#savs universe chapter 2

[aswegoalong72]

31/1/2024 Writing Update

Hey, all! I'm here with another writing update!

First; a special shout-out to my partner, @gr33ngr1zz!! It’s their birthday today, so go and follow them! 💚

Sadly, there isn't much to really update this week; I've been busy and feeling a little under the weather (hooray chronic illness), so I've been lacking unfortunately when it comes to writing. I have something to make up for that though! It'll be under the cut at the end of this update :) Status: Dawn - 6% complete (696 words) Yuniv & Semat - ~1% complete Deep Freeze - ~1% complete To Touch Tenav - ~1% complete Piercing The Veil - ~42% complete (118,325 words) "Book Two" - ~2% complete (483 words) "Book Three" - ~1% complete Universal Ideal - ~1% complete

As you can see, very little has changed. The most work since this last update was in PTV, which was mainly just me editing and re-writing a few chapter titles essentially.

I'm currently doing an art trade with someone, and since art takes a lot out of me, most of my energy will be directed towards that in the coming days. I've been doing a lot of brainstorming when I can though, and have made a lot of decent progress in regards to that!

Now, for those of you who dislike spoilers, you may finish the post here. For those of you who are interested in the plots of the books, stick with me and follow me under the cut; I'll give a synopsis for each one! :)

Glad to see you! This'll be a bit long, as there are a lot of books to cover here. I'll try and keep it brief, but in the future, I'll give a more dedicated look at each one under the cut!

Dawn Dawn is the first book in the series, and will be a collection of short stories. It centers around their early history, ranging from before they discovered fire up until a bit after the first religious wars. There'll be about 8 or so total, as I have mentioned previously. This is one of the prologue novels, and will serve to set up the history and world of the Lyratet much better. Yuniv & Semat Yuniv & Semat is about the titular characters, who were instrumental in opening up Southern Reyal to the North. The book follows them as they depart from their hometown, and begin their treacherous trek up north. Yuniv is a botanist and artist, and Semat is a geologist and good at basic engineering. Together, they work hard to get through the dangers the untamed land has laid before them.

Deep Freeze Deep Freeze takes place a few hundred years after Yuniv & Semat, a bit after the beginnings of pre-nuclear industrialization hit Reyal. It centers around a small group of scientists who embark on the first ever expedition to the North Pole, and the discoveries they make along the way. This book will have more of a focus on speculative evolution, as I have a rich biosphere planned for the exotic poles!

To Touch Tenav To Touch Tenav is about the first ever person to be sent into space, taking place a bit after nuclear industrialization has taken place (they're late bloomers, what can I say?). This book covers more of the social aspects of the Lyratet, and how hard it is for them to not be with family, as well as with the idea of dying in space. This is the last of the prologue novels! Piercing The Veil* PTV is the first "real" book in the series, and documents Sav Rapalla'etka Estras (née Estunyas) and her voyage with 14 other brave souls to Thrallit, the icy moon of Olena, the system's only gas giant. There, they set out in search for signs of life, and are pleasantly surprised only a year into their mission. There, they find the Aulon, a civilization of post bronze age, hyper-aggressive, olm-like beings; a stark contrast to the peace loving Lyratet. "Book Two" Still thinking of a title for this one. This one takes place only a few years after PTV, and centers around another groundbreaking discovery that only takes place a little bit after the discovery of life on Thrallit; life on Earth! Book Two follows the journey of the New Dawn**, which is a massive ark capable of hosting up to 12m people. After the ~148 year trip between the stars, the New Dawn arrives at Earth in 1972, just a bit after the launch of Apollo 16. There, they change the history of the world as we know it. This book features a lot of alternate history, the difference between the Lyratet and Humanity, and how they get along and cope with the differences. Humanity's reaction isn't the best at first, so this will be a bit of a darker book at times. Despite this, it will be uplifting. "Book Three" Book Three, the final of the main novels, takes place in 2003, up until a bit after the present day. After the world has been massively restructured thanks to the friendship between the Lyratet and Humanity, they set forth on their first interstellar expedition together. They make their way to the Alpha Centauri system, doing a survey of all the stars and their respective planetary systems. Upon arrival at Alpha Centauri B, they discover the wreck of a planet known as Delnok Sharr. There, they meet up with the inhabitants by much surprise; the insectoid & voracious Vaurouii. After a bit of discovery, they find that they nearly wiped out the entire population over 20,000 years ago in a massive nuclear war. From there, the three civilizations work together to help each other in every way they can. Universal Ideal The last book in the series, named after a lyric from Todd Rundgren's "International Feel". This covers many topics; from the recovery of the Vaurouii Nomadic Arks that were sent out just before their destruction, to the first interspecies*** child, to the end of it all. A look at how love endures, how we're all not that different, and at the end of the day? We just want to feel safe and loved.

As We Go Along - What If? This is a nebulous idea, and is up for debate if I’ll do it or not. Another short story collection, this would revolve around multiple alternate scenarios in the setting. What if first contact between the Lyratet and Humanity occurred in the present day? What if the Lyratet were aggressive and wanted to kill all carnivores? What if the Vaurouii never destroyed themselves? This and much more would be explored! That's it for now! I'll do some more explaining in a later post, then! *When I started writing this book, I fully intended for this to be the first and only book. As I continued, I was enraptured, and wanted to write more. Much more. This book has recieved the most love out of them all so far, and will probably be the first I finish, followed by Dawn and then the rest. It will be published only after I finish all the other prologue novels though, as I want this to be done chronologically. **Name still up for change. ***Not interspecies as you would think it would be ala Star Trek; I've got this whole concept I'm very excited to share!! And no, it won't be graphically sexual. I don't do that kind of thing. And no, I don’t condone zoophilia. This is love between two advanced societies with language and an understanding of consent and each other.

[miraluking-respectfully]

16 for Lyde, 18 for Savtas? Your OCs are so pretty and cool :)

AH thank you, you're so kind! ;-;

[questions here]

16. Who are their Forbidden Companions — i.e., characters who aren't companions in-game — if they have any?

I'm very pleased you picked Lyde for this, and I do hope you don't find my answer cheap, because the short version is "none in actuality"; but the longer one is Watcher X.

And also, Watcher X is dead. Lyde just has a lot more interaction with [the version of] him [her broken brain conjures up after his death] than is written into the game. In addition to using him as a proxy to navigate and rewrite her conditioning, he also shows up at her most isolated or troublesome moments to act as a mouthpiece for whatever problem is on her mind. He's her little Socratic Dialogue Puppet through Chapter 2.

This is mostly because I, like most hot-blooded SWTOR players, have always been very enamored of the Tripping Balls Sequences in the agent story after Chapter 1. It is also because I liked Harrow the Ninth a little too much.

One thing I'm still toying with is how I want Watcher X to manifest for Lyde. What do miraluka hallucinations look like, I wonder, when they don't have eyes to deceive them? If a person uses the unerring Force to perceive the universe, can that sense always be trusted? Is a miraluka communicating with the Force directly, or is a miraluka's brain translating the life signatures and interconnected energy written upon into information in the same flawed manner that human brains translate light into images?

If it's the former, she probably hears his voice, or feels him touching her, while knowing for certain he isn't really there. If it's the latter, she probably doesn't conjure him in front of her out of nothing, but is instead prone to mistaking the bodies of other real people in front of her for him.

Scary!

18. If they could have saved anyone the game didn't give them a chance to, who would it have been?

That is one helluva question to ask about a Jedi, anon, especially a bleeding-heart like Savtas. With the context of the Consular story, to which I hew pretty close, guess my answer is gonna be every Sixth Line Jedi on Ziost (including, fun fact, her best friend Ántonia), whether they survived The Fuckening or not, because it is a problem that Sav cannot help but feel like she should have been able to fix. After all, she built her "career", for lack of a better word, as a Jedi off of being the one person who could rescue people from the darkness in their own minds. And then she spent the rest of her life running up against situations where that skill was woefully insufficient. She had the ritual - was the only person alive who did - designed to drive out a similar poison, and it still wasn't enough, because Vitiate was too strong. There wasn't even a mistake she could learn from to improve in the future, short of not overestimating her own capabilities.

There are also two other answers I could give, but won't commit to for now, because I haven't decided how hard I'm gonna deviate from KOTXX's two cheapest and most offensive writing decisions: the fate of Vaylin, and the fate of Felix. In-game, those are Sav's biggest failures, but I find the writing around Felix's return especially so loathsome that I will probably not be playing it straight.

The only reason I'm using such wishy-washy language about those two story beats is that I haven't figured out what to replace them with yet.

Thank you for asking!! <3

[atanes-universe]

Sav`s Universe/ Chapter 2: Ikarus

First page Chapter 1: Prelude

First page Chapter 2/ <previous/ next>

[flowers-of-io]

I know the fandom loves The Dark Future but it just reads as a poorly-written fanfic to me? I mean. Bear with me. Half of its charm is that it’s a ‘‘‘‘fanfic’’’’ to the “canon” timeline Elsie is currently in, and how strikingly different and messed up and weird it feels is a way to highlight the extent to which the Darkness can warp and change people and things. I’m no fan of the Eris Is Evil theory but it does fit into that apocalyptic setting, and the fact Savathûn is a minor inconvenience compared to her is like, my favourite part of that entire plot.

I know this is Elsie’s story, and the focus is on her and Ana, and how their relationship plays out; we see what she sees and we hear what she deems important enough to share. And the first four chapters are okay-ish? The pacing is good, the terrifying post-apo feel lingers like a chill on your back, and exo!Rasputin is a treat. But when it gets to Mara, and the whole chase after the Traveler... I just can’t help but see this as this self-indulgent postapocalyptic AU where all the Important Things line up just right and the Important People are now on Important Ships of other Important People. Mara flies the Leviathan, Eris and Sav are in the Scarlet Keep, Zavala camps in the Almighty, and they all come together for a big showdown...

(Oh this got long so I’m putting a read more not to give y’all unnecessary headaches.)

And don’t get me wrong, I don’t condemn self-indulgent postapocalyptic AU fics! I am writing a self-indulgent fic the sole purpose of which is to be a self-indulgent AU that I would have fun exploring! These fics are fine, and valid, and often very good works, because they happen when passion is unbound from the confines of canon. The complete madness that plays out in Dark Future is fascinating too, when you think about it--Mara on the Leviathan! how did she get there? where’s Calus? and Caiatl? why is she now commanding the Cabal forces? And Eris in the Keep! I love love love the Keep immensely and would die for some shenanigans in the Tower of Woe elevator, some new places of the Keep explored, some Necropolis content because that place is just so cool, like seriously, a HIVE CITY I can’t even begin to-

The problem is... we don’t really get to see that stuff. Everything is just thrown into the mix almost as an afterthought? All the important figures are there for the showdown to be epic, there’s a Traveler chase and Ghaul’s cage somehow rebuilt by exo!Rasputin the book just remembered was there so he speaks like once, there’s Zavala thundercrashing into the Scarlet Keep GO COMMANDER GO, and all this happens in like... one chapter? I think? The pacing is all over the place and never where it needs to, the chapters are either long conversations with nothing but dialogue or extremely short, little-detail descriptions of insane things happening, and it’s just irritating. I know we don’t get another Books of Sorrow every season, but this... oh this just feels like so much wasted potential, because this story could be so good if told differently, not just as glimpses into a Destiny x Marvel cross where the characters behave oddly, talk out of voice and act out of character, and just feel like faces and names thrown around for more impact. Ana and Eris are evil now but I don’t really care because they feel so off, and you can’t even argue it’s because of the corruption ‘cause Mara feels off too, and speaks unlike her, and has little to none Mara vibe™ going on whatsoever. And at this point I don’t care about this story at all, and all the dark future scenarios just irritate me because I can’t help but see the characters as 2-dimensional ghosts of themselves.

I think this book is too short, way too short, and lacks details. The pacing is odd. And it’s not that we haven’t got good lorebooks with detailed-but-not-overdetailed worldbuilding before! Marasenna is a trip, it’s a whole other universe to what we see in game, the characters are well fleshed out even when they aren’t the main focus (Sjur) or appear sporadically (Kelda Wadj, the Gensym Scribes), it’s a wild ride that feels like an elf fantasy, and is wonderful. Inquisition of the Damned has so much going on between the lines that I still keep discovering things upon reading it for the n-th time. Aspect is one of my favourites in how different the entries are from one another, and they still fit together as a coherent story. Duress and Egress is just A+ character study. The Dreaming City is a collection of snippets, of moments that are connected by the place they happened at. A Man With No Name makes me feel things. And I haven’t even touched the epistolary lorebooks.

Idk, I just feel this was such a waste of potential. I’m irked by the poor writing, by how the characters are off, and it surprises me how well received that book was by the community? I’m happy other people liked it, but to me it’s just a big meh.

[gmfiswriting]

A Stark for sure - Chapter One

A/N: Hey. I posted the prologue at around 2 AM my time and I honestly didn’t think anyone would read it, much less like it! So thank you so much. I hope you enjoy this weird angsty, mysterious (i’m trying to make it be) piece of words. (Also not my gif but creds to the owner.) The next chapter’s gonna be more informative; i promise to give you guys the juicy stuff next. 

word count: 1.3k words 

---

Manhattan. 2001.

“I can’t be with a man who will love his destructive lifestyle more than his child.” The woman screamed, a hand pointing towards a room at the end of the hall.  “God, Tony! Can’t you at least understand why I’m upset?”

Tony blankly stared at her. A simple straight face showcasing no emotion but he was ashamed because he did understand. Last night, he had done what he usually did; paint the town red, spend too much, drink too much, end up in bed with another random woman. “Will you please quiet down?” The man spoke as he stood to get a drink.

