#one thing about me is that i love my family family 1000% i so glad to have a good family

[kn11ves]

"children are gross i hate kids i wish if i was in an environment no children would ever exist i hate them" you dont understand the joy of hearing a child exist and be warm and safe under your care but its ok

[whateverisbeautiful]

♥️Reveling in Richonne - TOWL

#28: The Big Reveal (1.04)

gif cred: @nat111love

The second TOWL was announced in 2022 my first thought was - I’m so excited to see Rick and Michonne together again 🤩. And my immediate second thought was - we’re finally going to see Michonne tell Rick about RJ. 🥹

Rick learning that he and Michonne had a baby just like he wanted on their last day together was atop my list of most anticipated moments in TOWL. And I couldn’t have been more glad that Danai was in charge of the episode where the highly anticipated RJ reveal occurs. The big reveal happened in a way that completely shocked me but it was extremely well done 👏🏽...

What I so respect about Danai writing this episode is that she made it clear they aren’t doing mawkish surface-level trauma. TOWL proposed Rick had chosen to die while still being alive, which would do some serious damage to his psyche. And Michonne has also gone through the fire these last seven or so years. So this episode was unafraid to really go there and explore what raw, authentic, heartbreaking trauma looks like no matter how painful it is to watch. 

It wasn’t until TOWL episode 3 that I realized the odds are very high that the big RJ reveal is going to come in the midst of Richonne conflict. Beforehand, I had pictured 1000 scenarios of how Michonne would tell Rick about RJ and in my head it was always going to be revealed in a moment where they’re in a good space because I’m so used to them rarely having internal conflict between them.

I believe Danai said one thing that might surprise viewers with TOWL is the Richonne conflict. And I remember hearing that and being like 'bring on the conflict' cuz it’ll be interesting to explore and I had the utmost confidence that Richonne would come out on top of any conflict. My one thing going into it was just as long as neither of them hit below the belt.

(and tbh I wasn’t worried that Michonne was going to say anything below the belt…but that Sergeant Major Grimes on the other hand. He had me a little worried lol. Before this episode aired, I said the one thing that would be most below the belt to me is if Rick at all suggests Michonne made a bad choice for coming to look for him, which…

So after that steamy eye contact moment with the PRB, Michonne walks over to the bookshelf and I love the way she can take control with just her presence alone. Like her just walking around examining what books this place has had me feeling like 'Rick, you’re in danger friend' because Michonne has something cooking right now. Idk what, but I knew she was getting ready to let it all out with how calm and composed she was being. 😅

gif cred: @ricksmarlene

Again, you’d never guess that just moments before she had yanked the two of them out of a helicopter. And this calmness in itself sorta adds to her crazy lol.

Michonne spots the Beverly Cleary children's book 'Ramona the Pest' and smiles as she says, “This was one of my favs growing up. This little girl listening to her own rhythm, free-spirited, just like Judith.”

I love how she’s thinking about her daughter and knows her daughter will like the same book as her cuz that’s her mini-me, both following their own rhythm. Also, I just love how the Grimes family are readers. 🥰📚

gif cred: @nerd4music

Rick looks at her, quietly listening, and I feel like the man is still sorta reeling from everything that's going on. But also it has to hit him hearing a bit more about his daughter and who she’s become right now.

Plus, this made me think about how one of the last things Rick did with Judith was read her a book. 🥲

I also love that Rick gets to see Michonne’s love for Judith in this moment. Like you can tell Michonne never goes a day without thinking about her kids and she wants to be able to talk about them.

There’s also something a little hilarious about this to me, because Rick literally just tried to end things between them not too long ago, and Michonne’s casual energy now is really like...

She knows he didn’t mean that breakup mess. 👌🏽

So Michonne continues, “I loved her so much I thought I was meant to be a writer for a while there. Judith’s gonna love this” Spoken like a mother. 🥰 And I love how Michonne’s face always lights up when reflecting on her kids.

Then we get more insight into Michonne's life from before which I’m always here for when she says, “I thought I was a computer scientist myself once too. Then art history. Then creative writing again. Then I dropped out.” First off, yes versatile queen. 👏🏽😋 Second; I love knowing she studied creative writing. She’s just like me for real. 😊

I also always wonder if perhaps the dropping out might've been impacted by/coincided with the passing of her mother, just cuz I remember she mentioned Joycelyn being there for her when she lost her mom and it seems like Joycelyn was mostly around during college. Idk. 🤷🏽‍♀️

But Michonne styduing art history also makes perfect sense considering TWD hinted at her penchant for art a few different times.

Then Michonne reveals she really was going somewhere with all that college majors talk when she turns to Rick and says, “You’ve become a bit of a creative writer these days.” And then she stares him down in a way that makes it clear Rick is all the way in the dog house.

gif cred: @figmentof

This is another reason I so badly wanted Rick to have kept all the letters he wrote her because he actually was writing her some pretty beautiful poetic stuff in those. But it makes sense that Michonne would be upset over one of the only notes she got to see in the getaway boat.

gif cred: @figmentof

I’m glad Michonne now gets to address exactly how she felt about that whole getaway ploy Rick tried to pull after she hadn't verbally addressed it in ep 3. It’s her turn to talk and I’m here for it. 👌🏽

She says, “That note in the getaway boat?…Poetry.” And the delivery of that line is just classic. I love it. Like so many moments in episode 4, this line and delivery was stuck in my head for awhile. 😋

gif cred: @figmentof

And the way Rick is looking at her after she says that.🤭 Issa husband. A husband who knows he's in hot water too lol.

Another reason I love this ep so much is because they are so completely married. Like this really is scenes from a marriage and I love this exploration of Richonne specifically as husband and wife, even in a fight.

I know Rick was truly being sincere with the note on the getaway boat but still, that was not a move he should have ever thought was going to sit right with Michonne ‘I Don’t Leave People Behind’ Grimes.

It’s interesting that Michonne hones in on the writing aspect of Rick's getaway ploy. I feel like it’s because she’s thinking - did he really think that if he wrote something nice enough I could just leave him here knowing good and well he's alive and needs my help? No amount of poetic words would convince her to just leave Rick trapped here. She knows he knows better than that.

gif cred: @figmentof

Then, it's definitely giving married when Michonne grabs a journal and pen and says, “Oh here. Why don’t you give another masterpiece for your children?”

Now y’all, my jaw dropped when I realized we’re doing this right now. 😦

Like I thought I was gonna see the RJ reveal coming but in a great turn of events Michonne just gets right into it, talking as if Rick already knew he has multiple living children.

gif cred: @figmentof

This is of course news to him and the second she says 'children,' Rick looks like that’s the only word now ringing through his brain.

gif cred: @figmentof

I feel like he’s quickly putting it together since he could already sense that Michonne had something big to tell him about their immediate family in ep 2. 

gif cred: @figmentof

Michonne goes onto say, “Because I’m not going to be the one to tell them that I found their father and he sent me away and chose not to come home to them.”

I’m glad she said that because that was my thought last episode too. Like what was she supposed to tell the kids after finding out their dad is alive but won’t be coming home to them ever? 

gif cred: @figmentof

Rick proves that there really is one word going through his mind right now as he asks, “Children?”

gif cred: @figmentof

And then Michonne uncrosses her arms, sucks her teeth, and walks past him seemingly realizing this isn’t the way she wanted to do this reveal. But at this point, she couldn’t really put it off any longer with the way Rick stayed trying to get her to leave before she even gets the chance to tell him.

gif cred: @likeafantasy

Rick turns to her and says, “You said 'children.'” And I know he’s very eager and anxious to know what that’s about because he hasn’t heard he has more than one living child in over 8 years. 

gif cred: @likeafantasy

Michonne sighs and then she turns to look at her children’s father. And as she prepares to tell Rick this big news, I love how 'Mother Nature' wanted to get involved with a thunderous drum roll before she says it. Both real-life Mother Nature and fictional Mother Nature are Richonners. They know when Richonne is about to have a milestone and they want to be a part of it, what can I say. 😋

So after the thunder drumroll, Michonne finally tells Rick about RJ by saying, “His name is Rick.” 🥲

I love that that’s the way she says it. 😭 It immediately tells Rick that this boy is theirs and he’s his namesake.

And then they cut to Rick who quickly looks down taking in this shocking news as Michonne says, “We call him RJ.”

Seeing a shot of Rick while hearing Michonne say 'RJ' just felt surreal. We finally arrived at this point of Rick learning about RJ after wanting to see this for 6 years. 🙌🏽🥹

gif cred: @nat111love

Rick silently reacts and then looks up at Michonne when she tells him, “I was pregnant when the bridge happened.” I loved hearing that.😭 She finally got to tell the one person she most wanted to tell that she was pregnant.

And the one who got her pregnant is definitely letting this big news sink in as he remains quiet and appears to both have a million thoughts racing through his head while also feeling like time is standing still from this huge news.

gif cred: @nat111love

And then Michonne makes me want to cry when she emotionally says, “He’s…he’s almost 8.” 🥺

In this moment I just see the mom who loves and misses her son so much and is pained to think about how she’s missed a year of his life and how Rick has missed all 7 years of his life.

I feel like the way she says this, it's clear that she feels for her and Rick that they’re not with RJ right now and she feels for her baby boy who she knows misses her too.

gif cred: @nat111love

And then she looks at Rick awaiting his initial response to this lifechanging news.

There have always been two parts of the anticipation regarding the RJ reveal - How would Michonne tell him & how would Rick react. And well now we saw how Michonne told him about their son so it was time to see how Rick would respond. 😬

First, Rick responds by taking this breath which, again, breathing very much tells the story in this episode and has its own little arc. His breath here feels like this is, as I suspected, overwhelming for him on all fronts.

Like you can just see how bittersweet and more prominently how overwhelming/stressful this is to Rick. He already feels like a failure for losing the face of his first son and it’s almost like learning of his second son means the risk of another family member to let down and lose.

And he also now knows he wasn't able to be there for Michonne while she had their baby and that he's not just missed out on years of raising his daughter but his son too. It's a lot. 😓

gif cred: @nat111love

On top of that, learning of RJ means there's instantly another person now added to who Rick longs to protect. So after looking down seemingly struggling to compute all this, Rick looks up and shocks me completely when he just reaches out his hand and says, “You need to give me the PRB.”

gif cred: @nat111love

Y’all...🙃. When I tell you I yelled "What?!" at the exact same time Michonne did. Truly...

gif cred: @nat111love

Of all the ways I pictured Rick first responding to the RJ news I never once had Rick having no verbal acknowledgment of his son on my bingo card. This was wild and admittedly had me wanting to fight despite being able to empathize with why Rick might be responding like this. 

Michonne says, “What? I just told you you have a son. I don’t know who you are anymore!”  And girl, me neither. Like I’m so sorry I hope I don’t sound ridiculous but I don’t know who this man is.

It made me sad that this was his response cuz you only get one time to learn you have a baby and his first verbal response is still about needing the PRB so he can call the CRM and try to get Michonne home without him. Again...

Rick says, “I’m trying to keep you and them alive. You need to give it to me.” And one; I do like how quickly RJ becomes a part of who he’s trying to protect. At the same time I was like - Rick, you didn’t even know your son was included in this ‘them’ until seconds ago, don’t you want to address that a lot more??? (And he does, but he can't let himself go there just yet).

Two; you know this is not our Rick when he’s telling Michonne ‘you need to give it to me’ like Rick is more of the ‘I’m giving it to them, are you gonna let me?’ type and rarely ever just tells Michonne what she needs to do. But again he’s so convinced that this PRB is part of the solution to protecting his family that he’s become one-track-minded. He wants what’s best for his family and he thinks this is how to do it but it’s blinding him to how very hurtful he’s being to his wife right now. 

Rick saying he needs the PRB is his way of showing he's more convinced than ever that sending Michonne home and him staying behind is the way it has to be. We know from his note in the getaway boat that he already felt Judith needed her mom even if she never gets to have her dad in her life, and now knowing they have a little boy out there - Rick seems to be immediately deciding that their son needs their mom even if he never has his dad in his life as well.

So Rick is determined to do anything to get Michonne back to their kids. Immediately believing the three of them need each other in their lives more than they need him, and that his role must be to protect them from afar.

He's not yet able to acknowledge the absolute joy of having a son with the love of his life or be curious about what his little boy might be like and look like. After already losing the image of one son, to begin to imagine the image of another son - knowing how quickly it can all be taken away, knowing that even the images of the ones you love most can fade, is too raw of a pain.

And I also think that the good parts of the news that he has a son, are parts Rick doesn't even feel he deserves to enjoy since he feels he died a 'failure' at getting home to his girls and now his son too. 🥺

So instead keeping his family alive is the only thing Rick can let himself think about. And he's terrified that he could be the reason his wife, son, and daughter's lives are in jeopardy, hence him having a response rooted so deeply in fear.

As the conflict continues, Michonne wants to address more of Rick's audacity from episode 3 when she frustratedly says, “What did you say? ‘Everything we have is broken’? After saying that we were going to get away.” One; I like how she says 'what did you say?' and then proceeds to give a direct quote of what he said. Richonne stays remembering each other's every word. 😋

And also two; I love that she addresses this because this is how much whiplash this man is causing her. Rick went from promising her multiple times that they’d get away together to saying everything they had is broken. Crazy work. 

Michonne points at him and passionately says, “I don’t know what game you’re playing, Rick” and I love that she says that too because while Rick is the one man Michonne will defer to when necessary, she’s also never one to play with and so she’s like look these Crazy-Offs and reindeer games need to stop immediately. Especially cuz Rick was fast approaching his final strike imo.

