylum)

The First Doctor trained to be a ninja on Quinnis. (Novel: The Devil Goblins from Neptune)

The Ninth Doctor once got stranded when the TARDIS burped and jumped ahead 20 years in the future. From 20 years in the past, he communicated with a 12 year old girl named Sally Sparrow, knowing all about where to leave messages for her because she wrote about it in her homework, and that homework had been given to him by a spy in the future. Sally Sparrow successfully returned the TARDIS to the Doctor and grew up to be that very same spy who gave the Doctor the homework in the first place. (Short story: What I Did on My Christmas Holidays by Sally Sparrow) This story was later adapted into Blink.

Amendment 9 of the Fourth Constitutional Addendum is a Gallifreyan law also known as the "Stupidity Clause." K-9 brought it up while trying to think of a way to get Romana II found innocent during her trial. (Audio: Mindbomb)

On one of their first trips off Gallifrey, the First Doctor and Susan went to Garazone, where Susan bought him a model of the Nightjar after hearing stories about it. The Doctor put it up in the TARDIS. (Audio: Pursuit of the Nightjar)

This Nightjar model is still in the TARDIS by his Eleventh incarnation. (Audio: All of Time and Space)

Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart and Doris once saved Susan from drowning. (Short story: The Gift)

Soul catching refers to the Gallifreyan rite in which a Time Lord transfers their mind to another's shortly before their death, after which their mind will join the Matrix. The Third Doctor used it on Waro once, and the Eighth Doctor once used it to communicate with the Beast. (Novel: The Devil Goblins from Neptune; The Taint)

The Thirteenth Doctor once identified Halogi-Kari as a Harbinger, a rare and powerful race. He was a Wolf of Fenric and had transported Ace to Iceworld on Svartos when she was young. (Novel: At Childhood's End)

The Fifth Doctor once went temporarily blind when he plugged himself into a defense net and got overwhelmed. (Audio: The Children of Seth)

The Eighth Doctor tried to warn the Seventh Doctor of the circumstances of his upcoming regeneration, but the Seventh Doctor decided that he would proceed as he would have anyway (as foreknowledge is dangerous to the Web of Time.) (Novel: The Eight Doctors) This means that the Seventh Doctor knew he was about to die and regenerate in the beginning of the TV Movie.

Near the end of his life, the Seventh Doctor grew depressed and lonely, and he knew he should go to Gallifrey and give himself to the Chief Hospitaller and his team of psycho-techs. Gallifrey had access to neurosurgery, therapy, and drugs, and the last resort was forced regeneration with the hope that the next body would not have the same melancholia. (Novel: The Eight Doctors)

First 1 Prev 59 Next 61

[companion-showdown]

Showdown 2k24 Nominations!

alright, redoing this post now that I can give a concrete start date of Monday the 15th of January!

Nominations for the tournament are open up until the start date, and you can submit anyone who could reasonable be considered a companion, either by sending me an ask or by filling out

this form.

If you make your nomination via the form you can also submit some propaganda to go alongside the poll. Anyone who was considered a regular at any point in the last year will automatically be included, as well as anyone who was in the original tournament (+/- a couple I might miss or misremember as being a regular because I don't have old lists anywhere). The exception to this is last years winner, Rose Tyler, she will not be getting a place in the main tournament, however after the final I will run a poll to see if our new winner can beat her. (oh and also maybe I'll leave the TARDIS out but not fully decided yet)

The tournament is going to be run in the same way I did @adventure-showdown, meaning I'll keep companions from different periods of the show and different mediums segregated at first so the nicher ones don't immediately get knocked out, and slowly get mingled together. The exact details are going to depend on just how may characters get included.

Errm yeah, so go wild, nominate whoever you like (as long as they are a companion). If they are from teh TV show they have to be on this list to qualify, and for EU companions I'm going with them needing a TARDIS wiki page, and also I will give them a quick proof read to make sure they pass, the bar is low but it is there

if you want to submit an alternate version of the character sorry but main version only unless you can give a really good reason, eg regenerations of a time lord

also, if they are primarily from another franchise that'll be a no

The full list of contestents is under the cut and will be updated as nominations come in. Its sorted by medium and then to be alphabetical by first name. if an eu companion exists in multiple mediums i just sort of picked one or I put them under the other category, people who exist in real life are also sorted into their own category. There are some characters under Classic Who/NuWho who were not companions on TV but were in the EU. Companions who's names are in green have had propaganda submitted for them, if they're not in green then they don't, and just because someone has propaganda doesn't mean i wont accept more

Classic Who

Ace McShane

Adric

Barbara Wright

Ben Jackson

The Brigadier

Chang Lee

Dodo Chaplet

Grace Holloway

Harry Sullivan

Ian Chesterton

Jamie McCrimmon

Jo Grant

K9

Kamelion

Katarina

Leela

Liz Shaw

Mags

Mel Bush

Mike Yates

Nyssa

Peri Brown

Polly Wright

Romana I

Romana II

Sabalom Glitz

Sara Kingdom

Sarah-Jane Smith

Sergeant Benton

Steven Taylor

Susan Foreman

Tegan Jovanka

Turlough

Vicki Pallister

Victoria Waterfield

Zoe Heriot

NuWho

Adam Mitchell

Amy Pond

Bill Potts

Canton Everett Delaware III

Clara Oswald

Dan Lewis

Donna Noble

Graham O'Brien

Grant Gordon aka the Ghost

Handles

Inston-Vee Vindor

Jack Harkness

Karvanista

Kate Stewart

Martha Jones

Mickey Smith

Missy

Nardole

River Song

Rory Williams

Rose Noble

Ruby Sunday

Ryan Sinclair

Wilfred Mott

Yasmin Khan

Audio

Alex Campbell

Anya Kingdom

Bliss

C'rizz

Cass Fermazzi

Charley Pollard

Cousin Eliza: Christine Summerfield: Horus

Dalek Test Subject 2

Erimem

Evelyn Smythe

Helen Sinclair

Hex Schofield

Iris Wildthyme

Liv Chenka

Lucie Miller

Mark Seven

Molly O'Sullivan

Narvin

Oliver Harper

Sheena (The Starship of Theseus)

Tania Bell

Novels

Anji Kapoor

Anna (Good Companions)

Badger

Barusa

Bernice Summerfield

Business woman (Time on a Vine)

Catherine “Cat” Broome

Chris Cwej - have propaganda but in conjunction with another contestant

Cinder

Claudia Marwood

Compassion

Dorothy (The Wonderful Doctor of Oz)

Fitz Kreiner

Guinevere Winchester

Hector (All Flesh is Grass)

Homunculette

Ikalla

Irving Braxiatel

Jack McSpringheel

Larna

Marie (Alien Bodies)

Milena

Patience

Penelope Gate

Peter Summerfield

Rosie Taylor

Roz Forrester - have propaganda but in conjunction with another contestant

Ruth Leonidas

Sam Jones

Serena

Sibling Different aka Mae

The Mortimer Family (Ida, Alan, Helen, George)

Trix MacMillan

V.M.McCrimmion

Wolsey the Cat

Zeleekhà

Comics

Abslom Daak, Dalek Killer

Angus ‘Gus’ Goodman

ARC

Chantir

Child Master (The Then and the Now)

Cindy Wu

Dave Lester

Destrii

Duh

Flanx

Fey Truscott-Sade

Frobisher

Gabby Gonzalez

Gillian & John Who

Grayla

Hattie Munroe

Izzy Sinclair

Jayne Kadett

John Jones

Josie Day

Kroton

Ly Chee the Wise

Majenta Pryce

Maxwell Edison

Olla

Rose-the-cat

Shayde

Ssard

The Squire

Weeping Angel (Origins)

Real Life

Alan Turing

Claudia Winkleman

John Lennon

Jules Verne

Mary Shelley

Peter Cushing

Other

Alison Cheney

Andy Davidson

Antimony (Death Comes to Time)

Brian the Ood

Dormouse (The Red and the Blue)

Emma (curse of fatal death)

Koschie

Romana (Battle for the Universe)

Splinx

Susan Who

Tom Campbell

[lorena12me]

Alarms were sounding, red lights were flashing in the Shatterdome and the staff were running around., making sure the Jeagers were in top condition for battle.

The venue was buzzing with activity, but its energy was lugubrious. There was never any reason to be happy during a Kaiju emergency, knowing the amount of death and destruction a single one of the creatures was capable of unleashing against humanity, but this time it was even worse. A category four Kaiju was making its way into the bay and the Anchorage had only two functional pairs, at least until Clark and Bruce arrived at the Shatterdome and the Dark knight could go into combat.

Tim and Bernard ran to the hangar, donning their armor with swift care. They had been in the Anchorage's gardens, enjoying the futile peace of a couple of months without alerts when the alarms forced them back inside. The Category IV classification was bitter on their tongues and the knowledge burned in their minds that they were in for one of the toughest battles of their lives.

On their way they passed the Amazon Fury pilots and nodding to each other in greeting as they ran to their places. They were a gentle comfort to this fight, Diana and Hippolyta, mother and daughter, were experienced fighters who could lead Tim and Bernard's Red Titan into this battle.

The off-duty pilots are furious and frightened from their cockpits. After Roy's Injury, Jason and Kori have been looking out for their third, unwilling to acknowledge that Harper's piloting days are most likely over. After all, the loss of a limb makes coordination in a Jaeger nearly impossible. For now, the Outlaw remains cold and immobile at his station.

It all depends on whether both Jaegers manage to defeat or keep the Kaiju occupied until reinforcements arrive. Or die trying.

Tim used to not care about his own life if it meant the safety of the world. He would put his life on a scale and it would always outweigh humanity, so his death hadn't haunted him until now. Since he started drifting with Bernard that has changed. He no longer feels that emptiness when he tries to think about the future, nor does he want to completely discard his own life for the greater good. For the first time since he was saved, bloodied and traumatized from the wreckage of Drake Manor, he has something to live for.

And that something is Bernard.

What a terrifying thought.

He doesn't want this day to be his last.

"Bern..." he whispers his partner's name.

"I know, Tim" smiles his friend easily, reaching out his hand until his thumb gently brushes Tim's helmet visor "We will say it when we get back, it'll be an... incentive."

Tim wants to protest, wants to tell him that this might be the last chance they have to say it out loud, that they might die, brutally and quickly and then the words left unsaid will stay that way, buried between their blood and their guts, but he doesn't.

"We'll be back, Bern, we will."

Bernard's smile widens and it's like the sun, like a dandelion growing in a crack in the asphalt and Tim swallows saliva, wishing with all his heart to go home. Because even with the drifting, with their mental handshake and all that they have shared of their fears, dreams, desires and emotions, because even when they are both absolutely sure of what they feel, those words have refused to come aloud from the corner of their brains where their precious humanity emerges.

Tim knows that, if they come back, then there will no longer be any reason why that "I love you" that has been burning inside both of them cannot be said, brought out into the world where it will cease to be a thought and become a reality.

In the distance, the Kaiju who will be named Bane, rises.

_____________________________________________________________

Jaegers names:

Clark and Bruce: Dark Knight

Jason, Roy y Kory: The Outlaw

Tim and Bernard: Red Titan

Diana and Hipolita: Amazon Fury

Dick and Wally: Flash Tiphoon

Talia and Bruce (Now Talia and Nyssa): Demon Head

There are more pilots and Jaegers, but I haven't thought of them.

Five category Kaiju: Joker (He has been confronted twice, both times successfully escaping into the breach. Learn from his battles).

