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aurabird · 3 years ago

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For All It’s Worth

Legend tells of a great war between two stags and their champions. Scott is the reincarnation of Aeor's champion, Alinar; but the reincarnation of Exor's champion, Connel, remains unknown to him.

He doesn't think he'll ever get the chance when crystalline corruption consumes the Empires he has come to know for centuries and leave only him and two others the sole survivors of the land.

That is when strangers come from worlds beyond his own, one such individual offering to use demigod-like powers to save them all.

But with this plan comes consequence, and with that consequence comes prophecy.

Inspired by @phoenixfyrebird‘s crossover AU where 3rd Life is after Empires and is where Scott finally meets Exor’s champion

Ao3 Link

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For as long as Scott could remember, the twelve Empires had existed together; their rulers granted longevity of life and immortality from everything but old age due to ancient magic left behind by Gods when they banished a horrible corruption from the land centuries ago.

All elves knew the story, but Scott had only recently learned of the underlying prophecy that came with it. The reincarnations of Connel and Alinar would fight for their respective Gods in a battle for the fate of the world; and that failure to stop the evil of the former would lead to an eternal winter.

Scott knew that he was the reincarnation of Alinar but he had no idea who Connel was reborn as. He had suspicions of course; Fwhip's affinity for the crystalized redstone that corrupted whatever land was around it and Sausage's constant practicing of blood magic being the most likely in his mind, but so far they really didn't seem to give off 'reincarnation of a great evil' vibes, despite their chaotic and unhinged behavior.

Eras of war and peace came and went for them and, just when all twelve empires had found harmony, destruction arrived at their doorstep in a familiar form.

It was all an accident, but it claimed its cultivator first. Count Fwhip of the Grimlands had become infected and twisted by the very magic he studied until his own sister had to cut him down to save him from madness. Her kingdom fell shortly after along with that of the Undergrove and the Lost Empire.

Mezalea and the Ocean Empire were next to fall, the latter ruler sacrificing herself to save her husband. The Cod Empire where the heartbroken king settled was not spared, nor was the neighboring Mythland, whose ruler perished trying to help the Cod and Mezalian Kings. Pixandria's ruler went shortly thereafter, followed by those of Smallhold and House Blossom.

Rivendell was the only kingdom left unaffected, protected by the magic of Aeor. Twelve rulers had been reduced to a mere three in just a few months time, and even now the crystalline corruption had begun to creep closer, bypassing the protection of the elven kingdom.

Joel didn't want to die, for it was his wife's last wish that he survive.

Jimmy knew he had to live in order to keep the memories of the fallen alive

And Scott knew that as Aeor's champion, he could not surrender until the prophecy came to be

They would have to flee, leave everything they knew behind with nothing but what they could carry. Even then, though, the corruption would never slow, it would catch up to them eventually, it would consume everything in its path until nothing was left.

Still, they took their chances.

Several days they traveled, several days the corruption just followed them. Sometimes they'd get a few days of reprieve, others they barely had time to rest. While Scott himself could fly with his natural wings, Joel and Jimmy's elytras had long broken by this point and with no time to rest and repair them, they would be forced to walk from this point on.

It was a battle they knew they'd never win and the trio was well aware that they were on borrowed time, why bother running anymore?

But, that is when two purple rifts tore open nearby them, pulsating and hissing with magic unlike they'd ever seen. From these portals came people, eleven to be exact. Ten from one, and a single person from the other. They'd been told the stories and fables of worlds beyond their own, and these strangers couldn't have been from anywhere else with the entrances they made.

As it turned out, these strangers were the sole survivors of worlds that had faced destruction of their own. The first group, from a world they called Hermitcraft, had once housed twenty-six individuals; of them, only ten remained. When asked about the cause of their home's destruction, three of them had guilt flash across their faces.

Vengeful beings called Watchers had destroyed the world, punishment for the guilty trio's insolence. The avian in the red jumper was a Watcher himself once, but fled from them with the only two survivors of his original home, Evo. He used most of the power he had to open a portal and escape with the group behind him now.

As for the other, the man in a sleeveless and torn suit, he came from a world known as Legacy. He had not been there very long before Withers and the decay they brought with them consumed and torn it apart.

That was when the three former-kings shared their tale, lamenting that these individuals had only left behind two destroyed worlds in favor of what would soon be another. There was no escaping the crystalline corruption that inched closer and closer by the hour, it would consume them all in time.

However, there was a small ray of hope. The avian from Hermircraft explained that he had enough power left from his time as a Watcher to teleport them all far away from the corrupted lands and put up a barrier that would protect them should the corruption ever reach that far. It wasn't the most ideal scenario, but it was all they had. In agreement, the fourteen found themselves in an area protected within a 700 x 700 radius. Plenty of room to thrive, plenty of room to live...

...then they realized a fatal flaw.

The magic that brought them back upon death, Respawn Magic, as the world-jumpers had called it, was limited within such boundaries. The avian, Grian, deducted that there was only enough in the area to bring them all back twice. Three lives to live, they had to make them count.

It didn't take long for the universe to alert them to the next flaw. With the dwindling respawn magic came consequence; a slow decent into madness would come with each death. Those on their second life would grow paranoid, flighty, and hostile. Those on their last life became chaotic, aggressive, and bloodthirsty.

Collectively, they decided to call this curse by a fitting name:

3rd Life

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Scott and Jimmy had grown close in the journey prior to the current living accommodations the fourteen of them were faced with, and the two of them took up residence in a flower forest with Joel not too far off. Joel had been invited to live with them, but the former king could not bear to live with the now-lovers, heart still broken by the loss of his wife. Instead, he befriended wolves, living alone with his canine companions.

Hermitcrafts survivors scattered; Cleo, Bdubs, Impulse, and Tango in a castle, Scar and Grian now bound by debt settled in the desert, BigB lived on his own, and lastly Martyn, Ren, Etho and the one Legate survivor, Skizz, ran an enchanting business in the taiga.

Despite the lingering threats of limited respawn magic and the curse of death slowly leading to madness, things went relatively fine...until Scar fell into a ravine, costing him his first life.

After that, he became antagonistic and manipulative, getting whatever he wanted through fear from everyone he swindled...

...until he didn't. Ren didn't surrender to Scar's tyranny and remained defiant; something that cost the hybrid his first life, and the second ones of both Skizz and Jimmy. It also caused Ren to do something drastic, something that struck Scott with fear and realization.

Scott was present when Ren asked to be sacrificed by Martyn, as it was the only way to make him strong enough to bring about the Red Winter. At first, the elf had thought nothing of the words, but when Ren lifted his head and Scott saw the veins of corruption webbing across the hybrid's face, once-blue eyes now glowing red as blood and full of a lust for destruction and chaos, the pieces fell into place.

Despite everything Scott had not forgotten the prophecy he'd learned so long ago, and until that moment, he didn't expect to ever meet Exor's champion before dying to a fraying world. But before him stood the reincarnation of Connel, the harbinger of eternal winter.

That night, he confided the info and the prophecy to Jimmy and Joel, both of them in disbelief. They didn't get to talk about it much, however, before Ren and his Hand showed up and demanded tribute and sacrifice through threat and force.

Jimmy burned their banner in defiance and Scott's gaze met that of Ren, allowing him to see the realization that flashed in the Red King's eyes. He too, had made the connection; why else would he proceed to have Skizz to shoot Jimmy down in the desert when there were plenty of other targets? He wanted a reaction from Scott, he wanted to send a message.

Lives were taken, blood was spilled. Joel and Scott had been the hunters of Ren and Martyn at first, but now they were the hunted, pinned down in the crater of what had once been the desert. If the elf had any doubts about the hybrid's true identity before, they were gone now. Ren openly admitted to being Connel before lunching forwards with the intent to kill.

Scott heard the sound of a body being skewered onto metal, but upon opening his eyes he realized that it wasn't his body impaled on Ren's sword...it was Joel's.

"Run..." was the dying order given to him, and with a heavy heart Scott followed the command, making his way to the Crastle where he took refuge within the building's walls. That night, he told the tale, of the corruption and the eternal winter; of his destiny to stop Ren...no, Connel. He asked them to fight by his side in a final battle. They all agreed, they had vengeance in their hearts as well.

The battle of Dogwarts was brutal, crimson dying the water and staining the grass as it pooled from fallen bodies. Now, Scott faced Ren alone, the two of them the only survivors of their respective armies.

Like prophecy foretold they clashed, the reincarnations of Alinar and Connel fought with unyielding vigor, staining snow with blood as their weapons tore through flesh and arrows pierced through skin.

But only one of them would win, with a final cry full of anguish about those he'd lost, Scott drove his sword through Ren's heart. Exor's champion was dead, he had won.

The victory felt hollow to him; he was surrounded by bodies and had already buried countless more, he was the only one left in a fraying world and Scott could already see the crystalline corruption that'd taken everything from him already at the edges of the magical barrier. He was out of time...and there was still one life left to go.

After burring the bodies of the newly-fallen, ally and enemy alike, Scott made his way to the highest peak near Dogwarts...and let himself fall. His instinct told him to catch himself and fly, but he didn't listen, only welcomed the air blowing past his face.

A sickening crack...agonizing pain as bones shattered...and then blissful darkness.

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Darkness...

Light...?

Scott's eyelids flickered open, light and color filling them as he looked at the sky from between the thick canopy of the jungle...

Wait, jungle?

He jolted up as the gears began to turn. He knew this place, but the last time he'd seen it, it was corrupted by red crystals and the colors of everything were far more vibrant compared to the muted shades they were now.

"There you are! I was wondering when you were going to show up!"

Scott's blood went cold at the voice...the last time he'd heard it was...

The elf dared to turn around, his heart skipping a beat at who he saw before him.

Dressed in his Codfather attire, stood Jimmy with a goofy grin on his face. Behind him, the rest of those that had ruled empires lost to corruption so, so long ago. "J-Jimmy? Guys? Where are...?"

Jimmy extended a hand and spoke "This is it, this is the end."

"Is it...home?"

"It's home, Scott. It's home."

#empires smp #empiresblr #3rd life x empires #3rd life smp #scott smajor #dangthatsalongname #smajor1995 #smallishbeans #jimmy solidarity #solidaritygaming #rendog #My writing

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ad1thi · 4 years ago

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2020 fic recs!! [Part 1]

this idea was stolen from @iam93percentstardust cuz i just,,,thought that this year was absolute shit and it would be nice to make a fic rec list of fics from this year that helped me through it. this will be over a range of fandoms and ships, but all fics were written this year.

fics are ordered by the month they were published. ive tried to keep to five fics per month, but this is not obviously all the fics ive read that month - i just didn’t want to make this insanely long.

im releasing the first half of this on the 1st of December, and the second half on the 1st of January 2021 - because otherwise it would just get so long (and also so i will actually have fics for December)

happy reading!! hopefully you find fics on this you haven’t read yet

***

January

The cat is mighty dignified (until the dog comes by): @five-wow

Steve and Danny find them on the pillow in the corner of the dining area, where Eddie is on his side, ass half on the floor because the pillow is more cat-sized than lab-sized, and Pickles is nestled between Eddie’s front legs, essentially being spooned and looking very I-got-the-cream about it. Pickles’ head is tucked into the crook of Eddie’s neck and Eddie’s head slots perfectly on top of Mr. Pickles’, like a furry jigsaw puzzle.