Rick says, “You have no idea who we’re dealing with. You need to give it to me!” After experiencing several thwarted escape attempts it’s clear Rick is pretty convinced that escaping is impossible.

gif cred: @ricksmarlene

Honestly, I’m very here for this whole yelling Richonne moment. 👌🏽We haven’t really seen them like this before but even in this heated moment, it’s clear this fight is between two people who passionately love each other. And the acting is A1. 👏🏽🔥

Also, this is another way we know Rick and Michonne's relationship is special and different, because Lori stayed wanting Rick to fight back with her but he wouldn't. But with Michonne, what they have is worth the fight and the fighting to him. 

I love when Michonne claps and says, “Raising our kids. Believing you were alive and you were…with them!”

One; just hearing her say ‘our kids’ is great. Mom and dad for real. 🥰And I love that she gets to express how she feels in all the fullness of her emotion. It’s such a welcomed thing to see. 🙌🏽 This also shows how comfortable she is with Rick to be this vulnerably expressive. I always love the little hand movements she does too. She’s just cool in everything she does to me. 😋

And Danai also has a great yelling voice too. It’s rare to hear Michonne yell but I was here for it, even tho I of course don’t relish seeing Michonne upset and hurting. 

That ‘with them!’ part always hits me. Because underneath the anger I hear the hurt. This hurt over the fact that for years she was raising their kids, holding onto her belief in Rick and meanwhile the CRM got to have him when she would have given anything for Rick to be with her and their family. Yet another reason she and I hate the CRM. 

And when Rick hears this, he then breaks my entire heart when he earnestly says, “You think I didn’t want to be with you? I tri- I tried everything!” 😭💔 Andy killed that delivery. 👏🏽 The high-pitched breathiness of it - the sincerity is palpable.

And I love that he says “be with you.” He tried everything he could in the hopes of being with Michonne. When he says 'I tried everything,' I genuinely felt the weight of everything he’s tried and the toll it’s taken on him.

In this fight, Rick and Michonne both get some insight into how the other has spent the last eight years. Michonne has spent it raising their kids and believing he was alive. Rick has spent it wanting to be with Michonne and trying everything to get home to her and their family.

And then Michonne’s teary-eyed response after Rick says he tried everything. 😢 This episode did such a good job of conveying Richonne’s love - including the pain they feel over being without each other's love for so long.

Like they both have spent almost eight years longing to be with each other, starved of the love only the other can give them, living with a soulmate-sized hole in their heart. And now here they are - in the same building but not yet on the same page. 😔

They just have to talk some things through to fully find their center with each other again. (Well talk things through and make love some things through. 😌)

Rick says, “We need to go back.” And then because this stellar episode has a bit of everything we get some comedy as the thermostat says, “Your preferred temperature will be reached in one minute” and then Rick takes out all his frustration on the system as he yells, “Where is that thing!?” like he’s ready to box a temperature controller lol.

gif cred: @figmentof

And the way Michonne looks at him like she’s thinking this country boy is doing the most. 😂 I like how Rick knows he can’t be that on ten with Michonne so he only raises his voice to this level with the thermostat.

The temp controller really was a clever device to use within the episode and the temperature really will rise as Richonne dives further into this fight. 

I was very curious how the rest of this episode would play out now that Rick officially knows what we've longed for him to know which is that he and Michonne have a son together. And Danai continues to craft a fascinating exploration of Richonne as this conflict continues. 🥺👌🏽

[n4rval]

hi I just wanted to say your tags on the gaster poll posts are so correct yessss (always enjoy your takes just in general). thank you for being one of the seemingly very few people out there who also believes there's no way the timeline works for gaster and alphys to have been colleagues. however, him haunting her benevolently is something I'm 1000% here for <3 (also I hope your finals went well and you get to have a nice relaxing break!)

HII HELLO HI im glad you like them!!! knowing you read these motivates me to keep being Absolutely Very Normal About Him on the internet

personally it's less of a believing thing and more of a come on it's written right there thing, but since we're here.

behold! dingus timeline. (and the hottest of takes with freshly baked personal headcanons otherwise what am i doing)

Not a skeleton?

Isn't 201X too early?

Indeed, not a skeleton, but rather, some guy. Something about how monster's bodies are manifestations of their SOUL, and him oddly resembling a strange looking man does well to represent his insatiable curiosity and love for creating. (things humans are known for in a better light)

On the other hand, you will be pleased with how fascinated he is by "FLESHLINGS AND THEIR CALCIUM DEPOSITS".

And then they fucking died.

201X is the year the first human fell into the underground, and shortly after, the royal family has moved to New Home. This means some decent exploration of the cavern has already been made. Scientists could very well already have been working on optimizing life underground, with special attention to the large and ever growing new capital.

My idea? As this idiot has been aiding exploration with his antics, Gerson was the one to appoint him to Asgore. Something about his talent with turning garbage into non-garbage. With a little patience and getting familiar with his odd manerisms, it was not too long until he got to be the prince's weird godfather.

Cracking already?

And everyone was devastated, mainly the close family. Not only that, but amidst your mourning, the one couple responsible for your unrealistically high standards for romance just divorced. Is love even real anymore. You eat ants with your cereal and your work consists mainly of convenience improvements and absolutely nothing groundbreaking. What's the point of breaking that pesky barrier again? Child murder? Come on.

That's the Wingdings PATIENCE and BRAVERY encountered in their adventure. Dear god, you're lame. Aren't you some kind of genius? Get yourself together! And together he got his self, now, he has children to look after. Surely there must be some other way. He must stop coming up with new flavours for chips and find some other way.

... Dear god, the King is going to kill them.

BONES and DT

Listen. He's old. You got your wrinkles, he's got his cracking. What? You meant to point out some major event of injury must have been responsible for his current state of deformity? Well, he's old AND heartbroken. That's a direct blow to the SOUL, okay.

Jokes aside (kind of), doing any lasting damage to a monster is quite difficult given their magic forms can easily be healed through, well, magic. They can, however, eventually "fall" (wink wink) and dust away with age - which cannot, however, be fixed with magic.

With a little determination however ...

Something about the anomaly.

He found it, the other way. It was the bones all along, the so needed sustainance for channelling such a high concentration of that power. Well, not necessarily, but a boney structure will endure much more and last much longer than a meaty one. Also, it looks so cool.

You know this guy, he gets first dibs on any and all dubious substances that might or might not deal the last hit to the nail on his coffin dust urn(?). And when it all works out (dubious), he might as well play a little. What kind of things can he make? With the material properties of these calcified remains infused with his own magic, animated with determination.

Some new, powerful magic tricks?

A new kind of monster, maybe?

DARK, DARKER, YET DARKER.

There is a lot of interesting things one can do with isolated DT, aside from making bones rattle with life - for example, peeking onto the complex layers and ramifications of what composes reality. This is when the already kooky scientist grows a little mad; manic, if you will. This is the Wingdings sans was familiar with.

Time travel this, resets that, blah blah blah alpha timeline, the anomaly, the angel, the anomaly again, all things that only make sense to him and his illegible mess on the black board. The lack of detail is killing him, he needs to know what it is - what it does, why it does, how it does. Not to stop it, no, there is no stopping it.

Rather, an overwhelming need to understand it.

He falls somewhere in recent history, details of it left ambiguous. The shattering, combined with the amount of DT running in his magical... mathematical physiology, rendered all of his self but an espectator of his reality; confined to the code and unable to do anything but watch, powerless before the nature of his very being, like a corrupted program.

It is all rather frustrating, besides the burden that is coming to terms with simply not existing anymore, watching was pretty much all this research was and now ever will be. That is, until something interacts with him. It is different from the tragic prince, whom no matter how much DT he's accumulated, he is just as confined to this world's rules as other elements. Not this one, not the force from beyond. Not "YOU".

He makes it a mission to reach out, despite the limits of the code, to give away bits and pieces of him and see if you bite. But not too much, he's seen how you tend to exhaust a world for knowledge, something he can oddly sympathize with. I mean, what will you do once you find everything? One cannot fully know a person.

Maybe in another world, prophetized by a cute, little white dog. A much better world for everyone, without so much as war or disease, his greatest creation yet. And he could invite you to it, to experience bewilderment, to be reminded of wonder. If it could even help you, wherever you are, to deem your own world worth of partaking ... then the experiment was a success.

[justallihere]

MAAM. MAAM. MAAM

Someone give Bodhi a hug. He would've been the BEST big brother. also thank you for making him queer (and IF i got this right, Ace bc let me tell you, we are so underrepresented and highkey gaslit into thinking we just need to "wait and find the right one" -- enough of me trauma dumping 💀) Bodhi's character is so tragic but v on brand for Riorson men lol

i am in awe of how you developed a backstory for Bodhi's parents, i wish i could shower you in kudos

if Bodhi dies in CANON, which he likely will, I will be INCONSOLABLE

Xaden and Vi are just so soft and tender and I love it, after all the shit theyve gone through, they deserve it

this entire chapter just felt so heavy/full of angst and it was perfect <3

the attention to detail you and so many other fanfic writers have is literally so inspiring and amazing (and i wish i was half as good as you guys. I want to be you and @skyfallscotland when i grow up lol)

The book on tyrrish notes??? like it didn't NEED it, but did it ADDD so much more depth to the story and show us again how down bad Xaden is for Vi, 1000%

X and V are each other's rock and I just love them so fucking much

Yes, Bodhi is aroace here! Living his best life!

I’m not sure how well it came across but he was expecting that sort of reaction from Violet there as well, you can kind of see him bracing himself for the “Are you sure you just haven’t found the right one yet? Just look at me and Xaden! ” response and then his shock when she was just like “well okay!”

I lowkey have headcanons/backstories in my head for several of the marked ones and their families—including names. But that might be for a different fic lol

I had a lot more fun with this chapter than I thought I would! Definitely heavy in parts but I live for hurt/comfort. The little moments of Xaden and Violet still learning stuff about each other and bickering like always through the hard stuff are a lot of fun to put together.

The book of knots was a last minute add in, but I’m so glad you noticed it. It’s an overall representation of them: seeing that one of the first things he gave her grew into her own library the same way their love has grown so much. They are my children for real 🫶🏻

[dapper-lil-arts]

Do you have any top tier horse yuri fic recs?

Hmm, i got a couple, lemme think

This one is a very sweet slice of life EG Sunset x Scitwi one, its got a lovely interpretation of the characters; With the expected but very welcome pairing of cool punk girl and adorable nerd. and i plan on doing fanart of it! The writer knows her stuff nyeheh =v= This is the best "Rarity and Applejack get drunk together and mushy stuff happens" Fic i seen out there, a trope that is surprisingly recurring, ive seen others like this! But this one is the best, hands down. A mutual of mine wrote it and its just a wonderful time! This one is a super fun horror esque rarijack fic where rarity is haunted and applejack tries to help her. its got fantastic prose and its just damn lovely! I've done fanart of it before, its a sweet one, and its also just a really interesting direction to take Rarity's character that i'm almost sad to not see more of. Overpowered rarity whennnn Although i don't ship twilight and trixie, this fic of this pairing, that is still ongoing, is fucking hilarious. The comedy has wonderful timing, and the takes on the characters are endlessly entertaining

Stay tuned to this wonderful fic of Rarijack anthros (Inspired by the ones i designed, too!!) 'cause its gonna have a sex sequel that i've already gotten a sneak peek or two of, and i'm frotthing at the mouth about it. biting things even (i sketched the cover btw!)

This fic isn't rly horse yuri but its 1000 words of Sunset Shimmer being the utter insane badass i always wished she was; and I will continue writing her like so. I'm glad to see another writer also concidered the same

If you're like me, and think that sex is funny, this fic and it's two sequels are for you. Sunset Shimmer throws a party of deranged proportions that ends in debauchery and indulgence that nearly destroys the fabric of equestria; and it's consequences are hilarious. This is a rly cute short trans rarity fic, and it has a delightful amount of rarijack within. utterly adorbs. Almost sad to see it so short! Finaly, i'd be amiss to not recommend the fics i've written myself; Here are my two biggest and most awesomest i've done: The Return of Midnight Sparkle Is a take on MLP where there is no EG universe, and rather, Sunset Shimmer is brought to the mane 6 per twilight's request, and she absolutely does not feel like she belongs, and its a narrative about her desperate attempts of fitting in; and dealing with the fallout of her failings. I put an inordinate amount of effort on this one, even drawing covers for each chapter. I went DERRANGED with the idea of "what if sunset shimmer was on FIM and also it was gay as fuck." i basicaly wrote an entire season of the show and its finale. If you're a fan of Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle as a pairing, cannot recommend enough. Here's some of the art i made for it. Insanely sick chapter covers im super proud of The Princess and the Peasant is an all you can eat buffet for Rarijack enjoyers, I've taken the baseline of the story of "shrek 1" and i made it about Applejack and Rarity; And also expanded upon it and fixed some of the annoyances with the og story (No third act misunderstanding! On the contrary. Third act understanding. SEX.) The humble farmer Applejack has to rescue fair Princess Rarity from a dragon keep, and escort her across Equestria to ensure that her farm and family are safe. Of course, on the journey, those two grow a bit close... Too close. VEry very very veyr close. Here's a comic i've made of one of my fave scenes of it lmaooo Cannot express enough; If you're a fan of rarijack? This fic is EVERYTHING for you.

[sotwk]

Not to give you two asks in the one day but I always find it interesting to consider which elves stayed or went to the Undying Lands but sadly most of my 'real life' friends do not have any opinions on Thranduil staying or going. I find the idea of him leaving really interesting (how long does he stay? how easy/hard is it for him to leave? what makes him finally decide to go? how does the rest of middle earth/his people respond?). I think it really makes sense in your au for him to go (not that I know much about it) to be reunited with Maereth and his sons. For me, I've always thought that he would stay because I think he wouldn't necessarily mind living on in a different Middle Earth the way other elves might and also stubbornness. (Also I subscribe to the theory that Legolas's mother is alive and well, which very much changes things).