[mumms-the-word]

Bound by Blood - Ch. 4

Ch. 4 - Alistair

Characters: Alistair, fem!Surana, Zevran, fem!Tabris, and basically the rest of the DAO crew Plot: Seventeen-year-old Nyssa Surana never expected to find herself a Grey Warden - let alone one of three surviving Wardens, one of which is her own cousin, Velle Tabris. She's the last person anyone would ever choose to save the world. Young, inexperienced, deeply anxious, and only just out of the Circle Tower for the first time in a decade, she's convinced she's as unlikely a hero as unlikely heroes come. But someone has to save Ferelden from the Fifth Blight...and keep her cousin out of trouble...and try not to fall in love with the charming Alistair Theirin, all at the same time. Three impossible tasks, but she's determined to succeed, even with the odds stacked against her. A/N: Duncan assigns Nyssa her first task: find a warden named Alistair and the other new recruit. Nyssa is in for some surprises. (Velle belongs to my friend @madamdeathbees!)

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | My Fic Masterlist | Read on AO3

Duncan had made it official, inasmuch as a verbal confirmation was official. Nyssa was a Grey Warden recruit now, bound to answer no commands but Duncan's own. And he had been quick to set a task before her, before she'd even had much of a chance to process what she had just agreed to.

"Find Alistair," he'd said. "He should be with another young recruit by now. It's time we gather everyone and begin the preparations for the Joining."

At least it was an easy task. He was supposedly in the ruins of the old cathedral, having been sent there on some errand. Nyssa knew exactly where to go, having wandered in that area several times already, between shifts at the clinic and helping the Circle mages.

She didn’t immediately see any Wardens as she stepped into the cathedral ruins. A glance to her left, down what must have once been the nave, showed her the long war table where the king sometimes met with his advisors, including a dark-haired, grim-looking man everyone called Loghain. No one was there at the moment, however, except for a couple of elven servants hurriedly cleaning around the table. She was about to ask them where Alistair might be when she heard voices to her right, up a ramp that led into the old chapel or shrine room.

She cautiously ventured up the ramp, hoping not to interrupt anything. At the center of the chapel, a young man stood facing a dusky-skinned elven woman, the same  girl had seen accompanying Duncan earlier. She ventured to guess that this must be Alistair and the new recruit.

He had a charming smile, she noticed as she quietly approached. He was flashing said smile to the other girl, his lightly tanned face youthful and somewhat mischievous. His chin and jaw bore a thin but well-groomed beard the same shade as his hair, light brown with hints of ginger strands, like a well-dried stick of cinnamon. And, if she wasn’t mistaken, his ears were ever so slightly pointed at the tips. Curious.

He should have been more familiar to her. She’d watched the Wardens conversing with one another from afar several times, but he must have gotten lost in the mix. Still, he looked friendly, and she hoped that a friendly face meant he would be a friendly person as well.

“You know,” he was saying as she drew nearer, “it just occurred to me that there have never been many women in the Grey Wardens. I wonder why that is?”

The elven woman arched an eyebrow, her arms still crossed. She was beautiful and strangely familiar, though Nyssa couldn’t quite figure out why, beyond that she had seen her earlier that day. Her skin was darker than the man’s, about the same shade as Duncan’s swarthy skin, and she had the most gorgeous wildly curly hair Nyssa had ever seen, the curls a rich shade of mahogany brown. Though shorter than Nyssa, she was curvier and stronger, and right now, she looked ready to punch the taller Warden directly in the face.

“You want more women in the Wardens, do you?” she said, her tone dry.

His smile faltered slightly under her withering look. “Would that be so terrible? Not that I’m some drooling lecher or anything. Please stop looking at me like that.”

He glanced around as if hoping for a distraction. His eyes fell on Nyssa.

“Oh, hello,” he said. Then he glanced over her robes and his expression shifted. “Uh oh. You wouldn’t happen to be another mage, would you? Have they sent you to tell me off for ‘harassing a senior enchanter’ or something?”

She blinked and stopped. “What? No.” Telling off a senior enchanter? Which senior enchanter?

“No? 'No,' you’re not a mage or 'no,' you’re not here to tell me off or…?” He tilted his head with a smile.

Warmth rushed to her cheeks. “No, I’m not here to—that is, I am a mage, but I—” She stopped and shook her head. She needed to get it together. “My name is Nyssa. Duncan sent me to find you and tell you that I’m…I’m joining the Grey Wardens.”

Maker, just speaking it out loud made it feel more terrifying and real.

“Really?” He raised his eyebrows. “I had no idea he was still recruiting. That’s good news. You have good timing, you know. I’m Alistair, but you probably already knew that. This here is—“

“Wait,” the elf girl cut him off. She was eyeing Nyssa with a strange expression, a combination of quick study with a flicker of curiosity and something else. Something like cautious hope. “Your name is Nyssa…and you’re a mage from the Circle? As in, Kinloch Hold, that Circle?”

Nyssa suddenly felt like she was under intense scrutiny, or that she was about to be in trouble. “Um…yes?”

The girl’s eyes brightened. “Oh my gods,” she whispered. She took a deep breath, a cautious smile just starting to form on her lips. “Okay, this might sound crazy. But is your last name Surana?”

Nyssa couldn’t stop her face from registering open surprise. “I—yes, how did you—”

“Oh my gods, I can’t believe it! It is you!” The girl laughed loudly and then put her hands over her mouth, her green eyes welling up with tears. Nyssa started to panic a little—what had she done to make this girl suddenly teary-eyed? “Nyssa Surana, right? Syndra and Elmand’s daughter? From Amaranthine?”

Nyssa nodded shakily. “I…how did you know?”

The girl laughed again, wiping at her eyes. “Because I know you. We’re cousins!”

“Cousins?”

“Duh! Don’t you remember me? Vellenueva Tabris. Cyrion and Adaia’s daughter?”

The realization struck her like a bolt of lightning, her eyes flying wide as she gasped. Now that she was looking, the other girl’s green eyes were unmistakable—they were the same shade as her own eyes, inherited from her mother, the same green eyes her Uncle Cyrion had. “Velle?”

“Yes!” As if her name had unlocked something in her, she flung out her arms and wrapped Nyssa up in a tight, rib-creaking hug. "I knew you'd remember me! Mather's breath, Nyssa, it's been ages!"

Nyssa’s hands fluttered awkwardly in the air a moment before she returned Velle’s embrace, her nose lost in Velle’s curls. She smelled of road dust and woodsmoke, of leather and iron. She must have traveled a long way to get here.

She could scarcely believe it. Out of all the people to meet here, at Ostagar—out of all the people to join up with the Wardens alongside her—her own cousin—

Her mind was a whirl. She hadn’t physically seen Velle since they were children, since before she had been taken away to the tower. It was a memory so distant it was hazy in her mind. Vague images of city streets and packed-together houses, of a big tree growing in a plaza, running in dizzy circles around its trunk, chasing a curly-haired girl only two years older than her, joined by a few other children. After that, nothing. Just the occasional reference to Velle in letters from her parents or the annual letter her Uncle Cyrion sent her each year on her birthday.

Velle almost didn’t seem real. But there was no pretending she was just a hallucination when her arms were tight around Nyssa's body, her embrace warm and strong. And then, suddenly, she was backing away with another laugh, rubbing at her eyes with the heels of her hands.

“Sorry, got a little carried away there,” Velle said, dropping her hands to her sides with a smile. “It’s just—so good to see you. It’s been so long. And I've been—no, nevermind. It doesn't matter.” She took a deep breath, as if composing herself, and nodded. "I'm glad you're here."

“I'm glad you're here, too, Velle,” Nyssa said, returning her smile. “But how did—why are you—”

“Long story,” she said, her smile fading slightly. “The short version is that Duncan picked me up in Denerim. But we can talk about that later. We have so much to catch up on. I want to know everything there is to know about you—how you’ve been, what you’ve been doing, why you’re here—well." She broke off with a laugh. "I guess I know part of why you're here. Another Grey Warden, huh? What are the odds?”

Nyssa nodded, chancing a glance at Alistair, curious what he made of all this. He had tactfully taken several steps back and was pretending to find something very interesting in the stones of one of the window arches. At her glance, he looked up and offered them both a little smile.

“Cousins, huh?” he said, venturing back over. “I never would have guessed.”

“That’s because you’re not using your eyes, shem,” Velle said, linking arms with Nyssa. “It seems obvious enough to me.”

Nyssa shook her head slightly at Velle’s words. She could see where Alistair would be surprised. Where Velle was shorter, curvier, and darker, Nyssa was somewhat tall and willowy for an elf, with pale, lightly freckled skin and long, ginger-colored hair that barely held a few waves, let alone a few curls. She felt lanky and awkward next to Velle, who stood with a measure of confidence, almost cockiness, that Nyssa faintly envied.

If she were in Alistair’s shoes, she would be a little skeptical herself.

“We…do have the same color eyes,” she said, after a beat of silence. “If it helps.”

Alistair grinned and held up his hands. “Don’t worry. I believe you. In any case, it’s good to have another Grey Warden recruit. Let me be the first to welcome you into the order, if no one else has.”

“Thank you. It’s all very…new,” Nyssa said. “Duncan offered the choice to me only about an hour ago.”

“Probably because he heard what a kickass mage you are,” Velle said, grinning and elbowing Nyssa lightly in the side. “Right?”

“Oh, I’m not…er, do you think I'm a...?” She didn't know if she could bring herself to repeat the phrase, so foreign was it to her view of herself and her abilities. 

Velle just shrugged. “You’re my family, which means you’ve got that Tabris blood in you. That automatically makes you great in my books.”

Alistair chuckled softly. “Well, all I know is that Duncan wouldn’t have offered anything if he didn’t see something in you that the Wardens could use. But if you’re here to join us, then we’d better head back to him. He’ll have our next task ready for us by now.”

“You mean the Joining thing?” Velle asked. “What is it, anyway?”

“A ritual, but I can’t say more than that. Don’t worry, Duncan will explain.” He nodded toward the rest of the ruins, back toward where Duncan was waiting. “Shall we? We've got some other recruits to pick up on the way.”

“Alistair,” Nyssa asked as they followed him out of the cathedral and back toward the rest of the ruins. She felt somewhat shy to be talking to another Warden, even though he was closer to her in age than the others. It didn't help when he glanced over his shoulder with a smile to show he was listening. She quickly looked away before she forgot what she was about to ask him. “Um…earlier you asked if I was a mage. And something about…harassing a senior enchanter? What was that about?”

“Oh, that.” Alistair laughed somewhat awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his neck. He shrugged. “It was nothing. The revered mother sent me to give a message to one of your senior enchanters and…well I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how the Chantry and the Circle feel about each other.”

Nyssa shook her head. She was very aware. It was all mages and templars wanted to argue about in the Tower. But even here, there was no escaping it. No matter how much she helped in the Chantry clinic, the sisters always looked at her coldly or with little pitying frowns. As if she were either about to turn into an abomination at any moment, or had somehow already turned into a monster without realizing it.

But Velle looked confused. She glanced at Nyssa. “What’s up between the Chantry and the Circle?”

Nyssa shrugged and was about to answer, but Alistair beat her to it.

“The Circle is here at the king’s request and the Chantry doesn’t like that one bit," he said, putting some extra bite into the last two words. "They just love letting mages know how unwelcome they are. Which,” he added with a frown, “puts me in a bit of an awkward position. I was once a templar.”

Nyssa stopped short, looking up sharply. “What? You—you’re a templar?”

No one told her that one of her allies was a templar. Not that she should have been bothered by it, but…how was she expected to fight alongside someone whose abilities rendered her own useless and inert? Templar abilities were all about dampening magic, cleansing the area of spells and mana and anything that made magic work. It was what made them so effective in fighting and killing mages, not to mention all the other abilities they had at their disposal to track down magic and eradicate it whenever possible. If the Wardens needed a mage so badly, why did they also have a templar?

How was she supposed to be useful now?

He glanced over his shoulder and quickly whirled to face her, putting his hands up. “Was! Emphasis on was. I did the training but I never took the vows to actually become a templar.”