“They’re cuddling,” Steve points out, unnecessarily.

Or: There is a love story unfolding under the McGarrett roof.

Captain ‘Socialist Rage Muffin’ America: @baffledkingcomposinghallelujah

It takes three months of dating Steve Rogers for Tony to understand why Aunt Peggy once shot at him in sheer frustration.

Alternately titled, Honey, I committed treason again.

The Best Laid Plans (Of Mice and Men): @arboreal-elm-ash-oak

His Dark Materials AU

It was Annalise who noticed their small visitor first.

“Tony,” the spider daemon said softly, skittering up the collar of his dress shirt, two of her eight legs resting delicately against his cheek, “Don’t startle them, but I believe we have a guest. Look, by the coffee table.”

Fourteen Million to One: @tunastorks

Six months after Thanos, six months after Tony’s death, six months after Steve returns to his own timeline, Tony Stark turns up on their doorstep.

Brewed Awakening: @iam93percentstardust

Two years after he comes out of the ice, Steve is drifting through life. On his teammate's recommendation, he decides to go back to school where he meets the grandson of an old friend. He finds happiness with Tony but Steve won't be in Boston forever and someone is out to hurt the Starks. Will Steve and Tony be able to reach their happily ever after?

February

the young, the reckless and the foolish: @bruciewayne

In most universes, they don't know each other, not in the slightest, or they hate each other, in a way that's perfectly logical for anyone who were to find themselves in a similar situation.

In this one, they've known each other since they were four years old and naively idealistic.

This is them over the years, against the odds.

a giant sign: @areiton

“Think you can get him to open the weapons division up again?” his CO asks, his voice hungry and Rhodey laughs because this--

“No. Tony hung up his weapons.”

“That’s not what the suit says,” his CO objects, and Rhodey shrugs.

Tony has always had rules, rules he expects the entire world to live by.

And then there was Rhodey, slipping under them.

my heart is driftwood, floating down your coast: @nethandrake

Tonight, there’s a stranger in his backseat. That’s not unusual.

He’s also sad. That’s not unusual either.

What is unusual is that the stranger is silent.

(One night, a stranger enters Steve's taxi. Nothing is the same again.)

Just A Cold: @/delighted

There’s a new text waiting for him. It’s from Steve of course, and it’s vaguely threatening as most messages from Steve are these days. Still Danny ignores it, and now he’s really playing with fire. Maybe it’ll burn the cold out of him.

Or, Danny’s sick, and Steve can’t stay away. The usual comfort fluff. With a little cameo from a gently meddling Grace.

An Unexpected Guide: @/Rachel500

Danny Williams has hidden his Guide status to keep being a detective, but his time of hiding is up when he unexpectedly finds his Sentinel, Steve McGarrett in the midst of a tragedy.

March

Why don’t we (Collide the spaces that divide us): @five-wow

When they finally catch sight of each other again through the milling crowds, they’re both a little worse for wear. Danny’s left side is covered in glitter and every time he brushes a hand over his hair, more blue and purple confetti rains down. Steve is- Well, Steve is randomly shirtless, which is all things considered not excessively remarkable, but he’s also covered in smudges of colorful paint and has a very nicely printed bloodred lipstick kiss mark on his cheek.

“What did you do?” Danny asks, because it looks like Steve had a lot more fun than he did.

Or: Steve and Danny accidentally end up in the middle of something entirely new.

A Little Unsteady: @finduilasclln

Written for the Tumblr prompt meme : "Hey! I was gonna eat that!"

Tony lashes out at Bucky for eating his dessert. Only, it really isn't about the dessert.

a national treasure: @starklysteve

Steve isn't looking for an apple and Tony decides his passion is to inspire young souls. -x- OR: the AU where Tony is a Youtuber and Steve is Captain America and somehow they still save the world together.

April

cycle through: @ambivalentmarvel

Twenty-five years ago, Tony Stark disappeared from his family home a month after the tragic deaths of his parents, Howard and Maria Stark, leaving a billion-dollar tech conglomerate without an heir and the world wondering what happened.

Twenty-three years ago, HYDRA gained another super soldier.

Ten years ago, Peter Parker’s parents died in what is ruled as a home invasion gone wrong but he knows was murder, plain and simple, because he spoke to the killer.

And in the present, Project Insight fails, and the Iron Soldier pays the price.

FOREVER-LOVE YOU-I: @/Eudoxia

Tony Stark is twenty-one when he loses his voice. It shouldn't matter, but in a world where the first words your Soulmate says to you are marked on your skin, it can be pretty damn annoying.

Especially for Tony's soulmate.

Companion piece to my fic Thumb, Index, and Pinky Extended. This is Steve's POV, with a few extra scenes, as a treat.

(Edit: Sorry if you guys get multiple notifications for this. I just realized (about two hours after posting it) that I fucked up the grammar in the title and I HAD to fix it. YOLO, I guess.)

come build a home out of me: @maguna-stxrk

Steve clears his throat.

“What if I went with you?” he asks nonchalantly, like his heart isn’t threatening to beat out of his ribcage.

Tony blinks a few times, looking at Steve, his mouth ajar. “As a— As my date?”

“Yeah.” Steve nods, feeling a little breathless.

“You don’t mind?” Tony furrows his eyebrows.

“I don’t. In fact, you can just tell them I’m your boyfriend. I’m sure they’ll back off, wouldn’t they?”

What.

“I— Huh?” Tony stares at him, brown eyes blown wide open.

What. What. What.

“Huh? Uh, I mean— You know, that way people will see that you have definitely moved on. Monica will see that you have moved on. Right?” Steve smiles, hoping that it masks his inner panic, because what?

Steve Rogers, what have you done?

i don’t have a choice (but i’d still choose you): @nethandrake

There’s a name inked onto his chest, a name written in an all-too familiar scrawl. And it’s— It’s—

Steve doesn’t realize his body is quaking until he’s tracing the tattoo with a shaky finger.

Because of course that is the name etched into the skin. Like a brand, a reminder for everything he has done. An appropriate retribution.

Anthony Edward Stark.

(When Thanos snaps half of the universe away, he unknowingly leaves the other half with soulmarks.)

ua haʻalele ʻoe iaʻu (a ua hoʻomālamalama ʻoe iaʻu): @just-fandomthings

"The truth is, I was shot in the chest and nearly died, and not even three days after I was released from the hospital, you up and left-- and of those two, I'm not sure which one hurt me worse!"

(Coda to 10x22 because come on, we all need a better ending than the one given to us.)

Title loosely translates to: "You left me in the dark (you lit me up)" -- inspired by the brilliant song "Say You Won't Let Go" by James Arthur

May

A Piece Of The Past: @hddnone

It had been so many years since Bucky had gone undercover in the Stark family's mob, he thought he'd gotten away clean.

Then Tony Stark slid into the seat across from him at his breakfast diner, and Bucky's boss has a new case for him.

the privilege of loving you: @starklysteve

“Why won’t you let me touch you?”

It’s a desperate plea, half-shouted and half-whispered, Steve’s voice cracking at the end. Tony stops in his tracks, halfway to the stairs. He doesn’t dare to turn back, and he really doesn’t want to fight, or to leave, to spend the last month of his life away from his husband and their son. But Steve can’t know, can he?

-x-

Or: Tony has palladium poisoning, but he doesn't tell Steve and Peter

your pillow feels so soft now (but still you must advance): @firebrands

When Bruce is 13, he decides to go to boarding school. It's an opportunity for him to learn about other people, and how to interact with them.

Bruce has the misfortune of meeting Tony Stark upon his arrival in Roxbury. Bruce is moving into his room, and Tony opens the door of his room to watch. He looks a bit younger than Bruce, hair wild and eyes bright. Bruce has never seen a boy like him before—handsome and confident.

Bruce doesn’t like it.

IMPORTANT: This fic has them meeting at 14, then progresses slowly until they’re 17. Includes underage drinking and kissing.

This is set before Bruce becomes Batman and Tony becomes Iron Man and I have no explanation as to how or why they just DO Canonically, Bruce is 17 when he finishes school and goes around the world to train, so we're sticking with that

The Real MVP: @sword-and-stars (part of a series)

[“I have saved this Tuesday!” Sokka announces, rattling the bag upon reentry.

Zuko doesn’t even look up from his phone as he deadpans, “It’s Thursday.”

Okay, so Sokka is still having trouble getting his days right without checking. At least he’s gone back to sleeping at night! Going to bed at night is way easier when you have a cute, cuddly boyfriend who starts falling asleep around eleven o’clock. It also helps that he and Zuko are on solid gold butt-touching terms.

It’s been a while since Sokka has been on butt-touching terms with someone and it’s amazing.]

Or,

Sokka knows a guy, gets laid, and introduces Zuko to the merits of an afternoon delight.

When is a bed not a bed? (When you’re not in it): @riotwritesthings

There’s a tiny safe house, with one tiny window and one tiny couch.

And one tiny little bed.

June

Nice Fingers: @anthonyed

A single compliment given by Tony stirs Bucky restless until he caves in and asks him out on a date.

With Steve’s help of course (whether he likes it or not).

The Darkest Touch: @starkrogerrs

This is the story of how Steve finds that it has been ordained that he is to marry a monster he cannot resist aka the God of Love himself, Tony.

It's Cupid x Psyche retold, but with thrice the amount of porn.

The Night Shift: @weethreequarter

Welcome to the Emergency Department of San Antonio General where Dr. Tony Stark joins the team fresh from his most recent tour in Afghanistan and - much to the consternation of the other staff - strikes up an instant rapport with Nurse Steve Rogers. Meanwhile, new resident Bruce Banner refuses to give up on his patient, and Dr. Sharon Carter learns something from her own patients. Throw in a pissed off hospital administrator, Clint using the coffee pot as a mug again, and a major car crash and you have, well, just another night shift.

Wind Beneath My Wings: @iam93percentstardust

Sam first meets Tony Stark in 2005 when he joins the EXO-7 Falcon program.

In jest: @/apathyinreverie

“No, babe,” Danny shakes his head with a grin. “If the apocalypse were to go down while I’m elsewhere for some godforsaken reason, then you stay put and I’m coming to wherever you are.” His grin widens. “And I expect you to have cleared any aliens or zombies or whatever else might be messing with us off the island and to have set up a nice, comfortable military dictatorship for us to rule over by the time I get back.”

It’s a joke.

Of course it’s a joke.

Until it isn’t.

(A the-day-after-tomorrow-style apocalypse AU, where the world decides to end right when Danny is visiting one of the other islands with Grace. Because, of course, it does.)

#adi's rec list #mcdanno #stevetony #buckytony #brucetony #rhodeytony #zukka #samtony #january - june #there's so many different ships on this #and different authors #and it spans three fandoms #so hopefully you guys enjoy this!!

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cruelfeline · 4 years ago

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can I just flop into your inbox and despair for a hot second about how like. bewildered I am over the lore of spop??? I thought about doing this as proper asks but then it got... long.

Sure! Anyone can flop into my inbox c:

idk if it's me and I'm just dumb and not getting it?? I've gotta go back and comb through the show I guess bc the wiki and google and the internet at large are the opposite of helpful.

but no okay the show kept saying that the first ones were basically - etheria's first settlers or whatever the hell right?? something along those lines? am I remembering this correctly? that's why the etherian's CALL them the first ones? (I mean but Prime did too didnt he now that I think about it. I'm not sure why he would though, the context for why the etherian's would use the term and why he'd use the term are different?) ugh whatever, like I said I gotta go back and comb through but I wanna say that the implication was that the first ones were the...First Ones to be on etheria. which is like....??