Now the lady was seething. A complete contrast to what Anthony Edward Stark knew of her.

Florence. Florence Karla Abreo. A proclaimed neuroscientist and psychologist. Her research and discoveries were known worldwide and awed by many. She was respected for her mind but Anthony respected her for her aura. Her heart. Her kindness. She was his first love. The two had been family friends as their parents were close and happened to live a few blocks away from each in Manhattan. The usual friend-to-lover story; but people change and grow. 

“Leave!” Florence cried out and he did. As he walked towards the door and right before he slammed the door, she continued. “I will not keep subjecting myself to this, Tony. You may be the father of my child but I refuse to allow you to ruin Calypso’s childhood.” With that, she broke down in tears before scurrying to grab her things. She moved as if she was running on anxiety. Grabbing bags and stuff only the necessities inside before placing them in the back of her own car. She repeated the action but with her child’s belongings before stopping in front of a door. Breathing slowly to calm herself down, she turned the knob and entered quietly. 

Calypso Dmitria Stark. The baby laid in her crib, sleep consumed. Florence sobbed again as she reached the crib, stroking her daughter’s head. “I’m sorry, my love.” The child whined but continued to sleep. She was the female copy of her father in terms of looks. The dark brown hair, brown eyes and when she smiled, you could see that spark only a stark could have. 

Florence picked up her daughter while placing an envelope where she once laid. “I’m sorry, Tony.” She spoke to the air. No one could blame her. A mother’s love was one of the strongest things in the universe and a mother’s sacrifice should be the most valued thing. With Calypso in her baby seat and everything in check (their flight to Boston ready), she drove away. Florence drove away from her first and only love, the father of her child, without looking back. 

Avengers’ tower. 2016.

Steve Rogers, a.k.a Captain America, sighed as some senator spoke to them about the issue with their latest mission which was utter bullshit as it was just him projecting his opinion and getting him to do what he wants. None of them needed that. It was 2 am as they all sat in those uncomfortable chairs “Well sir, to be quite frank. We saved the world again while you were sleeping with your personal trainer so maybe you should keep your mouth shut.” Beep. The screen went blank as Sam Wilson, a.k.a The Falcon pressed a button on the long table. 

A few members laughed and by a few, only Natasha, Bucky and Tony. The others just shook their heads; with Steve sighing loudly. “You can’t just do that, Sam. The asshole is still a government official.” 

“The asshole needs to keep his mouth shut, Cap.” Tony took Sam’s side and a disagreement started. Tony and Steve talking over each other with the others either taking sides or being mediators to ensure nothing physical happened. 

“Steve. He can’t just tell us what do. We legitimately sav-.” Vision

“It doesn’t matter, honey. You can’t just-.” Wanda

“Guys. Let’s just ca-.’ Bruce

“We just got back from a mission. Can’t this wait?” Rhodey.

“Still. That man was incredibly rude. As the young midgardians say online, he has small penis energy.” Thor

“It’s small DICK energy.” Peter.

It’s still unsure if any of them actually heard any of the others properly. The Avengers were all just talking over the top of each other; some related to the topic while others just babbling on about god knows what.

“Mr. Stark, sir. There’s a call waiting for you.” Jarvis spoke over them all. This didn’t stop them from talking over each other. Tony didn’t seem to care as he continued to argue with Steve, “it’s from a Claypso Abreo. She is being held at precinct 99 in Brooklyn. Do i keep her on hold, sir?” 

That name. 

Calypso. 

Tony froze. His brain stopped working as his eyes shifted to his phone on the table. He gulped before looking at Jame Rhodey. Everyone noticed his reaction; the proclaimed, stubborn, narcissistic jerk they knew froze. “Mr. Stark?” The talking had quietened down.

“Answer it, Tones. Jarvis, keep the kid on hold. Get Happy to come around with the car now please. Also relay this info to Pepper.” Rhodey spoke quickly while gesturing for everyone to leave the room. Confused with this new situation, they all complied and exited. It was times like this that Tony was grateful for having a friend like Rhodey. As he was about to close the door, he spoke again in an encouraging tone. “I’m guessing she’s in trouble so best to answer now.” 

Tony hadn’t realised everyone left, still staring at his phone. “Yeah, you’re right...” He dragged his sentence in dread. Wiping his hands on his jeans, he grabbed his phone and answered. Drawing a breath in and quickly whispering, “Calypso?”

“Hey, Dad.” A tiny voice spoke over the phone; an underlying questioning tone included. Tony broke, tears running down his face. Scared. Confused. Anxious. Why was his daughter, that he hadn’t had proper contact with for about 3 years call? She could hear him breathing. “UH, I’m guessing you’re still on. Well I hope you are. But I have no one else to call so if you can just tell Captain Holt here that I’m free to go, i’ll be out of your ha-.”

“I’m coming to get you now.” Tony blurted as he stood. You may not believe this but he loved his daughter. The man would do anything for her. He may not know her but he knew whenever she needed him, rather whenever she asked him, he’d be there. 

“Oh. It’s fine, Mr. Stark.”

The man walked through the doors and towards the elevator, oblivious to the stares his teammates were giving him. Calypso. Tony’s reaction. Rhodey’s understanding. The urgency felt. As the elevator doors shut with him in it, Natasha turned to Rhodey who was nursing a drink by the counter. “Calypso?” She asked. Steve, Bucky, Sam, Bruce and her analysed Rhodey. The name made him slightly cringe and shake his head before lifting himself away from the table and towards the stairs. 

“She’s...” He froze again and turned to them. “She’s a sensitive topic. It’s not my place to tell.” Resuming his walk to his quarters, the five were left blank. Who was this woman? How can she bring such with her name alone?

The five stood closer to each, whispering the possibilities about this person. “Maybe we should ask Tony.” Bruce spoke up. No matter how many times he disagreed with Tony, he still respected and valued the man. “Rhodes even said that it’s not something he should share. Plus we all saw his reaction.” Bruce insisted they confront Tones carefully and not pry into the situation.

They all nodded but Steve and Natasha gave each other a look. That look that meant ‘yeah-no-we’re-looking-into-this’. They separated, walking to their respected rooms as Sam bluntly spoke, “I’m more confused about some girl being named Calypso...”

[kassies-take]

Thorul Over Luthor (Part 6)

A/n: Pull out your tissues for this one. I mapped out the rest of this story line and there will be a total of four more chapters after this part. So ten parts in total. Expect me to finish this series the rest or this month or after I get to the requests. 

Warning: Loss, Angst, Death and Revenge 

Lena Luthor x StepSister!Reader, Supercorp, Kara Danvers x Reader, Alex Danvers x Reader 

Word Count: 1322

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || Part 6

You had unboxed the snow globe in Maggie’s car, fortunately it was in the front seat this time instead of the back seat. Maggie had dropped you off at your apartment building, while waiting for the elevator you continued to shake the snow globe, mesmerized by the snow.

Mesmerized by the figurines of you and Lena sitting on the porch for the first time in Ireland. Mesmerized by Lena holding you in her arms and from that moment on, leaning on each other. Mesmerized by the fact that since that moment it has been perfect, even when getting shot.

It was after several shakes when you looked up at the elevator and it’s lights were turned off. You shrugged and headed towards the stairs. You and Lena lived on the nineteenth floor, but you were so distracted by the snow globe, nineteen felt like four. 

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. went the pin code lock. You kicked off your shoes and placed them on the shoe rack, after the constant nagging Lena gave, you wouldn’t want that to happen again.

The kitchen left no sign of Lena, and she was usually cooking around this time. Before you could register the sound of breaking glass, your eyes blurred with tears from the pool of blood that mixed with Lena’s brown hair. 

Your feet took you to Lena in an instant, she was now resting on your knees as you cupped her face. 

“(Y/n),” Lena smiled weakly and sluggishly wiped your tears away. “Don’t...worry...help...is...coming.”

‘Sav-save your energy Lee.’ 

“Promise...you...won’t...get...revenge.”

You didn’t promise, you adjusted Lena in your arms so you hold her hand. 

“Promise me.” 

Through your tear stained cheeks you nodded. You looked at Lena’s watch, the watch that sent an ultrasonic signal to the Super. Only problem was that it was on the kitchen counter. Lena followed your line of sight, and ran the calculations in her head, it would take Kara minutes to reach her, minutes she didn’t have. 

You gently laid Lena down on the stained carpet, using all her strength Lena grabbed your hand to prevent you from getting up. 

‘I’ll call Kara.’

“Kara is not who I want to be with, when it ends.”

‘You’ll die. Lee! You’ll die’ 

“You...have...to...let...me...go.”

You shook your head, the room was filled with gasps for air, gasps of a few more breaths and gasps to breathe while crying. 

“I’m not ready for you to go.” It came out croaky from your lips. The pain in your throat was telling you to stop but the pain from your heart overshadowed it. 

“I’m...not..either,” Lena cried. “But...if...you...think...about it.. compared... to ... the...universe...one’s life...is but a... blink... of an eye.” 

You chuckled. ‘Only you would think about science right now... Please don’t do this to me’ 

“You...are...the sibling... I wish...I...had...when...I...was younger. You...made...this past... year...bearable. Mom...and I...are so proud...of...you. I love you. Tell...Kara...I...love her too.”

You nodded before you rested you head on Lena’s chest. Her heartbeat always helped to calm you down after a nightmare. But this time it was a nightmare you didn’t want to end. You took deep breaths to slow your crying. 

“Thank you (Y/n). For...the......love...you......have...given....me as a.....Thorul. I hope.... you live.....long and.....full of.....love .... just ..just as....mine has been.....with...........you.”

“Lee,” you whimpered. “No.”

Lena’s heart gave a final pump, her lungs gave a final breath, her lips gave a final smile, her hand gave a final, powerless, squeeze, and her eyes, her eyes shut one last time. 

You held onto her hand desperately, in fear that when you let go she would be gone forever. The tears spilled down, the muscles on your chin trembled and you looked toward the window, as if the police lights could soothe you. You could feel the claws on your throat as you screamed for Lena, a sound that caught the Kyptonian’s ears along with the sirens in front of your building. 

Kara landed in the street, crowds have formed through the blockade of a police car and two ambulances. She spotted you at the back of an ambulance, a trauma blanket wrapped around you, your eyes red and swollen, as you slumped over and hugged your knees. 

“Hey, little one.” Kara hid behind the ambulance and placed her glasses back on her nose to  dematerialize her suit. “Are you okay?” Kara scanned you body after noticing the blood stains on your shirt and jeans. She sighed in relief when she didn’t find any injuries. “Where’s Lena?” Kara looked around. 

You sobbed into her chest, hands clutching at her cardigan. She held you in silence, rocking you slowly as your tears soaked her chest. A tiny lapse let you pull away, blinking lashes heavy with tears, before you collapsed again. The pain came in waves, minutes of sobbing broken apart by short pauses for recovering breaths, before hurling back into the outstretched arms of your sister’s lover.

Kara’s question was soon answered when a gurney covered with a white sheet made it’s way past her and into the other ambulance. The sheet was blown in a way that Kara caught a glimpse of the Luthor, before the paramedic covered her up again. She clasped the hand around your shoulder over her mouth to muffle her cries, never has she ever cried so hard her glasses began to fog. Her heart ached for Lena everyday, today it ached for Lena in a different way, a way that would never be the same again. 

Black. A color you wished you never had to wear again, and here you were putting it on for your sister’s funeral. You looked at yourself in the mirror, red eye noticeable, swollen eyes noticeable, sadness clearly written on your face. You broke your own staring contest to look at your hands. A flash with bloody hands consumed your head. 

Forever you will be in that moment, hands scarlet and sticky. It is as if your heart has been pulled from your body,yet still beats all the same. Yet it is the proof of your love for your sister. And so it lives in you, the love that you shared, and with every passing day you recall your laughter and joy more than the moment your soul moved on.

A knock interrupted your thoughts, it was Alex. 

“Kiddo, it’s time.”

You sat in the back seat with Kara, Alex and Maggie in the front seats mirroring your black outfit. You were there at the funeral for Lena, but for yourself you refused to step near her casket, you loved her but there was a promise you couldn’t keep for her. 

You stormed off, stepping foot into an empty home for the first time since Lena’s death. Blood was still stained and you walked past it as if it wasn’t there. Lena always had security measures and you were determined to find out why it didn’t work. 

At last, the hidden footage of your living room. You had watched her get shot and you knew who did it. 

Edge Global. You had walked into the main office as you kicked the golf ball back towards him. 

“A fan. I’m not signing autographs.”

‘No, the only thing you’ll be signing is a confession.’

“Ooh, your Lena’s kids sister. Well it seems I have to take care of you too.” 

He pulled out a gun and you intercepted him. You were gonna pull the trigger at his head when a bluish white portal showed up in the middle of the office. Your body fell in and pulled you out of Edge’s body. It dragged your soul across the floor before it swallowed you and closed.  

[starspatter]

Heroes and Thieves, Ch. 13

Title: Heroes and Thieves Fandom/Universe: BTAS, pre/post-RotJ flashback

Summary: A story about second chances, healing, and having hope.

Rating: PG-13, for references to character death, child psychological torture and trauma.

Genre: Romance/Family/Friendship/Hurt/Comfort

Word Count: 2,260 Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Also on ff.net and AO3. In which Tim isn’t Jason.

A long long time ago, in a tragedy If ever comes a day that I go away In a forest deep, you'll sink like a stone From that moment on, you'll go alone

For we are two of a kind; when we walk, we are one The sound of lies being told disappear like the sun And now we both bow our heads; only a single shadow Didn't you know that I'm also going alone?