She hesitated, unsure what to say next or whether to even believe him. He didn’t seem like a templar type—certainly not like a mage-hunter, ruthless and cruel—but that didn’t mean he didn’t harbor a secret dislike of mages and magic. He had been kind and friendly so far, but…well, she’d been wrong about people before.

“Is…is my magic going to be a problem?” she asked, suddenly anxious.

“What? No, no! No problem at all. I only mentioned it because—well my background makes mages nervous and nervous mages make me nervous and—” He cut himself off and rubbed at his forehead. “Maker’s breath I’m really sticking my foot in it now.”

“Keep talking, shem,” Velle said with a smirk, crossing her arms. “I’ve already got about four reasons for why I want to hit you, I could use a few more.”

Alistair gave her an exasperated look but focused on Nyssa, who by this point was twisting the end of her sleeve so tightly it was starting to cut into her wrist. “Look," he said, "think of it more like I’m an ex-templar, although I didn’t even make that far really. It was never anything I wanted to actually become. The Chantry raised me until Duncan recruited me six months ago, but it’s not like I made the decision to become a templar myself. That decision was made for me, once the Chantry took me in.”

“Oh...” Nyssa let go of her sleeve, let the fabric untwist. She self-consciously smoothed out the wrinkles in her sleeve with her fingers. “I see.”

She still didn't fully understand, but what he described wasn't terribly different than her own experience joining the Circle. She hadn’t had much of a choice there either. She still had old nightmares about the day she had been escorted out of her home in Amaranthine, away from her parents and all she had known before. She supposed, when she viewed things like that, Duncan had done them both a favor. He had offered them both an escape.

She chanced another hesitant glance up at him. “So...that means...?”

He sighed. “It means, no, your magic isn’t a problem, and I’m not a templar anymore. I’m a Grey Warden. Like you. Or well, like you will be soon. Like we all will be,” he added, cutting his eyes to Velle. “Hopefully we can all get along. Right?”

Velle set a hand on her hip, her smirk still fixed in place. “At the rate you’re going, shem? Doubtful.”

Alistair looked again at Nyssa, this time as if he were hoping she would speak up in his defense. But she dropped her gaze to the ground. She still didn't know what to think. Just because he wasn't a templar now, not a templar anymore, it didn't mean he was entirely her friend. At least, not yet.

In her silence, he let out another sigh. “Well...you can’t blame a man for trying,” he muttered under his breath. He shook his head. “Let’s just go. Duncan will want us back soon and we still need to find the other two recruits. Speaking of, I think I see one right now, so if you’ll excuse me...”

He turned and quickly walked away, as if hoping to put some distance between them and himself. Peeking up to watch him go, Nyssa swore the tips of his slightly pointed ears were red. From embarrassment? Or anger? She couldn't tell.

Beside her, Velle scoffed under her breath. “Shems can be so stupid sometimes.”

Nyssa winced a little. “That word,” she said. “You keep calling him that, but I don’t know what it means.”

“What, shem? You know, like…humans.” Velle gestured vaguely. “Short for shemlen but nobody says that these days unless they’re old.”

“It sounds a bit rude when you say it.”

Velle laughed. “Well, it should. Humans don’t deserve my respect. And besides, that one,” she pointed to Alistair, “scared you just now.”

Nyssa’s face grew warm. “He didn’t scare me. He just…surprised me.” She shook her head. “Let’s not talk about it. And anyway, he doesn’t seem that bad to me, templar or not.”

“Suit yourself,” she said with a shrug. “A shem’s a shem no matter what he’s wearing or what he’s saying.”

Nyssa glanced over at Alistair, watching him talk to another man, a squirrelly dark-haired human who talked a lot with his hands. If she wasn’t mistaken, the tips of his ears were still slightly pinker than the rest. He grinned at something the other man said and shrugged his shoulders, the silver parts of his Grey Warden armor glinting in the sunlight.

He had a good smile.

“You don’t like him?” Nyssa asked, tilting her head.

Velle shrugged. “He’s not the worst human I’ve ever met. He’s funny, but not any smarter than any other humans.” She paused, watching him for a second and then cast a sly look at Nyssa. “Why, do you?”

Nyssa didn’t say anything at first, though she could feel Velle’s expectant gaze on her. She supposed befriending a templar—or ex-templar as the case may be—wouldn’t be terribly unusual for her. Though many of them seemed intimidating and even dangerous, others, like Cullen, had been friendly, even sweet to her. Alistair seemed more like the latter, rather than the former.

“I don’t know,” she said after a moment. “I guess I’d have to get to know him more.”

Velle arched an eyebrow. “Yeah? Well, suit yourself. But just know if he scares you again, I’ll be ready to give him a good kick in the shins for you.”

Somehow, Nyssa doubted that Velle’s shin-kicking service would ever really be required, at least against poor Alistair's shins, but the thought made her smile despite herself. “Thank you…I think.”

“You’re very welcome, cousin. Now come on.” She linked arms with Nyssa. “If we leave him alone too long he’ll come back to bother us, and I want to know what this Joining stuff is about.”

Right, the Joining. First, find the other recruits, then report to Duncan, then officially join the Wardens…somehow. Those were their tasks for the afternoon and evening.

Nyssa hoped it didn’t involve another test. She’d already been through enough today. But she knew better than to hope too much, and the fact that Alistair was hesitant to share details about the ritual suggested something dangerous or dark about it.

But she could do it. She’d passed her Harrowing. She’d passed Duncan’s first test, or at least she thought she did. She could pass any future tests too.

Hopefully.

[saecookie]

Where would you suggest a newbie start on Spider-Gwen? I've looked into it a couple times and there's like two different "number one"s, and then gwenom, gwenpool, and others that look like crossovers, she's even introduced in a massive intimidating spiderverse crossover. Basically, what's a good place to start without having to do a bunch of homework?

HI NYSSA i'm finally on desktop to answer you comfortably. So happy to share as I've actually done the bunch of homework!

putting a tl;dr here: a good starting point is her first serie, Spider-Gwen (2015-2018) So. Spider-Gween as her own series, but was first introduced in the Spider-Verse comics. She has three series of her own :

Spider-Gwen (2015-18, 34 issues)

Spider-Gwen: Spider-Ghost (2019, 10 issues)

Spider-Ghost (2020-21, 10 issues)

(not at all confusing to start, not at all.)

Those are her core series, that you can read in that order if you want to go simple. Then, here are the homeworks done:

You can also preface this by reading the Spider-Verse comics, that is her first actual appearance and will give you some context for her interactions with Miles Morales in her own comics. To read this, you'll basically have to know two things : 1. in the spiderman lore, there's a family called the Inheritors who hunt the spiderpeople in the multiverse 2. there are too "mainstream" Peter Parker, one being Doc Ock in Peter's body (that's not relevant to Gwen but you might be lost abt this at first)

Then, one that might be a read is the Spider-Women comics. It takes place during Spider-Gwen #7-8 so you'll be aware of the happenings even if you don't read the comics. If you don't want tor read it, here's the point: after Spider-Verse, 3 spiderwomen keep in touch and regularly have brunch and adventures together. The point is mainly going on with Gwen's story that she's quite in touch with the multiverse and her spiderfam.

You can also read the Spider-Man/Spider-Gwen Sitting in a tree comics. This also takes place during some Gwen issues (Spider-Gwen #16-18) so you don't have to read it if you don't care about it, but it adds the some parts of the first Miles/Gwen team-up and also Miles' side.

Betwen Spider-Gwen and Spider-Gwen: Spider-Ghost happens the Spider-Geddon event. It's basically the sequel to Spider-Verse, so if you liked it you might like this one. Also it's what happens to Gwen between the first and second series, so I guess? haha.

To answer your questions: Gwenom refers to two things. Well, three really: Gwen when she fuses with venom's symbiote, Spider-Gwen's narrative arc in issues #24-29, and finally to Spider-Gwen vs Carnage. This is part of a bigger marvel event called King in Black, and is Gwen's participation in it. It's the last appearance we've had of Gwen in her continuity, so it might be relevant to her if we ever get more content, but I'm sure this will categorize then as an adventure she had, as others. If you don't have enough Gwen by now, sure you can read it.

There's also Gwen-Verse. It's a self contained mini-serie. It features Spider-Gwen having adventure with some of her counterparts, who are not spiderpeople but mixes with other superheroes. This ties in with her origins: in the introduction to Spider-Verse (titled Edge of Spider-Verse if you wanna read that), Spider-Gwen is introduced alongside other spiderpeople. She, and particularly her design, was so acclaimed that she became a fan favourite before having anything else to her name, and became popular along cosplayers. Marvel then decided to give her her own series, and notably by launching a collection of cover arts of Gwen Stacy as different marvel superheroes (you can check those here). And so basically, this mini-serie is a way to come back to this, with all kind of Gwens!

Finally you mentionned Gwenpool. Gwenpool was one of those variant that they went with. She's a completly different character, called Gwen(dolyn) Pool. iirc, she has two series of her own. She appears in the main marvel universe (so not Spider-Gwen's one) and she's a mix with Deadpool, obviously. She has the same awareness that she's in a comic world and acts very recklessly because, as this is comic world, nothing will have true consequences (which distresses basically everyone around her bc loved one dies, you know). I'm not quite fond myself of her, but if you wanna give her a try, be my guest!

I hope this was clear enough and gave you the answers you were seeking dear!

[headcanonsandmore]

'Glad All Over (Cake By The Ocean)', Chapter Three

Summary: As Nyssa becomes closer with a certain Australian, certain questions have started making themselves known. Everyone in the town seems to be aware of Nyssa's growing attraction to the Australian, except for Tegan herself. However, a trip up to London may just be the ticket for the two women growing closer still.

~~~~~~~~~ Read on AO3.

~~~~~~~~~

As the meeting progressed, Nyssa found herself able to avoid thinking too much about the woman sat next to her. Granted, yes, Tegan did occasionally let out a chuckle at something and yes she did smell rather lovely, but Nyssa knew that it would take a while to gradually get used to these things. She’d had crushes before, and she’d gotten over them all fine.

Nevermind the fact that Nyssa’s heart was beating far faster around Tegan than it ever had around anyone else. That was irrelevant.

‘Michael,’ Barbara asked, balancing her laptop on her knees. ‘How is the planning for the Pride events going? You said at the last meeting that you were having issues obtaining gazebos.’

‘All sorted,’ Mike Yates replied, with a grin. Barbara seemed to be the only one present who referred to Mike by his full name; Nyssa guessed that Barbara had probably taught Mike when he was at school. ‘Benton’s been a great help.’

Nyssa shot a confused look at Tegan.

‘Benton,’ the Australian whispered, in an undertone to Nyssa. ‘He’s the local security expert; owns a small shop just off the high-street. I don’t think anyone knows his first name. Lovely bloke, though.’

‘And have all the stall-owners sent their insurance details?’ Barbara asked, to which Mike nodded.

‘We’ve basically all sorted now; it’s just getting all the decorations in place.’

‘What about security?’

‘Benton and Ace are both handling that,’ Mike explained. ‘The committee decided against asking the police.’

Barbara nodded, in agreement. Ace McShane, still seated next to Mel, grinned, miming swinging a baseball bat as the redhead gave a giggle.

‘Well, that’s almost everything,’ Barbara said, looking down at her laptop. ‘Except one last thing; we need volunteers for a presentation for the primary school tomorrow morning. On dental hygiene.’

Nyssa froze, as every pair of eyes in the room swivelled to look at her. Her palms started to get very sweaty.

No, -Nyssa gritted her teeth- I have to stop being so introverted!

‘I’ll do that,’ she said, quickly. ‘Dental health is very important for young children.’

‘Wonderful!’ Barbara said, smiling. ‘Although I couldn’t possibly ask you to do this all by yourself. Would anyone be able to give Nyssa a hand?’