Mm... it’s a bit unclear, but Mara speaks in a way that highly implies that there are native Etherians already on Etheria when the First Ones arrive. One of them being Razz.

I doubt that Etherians really know much about their own history; their records seem sporadic to me, so they may or may not know that the First Ones weren’t actually the first sapients on the planet.

And Prime doesn’t really call them the First Ones; he simply acknowledges that that is what Adora and the Etherians call them. I don’t recall him calling them anything specific.

bc then when it comes to the whole, heart of etheria thing, and the runestones, and all of that? and then the princesses? I'm honestly just so confused as to how it all is supposed to fit together. bc then uh where did the five royal families come from to begin with? were the runestones there from the start? were those five families magically connected with those runestones from the start or were they only connected and whatnot after the first ones were all like "hey so uh, if you synch up to this rock you can do cooler magic" but then if etheria was already being ruled by several different courts of elemental royalty or wtf ever, then they couldnt really call themselves the first ones. but Also it's just (and I think you've addressed that the showrunners seem So Much More Interested in telling the catradora gf drama angst saga then fleshing out their world building lmao) it's kinda just like... why do all of these families only have one child? why do each of the princesses of power not have a sibling? like what if - considering mooooost of them seem to be orphans lol - one of them trips down the stairs and smacks their head on the floor and dies?? I guess uhhh, now your kingdom doesn't have a ruler??

So, my understanding of the runestones is that they were devices created by the First Ones in order to enhance and better control the magic of those naturally in tune with certain elemental aspects of the planet. I don’t think this is explicitly stated in canon, but I assume as much by extrapolating from the purpose of She-Ra’s sword. As we learn over the course of the show, the First Ones did not create She-Ra, but they did create the sword. She-Ra is an Etherian entity, some form of planetary guardian or what-have-you, and the First Ones created the runestone sword in order to control that entity and incorporate it into the Heart of Etheria. I would assume that the other runestones serve a similar purpose.

Now, as far as our current Etherians not knowing this: this is a fairly common sci-fi trope. The idea of the original purpose of something (usually some form of advanced tech) being lost as information is lost to the ages is often used to facilitate protagonists not immediately knowing what a thing is for. Like... oh, if you’ve ever read the Dragonriders of Pern series. That’s a good example: Earth colonists land on a planet, find it inhospitable, genetically engineer empathetic dragons to help fight the threat, and... well, people live there for generations, forget their origins, regress technologically, and just assume that there have always been dragons on Pern.

As far as single child Princesses and whatnot: likely a by-product of the show already having a million characters, and siblings not being needed for the plot! I mean, the show already had enough to deal with; no need to add more fluff.

and yeah it's a kids show but it doesnt ;__; none of the any of it makes sense to me.

what is the Heart of Etheria even supposed to Do again??? like we know it's a superweapon that channels magic and like, Mara trapped etheria in despondos 1000 years ago so my soft theory is that the first ones were maybe using it as a last ditch effort against Prime? I mean is the sword just.... gps coordinated to fire at prime regardless of where he is in the universe or whatever?? bc I mean at that point is prime on etheria's doorstep?? I don't! I dont understaaaand.

Well, since it never fires, we cannot know for certain, but Death Star-style planetary destroyer seems logical.

I do like the headcanon that it was actually a last ditch effort to defeat Prime, especially since we now know that the First Ones fought him and apparently lost!

This is an interesting concept to me because, while their colonization of Etheria is widely regarded as Bad, because colonialism is Bad, the idea that they did it in order to try to save their own lives, and potentially the lives of others in the universe, makes the situation far more morally grey than it might initially appear. Yes, their colonization harmed the Etherians, but might it have been worth it, if they had succeeded and killed Prime a thousand years ago? Would that have prevented the genocides he committed on other worlds? Would sacrificing Etheria have been worth it if, say, a thousand other inhabited planets had been spared as a result? Not a set of questions the show asks, but meaningful ones, in my opinion.

why does Prime want it? like is he not under the impression that messing with it is gonna like... pretty much blow up everything within a big ass huge af radius? he said something or other about purifying the universe and starting over or some nonsense like that but??? like you'd be dead too my guy. you might be egotistical and narcissistic and vain af but I dont think he's that stupid as to think he's somehow immune to giant fricken explosions.

Oh, I think he has some idea of how to survive it. He can body hop. He is, in some sense of the word, eternal because of that. If She-Ra hadn’t stepped in, he likely would have succeeded in continuing his existence. The way he speaks, one may even infer that this sort of thing has happened before.

But, hard to say! Thankfully, we don’t have to find out c:

and I'm just. I just wanna know more about the spop world at large you know?? like. I just want All the world building and backstory and explanations to things. I have so many questions.

anyway sorry for kinda dumping this giant wall of shrieking nonsense in your inbox I'm just like. I dont... I dont get it. I dont get any of it lmao and I wanna get it! like the whole universe of this show could be so cool and so fun and interesting but it's like... some of the pieces dont seem to.. f i t

yeah

Ah, such is the burden of a world that has only enough worldbuilding done to facilitate its story, no more and no less. But! At the same time, this means that we as viewers can infer many things from canon and fill in the blanks with whatever we prefer. Leading to a lovely variety of fandom content to amuse us for some time to come c:

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Did WandaVision Explain the MCU’s Previous Recasts?

https://ift.tt/3aWWHUG

This article contains WANDAVISION spoilers.

“She recast Pietro?!”

The vexing vicissitudes of WandaVision accomplished what was once unthinkable in the Marvel Cinematic Universe when Wanda’s long-deceased twin brother, Pietro Maximoff a.k.a. Quicksilver, appeared on her pseudo-sitcom doorstep with a franchise-altering twist, since it was Evan Peters’s quirky version of the speedster—from Fox’s X-Men movies—in lieu of the homegrown version played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Thusly, with one whooshing streak, the MCU might have installed the missing mutant half of its comic book ties. Yet, the change came with a plot-based explanation passable enough to make one wonder if it canonizes the MCU’s previous casting swaps.

While the implications that could result from Fox-grown X-Men characters getting grandfathered into the Marvel Studios-produced MCU are potent (and Deadpool-prominent), the understated narrative here is that the scene in question from WandaVision Episode 5, “On a Very Special Episode,” provided a monumentally meta moment from Kat Dennings’s Darcy Lewis, who blurted outloud the aforementioned question that we as the audience—who are watching the show’s SWORD audience watch the show within a show—were all asking ourselves about the recasting of Pietro. In doing so, she provided the MCU the first canonical acknowledgement of one of its recastings; a moment that could bear implications—of a retroactive variety—it is own right.

Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff, who first made impact in the MCU—by way of an introduction in Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s mid-credits teaser a year earlier—in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, was introduced alongside twin brother Pietro as young Sokovian HYDRA operatives who were manipulated into being experimented on by Wolfgang von Strucker with Loki’s scepter—specifically the Mind Stone it housed—which bestowed Wanda telekinesis and telepathic manipulation and Pietro super-speed. That backstory, however, was a workaround from the pre-Disney-acquisition movie rights to their traditional status as mutants who debuted in the pages of X-Men, a Marvel property whose film rights were held by Fox in a dynamic that limited how the MCU could portray those characters, and even forbade usage of the very term, “mutant.”

Marvel Studios

Therein lies the surreal nature of Pietro’s arrival on the series, since Peters’ version is not only a member of the heretofore MCU-forbidden species, but is—as he learned in 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse—the son of an intrinsically-X-men character in Magneto. Yet, we’re still not quite privy to the nature of Wanda’s bizarre sitcom fiefdom, only with a vague scientific explanation that she’s controlling CMBR (Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation) to manipulate reality within the confines of the Westview anomaly. Thus, while this newcomer clearly looks like the Pietro from the Fox movies, his new existence—akin to rapidly-growing twin sons Tommy and Billy—connects to this proverbial matrix.

Yet, Wanda didn’t simply conjure the Pietro she knew (Taylor-Johnson’s Age of Ultron version), and was genuinely surprised by him, which seems to indicate that she’s losing control of the phenomenon, and may have unwittingly yanked X-Men Pietro from the multiverse, a concept that could figure prominently when she appears in upcoming movie sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Moreover, the fact that Darcy—who was monitoring the scene from outside the anomaly—actually understood that this wasn’t MCU Pietro might just indicate that the reality-altering effects of the event are being contained within Westview… at least for now.

WandaVision: The Endgame Is In Sight

By Don Kaye

Marvel’s WandaVision Episode 5: MCU Easter Eggs and Reference Guide

By Mike Cecchini and 3 others

Consequently, by the time WandaVision reaches the inevitable moment in which Westview—Wanda’s reverse Faraday cage of sorts—collapses, the barrier containing her hex-powered quantum alterations would, theoretically, no longer protect the outside world from its distributive effects on the timeline. Thus, in a manner akin to Marvel Comics’ House of M storyline, Wanda could not only end up reshaping the reality of the present, but the past as well; an event that could (emphasis on “could,”) eventually be used to canonically reconcile the various aesthetically unpleasing inconsistencies we’ve seen across the MCU, most notably the instances in which major characters were recast. As we saw with DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths (both the comic storyline and the CW television event), changes to the ever-fragile timeline often leads to the creation of people who, for all intents and purposes, are the same person, but are physically different, perhaps due to timeline variables connected to their conception. Therefore, (just as the title indicates), this initially-unassuming Disney+ television vehicle might just end up providing an invaluable plot-driven explanation for the MCU’s recastings!

Of course, the conventional industry move of recasting characters—a practice long-associated with sitcoms and soap operas—is hardly a new concept to the MCU, and even goes back to 2008 launcher Iron Man, in which Terrence Howard played James Rhodes (complete with an auspicious War Machine teaser moment), until the specter of studio politics and star-power-centric wage disputes led to an acrimonious exit. He was abruptly recast for 2010’s Iron Man 2 with Don Cheadle, who has been fielding the part ever since across the MCU’s lucratively groundbreaking moments, and will apparently do so again with an appearance on March-scheduled series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Moreover, the MCU’s 2008 sophomore effort, The Incredible Hulk, saw its A-list headliner, Edward Norton, recast with Mark Ruffalo for 2012 megamovie The Avengers, and, like Cheadle, he has reaped the wanton benefits with successful reprisals ever since.

Marvel Studios

Hugo Weaving also put in a spectacular villain performance as the Red Skull in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, but eventually soured on Marvel, leading to an uncannily evocative Red Skull performance by Ross Marquand in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War. The list goes on with the original Thor’s Fandral, Josh Dallas, who would be recast in the 2013 sequel by (eventual Shazam star) Zachary Levi, and—in a recent development—Emma Fuhrmann saw her Avengers: Endgame role as a teenage Cassie Lang (minor as it may have been,) slip away, with Kathryn Newton having been cast as Cassie for 2022-scheduled sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. One could even point to the MCU’s ultimate big bad, Thanos, as a tangential example, since he was first played by Damion Poitier (sans lines), seen in The Avengers’ mid-credits scene, only to have Josh Brolin take over the role two years later, starting with the mid-credits scene of 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which yielded iconic results in subsequent MCU efforts.