-Fullkawa Honpo, "Alice"

————————–

Now.

Alfred had been in the midst of pouring himself a calming cup of tea in the parlor when he heard the doorbell ring, followed by loud banging on the outside.  He set the pot down and strode with as much steady grace as he could muster to the portentous sound coming from the porte.  Opening it, he came face to face with his former young charge, now grown older and grimmer in appearance compared to the foregone past.  …That seemed like only yesterday, yet at the same time so long ago.  When he’d wear a wide grin as he dashed straight into the manor upon coming home from school, eager to tell all about his day over a plate of snacks that would already be laid out and waiting for him; tossing coat and bag carelessly to the side, where Alfred would quietly pick them up and hang them in proper order. He’d shake his head, but smile and say nothing in light of the boy’s brimming energy and excitement as he waved to the butler in thanks, before charging up to cheerfully greet an ever expectant Bruce, vaulting heedlessly over any furniture on the way in vaunting display.

“Why, Master Timothy, what a… pleasant surprise.  How good to see you.”

“Sorry, Alfred,” Tim interjected briskly.  “I don’t have time to chat.  …They’re down there, aren’t they?”

“‘They’, sir?”

Tim’s eyes darkened dangerously.

“Cut the act, Alfred. You know who I’m talking about.”

Alfred sighed, standing aside to let the young man in.

“Master Bruce arrived back shortly ago with a young lady through the… ‘other entrance’.  They are at present where you’d suspect.”

Tim immediately brushed by without another word, breezing brazenly through the halls in a burning haste towards the study, where he stopped before an old grandfather clock.  He hesitated a moment as his hand tremblingly reached out, taking a deep breath before pulling on the pendulum to slide the access open, shouting an angry warning into its depths.  Foreboding darkness and blue cavern walls stretched before him as he descended down the familiar staircase for the first time in forever, feeling the sudden drop in temperature from subterranean chill.  When he reached the bottom, he arrested at the sight of his (second) worst nightmare come to life, freezing another few degrees.  …He was too late.

Seething, rage flooded his face as he flew at the culprit in fury, and for a second all he saw was pulsing red and bursts of black – erupting flashbacks – as he heatedly yelled at what was once his must trusted companion.  How could he?  The sheer nerve. He had given everything for him, and now he had betrayed his secrets – taken whatever little independence – or semblance of it – he had left.  Destroyed any remaining faith in his “father” by proving himself a fake and a liar, exposing sins of the “son” without even so much as consulting said subject. Insulting his pride and privacy in the worst way imaginable.

It took Steph’s worried voice and shaking to snap him out of it, and his mortification magnified as he wondered what she must think of him now.  He couldn’t even stand to look her in the eye, afraid to confront the same expression one would surely exhibit at a freak show.  Stabilizing, he stalled by requesting her to wait for him above ground. …Whether she actually would was a different story, but he didn’t really want to consider that possibility right now.

As he observed her cloaked backside heading up the steps, his vision traveled to the row of costumes beside, locked away in clear cases like inmates in their cells at Arkham.  He approached the smallest one in scarlet and put his palm on the mirrored glass, mimicking the exact same motion he made so many years ago the first time he laid shining, hopeful eyes on it, now staring dully at his own tired reflection.  In front of the mask instead of behind.

“So this is what you did with it,” he muttered, somehow unsurprised.  “You should’ve just burned it.  Like those tapes.”  Bitterness wedged in his tone as he glimpsed down the aisle at Batgirl’s and Nightwing’s dead, shed skins as well.  “…Or is that all we ever were to you?  More trophies to add to your collection?”

Batman simply stated:

“It’s there as a reminder.”

Tim nodded.  Deep down, he had known the answer already, but still he just wanted to make sure.  He needed to hear it said – out loud.

Rotating slowly back, he returned his gaze to his ex-guardian’s own guise, studying the apparent lack of revealing emotion.

“Bruce.  Take that off.  I want you to look at me.”

Batman remained unmoving for a beat, but acquiesced.

As the façade fell away, Tim could see the old man looked even older than he remembered, wrinkles and peppered gray starting to show.  Maybe far older than he should be.  …Than either of them should.

He fixed those cold, steel blue irises with a firm deadlock.

“Promise me you’ll never take on another Robin.”

“That I can assure.”

Tim surveyed the seriousness in the other’s countenance, accepting agreement on that front at least. He revolved to regard the rest of the room, a place filled with so many overwhelming memories he didn’t even know where to start.  (Though he deliberately avoided looking at the giant Joker card hanging directly above; why Bruce still bothered to keep that up was beyond him.)

“The last time I was down here… was the night you brought me back from Arkham.”  He swallowed, recollecting little about that time other than brief spots of awareness to his surroundings, and dimly hearing echoes of concerned voices that weren’t the Joker’s laugh or Harley’s high-pitched shrill, as his body was still in shock after everything.  …Or maybe he had just blocked it all out.  (Perhaps just as well, if he could’ve seen the pale looks of pure, panicked horror on their hovering visages, that very nearly matched his own.) “It hasn’t changed much, has it? New tech, new trophies…  But still the same dreary atmosphere.”

He ran his hand along a railing as he moved over towards the training equipment, recalling how he used to spend so much time balancing on it, performing handstands to help keep blood and thoughts flowing (and limbs from getting bored stiff) while they casually discussed more difficult cases – with Batgirl and Nightwing as well when he stopped by to assist in cracking particularly tough ones (or just to hang out and spar a bit with his lil bro) – brainstorming together as a team by combining their collective detective skills.  Barbara tended to pace as she pondered, while Dick would smirk and lean back in his chair with muscles lax behind his neck and feet propped up on the terminal, teasing that she looked like a lumbering red gorilla when she does that, and she’d snap back that he was being no help (and besides what was he even doing there didn’t he have his own place now maybe he should go fight crime with Catwoman if he’s so smart), and Bruce would irritably bark at them all over the two’s bickering (and Tim’s smothered snickering) to stay focused on task, only to be interrupted by Alfred as he came down to serve some food, insisting they all stay vitalized if they hope to make any progress.

Tim crossed over to the target range – past the medical bay, where Batman had interrogated him once after he’d been caught sneaking around (and stealing from) upstairs right after their initial meeting, whereupon he learned of Bruce Wayne’s secret identity.

“So what?  I know how to keep a secret.  You can trust me.”

He picked up a Batarang from the table.  It looked like a newer model than the ones he was used to; lighter, sleeker, circular, with bits of red on the edges of the winged blades.  He took careful aim at a stalactite, attempting to adjust to its weight, but the persistent tremors and twitches in his fingers wouldn’t cease, no matter how hard he endeavored to suppress.  Gritting his teeth, he shut one eye and let the wild projectile fly, but it only veered far off course, bouncing harmlessly off the back wall to drop down into the river below with a weak splash.  Shoving hands shamefully in his pockets and peering down into the chasm, Tim reflected on how he had stood here once, lifting his arms in breathtaking glory as he basked in his ultimate childhood fantasy, beholding the bedrock and bats, wistfully absorbing the beauty of it all.

“If you knew how many times I’d dreamed about this place.”

He kicked a stone into the ravine.

Bruce was watching him the whole time in silence.  Tim turned back and addressed gloomily.

“You know, I was always doing dumb stuff to try and impress you.  Draw your attention, get you to notice me.  Make you proud.  All I ever wanted was to be just like you when I grew up.”  He paused, taking in the pathetic, penitent image of his prior idol – now weary and weathered, clearly worn down by age and the endlessly waging war he still kept stubbornly fighting on his own, come hell or high water.  “I used to think you were the greatest man alive.  …You’re still the greatest man I ever met, Bruce. But this-” he gestured vaguely at the empty expanse, “-what you do – what you had us do – it can’t be called ‘living’.  …I realize that now.”

The other only grunted, questioning gruffly:

“What’s your point?”

Tim gave him an almost-pitying glance.

“Bruce, I forgive you – for not saving me.  But when are you – for once – going to try and save yourself?”

Bruce blinked back at him, blankly.  Tim bit his lip as he tried to explain.

“I didn’t leave – just because I couldn’t be Robin anymore.  I was mad at first, that you would take all of that away from me.  …But I understood why.  The real reason I left – is because I couldn’t stand the way you looked at me afterwards.  Like I was your greatest failure, as if you regretted ever picking me up off the streets and taking me into your home in the first place. I couldn’t take it anymore.”

He inhaled.

“Even then, I would’ve stayed – if you’d only asked me to.  Admitted – for once in your sorry life – that you still need someone in it.”

His fists balled in frustration.

“But you never could admit that, could you?  I get it: Ever since your parents died, you’ve had trouble expressing yourself.  You blame yourself for what happened, every single bad thing that’s come your way since then. That’s why you keep all this old junk around, just like their pictures everywhere upstairs.  So you won’t forget that it’s all your fault, that you’ve hurt everyone you’ve ever come in contact with, isn’t that right?”

Bruce said nothing, but his eyes narrowed slightly.

“So you end up pushing people away, until you’re finally all by yourself.  Because you believe it’s for the best.  You think you deserve to be alone, when it…”  He gulped, sensing the hypocritical stab in his own gut. “…Isn’t true.”

Tim took a tentative step forward, trying to close some distance, bridge the extensive gap between them – that almost seemed like an eternity at this point – but simultaneously struggling to find words and will for it.

“Bruce, I’d like us – to still be friends.  …But if this is how it’s going to be between us – if I can’t even trust you to keep my secret, not to ruin the one good thing I’ve had since then – then I can’t be around you anymore.”

He cast one last nostalgic look around at what he used to call “home”, etching the sentimental scene into his brain.  His safe “haven”, where he could always count on his “family” being there for him.   …Not a sanctuary, he recognized fully now, but a prison.  Built for one solitary soul, never meant to share in the first place. A private “Plan” others weren’t originally supposed to be part of, no matter how much the architect desired it deep down.  Who broke that vow more than once in an effort to better someone else’s life, only to be burned so badly (and vice-versa) that both parties feared forming close connections again as a result.  To care that much for someone, only to eventually receive bitter disappointment in the end – if not the other way around.

Yet, despite all odds, Tim had found a flicker of hope in another’s company.  Comfort.  Courage.  And he- wanted to keep striving towards it.  He didn’t want to end up like him.  Like this.  So lonely and isolated from the entire world.  Even through all the hate and hurt, he didn’t wish for this kind of bleak future, a mere hollow existence – for either of them.  …But this was as far as he could confess it.  He couldn’t keep coaxing, chasing constantly after remote coattails and infinite comets, straining so desperately to catch and ride on them anymore; he needed to be met halfway.  It was up to the opposite side, ball in the other’s court now.

“When you’re ready to come out of the cave and be a person again, let me know.  I’ll be waiting.”

With that, he walked past the mute shadow to the stairs and up the ascent, never looking back. Denying darkness for the light.

“Goodbye, Bruce.”

————————–

And I am one of a kind; when I walk, I am alone I've grown weary of lying to the bone Now I bow my head in this golden room I was here with you, and now, it's gone too soon

In a forest deep, I sank and I knew I'm a charred and dirty, forsaken fruit And that is the end - there's nothing more to recount From this moment on, you'll go alone

[zaffrenotes]

Thoughts on The Royal Heir, Chapter 12 - To Love and To Cherish

Alternate Title: Bless Your Heart, You’re Married, LET’S GO BACK TO CORDONIA ALREADY

Word Count: 5900+

Points are arbitrary and happen at random. Recap/personal thoughts after the point review of the chapter. TL;DR version – Bertrand restores the Walker family honor or something, there’s a whodunit pregnant pee stick mystery to solve, Chuck’s a chump for objecting to the wedding but ol’ Bertrand gives him the what for. We still can’t get through the whole wedding without shelling out more money/diamonds for good memories but I GOT SUCKERED because LIAM LOOKS ADORABLE and HEYOOOO we’re about to make him (your LI) the happiest person in the world! Also, what/where is Olivia’s gift that she mentioned at the bachelorette party???

I’m putting a cut here to minimize the length of this post if you don’t want to read this, and feel free to add #ZaffEssays and #ZaffDigsDeep to your filtered tags so you don’t see this or future posts from me.

I sourced Drake/Hana playthroughs from BizzysChoices and Abhirio/Universal Studio 77 on YouTube, respectively. Maxwell input came from @storiesofsass (thank you!)