This is a very long and rambling way of saying that I'm glad to hear your take on Thranduil leaving/staying in Middle Earth because it's a topic that has always interested me and also would you ever write him and Maereth reuniting in the Undying Lands?

SotWK AU Headcanon: Thranduil's Fate in the Undying Lands

A Thranduil headcanon I feel very passionate about yet I feel does not get enough mention in fan writings, is the depth of his suffering and the true extent of his losses during the Third Age.

Certainly, Mirkwood gets a happy ending when it survives the fall of Dol Guldur and is reinvigorated into the new kingdom of Eryn Lasgalen. But it took Thranduil nearly everything he had to get his people there.

Putting aside the deaths of his most beloved wife (grievous enough to cause lesser elves to fade) and two of his sons, the Elvenking battled against Sauron and his minions from TA 1000 to 3019. In the SotWK AU, the death of his wife in TA 2793 meant at that point, he had already lost half of his family, and been forced into underground halls, his once proud people turned into refugees on their own lands.

Yet he always picked himself back up and continued to protect just not Mirkwood, but also their allies in Dale during The Battle of Five Armies. Then, he sent his last remaining son to The Council AND thwarted Sauron's invasions into Mirkwood during the War of the Ring.

Yes, Thranduil is perhaps the most enduring elf in Middle-earth, but centuries of holding fast against corrupting darkness and suffering would be enough to take a toll on anyone. We Thranduil stans like to point out that he did not have the advantage of a Ring of Power. So what powers did he lean on? His own!

By the time the "happy ending" is achieved, Thranduil is just as badly beaten and bruised in spirit as the ringbearer Frodo. Look at it this way: Frodo carried the One Ring for about 18 years (the last year being the Quest) and suffered unspeakable pain as a result, and was never fully-healed again.

Thranduil, whose spirit was tied to Greenwood the Great, used his inner strength and innate "magic" powers to guard it as best as his could and prevent Sauron himself from overwhelming that entire forest for 2,000 years. In my mind, Thranduil turned his very self into a shield to protect the Elves of Mirkwood against the Darkness, to prevent every last one of them from being hauled off to Dol Guldur where they would be corrupted into an orc army. (Which isn't to say this did not happen to some unfortunate Silvans throughout the Third Age.) The point is, the Elves of Mirkwood still had enough quality of life to hold merry feasts in a Valar-forsaken forest, and Thranduil had to have paid a steep price for that. He HAD to have been SO TIRED. But he carried on.

At the start of his rule, young Elvenking Thranduil might have declared he was prepared to live in and rule the Woodland Realm forever. But that was not his destiny.

As that quote we love so well goes:

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

Thranduil needed to retire to the Blessed Realm to achieve healing and rest, just as much as Frodo and Bilbo did. And of course, to reunite with his beloved wife and sons. THAT is his happy ending--in my mind and AU, at least.

How long does he stay?

Thranduil sails on the Last Ship with Celeborn, Círdan and (pardon the spoiler) Gelir, the last of his sons to leave Middle-earth. The date this last ship sails is unidentified in Tolkien canon, but takes place at least after FA 171. Why?

A neat SotWK timeline event for you: In honor of his wife Maereth's love for the Durins and his family's friendship with the Dwarves of Erebor, Thranduil led an army to assist Durin VII in the Retaking of Khazad-dûm. Thranduil and Maereth shared special memories of Khazad-dûm, and Thranduil was actually moved to tears to see those halls finally cleansed of orcs once more.

How easy/hard is it for him to leave? What makes him finally decide to go?

200 or so years was more than enough time for Thranduil to ensure that Eryn Lasgalen was properly re-established under the kingship of his heir, Aranion, son of Mirion. His granddaughter, Anariel, had committed to staying with her brother in Middle-earth and helping him in his rule. The Silvan people were in excellent hands.

Thranduil's daughter-in-law, Itarildë (eager to reunite with Mirion), and his son Turhir, had already sailed to the Undying Lands in FA 61, on the same ship as Samwise Gamgee. Legolas left with Gimli in FA 120.

By the time the Last Ship sailed, Thranduil was more than ready to go and join the rest of his family in Aman.

How does the rest of Middle-earth/his people respond?

The people of Eryn Lasgalen deeply loved Thranduil, and were of course sad to see him leave. But they also knew their King had suffered long enough and missed this wife terribly, and they wished only joy and healing for him, especially after everything he had endured for their sake.

Farewell feasts were certainly held, to allow friends and allies from across Middle-earth--Gondor, Dale, Rohan, the Shire and Khazad-dûm--to pay their respects to the great Elvenking.

I have no specifics, but I know that his departure from Middle-earth was forevermore commemorated in a great annual feast in Eryn Lasgalen.

Would you ever write him and Maereth reuniting in the Undying Lands?

Well, seeing as writing just this headcanon post got me all misty-eyed and punched in the feels, I suppose I could write that reunion story once I'm able to gather the emotional strength for it. XD

Thank you as always for this superb Ask, Ace Reporter @hobbitwrangler! <3

Elves HC Tag List: @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @achromaticerebus @acornsandoaktrees @aduialel @asianbutnotjapanese @auttumnsayshi @blueberryrock @conversacomsmaug @elan-ho-detto-elan-15 @entishramblings @freshalmondpandadonut @fizzyxcustard @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @glassgulls @heilith @heranintomyknife23times @ladyweaslette @laneynoir @lathalea @lemonivall @LiliDurin @quickslvxrr @spacecluster @stormchaser819 @talkdifferently6 @tamryniel @tamurilofrivendell @warriormirkwood

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Introduction to SotWK

Fanfiction Masterlist

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[nehswritesstuffs]

A Bad Walk and An Even Worse Time

Sometimes I wonder why in the hell I write something and this is one of those times, lol

5176 words; shoutout to the dude who I saw regular golfing on the way home once in full Luffy cosplay (and shoutout to the club for letting him in lol); I’m overdue for a full-on sports AU but take this instead; apologies in advance at golf of all things but you know how it is; your mileage may vary at some of the relationships I’ve thrown in here but I also vary on them so no worries; related to the Adventures with the Denizens of 1000 Sunny Rd. series, which you don't need to necessarily read to understand this one (for reference, the other fics are here [FFN], here [FFN], and here [FFN] as well) just know it's a modern Midwestern-ish AU where LawNa is an established thing and the Sunny is a sus af party house

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

For what it was worth, Zoro did not usually get terribly upset. A little cranky? Of course. That was almost expected when most of his sleep came from naps and the fact his adoptive pains-in-the-ass were always on his case about shit. “Zozo, you need to bathe more” and “Zoro, you need to consider a career instead of a job” and “why are you no longer cute, Zozo” filled the time he was with his family, which explained why he was at 1000 Sunny Rd. most days. The rest of the people lurking around the Sunny knew that if he chose to suffer through an extended period of Nami’s nagging with the rest of them, it was bound to be a doozy at home he was avoiding between his creepy vampire adoptive dad and the shrill, high-maintenance banshee that he was supposed to refer to as his sister.

Except this time, what he was avoiding had been tasked to him.

“Ah, fuck,” he cussed as he checked his phone. Zoro threw it across the living room and into a far couch, which was not normal for him. He sulked over towards the kitchen island and slumped down on a chair, hiding in his hoodie.

“What the fuck’s up with you, mossbrains?” Sanji frowned. He didn’t like Zoro being there for too long, especially since he was going on his fourth day of no showering, for the love of food safety…

“Mihawk wants me to put together a couple foursomes and he keeps bugging me about it,” Zoro grunted. Usopp and Franky both exchanged cautious looks from either side of the island, food stuffed in their mouths—Mihawk wanted what…?!

“You… uh… gonna elaborate on that, bro?” Franky wondered cautiously. Zoro was silent on the matter, only looking up when Sanji put a protein shake in front of him.

“It’s golf, right?” the blond asked. Zoro nodded silently and waited for Sanji to place a silicone straw in the shake before taking it and drinking while sulking some more. Usopp laughed nervously, almost relieved.

“Why on earth would Mihawk want you to get a bunch of people together to play golf?” he wondered. “Doesn’t golf involve, like, you know, being outside? I thought that was the exact opposite of his thing.”

“It’s his main form of being outside,” Zoro complained, “and there’s a charity circle-jerk and he promised to bring people.”

“That would involve him having friends,” Sanji noted, “which is something he lacks while his son has in spades.”

“Well, I’m glad it’s just golf, but you’re gonna have to count me out,” Franky said. “Golf is a no-go for me—I’ve been banned from courses in the area for being too super of a guy.”

“You’ve been banned from golf courses?” Usopp wrinkled his nose in thought. “Wait… which ones?”

Franky simply grinned as he took a sip of his pop. Okay. Fine. Keep your secrets.

“Does Mihawk know what he��s asking for though?” Sanji asked. “I mean… it’s us we’re talking about.”

“What are you talking about, Sanji-kun?” The guys all looked to find that Nami and Robin had both walked into the kitchen-living room area, a freshly-rescued-from-med-school Chopper right behind them.

“Oh, nothing to worry about my dears,” Sanji crooned as he set snacks down for the newcomers. “Marimo here is just complaining about his old man making him do shit for once.”

“If it’s golf, then you can count on me,” Usopp bragged. “Why, I was winning pro-am tournaments when I was just a little kid! Had to drop it because they kept barring me from competing, but I’m sure they will have forgotten the ban by now!” Chopper’s eyes glinted in admiration as he sucked down his milk.

“Golf…?” Nami raised her eyebrow critically. “What possessed the brooding vampire-goth man to get into golf of all things?”

“High SPFs, umbrellas, and business bullshit that apparently only happens on the course,” Zoro grumbled. He finished off his protein shake and handed the glass back to Sanji as he sat upright. “I don’t know anyone who fucking golfs! How am I going to get seven people who golf just to please his prissy ass?!”

“Well, you already got Usopp,” Franky noted, “and Robin’s not been banned like me.”

“This is true—I worked a few odd jobs growing up, and one of them was as a caddy—it helped get me a scholarship for college.”

“A golf scholarship?”

“No,” Robin replied, her smile unknowable. Usopp shuddered—he had to ask, didn’t he?

“I’ll do it if Robin’s doing it,” Nami agreed. It was then that Sanji came out from behind the counter in a flurry of emotion, taking the redhead’s hand and kissing the back of it.

“If Nami-swan and Robin-chan are participating, then I will too~!” he crooned. “We can be in a group together!”

“He just wants to see them in short skirts, doesn’t he?” Usopp mused aloud. Zoro nodded in agreement, which got both of them lumps on the head courtesy of the chef. The three became so involved in fighting that they didn’t even notice that someone else walked into the conversation, interest immediately piqued.

“Shishishishi—I’m in!”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was a few days later and most of the Straw Hats were at a putt-putt adventure golf course after-hours, the guy who ran the thing owing Luffy a favor or five. How that was the case, no one wanted to know, but they were going to take advantage of it anyhow. Usopp stood at a chalkboard near the entrance; usually the board was filled with upcoming events and birthday wishes for parties coming through, but this time it was filled with equations and graphs that he drew up on the spot from the golfing theory book he had open in his hand.

“If we’re going to win this thing, it’s going to involve a lot of finesse and concentrating on how our bodies move,” he said to a… less than receptive audience. While Robin seemed interested enough, Zoro and Sanji were about to fight (again), Nami seemed bored, and Luffy and Brook were too distracted by the moths beginning to flap about the lights.

“You just asked a bunch of people who don’t math to do math,” Nami pointed out. Usopp knew she was right—the two of them did math all the time, while it seemed like a foreign concept to most of the others. “You’re at least following, right, Robin?”

“My areas of expertise involve the humanities, mainly history, sociology, and anthropology, so I’m following as closely as I can,” Robin admitted. A chill ran down Nami and Usopp’s spines—if they lost Robin, they were doomed. “We’re mainly here to work on our putting, which is something that trips up even the most skilled of professionals, as the amount of force and aim required needs to be precise in order to sink the ball.”

Usopp let out a breath of relief—thank fuck someone was taking this seriously.

“I’m precise,” Zoro claimed. “I’m so fucking precise I can wipe the floor with this asshole.”

“Wipe the floor?!” Sanji scoffed. “Do you even know how to golf?!”

“Yeah! You hit the ball and get it in the hole! You’re not the only one who suffered through rich kid bullshit, Swirls!”

“Oh, don’t even go there!”

“Or what?! You’ll try to throw your daddy issues around?! Like I care!”

“Ladies, please,” Usopp deadpanned. “We all know you both know how to play golf. This meeting is to make sure that we all practice our putting, short game, and all the more scientific parts of the game in order to prevent a case of the yips. The only one of us who doesn’t know what any of this is…” He looked off to the side, with the others following his line of vision.

That’s right. Luffy.

“Hey everyone, look at this neat bug I found!” Luffy grinned. He went over towards the rest of his friends with his hands cupped together; Sanji and Nami both hid behind Zoro in anticipation, while Robin and Brook simply chuckled.

“That’s very nice, Luffy,” Usopp frowned, “but what are you going to do about the golf tournament we’re helping Zoro not ruin? You need to be paying attention so you know the rules.”

“Oh, those; they’re boring.” Usopp hit his own face with his palm out of frustration. “It sounds like it’s all made up anyhow.”

“If you don’t even care about the rules, then why are you participating in the first place?!” Sanji asked from the safety of behind Zoro’s shoulder. Luffy simply turned towards them, bug still in-hands and making Sanji and Nami shiver.