Accordingly, while the reality-altered WandaVision originally seemed like a bizarre, artfully-indulgent way to launch Phase Four of the MCU, it might just end up being the perfect vehicle to not only neatly reconcile the canonical contradictions that have existed (the recastings), but also handle the array of unfathomable game-changers on the horizon now that the X-Men (and Fantastic Four) side of the Marvel Comics mythos is on a collision course with the once-insular 13-year-old Marvel Studios multimedia franchise.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

WandaVision, which is now past the halfway mark of its 9-episode run, continues premiering new episodes Fridays on Disney+.

The post Did WandaVision Explain the MCU’s Previous Recasts? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/372CPyj

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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segenassefa · 4 years ago

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2: On Consumerism, Fighting Demons, and Societies Inevitable Collapse

Quarantine has been lowkey surreal. My constant complaint of never having enough time to do all the things I want/should be doing has now left me bored in the house, bored in the house, bored with nothing but time to get said things done. However, it is a dual edged sword - with the collapse and subsequent reformation of civil society outside my doors, it leaves me wondering – as well as a lot of other people – in the words of Miss Juicy…what the hell we gone do now?

Nearing the end of the first leg of my university career, I should be thinking about getting ready to transition to the next logical stages of adulthood - saving for an apartment, applying for permanent residency, as well as graduate schools and part time jobs. Yet, I’m worried about if these things will even be a possibility within the next month, six months, or even the next year.

On top of ALL of that, the recent BLM protests and the way that people (read: white people, Latinxs, Black men, homo/transphobes, etc.) have shown their asses the past few months is beyond mortifying - especially regarding the treatment of black women and how our value as individuals as well as a collective to society is really perceived.* This is not to downplay the murder of numerous black men in society, BUT who the fuck is riding for black women aside from other black women? And not just the ones who find attractive, or are racially ambiguous, or the ones you feel as if you get “guilted” into supporting and demanding justice for, I mean each and every black woman. I’m just saying, it gets pretty disheartening to feel like the legwork of the revolution is on the back of one category of people, and that your value to society is measured by the amount of emotional labour you’re ready to do for others, or how fat your ass is (but I digress…).

I feel like most people have used material things as coping mechanisms instead of actually facing their feelings and dealing with the things that bother them. Just think of the number of packages that have arrived on your doorstep the past few months. Breaking the glossy seal of packing tape is similar to therapy, until all the boxes are open, and you start feeling like shit again. And now, more than ever, there’s a lot to be bothered about. Western society has dedicated phrases based on the phenomenon of substituting true self-work with figurative emotional bandages (Phrases like comfort eating and retail therapy come to mind).

It’s nice to think that we – the people entering their adolescent and young adult years – will be the one to change these things, but suddenly it’s 2 am, you have twenty different things in your Amazon cart, (who the fuck needs a metal straw cleaning kit?) and you’re trying to see how far you can stretch and grab your debit card before falling off of the bed.

The conflicting messages pushed by society don’t help all that much either. If you look up “Kondo method” or “decluttering my closet” on YouTube, the numbers of videos that come up is astounding. Pages and pages of sweaty-faced, smiling YouTubers monetizing from this kind of faux “minimalism” only to post haul videos a few days later because “I threw everything out and now I have to rebuild from scratch sksksk!”. Does this not just perpetuate a cycle of buying and throwing and buying? I am....confusion, to say the least. Still I watch them, because I’m a hypocrite, and am also easily amused.

I will be the first to admit I have always had a very unhealthy relationship with money, with self-image, and with measuring my self-worth in proximity with “stuff that stems from a complicated relationship with physical self. Follow along:

Growing up, I was a fat kid. We don’t even have to sugar coat it. Think Terrio, but better eyebrows and more hair. Except I was not killin’ em, just myself. I always envied my friends who were able to go shopping at regular stores – read: Hollister, Abercrombie, Urban Outfitters (yes my friends were white), meanwhile I was condemned to shopping in the women’s department.

So, to compensate, I would buy trinkets – things like nail polish, lip gloss, journals, you get the point. My proximity to worthiness was measured not by the things that I bought, but within the act of buying. Growing up with parents who were also financially frugal also altered my relationship with money and blessed me with crippling buyers’ remorse after every purchase, even on things that are important (read: groceries).

But as a kid, buying “stuff” was fun for me – it gave me some sort of purpose, and the acquisition of things (even if they weren’t the same things my peers had) made me feel like, to some extent, I could compete on the same playing field. As I got older, and I started to have real expenses, I moved towards second-hand shopping. I would religiously find myself at Goodwill on weekend, after school, or with friends. I could literally feel an endorphin rush when I would find something that I would consider a “good deal”, and it made me feel (again) purposeful, to be spending money, even if I didn’t need whatever I was buying.

I should also add that the people in my immediate family does not believe in thrift stores (“Why am I working for you to wear other people’s clothing?”, I remember my dad asking me one day), so the act of second-hand shopping was also my form of rebellion.

I began to amass a collection of clothing that would put Kylie’s closet to shame. I began buying things for events and situations that were yet to happen, for other people, for when I lose ten pounds. It was a madness.

In freshman year of university, I had an unhealthy relationship with clubbing clothes. Did I have the figure for clubbing clothes? Absolutely not. The funnier part is, I couldn’t even go clubbing because I wasn’t 19 at the time. And yet I had drawers and drawers full of the stuff. Not to mention that clubbing clothes is incredibly similar to summer clothing and living between Minnesota and Canada meant that these things were barely seeing the light of day.

The moral of this was – I could never figure out my relationship with stuff, This quarantine has forced me to try and break down the compulsion behind my behaviour. I felt like I was spiralling the six weeks that they closed thrift stores, and I knew myself well enough to not try and online shop with the same kind of frequency as that. But the crazy part was, I didn’t die. I didn’t go into withdrawal (ok, I did a little bit, but whatever), and I was able to take the time to go through the things I already owned and find some hidden gems that were routinely buried in the cracks and crevices of my closet. It was like the episode of Family Guy when Peter realizes he has a vestigial twin – alarming and cool at first, but then it’s just alarming and annoying.

Its more embarrassing to realize that some semblance of myself image is tied to the frequency with which I am able to spend money. I would never say that participating in capitalist society gives me some kind of purpose as a black woman because God forbid. Also, considering that a lot of big names companies are actually racist and fatphobic as hell creates a whole new dimension for analyzing the power of my black dollar, sometimes creating another spiral of guilt leading to you guessed it – more spending.

As much as it seems like it, however, this self-reflection was not in vain. In the past month, I’ve cut down my closet from +200 pieces of clothing and shoes to about 40. If you ever want a fun, humbling activity this quarantine, just clean out your closet and be honest with yourself about how often you wear certain things. It was revolting to see the number of shirts, dresses, pants, skirts that I had bought and convinced myself wholeheartedly I was going to wear, only to pull them out of my closet months later with the tags attached *insert Marge Simpson covering her face meme*.

But at the end of the whole ordeal, it felt really good to look at my space and not feel burden or guilt. It was somewhat philanthropic realizing that not only will these clothes make someone else happier (I donated pretty much everything because it’s not always about money), but that my quality of life was not dramatically impacted in owning (or not owning) certain things. The past few weeks, I’ve spent more money on going out and sharing experiences with friends, but still nowhere near the same amount of money I would have spent buying clothes and other material possession.

Youtuber Kelly Stamps has a video on how minimalism “cured” her depression**, and the whole thesis boils down to the idea that owning less things gives you less to compare yourself too, thus making you happier (in a sense) and allowing you to focus the energy and time that would have been centered around maintaining and building your collection of possessions other things.

This still doesn’t break down the root of the issue, but it’s a start. I think when you have traits or patterns that you’ve participated in for so long, it becomes hard to step back and be objective enough to realize that you – yes, you – are part of the problem. I can blame my habits on a lot of things but at the end of the day, it’s important to realize that certain cycles seem never-ending because I actively choose to participate in these kinds of behaviours (accountability is sexy, huh?). While I’m not ready to face all my demons quite yet, it’s easier to do it with a nice wardrobe and a streamlined sense of mind.

Notes

*When I say black women, I mean ALL black women. Not some limited, cis-gendered, heteronormative view of what a woman is. Over here we ride for all those who identify as women.

**She emphasizes that she doesn’t actually means that it cured anything, but rather helped with her anxiety, and in turn, helped with her depression.

Links

That Family Guy Episode

The Kelly Stamps video

#cms #selfhelp?#consumerism

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aena-blue · 4 years ago

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Tough Love Tuesday

Hello all you beautiful souls!

Today I am doing Tough Love Tuesday again for all of the Zodiac signs. These messages are meant to be fun but also offer some constructive advice so I do hope they help and resonate!

Fire signs:

Leo: You seem to be finally done with that crap of thinking you can’t be successful or be good enough for something. Great, because you are, good enough!

Sagittarius: Sag my dear, what’s this? Ain’t no time to be crying over spilt milk! You had it, you lost it, but guess what, something better is coming your way! Release, detach, let go!

Aries: All you fire signs lacking a bit of confidence this week for some reason. Even a slow moving horse is still moving Aries, so what that it hasn’t arrived yet, whatever it is that you desire? When you place an order on Amazon you don’t fret this much about how and when it arrives on your doorstep do you? Mentally take a step back from the situation and Universe Express will deliver your desire to you, right on time!

Water signs:

Cancer: This or that? It’s your choice! Do both, or neither. A or B, as long as you make a decision you can’t go wrong!

Pisces: Sometimes we don’t need to do much to get our desire, simply knowing what it is, is a great first step. This is not a week to fight for it, but a week to just decide about it!

Scorpio: Ya feeling comfy in your comfort zone there? Great! But you ain’t making much progress sitting on your ass, just saying!

Air signs:

Libra: You know what you want yet this week seem to still be scared to go after it. Wake up, your dreams can become your reality, but it’s never gonna happen if you don’t take the first step, and sometimes the second and third. Basically, just give to the situation you want to manifest and unfold. (Send that text or make that call perhaps?)

Gemini: Time to cut through some bullshit. Sad stories aren’t success stories, and be mindful of who is telling them. Don’t let others drag you down. I know you’re a kind soul but you got your own happiness to build!

Aquarius: The ugly truth is that sometimes you just gotta let it go. People, thoughts, ideas, emotions, distance. Take up that sword of truth and cut out what isn’t working for you at this time!

Earth signs:

Virgo: So much holding on, so little letting go. When you hold on to bad things, good things don’t really have the space to come to you. If you hold on too much you become rather constipated and let me tell you, that shit (literally) hurts. So, let that turd go!

Taurus: What did you dream last night Taurus? You seem to have had such a great idea, insight, download, spiritual awakening or any of the above so why not share it with the world? Your truth is ready to be released and it will help you move forward, big time!

Capricorn: I’m not sure I need to call you out on anything this week, you seem to be inspired and going after what it is that you want, awesome! If you’re not, then uh, what are you waiting for? This week looks great for you in terms of success and achieving your goals!

I hope this helps and resonates.

Please consider supporting my art business by purchasing some of my intention art or sharing my shop with someone you know or simply just browse around for fun, every page click counts and helps me so I’d very much appreciate your help :)

All designs are available on a number of products so have a look around and you might find something that suits you, be it a print to hang on the wall, a phone case or a throw pillow! :)

If you’d like to donate to my blog I gratefully receive energy donations via Paypal, every little helps! 🧡

If you’d like to purchase a tarot reading from me you can do so on my etsy shop and if you want a reading from Mirax visit her shop here and if you want to follow Mirax on tumblr you can find her blog here.