Normal text = Liam route | Italics = Drake/Hana/Maxwell route | Bold = applies to any LI/story as a whole

-1 Bertrand’s MIA and Sav thinks he got cold feet -1 Chippy gets all Yosemite Sam on us with the no-good, low-down, yellow-bellied nonsense but +1 Bianca saw him rush off to the general store, talking about honor/family name +1 SMACK BERTRAND UPSIDE THE HEAD for being a damn fool and worrying his bride to be (or scare him, your call) +1 Okay, so he’s trying to get the Walker’s saddle back as a gesture to Sav +1 Fight for friendship, honor love, or become a Cordonian thief to get the saddle back +1 Bertrand’s reasons for getting the saddle back (it’s important to Sav so it’s important to me/family is important/doing this for Sav would prove to Bianca that he values Sav) are sweet. Now go get dressed, Bertrand 0 Wedding party’s dressed and DAMMIT I DON’T WANT TO SPEND DIAMONDS BUT LIAM LOOKS SO CUTE 0 Liam gets new clothes; Trina recycles her lacy pink dress 0 Madeleine thinks she’s running this show and ushers everyone downstairs; MC feels nauseous +1 time to pee on a stick! -1 WHY IS THERE ANOTHER PEE STICK IN A DRAWER. Also why is canon MC a fucking idiot? Your test is the one with wet pee on it, dumbass -1 Maddy’s clutch is too small to hold more than one test, MC forgets her LI bought a bunch of tests at the beginning of this longest week in the country EVER that are stashed in their luggage RIGHT NEXT DOOR so now we’re spending half the chapter “investigating” who else at this thing might be pregnant 0 Single girl Kiara’s too busy trying to rule the world to sleep with someone and accidentally get pregnant, thankyouverymuch +1 Sav’s on a horse; Bianca’s thankful to Bertrand for getting the saddle back -1 (THAT’S BEEN AT THE GENERAL STORE THIS WHOLE GODDAMN TIME THAT BIANCA COULD’VE GOTTEN BACK) -1 Barto needs to shut TF up about House Beaumont. Time and a place sir – this is not either of those things +1 Get Maddy to shut him up and she puts him in place; I like that she says she’s “nobody’s little anything” -1 OH OF COURSE CHUCK WOULD OBJECT – who didn’t see that coming the second he showed up to help Blake and Jess set up at the beginning of the week? +1 for fight! fight! fight! response and Olivia chiming in +1 Bertrand’s verbal punch is more impressive than his ACTUAL punch option -1 but he’s so overwhelmed that he blanks on his vows, so MC has to step in +1 sweet brotherly moment as Maxwell hands Bertrand the ring; Beaumont bros for life  +1 bouquet toss; MC tries to milk more info from the ladies to see who’s got a bun in their oven +1 if Olivia flat out refuses to catch it, lol +1 if Penelope catches it and you find out Kiara’s nicknamed Madeleine… +2 THE ANGRY POODLE. In Fraaaaanch, lol +1 we finally get a moment to talk to our LI! +1 [Liam] is happy to help MC any way he can with whatever’s on her plate +1 [Drake] is willing to ask really odd questions if MC needs the information…for reasons -1 Barto makes a toast (it’s the only toast that night) but it focuses on…himself. and House Beaumont. and how if it hadn’t been for him, Bertrand wouldn’t be the way he is now (yay?) so…you’re welcome? To House Beaumont? 0 Bartie rushes for the cake and faceplants into it. I feel ya, kid. +1 [Maxwell] will hold down his own nephew so MC can scrape cake off him. I love you Maxwell 0 reception SNAFU; Bertrand thinks it’s bees, lol but there’s no music thanks to blown speakers 0 *SIGH* Diamond option to save the day and hire a band and honestly PB knows what it’s doing by showing me Liam instead of Sav or Bertrand because I will do anything to get another scene with my pixel husband. FML. +1 happy dancing time! +1 Get Olivia to loosen up and have fun dancing solo-ish +1 MC shows off her moves; pulls a Dirty Dancing leap to LI +1 Nod back to TRR with MC’s response to a slow song with their LI +1 [Liam] MC and Liam sneak off a ways and smooch; Liam’s reminded of their wedding day and how MC means everything to him +1 [Liam]…followed by more smoochin! +1 [Drake] MC teases him for dancing well and being a fancy man; Drake – take it back, no I’m not! +1 [Hana] and MC get a little audience while they slow dance and MC says the world takes notice when Hana dances +1 [Maxwell] is happy being married to MC and loves sharing special moments like this together +1 Sav’s thankful MC did so much to try and keep things from going completely haywire today +1 MC can be subtle or blurt out the test she found in the bathroom; Sav’s not pregnant so that means… +5 IT’S ABOUT FRIGGIN TIME 0 NOW GET US OFF THE RANCH

T O T A L 22 points for this chapter with Liam as your spouse 24 point for this chapter with Drake/Hana/Maxwell as your spouse

RUNAWAY GROOM: So it’s the morning of the wedding and Bertrand’s MIA; all he took with him are his car keys and shoes. Sav’s quick to think that he suddenly got cold feet, and MC’s stomach rolls – anxiety? Stress? We all know but right now we don’t know – and MC and Hana try to reassure Sav that Bertrand wouldn’t run out on her (the way she did to him oh I’m sorry am I still being petty about her ghosting him when she was pregnant? I totally am). MC can either tell Sav that he’s coming back because his tux is still here (Sav argues that he wouldn’t need a tux if he’s not showing up) or his wallet’s still here (which means he’s driving without an international(?) license but let’s overlook that – he’d eventually need his wallet for something and need to come back for it).

Leona and Bianca get back to the house after their morning chores, wondering why everyone’s standing around, and Chippy goes from 0 to 100 over Bertrand skipping out, which helps NO ONE – while Bianca reassures her daughter that she saw Bertrand before he left, rushing off as he mentioned things like “honor” and “duty” and “upholding the family name” – which is totally Bertrand.

MC goes off to the general store to track him down so Sav can start getting ready, only to find him talking down to a clerk to get the owner. And we’re given a wonderful opportunity to smack our honorary brother upside the head or scare him. You KNOW what I chose, hahaha – smack him and he freaks out until he sees MC was the one to hit him – but he deserved it for scaring his bride to be! Scare him and he clutches at his heart, and MC gets after him.

At least he told Bianca where he was going, and before MC can get an answer as to what he’s doing in a general store instead of getting dressed, a mustachioed man strolls up to talk about a saddle – the saddle – that Bertrand is trying to get back from said mustachioed man, Cassidy West, owner of the shop. MC can either whine pleeeeeeeeeeeease, use the romantic angle/this man needs the saddle to marry the love of his life, or commandeer the saddle in the name of Cordonia. If you beg, MC uses the friendship angle, telling Cassidy she’ll do anything to help her friend in need; he’s moved by the display of true friendship, and gives the saddle back. If you play up the romantic gesture angle, Bertrand explains the importance of the family heirloom and how he wants to give (Sav) that experience. Cassidy thinks about his own wedding and gives it back as a wedding gift. If you commandeer the saddle, MC tells Cassidy to take it up with the Cordonian embassy, and she takes it and runs away. Back at the ranch with the saddle in hand, Bertrand explains that he’ll do whatever he can to make her happy; he also knows Bianca tolerates him because he’s Sav’s chosen partner in life, and today is about more than just him and Sav. It’s about family (Walkers and Beaumonts, including MC) – and his hope was that by obtaining the saddle, they would see his gesture as a symbol of just how much he cares about Sav and family as a whole, valuing whatever family deems important. I’m just glad we didn’t have to pay for him to get the saddle back. MC responds with I’m glad I helped / don’t worry Sav more by being late – with the first option, Bertrand thanks MC; with the second option, he agrees and runs off to get dressed.

COUNTRY COUTURE: MC heads upstairs to get ready too, and either Hana or Maxwell greets her (Hana for every playthrough except Hana as LI; Maxwell in place of Hana). Hana/Maxwell’s already dressed, and MC can either say she loves it / what about me – go with loving the outfit and Hana says she wants to look her best as a bridesmaid. In the Hana playthrough, Maxwell says he’s best man and wants to look his best – he doesn’t mention this in the Drake or Liam playthroughs since Hana’s the one commenting in those scenarios, but *some* confirmation that Maxwell’s best man in another scene would’ve been nice. Go with the second option and Hana gushes about the MoH dress and the dress is fine – it’s pretty, pink, and honestly pretty cute, but I’d rather spend diamonds on scenes than clothes (oh this will bite me in the ass in a minute). LI Hana tells MC she looks like a goddess of spring in the dress, and it’s a callback to Hana’s costume from TRR where she was dressed as Spring in a floral ballgown. You earn soulmate points if you buy the dress, and your LI smiles at you with admiration. AND THEN PB DOES US DIRTY by tempting us with a wardrobe upgrade for the LIs.

This is where Hana as LI shows off her bridesmaid dress (instead of already being dressed for the male LI playthroughs); the guys are all in grey dress pants, white button downs, and tan suspenders. Maxwell wears a bowtie while Drake and Liam wear ties with tie clips and I—sdjfskdjhfs Asian!Liam looks like friggin (FC Daniel Henney) Agent Zero from the Wolverine movie with the damn shoulder holsters and I CANNOT. I turned it down initially, but my weak ass bought the outfit during the second replay and I don’t regret it. He looks so cute. They all look SO CUTE.

If you buy the outfit for your LI, MC tells Liam he looks dashing in suspenders and he tells MC the trip has taught him a lot about casual attire. Sweet Bean, you’re still dressed up. You’re wearing a tie, lol. For Drake, MC comments that she almost wishes he’d worn this for their wedding; Drake agrees that any outfit without a fancy jacket works for him. For Hana, MC tells her she looks like a literal dream, and Hana insists the dress come back to Cordonia with her. If you don’t buy the outfit, Liam’s in his standard white shirt/black blazer/blue cravat outfit, Hana’s in her pink floral dress, Maxwell’s in his black shirt, and Drake… Drake is in his “country” tuxedo of his standard denim on denim outfit.

Really? For his own sister’s wedding?? You couldn’t dress him in the grey suit from TRR or the blue suit/pink tie combo from TRR Book 3?!? That is some BULL. SHIT.

If you don’t buy the MoH dress, you’re in the pepto bismol pink cocktail dress, but you can pick something else from the closet – I went with the Indomitable Love/pink lace dress because it’s actually one of my favorites and it fits the color scheme. Madeleine comes in to hustle everyone to take their places, and gets after MC for dragging her feet when another wave of nausea hits.

IT IS TIME: MC and Madeleine put two and two together, and Maddy pulls a pregnancy test from her clutch. MC ducks into the bathroom and then they have to wait for the results. MC can test Madeleine’s patience by telling her two minutes would pass by faster if she had privacy / (MC will) lose it if she has to wait another second – either way, Madeleine chucks the test in a drawer so MC can’t stare at the test strip until her phone timer goes off.

MC pulls the test out and it’s negative, but before slamming the drawer shut, she sees another test in the drawer – and it’s positive. And then our idiot MC is all WHAAAAAA “which one is mine?” – umm, the fresh one. The one wet with pee. Trina is not this dumb. MC wants to take another test but Maddy only had the one in her tiny purse; Maxwell pops in to fetch them since the procession is about to begin, and you see a few stragglers in the house on their way out to the lawn for the ceremony.

Penelope talks about making outfits for her dogs, and Madeleine and MC have a tiny freakout over how they’re going to determine who took the other test. Instead of, I dunno… Madeleine ducking out to go get another one. Or waiting until the reception to go.get.another.one. Or maybe sneaking upstairs WHERE THEY JUST WERE to get one of the many pregnancy tests MC’s LI bought and stashed away in their luggage FOR THIS EXACT REASON.  

Maddy says she’ll help any way she can to pull info from the other ladies in attendance to see if they took a pregnancy test and this is honestly so stupid why can’t you just go get one of the extra ones upstairs and—sjkdfksdjhfksdjh FINE.

WEDDING I DO’S AND DON’TS: MC makes her way down the aisle where the rest of the wedding party is waiting, sans the bride. Everyone takes their places, but just before the ceremony starts, MC asks Kiara if she left anything personal in the upstairs bathroom / is she seeing anyone special / flat out asks if she’s pregnant – Option 1 surprises Kiara because she would’ve skipped the bathroom line to fix her makeup; with Option 2 she says she’s too busy to date between all the travel, politics, and attending court, and romance isn’t everything to her; with Option 3 she’s surprised/defensive, wondering why MC would ask because she barely has time to date, and asks why MC is asking.

Everyone’s attention turns to Sav, who approaches on horseback. Bianca’s elated to see Sav riding the saddle. The saddle that was in town, at the general store. That SHE could have retrieved the ENTIRE WEEK leading up to the wedding. Sav mentions that Bertrand got it back because he knew how much it meant to their family, and Bianca mouths a ‘thank you’ to Bertrand at the altar.

Barto starts praising the great House Beaumont for the wondrous efforts in obtaining the precious artifact back to the Walkers yadda yadda SHUT UP BRUH, NOW IS NOT THE TIME. Hana warns MC that Barto needs to be shushed before he draws even more attention away from Sav, and MC can either get Madeleine or Penelope to distract/quiet him. Let’s go with Penny first, shall we?

Penny thinks you’re playing charades; when MC tries to repeat the order – Go. Stop. Barto. – she responds with the ol’ Konami Code, lol (up down up down left right) but somehow her poodles – her POODLES – understand what MC’s trying to do, and they’re able to distract him and keep him quiet long enough for Sav to finish making her way down the aisle.

If Madeleine is chosen to quiet Barto, she takes the hint right away. At first he’s annoyed by the interruption, until she drops her title, and he calls her ‘Godfrey’s little girl’ to which she replies, “I am no one’s little anything” and promptly pulls rank as Communications Director to communicate to him to SHUT UP. Which he does.

Liam calls everyone’s attention to begin the ceremony, and uuuuugh we all knew this was going to happen when Sav’s ex appeared as the extra help for Blake and Jess, right? Liam asks if anyone objects to the union, and Chuck pipes up. THIS IS WHY YOU DON’T LET AN EX WORK YOUR WEDDING, SAVVY. I don’t care how long ago the relationship ended, or how amicable the breakup might’ve been, DON’T RISK IT. MC can respond with it was a rhetorical question / fight! fight! fight! and I—lol a chaos/fail play part of me loved the fight response. Liam reminds MC that she just said that out loud, and Olivia adds another round of chanting, always ready for a fight.