Nyssa pointedly did not look around, but already she could see several pair of eyes moving to the Australian seated next to her. Dang it, did everyone know?

Apparently oblivious to all this, Tegan raised her hand.

‘I’ll help out,’ she said, turning to Nyssa. ‘Not sure how good I’ll be, but give me some direction and I’ll try my best.’

‘Great,’ Nyssa said. ‘I’ve got some materials back in the flat; I’ll bring them along.’

Tegan smiled, and Nyssa ignored the stifled giggle from Mel. She was never going to hear the end of this.

*

‘Nice outfit,’ Tegan said, as Nyssa approached the school gates.

Nyssa had chosen to wear a light rainbow-striped cardigan over a white blouse and beige capri trousers. Normally, she would have decided on a more formal way of dressing, but she didn’t want the children at the school to find her standoffish. Hence the cardigan.

‘Thanks,’ Nyssa replied, before giving Tegan a quick once-over with her eyes. ‘I see you decided to forsake the dungarees.’

Tegan chuckled, looking down at her chinos and button-up shirt.

‘Thought it might confuse the children otherwise,’ she said, before easing some of the materials out of Nyssa’s arms. ‘Do you need me to learn anything off by heart?’

‘Not really,’ Nyssa said, as the two of them headed across the playground. ‘Most of the facts are on these posters, but you can just direct any questions to me.’

‘Sure; whatever you need me to do, I’m your woman.’

Tegan seemed to suddenly realise the implications of what she had just said, and her cheeks flushed a delicate pink.

‘E-er…’ she stammered, looking rather flummoxed. ‘I… I didn’t… I didn’t mean…’

Nyssa took one look at Tegan’s expression, and promptly started giggling.

‘What?’ Tegan exclaimed, a little flummoxed.

‘Oh,’ Nyssa laughed. ‘You’re so cute when you’re flustered, Tegan!’

‘Am I?’

Nyssa nodded.

‘Oh,’ Tegan said, before grinning. ‘That’s… good. I trust you aren’t requiring a lot of acting from me during your presentation.’

‘No, just some slightly dorky dancing. Nothing else required.’

Tegan grinned.

‘Well, I am good at dorky dancing,’ she said, cheeks dimpling. ‘I just hope you can keep up, Nys.’

‘I’ll have you know I did a module in dorky dancing in my fourth year,’ Nyssa cheeked back, giggling. ‘Came top of my year.’

‘Oh, so you’re the top, then-’

‘Tegan!’

The two of them descended into giggles, as they headed through the main doors.

*

‘Does anyone have anything they’d like to ask?’ Nyssa said, staring down at the children.

Barbara was stood beside the teachers desk. Nyssa and Tegan had completed their presentation, with only a little dignity lost during the dancing. The class of five-year-olds had gotten their fill of dentist-related puns, humour and general dorkiness, which Nyssa was happy to provide as long as it made sure they brushed their teeth routinely.

One small girl raised her hand, looking between Nyssa and Tegan.

‘Yes?’

‘Are you two in love?’

Nyssa’s mouth fell open. She stood there, flummoxed for a second as her brain desperately tried to come up with an answer that made sense. She would have normally expected Tegan to say something off the cuff, but the Australian had also gone completely silent, mouth agape as she blinked quickly.

The class then took advantage of this silence to begin talking amongst themselves.

‘No, to be in love, people have to be married!’

‘Are you two married?’

‘They’re married!’

‘No, no…’ Nyssa said, waving her hands in an effort to get the situation back on track. ‘Any questions about cleaning your teeth-’

‘I didn’t know girls could marry other girls!’ exclaimed a little boy, grinning. ‘Does that mean I can marry Tom when we grow up?’

‘When did you get married?’

‘How long have you been in love?’

‘Do you have any kids together?’

‘Do you kiss like mummy and daddy do?’

Nyssa and Tegan looked at each other, utterly flummoxed as the children continuing to yell questions at them.

*

‘So, that… happened.’

Tegan and Nyssa were walking across the playground, carrying the posters and supplies in their arms. It was Tegan who had spoken, drawing Nyssa out of the flustered shock she had fallen into after the question-and-answer session. Her mind had been reeling, and her heart had not stopped pounding so loudly that she was sure Tegan could hear it.

Nyssa swallowed, and nodded.

‘Yes,’ she said, quietly. ‘It did.’

‘Kinda surprised me, to be honest.’

Nyssa’s head snapped round to stare at the Australian.

‘Surprised you?’

‘Yeah,’ Tegan replied, matter-of-factly. ‘I mean, me and you…’

‘Listen,’ Nyssa exclaimed, suddenly feeling rather upset. ‘I know I’m not exactly most women’s dream girl, but you don’t have to be-’

‘What? No, I meant that you’d be settling.’

Nyssa goggled at her.

‘Settling?’

‘Oh, come off it, Nys,’ Tegan said, with a roll of her eyes, as if her point was obvious. ‘You’re a super-smart scientist, and I’m a loud-mouthed Aussie who doesn’t have a real job. Clearly, you’re the one who’d be-’

‘Stop it!’

The supplies and posters fell out of Nyssa’s arms, as her hands curled into fists at her sides.

‘Don’t you dare say that about yourself!’ Nyssa exclaimed. ‘You’re amazing, Tegan! You’re qualified in every trade under the sun! You’re funny! You’re sweet! You don’t take any nonsense from people, and you… you…’

Nyssa trailed off, shocked to find her eyes tearing up. She quickly raised a hand to wipe the tears away.

‘Please… please don’t be dismissive of yourself,’ she sobbed. ‘I won’t hear of it, you understand?’

‘I…’ -Tegan’s face was the picture of shock through Nyssa’s distorted vision- ‘Nyssa, I’m… I’m sorry, please don’t be upset, I was just being stupid-’

‘Don’t put yourself down to make me feel better!’ Nyssa exclaimed, still not finished. ‘That’s not being stupid; that’s being hurtful against yourself! You hear me, Tegan Jovanka?’

Tegan nodded, dazed looking.

There was a few moments silence.

‘Sorry,’ Nyssa said, wiping her eyes, all fight gone. She began to pick up the things she had dropped. ‘I yelled at you.’

Tegan waved a hand airily, as she bent down to help.

‘No worries. It’s that… whatchamacallit… self-talk thing. I’ll try and cut down on the self-deprecating jokes, okay?’

Nyssa chuckled.

‘That’s good. You’re a lovely person, Tegan.’

Tegan blinked. Was it just Nyssa’s imagination, or were Tegan’s cheeks slightly flushed? She chided herself for a second; just because she was crushing on Tegan, that didn’t mean she should be reading into things. After all, Tegan was probably just happy for the compliment. Yes, people definitely got flustered after their platonic friends told them things like that, surely?

‘T-thanks,’ Tegan said, quickly. ‘You… you too.’

Nyssa definitely could feel her own cheeks flushing. She hoped that Tegan wouldn’t notice. The last thing she wanted was for Tegan to feel uncomfortable around her; after all, Nyssa wasn’t Tegan’s type in the slightest, and the Australian clearly saw her in a purely platonic. Which was fine as well, of course. Nyssa loved having Tegan as a friend. No matter how much she found herself pining for the woman currently stood barely a foot away from her. Whose cheeks were still flushing. And whose hair was pretty. And who-

No. She was not thinking in that way. She needed to get over herself and let this crush disappear as soon as possible, before Tegan suspected anything. It was bad enough that the children’s questions had brought this subject into the open.

‘Thank you.’

The two women headed out through the school gates, and down through the high-street. They deposited the posters and supplies in the surgery.

‘Walk you home?’ Tegan asked, as Nyssa was locking up the door.

‘Er… I suppose,’ Nyssa replied. ‘You sure you don’t anything important somewhere else?’

‘Nah; you’re important.’

‘O-oh,’ Nyssa said. ‘Well, if you insist…’

The two of them headed back towards Nyssa and Mel’s place. On the doorstep, Nyssa turned back to face the Australian.

‘Thank you for helping today,’ she said, smiling a little shyly.

‘My pleasure,’ grinned Tegan, cheeks dimpling. ‘We make a good team, Nyssa with a y.’

‘Are you really going to call me that?’

‘It suits you!’

‘How?’

‘I dunno,’ Tegan said, scratching the back of her neck with her finger. ‘It’s cute, you’re cute; it fits.’

Nyssa froze.

‘You… you think I’m cute?’

‘Duh,’ Tegan said, with a roll of her eyes. ‘C’mon, Nys; I thought it was obvious.’

‘Oh. Er… thank you, Tegan. I… I think you’re cute too.’

Tegan grinned.

‘See you around, Nys.’

Nyssa smiled, unable to stop herself giggling.

‘See you around.’

*

Nyssa threw down the wedding invitation onto the kitchen table.

‘Everyone there is going to be insufferable!’ Nyssa exclaimed. ‘I know what they’re like; they’ll be thinking I’ve thrown away my career and lost the plot entirely! It’s London-centric class nonsense!’

‘Geez, Nyssa,’ Mel said, munching on an apple. ‘Why are you even going to this thing, then?’

‘It’s the principle of the matter!’ Nyssa fumed, pacing. ‘Ben and Polly are lovely people; I owe it to them to be there for their wedding! It’s not their fault most of our classmates are elitist…’

Nyssa spat out a couple of Welsh swearwords, before storming off to her room. Behind her, she could hear Mel chuckling to herself in the kitchen.

Several hours later, Nyssa had formulated a plan of attack. She would not only make sure that no-one at the wedding was unpleasant about her new home, but would also give herself a bit of retail therapy into the bargain.

Well, as much retail therapy as Nyssa was happy to do; as in, a lot of craft supplies. She had drawn up a design for a new blouse, and a lightweight summer skirt and matching waistcoat (Nyssa did love her proper waistcoats, she had to admit). She already had a pair of Oxford shoes that would go with everything.

A few days later, the doorbell rang. Nyssa had just gotten a notification on her phone that her parcels were due to be delivered very shortly, so she hurried out of her room and along the hallway.

Nyssa opened the door, revealing what appeared to be a large stack of carboard boxes, with a pair of dungaree legs stood underneath them.

‘What do you want doing with this little lot?’ came Tegan’s annoyed voice from behind the teetering pile.

‘Oh, sorry, Tegan!’ Nyssa exclaimed, taking half of the parcels into her arms. ‘I was looking for crafting supplies and I got carried away.’

Tegan followed her into the flat, and they dumped the boxes onto the kitchen table.

Tegan was wearing her dungarees, of course, but -instead of a shirt- she was wearing a loose vest top, in a black that contrasted with the light blue denim. As the Australian gave a stretch, Nyssa found herself unable to look away. Good grief, those arms and those-

Nyssa swallowed, frantically looking away. Tegan was her friend! She shouldn’t be staring at her like this, no matter how attractive Tegan was!

And she sure was attractive, wasn’t she…

It really wasn’t fair. How was Nyssa supposed to get over this crush when Tegan was as lovely as she was?

‘So…’ Tegan said, looking down at the various parcels covering the table. ‘Crafting supplies?’

‘I make a lot of my clothes,’ Nyssa said, waving a hand absentmindedly as she begun to open the parcels. ‘I’ve got a wedding invite from an old university friend and… well, I decided that I needed to make something new for it. They’re all snobs at this wedding, and I don’t want to reflect badly on Tregonnereth.’

Tegan smiled.

‘We must be taking an impact, then.’

‘Oh, you are!’

Mel had appeared.

Nyssa gave a quick pointed look at the redhead, who promptly decided to ignore Nyssa’s hint.

‘Have you heard about this wedding, Tegan? Two weeks away on the Saturday; I’m sure Nyssa would love to have you go along with her-’

‘Mel!’ Nyssa exclaimed, feeling her own traitorous face turn red. ‘Tegan’s surely busy that day, the wedding itself is on the outskirts of London and, besides, the wedding is so packed that Polly couldn’t give me a plus-one option!’