Much love and light to you 💛💜

~ Lady Blue💙

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lisinfleur · 6 years ago

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Like Brothers

Author’s Notes | Oh man, I also felt so sad about that scene! I cried! So, as I cried writing this request for you. I’m sorry, I am sure it was supposed to be something happy, but man… I couldn’t avoid placing what is into Hvitserk’s heart, who still says he loves his brother after all this time and still regrets jumping that boat. I hope it’s good, babe. I really hope. Universe | Vikings Pairing | No Pair, Hvitserk, Ubbe Info | Viking Age AU, Bromance, requested by anon for 5CW1, suggested soundtrack: Imperfection (Evanescence) Words | 2397 ⁑ Warnings: Heavy ANGST.

They had won.

The men were celebrating, Ivar was drunk, Harald as well and that party wasn't for him anymore. So, as soon as Ivar and the others lost the attention, he sneaked away from the hall, walking through the corridors of that house he knew so well.

But it was so different now...

Slowly, the numbness of the laughs and men's songs left his ears to the silence of the empty halls that he used to walk every day, sneaking away from his mother for more food at the kitchen, but principally...

Running after his brother.

The older brother that wasn't there to share his victory and toast in his health anymore. No.

For he had to defeat his love for his brother into his heart to be able to hold that cup of mead higher and celebrate...

While Ubbe was probably wounded, tired, covered in sweat and blood.

Fleeing.

From Ivar, his men, the army.

From him.

His lost steps, aimless, ended up at the doorstep of Ubbe's former room and Hvitserk sighed.

All the fake happiness he was forcing into himself with that situation, that victory, vanishing from his face while his fingers were sliding through the wood, opening the door and going into the untouched place, looking like it was frozen in time.

He came in, looking around. The sheets were the red ones of Ubbe's marriage - a night he never forgot in that bed with his brother and sweet Margrethe between them.

How was she now?

Did she think he was a traitor?

A bad man?

His fingers touched the dresser, sliding through the wood. The box of beads Ubbe used to braid with his hair, closed. Some of the beads still there. He smiled, small, noticing some were missing.

The ones he brought from the Mediterranean for his brother weren't there.

Maybe Ubbe threw it away when he arrived from York after Hvitserk decided to jump ship and side with Ivar.

But something in his heart was telling him Ubbe was still keeping his gift with him as a memory of his little brother, just as he himself was still keeping the sheath for his sword.

A birthday gift from his older brother.

A memory of good times.

Hvitserk closed the little box of beads, looking around to see some leather bags were missing. Few dresses of Margrethe's were taken, but almost all of his brother's clothes weren't there anymore.

However, the drawers, empty of clothes, were still holding objects his brother couldn't take with him.

No one thinks about taking childish memories when picking up important things to flee in the middle of a battle.

Pretty much everything from Margrethe was still in that room and Hvitserk opened three or four drawers of dresses, skirts, things for her hair alongside one or two clothes Ubbe left behind with some leather bracers and cordons...

But at the last drawer, nothing had left but a pair of wooden swords that popped out when Hvitserk opened the furniture.

His eyes spent long moments looking at the two pieces of wood sculpted in the form of a pair of swords, with leather cordons for the guards and plenty of marks in their fake blades, indicating they were widely used for plenty of training and childish games.

Hvitserk's hands took both of the pieces, sitting at the bed to look at them closely. One of them, with a blue leather cordon, was pretty more hurt than the other, with a red one in its guard.

A sad giggle escaped from Hvitserk's mouth when he recognized the two toys in his hands.

Ubbe's and his own wooden swords...

His fingers slid through the surface of the wood and he closed his eyes, remembering. His memory traveling to a time far from now, where the life didn't dare to give signs of how dark and destroyed would be their future.

He smiled, hearing the sound of the wood hitting wood, sword hitting sword and young laughs. If he took a deep breath, he was sure he would be able to feel the smell of the forest around them, at the training camp.

Ivar studying with Floki.

Sigurd playing with his wooden boat near the river.

And them both, the elder ones, fighting each other with those wooden swords, playing what he never thought, one day, could become true.

"Close your guard, Hvitserk," Ubbe said, when his sword invaded Hvitserk's flank, touching his ribs. "Your arm is too opened here. And you're not trying to dodge."

"It is too hard to focus on both sides, brother!" Hvitserk complained sitting down at the ground, causing Ubbe to sigh.

"Pick up a shield." he said "Maybe you won't be like me. Maybe you'll be better with a shield and a sword."

"I don't wanna fight with the shield! I'm not a maiden!" Hvitserk complained, causing Ubbe to giggle, picking up a shield himself.

"You're not a maiden, uh... So, come. Attack me, if you're so strong, brother!"

Hvitserk came like a train against Ubbe, attacking him with all his charge, receiving it back from Ubbe's shield who threw him straight to the ground, over his butt, with his older brother wooden sword in his neck.

"You don't have to be a maiden to well use a shield, Hvitserk. Our father used shields. Was Ragnar Lothbrok a maiden?"

Hvitserk grunted, annoyedly; getting up from the ground and going for a cup of water, serving one to his brother as well.

"Sometimes I think I'll never be able to fight properly." he complained "This way, I'll find our father in Valhalla before finishing my first raid!"

That stupid travel for Paris wasn't exactly a raid for them. Not when Björn forced them both to the camp all the time, even with the battle running furiously.

Something Ubbe was thanking the gods since his younger brother still didn't know how to hold a sword properly and would end up killed in the middle of a real battle.

But Hvitserk's words bothered Ubbe who looked at him with a twisted expression in his face.

"Who told you father is in Valhalla already?"

Hvitserk sighed, looking down to his wooden sword.

"He never comes to see us... Since he left after Paris, he never came back to train me or play with Sigurd and Ivar. Or pick you up to raid with him!" Hvitserk stated, looking at the elder one he thought was old enough for battles already, right? "Do you think he's disappointed because we didn't fight that raid, Ubbe?"

"Of course not, brother. He's not disappointed. he knows Björn protected us. We'll have our time to raid, and it wasn't that time. And our father will come back soon. I just want you to already know how to fight so we can surprise him, what do you think?"

Ubbe's words filled his heart with strength and he picked up his little wooden sword to train again.

Hvitserk's sad smile opened a little more, remembering how much time Ubbe dedicated to his training, always patiently teaching him, slowing down the rhythm to allow him to understand when to move the sword; when to use the ax; when to lift his shield.

When to attack.

When to move back.

"Yes! Just like this, Hvitserk!"

Ubbe's praises not being enough to take the focus of the young warrior. Sword in one hand, short sword in the other, gasping little growls while forcing his body to follow the older one's steps and rhythm until a breach caused Hvitserk to stumble in his feet and Ubbe disarmed him, throwing him over his butt one more time, just like when he was a boy, with his brother's sword tip against his neck.

"Not fair! I stopped the sword because I would hurt you!" Hvitserk complained.

"Never hesitate, brother," Ubbe answered, extending his hand for Hvitserk to get up, confused.

"But..."

"No. It is my responsibility to care for my own safety just like it is yours to care for yours. This is a training, but if you hurt me, its fine. We aren't fighting to kill each other, but to get hurt is part of learning."

Hvitserk served a cup of mead for himself. Another for his brother. And his voice became silent for a second. His eyes over his little brothers, playing. Sigurd with the wooden sword against a tree. Ivar with a little bow, trying to hit his brother and distract Sigurd from his childish training.

"Soon, Sigurd will be training with us," Ubbe said, proud.

"Do you think he will ever come back, Ubbe? I mean... To see what you taught us... How they're growing," he pointed the younger ones with his cup, causing Ubbe to sigh, knowing exactly what was inside of his brother's heart.

Hvitserk was missing Ragnar maybe as much as himself and Ubbe just patted Hvitserk's shoulder, looking at the younger ones with a smile.

"If he doesn't come? He's the one losing a good spectacle, brother."

Hvitserk sighed, placing the wooden swords over the bed, leaning himself over the dresser to look through the window.

Outside, the moon was high.

Where was his brother now?

Was he fine? Wounded?

Was he alive?

No... He was. Ubbe was alive, of course.

The rumors said he was fleeing with Lagertha and the others, so he was alive.

Of course, he was alive.

But...

For how long?

A part of him wanted to know where his brother was going, but another wanted Ubbe to vanish forever. So, Ivar's claws would never reach his older brother...

His beloved brother...

Hvitserk sighed, passing his hands through his face to clean it from the sweat and dust around. And his eyes landed on the wooden toys at his bed one more time.

The loneliness hitting his heart like a rusty blade, bringing memories outside like torture...

"Your arm is too opened here. And you need to dodge, Sigurd, or I'll hit you with the ax".

Ubbe was sat, drinking his mead, watching as Hvitserk was teaching Sigurd with the axes. Ivar trying to hit the targets with his arrows, a little isolated, as always.

When the two of them stopped the training, Ubbe served mead for them both, offering a cup to Ivar who denied it, still concentrated.

Sigurd laid in the grass to rest as Hvitserk sat near Ubbe to drink his mead and talk.

"I've heard Björn called you to his raid, is it true?" Ubbe asked, drinking from his cup.

"Yes," Hvitserk smiled "He's following a map he found in Paris. He wants to reach Rome and the Mediterranean Sea they described in that map. I'm curious... I wanna see new lands, test my skills."

Ubbe smiled.

"He talked to me as well, but I'll stay," he said, surprising Hvitserk with his words.

"I thought you were going with us," the younger complained and Ubbe smiled.

"Nah. Someone must take care of Kattegat while our brother is not and after all, one of our best warriors is going with him. He doesn't need me when he has you, Hvitserk!" Ubbe praised, causing Hvitserk to smile.

"I had a good teacher," he answered, feeling when Ubbe patted his shoulder.

But his smile faded anyway, causing Ubbe's smile to fade as well.

"He never came..." Hvitserk declared, raising his eyes to look at the blues of his older brother "But I think I don't miss him at all."

"Don't talk like that, Hvitserk. He's our father," Ubbe tried, but Hvitserk frowned looking at him.

"I barely know him. Beyond the stories and the few moments we had together, I barely know our father, Ubbe. And you were pretty more a father to me than him. I rather believe I have a brother and give you the credit you deserve than wait forever for father to come and raise me. You raised me. You raised all of us. And I hope I'm able to make you proud after this raid, brother."

Hvitserk sat near the swords in bed once again. His fingers sliding through the red leather of Ubbe's sword guard.

It was like losing his father once again.

Like abandoning someone who never left him.

What kind of a brother he was? What kind of a son?

"Here you are!" Ivar's voice sounded and Hvitserk picked up the pair of swords placing it back into the drawer. "What's this?"

"Nothing," he said, closing the drawer, stopping before it could be completely closed to prevent it to hurt Ivar's fingers.

Hvitserk sighed when Ivar opened the drawer seeing the swords, twisting his face in a disgusted and ironic expression.

"Don't lose your time with memories, Hvitserk. You should burn this stuff. All of this. Is a good and large room, you should take it for yourself!"

Hvitserk faked a smile once again, a pretty small one, not enough to convince Ivar of his agreement this time.