Chuck says he won’t let (Bertrand) do this, but it initially reads as letting Savannah marry the fancy man. He punches Bertrand in the jaw, and while Sav and Bartie cry out, MC can tell Bertrand to rise above with his eloquence / punch him back. If Bertrand stoops to Chuck’s level to fight back, he admits that he doesn’t like to resort to violence, but seeing as how Chuck just insulted him threefold, he knocks Chuck to the ground with one swift punch – surprising even Drake. Go with the verbal lashing as we all know is Bertrand’s forte and you get a primo scene where Chuck is S H R E D D E D by Duke Sweatervest in all his glory.

Chuckie’s hoisted up and out by Blake and Jess, and the ceremony resumes. Liam jumps right in to prompt the couple with vows, but overwhelmed by what just transpired, Bertrand blanks. MC to the rescue again (why can’t we just stand there and look pretty?) – you can either help Bertrand out with vows about marrying (Sav) being the greatest happiness he could hope for / MC is the best / (Bertrand would) vanquish a thousand Chucks for (Sav). Option 1 is the most romantic, where Bertrand tells her that he wasted too much time wondering if he was worthy of happiness rather than appreciating the blessings already laid out before him – ie Sav and Bartie Jr. – and he’ll share that joy with her for as long as he lives. Option 2 gets Bertrand to call MC his guardian angel, getting him to believe in himself and realize that he deserves happiness in his life, and he owes MC everything, because Sav is everything to him. Sweet, if not a little odd, haha. With Option 3, Bertrand vows not to let anyone keep him from Sav – either from his own self-doubt, or people like Chuck (*cough* CHIPPY *cough*) that think he’s not right for her.

Sav says her vows.

Liam asks for the rings, which Hana and Maxwell hand over, and Bertrand thanks Maxwell for being there for him. Speedy wedding version and they say their ‘I do’s and kiss!

PARTY TIME: We thankfully skip to the bouquet toss – I guess before that they did the Cordonian Apple Ceremony bit? – and Madeleine reminds MC that they’re still trying to cross potential preggos off the list of ladies in attendance. Can I just note that CHIPPY’S IN HER RANCH CLOTHES. At her niece’s wedding. I guess technically it’s not awful since Bianca stayed in her default outfit for Drake’s wedding in TRR, but STILL. Chippy complains that MC’s already married when she joins the other ladies for the bouquet toss, and MC just replies with “I just really like flowers, (CHIPPY)!”

Sav tosses the bouquet and it’s a timed choice – let it go to Penelope, Olivia, catch it yourself, or let the timer run out. If Penelope catches it, Madeleine hints at her pairing with Zeke and any indication of speeding up what they’ve got going on, and Penelope says she’s in no rush. When Maddy prods with the next nine months being a factor to get married, Penelope drops the second best secret in the chapter – Kiara has given a nickname to Maddy…

If Olivia “catches” the bouquet, it falls to her feet after MC bounces it her way. Having already been married, Olivia’s also in no rush to head down the aisle, and shuts down Maddy’s prying by threatening to punch her in the face. God I love Olivia. If MC catches it, she ruins the plan to ask the other ladies about the pregnancy test; if you fail to choose, Kiara snags it – while she tells Penelope that there’s no one that’s caught her eye, she can at least appreciate a good flower arrangement.

MC finally gets a moment to sit down for the dinner next to her LI, admitting that she’s had a lot on her plate for someone else’s wedding day. LI asks if they can help in any way, and MC can either say she’s got it covered / depends on how comfortable you are asking invasive personal questions / I need to tell you something but it’s complicated – with the first response, MC appreciates the support. With the second option, LI Liam says he’s not sure what she means, but he’s happy to help any way he can; LI Drake says he’d go so far as to ask Maxwell what kind of underwear he’s wearing, if MC ever needed to know that; LI Hana wants to know how personal the questions are on a scale of “favorite summer teas to most embarrassing faux pas.” With the third response, LI Liam’s face in neutral but he says he’ll do everything in his power to help; LI Hana is surprised and asks MC to tell her everything.

They’re interrupted by whatever Barto decides is an appropriate wedding toast; it is NOT. I can’t believe I’m about to make this comparison, but Barto’s speech sounds like something Drumpf would say. (Basically a Cordonian version of Drumpf saying things like “America’s the best, we’re number 1, much greatness, America yes, other countries no”) He’s all “House Beaumont this and Cordonia that and me me me whoops I burdened my son, but he came out of it okay so I guess I did a good job then, praise me for making him the man he is today, hooray HOUSE BEAUMONT.” Yes, he dropped Sav and Bartie Jr.’s name in there, but just barely. They all toast him anyway – at least, Max and Sav do – and we move on to cake.

Bartie faceplants into the cake, driven by the enticing promise of a sugarhigh. LI Liam’s sad about the cake; MC can either say the day’s more about the love between Bertrand and Sav / I’ll scrape cake off a toddler – with the first response, he’s neutral and agrees; with the second option he smiles and says the cake “did look delicious” (considering they probably didn’t get to sample the cake from the rehearsal dinner). LI Drake responds to the toddler option with “if you can catch him” and LI Maxwell says he’ll hold down his own nephew for MC, lol. LI Hana replies to the first response with “well said” and “I only hope our baby will be as full of life as Bartie is” to the second response.

Bertrand apologizes for Bartie ruining the cake moment, but Sav’s too happy to care. Madeleine returns to tell MC she’s not pregnant because she overhead Sav talking about a (pregnancy) test, before awkwardly patting MC’s arm and tells MC she’s sorry it wasn’t better news. MC can reply with it’s not worth much / better than nothing / …Thanks but nothing changes with the story based on what you choose, and MC rejoins her LI with Bertrand and Sav.

MC and LI Liam are glad to be there for them both, as are LI Hana and MC. LI Drake (and LI Maxwell probably) get a little more personalized conversation – LI Drake says Bertrand and Sav are practically glowing and his nephew’s covered in cake, and he’s seriously happy for them both. Jess drops a wee bomb that the speakers are blown, so there’s not going to be any music at the reception. Maxwell suddenly appears no matter who your LI is, claiming this to be a catastrophe if a Beaumont can’t celebrate being married without revelry; MC offers to look for a last-minute, local band looking for work. Sav doesn’t think there’s enough time, and drops the fact that they’re over budget – tsk tsk, Sav, let Trina show you the ways of budgeting for big events next time – and it’s a diamond option to save the reception. I KNOW I said I wasn’t gonna drop a dime on this friggin wedding but PB’s playing us like a fiddle by sticking our LI front and center, tempting us with extra scenes where we get to dance with them and—there go 16 more diamonds. FML.

A band starts setting up, and everyone praises MC for working her magic – LIs have quickly learned not to underestimate what she’s capable of, and Olivia chimes in to say things find a way of happening. Maxwell kicks things off by grabbing MC’s and Bertrand’s hands to head to the dance floor, and everyone starts dancing. Bertrand and Sav are overjoyed, and MC can respond by saying consider this my wedding gift to you / show me your best dance moves / worship me like the hero I am. With the first option, Sav says she’ll always remember and hugs MC; Bertrand is always surprised by what MC can do, and offers his hand for a handshake, but MC pulls him in for a hug. With the second option, Sav calls MC their wedding guardian angel and pulls Bertrand to the dance floor; at first his movements are awkward as all eyes are on them, but he relaxes and leads Sav around the dance floor, ending with a dramatic lift and dip. With the third option, the Beaumont Brothers share a look and scoop her up onto their shoulders, and everyone starts chanting MC’s name, much to Madeleine’s displeasure.

Another song starts up, and Hana twirls around as she dances; Drake and Liam bob and sway to the music, and Maxwell’s breakdancing/adding flips and flourishes to his dance moves. It’s another callback to the group of friends dancing at MC’s reception, where Hana does pirouettes(?) with ease, Drake and Liam just stand there, too “cool” to let loose, and Maxwell challenges Drake to a dance off. Here, MC says she wants to see some dance moves from Merlin & Morgana / Baby Bartie / Olivia – with the dogs, you see Penelope and Zeke as they get the dogs to dance (they’ve been training the dogs); Sav leads Bartie to the dance floor and Bertrand joins them, calling him Little Man and I—my heart. It’s a sweet moment. But my personal favorite is getting Olivia to dance – egged on by Drake’s comment that she doesn’t know how to have fun, she’s taken to the middle of the dance floor by Hana, who twirls Olivia. MC, Hana, and Maxwell get her to “woo” out loud, and she begins to loosen up and *gasp* have fun without looking like she’s in a dance battle!

The band asks for any requests – regal, fun, or country – and the music changes depending on your selection. Now the group wants to see MC’s dance moves, so we get a timed response to choose high-flying flip / LI needs to catch me / freeze up and fall; with the first selection, MC crouches down before leaping into the air to spin and kick, surprising everyone. The second option sounds like the Dirty Dancing move where Baby runs and leaps into Johnny’s arms, and the LI catches MC and lifts her into the air; she says she knew (LI) would catch her, and LI says “anytime” with a smile. If you freeze up, MC stumbles but many hands reach out to catch her, including Liam, Olivia, and Sav. Sav muses “What kind of friends would we be if we let you get hurt?” and Bertrand says he’d never let a member of his House come to harm.

COUPLING OFF: The band plays a slow song and couples partner up. We get another sweet little scene with our LIs that nod back to moments from TRR – LI Liam asks MC to dance, and she can either respond with always / I’m ready to do a lot more than just dance – with the first choice, Liam takes MC’s hand and spins her in a slow circle before pulling her close to him. He kisses her sweetly after she says she loves dancing with him, telling her he’ll take any chance to hold her in his arms. The second response is what MC said to Liam on more than one occasion (as long as he’s your LI) in TRR, notably in the very first chapter of Book 1 when Liam asks MC to dance (flash forward), and again in Book 1, Chapter 18 (To Be A Princess) and at the end of Book 3 during the celebratory ball after everyone’s been named a Guardian of the Realm. LI Liam’s quick to remember, with MC recalling she wasn’t always able to act on it – she then pulls LI Liam to a secluded corner and kisses him as he wraps his arms around MC. Here’s where either answer reminds Liam of their own wedding, and how it was the happiest day of his life (JUST YOU WAIT, MY KING) even with their brushes with death from Anton’s goons. Another soulmate point when Liam tells MC that she means everything to him, and he trails kisses down her neck and shoulder until uuuuugh lady cockblock from the bride, lol.

LI Drake’s response options to dance are I’d love to dance / I’d rather grab a drink instead – The drinking option nods back to MC and Drake always managing to sneak off from whatever function they were attending to share a drink together and get to know one another better (wine cellar at Lythikos, outdoor bar before Liam makes his selection in Book 1). With the first option, MC teases that she might’ve married a fancy man, and Drake begs her to never say that again. While he might’ve learned a few new tricks to get him by at court, he’s still the same (grumpy marshmallow) that MC fell for. MC continues teasing him and he tells her if he ever gets too big for his britches, she should dump him in the wilderness for a week, or until he comes to his senses. In Drake’s playthrough we learn that Sav learned not to complain about things at a young age (WHY DIDN’T YOU LEARN THAT LESSON TOO, DRAKE?!), and while she would’ve been okay without music at the reception, MC’s gesture of hiring a band means a lot to Sav, and Drake by extension. MC replies that they’re all family now, and it comes full circle that family watches each other’s back.

For the dance with LI Hana, the responses are follow my lead / only if my beautiful wife leads – with the second option, Hana’s happy to lead, and they gain an audience. I don’t think there’s an option where they sneak away to talk before Sav approaches them. With LI Maxwell, he kisses MC and says (MC) always makes him happy, especially during special times like this.

Sav and MC walk away from the crowd to a quieter spot on the lawn and she hugs MC, thanking her for all the help to make sure the day went off without a (massive) hitch. MC can either take the subtle route about the pregnancy test or outright ask Sav if she’s pregnant – subtle method Sav’s a little confused when MC mentions a baby, thinking she’s talking about Bartie. Then Sav admits she took the pregnancy test, but it was negative. No holds barred version? Sav admits the negative test is hers and asks MC not to tell Bertrand because he’ll fuss, even though there’s nothing to fuss over because he’d go into a panic over the mere idea of a second child (when he’s just getting used to having one). WELL WHO’S FAULT IS THAT, HONORARY SIL?! MC *FINALLY* puts it together that if Sav’s test was the negative one, Madeleine was wrong and—

WE. ARE. PREGNANT.

NOTES: Not much to add to the recap this week, other than the stupidity of why it was necessary to go poking around the other ladies to find out if anyone else was pregnant. It’s obviously still pretty early in the first trimester if MC’s experiencing morning sickness, so (personally) I’d pull my Queen card and order Madeleine to go into town and buy another damn test so they don’t have to stir up gossip by asking “are you pregnant” to everyone else. I get that this was a way to rule it out in terms of the plot, but I don’t like it.

I’m wary of Bertrand and Maxwell’s father when they get back to Cordonia, because I know he’s going to buddy up with Godfrey all over again, possibly try to strong arm his way onto the council (or heavily influence Maxwell when it comes time to making decisions). Given what Barto and Godfrey were discussing in the Beaumont flashback, I get an icky feeling. We’ll have to wait and see. 

I DO like the little touches they added to remind us of lines/scenes from TRR – that dancing responses, the way the group responds to dancing together, etc. They’re nice reminders of the series we all fell in love with, without being too saccharine. And I’ll admit, the small moments where we see Sav, Bertrand, and Bartie as a family make me hate this entire front half of Book 1 a little less. I think a lot of it could’ve been cut/worked around to make more room for an MC/LI-centric storyline, but that’s neither here nor there. This is the book we got, and we’ve been playing it. I just hope we can hurry up and head back to Cordonia so Liam can do some actual kinging and MC can 1) do some duchessing/queening 2) break the news about being pregnant in the best way possible.