“I thought it would be fun,” he beamed. “It’s a bunch of stuffy people who care about rules, so what better fun than doing it our way instead?”

“Luffy has a point,” Brook mentioned. “You wouldn’t believe the amount of rules that have been relaxed since I was your age. You can say the game was getting a little… moribund.”

“Quit the crap and let’s get on with the lessons!” Nami snapped, refusing to come out from behind Zoro’s other shoulder. “Let the bug go!”

“…but Naaaaamiiiii…”

“Luffy, she’s right, you’re going to need to concentrate for this one,” Usopp agreed. “We’re not doing this because we want to flout the rules, but because if Zoro doesn’t come up with seven people to join him, then Mihawk is going to be extra insufferable.”

“Yeah… that wouldn’t be very fun for Zoro, would it?” Luffy decided. He then stopped and counted everyone there: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven… “Wait, seven people total or seven more people?”

“We’re working on one more, now just focus,” Usopp said, tapping the chalkboard with his fingers. Between Chopper having school and Jinbe not knowing if he could get the time off work and Franky being banned from the sport of golf in perpetuity (how the fuck??? Why the fuck??? Wait, scratch that; he didn’t want to know), Usopp wasn’t sure whether or not one of them was going to need to call in a favor aside from the one currently in the works. “The Usopp School of Golf and Putting will make a golfer of you yet!”

How was that easily one of his biggest lies to-date? No one really knew.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was taking everything in Usopp’s power to not scream at the top of his lungs in frustration. Although Nami and Robin were both paying attention and subsequently began sinking many a putt, it wasn’t as though everyone else was taking his lessons as seriously. Sanji and Zoro kept fighting, Luffy kept getting distracted, and Brook was enabling in a bad way.

“Yohoho, good one, Luffy!” Brook cheered, watching as Luffy’s ball bounced around their surroundings. It eventually plopped itself onto the carpet of fake grass, rolling gently until it nestled itself in the cup at the end of the seventeenth hole.

Unfortunately, they were supposed to be on the tenth.

“Why do you keep doing that…?” Usopp groaned. “You’re supposed to aim for that hole,” he gestured with his putter, “not any of the others. You can’t just pick random holes to tee off into on a full-sized course!”

“That’s no fun,” Luffy pouted. “You said he wants to go home! So I let him go to the home he wants!”

“No,” Usopp said while trying to not grind his teeth, “the ball’s home is whichever hole you’re on. Stop keep trying to get it in the pirate ship!”

“…but I like the pirate ship!”

“I know you like the pirate ship, but you can’t always try to sink the putt at the pirate ship. That’s not how the game works. There’s not even a pirate ship at the regular golf course.”

“Well, that’s stupid,” Luffy pouted. “What’s the fun in golf if there aren’t even any pirate ships?”

“Wandering around, getting fresh air, testing your skills in both long and short game…”

“Meh; sounds like they wanted to make going on a walk worse.” Usopp opened his mouth to counter that, but stopped when he heard Nami and Robin both stifle a snicker. How in the hell was he this under-appreciated? “Can I just pretend it’s just the pirate ship for now? I dunno how much boring golfing I’m gonna be doing anyhow.”

Forget screaming: Usopp was ready to start sobbing.

“No, because you need to be better at more than just the pirate ship!” Usopp snapped, his voice cracking. “It’s more than just the pirate ship, you can’t use three clubs at once, there’s no kicking allowed, and we’re not allowed to use the course as a venue for any sort of musical performance while golfing as a means of distraction! Do I make myself clear?!”

A chorus of grumbling came from his friends.

“Alright! Now let’s get back to putting!”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was finally—finally—the day of the charity golf outing. The weather was cooperating at Goa Hills Golf Course and Country Club, a sprawling thirty-six-hole behemoth, which was filled to the gills with wealthy golf-nuts and those who happened to be roped into their antics via work or circumstance. Zoro was sulking off in a corner of the clubhouse before everything was opened, alongside Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp. Brook was there as well, but was off keeping an eye out for Nami, Robin, and whomever they were bringing along as the final piece to their puzzle.

“This is so fucking stupid,” Zoro groused. “Mihawk just wants to torture me.”

“Torture us,” Usopp hissed. He and Sanji were attempting to keep Luffy from attacking the snack table that had been set up on the other side of the room.

“As long as I get to play with Nami and Robin, this will all be worth it,” Sanji said. “Seeing them in those skirts will allow me to die happy~!”

“What skirts?”

“Of course a repressed mess like you wouldn’t understand: playing golf means a dress code, right?”

Usopp frowned, unimpressed with the assessment. “Yeah. Why else were we able to get Luffy in a collared shirt?”

“Well, ladies…” Sanji’s face contorted as he focused in on his mental fantasy. “Ladies have to wear short skirts while on the course! It’s the rules!”

“You need to get laid,” both Zoro and Usopp said simultaneously. Sanji scowled and let go of Luffy, which allowed the individual in question to break free and begin assaulting the breakfast bar.

“Jerk!” Usopp hissed. “We’re here to help Zoro, not help him get into trouble!”

“At least it won’t be eating Mihawk out of house and home,” Sanji shrugged. Usopp took a deep breath to steady himself—if all his work was going to be for nothing…

“Guys! Guy! Guys!” The trio looked out into the crowd and saw Brook coming their way in an absolute panic. He reached them and seemed to be almost in tears. “I’ve got some bad news!”

“What’s the matter?” Usopp asked.

“Don’t tell me that the eighth didn’t show up,” Zoro scowled.

“Even worse!” Brook shuddered as he prepared to levy the news. “It’s Nami and Robin!”

“Are they alright?!” Sanji asked, instantly becoming defensive. “If someone dared to touch a hair on their heads, I’ll…!”

“Oh, it’s nothing like that!” Brook insisted. “It’s just…!”

“What in the hell are you doing?!” Nami’s voice could barely be heard over the din of the clubhouse as she pushed her way through the other participants. She and Robin soon reached their friends, only for Sanji to gape in horror.

Capris. Cut to just above the calf. Not skirts. Pants.

Nami and Robin were in pants.

This was not going to be worth it.

“What in the hell is wrong with you, Brook?” Nami demanded. “Why’d you take off and abandon us?!”

“I got you here, didn’t I?!” Brook replied, affronted. Nami turned towards the others and flicked on her billion-watt smile.

“There you are, Sanji-kun,” she beamed. “I was hoping you’d be able to get my rental clubs from the pro shop. There’s a reservation already for them.”

“Why certainly, Nami-swan~!” Sanji replied, mood turning on a dime. He went off into the crowd with a flourish, completely ignoring the fact that he went right by a flustered Law as the latter was fighting his way through the crowd in an effort to get to the Straw Hats.

“Oh good, you weren’t eaten alive by the country club’s colony of rabid groundhogs,” Robin smirked. Law wanted to give her at least one middle finger, but was already too exhausted for before eight in the morning.

“All of you owe me, big time,” he grumbled, “especially you, Roronoa-ya. I could be literally anywhere but here.”

“You and me both,” the green-haired man fired back. “Gonna hang this over Mihawk’s head for long as I can.”

“That won’t work and we all know it,” Nami reminded him. They all silently agreed on that front—for some reason all of the adoptive pains-in-the-asses were collectively very, very weird and mostly unflappable. It was just that by some unfortunate turn of events that Zoro specifically landed where he was and now it was everyone’s duty to suffer through it.

A crash could be heard and a distant voice began threatening someone whose name sounded incredibly like Luffy. It was better to let that lie where it was; nothing good came from interfering with Luffy and food.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Even though Zoro knew how to play golf, it was definitely not his favorite thing in the world. It wasn’t his most-hated thing, but definitely not by much. He felt constrained, it looked like the park space was being wasted, and he couldn’t even drive through the swans that were terrorizing the third hole even though they were just honking assholes with wings.

“Stupid cook—you can’t smoke here,” he growled. The pair were watching as Law was getting ready to tee off for them, Luffy having already vanished into some bushes like a cryptid in a polo shirt, and now Sanji was indulging in his most effective vice.

“It’s either this or I murder everyone,” the blond sniped back. Fuck, Luffy was taking a long time to resurface. “Hey, I know you know how I got the geezer, but how’d you get your adoptive asshat?”

“Parents knew him somehow; I dunno, I was a kid when it happened,” Zoro scoffed. He guessed he could let Sanji power through a smoke or two—the idiot chef was without Nami and Robin, after all. “Same with Perona’s dad, I guess. I don’t think Mihawk ever imagined that the favors would be cashed because one month his mansion is perfect and silent, and the next had me and Perona arguing. Loud.”

Law hit the ball and it went a decent distance—stayed fairly straight too.

“Not that I can blame her,” Sanji scoffed. “I bet you were a shit as a tween.”

“As though you weren’t? I think I still have the geezer’s phone number; he can verify.”

“Fuck off.” Law returned to their golf cart and put the driver in with the rest of his rental set. “Did you at least see where it went?”

“Yeah; we might actually make it out of here alive if we take turns being Strawhat-ya,” he replied. Law then took a quick look around. “He hasn’t come back yet?”

“Nope,” Sanji and Zoro said in unison.

“Fuck,” Law cussed. “If we don’t find him soon, he’s gonna terrorize whatever kid they’ve got manning the beer cart thinking there’s food there.”

“I say let him,” Sanji shrugged. “It’s not like we’re paying for this disaster of an outing.”

“Make Mihawk regret it,” Zoro added. “See if he asks me for another favor again.”

“I thought the object of this was to get in, golf, get out, and make it so that we don’t get noticed by Mihawk’s weird business associates or anyone else who might be a pain in our asses,” Law frowned. “Cora-san’s brother has been known to come here when he’s in-town—we need to keep a low profile. Can any of you handle that?”

“I know I can, but I don’t know if the moss-for-brains is capable of that, considering how we need to escort him around everywhere,” Sanji said as he got in the driver’s seat and turned on the cart.

“What the fuck are you saying, curls? That I can’t find my way around?! I can do that just fine!” Zoro sat in the front passenger seat, the pair immediately butting heads in the latest round of their constant, figurative dick-measuring.

Law screamed inwardly as he tried to not cry getting into one of the cart’s back seats; the mind-melting sex he was promised was not going to be worth this.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Robin and Brook were standing to the side of the putting green, watching as Usopp was measuring and calculating the sort of putt Nami was going to need to pull off in order to sink the ball. Nami herself was standing next to the ball, tapping her foot impatiently.

“Will you cut that out?” she scowled. “Any longer and we’re going to get people wanting to play through.”

“This is for double-birdie, Nami!” Usopp replied as he laid down on the green to measure at eye-level. “This will help keep us in competitive range! These don’t often happen with golfers of our casual nature! We gotta make this count!”

“Uh… I think you mean eagle not double-birdie,” Brook cut in. Usopp and Nami both glared at him, making him flinch. How scary!

“Usopp, I think I can math my own way out of this one and not ruin Robin’s lucky shot,” Nami grumbled. “You’re making too big a deal out of this.”

“Listen, Nami,” Usopp said, “we all know that you are really good at math, but we also know that I’m better at math and physics. It has nothing to do with making you feel stupid. Because you’re not. You’re terrifyingly smart.”

“Mmm-hmm,” she frowned. “You just don’t want to get murdered in your sleep.”

“That is always a goal, yeah.” He got up and went to go stand by Robin and Brook. “Okay—one of your normal putts should do it.”

“I could have told you that,” Nami deadpanned. She went to putt, only for an unexpected voice to cut through the air and make her overshoot in surprise.

“NAAMII!” Luffy shouted. Nami and Usopp both cringed—how the fuck did he escape the others? Everyone looked to see Luffy approaching via the beer cart, where he was sitting in the passenger seat munching on chips while… wait… Koby was driving the cart?!

“I always suspected the police department to not pay a living wage,” Robin noted as the cart stopped next to them. Koby shook his head.

“I’m undercover… kinda,” he admitted. “There’s a lot of varying movers and shakers participating in this tournament, and Commissioner Sengoku wants me to keep an eye out.” He then gestured to Luffy. “Where does he go so I can drop him off?”

“With Zoro, Sanji, and Torao,” Nami said. She leaned in to Luffy, who tried to ignore her glare. “Why aren’t you with them?”

“Golf is boring,” Luffy admitted, “and I have a lot more fun hanging out with Koby anyhow! We’re gonna go catch some weirdos being weird.”

“I thought you were going to keep an eye on Torao for me,” Nami scolded. “What’s going to happen if we leave him alone? There’s weirdos here that might want him for themselves and then no more Torao at the Sunny.”

“I dunno,” he shrugged. “He’s with Zoro and Sanji though, so I’d say they’re all pretty safe from weirdos.” Luffy then noticed that Usopp was laying down on the grass. “What’s the matter?”

“We just lost a major shot thanks to you…” Usopp whined. “The only way we’re going to make that up is if we score a triple-eagle on the next one!”

“I wouldn’t count on that,” Robin said. “Those are incredibly rare. They’ve never been accomplished in professional play.”

“Yeah—the only way to get a condor would probably be to cheat, and I don’t know if we want to do that,” Brook added. He handed Koby some money and the young man passed him a juice box, which he proceeded to drink loudly. “At least, I wouldn’t do that here.”

“Mr. Soul King’s right,” Koby said. “We can’t lose our heads just because we want to stay ahead in the game! There’s villains out there that we have to catch!”

“You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?” Brook deadpanned. Koby didn’t seem to listen, as there seemed to be stars glinting in his eyes.

“Come on, Luffy! What do you say?”

In his defense, Luffy did seem to think about it. He thought for only a few seconds before a spine-chilling grin crept across his face.