"Do not grieve for him, little brother. Ubbe betrayed us. He turned his back on us and allied to the murderer of our beautiful mother. He's a traitor. A treacherous snake and we will make him pay for his crimes someday."

Ivar's words making Hvitserk's heart to weight a little more.

He felt his brother's hand patting his back and tried to smile once again.

"I'm just tired, Ivar. I think I'll take some sleep." Hvitserk said, closing the drawer once again. "Tomorrow I'll see what I wanna keep to myself in this room, what I'll throw away".

Ivar nodded, looking at him.

"Burn it, Hvitserk. Burn everything. One day we gonna burn Ubbe and that murderous bitch Lagertha and so, everything will be fine again. Good night, brother" Ivar said, before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

His words weighing a ton in Hvitserk's heart.

He took the swords from the drawer, hiding them under the furs, just to be sure Ivar wouldn't destroy every single memory of his brother he could keep to himself...

And laying down over Ubbe's pillow, Hvitserk sighed, thinking, remembering his departure and how proud of him Ubbe seemed that day.

May the gods be with you, brother.

Hvitserk closed his eyes. A sole pair of tears wetting his face he hid on his arm, against the pillow.

"May the gods be with you... Brother. May the gods be with you."

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oddcoupler222 · 7 years ago

Note

Hi can you recommend some of your favorite fanfics

Since you didn’t specify which fandom you want my favorite fics from, I’mgoing to give you ALL OF THEM

Sanvers: (Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer - Supergirl)

by InspectorBoxer -

The Lighthouse Technique - Kara grinned. “I already have a plan. A foolproof technique, in fact, to get Maggie Sawyer’s full attention.” pre 2x08/Sanvers getting together (complete - 4 chapters, 5k words)

also she has tons of short and sweet oneshots and all of them are entertaining and worth reading. And she co-writes:

I Can’t Believe We’re Here - “I don’t know how to tell you this, Detective, but I’d like to introduce you to Jamie. Your daughter.” A post 3x05 fix-it fic, in which Maggie has a surprise daughter and the characters and plot are all A+ (currently incomplete but READ IT ANYWAY. 12 chapters, 71k words)

The above fic is part of the you and i collide series, all comprised of very well-written and in character reunion fics, written by zennie.

More by Zennie -

Worth the Fight - After the kiss, Alex and Maggie struggle to get back to friendship and maybe more. Also, Maggie is targeted by assassins and Alex is protective (complete - 7 chapters, 28k words)

Headstrong - Maggie challenges Alex to a race. It doesn’t end like either of them planned. (incomplete technically, but leaves off in a good place. 6/7 chapters, 11k words)

Also has a ton of one shots/shorter stuff worth reading

by performativezippers -

Spin Doctor (Grown Ass Woman) - Maggie doesn’t really talk to other people while she’s at the spin studio – she’s not, as they say, there to make friends – but everyone tends to do friendly nods and say hi, especially in the locker room, and she does the same. So she’s gotten know most of the teachers and many of the other morning clients by sight. So she’s sure this is the first time she’s seen this new woman. She’d definitely have remembered someone like that. (complete, 9 chapters, 37k words)

Lexie (Five-Inch Heels) - “I’m Lexie,” she says, and it’s clearly a fake name but that doesn’t bother Maggie. She’ll only need to know a legal name if this girl ever gets booked and Maggie has to intervene. She hopes it never comes up.

“Nice to meet you, Lexie.”

Lexie just stares at her, and Maggie can’t tell if she’s smirking of if it’s a trick of the light.

“Sure it is,” she finally says, and oh, yes, she was smirking.

Maggie decides to forgo delicate, and asks her next question bluntly, her hands back in her pockets. “What brings you out tonight?”

“Astronomy.” Lexie deadpans. “Been a while since I’ve last stargazed; thought I’d commune with nature and all that shit.” (complete, 4 chapters, 10k words)

by ReaderExtraordinaire -

Science Fairs and Spring Breaks -

What if Alex and Maggie had a chance meeting at a high school science fair? How much of an impact can one long distance friendship really have? After all, who meets their soulmate at 17? (complete - 18 chapters, 90k words)

by cairophoenix -

Track Changes - Alex is an editor at a New York publishing house, and that means her life is going right. She has her apartment, and the gym, and Kara a subway stop away. So if her apartment’s always empty at the end of the day, that’s just how things are. She spends a lot of time at the office, anyway. She’s making it, and that’s something she can be satisfied with. And then a mysterious book arrives. (Complete - 1 chapter, 44k words)

by colourmeblue -

there’s a piece of me that i’ve been seaching for - The first time she sees Maggie Sawyer, she’s not that impressed. A fake relationship AU (complete - 4 chapters, 30k words)

every inch of me there is to trace - Maggie contemplates Chinese food, beer and Netflix as her evening plan. The proximity to her previous life requires a distraction that only alcohol can achieve. Her mind does flash to Alex, though. What she’s doing tonight. How easy it would be to just call her. Or even see her, if she still lives at the same apartment. However, she’s immediately turned away from that idea at the thought of someone else answering the phone or the door. (incomplete, recently updated. 4/10 chapters, 13k words)

by bltbackwards -

Red Fish Blue Fish - Alex Danvers is the head marine biologist and veterinarian at the National City Aquarium, where Maggie Sawyer is the new night guard. One chance encounter leads to two, which leads to meetings not at all by chance. OR The one where Gertrude is a dolphin, Maggie’s got a prosthetic leg, Alex is a brilliant nerd that keeps food in her lab coat, Kara is the literal ray of sunshine everyone adores, and Lena is a genius who loves marine animals. (complete - 10 chapters, 35k words)

by Roadie -

Ashes and Embers - Fairytale AU. Wherein Alex is sort-of-but-not-really-Cinderella, Maggie is sort-of-but-not-really-also-Cinderella-crossed-with-a-fairy-godmother, James Olsen is the nobility we all know him to be, and Gertrude is a horse sidekick. (complete - 5 chapters, 12k words)

by alittlelesspain -

no hiding place - So far in the past week, Maggie has been kidnapped, stunned, shot at, and now she has gone and put a considerable amount of professional and personal trust in the woman who had been doing the kidnapping, stunning, and shooting. She should be terrified. Instead, Maggie feels the most alive that she’s felt in years.

Or, the one where Alex is supposedly a criminal, Supergirl is supposedly dead, Lex Luthor is actually President, and Detective Maggie Sawyer has to deal with it all. A canon-divergent Sanvers AU. Slowburn. (complete - 13 chapters, 150k words)

by Lurkz -

I Just Want To Change My Future - Maggie was just hoping to finally have a stable enough job that allowed her to continue helping aliens and maybe finally meet someone who would decide she was worth sticking with. She wasn’t really expecting her new job to involve suspicious acting scientists that happened to be related to her new boss’s girlfriend.

All Alex wanted to do was work in her lab, finish this pseudo-undercover duty at L-Corp, destroy Cadmus, and find her father. She didn’t have time for nosy ex-detective security chiefs. (incomplete/still being updated. 16/? chapters, 77k words)

by thrace -

but the fruit is sweet - Sometimes doing the right thing sucks // Or, Maggie can’t figure out why Supergirl is suddenly giving her the cold shoulder. Post 2x06. (complete - 1 chapter, 15k words)

by seaunicorn -

Cursed - Alex’s sixth year at Hogwarts is thrown for a loop when her father Jeremiah is killed that summer. It seems the only thing that makes her feel normal anymore is her newfound friendship with longtime quidditch rival (and Hufflepuff’s new team captain) Maggie Sawyer (complete, 1 chapter, 26k words)

To Build A Home - Maggie’s apartment is on fire, so she shows up on Alex’s doorstep… and Alex could never say no to Maggie. (complete - 3 chapters, 15k words)

(and a handful of other good little oneshots)

by izzie456 -

pizza and pajamas - Alex’s finger froze in place and her eyes widened as, under “Special Delivery Instructions,” she read:“send your cutest delivery girl, please ;)”A beat of silence. Then:“Oh. My. God.”“Alex, please don’t–”“What the hell, Kara?”

An AU where Kara tries to get Alex to start dating again with an unusual plan, and Maggie is a pizza delivery girl (complete - 4 chapters, 35k words)

by adieu_sweetamaryllis -

communion - Four years — she’d made it four years without having Maggie Sawyer in a single class of hers despite them both going to the same school. If she hadn’t seen her once or twice across campus she would’ve thought the girl never actually ended up attending National City University, despite both of them getting acceptance letters a few weeks before — well, before everything went up in flames. (incomplete - 18/21 chapters, 126k words)

by DisplacedWarrior -

I would move mountains to make you smile - Alex was just looking for a way to handle her giant crush without talking about it, she had no idea creating an anonymous Instagram account for her cheesy sapphic poetry would cause this much of a stir. It has half the school starry-eyed but what about the one girl it was intended for? (complete 1 chapter, 10k words)

by swanmills -

let me be your goodnight - alex meets an annoying new agent in the batch of this year’s trainees. alternate meeting au (complete, 1 chapter, 4k words)

handfuls of other short/sweet oneshots by this author

and because I’m a masochist who is branching out into being a sadist, I’m going to recommend a very much incomplete story that I doubt will ever be finished but I reread it often and bemoan that it’s incomplete because it was SO GOOD and I want to drag everyone else down memory lane with me

wildfire - Alex has seen beautiful women before, her sister is one of them, but not one has ever taken her breath away so quickly it felt like she was being knocked over. Maybe it was simply the shock of seeing another person here when the school had seemed so desolate. Or maybe, maybe, it was because that was the most beautiful woman that Alex has ever seen.or the one where alex teaches chemistry, maggie teaches history, and they teach each other a little something about falling in love (so incomplete. 3/? chapters, 25k words)

by lordvoldyfarts, who also has several shorter oneshots that I adore

moving on!

General Danvers: (Alex Danvers/Astra In-Ze - Supergirl)

Sword of Damocles - Canon divergent from 1x13: When Hank shows up on the rooftop to stop Astra from activating Myriad, Astra manages to outmaneuver him, taking Alex hostage as a means of escape. Now, Alex finds herself a prisoner at the hostile Fort Rozz base, but as time goes by, she and Astra begin to form an unexpected bond, challenging each of their beliefs, and loyalties.(complete - 27 chapters, 134k words)

Occupational Hazard - A comedy of errors in which Astra seriously misinterprets things. Seriously. Misinterprets. Things. This is a Human AU, so she doesn’t even have the excuse of being an alien to justify her Serious Misinterpretation of Things. She’s just that socially awkward of an Environmental Sciences professor who is head over heels for the obliviously charming-as-all-hell medical school dropout Alex Danvers.Basically, everyone is confused, smut runs rampant, as do silly tropes, stupidly oblivious mutual pining, and eventually, Feelings. Also Non is a surprisingly effective wingman, even though he very honestly had no intention of being one. Seriously, everyone is just so confused. (technically incomplete but read it, that is an order. 7/? chapters, 42k words)

Sweet Dreams Are Made of This - In which Astra watches TV for the first time, falls asleep, and has a series of seven very bizarre dreams, each of which ends with her falling in love with one Alexandra Danvers. Which is just silly. Humans are ridiculous. Why would General Astra In-Ze ever fall for a human, even a human as brave, and clever, and kind, and strong, and impassioned, and protective, and brilliant, and beautiful and…damn it. (complete - 7 chapters, 36k words)

all by uisceB. Just read everything this person has authored. Just do it.