OH. YO. Are we stuck on the ranch for another chapter? Because Olivia mentioned that her gift - whatever this gift is that would include knives - would get there in time for the wedding AND WE HAVEN’T SEEN IT. 

Tag List: @ao719 @aworldoffandoms @burnsoslow @dcbbw @feisty-mary @gibbles82 @itsstillnotwhatyouthink @lolablackwrites @queenmiranda-01 @riseandshinelittleblossom @saivilo @thecordoniandiaries @the-everlasting-dream @the-soot-sprite @walkerismychoice @katedrakeohd @blackcatkita @custaroonie

[beanfic]

New Roommates-Ch.2

Word count: 1838

Warnings: Talk of parental death & language 

Author’s note: Here is chapter 2 of my YouAU for Kansas’ writing challenge! As a reminder, this series is in first person from MY perspective so it is not a reader insert fic, but I hope you still enjoy it! :)

I felt strange right as I stepped foot into my new bedroom. It was still hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I have officially moved out and moved in with strangers I met off the internet. 

My suitcases sat in front of me. It seemed as if they were mocking me. I knew I should start unpacking but I could slowly feel myself getting more and more anxious. I stood up from the bed that the movers had installed and stretched my arms. Maybe if I had some company I would be able to unpack quicker and stay motivated. 

I opened my bedroom door and peeked my head out. I could hear Kae’s voice in the kitchen, and that was exactly who I needed to help me. Usually, I felt anxious around people who I do not know, but they made me feel so comfortable, it was nice. 

“Hey Kae! Do you want to help me unpack? I felt like it could be an easy bonding experience,” I joked as I walked into the kitchen.

“Hell yeah!” They stood up from the stool and walked back to my bedroom with me. 

The next hour was spent with me explaining my past to Kae while folding, hanging, and putting away clothes. Kae was easy to talk too, but I also wanted to know more about them. 

“Looks like the clothes are all done!” Kae announced. I nodded and held my hand up for a high five. 

“Let’s make my bed next since I need to sleep in that tonight,” I chuckled. Kae and I grabbed both ends of the black sheets and tucked them over the mattress. 

“This comforter is so pretty!”

“Thank you! My mom got it for me as a moving out gift!” I smiled. The black and white striped comforter matched well with the white furniture that I had picked out. The colors I chose for the room were black, white, and rose gold! 

“This blanket is so soft,” Kae wrapped her body with a fluffy rose gold blanket you had found at target. 

“Right?”

“I think I might steal this.”

“Maybe I will just have to buy you your own!” I giggled.

“I can just buy myself one! Target trip!” Kae clapped excitedly once again. 

“Yes! I love target! That is where I got most of my rose gold decorations to go on my dresser and desk!” 

“I love it! Your room is so cute.”

“Thank you, Kae!” 

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation that we were having. I went over and opened it up to reveal Tyler. 

“Kae don’t you have work at 6?”

“Oh fuck!” they screamed. “I lost track of time! Sorry, Y/N, but I’ll be over lots!!” I waved goodbye to Kae who rushed out of my room. Tyler shut the door leaving me alone with my thoughts once again. I continued unpacking tiny nick-nacks that had sentimental value. Small, nostalgic memories flooded my brain everytime I picked up an item. 

I missed Oregon. I missed the trees, the rainstorms, the beach, the mountains. Columbus isn’t bad, it’s just not the same. 

The smell of a seasoned chicken being cooked in the oven wafted into my room, filling my nostrils. My mouth started to water, and my stomach began to rumble. I had such a hectic day that I really didn’t eat that much. I was starving. 

I opened the door and was greeted by Josh also coming out of his bedroom. His eyes matched with mine and we both just awkwardly stared at each other for a second too long. 

“Hey, Sav,” Josh broke the eye contact as he looked away. I blinked a few times. Why was that such an awkward encounter? 

“Hey, Josh. Why didn’t you help me move in?” I asked with a hint of sarcasm to my tone of voice so he knew that I wasn't actually upset. I even crossed my arms and leaned into my hip for added effect. 

“As the boys probably told you I was busy!”

“They said you were taking a nap?”

“Yeah, busy taking a fat nap.”

I rolled my eyes and walked away towards the scent of dinner. My heart started to speed up as I realized this would be my first dinner at my new apartment with my new roommates. 

“Hey, Sav! Good morning, Josh!” Mark teased as we both sat down at the counter. He was wearing an apron that had ‘Chef Mark” embroidered into it

“It smells delicious!” 

“Thank you! We are having rosemary lemon pepper chicken, asparagus, and mashed potatoes! It should be done in about five minuted and then you can help yourself!” Mark explained. 

I smiled towards him before turning around to see what Tyler was up to. He was sitting on the couch heavily involved in a Mario kart race. 

“Does he usually play alone?” I turned back around asking Mark and Josh, not wanting to disrupt Tyler.

“Usually when I am cooking, or when Josh is busy.” Mark put air quotes around the word busy. 

“Shuddup,” Josh mumbled. He was busy on his phone and I took a peek over. I recognized the app almost immediately. 

“You’re on tinder?” I practically laughed in his face. 

“Jesus,” Josh locked his phone and glanced up at me. “Why yes I am.”

“For some reason that surprises me.”

“Why?” Josh furrowed his brow.

“I don’t know, I feel like you could just find dates naturally.”

“Because I am naturally handsome?” Josh winked. 

“No,” I rolled my eyes once again. I quickly looked away from Josh once I started to feel my cheeks get warm. There was no way I was letting Josh see me getting flustered. Even though I did think he was naturally handsome and pretty, and cute. I had to stop. He was my roommate. 

“Dinner is ready!” Mark called out. I stood up from the stool and followed behind Josh. Tyler slowly made his way over to the kitchen from the couch.

“How is Mario kart going?” I asked him.

“Not too well, I keep on getting third and I am no third placer.”

“Doesn’t surprise me,” Josh laughed as he scooped a pile of potatoes onto his plate.

“You lose to me literally every single time we play, Josh. You have no place to talk.”

“I’m not as bad as Mark though.”

Mark looked up from his own plate with his mouth wide open, “You guys are just rude.”

I softly laughed to myself as the boys continued to bicker. It was probably going to be something I need to get used to. I grabbed a few pieces of chicken, asparagus, and a scoopful of mashed potatoes, it looked and smelled delicious. 

I noticed that all the boys hurried over to the couch with Josh and Mark planting down on the bean bags. I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to sit, as I wasn’t fully comfortable eating on a couch so I decided to walk over to the kitchen table. 

“Sav!” Tyler yelled as he turned around. “Come sit with us!” 

I smiled, “Okay.” I took a few deep breaths as I shuffled over and sat on the far left of the couch next to Tyler. The couch made a pfft sound as I lowered down into the cushions. 

“So, Sav, let’s use this as a bonding experience! Tell us more about yourself!” Mark asked. 

I shrugged my shoulders as I finished chewing a piece of chicken that I had in my mouth. “I don’t really know what you guys even want to know! I’m not interesting.”

“Let’s start why you moved to Ohio! You mentioned something about your grandma?”

“Oh yeah.” I rubbed my arm. “My grandma isn’t doing too well, she has stage 3 breast cancer, and my mom felt guilty that she was all the way in Oregon and not here helping her own mom.”

“So it’s your mom’s mom?” Tyler clarified.

I nodded, “Yeah, it’s just me and my mom. My Dad passed away when I was 11 from Leukemia.”

“I’m so sorry, Sav, I had no idea,” Tyler said softly. 

“That must have been really hard,” Josh chimed in. He looked up at me with his large chocolate eyes and I found myself getting lost in them. 

“It’s okay, it was such a long time ago but I still have those days where I miss him a lot.” I looked down at my plate, not wanting to be caught staring into Josh’s eyes. I don’t know what it is about him, but he just mesmerizes me when I look at him. 

“Let’s change the subject to something happier! You graduated college right?” Mark asked.

“Yeah, from Portland State University! I majored in Psychology but I can’t really do anything with that degree unless I go back to school for a masters program which is why I am hoping to make extra money from the photography job I found.”

“You already have a photography job?” Tyler asked.

“Yeah! I had an interview about a month ago, and I just found out last week I was hired!”

“What is it exactly?” Mark questioned. He was a videographer himself so he was also familiar with cameras. I was actually hoping he could give me some camera tips.

“I’m working with the Olentangy Local School District with photographing their sporting events!”

“That’s where my Mom worked!” Tyler laughed.

“Just sporting events?” Josh looked up from his meal with his left eyebrow raised.

“Yeah, why?”

“What about the band? Theatre? Choir? The arts?”

“That’s true,” Tyler agreed. 

“The sports are just more important I guess,” I shrugged and smirked over at Josh. “Plus I don’t get to choose what I photograph.”

“I think that’s exciting! I knew you liked to take pictures but I didn’t realize you were a photographer,” Mark announced.

“I wouldn’t call me a photographer, but thank you!”

“Can we see some of the photos that you have taken?” Josh asked. I was surprised that he wanted to see them out of all the boys, but it made me excited. 

“Sure, I have some of my favorites saved on my phone.” I pulled out my phone and opened it up to the album titles ‘favs’. I clicked on the first photo, which happened to be of the sunset at a beach with a couple holding hands. I handed my phone over to Josh and Tyler and Mark were quick to look over his shoulder.

“Sav, these are amazing!” Mark said.

I smiled, “Thank you!” It means a lot coming from Mark since he was really into cameras and all that sort of stuff. I still consider myself to be new to the photography world.

“Yeah, you’re super talented,” Josh whispered as he handed me the phone back. His fingers brushed against mine as I grabbed my phone. I quickly shoved my phone back into my sweatshirt pocket and looked away. A shiver ran down my spine.

************

Tag list: @takenvysleep @fromcalmto-ill @svintsandghosts @reginawashere15 @breadbinishigh @ohprettyweeper

[mystic-scripture]

Fanfic Stats Game

Oh god, I was tagged so long ago for this, I’m so sorry @missecharlotte​ for my delayed response/ action.  (Though we’ve talked recently, so you know why I’ve been so absent)

Author Name: MysticScriptures (and other variants) FFN :: https://www.fanfiction.net/~mysticscripture WP :: https://www.wattpad.com/user/mysticscripture

Fandoms You Write For: Published? Teen Wolf, Vampire Diaires, Riverdale, The Walking Dead, and Sons of Anarchy. In my drafts? The 100, Big Time Rush, Supernatural. In My HeAd? Too many haha. 

Where You Post: I have made and deleted account, being a purest for Wattpad or FFN for a while, now I do both. I like the format of Wattpad, but get better comments on FFN. 

Most Popular One-Shot: Most Popular One-Shot is probably actually a two shot that I wrote on Tumblr. It’s a Bucky x Reader fic Called What if it Wasn’t Fake? (Parts Found Here: 1, 2). I did it for a friend’s writing challenge, and it went really well. 

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: From what I’ve seen and looked into, I would say it’s my Teen Wolf Fic Feral Teens. It’s an Isaac x Oc story and It’s actually a rewrite from eons ago. I’m working on fully fleshing out some ideas and taking my time with the timeline. 

Favorite Story You Wrote: Oh geeze, it depends on when you ask, what I’m writing, and the mood I’m in. Currently, I’m going to say Feral Teens, mostly because that was the one I’ve written the most for. In it’s first iteration, I started at season two and got to the beginning of season 3B. So technically it was too books, because I separated it by season. 

Story You WereNervous to Post: Honestly? BTR, I feel ‘too old for it’ sometimes. However, the guys themselves are like two or three years older than me, soooo...whatever. haha. 

How Do You Pick Your Titles: I tend to go for a theme, or like a one liner that applies to the protagonist. Under My Skin (TWD) explains the dynamic between Sav and Daryl, Feral Teens is explaining that underneath the termoil of teens, there’s this wild thing inside them thanks to the added supernatural things. Stuff like that. 

Do You Outline: I have tried, and usually by the time I start writing, the story evolves way past the outline, so what I tend to do is I’ll watch the episode in question to get a feel for where my character would fit and then kind of roleplay it out in my head. I allow the character to take the wheel for a while and use what I know/ interpret from the canon to have others interact. 

How Many of Your Stories are complete: - The Only Fic I ever completed was the Original Feral Teens which was called Finding Me, Fixing You (and doesn’t exist anywhere anymore.)

In-Progress: - Transference (Riverdale, S1) - Rough Riding (SoA, S1) - The Girl Next Door (BTR, not really within the show timeline, but the canon) - Feral Teens (Teen Wolf S2) - The Silken Dagger (TVD S3)

Coming Soon: There are a lot, but I don’t have the creative flexibility to work on as many as that, but there are a few ocs that I miss, so we’ll see what happens next time I hit a writer’s block on one of the above. 

Do You Accept Prompts: I have been known to do some ficlets and stuff in the past, but not a lot. I save prompts and use them as writing warm-ups for myself. I like to be given challenges though so feel free to send me some! I have a tag for Prompts that people can find if they need inspiration. 

Upcoming Story You’re the Most Excited For: Honestly, the Girl Next Door, that is probably the fluffiest pic that I have worked on, and I just miss the btr boys so much haha. 