“Nope!”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Dracule Mihawk was irritated. It took a lot of nonsense at once to get him irritated, honestly, for if there was one thing that keeping the brats in his home did for him was turn his nonsense threshold terribly high. There was also the fact that many of his business associates were—unfortunately—absolute goons that made him question the hierarchy of who was able to move up in the world and who was kept down. He tolerated them at best, especially on days where he was made to do social activities.

Even a bottomless wine tumbler could not change the fact that his present company was… lurid.

“Just take the shot already,” he droned. Buggy flinched from his spot over on the fairway—he was in the middle of adjusting his stance, which had been going on for two minutes too long.

“Watch out; you’re going to spook him,” Crocodile chuckled. The pair were sitting in the front seats of their cart while Galdino was standing next to the vehicle. “Do that and we might have to record a mulligan.”

“I don’t care; this is wearing on my nerves,” Mihawk replied. He took another sip from the tumbler and hoped the chilled compartment in his bag was keeping the rest of his very necessary bottle intact and a decent temperature, even with the sun. “How do you do it?”

“Honestly? I’m just glad I can use him as a human shield,” Galdino shrugged. “He’s almost the perfect decoy.”

“Hey, I heard that!” Buggy snapped. “If you’re such big shots, then why am I even here?!”

“…because we’re trying to network through charity events,” Galdino reminded him. “We have to look legitimate, remember? That involves shit like this sometimes.”

“…or would you rather default on that money you owe me and have the next decade of your life be a living hell?” Crocodile threatened with a grin on his face. Buggy swallowed hard while Mihawk sighed in distaste; the other man certainly had a way to make things so base. “What? You mean you wouldn’t want to watch him squirm?”

“At least don’t shout it out to the entire course,” Mihawk replied. He adjusted the umbrella that was shielding him from the partly-cloudy skies and grunted. “I wonder how Zoro’s doing, if making his friends come along has made him behave.”

“I don’t care to find out,” Crocodile scoffed. “That brat’s still on my shit list, as are all his friends. It’s a bad idea if you ask me.” He went to light another cigar and Mihawk’s lip curled.

“You smell enough like those things; you don’t need a refresher.”

“If you can drink, then I can smoke,” he grumbled. “It’s only fair dealing with this shit.” Crocodile gestured towards Buggy with his now-lit cigar.

“Why am I here…?!” Buggy sniffled. “I don’t even like golf!”

“Just hit the ball,” Mihawk, Crocodile, and Galdino said in unison.

“Fine! You want me to hit the ball?! I’ll hit the fucking ball!” Buggy took a running start and smacked the ball as heard as he could; ball, turf, and club alike soared into the air, making his companions groan in frustration. They all kept their eyes on the ball, however, watching as it plopped onto the putting green and… “Wait, what the fuck, did that just go into its home?!”

“It’s called ‘the hole’, you idiot, and it looks like you did,” Crocodile replied, almost impressed.

“So I got a hole in one?!”

“No, but you did get something,” Galdino muttered. He did the quick math and an even quicker lookup on his phone. “Apparently this is called a double-eagle! You’re three strokes under par!”

“Fuck yeah!” Buggy pumped his fist and started a victory dance, in which Galdino joined in. Crocodile simply chuckled as he wrote down the score, while Mihawk took a swig of wine.

“Of course he scored an albatross,” Mihawk sulked. “He is the bloody albatross.”

“He’s something alright,” Crocodile laughed. He and Mihawk watched the victory celebration for only a moment before he raised his voice slightly. “Get in the car and let’s confirm that hole-in-two.”

Buggy did not seem to hear him, continuing to dance to a song being played on an imaginary speaker. He was so engrossed in dancing, however, that he completely missed the fact that the beer cart was coming his way… or that it honked… or that it was about to run him over until he was clipped by the cart, its teenaged driver laughing mirthfully as he sped away on the now-ruined fairway.

“Sorry ‘bout that!” Luffy shouted. “You should probably pay attention!”

“Ow! Fuck! Watch where you’re going you!” Buggy was in the process of being helped up by Galdino when he saw his assailant: wide grin, polo shirt ripped at the sleeves, sandals, jorts cut off at the knee, a straw hat… oh, his blood boiled. “I’m gonna get you, you little shitstain!”

“Oh, that’s tempting,” Crocodile noted. He then watched as Koby ran after the beer cart, his attempt to catch up on foot not entirely feeble in execution. “Ah, one of Garp’s pets is here anyhow. That’s not a lot of fun.”

“Could be,” Mihawk shrugged. “Depends on how you look at it.”

“I evade taxes, not back pain; let them sort it out.” Crocodile saw that Buggy was not yet back on his feet, which was frankly irritating. “Get back in the cart, dumbass, or we’ll leave you behind!”

“I think that idiot broke my ankle!”

“Walk it off!”

“Easy for you to say!” Buggy grumbled under his breath the entire time Galdino helped him hobble to the cart, hissing in pain as he was deposited into his seat. “You couldn’t have gone and, you know, picked me up?”

“Waste of battery.”

“This bitch has a solar panel roof.” Crocodile said nothing as he turned on the cart and began to drive away. “Can we at least stop to grab my club? It’s a rental.”

Eh; he guessed he didn’t mind that much.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

A/N: For those who might not know, referring to something as an albatross that’s not, you know, the actual bird means that something is a burden. A person can also be considered an albatross, but it also can mean the person’s an idiot.

[walker-extended-universe]

Walker Series Finale Review

This one's going to be a little different than my normal reviews. I'm not going to give a full recap and I'll focus more on my reactions, my hopes, and my (very minor) disappointments.

I have a lot of love for this show and it's very hard for me to see it end, but I think the ending we got was very good and I want to focus on those feelings and hopefully spark further conversation with y'all.

So, let's dive into it.

One of the things I want to talk about first is that, while it didn't feel like a Series finale, it was very satisfying. I think Anna and the team made the right choice choosing not to film an alternate "final" ending. I think if we'd gotten a "proper" finale, it would've been an hour of unearned character moments and rushed dynamics. Everything about this episode felt so natural and while I wish we were getting more, I can appreciate the endings we got.

One thing I really appreciated about the ending was how light it was. I feel like everyone got a happy ending (or close enough to one at least) and after this season, that's what we all needed. Abby and Bonham figuring out their retirement goals, Stella looking forward to a more relaxing college experience, Sadie sticking around the Walker-Broussard family..... All of it was perfect. While I don't have much to say on those plots specifically since there wasn't much to them this episode, I think they ended well.

Now, I want to go over the Big Endings we got and do a little gushing.

First, I want to cover Ben and Liam's conclusion. We've seen them take small steps this season with Ben becoming more integrated into the Walker family and Liam letting his guard down more for him. It was a small part of the season (and one where most of the progression happened off screen) but one I enjoyed nonetheless. We finally get to see them take that finale step toward a complete future together with Liam asking Ben to move in together and start looking at houses. It was a very small, quick moment but one that I loved, especially the actual conversation XD I love Liam and his inability to be normal about things and I'm sure "I want you to use normal words" is a phrase we will hear often in the future Walker-Perez household.

Before I dive too deep into the big emotions of the episode, I want to talk about August's character development. The reveal that August had applied for colleges behind everyone's backs and decided against going to the military was a relief for me. And just the statement of "I guess I'm just that disciplined" shows me that he learned he doesn't have to do that to be worthy of love. While I wish we knew more about his exact plans for the future (and how the hell he got the money for the application fee to Harvard without anyone noticing), I'm happy to hear he's not so self-depricating anymore.

Next, I want to talk about Cassie. I've been feeling a lot of feelings about her for the past few episodes since Anna killed Luna off for no reason (by her own admission too -_-). While I'm not a big fan of her becoming James' lieutenant, I had a feeling that's where the story was going and since she can't have a happy personal life, I appreciate that she got to have at least that dream come true. I also really loved how the show portrayed and handled her grief over Luna. She's struggling, especially with her relationship with Cordell, but she has a lot of support around her and she's glad for it. That scene with Cassie and Kelly and Geri on the couch will be living rent free in my heart <3.

One big thing that I appreciated about her arc this episode is that she's not completely 1000% back on her feet. She's still grieving Luna. She's still wondering if she made the right choice to stay in Austin. She's still conflicted over Cordell. But she wants to get better and move on to a brighter future. So, she forgives Cordell. She gracefully takes the promotion. She opens herself up to her close friends. It felt very natural and comforting and it's more than I could've hoped for for the finale. I wish we could've gotten to see her settle into her role and learn to manage all her new expectations and guidelines dynamics, but there's always fanfic <3

Of course, I can't review this episode without talking about Cordell and his journey. We've seen him hit his lowest point this season and his time in the finale was dedicated to trying to fix some of his messes. His conversations with Stella and August really hit a cord with me and I'm so glad we got to have them before the show ended. That and the constant repetition that he really just need to be there for them. He didn't have to be perfect or set aside all his other ambitions; he just couldn't forget about them.

This translates well to his contentions with Geri. He wants to be the kind of man Geri needs, the kind who's there when she needs him and doesn't leave her feeling neglected. But he needed to learn that that also means letting her be there for him. It means that when he starts to spiral down a dark road, he still leaves a trail for her to follow. No more lying and pretending things are Fine just for the sake of it. And he's willing to make those changes, starting by taking a leave of absence and taking the whole family on a well-deserved vacation. It's the start of a new chapter in his life and I wish him the best.

This episode made me emotional in the best way. While I'm sad we won't have any more adventures with the Walker family, I'm satisfied with where their stories are headed. And, with an open ending like that, who knows what we might get in the future?

But those are just my thoughts. What are yours?

[bravernificationbeam]

I've never watched Supernatural so this ship ask game feels like a great opportunity to get you to explain Midam to me

LOLLLLL that makes 1 and 1/3 of us! (i've only seen s1-s10)

obviously i ship midam lol! so midam is like

adam milligan, rando nobody younger half brother of the winchester bros who's the result of a one night stand their dad had after their mom died. they don't know about him until a. he's like 19 b. after he and his mom have died actually (the first episode they 'appear' in, it's as the ghouls who have eaten them and taken on their appearances)

michael, oldest baddest bitch archangel. spn was originally supposed to be 5 seasons (and should have been imo!) and the culminating Thing of seasons 4 and 5 basically is that sam and dean are supposed to be vessels of the apocalypse, so that michael and lucifer can have their big rematch and destroy half the planet in the process probably. dean is meant to be michael's vessel and sam is meant to be lucifer's. dean and sam are like WTF???? NO???? the angels try to do everything in their power to get them to say yes and cas, angel who rescued dean from hell and has a crush on him, is caught in the middle of it all

one of the things the angels do in this whole thing is bring adam back from the dead so they can essentially use adam as a bargaining piece, since he comes from the same bloodline as sam and dean--sort of--and thereby could probably handle being michael's vessel

point a to point b is not that important but michael in his true form comes down and gets adam to say yes to being his vessel. meanwhile adam is staring at this BIBLICAL MONSTER like 😯 just a very genuine awe, in contrast to the winchester bros' terror, that we in the midam fandom like to say is his monsterfucker face LOL

so michael has adam be his vessel--close enough to dean, michael decides--to this big battle with lucifer, cas and dean manage to seal all four of them--michael, adam, lucifer, and sam (who's accepted being lucifer's vessel)--in 'the cage' in hell, where lucifer's been since he was cast out of heaven or whatever

we learn from sam who comes back that cage years are like 100x earth years.

GUESS WHO THE SHOW FORGOT ABT???? OOOOOPPPPPPPSSSSS.......

SO they bring these two characters, still sharing the same body, back in s15. 10 whole fucking years later, or 1000 cage years if we take sam's word for it. what's happened to them?

DEVOTION.

michael just sits there contentedly as adam gets diner food, is the FIRST person to bring adam up when tfw capture them, freely lets adam come and go to consciousness as he pleases, seems perfectly content to just let adam determine their life from now on, whateverrrr. and adam's perfectly happy like this! "it's not like i can go back to college, what with an archangel inside of me" said it before and i'll say it again. why did he. say it. like that.....

they commiserate over how much their families suck, michael says "you and I have been together for years, my father [god] and I have been together for eternity"--this little rando human becomes the most important thing in his life. 🥺 just through kindness. seeing each other as people. knowing each other inside and out.

godddddddd. it's choosing love. it's learning a gentle alternative. it's not forgiveness but an internal peace. it's "it didn't have to be you but I'm glad it was." it's "we only had each other" (LINE ADAM SAYS) !!!!!! it's making each other better people!!!! it's MAYBE THIS WORLD IS ANOTHER PLANET'S HELL. it's KESHA RAINBOW!!!!!!