‘Well, that’s a shame,’ Tegan said, apparently not noticing Nyssa’s flusteredness. ‘Because I’m going to be around there on that day, anyway.’

Nyssa did a double take.

‘Y-you’re going to London as well?’

Tegan rubbed the back of her neck.

‘Sort-of. Three of the old boys from the village are all heading to an old work friends retirement party. I was going to drive them to Plymouth Train Station, but the RMT’s just confirmed a strike for that day.’

Nyssa nodded. The rail companies were planning to close all ticket offices throughout the country, and the union had understandably taken a motion to strike.

‘I was hoping they could catch the bus up,’ Tegan continued. ‘But it’s not gonna be much fun for them, with so little legroom. So it looks like I’m gonna be driving them the whole way.’

‘Longer journey, too,’ Nyssa agreed, frowning. ‘Wait… why don’t I take you all up?’

Tegan stared at her.

‘Are you sure?’

‘Of course,’ Nyssa said, smiling. ‘I’ve got four spare seats.’

‘Thank you!’ Tegan exclaimed, cheeks dimpling as she returned the smile. ‘Nyssa Traken; you are an angel.’

Nyssa felt her stomach flip over.

*

‘Young lady, I am a hundred-and-three and I don’t appreciate your tone!’

Nyssa sighed. The three old boys were sat on the back seats of her car. The oldest, a man with long immaculately-combed white hair, was a doctor of some kind; presumably, the old village doctor? Nyssa wasn’t sure. Despite his advanced years, he seemed to be very much aware of his own faculties. Hence why he had kept up a running commentary of Nyssa’s driving ability for the past hour.

The car had passed Bristol a little while ago, and Nyssa had (rather testily, she admitted) responded that the doctor could drive them the rest of the way there if he disliked her driving so much.

‘Oh, calm down, old son,’ said Graham, frowning. ‘Miss Nyssa is very kindly driving us up.’

Graham O’Brien was the youngest of the three old boys. A cheerful cockney in his early retirement, he had moved down to Cornwall to be near his step-grandson, who worked in Plymouth.

Nyssa smiled gratefully at Graham, who smiled.

‘Cheers, love,’ said Wilf, kind eyes twinkling. ‘The Doc is all bark, but he means well.’  

Wilfred Mott, the last of the three, was easily the sweetest of the bunch. Another Londoner, he had a grandfatherly presence that was immediately and disarmingly comforting, like a warm snuggly jumper in winter.

Tegan chuckled, flashing a quick grin at Wilf. The Australian was sat in the passenger seat next to Nyssa. She had spent most of the journey chatting cheerfully to the old gents, and the rest dozing in her seat. Nyssa would have woken up but, she had to admit, Tegan did look rather adorable whilst sleeping. Especially in those fetching chinos and shirt.

At that moment, however, the cars in front of Nyssa on the motorway slowed to a sudden stop. Nyssa immediately applied the brake. Everyone in the car startled, as they jolted forwards against their seatbelts.

Tegan looked down.

Nyssa’s arm was pressed against her stomach, preventing her from falling further forwards. Nyssa felt her cheeks flush, and she blinked. When had she done that?

‘Er… thanks,’ Tegan said.

‘No problem,’ Nyssa replied, quietly as she removed her hand.

The three old boys did not say anything.

*

Mel’s stomach gave an unpleasant growl, as she hurried up the high-street. Oh, this wasn’t good… she shouldn’t have had that two-day-old takeaway food…

She had been planning on having a quiet day to herself in the flat. What with Nyssa heading back to London with Tegan, she’d been hoping to catch up on some reading, do some yoga and mindful meditation, and then spend the evening knitting in front of the telly. She’d even gotten a brand new wool she was hoping to start using!

Of course, thanks to her stomach, she had instead spent most of the past few hours… well, she didn’t like thinking about it, to be honest.

Speeding up her pace, she headed through the pharmacy doors, and hurried towards the counter. Liz Shaw was standing behind it, her auburn hair tied back into its signature bun.

‘Hello, Mel,’ she said, as Mel came to a stop. ‘Good grief, you’re pale as a sheet! Everything alright?’

‘Food poisoning,’ Mel said, through gritted teeth.

‘Diarrhoea?’

Mel nodded.

Liz gave a sympathetic grimace.

‘Let me guess; you tried some takeaway food that was going off?’

‘Yep,’ Mel said, as her stomach gave another lurch. ‘Do you have anything for it? Anti-diarrheal?’

‘You don’t have any allergies to anything?’

Mel shook her head and Liz hurried into the storeroom behind her, the door closing smartly.

The redhead groaned, keeping a tight hold on her stomach. She was supposed to be sensible; why had she done this? If she remembered correctly, her thought pattern had been “oh, live a little and relax”.

Well, she didn’t feel very relaxed at the moment. Especially in her-

‘Mel!’

Mel froze.

Darn it, darn in, darn it-

‘What are you doing here?’ said Ace McShane, hurrying over and coming to stand beside her in front of the counter.

‘O-oh, well…’ Mel said, rubbing her forehead with a hand. ‘I’m feeling a little headachey, you see-’

‘Did you say anti-diarrheal?’ Liz said, bustling back through the door of the storeroom, with several boxes in her arms. ‘Is it serious? Watery?’

Mel bit back a groan, and squeezed her eyes tight, feeling mortification drip into her already-unsettled stomach.

‘Both,’ she whispered.

Liz nodded, before picking up some medication from the bunch she had brought with her. Mel avoided looking at Ace while she paid.

‘Takeaway food, eh?’ Ace said, cheerfully as she followed Mel through the pharmacy. ‘We’ve all been there.’

Mel nodded, dearly wishing she could sink into the earth beneath her feet. Ace gave a cheery wave and headed up the high street. Mel hurried home. Hopefully, once her stomach stopped rebelling, she’d be able to see the funny side.

*

Nyssa had found herself stuck amongst the Henrietta’s. There were four of them; all immensely posh, from filthy rich families, and with personalities that shuddered at the prospect of a universe beyond Central London. They had already complained enough about having to travel to the suburbs, so Nyssa shuddered to imagine the amount of arguments that might have been if Polly and Ben had gone with their original plan of having the wedding in Portsmouth.

Now, most people with the name “Henrietta” tended to prefer a nickname; Henny, perhaps, or Rita. But each of the Henrietta’s refused to have so much as a letter removed. Even amongst Nyssa’s cohort, they were especially old-fashioned. If Nyssa’s memory served her correctly, all four of the Henrietta’s were actually related, in some way, to the aristocracy.

Needless to say, Nyssa had never liked any of them.

But she wasn’t here for them. She was here for Polly and Ben.

After reaching the outskirts of London, Nyssa had dropped the old boys at their do. Tegan had then hopped out nearby the wedding reception, saying that she’d walk around the shops nearby and then meet Nyssa outside the reception later in the afternoon. Nyssa was hoping that would be sooner rather than later.

She was brought out of this happy memory by the sound of one of the Henrietta’s complaining loudly to a waitress over at the bar. Nyssa quickly left the table and headed over, deftly suggesting that Henrietta write a letter to The Times instead and herding her back to the table.

Nyssa gave an apologetic grimace to the waitress, when she went back to pass her empty glass over.

‘Sorry about her,’ she said, motioning to the Henrietta’s with a flick of her head. ‘They’re just irritable because they’re outside Kensington.’

The waitress sighed.

‘Sounds about right. We get their type all the time.’

Nyssa grimaced again, and was planning to head back over to the table. However, she was beset by the happy intrusion of Polly, looking resplendent in her wedding dress.

‘Nyssa!’ Polly exclaimed, quickly pulling her into a hug. ‘It’s good to see you; thank you so much for coming!’

‘It’s great to see you too,’ Nyssa replied, smiling as they broke apart. ‘Thank you for inviting me; congratulations to you both!’

‘Thank you!’ Polly enthused, face breaking into an enormous grin. ‘It’s been a wonderful day; Ben and I couldn’t be happier- oh, Ben; Nyssa’s here!’

Ben appeared, grinning widely. He was wearing a shirt, trousers and matching waistcoat, having left his suit jacket on his chair due to the summer warmth.

‘Alright, duchess,’ Ben chuckled, grinning. ‘No need to belabour the point. Great to see you again, Nyssa.’

Nyssa shook hands with him.

‘How’s it like in Cornwall?’ Ben asked. ‘We used to go on holidays there when I was a kid; lovely beaches.’

‘It’s fantastic,’ Nyssa replied. ‘All the locals are so sweet and, well, you know I was getting sick of dentistry in London.’

Ben and Polly both nodded.

‘Thanks for coming, Nyssa,’ Ben said. ‘I’d love to chat more, but I need to make sure my young cousins don’t steal the entirety of the buffet food.’

As Ben turned to leave, Polly reached down and squeezed his bum. The cockney gave a laugh and grinned at his wife.

Nyssa rolled her eyes fondly. These two really were adorable, even if they still acted like a pair of randy teenagers on occasion.

‘Sorry about you getting stuck with the Henrietta’s,’ Polly said, with a grimace. ‘Honestly, Ben and I both tried to have you seated on the main table, but the designers said they couldn’t fit you anywhere else.’

‘It’s fine,’ Nyssa replied, with a shrug. ‘I’m here to celebrate your day, don’t worry about things like that.’

‘You’re a sweetie,’ Polly said, before pulling Nyssa into another hug. ‘If you want me to switch with you, just say the word, okay?’

‘Thank you.’

Barely a few minutes later, Nyssa was already regretting not taking Polly up on her offer.

‘But it must be so dull!’ one of the Henrietta’s was exclaiming. ‘I mean, no tube, no theatres, no proper eateries!’

The other people on the table murmured in agreement. Nyssa bit the inside of her lip to stop herself from yelling. She was not making a scene in the middle of someone’s wedding reception.

‘Gosh, can you imagine living outside the M25? Nyssa, how do you cope?’

‘Very well,’ Nyssa said, testily. ‘Cornwall is lovely and the people there are just as lovely.’

‘But it’s in the middle of nowhere? I mean, you hear tales of what goes on in the country. Er, no offence, Nyssa.’

Nyssa was now practically biting her tongue off as she tried not to swear loudly in Welsh. However, something out of Nyssa’s eyeline seemed to have caught the Henrietta’s eyes.

‘Who’s that woman?’

‘Is she lost or something?’

‘Kinda hot, though. Love the hair.’

Nyssa felt her stomach flip over as she turned in her seat.

Of course, Tegan was standing nearby the entrance, looking absolutely beautiful and utterly disinterested in all the pomp happening around her.

‘I like the surfer-girl aesthetic…’ one of the Henrietta’s whispered. ‘Where do you think she gets her hair done?’

‘Cornwall, funnily enough,’ Nyssa said, picking up her bag and climbing to her feet. ‘Speaking of which; I’m heading back home.’

She ignored the astounded noises of her old course-mates (the Henrietta’s all looking various shades of shocked, confused and irritated), and headed quickly across the room to the entrance. As she neared, Tegan spotted her and smiled widely.

‘Alright, Nyssa with a y?’ Tegan cheeked. ‘Sorry; I didn’t mean to intrude.’

‘You didn’t,’ Nyssa said, grabbing Tegan gently by the arm and pulling her towards the door. ‘Come on; let’s get going.’

‘Already?’ Tegan replied. ‘Trying to get me out of the way before your friends ask who I am, eh?’

‘They’re not my friends,’ Nyssa said, as she gently guided Tegan through the door. ‘Although I think they did notice you.’

‘I did wonder why they were staring-’

‘Tegan!’

‘Well, now they’re jealous of you, aren’t they?’ Tegan chuckled. ‘Serves them right for being snobby.’

