#rip ambrosius's long hair though

[themo-themo]

Riz Ahmed as Ballister

Eugene Lee Yang as Ambrosius

BRO THEY ARE LITERALLY VOICED BY THEIR REAL LIFE LOOKALIKES I LOVE NIMONA SM

[finleycannotdraw]

Okay okay I LOVE Nimona. I remember reading it when I was in sophomore year of high school and just feeling so seen. I’m so incredibly happy that they made it into a mainstream movie adaptation. Though some things are different from the og comic, it still held the same story and is queer rep (WHICH YOU KNOW GOING INTO!! IT ISNT SHYLY ALLUDED TO UNTIL THE END- WE EVEN GOT A WHOLE LONG KISS) for children! And it’s so innocent and sweet!! My only complaint it what did they do to my man’s hair??? *Sob* rip long hair goldenlion

I’m OBSESSED with the movie and I will read the comic as soon as my adhd allows it. these guys (gender neutral) are EVERYTHING to me

Since I haven’t read the comic, I’m not an authority on it by any means, but most of the opinions I’ve seen have been good! I guess the movie is not a faithful adaptation—many things were changed—but it’s an effective, important, and good adaptation, which I think is honestly better than just adapting it line by line!

I actually love Ambrosius’ short hair but I TOTALLY understand why people are sad about the loss of that glorious comic book mane lmao. I’ll draw him with long hair at some point <3

Thank you for those panels shfkdhfkdjgkfg nimona is. so important to me. and also her relationship with ballister.

AND YEAH IM JUST CRYING ABOUT THE QUEER REP. ITS A KIDS MOVIE AND ITS FULL OF MODERN DAY ISSUES THAT AUTHORITY IS TOO HATEFUL AND AFRAID TO FACE.

If anyone wants to talk Nimona, my inbox and dms are open! <3

[airplanelanding]

For the hug thingy...14👀 merthur

OKOKOK LOOK AHHSHGJFJF I'M SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG!!!!!!!! BUT ITS HERE ITS HERE I FINISHED IT

Admittedly, I struggled with it, and I got rly nervous that you wouldn't like it, but I hope you do!!!!!

Fic is below the cut! [I have also posted it on my Ao3!]

Merlin took a deep breath as he leaned against the reception desk of his hospital. It was quiet… Not that he’d dare say it out loud—it felt wrong to even think. He tugged at his scrubs a bit, adjusting them with a frown.

He loved the nightshift as much as he hated it. In his hospital, it was such a coin flip chance of whether they’d be rushed or silent at night.

He found himself immensely grateful for the calm night.

There had been a shift in the air that morning, a tug on his magic, almost a—a call… It was strange, and it made him wonder if maybe… Maybe it was time. Nothing had happened, though, and while he still retained hope, he found it dwindling. Perhaps he had been wrong, perhaps he’d not felt a shift. Maybe it was just his wish to see him again, that made it seem as if it were finally time.

Merlin worried his bottom lip between his teeth and looked over to the clock on the wall. 01:23 A.M.

Right, gods new and old, it was too late… Early, whatever. The sorcerer sighed loudly and turned around to smile at the receptionist.

“Been a long night,” he said in lieu of a greeting.

“Hello to you too, Ambrosius,” the Lady, Cherie, chuckled softly. “You look like shit—no offense, you just look exhausted. Have you taken even a single break this shift?”

“Who needs breaks when you have coffee?” Merlin retorted, winking as he ran a hand through his hair. Ugh, it was dirty. He needed a shower… “I only have five and a half hours left and I’m off. Let’s consider this my break, since I’m not doing anything.”

“Not considered a break when there’s nothing to do anyway,” Cherie raised an eyebrow. “We’ve been basically empty all night.”

“Oh, we talking about the night?” One of the new hires—an intern, if Merlin recalled—chimed in as she walked by, stopping to chat. When Merlin and Cherie nodded response, the younger woman let out a relaxed sigh. “Yeah, it’s so nice! So nice… Can’t believe I got lucky enough to be on rota for such a quiet night. The others are going to be so jealous.”

Merlin inhaled through his teeth, cringing as she spoke, and Cherie let out a small gasp. The intern looked between the two in confusion.

“What? What did I say?”

“Oh, honey…” Cherie murmured, shaking her head slowly. The intern let out a worried noise, her eyes widening.