Tag Five Fanfic Authors to Answer These Questions:

@cassercole @whindsor @nightstorms-universes @darknightfrombeyond and @ceruleanmusings

[wokeuptired]

for the fourth year in a row, here is my annual list of fics to keep an eye out for in 2018! these are fics that i’ve seen around my dash lately, things that’ve popped up in the 1dff tag, or things that my friends have been talking about. these are things i am excited about, and i hope you’re excited for them too!

you can find my other rec lists (including 17 for 2017) here. (this year i am trying out a new format for this post. let me know what you think!)

below the cut you will find details and links for: 

kismet by @smilesandflowers 

i’ve found a real love by @booksncoffee 

only wish this year by @abejas-fic 

growing pains by @namelyniall 

habits of my heart by @paynethecreator 

forget where we were by @lifesbetterasamermaid 

vo’ke by @beggingforfics 

quarter life by @sweetglorification 

for you by @marisa-writes 

but oh, my heart still burns by @houseofbrokenhearts

two minutes out by @beggingforfics and @roselirry 

undercover martyn by @tomleighnson 

cold reads by @allywrites

no. 14 by @showingthroughtome

lightheaded by @sicknostalgia

oh, arizona by @harktheharold

way down we go by @goldbravado

i saw you (in a corridor) by @serotoninfics

1. kismet by smilesandflowers (niall, uni au, friends to lovers)

kayla’s new story is a uni au in which niall and loren can never seem to get the timing right. timing is my favorite antagonist in romance, because it’s so difficult to foil. let’s see if niall and loren can do it.

2. i’ve found a real love by booksncoffee (niall, au, reunion, holiday)

eriza never fails to come through with the sweetest stories, and this seasonal mini fic is sure to be no exception. it’s been a year since niall broke francine’s heart and disappeared, so she isn’t really eager to see him again. but because eriza loves angst, that’s exactly what happens.

3. only wish this year by abejas-fic (niall, holiday, reunion, au)

if you’re new to fic (i feel like a grandma, ugh) then you might not know about brianne, who is one of this community’s most reliable writers. brianne is the kind of writer where you’re like, “oh i’m just gonna read the beginning of this to get a feel for it so i can write a quick lil paragraph on it” and then you end up reading the whole thing and crying into your oatmeal because when are you going to meet a boy who will bring you daily starbucks and have his mum knit you a sweater??? 

4. growing pains by namelyniall (niall, au, reunion)

niall is back in town and claire is on a break from university, and things happen. like too much alcohol and bed sharing and unwanted feelings. cute, cute, cute.

5. habits of my heart by paynethecreator (harry, au, flatmates, friends to lovers)

i have been watching dana grow as a writer for at least two years (grandma) and i am so excited to be able to continue watching that journey. this fic was on my list last year, but life happens and now the first several chapters are up, so it has earned a spot on the list again. read it.

6. forget where we were by lifesbetterasamermaid (niall, au)

if y’all haven’t read sav’s writing, you are missing out on some of the most poetic stuff around. also, i literally check ben howard’s social medias once a week to see when he’s releasing new music, and this fic is filling a void for me right now. 

7. vo’ke by beggingforfics (harry, au, supernatural)

i have it on good authority (aka hannah told me) that 2018 will be the year she finishes vo’ke. i have no doubt that this one is a masterpiece, y’all. no doubt. (if you’re unfamiliar with the story, it involves native american lore, wolves, and harry’s pov.

8. quarter life by sweetglorification (harry, au, friends to lovers??)

if you haven’t read this harry-as-a-teacher au yet, where have you been? the harry in this story is unlike every other harry i’ve encountered, and i think it’s because he isn’t perfect or deified. he’s real. which makes for a wonderful and magical and intriguing story.

9. for you by marisa-writes (liam, fwb)

marisa’s writing seeps into your soul and absorbs you and makes you feel things. this one-shot, about liam and his increasingly complex friends-with-benefits relationship with sonya, is no exception. 

10. but oh, my heart still burns by houseofbrokenhearts (niall, au, childhood friends)

nic is a quiet genius and this fic proves it. i have never seen “life is strange,” which is the movie this story is inspired by, but the summary suggests time travel. so far, there’s flashbacks and flawless writing and if you haven’t checked this one out yet, what are you doing?

11. two minutes out by beggingforfics and roselirry (harry, au) 

the tinder au we have all been waiting for. aka living, minus the cheesy happy ending part. having read the first chapter of this, i can tell you that it’s hilarious and heartfelt and perfect. be excited.

12. undercover martyn by tomleighnson (harry, ou)

i’m not gonna lie, the title made me assume this was a spy fic. and then google told me this is a song by two door cinema club and now i understand that this fic is an ou about a nerdy girl who loves theater and is best friends with zayn, which is how she meets pop star harry, who is a romcom expert. if that sentence is confusing, you should probably just read the story.

13. cold reads by allywrites (harry, ou, fake dating)

this is a coming-in-2018 ou mini-fic about francesca, hollywood’s hottest young actress, and harry, who’s done the singing thing and the acting thing and now wants to try his hand at directing. also, fake dating. 

14. no. 14 by showingthroughtome (harry, au, enemies to lovers)

in this story, stevi and harry are classical musicians (stevi on piano, harry on violin) who end up working together. stevi has writer’s block and harry has a superiority complex, and y’all know you love grouchy harry. (yes, this is number 14 on the list. yes, i did that on purpose.) 

15. lightheaded by sicknostalgia (harry, au, friends to lovers)

i will recommend this fic forever because i can guarantee you haven’t read anything like it. in fic we tend to write about problems that are monumental and heartbreaking, and those problems tend to get resolved one way or another—but sometimes, in real life, problems can’t be resolved. sometimes you have to learn to live with them. that’s one of the things this story is about, and sunny writes it so wonderfully.

16. oh, arizona by harktheharold (harry, ou, enemies to lovers)

the premise of this story is similar to that thing where you’re sure something’s wrong with you but as soon as you walk into the doctor’s office and sit down on the metal table, the thing that you thought was wrong with you disappears. in oh, arizona, dylan is sure that harry styles is the worst person to walk planet earth, except everyone loves harry and every time he’s around her, he acts like an absolute angel. 

17. way down we go by goldbravado (harry, au, holidays)

this is a hating game au and if that weren’t enough to entice you, you can imagine kaleo singing the title to you every time you read it. icelandic men singing my thoughts is a thing i never knew i wanted until now. anyway, this story is wonderful and you should read it.

18. i saw you (in a corridor) by serotoninfics (harry, ou)

anna wants to be a highly respected musician, which means she probably shouldn’t be hanging out with boybander harry styles. the aesthetic for this fic is so cool and the writing is so strong and el is wonderful and it’s a good thing this is the last story on this list because i’ve clearly run out of original adjectives.

[atanes-universe]

Sav`s Universe/ Chapter 2: Ikarus

First page Chapter 1: Prelude

First page Chapter 2/ <previous/ next>

[huntersmyflashlight]

I Want Crazy (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction)- Chapter 2- We’ve Arrived

*The Next Day

"Ms. Belmont we are just minutes away from your new home" Colton said quietly, waking both Savannah and Amelia. They had driven through the night to make an early arrival to their new home. The 13 hours just in the car alone- not to mention the numerous stops- had Savannah exhausted. She sat up and looked in the mirror making sure her appearance was okay. Her brunette hair was still perfectly in small ringlets, as always. She opened her makeup bag and reapplied a small amount of mascara and eye shadow, topping off her refreshed look with some lip gloss.

Nervous about what her new home was going to look like, she rolled down the window to take a peek. After taking one whiff, she knew it was going to be a long year. It's definitely not Manhattan she thought. She poked her head out of the window and to her surprise she was greeted by a bunch of paparazzi. "What are they doing here?" she practically yelled. Back in New York, Savannah had gotten used to the constant photographers snapping her photos at parties. But, she was definitely not expecting them to be here, in the middle of nowhere. She could feel a headache coming on from the long drive and the startling flashes.

"Wait, that's not Hunter," One of them screamed over the crowd.

"It's just some girl!" Another one yelled.

"Just some girl? Yeah right, I'm one of a kind. I'm Savannah Belmont" She spoke under her breath as they began to disperse. She quickly rolled up her window. Not just the papas were getting to her but the smell wasn't helping. She saw the house in front of her and asked "Is that our house?"

"Actually, that's the neighbor's house, that one is ours," Her mom said pointing at the house further down the road. She looked at it and saw it was an unpleasant yellow, medium size house. It was nothing like the one back home. At least it had a wraparound porch and balcony. Plus a lot of land. Except with that land came animals. Lots of stinky animals. They were pretty secluded out here. There wasn't much but the lush green ground and some trees spread out over miles. Other than their new house and the one across the way, there were no other houses in sight. Savannah thought about what her mom said earlier. Was it possible that she actually lived by a celebrity? Why else would there be paparazzi's in the middle of nowhere? Despite the ugly color house, living by a celebrity was not in the plans, but it would have to do.

As the limo halted to a stop, Savannah took a deep breath in and opened the door. She was just about to walk inside until she saw a figure emerging.

"I guess we get to meet the neighbor now," Savannah said to her mom. She took one look at her and thought that she couldn't possibly be someone famous. Well there went that dream.

"Sav, be nice" Amelia warned, as if she knew what Savannah was thinking.

"Hello, you must be the new neighbors," She said, pointing out the obvious Sav thought. "My name is Lynette. My husband's name is Leo, he should be here later tonight."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Amelia and this is my daughter Savannah."

"What's with the papas? Do they come often?" Savannah asked rudely. More for her sanity than pure curiosity.

"No, but they heard my son was on his way home today, and I guess with the limo they thought it was him. Quite a classy ride out here in the countryside," Lynette commented.

Savannah's mom looked at her again knowing her daughter all too well. Savannah decided to keep her mouth shut. That answered her question as to who Hunter was, not that she cared. Savannah looked at Lynette as she began to speak again. Savannah decided she should probably give her a chance, after all they were going to be next door neighbors for the next year.

"Savannah how old are you?" Lynette asked.

"Eighteen, almost nineteen in September" Savannah said trying to sound interested.

"Oh, my son is almost twenty-one. Maybe if you're not busy later he can show you around?" Lynette suggested keeping her pleasant tone. "The summer nights here are beautiful and the perfect temperature. I just love sitting outside on the front porch and listening to all the different sounds."

"Oh that would be lovely," Amelia cheered. "Wouldn't it Sav?" Amelia asked, looking at her daughter with pleading eyes to be nice.

"Ummm yeah" Savannah said, putting on her best fake smile. She was trying. She knew Lynette didn't deserve to be treated rudely, she was just trying to be a friendly neighbor, and the only neighbor in Savannah's case.

"Perfect." Lynette was thrilled. She was just about to turn and leave but she opened her mouth one more time, "When Hunter gets here, I'll send him over!"

And with that Lynette was off. Savannah watched as Lynette walked down the path and headed back to her house. She looked at her mom with the 'I'm going to kill you face'.

But, her mother looked right back and warned, "Sav, you better give this boy a chance."

"Oh of course I will mother, after all he is famous" She said deviously, pivoting around and walking into the house.

August 14th, 2012

Dear Diary, Today I met my new neighbor. Well, one of the new neighbors. Her name is Lynette. She seemed really kind. And it just so happens that her son is famous. She seems like one of those kind-hearted but strict moms that is there to make sure her son doesn't get sucked into the fame. I guess you could call that sweet. We just arrived at our new home but, it's pretty much completely empty except for my new furniture. I sat on the bed when I first got here just to make sure it would be suitable. It was. The rest of our things are supposed to be here in a few hours. But, if you ask me, they usually take longer.

After I met the neighbor and saw the reaction my mom had, I concluded that I was being sort of bitchy. I guess you could say that I get that a lot. I don't mean to be, but that's just how I had to act at school to get things done. I guess it sort of took on a life of its own. Don't get me wrong, I'm not always a total self-centered bitch but, I didn't get much rest and I still am not happy about this move. But, I definitely could work on my attitude a bit for my mom's sake. And Lynette was very kind to come and greet us with open arms. And what she said about the summer nights does sound perfect. All that I could hear in Manhattan sitting on my balcony was rushing cars and the night life. Oh how I'm going to miss the parties back home. But, I guess a break from the city wouldn't be so bad after all. Sure, I am going to miss out on my Ivy League dreams, but college can wait another year. Except it does put me behind everyone who just graduated with me... Luckily for me Vanderbilt University is accepting late applications. My mom agreed to let me skip a year of college if that was what I really wanted to do. And Columbia would still be there next year. So now I get to enjoy my time by attending to our farm. Yeah, that's right I said farm! But, don't get me started on that, I think we should save that for another time.

Savannah closed her journal and laid on her bed, her eyes slowing drifting shut.

[margdarsanme]

NCERT Class 11 Political Science Chapter 10 The Philosophy of the Constitution

NCERT Class 11 Political Science Indian Constitution at Work Chapter 10 The Philosophy of the Constitution

Class 11 Political Science Chapter 10 NCERT Textbook Questions Solved

Question 1.The following are certain laws. Are they connected with any value? If yes, then what is the underlying value? Give reasons.(a) Both daughters and sons will have share in the family property.(b) There will be different slabs of sales tax on different consumer items.(c) Religious instructions will not be given in any government school.(d) There shall be no begar or forced labour.Answer:(a) It is connected with the value of ‘social justice’ under the right to equality, no one can be discriminated on the ground of colour, race, religion or sex, etc.(b) It is based on the principle of utility of different items only, it comes under economic justice.(c) It is concerned with the secularism.(d) It also refers to social justice, not to be discriminated on any grounds except capability.

Question 2.Which of the options given below cannot be used to complete the following statement? Democratic countries need a constitution to:(i) Check the power of the government.(ii) Protect minorities from majority.(iii) Bring independence from colonial rule.(iv) Ensure that a long-term vision is not lost by momentary passions.(v) Bring social change in peaceful manner.Answer:(iii) Bring independence from colonial rule.