‘How did you-’

‘Saw how angry you were getting. Thought you might appreciate a distraction.’

Nyssa stared at the Australian, before letting out a laugh.

‘You’re incorrigible, Tegan Jovanka!’

‘I should think so,’ Tegan quipped, grinning lopsidedly. ‘I make a good distraction, if I do say so myself.’

‘Agreed,’ Nyssa giggled. ‘Come on; let’s get back to the car. We’ve got all that traffic to get through…’

*

Nyssa looked over. The lamplights above the motorway illuminated the woman next to her. The sun had dipped below the horizon an hour or so prior, and the only sounds were the noise of the road below the tyres, and the soft breathing of Tegan.

Tegan’s head was lolling slightly. The Australian must have dozed off at some point. Of course, she looked utterly adorable. However, she would also have a bad neck if she continued to sleep like that.

Nyssa silently pressed a button on the dashboard.

Tegan’s seat gently reclined, until her head was softly leaning against the rest behind it.

Nyssa smiled, before turning back to the road. A road sign ahead stated that the Cornish border was only a little while away. Home was not far away.

~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading, everyone; hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'm not sure when I'll be updating next, as I'm going on holiday in a few days. Stay tuned!

[stormcloudrising]

One of the things I’ve discovered in taking so long to complete my Florian and Jonquil essay series is that I’m constantly discovering new things when doing research. This just happened tonight and so I’m re-blogging this chapter again to make mention of the new finds, which strongly support my thesis that Sansa will have a large part to play in the ending magical storyline.

The finds tie into this chapter’s discussion of George’s thematic use of honey in the story, how it heavily ties into Sansa’s arc by connecting her to ancient magical figures…especially Nissa Nissa, the corpse queen, and Ellyn Ever Sweet.

If you have not read the two parts of this chapter, you should read them first as what I’m writing here will have more meaning if you do. For those who have previously read the last two sections, it’s to do with why George named his ancient character Nissa Nissa, and why he might have given Sansa the moniker little bird.

Many in the fandom, including myself have argued that Nissa Nissa was a greenseer and more importantly either a COTF or human/COTF hybrid. As the Children were the ones who originally had access to the trees, I suspect that she was not a hybrid, but a pure COTF. Corpse queen, I think might have been a hybrid, but that discussion is for a future chapter.

I think that Nissa Nissa might possibly have been the first greenseer. I’ve also previously proposed that only women had access to the weirwoods, and so if Nissa Nissa was not the first greenseer, she was likely a direct descendant of the line. That’s why the idea of the weirwood having a hive like mind at its core seems to be baked into the lore. Hive minds is a theme that George has played with in many of his past writings and so him doing the same with ASOIAF as he continues to explore ideas makes sense.

In the previous chapter, I explained how George was likely influenced by several different sources when it came to giving the name Nissa Nissa to the ancient figure that’s part of the central mystery of the book. These included the Greek water nymphs, one of who was with Persephone when she was kidnapped, as well as the fact that Hades stole his queen, who is also called the honeyed one from the Vale of Nysa.

Honey is very important to my thesis, as in ancient times, it like nectar was considered the food of the gods, and George uses it in the same symbolic manner in his story. This brings me to one of the other important reasons I theorized George named his character Nissa Nissa, and that is the very weirwood like, real world Nyssa Sylvatica honey making tree. I am not going to go into much detail about the tree again as you can read all about it below. 

However, it’s in doing some further research on this tree that I discovered some additional information that I suspect might have been pivotal in George’s going with the name Nissa Nissa. 

It has to do with the full name of the tree. We’ve discussed what Nyssa means, but you will be very surprised when I tell you the meaning of Sylvatica. Put simply, it means “of the woods,” or “of the forests.” So basically, Nissa Nissa was a wood nymph, which pretty much confirms that she was a child of the forest.

Sylvatica is also the name of an asteroid belt, which may support the idea that moon meteors have something to do with the Long Night event. As interesting as these two finds were, there are not the most exciting thing I discovered.

What would you think if I told you that Sylvatica is also the scientific names for various species of birds…more specifically, little birds. These include the Zoonavena sylvatica, a spinetail; the Turnix sylvaticus, a buttonquail, and the Prinia sylvatica, a warbler, among others.

Speaking of warblers, guess what’s another name for them. You probably guessed it, but I’ll tell you. Songbird.

By T. R. Shankar Raman - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62126758

"Think I'm so drunk that I'd believe that?" He let go his grip on her arm, swaying slightly as he stood, stripes of light and darkness falling across his terrible burnt face. "You look almost a woman . . . face, teats, and you're taller too, almost . . . ah, you're still a stupid little bird, aren't you? Singing all the songs they taught you . . . sing me a song, why don't you? Go on. Sing to me. Some song about knights and fair maids. You like knights, don't you?" A Clash of Kings, Sansa II

So basically, Nissa Nissa was a wood nymph who’s also a little bird. Funnily enough, there is even a blue forget me not flower called the Myosotis Sylvatica ‘Early Blue Bird.’ Talk about coincidences. And yet we are to believe that Sansa won’t be connected to the magical story line or play a major role in final events. 😊

Must do some more digging. Who knows what else I will discover. 

The Secret Song of Florian and Jonquil Part 7: Sansa Stark, Daughter of Coincidences and Honey Bees

June 6, 2020

Rulers of the Underworld by IrenHorrors/Deviant Art/Creative Commons

Many months ago, I ended the last chapter in this essay series by proposing that Jonquil was both the female progenitor of House Stark, and the corpse queen. I will be discussing this idea in-depth in a future chapter but before I get to that topic, I want to show how George has strongly and symbolically connected Sansa Stark not just to the ancient mystery of the corpse queen but also to the one surrounding Nissa Nissa.

To show this connection, I have to discuss a curious amount of symbolic coincidences that’s coalesced around Winterfell’s daughter. And so, while the title of this chapter probably seems a bit strange for an essay series about Florian and Jonquil, it’s actually not because at the center of those coincidences I mentioned, are bees and honey.  Those of you who have read some of my previous writings maybe familiar with this idea. 

However, this essay is a much deeper dive into the theory as I connect most if not all the dots. As is usually the case, it’s a pretty long with lots of supporting quotes. I’ve bolded the interesting parts for easy reference.

I’m always hearing that Sansa does not have a role to play in the magical side of the story and Lady’s death is usually given as proof that this will be the case. Supposedly, with Lady’s death, Sansa connection to magic was curtailed and so her role now is limited to the political side of things. To say the least, I find this to be an extremely shortsighted theory as book evidence strongly suggests that Sansa at least still has her skin changing abilities.

In actual fact, I happen to think that the killing of Sansa’s direwolf is probably one of the strongest pieces of evidence in support  of her continued connection to magic. However, I’ve discussed the important symbolism of Lady’s death in other essays, including Do Direwolves Dream of the Weirwood Net and so I don’t want to linger on the topic.

Keep reading

[givemea-dam-break]

ok awesome could you write an angsty leo valdez x reader but ending in fluff?? <3 <3 ty eden you’re amazing

a/n: of course we need some leo appreciation on this account!! the start of this might be heavy for some people so, if you want, skip to where the break in the story is to get past all of that. also, i won't lie but it's been well over two years since i actually read the hidden oracle so i can't accurately remember what happened at the end, but i know it wasn't what i've written so i've modified it a little lmao. my recent fics haven't been proofread since i don't really have much time on my hands anymore, so if there's any errors just let me know :) Warnings: mentions of death/suicide, therapy, TOA hidden oracle spoilers, angst, not proofread oop Words: 1.7K Gender-neutral reader

"What are you feeling?" You stare at the potted plant on the windowsill, memorising the way the leaves seems to topple on top of each other haphazardly and naturally, the bright green highlighted with white, the sunlight leaving a sheen of gold on the leaves. "Sad." "Can you explain that?" "It feels like..." You pause for words, clasping your hands in your lap. "I don't know. It's been a few months since it happened, but it still feels like it's crushing me, you know? Like there's still a weight on top of my heart and lungs that won't give." The therapist nods, writing something down in that little book of hers. Gods, you hate that book sometimes, and the annoying scratchy sound that comes with her writing in it. "And why do you feel like that?" You want to scoff. "You know already." "Of course I know, but you've yet to say it to me out loud. Saying things out loud helps, y/n." But you don't want to say things out loud. That makes them real, and the last thing you want is for this to be real, even though you've known for months, just like the therapist has. You've spent months trying to deny it, claiming that there's always been a feeling that what happened isn't true, but your mom keeps telling you to admit it. "Leo's dead." Your heart constricts so much it hurts to breathe. "Leo's been dead since last August." Of course, the therapist doesn't know the real reason as to how he died, being a mortal and all, but she knows that it was his own choice. She just doesn't know that it was sacrifice, not suicide. "Could you tell me about some memories you have with Leo? Good or bad." You swallow thickly, the back of your throat burning. You want to nod, to go off on a tangent about everything you've ever done with Leo before he died, but you can't. "No." You shake your head. "I - I can't remember a lot of it, anymore." The same answer as last time. She nods, scribbling something down in her book again. "The memories are just suppressed. A lot of children who face trauma in their childhood have the same problem - gaps in their memory, sometimes, or even just things their mind has skimmed by and not remembered." "I'm not a child." "But, in a way, you still are. You're only sixteen, barely even halfway through your teens. Your brain still tries to suppress, just like a child's, to keep you safe." Tears cloud your vision. "But our relationship wasn't bad. I remember that. Why would I forget the good things?" "It's how your body has chosen to cope," the therapist says softly. "Eventually, when your body and mind have had the proper chance to process everything, things may start coming back to you. Can you remember the way he made you feel, if not the memories?" And, just like last time, you say, "Alive." -- Bunker Nine is bustling with Hephaestus kids, as is the usual for Camp Half-Blood ever since Leo discovered it two winters ago. Nyssa is over at one side, clanging away at something awfully loudly; Harvey is at the far end, face covered with a black mask and a blowtorch the size of his arm in his hand. There are others, each with names that you know off by heart, that are forging away or screwing pieces into place. They can all stand the heat in this place, but just standing in the limestone doorway has you sweating on one side and cool on the other. "Y/n!" Jake Mason calls, waving you over to where he stands, a large tool in hand - you've tried to learn the names of those but with little luck - as he stands over a half-made sword. "I didn't know you were coming." "Yeah, well, Percy IMed me telling me there was a battle I missed? I had to see what all the buzz was about." Jake rolls his eyes, carrying on with his sword, but he moves strangely. "Yeah, to sum it up, Apollo was turned human and has to save all of these Oracles or something before the emperor, Nero, and two others take over their power and destroy the world. Something like that." "Something like that?" Now you roll your eyes, leaning against the edge of an - currently - unused table. "I'd think you'd remember if a whole battle happened