“What?” She repeated, visibly anxious. Merlin just let out a sigh and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s alright, you didn’t know…” He assured her, before dropping his hand and looking to the doors with a grimace. “You never say quiet in a hospital—I’m afraid you just damned us to a hectic rest of the night.”

Her shoulders droop in disappointment. “That’s a real thing? I thought that was just for drama in television shows… Oh, god, I’m sorry, I didn’t—oh, god, I was just excited.”

“Don’t fret too much, we’ve all been there,” Merlin told her. She looked at him with hope in her eyes, and he couldn’t help but smile. “Go grab yourself a coffee before things get crazy, you’ll need it.”

The intern nodded slowly, and with a final apology, she hurried off to get a coffee. Once she was out of sight, Cherie and Merlin looked at each other once again. The sorcerer chuckled softly, shaking his head.

“I think you made her feel worse, somehow, rather than better,” Cherie told him, raising an eyebrow with a grin. Merlin just shrugged.

“Maybe it won’t even change anything this time,” he suggested, “it doesn’t always, after all. Maybe we’ll get to keep the peace…”

No later than he said it, did they hear sirens approaching. Merlin groaned, dropping his head onto the reception desk. “Damn it all,” he muttered.

Finally, five fifty-seven in the morning, Merlin walked up to reception again. Everything had finally just calmed enough for him to take a break… His magic buzzed beneath his skin, screaming at him for reasons he didn’t know. If he thought he was exhausted before, though…

He barely noticed the shift in the air as he turned to greet Cherie again. He was so tired, though, he didn’t pay it any mind.

“I’m… back,” he yawned, stretching his back out.

Cherie gave him a tired grin. “Welcome back, Merlin. You look even shittier than before.”

“Mm, thanks, I feel shittier than before,” he responded with a smile. As Cherie laughed, Merlin’s brows furrowed in confusion. The air felt off. Stronger than before, almost overwhelming now. His magic was practically vibrating with an eagerness he hadn’t felt in it since…

His breath caught in his throat, and his eyes widened. He absently noted Cherie asking if he was okay and nodded before looking to the ceiling. He knew she couldn’t feel the change, why would she? Merlin refused to turn towards the entrance for fear of not finding what he wished to. Shouting echoed from outside the doors, and his heart leapt in his chest.

It was happening. The time was here. His magic had been right. He could feel it. There was no other explanation! His King had returned… Oh, please let him have returned… He didn’t know if he could take another false alarm.

“Sir! Sir! You need to stop—resisting! We are trying to help you!” Merlin heard a man call in as the door swung open loudly. There was sound of a struggle, and Merlin’s anticipation grew. He looked to Cherie, to see her staring slack-jawed in the direction of the entrance. And then…

“Unhand me! I said, unhand me this instant, you fool! Do you know who I am?!” The forever familiar sound of his native tongue flooded Merlin’s ears, the voice speaking such old words almost more familiar than the language itself. His heart racing, Merlin spun to face the entrance.

His stomach lurched and a borderline hysterical laugh ripped from his throat when his eyes landed on the blond man in full armour, dripping wet, and shouting in Old Brythonic at the A&E entrance. The two policemen holding him by the arms were fighting to keep him restrained as he tried to tear himself from their grip, shouting a plethora of swears Merlin always knew Arthur knew no matter how much he denied it.

Their eyes locked and a relieved grin covered Arthur’s face as he stopped fighting. “Merlin!” He exclaimed, “Merlin, tell these buffoons to release me!”

“What language do you think that is?” Merlin heard Cherie ask. He didn’t answer though, he just grinned widely.

“Let him go, he’s distressed over being restrained, he’s not a danger,” he told the police, trying to keep his voice level. The policemen looked at each other warily, and Arthur gave Merlin a confused look as he spoke. Then, with a shrug each [probably deciding they don’t get paid enough for this], the men holding Arthur’s arms let him go. The King muttered something under his breath and rolled his shoulders back, turning and glaring at the paramedics. He relaxed significantly now that he’d been released, and spotted someone he knew.

Merlin took a shaky breath, thrilled yet close to tears, almost disbelieving his eyes and ears.

“Is it really you?” He asked, holding eye contact with Arthur, his native language rolling off his tongue with ease, despite his years of only being able to speak it to himself.

Arthur nodded slowly, and Merlin barely registered Cherie asking him what was happening. He would have felt bad for ignoring her had his husband not literally just risen form the dead.