Question 3.The following are different positions about reading and understanding Constituent Assembly debates.(i) Which of these statements argues that Constituent Assembly debates are relevant even today? Which statement says that they are not relevant?(ii) With which of these positions do you agree and why?

Common people are too busy in earning livelihood and meeting different pressures of life. They can’t understand the legal language of these debates.

The conditions and challenges today are different from the time when the Constitution was made. To read the ideas of Constitution makers and use them for our new times is trying to bring past in the present

Our ways of understanding the world and the present challenges have not changed totally. Constituent Assembly debates can provide us reasons why certain practices are important. In a period when constitutional practices are being challenged, not knowing the reasons can destroy them.

Answer:(i) This statement shows relevancy today.This statement is not relevant today.It states that these are relevant even today.

(ii) Yes, I agree because it is necessary to understand and interpret the variousarticles which contain a lot of legal terms, not to be easily comprehended.Yes, again I agree because the constitution has been amended more than 100 times till date.Yes, I agree with this position also because the most important challenges have not been changed still.

Question 4.Explain the difference between the Indian Constitution and western ideas in the light of(a) Understanding of secularism.(b) Articles 370 and 371.(c) Affirmative action.(d) Universal adult franchise.Answer:(a) Understanding of secularism:

The western ideas of secular states treat religion as a private matter which is not given either public or official recognition.

In India, all religions are given equal status to be honoured and the state could also help the religious communities in the form of educational aid to institutions run by them.

(b) Article 370 and 371:

Unlike the constitutional symmetry of American federalism, Indian federalism has been constitutionally asymmetric.

The accession of Jammu and Kashmir was based on the commitment to safeguard its autonomy, which is governed by its own constitution under Article 370.

The privileges of special status were accorded to the North-Eastern states under Article 371(A).

(c) Affirmative action:

In reference of America, where the constitution was written in 18th century, finds itself unable to be accommodated with the values and standard of 21st century.

Whereas the constitution makers of India structured the constitution in such a manner to be amended as per needs and aspirations of society without violating its basic structure.

Constitution of India is democratic, liberal, secular and federal, etc. to maintain unity and integrity of India.

(d) Universal adult franchise:In the western democracies the right to vote has been recently extended to women, but India exercises this from the very beginning without any discrimination.

Question 5.Which of the following principles of secularism are adopted in the Constitution of India?(a) that state will have nothing to do with religion(b) that state will have close relation with religion(c) that state can discriminate among religions(d) that state will recognize rights of religious groups(e) that state will have limited powers to intervene in affairs of religionsAnswer:(a) that state will have nothing to do with religion(d) that state will recognize rights of religious groups(e) that state will have limited powers to intervene in affairs of religions Q6. Match the

Question 6.Match the following:

(a) Freedom to criticize treatment of widows1. Substantive achievement(b) Taking decisions in the constituent assembly on the basis of reason, not self interest2. Procedural achievement(c) Accepting importance of community in an individual’s life3. Neglect of gender justice(d) Article 370 and 3714. Liberal individualism(e) Unequal rights to women regarding family property and children5. Attention to requirements of a particular region

Answer:(a)—(2)(b)—(1)(c)—(4)(d)—(5)(e)—(3)

Question 7.This discussion was taking place in a class. Read the various arguments and state which of these do you agree with and why.Jayesh: I still think that our Constitution is only a borrowed document.Saba: Do you mean to sav that there is nothing Indian in it? But is there such a thing as Indian and western in the case of values and ideas? Take equality between men and women. What is western about it? And even if it is, should we reject it only because it is western?Jayesh: What I mean is that after fighting for independence from the British, did we not adopt their system of parliamentary government?Neha: You forget that when we fought the British, we were not against the British as such, we were against the principle of colonialism. That has nothing to do with adopting a system of government that we wanted, wherever it came from.Answer:

Jayesh senses that there is nothing original in the Constitution of India because many provisions have been borrowed from the Constitution of other countries or from Government of India Act, 1935.

Saba argues that there are similarity in the case of values and ideas and no difference is there on equality of men and women. Hence it is not the reason to reject it.

Again Jayesh argued not to follow the British policies after independence.

Neha countered him that our national movement was not against the British, but it was against the principle of colonialism. Hence, we may adopt the goodness of any entity if it suits us.Conclusion-It may be concluded that there is nothing wrong in borrowing the provisions from other countries as per suitability.

Question 8.Why is it said that the making of the Indian Constitution was unrepresentative? Does that make the Constitution unrepresentative? Give reasons for your answer.Answer:

The Constitution of India was framed in November 1946 through indirect election of its members by provincial legislatures under the provisions of Cabinet Mission Plan 1946.

The Assembly consisted of 389 members out of which 292 were to be elected from the provinces, 93 were to be nominated from princely states and four members were to be nominated from Chief Commissioner’s areas.

Each provincial Assembly elected its own members through single transferable vote system.

 Due to declaration of partition in June 1947 under Mount batten Plan, this membership reduced to 299 and finally 28 4 members signed on the constitution on 26 November, 1949.

On August 15, 1947, the Constituent Assembly functioned as a sovereign entity but it is considered unrepresentative because its members were chosen by restricted franchise in place of universal suffrage.

But Constituent Assembly included the members from each and every section of society to be represented and on a thorough reading, we may find that no section is untouched on the various issues and opinions.

Question 9.One of the limitations of the Constitution of India is that it does not adequately attend to gender justice. What evidence can you give to substantiate this charge? If you were writing the Constitution today, what provisions would you recommend for remedying this limitation?Answer:On the social conditions, there may be very controversial matters which may need careful revision:

Most important issue is gender justice, particularly within the family.

Women enjoy unequal rights on property inheritance and children.

Equal pay for equal work for both men and women has been inserted in the directive principles in place of Fundamental Rights.

My recommendation:

The empowerment of women.

To make provisions for inheritance of property in favour of women on equal basis. (Hi) To make provisions for reservations of seats.

Question 10.Do you agree with the statement that “it is not clear why in a poor developing country, certain basic socio-economic rights were relegated to the section on Directive Principles rather than made an integral feature of our Fundamental Rights”? Give reasons for your answer. What do you think are the possible reasons for putting socio-economic rights in the section on Directive Principles?Answer:Directive Principles of state policy focus on the need of an egalitarian society:

These principles are complementary to fundamental rights because fundamental rights ensure the political democracy while these principles aim at social-economic democracy.

Fundamental rights are justiciable or protected by law where directive principles are moral values supposed to be followed by the government.

Hence, in a poor country, certain basic social-economic rights were inserted in directive principles rather than making it in the fundamental rights.

Our country was so poor at that time, when it was not possible to give much pressure on the states for socio-economic moral values.

Under Article 37 of Constitution, “It shall be the duty of the state to apply these principles in making laws”.

If any government overlooks these, it will lose confidence of people and cannot remain in power.

Class 11 Political Science Chapter 10 NCERT Extra Questions Solved

Class 11 Political Science Chapter 10 NCERT Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.Which rights are considered as a part of individual freedom?Answer:

Right to life

Equal access to public places

Freedom of speech and expressions

Freedom of religion and faith

Question 2.What are the main two streams of liberalism of India?Answer:

Raja Ram Mohan Roy emphasized on individual rights especially for women.

Swami Vivekanand emphasized on social justice.

Question 3.What is ‘Secularism’?Answer:Secularism means state honours all the religions on equal basis

Question 4.What is meant by ‘mutual exclusion’ in secularism?Answer:Mutual exclusion in secularism means that religion and state must be strictly separated.

Question 5.Why do we need constitution?Answer:

To provide a framework, within which the government has to work.

It demarcates between the powers of different organs of government to minimise the disputes.

It controls the misuse of power by government.

To safeguard Fundamental Rights of citizens.

Question 6.Write the main features of Constitution of India.Answer:

It establishes a sovereign, democratic, republic in India.

It establishes a parliamentary form of government (Bi-cameral legislatures).

It provides fundamental rights and fundamental duties of the citizens.

It establishes a secular state.

Question 7.‘India is a union of states’. Justify the statement.Answer:India is a union of states in the following sense:

Through the various lists union, state and concurrent lists, the powers have been distributed between the central and state government.

The Constitution of India is a written document consisting the details concerning the union government and state government.

Question 8.Mention four ideals to be embodied in the preamble of constitution.Answer:

Every citizen of India will have social, political and economic justice.

Every citizen will have the liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.

Every citizen will be provided equality of status and opportunity.

Fraternity to assure dignity of the individual and integrity of the nation.

Class 11 Political Science Chapter 10 NCERT Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.Is India a secular state? Why do we need a secular country in modern times?Answer:Yes, India is a secular state because:

India has no religion of its own.

Under Article 25 to 28, the right to freedom of religion has been granted to all the persons residing in India.

All persons in India are equally free to progress, practicise or propagate the religion of their own choices.

Secular state is must in modern times because:

It opposes to intra-religious domination.

To value peace, religion and state must be kept separate.

It promotes freedom within religions.

Question 2.How can we say that Constitution of India pays equal respect to different communities?Answer:Every community wants to dominate the other community if they are not given the equal relationship by the state:

It was a great challenge before the constitution makers to foster a sense of equal respect in the conditions of hierarchy or intense rivalry.

India is a land of multiple cultural communities to ensure community-based right to be mandatory.

Hence, fundamental rights of religious communities to establish and run their own educational institutions as well as to receive money from the government for the same.

Question 3.Mention some unique feature of Constitution of India.Answer:

It is the written and lengthiest one to have 395 Articles and 12 schedules.

It is federal in form but unitary in spirit.

Constitution of India has a provision of six fundamental rights to ensure political democracy.

It has provisions for directive principles of state policy also to ensure socio-economic justice.

It is a blend of flexibility and rigidity both to be amended from time to time.

By 42nd amendment 10 fundamental duties have also been inserted.

Class 11 Political Science Chapter 10 NCERT Passage Based Questions

Passage 1.Read the passage (NCERT Textbook, page 227) given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:

The liberalism of the Indian Constitution differs from this version in two ways. First, it was always linked to social justice. The best example of this is the provision for reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Constitution. The makers of the Constitution believed that the mere granting of the right to equality was not enough to overcome age-old injustices suffered by these groups or to give real meaning to their right to vote. Special constitutional measures were required to advance their interests. Therefore, the constitution makers provided a number of special measures to protect the interests of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes such as the reservation of seats in legislatures. The Constitution also made it possible for the government to reserve public sector jobs for these groups.

Questions:1. How is the liberalism of Indian Constitution differed?2. Who has been given the reservation by Constitution?3. What other provision was also made for these groups to protect their interests?Answers:1. Because it is linked to the social justice.

2. The SC’s and ST’s.

3. To reserve public sector jobs for these groups.

Passage 2.Read the passage (NCERT Textbook, page 226) given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:

It is not surprising therefore that freedom of expression is an integral part of the Indian Constitution. So is the freedom from arbitrary arrest. After all, the infamous Rowlatt Act, which the national movement opposed so vehemently, sought to deny this basic freedom. These and other individual freedoms such as freedom of conscience are part of the liberal ideology. On this basis, we can say that the Indian Constitution has a pretty strong liberal character. In the chapter on fundamental rights we have already seen how the Constitution values individual freedom. It might be recalled that for over forty years before the adoption of the Constitution, every single resolution, scheme, bill and report of the Indian National Congress mentioned individual rights, not just in passing but as a non-negotiable value.

Questions:1. What is an integral part of constitution?2. Which act denied the freedom of expression?3. Which were the non-negotiable values as per Indian national congress?Answers:1. Freedom of Expression.

2. The Rowlatt Act (1919)

3. Individual rights only.

Class 11 Political Science Chapter 10 NCERT Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.Define duty. What are the fundamental duties given in the Constitution of India?Answer:Duty is a positive or negative work that one is assigned to do either one likes or not. Hence 10 fundamental duties have been inserted in the Constitution of India:

To obtain by the constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, i.e. National Flag and National Anthem.

To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired national struggle for freedom. To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of nation.

To defend the country and national service to be rendered if required.

To promote harmony and the spirit of brotherhood and to renounce practices derogatory to women.

To value and preserve the rich heritage of India.

To protect and improve the natural environment and have compassion for living creatures.

To develop scientific temper, humanism and spirit of inquiry and reform.

To safeguard public property and to adjure violence.

To strive towards excellence to rise the nation at the constant highest level of achievements.

Class 11 Political Science Chapter 7 NCERT Picture-Based Questions

1. Read the cartoon (NCERT Textbook, page 225) given below and answer the questions that follow:

Questions:1. What does the cartoon represent?2. Who is playing the role of ‘Umpire’?3. Why democracy has been referred to as umpire?Answers:1. Cartoon represents the different groups and sections playing together.

2. Democracy is playing the role of ‘Umpire’.

3. Democracy refers to the involvement of people. Hence everyone has been given the due representation in the Constitution to avoid conflicts together.

from Blogger http://www.margdarsan.com/2020/09/ncert-class-11-political-science.html

[atanes-universe]

Sav`s Universe/ Chapter 2: Ikarus

First page Chapter 1: Prelude

First page Chapter 2/ <previous/ next> Hello there. It´s about time this blog comes back to life. I´ve prepared all the pages for this current chapter and also started scripting the next one. This means I´m back with my usual post schedule of two pages every two weeks.

[atanes-universe]

Sav`s Universe/ Chapter 2: Ikarus

First page Chapter 1: Prelude

First page Chapter 2/ <previous/ next>