here, Mason." "Well, some, uh, more important stuff happened?" "What could be more important than that? How'd whatever happened get through the camp's borders and -" A tap on your shoulder cuts you off and, as you turn, the breath is ripped from your lungs. Although it's been months, you'd recognise the impish grin of Leo Valdez anywhere. It's a wide grin as he looks at you, one that crinkles his deep brown eyes and tan skin. His dark hair falls in curls over his forehead and around his ears, and he smells exactly like he did the last time you hugged - home, with a bit of oil and woodsmoke. Stumble back into the table, you try to catch your breath. "Like this," Jake says, and you can almost hear his smile. "Bad Boy Supreme is back," Leo says, and you want to cry just at the sound of his voice. "Stop it," you choke it out. "Jake, stop it." Jake falters behind you. "Stop what? Y/n, it's Leo." Your hand claws at your chest, but you can't take your eyes off of Leo, or whatever trick this is. "Leo's dead, Jake. He died last August. It's the reason I'm in gods damned therapy." "I'm here," Leo says. And, the moment his hands touch your arms, you realise that he is here, and another wave of emotions crash over you. It's suffocating, even more so than the feeling of knowing he had died. Anger, agony, wonder, and more emotions you can't name swirl in your mind and stomach, making it so that you can barely move. "When? How long? How? We know Piper didn't have the cure, so how?" "Festus gave it to me," Leo says. "I've been trying to find my way home for a few months." "When did you get back?" "Two days ago." Your heart completely stops. The hand at your chest drops and, with all the energy you can muster, you remove yourself from Leo's grip, stepping away from him and the table and Jake and everything. "Two days and no one thought to tell me?" Jake shuffles forward. "We wanted to wait until you got here, like a surprise." "Well, it's certainly a surprise." Leo's smile, which had faded slightly, returns. "A good one, I'm hoping?" You suck in a breath. "I, uh, I need to go for an archery lesson with Kayla." So, like a coward, you push past Leo and rush from Bunker Nine, your heart hammering in your chest. It hurts to breathe, with your throat burning with unshed tears, the same tears that cloud your sight and make it hard to see where you're going. He's alive. Gods, he's alive and no one told you. Not Percy when he IMed, not Kayla or Chiron when you arrived, not even Leo's siblings when you entered the Bunker. "Y/n, wait!" Leo's voice shouts behind you, but it only spurs you on more. You can't believe them, anyone. Not even Leo, who could've Iris-messaged you months ago to tell you he was alive, or at least two days ago when he arrived at camp. Everyone, including the people who didn't like Leo or Leo didn't like, got to know before you. Everyone at camp. Hands grasp your shoulders and spin you around, causing you to stumble as your momentum is interrupted. Leo catches you, pulling your body to his, and you want to push away but all your energy is drained. "Please, just talk to me," Leo says. "What - what have I done? What's wrong?" You scoff, wiping furiously at your eyes. "What's wrong? Leo, you came back two damn days ago, and no one told me. Not even you. Don't you think I would've liked to know that my boyfriend was alive? Not to mention that you had months to tell me before that?" "I just - I didn't think." Leo's hands are warm against your skin, but they still raise goosebumps. "I was stupid and I should've told you." "Damn right," you say. "I was in therapy this morning telling my therapist that you were dead. Do you know how long it took me to actually say that out loud?" "So... you'd accepted I'd died?" You hate the sadness in his voice. "Gods, no, the complete opposite, but I'd finally admitted it. I was finally starting to heal and it feels like all the work I've done has been torn up. Just an Iris-message to tell me would've been enough, more than appearing out of nowhere with no news

right after I'd finally started admitting it to myself." Leo swallows, his Adam's apple bobbing. His breaths are shaky. "Y/n, gods, you don't understand how sorry I am. If I could change it, I wouldn't even hesitate knowing how much it's hurt you. I just thought I was being, I don't know, sweet or something." You take a deep breath, allowing yourself to relax under his touch. He's been gone - supposedly dead - for months and, as much as you want to stay mad at him, you can't bring yourself to. You've missed him more than anything, like a piece of yourself has been missing for too long. But, he's back now. You want to make the most of it, especially with how it felt when you thought he was really dead. Sighing, you drop your head against the crook of his neck. Leo doesn't expect the action but, after a second, his arms move from your arms to wrap around your body, pulling you against himself. "I'm sorry," he murmurs into your hair. "I'm so sorry." You shake your head, taking in the familiar scent of him. "You're here, that's all that really matters."

[fluffykitty149]

Rewrite of Shadow Wars

NGL Kinda wish the ones who had killed Ras were Nyssa and Misha as a ‘don’t act like a redeemed man because we haven’t forgiven you’ moment. Like Nyssa could say that Talia, Damian, and Mara were blind to Ras abuse and while Mara and Damian aren’t any longer Talia still has some of her old sentiments.

Damian is rushing to prove Slade’s innocence for Respawn’s sake while also enlisting Mara who’s back in charge of the Demons Fist. And Maya and Suren for help too. They learn a little about Lazurus magic then realize who the culprit really is. 

Damian and Maya go to borrow the lasso of truth and there he reconciles with his old teen titans team as Mara, her team, and Suren try to get Nyssa and her organization. One of Talia’s subordinates (the pretty white one with the red black helmet) tries to kill Respawn but Damian protects him.

Talia thinks Damian betrayed her and is hurt and confused. She threatens to treat him like an enemy and Damian calls her out on how those are the types of mannerisms she had when she went crazy. He then reveals who respawn his and tells his mother she almost ordered another one of her kid’s execution and when does she intend to stop.

Talia is shocked by this entirely and even almost empathizes with Slade for killing Ras but that’s when Damian uses the lasso to prove his innocence. At last Mara comes with a captured Nyssa who rants and raves about how Ras destroyed her life and future. She’s yelling at everyone and especially Talia, who yells back at her for being the reason she ended up killing Damian in the first place.

This is a shock to everyone but Nyssa breaks free and almost attacks Talia but Damian cuts through and begins fighting her. During the fight Nyssa is still enraged and that’s when Damian sees her eyes glowing green. A sign of pit poisoning. He then begins to list the names of all her children and it drives her to grief and the fight stops.

Damian reveals that he’s Jewish from his father’s side so Nyssa’s no longer the last Jewish Al Ghul. Que in Talia who requotes what her son said when he forgave her “forgiving isn’t forgetting. Its giving the person a chance to move on” and she asks Nyssa for a truce and to rejoin as sisters who have both been hurt by Ras.

She shares custody with Slade on Respawn but Respawn’s mainly with her at the moment because he doesn’t want to just be seen as a replacement son, and Damian decides to live with his mother so that his own dad can get his shit together. 

might make this a fic later but idk

[circular-time]

 I don't want to get too hung up on labels because we! are! community! and all this demanding people use this or that label gets in the way.

But I do wanna talk about queer* rep for a moment.

Bill Potts was 500% lesbian. And it was glorious.

Yaz's mum asked if she was seeing the Doctor. THEN asked if she was seeing Ryan. In a later episode, Yaz mentioned to Ryan she'd had a crush on a boy in their class.

Back in the 80s, when "Gaydar" was a matter of life and death bc if you misread somebody they might actually kill you, Ace pinged ours. We know the author of "Survival" wrote Ace's "girlfriend of the month" Karra on purpose instead of by accident. But Ace was also attracted to a guy in Curse of Fenric, and EU audios and books including the one Sophie wrote have given her boyfriends.

The EU has given Tegan both ex boyfriends AND Nyssa as her current partner (contradicting the last we saw of Nyssa in BF, but oh well. Tegan found her again somehow?)

Big Finish gave Nyssa a husband who was actually worthy of her, although he's out of the picture now.

Incidentally, Big Finish also gave Adric both a wife and, later, a husband, in an alternate timeline?

Bisexuals exist. (Or pan, if you're less fiercely attached to the colors blue and purple.)

My conclusion: the season 19 TARDIS was bi/pan, and apart from Dan (maybe), it looks like Thirteen's finale will be too.

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.

*Note: I'm being a hypocrite about getting hung up on labels, but I'm not telling you what to call yourselves, just not what to call ME: PLEASE don't reblog my posts if you'd have to tag 'queer' with 'slur.' See below for why, or just move to the next post... I don't wanna fight my fam.

I marched for our rights and risked my job and my safety pushing back against anti-gay laws in the 90s and early 2000s when were all the queer community. Back then, EVERY term for who we were was a slur and hurtful depending on who said it and how— in fact, "gay" was used even more hatefully, by violent and occasionally murderous adults as well as ignorant schoolchildren.

"Queer" was the inclusive term we marched behind with banners, reclaimed in our chants and oral history and in academic studies about LGBTQIA+ culture and history and community.

Calling queer a slur privileges the use of the term by those who hated us over OUR use of OUR OWN name for ourselves. After all we went through (partly for you!), that hurts. A lot. It feels like a betrayal, like you're handing our words back to the enemy, denying us our victories, telling us we lost.

I know the arguments in the other direction. We may have to agree to disagree on this.

If so, PLEASE don't police your foremothers' identity on their own posts. We've spent enough years being silenced and censored and edited against our wishes.

[aricazorel]

Tagged by @noire-pandora Thank you!

A day late but have some Cullen and Anyssa goodness!

~ ~ ~

After an hour of reading Harding In Hightown, Anyssa McBride had snatched the book from the Commander’s hands. He watched in amusement as she flipped through the pages, looking intently at the illustrations. She had been relatively quiet as he read to her, asking questions more about the layout of Kirkwall or how the city-guard worked or if Hightown was really divided into different quarters based on nation of origin. Answering the historian’s questions the best he could, Cullen Rutherford chuckled as she continued to thumb through the book written by Varric Tethras.

“Nyssa, what are you looking for?”

“He didn’t put himself in this thing. At least not obviously so,” she noted as she held up the last illustration for him to see. “But he put his friends in here...This is supposed to be Hawke, isn’t it?”

Cullen rested his temple against his fist, his elbow on the chair’s armrest. “I was told Marielle was an amalgam of the Champion and her sister, Bethany.”

“He put all of his friends in here, and I bet you know which bloody characters they are,” she replied, narrowing her eyes.

He allowed a grin to tug at his lips. He truly enjoyed seeing her interest being piqued so much. Watching her be fascinated by something he took for granted often served as a reminder that he should be thankful for the things he had and the choices he had been allowed to make in the recent months. “Perhaps.”

“Cullen!”

“What?” he asked innocently. He knew she wanted to know but he felt like being cheeky. It wasn’t often that he allowed himself the option. Anyssa was always the exception to that.

“You know. Please?” she pleaded in a whiney tone as she set the book aside and leaned forward.

The Commander held his breath, not having expected her to come so close. The scent of her shampoo made its way to him. Cherry blossom. The soap and shampoo had become much easier to find once they had secured Skyhold as their base. Even with that, it was not every day he noticed the fragrance. She truly had no idea the influence she held over him…

Swallowing hard, Cullen said hoarsely, “I--I have ideas...Unconfirmed by Varric but…”

“Tell me, pretty please?” she asked again with doe eyes. Then again maybe she knew she had some influence…

He took a breath and leaned back in the chair, putting some distance between them. “Very well...Donnen’s name is based on the actual guard-captain's husband’s name. Donnic. His last name is supposed to be based on another member of the guard. As for Guard Captain Hendallen, she is based on Aveline Hendyr. Her name before marrying Donnic was Vallen.”

“What of the others?” she prodded relaxing in her own chair as she flicked her honey blonde hair over her shoulder.

Cullen watched the action with interest. He had come to like it when she wore her hair down. It had grown several inches since her arrival, and she had yet to cut it. He cleared his throat, willing his mind to concentrate on her question. “Yes, well, Maysie is Merrill, Captain Belladonna is Isabela, Ferris is Fenris...I believe Wael is Sebastian Vael while the unnamed healer is supposed to represent Anders…”

He watched as Anyssa frowned. “It seems like every character is based off someone he knew...Is that the case for Jevlen? Or Seamus...who of course is dead…”

“I have no clear idea about Jevlen...Bethany mentioned that the description not the personality reminded her of her twin brother, Carver, but Varric never met him. He died before the Hawkes were able to flee to Kirkwall,” the Commander explained with a shrug. “Seamus Dunwald might be based on Seamus Dumar, the Viscount’s son who died during the Qunari...problem.”

“Problem? They killed the Viscount and tried to destroy Kirkwall. Hawke had to fight the Arishok,” McBride exclaimed in shock. “That is understating the history of things, isn’t it?”

He shot her an amused grin. “I would point out that the lady that she already reminded me what the word interesting means. Perhaps my vocabulary is not up to her standards.”

“Or you could just enjoy annoying me,” she retorted as a grin graced her features.