“I’m not sure who else it would be,” Arthur responded, and oh… Oh, Merlin missed this, missed him. “Not Gwaine, definitely not Gwaine.”

Merlin let out a laugh, approaching Arthur, shaking his head. “You’re actually here, oh, you’re here!” He placed his hands on Arthur’s face, cupping his cheeks before letting go of him and moving a hand to the pulse point on his neck.

“What are you—”

“Oh, your heart…” Merlin cut him off, his voice a murmur as he fell so easily back into speaking his old, now dead, language. He held his three fingers against Arthur’s pulse, taking a deep breath to compose himself as he felt the steady beat of a heart beneath his hand. Tears stung his eyes despite his will not to cry. He dropped his hand and took a step back to really look at Arthur.

“It’s really beating, you’re really here… Gods, don’t let this be a cruel dream…” Merlin near begged as his eyes scanned his lover’s body, taking in every inch. He was alive.

“Merlin.” Merlin’s eyes snapped back up to Arthur’s face when he said his name, “It’s not a dream, cariad. I promise, I am here, and I am not leaving again. I will never leave you again.”

Merlin’s bottom lip trembled as Arthur opened his arms in a welcoming gesture. He felt the tears threaten to spill, and with a sobbing laugh, he launched himself at his husband, throwing his arms around his neck tightly. Arthur stumbled back slightly with the force of impact. He laughed softly as he regained his balance and wrapped his arms around Merlin’s waist, returning the embrace.

“I have no idea what’s happening, but it feels romantic,” Merlin heard one of the policemen mutter off to the side, in modern day English.

It was only at that moment he processed just how much Arthur was going to have to learn now that he was back. Though, perhaps he could find a spell to help him in the language department… It would make things much easier. Though, he’d have to think of something to tell Cherie later about it all. Ah, that was a problem for future Merlin… He could deal with the witnesses after a few hours with his finally returned King.

“I’m glad to be back—wherever this is,” Arthur muttered, and Merlin finally pulled away from the hug just enough to look at his face. He smiled, genuinely, as a few tears slipped down his face, and pressed their lips together gently. Gods, he missed him so much… When they parted, he let out a sigh and rested his forehead against Arthur’s.

“I’m glad you’re back too…”

[january3693]

Someone We Used to Know - Part 23

(This is a Marauders Era AU about what might have changed if Sirius was expelled after the Prank. Here’s the Master List if you’d like to start from the beginning or find a specific part)

(This is a day late, but I’ll be posting an extra chapter tomorrow to make up for it. As for this one, we will see how things ended in the hotel room, but I wanted to play with the narrative a bit, and I wanted to bring Lily into the mix, because I love her.)

A familiar patronus surprises Professor Lily Evans-Potter in her office. Lily swears as she hastily cleans up blotches of ink she just splattered across a third year Hufflepuff’s essay on the uses of doxy eggs. She glares at the silvery stag and hopes her son, who is playing with blocks and a stuffed dragon on the rug beside her, doesn’t pick up any on the words she just said.

 “I’m back,” James’s voice says from the stag’s mouth. “Or, well, I’m at the shop…think I’m going to putter around here for a while. Be back by dinner though…I love you.”

 Lily sighs and pushes away her stack of ungraded essays. Harry is giggling and swiping a hand through the patronus’s silvery legs calling “Da!” When the stag vanishes, Harry’s cries wobble and threaten to turn into a tantrum. Before they can, Lily swoops around and picks him up off the floor, cuddling her son close and pressing kisses to his little cheeks until he’s laughing again.

 If only Lily herself could be so easily soothed.

 She’s been anxious and restless all day, worried that James was off either walking into a trap or about to get his heart broken, or both.

 Despite James’s strange, mirror-based quasi-alliance with him, Lily isn’t sure she trusts Regulus Black. He has a dark mark on his arm and still uses the word “Mudblood” even as he feeds James information about Death Eater plots.

 Whatever happened today, James is alive and uninjured, but something’s clearly wrong. She could read the anguish in his message and the way his patronus’s head had hung low.

 After muttering another curse, Lily summons one of Hogwarts’ many house elves.

 Lily’s situation is highly unusual. There are other professors at Hogwarts who are married or who have families, but she’s the only one whose husband and child live with her in the castle. Given Harry’s age (and James and Lily’s involvement with the Order) Dumbledore made an exception for them when he hired Lily last year.

 On one hand, Lily hates having exceptions made for her. On the other hand, she’s incredibly thankful for this one.