Anyway, I have a whole GD fic rec already done! It was done almost a year ago, though, so I would recommend checking out anonymississippi and alittlelesspain to see what they’ve done in the meantime!

Sansaery: (Sansa Stark/Margaery Tyrell - Game of Thrones)

I can provide you with my past fic rec for that here and also with a handful of more recent fics than that first one, here!

Faberry: (Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray - Glee)

Sooooo many fics! Enough for two previous rec lists here and here!

Bechloe: (Beca Mitchell/Chloe Beale - Pitch Perfect)

Here is a whole rec list :)

Jetra: (Jane Villanueva/Petra Solano - Jane the Virgin)

marry me a little by celaenos - Petra swallows, remembering the night in the stairwell. Thinking about how it was the first time Jane had felt real to her since the day they met, and how she didn’t want it to end, and how that was so, so dangerous. To want like that.(Or, Jane marries Petra to save her from Milos. And things start to get real complicated after that.) (complete - 18 chapters, 110k words)

Cartinelli: (Peggy Carter/Angie Martinelli - Agent Carter)

the mothering of us by QuickYoke and ratherembarrassing - The Black and White Ball was a masquerade ball held on November 28, 1966 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Hosted by author Truman Capote, the ball was in honor of The Washington Post publisher, Katharine Graham. – Director Carter attends. (one of the best fics I’ve ever read. Complete - 3/3 chapters, 60k words)

Living Arrangements by netgirl_y2k - Angie almost says, I think Peggy and me are basically married, and I don’t think she’s noticed, just to see the look on Jarvis’s face. (Complete - 1 chapter, 3k words)

i broke my bones playing games with you by mooosicaldreamz - Captain America wakes up and causes quite the scene too, bursting into the middle of Times Square and turning circles around in wonder. The video plays over and over on the news, which Angie watches then, over and over, at the diner. There’s the gorgeous Peggy Carter, at the center of a storm of suits and Escalades, staring up at the big lights. She doesn’t look a day over 26, and honestly, Angie thinks she looks beautiful. Modern day AU where Peggy is Captain America. (complete - 2 chapters, 22k words)

Tony and the Gal Pals by comicbooklovergreen - “Hey Peg, you here? You’re never here early. Should I be worried?”Tony froze, looking to Peggy for direction. Only then did she think that perhaps she should’ve consulted Angie before absconding with Howard’s child and bringing him to their home. Or, the one where Peggy gets tired of Howard’s negligence and does something about it. (complete - 3 chapters, 16k words)

Faithfully Yours by nofearqueerhere - Angie sends a letter overseas in a “write to our boys” campaign for the war effort. She doesn’t count on it falling into the hands of Agent Carter of the Strategic Scientific Reserve. But she doesn’t exactly complain, either. (complete - 13/13 chapters, 18k words)

Shoot: (Root/Sameen Shaw - Person of Interest)

the domestic hell series by enginerd - The machine has a funny sense of humor when it gives the team a new setof ID’s. Suddenly Root and Shaw are married in the New York suburbsplaying house. What happens when the machine puts you in a house that wasthe block Halloween Party house for years?

OR: Root and Shaw are in suburbia throwing a Halloween party. God helpthem. (4 words in the series, all one shots between 10k-15k)

Kismet and Other Movements by aelysian - She can’t see her without craning her neck, but she can picture themischievous gleam in brown eyes, the sharp cuspids that add bite to the flirtysmile.

“Are we playing, Sameen? You haven’t told me what the rulesare.” Soulmate AU. (complete - 5 chapters, 17k words)

The 32nd Annual IFTEC by ionizable - University AU where Root and Shaw have been forced to work together to plan and run their school’s engineering competition. In no particular order, there will be: “oops I accidentally fell in love with you” Root, an excruciatingly slow build, jealous Shaw, jealous Root, donut thievery, eventual smut, backstories, nerdiness, things moving right along to the complex plane after the midpoint, and most importantly: cheesy science jokes! bad puns and corny jokes! (complete - 12 chapters, 41k words)

connective tissue by bightly_bightly - “In a world where you can always find something to die for, Root gives you everything to live for."Root and Shaw, feelings and sex. This started out as me wanting an excuse to write the line "If you want that, you’re gonna have to do better than pancakes and light bondage” and it just sort of… evolved. (Complete - 14 chapters, 50k words)

Natural Selection by kesdax - They keep their heads down. They survive. Until their number comes up. Post Season 3 finale. (complete - 14 chapters, 55k words)

Fish Out Of Water by donteatmyfingerprints - Completely AU. A mermaid. There is a mermaid in front of her. (Sooooo au, but so weirdly good. Complete - 3 chapters, 15k words)

Swan Queen: (Regina Mills/Emma Swan - Once Upon a Time)

Send Up a Signal (that everything’s fine) by coalitiongirl

Emma Swan is catapulted into stardom, the newest lead actress on asanitized show featuring modern fairytales. Regina Mills is a long-underminedstar with a chip on her shoulder and a thousand reasons why she’s invested.Naturally, they loathe each other on sight.

Their characters’ fanbases, however, have other ideas. (complete - 21 chapters, 117k words)

and everything else by coalitiongirl. Really there are just too many to name.

step into my office baby by foxbones - This is what you get for doing the nice thing, Emma thinks. You do that whole Pay It Forward bullshit - you buy a lady some coffee and you pretend like it isn’t totally motivated by how she looks in a pencil skirt - and she goes and insults your business card and turns out to be your company’s new Executive Director. Real fucking cute.From now on, she is drinking tea. or, the one where they’re in an office. (complete - 16 chapters, 41k words)

Wedding Crasher by misscanteloupe - “My sister, Zelena,” she spits out the name like it’s poison, “Is getting married this weekend in California. My mother is potentially the biggest pain in the ass when it comes to who I take in as lovers. I need someone who will aggravate her to no end and keep her from meddling in the future.”

Emma blinks. “Why me?”

“My mother hates blondes.”

“Oh,” Emma says slowly, and god. She gets the feeling she’s signed herself up for one fucked up family reunion. “Cool.” (complete - 1 chapter, 6k words)

Deliver Me by wistfulwatcher - “I was told a double rush order would be here in twenty minutes or less,” she said coolly, and gestured to the clock on the wall beside them.

Looking over, Emma saw the face reading 6:45, just a few minutes past the twenty minute deadline. Eyes narrowing slightly, she licked her lips. “Yeah, it’s just a couple minutes past,” Emma said, and shifted her weight to one hip.

Tilting her chin up slightly she repeated, “Twenty minutes or less,” and Emma felt her head start to pound. What a way to end the day. (Complete - 5 chapters, 38k words)

A Fine Line by hunnyfresh - Upon Regina’s banishment, the small town of Storybrooke becomes protected once again by an enchantment that prevents anyone from leaving or entering Storybrooke. Emma and Regina find themselves on the edge of the town, wishing for a way to the other side. (Complete - 3 chapters, 18k words)

… I’ll see myself out. I hope you enjoy some!

#sanvers #general danvers #shoot #swan queen #cartinelli #jetra #bechloe #sansaery #faberry #fic recs

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namikala · 6 years ago

Photo

AHHHH! The last part of Toru’s epic IchiMika doujinshi trilogy ‘I’m Yours’ just kind of came out without warning and I need it badly!!

I just love her soft and dreamy artwork and it really suits her surprisingly complex and captivating story. It’s about how Ichigo and Mikazuki’s love endures through thousands of years and reincarnations. I’ll try to summarize what has happened so far (from memory).

The story is set in the post-game future where the war is over and most of the sword boys have been reincarnated as human. Human Ichigo is a university student and he’s been having some very strange dreams lately but he can never remember what they are about, so his classmate Tsurumaru tells him how they all used to be sword spirits and there is this secret society that preserves their now empty sword vessels and he might find the answer to his dreams there.

With the society’s help, Ichigo is able to remember the time when he was summoned by a saniwa and lived in a citadel with all the other sword boys. It was towards the end of the war and the Historical Revisionists were winning… Ichigo was the last sword to be summoned at this citadel. Anyway, the sword boys were actually all cyborgs that had been infused with the spirit of swords! The saniwa had an attendant who appeared to be a hooded old man and no one knew what he looked like underneath that hood. He also seemed rather nervous around Ichigo.

One day, the citadel was attacked by a very powerful kebiishi while the main troops were out. All that was left were swords whose levels were much too low to defeat the kebiishi, such as Ichigo the latest arrival… Just as the citadel was about to completely decimated, the hooded man stepped forward to fight and it turned out to be Mikazuki! However, this Mikazuki was flawed as he had been imperfectly summoned… He sacrificed himself to save everyone and before he disappeared, he pointed at Ichigo and commanded him to ‘remember’, and somehow this caused a strong electrical pulse (probably coz they were cyborgs) that knocked Ichigo unconscious and into a deep sleep.

In his dream, Ichigo dreamt of being back in Toyotomi times! He dreamt of when he first met Mikazuki. Mikazuki was very aloof, withdrawn and depressed at first coz he’d been alive for so long and had watched so many people he’d cared about die… So he’d decided not to get close to anyone. The only one he was willing to interact with was Honebami who was his attendent and looked after him. Namazuo was Ichigo’s attendant. Honebami introduced Mikazuki to his ‘ani-ue’ and he was the one who worked with his big brother to think of ways to cheer up Mikazuki~! Honebami told Ichigo that Mikazuki liked flowers, so Ichigo left blue flowers that were the same shade as his blue hair at Mikazuki’s doorstep every day~! XD

There was also an incident where Ichigo suddenly fainted one day from all the negative energy he’d been shielding his master Hideyoshi from… Mikazuki, being much older and thus having more spiritual energy, healed Ichigo and that was when Ichigo got to really look into Mikazuki’s eyes and noticed the lovely crescent moons in them.

As time went by, Ichigo and Mikazuki grew closer and Ichigo soon developed the habit of telling Mikazuki all about the things he’d experienced and seen with Hideyoshi the moment he got home, and everyone remarked how they were becoming more and more like Hideyoshi and Nene.

One day, while the two were watching Honebami and Namazuo play in the courtyard with some of the other tsukumogami of the Toyotomi household, Ichigo noticed Mikazuki smiling and he reached over to lightly touch his cheek with a smile, happy that Mikazuki was finally smiling again. Mikazuki looked into his eyes and remarked how Ichigo’s golden eyes were warm and gentle like the sun. Then the two suddenly felt very shy and moved away quickly. It’s so sweet and cute~♡

More time passed and the two eventually vowed to always be together with Honebami and Namazuo as their witnesses. Unfortunately, tragedy soon struck… starting with Hideyoshi’s death then the fire…

Human Ichigo then wakes up from this dream within a dream and feels the strong need to find human Mikazuki. He doesn’t know where to start though, so he decides to look for Mikazuki’s sword at that secret society. However, just as he’s reaching out to touch it, one of the personnel there tells him to stop and that is where book 2 stopped. And so I really really really need book 3!

Toranoana link

#doujinshi #touken ranbu #tourabu #ichigo hitofuri #mikazuki munechika #ichimika #toru #i'm yours #toranoana

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austarus · 7 years ago

Text

Barry Allen x Reader The Nutcracker AU

Major Disclaimer: I do not own anything from The Flash or The Nutcracker and The Mouse King. I only changed a few things to fit the style of the alternate universe. This is my first time writing about an alternate universe that involves something as spectacular as the Nutcracker so hopefully it doesn’t suck.