[ember-owlet]

ohhh mr blue 🥺 such a sad but sweet song…do you have a favorite character or any agere headcanons for them? todd and mr peanutbutter would be great cgs (although maybe not together or their kiddo would get stuck on a flaming rollercoaster hahaha), hollyhock is a trauma regressor and i think todd would actually be a flip bcs he does have that childish side to him and would enjoy expressing it with someone who won’t be mean or judge him about it and i think sarah lynn isn’t a regressor necessarily but she never let go of her childhood dreams after everything she went through and when she had the time she would definitely like read space books or architecture books and stuff and imagine things differently…eep sorry for rambling hehe hope ur doing well

you never have to worry about rambling here firelight, when it comes to headcanons or interests i love to hear what you have to say! i know that its hard to find a space to share age regression headcanons for nicher fandoms/shows so i'd never want to dampen that enthusiasm. (and these are some AMAZING headcanons!! i especially love flip todd, i'm glad everyone agrees that he'd be a good cg but he is also the silliest guy. you are also 1000% correct, mr. peanutbutter and todd are a dangerously chaotic duo to keep a little one safe.) /gen

aa thank you for asking!! my favorite characters have always been princess carolyn, todd, diane, guy, and beatrice (for all the same reasons someone would like a "villain", she's a deplorable person and mother but a beautifully written and flawed character).

i realized i'd never fully put down my headcanons to notes before regarding the show, and if i wrote every single headcanon i had this post would be a novel so i made a chart/drabbles! have a wonderful day yourself and i hope you're staying safe.

personal headcanons/rambles under the cut, nothing formal but spoilers for the entirety of the show ahead:

i hope i got everyone, but these are the main ones!

caregivers:

guy

diane's cg, also a familial caretaker for sonny. just the best guy!!

judah

princess carolyn's cg! he is fully aware of how stubborn she can be when regressing to a teen and is just there to make sure she doesn't get hurt.

corbin

honestly one of the most stable cgs (/lh /pos),, in another universe he would've been beatrices' cg and supported her to get help for her trauma.

charlotte

mama cg all the way, she takes care of penny through her vent regression and truth be told her and herb used to be caregivers for bojack once upon a time.

biscuits braxby

a caregiver through and through, for some reason i used to daydream about her taking care of a regressor after the bojack interview and reassuring them that she would make sure they were safe.

ralph

personally, in terms of cgs i think ralph was princess carolyn's cg while they were together, and the role being taken over by judah once they get married as princess carolyn would be hesitant to regress around anyone else (vulnerability to her is scary!!)

vanessa

canonical mother for the win!! she just gives judgemental coworker that means well but would take care of someone if needed (but doesn't mean they're getting out of it without being teased a little)

kelsey

another canon mom!! she just seems really sweet and means well despite her firm demeanor when working.

flips (cg! lean): todd

beloved!! personally i don't see him as a parental caregiver, but definitely is one of the silliest and laid back caregivers out of the bunch. i could also see him regressing if the environment were relaxed enough but always in a middle headspace. herb

okay. hear me out. i just KNOW herb would've been a good caregiver for bojack along with charlotte, i've been thinking about this for a while now but i really think they'd have been such a healing dynamic for bojack as parental cgs. during that time in his life they were his favorite people even if charlotte knew about how awful he was.

rutabaga

i purely put him down for my friend who had talked about him being a caregiver,, i have no idea what she sees in him but to each their own. /nm /lh

flips

honey sugarman

ah yes one of the most tragic characters in the show. honey to me is a flip purely because i think she became an involuntary regressor after her lobotomy. i am purely going by headcanon than science but i assume losing so many of your functions as an adult would cause her to go to a more simpler state (either by choice or not) to forget the pain of losing crackerjack.

princess carolyn

my favorite flip (/j /lh) to me she already is a canonical caregiver when taking care of so many of the other characters in the show over herself (and being a mother to ruthie). but, if she truly trusts someone enough she'll regress a little to unwind and feel like she can take back her childhood after growing up WAY too fast with cutie and her siblings.

flips (regressor! lean) :

hollyhock

precious girl,, i can totally see her being a teen regressor or cool older sister as a caregiver, i almost was tempted to add her to the babysitter pile as well since her caregiving is a very relaxed style. she relies mainly on her dads for comfort (especially when having flashbacks from living with bojack) as well as having an accepting friend group to let her feel child-like around them.

paige sinclair

totally random and a hot take but i adored her character. she was just so passionate about her job and of course pushy but its the same reason we love princess carolyn. i think baxter would mainly be her caregiver but i think when she is caretaking her style is very whimsical.

pickles

my sweet girl,, totally a regressor with endless energy and interests to keep herself entertained. mr. peanutbutter would do his absolute best to calm her in most situations but after a while let her emotions run their course.

regressor:

bojack

i do not trust this man caregiving for anyone. (/hj)

i don't think he fully understands what regression actually is but tends to fall on habits of wanting someone to care for him and only truly regresses when in an emotional state that brings him back to childhood (aka vent regressing).

most of his long-term partners have seen a form of his regression and have taken on the role of a caretaker.

the only other person that has understood him in his regression without putting a name to it is diane. they're just naturally child-like at times and they don't mention it further than that.

diane

at first didn't understand the concept of regression and thought it was "weird" until researching "inner child healing" to help with her ivy tran novel series.

the only person she truly trusts to fully regress around is guy and he is more than willing to take care of her and make her feel loved and appreciated (she's his beautiful salad bowl /lh)

sarah lynn

my sweet girl pt. 2

even if she doesn't know what regression is i just want to give her a happy childhood,, she deserves to be an architect!!

the way she held herself in the that's too much man episode breaks my heart every time and therefore she is my child now!!

penny carson

my sweet baby girl pt. 3

charlotte is more than willing to be a caregiver/mama again, helps her work through the trauma and grief of what had happened between her and bojack but gives her the space she needs to feel in control of certain situations and then a gentle hand to hold her.

i also think penny wears her mom/dad's oversized sweatshirts to feel safe and comforted when having flashbacks.

beatrice

another character that deserved better!! and to have better coping mechanisms!!

loves to play with a very specific doll that she keeps close to her heart, as well as large elegant dresses that she loves to feel the fabric as she twirls and dances in

in an au that i have corbin and her got married, and though he can't heal her past he is a very stable figure in her life and assures her that she can in fact open her heart to loving again.

babysitters:

mr. peanutbutter

i believe he genuinely wants to help when others regress and becomes extremely enthusiastic about hearing that you can be tiny around him, but is nowhere near responsible enough to be an actual caregiver.

just as distracted as the little one, and just as easily persuaded to get them what they want

anna

will watch a regressor if they paid her (/hj).

was bojack's babysitter in-between takes of secretariat, but wasn't a lasting relationship.

keeps him in line when he becomes fussy or throws a tantrum, but ultimately forgets to also reassure him and that leads to further emotional outlashing.

crackerjack

beatrice's big brother babysitter!!

at least once in his life he's snuck her an ice pop/ice cream to let his little sister have a taste.

wanda

a positive and fun-loving babysitter, was possibly one of the kindest caregivers that bojack had when regressing (and also the one that let him get away with the most).

[emblazons]

so (as of yesterday)...there are officially 1000+ stranger things fans following emblazons’ now! 🥳

—I'm really not one to give af about follower counts (especially given that this started as nothing but me having fun with my little show for an audience of one—me), but I'm honestly so shocked by the sheer number of people who have come along with me on my ongoing deep dive (and appreciation for) Stranger Things that I had to do something lmfao.

That said, because I'm mainly doing this because I'm grateful for all of the friendships I've made here: rather than make this about me, I'm taking this moment to do something for you! In honor of this "milestone," I'm going to create 7 gifsets (because...it was a 7) based on all of your ‘favorites’ feedback. I've created a survey for my followers who see this to fill out, where you'll vote on the following:

Favorite Byler Moment (self-explanatory)

Party Choice (favorite non-byler party member)

Teen Choice Awards (favorite 'teen' character)

Grown Folks Only (favorite 'adult' character)

Family Values (favorite familial dynamic)

Non-Byler Ship Fave (self-explanatory)

Marie's Favorite Eps (you choose from my faves)

+ one "free space" set, where you can suggest whatever you want, and I'll chose one (or maybe even a few) to make once the primary sets are done!

The survey will be open through my weekend, and I'll start making the sets based on the results next week: you can fill it out here!

Again—thank you all so much for being here! I would probably be at this anyway because this is just fun for me, but I'm glad I've gotten to share this curiosity voyage with now a whole thousand people who love the show as much as I do. 🥰

[marley-manson]

I am grateful for your Mash Metas, your BJ ones for sure. They are much more closer to what I think of him, and I was starting to think I was not understanding his character properly because I think he's mean to others, especially Hawkeye.

But I think it makes him more interesting. Hawkeye's best friend who doesn't like him, but wants to be liked by him. He loves Hawkeye, but he does not like him. Do you think this would eventually bother Hawkeye? After the war when he thinks about it? Or would he never notice it?

Thank you, I'm glad you've been enjoying my takes! And thanks for your interest in my opinions!

Ohhhh man I love how you put that, doesn't like him but wants to be liked by him, loves him but doesn't like him, it's so good. Now that's the kind of interesting dynamic I'd read 1000 fics about.

This got long lol so it's under a cut

To be perfectly fair I think I probably go a step beyond what the writers intended wrt the flaws in BJ and his friendship with Hawkeye. I think we have clear demonstrations of resentment, taking his negative feelings out on Hawkeye, passive aggression, tearing Hawkeye down to build himself up, etc, but I think we're meant to take most of it in good comedic fun, and sympathize with BJ even when the show's painting him as genuinely cruel, because he's sad and misses his family etc. This behaviour isn't really meant to significantly darken the vibe of their friendship, probably.

But yk, to me it does lol, I don't think the writing/acting threaded the needle successfully. Maybe it would've worked for me if I saw more chemistry between Hawk and BJ, idk. But yeah the way you describe them is def the impression I get, and that's the headcanony angle I'm gonna discuss them from here. Basically BJ and Hawkeye's friendship being uneven bc Hawkeye genuinely likes BJ while BJ usually likes being around Hawkeye and does love him in a way, but dislikes/resents a lot of things about him, and shows it in cruel ways.

So to actually answer your question... idk lol. I mean I can see a few possibilities. Like I feel like it does bother Hawkeye in canon a little, but not enough to cause an actual rift. Like, reasserting himself once after one of BJ's intense prank schemes by mildly revenge-pranking BJ fixes things for him. When they argue, they eventually just agree to stop arguing without resolving anything because they're stuck together and they need each other. In Wheelers and Dealers he's alternately exasperated with BJ and soothingly placating, and it's Margaret who has to come in and yell some sense into him. In Heroes Hawkeye goes out of his way to try to make BJ feel better after several jealous digs BJ makes at his expense, by trying to get some limelight on him. He's vocally upset about the punch in Period of Adjustment but he's ready to be a shoulder to lean on as soon as BJ apologizes. In Picture This he drops the petty fight instantly when he's led to believe that BJ needs his support. He often gets upset with BJ, but never truly puts his foot down and always capitulates.

So yeah I get the vibe that Hawkeye knows that their friendship is uneven and he gives a lot more than he gets, and that BJ resents him in a lot of ways and lashes out because of it. Plus in addition to how he responds to a lot of BJ's bullshit, he also just generally is pretty emotionally intelligent and tends to understand people imo.

And I don't think Hawkeye puts up with it because he lacks self esteem and doesn't think he deserves better, I think it's because a) he's empathetic and sympathizes with BJ and the war's effect on him and b) he doesn't have much of a choice but to put up with the negative side of their friendship, because he relies on that friendship too much. Plus I think while he has a mostly realistic view of himself, he does see himself as a little more more resilient and capable than other people, and therefore willing to put up with more. Like to an extent I almost see him tolerating BJ's lashing out as indulging him? Like, 'okay get it out of your system, I can handle it.' I don't have concrete reasoning for this lol, but it's mainly his behaviour in episodes like Dr Pierce Mr Hyde or Dreams where he doesn't sleep because he's the best surgeon and he's needed, even while sending others off for breaks, combined with always being a shoulder for BJ to lean on no matter how shitty he's been (eg Period of Adjustment, GFA), and like, the end of Fallen Idol lol where he basically says 'whatever pedestalize me i guess, i can take it.' And the way he never gives as good as he gets in the prank episodes, which narratively is because the show likes it when Hawk is a victim, but lbr it makes sense if it's partly bc he knows BJ can dish it out but can't take it.

So I feel like post-war Hawkeye would be aware of BJ's weird contradictory feelings about him, because I like to think he's aware during the war, but he wouldn't really resent it? He'd probably still have fond memories of the friendship and he'd see it as kinda messed up but so was everything else while he was drafted and it was better than most aspects of living in a war zone. He knows they were stuck together and probably wouldn't have been friends outside the war, and they made the best of it. And if BJ kind of sucked at holding his end up, well, the war was hard on him and Hawkeye sympathizes. I don't think he'd ever really frame it like, "Hey wait, I was the one who had a breakdown actually, so why was I BJ's emotional support and punching bag combined?" I think he's just automatically very tuned into other people's pain - not to the extent of ignoring his own, but in a way that's like, he'd rather help someone else than wallow in his own misery.

But if he saw BJ again post-war for any length of time and BJ fell back into those old patterns, I don't think he'd put up with it now. If BJ was like, going through a messy divorce or something he'd be sympathetic and probably give BJ some leeway, but he doesn't need him now, yk? He'd walk away if he needed to, imo. I don't imagine him giving a whole cathartic speech to BJ about toxic friendships exactly lol, but I think he'd say something about how they're not in Korea anymore and BJ needs to deal with his shit constructively or they can go their separate ways.

Note that my post-war take on Hawkeye is that he's happy, largely mentally healthy, and has a big network of friends. If he's miserable and isolated and borderline suicidal like in a lot of fanon maybe then they could fall right back into weird toxic vibes and Hawkeye would be like 'w/e this might as well happen.' But honestly I don't really vibe with that version of Hawkeye. Considering how many friends he made while falling apart in a warzone I think there's about a hundred percent chance he has a good support network of people when he's back home.

[annerbhp]

hi!! I was rereading your works, and I wanted to ask something. In the third part of the Armistice Series you say: “They chat a while about mutual friends, Neville filling them in on Luna’s latest trip and how Seamus and Dean are doing. A lot of his stories are peppered with mentions of Hannah, as he seems to eat most of his meals at the Leaky these days.”

Was this a foreshadowing for HannahxNeville? I thought Hannah might have been ace but maybe she is not aro? I was just curious and Neville is an excellent character in Changeling-verse. Thank you in advance!!

Ahhhhh, you had to ask me about this. My great regret. So, like. I may have mentioned there having been a plan at one point. Of a fourth armistice. and then a Dudley fic. And then maybe another armistice fic. Well AFTER THAT, there was supposed to be a NEVILLE fic. My darling. This fic. the one I have all of 1000 nonsensical words scribbled about and am pretty sure will never get written.