 After all, there’s a war going on, and everyone knows there’s no safer place in Britain than Hogwarts. And there’s nothing Lily wouldn’t do to protect her family.

 Right now, that means she needs to find out what happened with James today.

 Leaving Harry in the expert care of an overeager house elf, Lily makes her way through the castle to the statue of the one-eyed witch by the stairs to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Thankfully, no students are lingering nearby a Sunday afternoon, and the new Defence professor has probably been passed out drunk in his quarters since lunch.

 James shared this secret passageway and all the others he knows of with Lily when she’d become a professor, just in case. At her insistence, he’d also shared them with the Headmaster, who had been endearingly amused to learn something new about the castle.

 Now there are additional security measures beyond the simple password that opens the witch’s hump, both to keep intrepid, clever students from discovering a way out of the castle, and, more importantly, to keep adults from finding their way in.

 It’s a long walk down the tunnel, which gives Lily far too much time to think and worry.

 James had left early this morning in a storm of emotions—mostly anger and suspicion, but Lily had seen the flicker of hope in his hazel eyes. He said he didn’t believe it had been Sirius fighting alongside Remus at the museum, but Lily knew he secretly hoped it was.

 Whether it’s a dog barking in the night or a handsome man with dark hair crossing the street, James always hopes it’s Sirius.

 That eternal optimism is one of the things Lily loves about her husband.

 Lily has never known what to think about Sirius Black though.

 Before he was expelled Lily had only ever thought of him as James’s fellow bully. A cruel, arrogant brat who too many girls swooned and wept over when he inevitably and callously ignored them.

 Of course, she’d thought the same about James for a long time, and she’d been wrong there.

 After she started dating James toward the end of their sixth year, Lily was shown another side of Sirius through the stories his friends told. That boy had been fiercely loyal, supportive, and brave as well as funny, brilliant, and quietly sad.

 Even though she’d never known Sirius well, Lily mourned him, because when he’d disappeared he’d taken a piece of James with him. For his friends, Sirius Black was a wound that would never fully heal.

 Now, that wound has been ripped open all over again.

 Lily knows she’s close when she smells burnt sugar. It lingers even now, close to a year after the fire that nearly burnt Honeydukes to the ground.

 It was another Death Eater attack, timed right before Christmas holidays, when the village was packed with shoppers. Ambrosius Flume had died trying to save his shop and his customers, and his widow had chosen not to rebuild in the place where her husband had burned alive. She has a new sweet shop now, down in Edinburgh. Hogsmeade is poorer for it, but it did present a unique opportunity.

 James had snatched up the property quickly, paying double what the ruined building was worth. Mostly they did it to secure the other end of the one-eyed witch passageway, but since then the wreckage has come to mean something more for James.

 Her ever hopeful husband could look at the blackened husk of a building and imagine a bright future beyond war and fear.

 Lily finds her husband carefully transfiguring rubble into a long, polished countertop. He’s tense, almost shaking with emotion, and he doesn’t relax when Lily wraps her arms around him from behind.

 “You shouldn’t be here,” James says as he casts a particularly ineffective transmutation spell that makes the counter wobble like an enormous oak jelly.

 He’s right. Lily is violating the promise they made to each other.

 One of them always stays at Hogwarts. One of them always stays with Harry. They’re both warriors, but they’re parents as well, and they refuse to leave Harry an orphan.

 The shop is well-protected though, and Harry comes first, but James comes a very close second.

 “Tell me what happened,” Lily says. She rests her head in the space between James’s sharp shoulder blades and wraps her arms around his waist.

 James lowers his wand and takes one of Lily’s hands in his. Then he’s crying. Great sobs shake his entire body. Lily holds him tighter, blinking back empathetic tears of her own.

 She waits.

 She waits until James goes quiet and still in her arms. She holds him, grounds him, loves him, until he can talk to her.

 “It was him,” James finally says.

 Lily sucks in a breath. Of all the things she’d imagined, she’d never imagined Sirius Black might be alive, that he might actually wander back into James’s life after five absent years of silence and pain.

 “You’re sure?” Lily asks. This is war, after all. She wouldn’t put it past their enemies to pull such a despicable trick as impersonating James’s missing friend. There are ways of doing it—potions or complicated transfigurations backed by legilimency.

 “I’m sure,” James says though, and Lily believes him. “It was really Sirius. He’s alive…and he was never going to tell me. He was never going to come back.”

(Part 24)