They sat in contented silence for a few moments until the bells tolled. Cullen glanced up at the window behind his desk. Stars shown through the narrow opening. He sighed. “Perhaps we should call it a night, my lady. It is getting late and you--”

“Still haven’t read these other literary masterpieces Varric gifted you,” she finished for him, making no motion to leave.

He looked into her ice blue eyes, finding no desire to leave his tower. He found himself not wanting her to leave either. “I suppose we could at least begin one more…”

He was rewarded with the smile he treasured seeing each day. Anyssa reached for a thinner book from the bottom. The spine read The Dasher’s Men. He frowned; he had never heard of that one.

She opened it and flipped to the title page. “It was written in 9:18 Dragon...This is Varric’s first work...He actually gave you a copy of it! He said it didn’t sell as well as his others…”

Cullen settled back into his chair as he listened to her read the story of two casteless brothers caught in between the feuding Carta clans. Her voice eventually put him in a state of extreme relaxation. Something he had not experienced in a very long time. Between his duties, the nightmares, and his withdrawals it just didn’t happen, not to mention he did not know how to relax on his own. Yet a book read by a woman alien to his world was able to get him there.

His relationship with Anyssa had not made sense to him from the very beginning. As their friendship grew, he knew she was special. The near miss with the avalanche during the destruction of Haven had brought into focus exactly what he thought of her. Since then, he had found himself paying even more attention to things. The little things that he only thought lovers would notice. He had no practical experience with that. His friendships didn’t fare much better.

Regardless, he would keep his promises to her and would do damn near anything to keep her in his life. He glanced over at her with a slight tilt of his head. She paused glancing up to meet his gaze. She grinned and blushed but continued reading. Finding himself grinning as well, he decided he didn’t care about quantifying his relationship and instead wanted to focus on keeping it.

Maybe taking time now and then to read Varric’s questionable books with Anyssa would be a thing to work into his routine. He knew she would not object. He could figure out everything else later. For once, he had time

[lostinfic]

prompt 20, any rating, tenrose!

Ten x Rose; rated G; autumn fluff and mutual pining, not an AU!

previous prompts!

//

The Doctor opened the TARDIS doors with a grin and a flourish.

“New Amsterdam! Established by the Dutch West India Company in 1624.”

Rose tried not to laugh. “Are you sure this isn’t New new new new new new new Amsterdam?”

The Doctor peered outside. The narrow brown houses with decorative gables lining the river looked old, but the boats passing by were decidedly modern.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah. Just Amsterdam, then.”

“It’s new to me,” she said, both to make the Doctor feel better about landing in the wrong place and because she had always wanted to visit the Netherlands. She wondered sometimes if the TARDIS had access to her mental bucket list.

Rose traded her rough woolen dress and white cap for denim dungarees and a striped, long-sleeve, t-shirt.

It was a beautiful autumn day, just on the right side of cool. A breeze stirred the branches of leafy elms and poplars, dotting the water with golden leaves.

The Doctor and Rose rented bikes and decided to follow the Amstel River. It was a nice change of pace, to pedal rather than run.

There, amongst tourists and commuters, amongst ringing bells and chatter, Rose imagined herself and the Doctor going about their daily lives in Amsterdam. Riding their bikes to work, stopping for Stroopwafel and produce in Albert Cuyp market, perhaps that café with the second-hand English bookstore would be their favourite. She imagined a tiny flat looking over the canals, notebooks piled on the windowsill, a grey cat lounging on them, the scent of geranium drifting in from the flower boxes.

She’d been having these kind of thoughts more and more since the Doctor had regenerated. At first, she thought they were daydreams, but they had an odd déjà vu quality. She disliked thinking of them as visions, but that’s the best word she could come up with. Was it a coincidence they started after she’d absorbed the heart of the TARDIS?

“Rose?”

The Doctor’s forehead was wrinkled with worry. She’d lost track of where they were— they’d stopped on a bridge. A glass-roofed cruise boat glided underneath.

She had yet to tell the Doctor about her visions. She feared his reaction if he thought she longed for a banal, domestic life with him.

“I thought I saw something in the water,” she lied.

“Oh, not again,” the Doctor said.

“What?”

He leaned over the railing, sonic screwdriver pointed toward the canal.

“Last time I was here, there were spaceships in Rembrandt’s paintings, and we had to pop back to the 17th century. Let me tell you, Rembrandt may be a master painter, but he’s not a master warrior. He was useless. We fought off the Nix all on our own.”

“We? You and Sarah Jane?” she asked.

“Tegan and Nyssa,” he said offhandedly, still observing the canal. Then, remembering his resolution to be more forthcoming about his past, “I’ll tell you about them later. I will. What did it look like, the thing you saw in the water?”

“You know, I think it was just a duck. My brain is too used to seeing weird stuff when I’m with you.”

He chuckled.

“Well, if you see any goblin-like creatures coming out of the water, let me know, the Nix might be at it again.”

“Will do.” She smiled.

The Doctor took Rose’s hand and gave it a light squeeze. For a moment he looked like he was going to say something important, and an image of him in a blue suit flashed through her mind.

“I think Amstelpark is that way,” was all he said.

In the park, the cycling pace was slower. They followed the path parallel to the river. Families enjoyed the playground and mini-golf and groups of students relaxed in the café near the pond. But as they traveled southward, the crowd thinned and the landscape turned bucolic. Tall grass shimmered with slanted autumn light, insects buzzed in wildflowers, and an old-fashioned windmill turned lazily.

The Doctor and Rose stopped and sat on the riverbank. From his trans-dimensional pockets, he pulled a bottle of water for her. A light mist skated above the water, lending the landscape a hazy quality reminiscent of Rembrandt’s art.

The last time they’d lain in the grass was on New Earth, bubbling with nervousness and getting reacquainted. And just like then, they were babbling and joking, reminiscing, but with a level of comfort they didn’t have on New Earth. And yet, they were still holding back with half-finished sentences, furtive glances and hesitant touches. When he reclined fully, arms behind his head, the desire to cuddle up to him and lay her head on his chest was so strong, she had to pinch herself to a bruise. And Rose was relieved when a goblin-like creature emerged from the river.

—

The grey cat isn’t theirs, but their neighbour’s. His name is Felix, and he has quite the talent for walking the ledge between open windows and making himself at home in everybody’s flat.

Those notebooks are filled with information about a mysterious corporation they are chasing around the globe. For now, the Doctor works at the science museum while Rose investigates underground tunnels with her team.

Life with her one-hearted Doctor is far from banal, but there are days when Rose plants geranium in flower boxes, mornings when they sit for hours in their friend Joan’s café. And there are sunny fall afternoons when they lounge in Amstelpark, eating freshly-baked Stroopwafel, crispy and oozing caramel.

A drop lands on the Doctor’s chin, and Rose wipes it off with her thumb, and he kisses her, caramel-sweet. It’s so easy, so natural.

“Do you remember when we fought the Nix here,” he says.

“I remember the look on the emperor’s face when he realized you were the same man who’d once defeated him.”

They mimic the emperor’s expression of surprise and frustration-- though it’s hard to replicate with only two eyes-- and burst out laughing.

Rose thinks she’ll plant tulip bulbs in the flower boxes. In the spring, they’ll bloom. She’ll open the windows and their fragrance will waft in, melting snow will drip from the roof, and Felix will visit, and they will cuddle up in bed, again and again. Such is life when time always flows forward, linear, but ever changing through the seasons, like the canals of Amsterdam.

[hell-comes-to-gotham]

Sora al Zahrani, Ra’s al Ghul’s first wife. He married her and when a prince killed her Ra’s retaliated and then founded the League of Assassins. 

Amina Raatko, Ra’s al Ghul’s second wife. 

Amina was born Ky Ae-Min to a Korean father (Ky Sung-Ho) and an Arabian woman (Nylah Raatko) whose family had been in League for 3 generations. Ae-Min was Ra’s second wife and definitely his least favorite. When she discovered that she was pregnant, she was terrified. She had grown up in the League and she knew that he wanted a male heir. Afraid of what might happen if the baby was a girl, she fled in the middle of the night. She assumed the name Amina Raatko and settled in Russia. She named her child Nyssa and told her stories about her father. Nyssa married a man named Aleksandr Ivanovich Gurenko. They were childhood friends and Nyssa who was not attracted to men only married him because of convenience. They had 3 daughters, Hannah, Mika, and Karina. Hannah married Mikhail Vasilovich and they had a son Alexei. When World War 2 broke out, Nyssa and her family were imprisoned in concentration camps. Ra’s had tracked Amina down and had her killed. He also discovered Nyssa. He visited her and asked about her children. When she said that she had only daughters and that her only grandson was 5. Ra’s was disappointed. He’s hoped for a young heir that he could mold not one that would remember his parents. He left and abandoned them to die. Nyssa would be the only survivor beside her young grandson. After the war she tracked Ra’s down and requested to join the League. He named her Nasira al Ghūl and kept an eye on her. Amina smashed her vial of Lazarus water the night she fled.

Hana Kuznetsov, the third wife. 

Ra’s met Hana Kuznetsov on the trip to Russia to execute Amina Raatko. He brought her back with him as his third wife after seeing her excellent combat strategies. They did love each other and when Dhikrit was born he exiled them to Ukraine instead of having them killed. Dhikrit would grow up there called Dusan being trained by his mother. When Dusan was an adult, Ra’s recalled him to the League where he met Dansui. When Hana joined the League she requested to be given a new name. Ra’s dubbed her Haram al Ghūl. She was born to a Russian father (Leonid Kuznetsov) and an Iranian mother (Elaheh Kabirii). She was born out of wedlock and her mother died when she was a few months old. She gave her vial of Lazarus water to Dusan who gave it to his wife.

Melisande, the last wife

Melisande al Ghūl was born Suen Yan Mah Laqa in Hong Kong to the wealthy Suen Hei-son Yan and his Pakistani wife, Liyana Dhanial. When she was seven her father moved them to England. They chose to anglicise their names. Yan became Matthew, Liyana became Leanne, and Mah Laqa became Melisande. Mellie was given the best schooling and went to college studying toxicology. She also loved music and one summer when she was 25 she went to Woodstock. There she met Rahil Ghali. She fell in love with him and they married. After a year Rahil told her that he was Ra’s al Ghūl. She took it rather well and in turn told him that she was pregnant. He brought her back to the League as his wife. A few months later she bore Taaliah. Ra’s was pleased with the girl and decided that he would raise Taaliah to be his heir’s wife. Melisande was given control of a small group of Shadows and sent to safeguard the League’s business in Hong Kong allowing her to return home. Ra’s also gave her as a sign of trust a vial of Lazarus water. Melisande drank it years later after Taaliah told her that she was pregnant.

Bonus- Dansui Kanakubo, Dusan’s wife, with baby Maarya

Mara’s mother is Dansui Kanakubo, a third generation assassin for the League. She and Dusan adored each other and were very happy when Maarya was born. When Maarya was three and old enough for training Ra’s separated Dusan and Dansui by sending them to different League outposts. Dansui died far from her husband and daughter while Dusan would reunite with their daughter years later. Her married name was Dansui al Ghūl. Dusan gave Dansui a vial of Lazarus water that he had been given by his mother on their wedding night. Dansui drank it but she still died.

Extra info- the Lazarus water vials were Ra’s al Ghul’s wedding gifts to his later wives. Each portrait exists in universe. Sora’s was done from memory by Ra’s. Amina’s was one Nyssa had commissioned years after her mother’s death. Hana’s portrait was Ra’s al Ghul’s wedding gift to Dusan and Dansui. Melisande’s was a gift from Ra’s to Talia when Damian and Attie were born. 

Fun fact- Melisande’s head piece was a belated wedding gift from Ra’s after she joined the League. 

Gifted to @dykegreenlantern​ as a thanks for her amazing help with Earth T