In general, it's supposed to be a 'Augusta Longbottom dies and Neville inherits the house and tries to deal by spending all his time in the gardens and greenhouses of the old manor while various of his friends move in and out as needed' fic. Neville deciding if being an auror was really for himself or for his Gran. For his parents. And, yes, Hannah, his best friend of nearly a decade, being there to help every step of the way. It's how they both find a roundabout way to the paths and dreams they both thought closed forever to them, and fall in love along the way, even if it doesn't look quite the way they've been told it's supposed to.

You can have what little I have, if you want! Snippet of the unnamed fic below. (cw: death of a family member, grief)

Augusta Longbottom dies the way she lives her life—on her own schedule, exactly when she is ready, and with complete dignity.

Neville speaks to her one last time the evening before, sitting by her enormous bed in a stiff, uncomfortable chair. He isn’t close enough to touch her, but close enough to hear her words, quiet but still laced with steel.

“You’ve made me proud, Neville. Walking in your father’s footsteps, completing his fight. Taking up the work that needs to be done.”

It’s an ending, certainly.

The thing she doesn’t tell him is what’s supposed to come next.

**

At the wake, Ginny is there, pregnant and impatient while trying not to look like she is, Harry a bit wide-eyed and terrified when he isn’t looking at her with the soppiest grin Neville’s ever seen.

It’s been eight years since Ron and Hermione got married, but Harry and Ginny still haven’t shown any inclination, even as her belly swells. Their friends are smart enough not to say anything about it, even if the press is as stupid as ever.

Ginny reaches out and holds his hand.

“I need to go tell my mum and dad,” Neville says as the guests start to depart. He isn’t sure why he hasn’t gone yet.

“We’ll go with you,” Ginny says, voice fierce in that way that says she will not be argued with.

He doesn’t bother trying.

**

When Luna returns from her latest expedition a few months later, she moves into one of the spare bedrooms. Rolf—not her boyfriend or husband or anything else, he’s told—visits at times, but rarely for long. Luna seems pleased with the arrangement, like Rolf is someone who understands all of her, takes her just as she is and demanding nothing more.

Neville’s glad.

A few months after that, Ginny’s back to work after giving birth and recovering, and Harry is home with the baby. He comes by a few times a week. Harry claims it’s for his own sanity, but Neville still can’t help but feel like maybe he’s checking in on Neville, whose leave from the Aurors has stretched into its ninth month without any sign of ending. Rosier, at this point, has stopped asking.

It’s kind of weird to see Harry like this, baby bouncing on his lap, just as sure and capable as in a fight.

There’s been things in the papers, of course, Henpecked Potter Stuck Home on Nappy Duty, all about how Ginny has unmanned him. Or how disappointingly unambitious Harry has turned out to be, after showing so much early promise. Wiling his days away at home. As if they hadn’t spent the last decade terrified of him, of what he might try to do.

Morons, the lot of them.

Then again, most people have no idea how much Harry quietly continued to do for all of them behind the scenes, [redacted for spoilers!]

To most people Harry is aimless and dominated by his quite possibly evil wife.

Harry doesn’t seem to care less what people think.

It occurs to Neville that to most people Neville is the one who looks properly focused, but he’s really completely adrift, whereas Harry looks like he is exactly where he wants to be. It’s the same stupid feeling that’s always been there, that the two of them are somehow two sides of the same coin. Warped reflections of the other.

You know it could have been you, Harry once confessed to him during a late night together spent pouring over reports trying to run down a particularly nasty artifact. Just as easily as me.

But that is as inconceivable as ever, that Neville could in any way be anything like Harry.

Neville is in awe as always, that Harry could walk away from the ministry. Just like that. Just decide there is something else he wants, damn prophecies and expectations and gossip all the same.

When he mentions it, Harry just lifts his daughter up to his face, blowing a raspberry on her pudgy cheek. “There’s always more work to be done. And it will still be there when I get back. This little one won’t.” 

Neville can't argue with that, even if he were inclined to.

**

Spending so much time at the manor, Neville inevitably finds himself in the garden. It’s not neglected, exactly. There are people paid to care for the perfectly manicured rows of shrubs and lawn and flowering perennials. To sweep the paths. Like the one he bounced down the first time he showed any inkling for magic, Great Uncle Archie’s cackle echoing behind him.

He’s never liked the garden, is the thing. Not that he’d ever been brave enough to even think it.

Gran gave him a corner in the large conservatory for his plants, and so long as he kept it contained there, she never said anything about his silly habit. It was enough. Or so he always told himself.   

He’s thought about it, is the thing. Just selling the manor. Moving into a flat somewhere. Just leaving it all behind--the memories, the expectations. But it also feels like he’s been leaving too much behind as it is.

So on the one-year anniversary of Gran’s passing, a year since he tanked his career through cowardly attrition, he speaks out loud to the rigid rows and lifeless paths the truth festering in his heart: “I’ve never liked this garden.”

The next week, he asks the gardeners into the parlor and starts making a new plan.

[jedipoodoo]

Secret Kingdoms Part Six (Sergeant Hunter x Reader Fantasy AU)

HAPPY 1000 FOLLOWERS TO MEEEEEEEE

Now THIS is the chapter you've been waiting for 👀👀👀👀

Notes: No warnings, just enjoy the fic. The next chapter will be the last part of this fic, but I am hoping to bring Omega into this AU soon and I have separate ideas for Echo and Crosshair in this AU, so look out for those ones!

The sunny day only served to sour the already miserable feelings stirring in your soul. You had always refused to shirk your duty when Padme and her family had been so generous and kind to you, but how could you face Padme after what had happened during the council? Her stubborn optimism would only remind you how hopeless your situation was. She was a princess, and you were a maid. There would always be that vast chasm between the two of you, and there would always be some things that she would get that you simply could not have. 

You pulled up your hood to ward off the icy chill that had left frost on all the plants the night before. The kitchen maids were busy drying vegetables and fruits to preserve them for the colder months, and the seamstresses were working day and night to finish sewing all the winter clothes for the knights. 

Speaking of the knights, you had somehow wound up at the training grounds again. You stood on the corner of the parapets, a short distance from the simpering noblewomen who were watching as usual. 

There were trails in the frost where the men and their squires had walked. Only a few men were actually sparring, but the rest had congregated around Anakin and the other heroes of the war to offer their congratulations. Wrecker was blushing under all the praise, but he was kind enough to shield Crosshair from the majority of the accolades they were being lavished with. Anakin had his arms slung around Tech and Echo, describing in detail their infiltration of Dooku's fortress and their liberation of the great Red Dragon. 

Hunter was nowhere to be seen, but that was for the best, supposedly. You turned to leave, still unable to get out of your own head and self pity, and smacked into a chest bearing the Naboo Crest. 

"Milady!" Oh no. 

Hunter gently pushed your hood back to see your face, giving you a joyful smile that made your heart melt and you couldn't help but smile back at him. How were you supposed to keep yourself from being in love with him when he was so happy to just see you? 

"I'm so glad you're here, I've been meaning to talk with you." 

You froze. Had the Duchess already proposed her idea to him? 

Hunter didn't notice your reaction, glancing down at the training grounds and shaking his head, "They should be praising you too, you know." 

"Me? Why?" you asked. 

Hunter slipped your hand into the crook of his elbow, escorting you away from the grounds as he talked. "We wouldn't have won without you. You sacrificed yourself to save the princess, you discovered that Lula was trapped in the dungeons of Dooku's castle, and you're the one who befriended the Serrenians. My brothers and I may be Knights, but we would have been useless without your help."

You stared at your feet, letting yourself be led out of the castle to the meadows. 

"Is everything alright, Milady?" he asked. 

"Fine," You shook your head, "It's been a rough few weeks, you know?" 

He chuckled softly, “You could say that. If anyone deserves a break, it’s you.”

You nodded, keeping silent as you reached the copse of trees where you’d had so many rendezvous together, whether to pass messages from the Princess to her knight, or to meet each other. Despite the forbidden nature of your excursions, it had filled you with a giddy joy to be with Hunter. Knowing that you wanted to be with him and he wanted to be with you, but the carefree nature of your intrigue had consumed you and almost erased any idea of your affair ever ending.

And it was all about to come to a head.

“Milady?” Hunter pushed your hood back to cradle your cheek, “Are you certain you’re alright? You look ashen. Do you need a snack from the kitchens or-”

“No,” You said, surprised at your own sharpness, “It’s not that, it’s just-”

To your horror, a sob tore its way out of your throat, and Hunter’s eyes went wide with alarm.

“What’s wrong?” He pressed, “Whatever it is, we can fix it.” He pulled you into his arms, caressing your hair and shielding you from the biting wind that cut across the field. All you wanted was to stay in his arms, shielded and protected from everything and anything that could ever hurt you, but you had to resist. Letting it go on much longer would only make this more painful for the both of you.

“Duchess Kryze is going to offer her sister’s hand in marriage to you.”

Hunter’s arms froze around you. You had found him out.

“They- they discussed it at the council meeting this morning. They’re going to split Serenno between you and your brothers, and then when you marry Lady Kryze, you’ll receive her lands too.”

Hunter took you by the shoulders and stepped back to look you in the eyes. You had never seen him look so confused before.

“Don’t wor-worry,” You tried to put on a brave face for him, “this will be good for you, and your brothers. You and Lady Kryze are both splendid warriors, you’ll be powerful allies for the King, and you’ll be able to help your brothers-”

“Who told you this?” 

Hunter’s eyes narrowed, not looking at you, but at the castle just over your shoulder. You looked, but you couldn’t see what he was glaring at.

“The…the council?” you stammered out, “They discussed it all this morning.”

“No, who said I wanted to marry Lady Kryze?” Hunter threw his arms up in the air and spun about, pinching the bridge of his nose with a hand on his hip.

You felt very small and confused. So he hadn’t brought you here to let you down easily? He didn’t even know? 

Your heart beat faster. If Hunter wasn’t going to marry Lady Kryze, there was only one other option before you.

You couldn’t let him do it, not with the fate of the kingdom hanging so precariously in the balance.

“Hunter, you’re a Duke now, you’ll have the responsibilities of a nobleman, you need someone who can help you with that.” You wrung your hands, “Someone who isn’t a chambermaid.”

Hunter’s eyes flashed to yours, but instead of anger, there was shock. His mouth dropped open and you could almost see the heartbreak etch itself across his face.

If you looked at him for too long, you were going to lose all the nerve you’d built up for yourself, so you looked down at the ground and turned to leave. 

“Goodbye Hunter,” You whispered.

Before you could get too far, Hunter grabbed your arm, yanking you back towards him and crowding you up against the trunk of the ancient tree.

"I'm not marrying Lady Kryze, so get that idea out of your head. Whether or not I'm a Duke, there's only one person in the world I'm marrying and that's you."

Even the birds went silent as Hunter's confession rang out across the meadow. You took deep, heavy breaths as he kept his eyes locked on yours, intensely ablaze like a fire, waiting for your reply.

In the silence, Hunter seemed to rethink what he had said.

"That is... If you'll have me," He whispered. His hands slipped from your shoulders, catching your hands and holding them tightly as he dropped to one knee at your feet.

"But the title-"

"Means nothing unless you're at my side," He implored, "We saved this entire kingdom, King Ruwee can throw a fit all he wants, but I want you. If, and only if, you want me too."

The tears burned their tracks into your cheeks, and you slipped one of your hands from his grasp to cover your mouth, as if that would mask the ugly sobs echoing behind it.

Hunter pushed himself to his feet, wrapping his arms around you tightly.

"I need an answer, my lady," He whispered around the lump in his throat, pulling you closer and tucking your head beneath his chin as you grasped at his tunic, "As much as I love you I cannot read your mind and I have to know-"

"Yes!" You gasped at last, "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes."

Hunter covered the top of your head with kisses. He took your face in his hands, wiping tears away with his thumbs. "You're certain?"

"Yes," unladylike as it was, you wiped the tears away with the sleeve of your blouse, "They are happy tears."

He snorted with you, and pulled you in for a sweet kiss. It was short, you were having trouble breathing as is, but Hunter gathered you into his arms again and you both sat on the roots to save your strength.

"I would have asked you the moment the battle with Serenno was over, I just-" Hunter's fingers flexed as if they threatened to close into a fist, "You'd just been kidnapped and almost forced into a marriage, you'd dealt enough with that already, and I didn't want to upset you."

You looked up at him, tracing your finger along his tattooed jaw, "Marrying you is an entirely different matter from marrying Dooku."

"Glad to hear it," Hunter chuckled, and kissed you again.

You took a moment to just breathe in each other's arms, both of you processing the conversation that had just occurred.

"So now what do we do?" You asked.

Hunter nodded, "I have to tell King Ruwee of our... engagement. And you might have to help the princess find a new maid."

"Do you think the king will be mad?" You squeaked.

Hunter kissed your forehead again, "I doubt it. If he does, at his age, it could very well kill him and we won't have to deal with it anyway."

"Hunter!" You scolded him and went in to slap his shoulder, but Hunter caught your hand. He splayed your fingers against his palm, studying them closely.

"What kind of ring would you like?" he asked.

"Ring?" you blinked at him.

"We're engaged now. Isn't it tradition for the man to present his bride to be with a ring that symbolizes their future union?"

"Ah, yes?" You shook your head, "I've never thought of it." you never imagined you'd be in such a situation, where any proposals of marriage were made to you, where someone actually noticed you in comparison to the princess that you served.

"Any ring will do, really."

Hunter kissed your temple, "I have something that may work," he murmured to you.

"I found this,” He pressed something into the palm of your hand, and you gasped to realize it was the pendant he made you.

“Where-”

“It fell in the river when the princess escaped,” Hunter rested his head against yours. "When I was first making this, I thought... Perhaps it could be a wedding present. Like a ring. But then..."

You knew what had happened. You found him carving it and just had to see what he was carving. Then war had broken out and you had been captured.

“Milady I was so worried when the princess told us you’d been taken too. I don’t know what I would have done, if…”

Instead of finishing his sentence, Hunter wrapped his arms around you, cradling your head to his shoulder.

But there was no "if". Dooku was foiled and killed, and you were safe. Hunter had rescued you. It was just like the stories of old, where the Prince always rescued the Princess.

What an odd princess you were, then.

You held the necklace to your chest, resting against Hunter's shoulder, not worried in the slightest who could see you. The breeze whispered through the trees, carrying with it the scent of drying lavender and the sound of the laundry workers singing as they went about their chores

You stood arm in arm with Hunter in the center of the throne room. Hunter held your hand to keep it tucked in his elbow. If he wasn't holding your hand, you were certain that you would have fallen. Your legs were trembling, and your breath was caught in your throat. Everyone was staring at you and whispering. You had no idea how Padme did this every day.

Padme was seated in her throne, beaming at you as she fidgeted in excitement. Duke Anakin stood just behind her, leaning against the throne as he sent you and Hunter a wink. Queen Jobal sat in her throne, regal and composed as ever, King Ruwee paced the dias, studying you and Hunter with a passive expression. 

“This is…an unprecedented request,” King Ruwee said at last.

Hunter squared his shoulders, “Perhaps so, your majesty. But it is hardly a troublesome thing to ask.”

Several of the nobles began to shout in protest, insisting on “order” and “propriety” and “society as we know it collapsing.” Padme hand to hold Anakin back, though she looked livid at everyone’s reactions as well. If it weren’t for Hunter holding you so tightly, you would be running from the throne room. A thousand dragons were preferable to facing the entire court of Naboo.

You told yourself not to look at any of your spectators, as it would only serve to make you more upset, but Duke Kenobi caught your eye. 

He had been the start of all this, a dance with him at a Royal ball that brought you to everyone’s attention, but especially Hunter’s. He had seen you as a lady then, mistaken you for a highborn noble, and treated you as such, but from the way he looked at you now, he might still be thinking of you as such. He and his wife were seated calmly, watching the display of the rest of nobility with something akin to disgust. Even though her plans were being ruined, Duchess Satine didn’t seem the least bit perturbed. Duke Kenobi smiled at you, offering his support, and it made you stand a little bit taller.

If Duke Kenobi could see you as a lady, if Hunter saw you as the most noble of women, then you would have to make everyone else see it too.

“If I may, your majesty,” Your voice carried through the throne room, and King Ruwee held up his hands for silence. He was dealing with this a lot better than you thought he would. 

You took a few steps forward, letting your hand slip from Hunter’s as you fell into an easy curtsy. 

“All my life, I have tried to serve the crown of Naboo. Since I was a child you have given me every opportunity to improve my life, and I am most grateful for it.”

Your eyes fell to Padme, rather than her father.

“When Princess Padme was kidnapped, it was I who helped her to escape so that she could be rescued by Lord Skywalker. I infiltrated the kingdom of Serenno, uncovered Dooku’s plot to destroy Naboo and the Nine Kingdoms, and helped destroy his army of golems.”

The nobles remained silent, and some of them were even going pale. It was obvious they had not heard of your involvement in the war effort before.

“It would be foolish of me to ask for anything in return after all the kingdom of Naboo has done for me, but I love…” The words caught in your throat, and you had to look back at him. If none of this worked out, you needed him to know. 

“I love you, Hunter.”

His eyes were filled with warmth and adoration, and if he didn’t know how embarrassed you would be to be swept off your feet and kissed in front of the entire court he would have done so immediately.

You took a deep breath and returned your focus to King Ruwee, “I love Sir Hunter, your majesty. And if you will permit us, we will be loyal to you and to the Kingdom of Naboo for the rest of our days.”

It was silent in the Throne Room for a few moments as King Ruwee contemplated your plea. Your legs were shaking, and you felt Hunter come up beside you to wrap his arm around your shoulder. You always felt stronger when he was by your side.

King Ruwee turned to his daughter, Who sat with her own knight in shining armor at her side.

“My dear princess, what would you decide? Are you willing to let your beloved friend go?”

Your heart soared. You knew what Padme would say.

Padme nodded without hesitation, “Yes, father. If anyone deserves such happiness, it’s her.”

King Ruwee simply nodded. 

“Kneel before me,” King Ruwee beckoned you and Hunter forward. Your heart raced as you glanced at Hunter, and he squeezed your hand tightly.

“As King of Naboo, I hereby announce you both as the Duke and Duchess of Serenno.”

A duchess. The King had just made you a duchess. A common-born maid had just become a duchess. Applause rippled through the room, even from those who had opposed. Your marriage was sealed by the King himself, no one could oppose you now.

“Thank you, your majesty,” Hunter held your hand as you both bowed to the king. Your legs were about to give way, but Hunter kept his arm around you, gently easing you through the crowd of congratulations.

 The Throne Room was in an uproar, some in protest, some in celebration, and some noblewomen mourning the loss of such a catch as your betrothed would be.

Duke Kenobi was the first to approach and congratulate you. Anakin jogged down from the dias with Padme not too far behind and threw his arms around Hunter. Hunter's brothers surrounded you, clapping Hunter on the back and welcoming you to their family. 

Padme hugged you tightly, “I told you it would all go well!” She boasted.

It felt like hours had gone by before the crowd thinned out, and Duke Kenobi offered you his seat.

“That doesn’t mean you’re married, right? You’ve gotta have a wedding!” Wrecker insisted.

“It was merely a betrothal,” Tech explained, “King Ruwee also had to elevate her status as proper.”

“I’m only mad I didn’t get to do it myself,” Padme took your hands and squeezed them.

“Congratulations, Your Grace,” Duchess Kryze said softly. She placed a hand on your shoulder, and you flushed in embarrassment. You had thrown a bowl of punch on her and nearly dropped another pitcher of wine on her lap just that morning. Yet here she was offering you her congratulations.

“Thank you,” You said quietly. 

“If there is anything my husband and I can do to help you, please let me know. There is a certain tutor that taught myself and my sister as we were growing up, perhaps you would like an introduction?”

You felt slightly abashed at the idea, but if you were to be a duchess after a life living as a commoner, you were going to need someone to teach you how life as a Duchess worked.

“I would appreciate that, thank you.”

Finally, you and Hunter were left alone in the hall. Your friends stood a few paces off, discussing your upcoming wedding, since in technicality you weren’t supposed to be left alone without a chaperone.

(not that that had stopped you before…)

Hunter sat beside you on the bench and took your hand.

“How does it feel to be a duchess, milady?”

“You’re going to have to stop calling me that,” You rolled your eyes.

“A duchess is still called a lady, even if she has a few other names under her belt,” Hunter said.

“Perhaps,” You agreed, “But I was wondering how it would feel to be called your wife.”

Lady Luck (Prequel)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

[idiopath-fic-smile]

hi idiopathicsmile,

for the last six months i've gotten obsessively into the les mis fandom (and only a decade too late), and World Ain't Ready is by far my favorite les mis fic. it may even by my favorite fic ever (according to ao3 i've visited it 171 times.) i recently got a friend into the fandom and it was the first thing i made them read and now we both kick our feet and giggle about it. the point is i'm a big fan.

i know you've mentioned hesitating to write follow-up pieces in stagnating fandoms, but i would genuinely give up prized possessions if you would write an alternate POV of World Ain't Ready from enjolras's perspective, and/or the last four parts of 5 Conversations Around Enjolras's Family Dinner Table, and/or anything else in the World Ain't Ready universe (especially including resolution with eponine and combeferre's relationship). if you're past your les mis phase i completely understand (it has been 8 years), but if you ever get the urge to write any other E+R fics just know that there are people out here who would love to read them.

hi there!

this is such a kind message, thank you so much.

i will say, for what it's worth, that if you haven't yet, clicking around on this blog's "world ain't ready" tag will yield several little ficlets that i haven't put on ao3 yet, including a tiiiiny bit much about eponine and combeferre's relationship. i still owe a few people ficlets from the last charity fundraiser i did, but once i have availability again, if people prompt me to write more WAR for a good cause, i'm down.

specifically on the subject of enjolras POV, again for what it's worth, i am in the process of making a fully voiced audio drama adapation of world ain't ready, and one of the bonuses for backing us on patreon at the $10 and up level is periodic mini episode scripts from the perspective of gabe, who is the enjolras character in this adaptation. if we make it to $1000 an episode (at present we are at $862 an episode) then we will have the funds to produce a mini gabe POV episode or two for everyone to hear, released after the rest of the series.

but in general, i just wanted to thank you for this lovely message. i really appreciate the encouragement and the lovely words. i'm sorry that you discovered the les mis fandom at a period of dormancy (i won't say death bc victor hugo's work is of course in the public domain so the fandom may rise again) but i'm so glad that you decided to reach out nonetheless. it's heartening to know there are still people out there shipping the revolutionary and the cynic. <3

[mixsethaddams]

For a while, I was a Classics student. I loved it dearly but because of €€€ I had to drop out before finishing my degree. Part of the initial arts study was creative writing.

This was one of the pieces I wrote. It was the highest graded thing I ever made. So probably for the best that the Classics didn’t work out, if the CW assignments were where I was thriving.

Prompt: A Day On The Moors (max wordcount 1000 )

We were lucky with the weather. The morning had been bleak, with grey clouds imposing overhead, threatening to pour rain at any moment. Mum had yelled at me to “Take a jacket! You’ll catch your death if that day turns!” so I grabbed something on the way down the stairs to keep her happy, before dumping it in the hallway before I went out the door. As the cool air prickled at my arms, I wondered if the jacket really was a good idea. I’d spent a full week picking the perfect outfit for my day out with Gracie’s family for her sixteenth birthday and a jacket hadn’t factored into it, so I convinced myself that the breeze was refreshing, not biting, and sped up my walk towards her house.

“Make sure you look nice!” had been the instructions from Gracie’s parents. “We’re going on a picnic and we’ll take some lovely photos while we’re there.”

My blouse was white with red stitching and a red bow at the cap of the short sleeves, and my navy skirt swooshed around my knees with the wind. Mum had helped me twist my hair up into a neat bun and I felt pretty as a pin; sure that I’d fit right in to the photos with my friend and her family.

I had just rounded the corner when the first drop of rain hit my nose. I groaned and was about to run home for my jacket when I heard a car horn behind me. Gracie’s dad pulled over and I hopped into the backseat, squashing in with Gracie and our other friend Ness. Her mum was sitting in the front seat making marks on a map.

“Glad we caught you!” said Gracie’s dad. “We decided to leave a few minutes early to beat the traffic. Would have been a right shame to miss you”

The car was warm and smelled of the boiled sweets that Gracie’s mum was sucking on. The low hum of the radio was drowned out mostly by the engine, but her parents didn’t seem to mind.

“Where are we going?” I asked. Gracie and Ness just shrugged.

“Mum says somewhere really special,” said Gracie. “But I think it’s a swamp”

“A swamp?” asked Ness. “I thought it was a park!”. She had always been afraid of anything that was too ‘dirty’ and always moaned about being clean. It was endearing once you got to know her.

I saw a road sign pointing the way out of the city and into the countryside, and the car lurched as we merged onto the motorway.

“I didn’t know we’d be leaving town” I whispered to my friends. “Mums not expecting me home late”

“She won’t mind,” said Gracie. “She knows you’re with us”

“Yeah, we’re all here together!” reassured Ness. “Come on, we’ll play I Spy”

I don’t remember much else of the car journey up here. We stopped at a service station and then everyone was quiet.

Gracie’s dad helped me out of the car and into the sunshine. I was glad to be out after being covered up for so long, with my leg pressed awkwardly against a spade. Her mum had cooed some nice words to me when she had put the blanket over my head but I don’t think she meant them.

“Pretty girl,” she said softly, brushing a lock of hair back behind my ear. I was laying on the picnic blanket beside Gracie and Ness. The pins in my hair had come undone at the station but I couldn’t fix them. I wanted to cry for the effort my mum had put into getting them just right, but I couldn’t do that now either. Gracie’s parents had started to take their photos.

“Little dolls at a tea party” mumbled her Dad, readjusting Ness’s shoe. The strap broke when she was lifted from the boot, it had caught on Gracie’s hand and snapped in half. I was glad it wasn’t raining out here like it was at home. I never liked the rain, and lying here in it would have been awfully uncomfortable. Besides, all the mud would have upset Ness. Yes, the sun was best for now, I think.

After they finished with the camera, they started to dig with the spade that had been beside me in the car. It was almost night-time before they were ready.

Gracie went in first. Her milky white skin looked even brighter beside the dark soil. Ness was next. My soul ached for my dear, clean friend, surrounded by dirt. If I listened closely, I could hear her own soul screaming at the very thought of it. I wanted to get up and run, but my body couldn’t hear me anymore.

Now was my turn to be lowered in beside my friends. The earth slowly came up around us as the hole was filled. I heard the final pat-pat-pat of the shovel on top of me, and some dragging noises as wreaths of heather were moved on top of us. On the surface, the landscape would still appear untouched. The car rumbled away back towards the road. What would they tell my mum?, I thought. If I had taken the extra minute to put on my jacket, would I be here? I should have kept running when I first felt the rain.

I remembered Ness’s words of reassurance as I tried to find comfort in my eternity. “We’re all here together!”