Requested by Anon: Hi there! Is it possible you could write a Barry ALLEN imagine (The Nutcracker AU)?

Cast:

v Caitlin Snow –> Narrator 1

v Cisco Ramon –> Narrator 2

v Harry Wells –> Narrator 3

v Ralph Dibney –> Narrator 4

v Little Iris West –> Clara

v Little Wally West –> Fritz

v Joe West –> Dad

v Francine West –> Mom

v Godfather

v Prince Barry –> The Nutcracker

v Sugarplum Fairy (Y/N) –> Sugarplum Fairy

v King Eobard –> The Mouse King

~The West Living Room~

Caitlin (Narrator 1): It was Christmas evening. Outside, the world was cold and covered in sparkling frost, but inside the home of the West family everything was warm and bright as they prepared for Christmas day.

(The West family decorates the room for Christmas as Deck the Halls plays softly in the background)

Francine: Well done everyone, the house looks wonderful.

Joe: Now all we need is for your Godfather to join the party.

Cisco (Narrator 2): Just at that moment, there was a knock on the door.

(knock)

Cisco (Narrator 2): The children ran up to see who it could be and sure enough, there was the cheerful smile of the children’s Godfather.

(The Children’s Godfather appears on stage with a sack full of presents.

Iris and Wally run to greet him.)

Godfather: Dear me children, let me in or we shall all freeze on the doorstep!

Iris: Oh Godfather I’m so happy to see you!

Wally: Have you brought us some presents?!

Francine: Now Wally don’t be rude. Besides, you will need to wait for the morning before you open any presents.

Godfather: Of course, I have something for you Wally, and for you Iris. Come, we had better put all the presents underneath the Christmas tree.

(O Christmas Tree plays on the radio as the family put presents beneath the tree)

Harry (Narrator 3): Before long, all the presents were stacked in a colorful heap beneath the Christmas tree and the family were getting ready for bed.

Joe: Come along now, it’s time for bed. The sooner we go to sleep, the sooner it will be Christmas morning.

(Exit Iris, Wally, Francine, Joe, and Godfather. Lights fade to a dim blue color)

Harry (Narrator 3): But Iris found that she could not sleep, she was too excited about the present that her Godfather had brought for her. She crept into the living room for another look.

(Iris creeps across the living room to the tree and opens her present, taking out a nutcracker doll.)

Iris: What a sweet little nutcracker doll! He’s dressed so smartly! Oh, I love him!

Ralph (Narrator 4): Iris hugged the nutcracker tightly and then curled up under the Christmas tree and fell asleep to the music of carol singers in the street.

(During the first verse of Silent Night Iris wanders around, rocking the nutcracker doll, then curls up under the tree with the nutcracker hidden)

Ralph (Narrator 4): Suddenly, the clock struck twelve and Iris woke to find her nutcracker had turned into a prince!

(Chimes ring from the grandfather clock as Prince Barry kneels next to Iris and gently wakes her)

Prince Barry: Thank you Iris, your kindness has freed me from King Eobard’s evil spell. He will be angry, but don’t worry, my soldiers will protect you.

(Enter the toy soldiers, standing in formation on Prince Barry’s side)

Caitlin (Narrator 1): Just then, they heard many shuffling feet. The armies of King Eobard were on their way!

(The army of mice enters from the back of the stage and they stand facing the toy soldiers on the opposite side)

Make way for King Eobard

Cisco (Narrator 2): The army of mice stood and faced the army of toy soldiers. Then, King Eobard pushed his way to the front with an angry cry.

(King Eobard pushes his way through the army)

King Eobard: This girl has broken my spell and robbed me of my revenge! Now as punishment I shall kill Prince Barry and take this little meddler back to our lair.

(Prince Barry stands in front of Iris and draws his sword)

Prince Barry: While there is breath in my body you shall not touch her!

King Eobard: We will see about that!

(King Eobard draws his sword and they circle and begin to fight)

(The soldiers and the mice leap, shake fists, and throw cheese at each other while King Eobard and Prince Barry fight. When it looks like King Eobard has the advantage, Iris stuns him with her slipper and the mice scatter, taking the King with them. At the end of the fight the soldiers exit, and Prince Barry goes over to Iris)

Prince Barry: Thank you Iris, you have saved me again.

Iris: Oh, Prince Barry, I couldn’t let him hurt you!

Prince Barry: I don’t know how I can ever repay you… perhaps you would like to visit my kingdom for a little while?

Iris: Oh, yes please!

Harry (Narrator 3): Prince Barry took Iris’ hand and they went out into the night, through the falling snow

(The lighting changes to a lighter blue and as Iris and Prince Barry walk off)

~The Kingdom of Sweets~

(Enter Iris and Prince Barry. Sugarplum fairy (Y/N) ready to run onstage)

Ralph (Narrator 4): When they arrived in the Kingdom of Sweets, Iris couldn’t believe her eyes. There were lollipop trees and marshmallow flowers, sweetly glazed mountains topped with whipped cream, and buttercream frosting everywhere. As Prince Barry led Iris towards a huge marzipan castle, a beautiful lady ran to meet them.

Sugarplum Fairy (Y/N): Oh! Prince Barry! I thought I would never see you again! How did you ever escape? And who is this?

Caitlin (Narrator 1): Prince Barry explained everything that had happened since he had been turned into a Nutcracker by King Eobard.

Sugarplum Fairy (Y/N): How extraordinary! Please forgive my manners, I haven’t introduced myself. I am Sugarplum Fairy (Y/N). I am so grateful to you for returning Prince Barry to me. Come, we must have a celebration!

(Sugarplum Fairy (Y/N) leads Iris and Prince Barry to one side and then beckons the Snowflake dancers on stage)

Cisco (Narrator 2): Sugarplum Fairy (Y/N) called together people from all over the Kingdom to come and celebrate the return of Prince Barry.

Sugarplum Fairy (Y/N): Come and sit here, Iris. The citizens of our Kingdom of Sweets will perform their dances for you, to show our gratitude.

Harry (Narrator 3): The swirling colors and beautiful music lulled Iris until she could hardly keep her eyes open. As Prince Barry took to the floor with Sugarplum Fairy (Y/N) she finally fell into a peaceful slumber.

(The Nutcracker Prince and the Sugarplum Fairy dance as Iris falls asleep in the corner and as everything fades back to the West living room. Iris is now under the Christmas tree)

~West living room~

Ralph (Narrator 4): When Iris woke that morning, she was underneath the Christmas tree once more.

(Iris wakes up and stretches then looks around her)

Iris: What a strange dream… but where has my nutcracker gone?

Caitlin (Narrator 1): Try as she might, Iris couldn’t find the nutcracker doll anywhere.

(Iris walks around looking for her nutcracker doll as her Godfather watches her search from a far)

Iris: Oh, of course, he was with Sugarplum Fairy (Y/N) in the Kingdom of Sweets. Perhaps it wasn’t a dream after all.

Godfather: Good morning Iris. Looking for something?

Iris: Oh, Godfather… I’m sorry, I…

Godfather: I know. You won’t find him now. He’s back where he belongs. Are you sad that you won’t have a present to open today?

Iris: No, I’m glad I could help him. I’d rather know that he is alright than have a whole mountain of presents.

(Wally, Joe, and Francine enter the living room)

Francine: Oh, I see you’re up already.

Wally: Merry Christmas everyone!

#barry allen x reader #barry allen imagine #barry allen #the flash #the flash imagine #the flash x reader #iris west #joe west #wally west #harry wells #harrison wells #ralph dibny #caitlin snow #cisco ramon

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themyskira · 7 years ago

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Amazons Attack! - part 8

Continuity is breaking apart.

Time means nothing any more.

And, one third of the way into the miniseries, Will Pfeifer has decided to turn the Amazon invasion into an al-Qaeda/War on Terror analogy.

oh god oh god why did I decide to this.

Part 8: Amazons Attack! #3 — Will Pfeiffer (writer) and Pete Woods (artist)

We open on another Lex News report, which tells us that the Amazon invasion began “days ago”. This directly contradicts

the sequence of events in Wonder Woman, which have taken place over 24 hours at most, and

the very next issue of Amazons Attack! (#4), which opens on “day three”; as AA #3 occurs over two days, this would mean that the issue opens on the day after the invasion

It’s safe to say that, at this point, not only is each book operating on a completely different timeline, every issue is in a universe all of its own.

The important thing to remember is, the invasion has just happened and this entire issue takes place over a single day. This will be relevant going forward.

Also, the Washington Monument (which, if you’ll remember, has already been destroyed twice) got better.

And just in case you though it was hyperbole — yes, the entire state of Kansas really is on fire.

Superman puts out the fires in Kansas, while throughout America the entire fabric of society breaks down.

“Traffic pouring out of Manhattan at a standstill— as thousands abandon their cars, leaving massive traffic jams… all flights cancelled nationwide. Riots at O’Hare, L.A.X., Sea-Tac. A woman’s shelter firebombed— after rumours of a connection of the Amazons are heard. And every hour, news reports of murders, suicides, assaults…”

And then Hippolyta—

No.

No, you know what, this is getting ridiculous. I refuse to keep on calling this outrageously offensive caricature of an Amazon Hippolyta.

And then Queen Cuckoo Banana Crackers cuts into the news broadcast to take credit for the attacks across America and to deliver her list of demands.

“The attacks outside the main theatre of battle… the military base. Kansas. And the ones that haven’t happened yet. I’m responsible. And I have no intention of stopping until I achieve my goal. Once, that goal was my daughter’s freedom from your government’s unjust incarceration. But I’m afraid that time has passed. The stakes have risen. Now I desire something else. There is but one thing that will save your country— and your lives. Complete and unconditional surrender. You have one day to decide.”

Jesus. What is it you want out of this invasion, lady? Diana’s safety? Death to America? The eradication of all humanity? Conquest of the continental United States? Every issue it’s something different. Make up your mind already.

Mad-as-a-Meat-Axe then ends the broadcast by drawing her sword and beheading the hostage news cameraman who’s been forced to film her.

Fucking what the flippity fuck.

Aside from the decision to portray Wonder Woman’s mother as a bloodthirsty, man-hating feminazi boogeymonster, there are two things I find particularly distasteful about this.

As will become increasingly apparent over the course of this issue, the creators of this crossover are using the Amazon invasion of America as a heavy-handed analogy for the US-led War on Terror. And the stand-in for al-Qaeda and related extremist terrorist groups in this story? It’s a peaceful, egalitarian nation of queer women.

Fuck’s sake, at this stage the Amazons have been repeatedly depicted murdering American civilians beneath war banners topped with the female symbol. This comic is implicitly equating feminism with radical Islamist terrorism.

And the Amazons’ beheading of a hostage reporter? That’s a thing that was happening in Iraq around the time that this comic was published. For readers in 2007, the 2004 spate of filmed beheadings of foreign hostages by Islamist terrorists would have still been fresh in the collective memory. To draw on those very real and horrifying murders for shock value is revoltingly insensitive and trivialising.

Anyway, Artemis and Philippus watch all this happen in stunned silence, certain now that their queen has lost her mind. Their exchange goes something like:

Artemis: holy shit, Phil, she’s out of control. Philippus: She’s gone mad. Artemis: Golly, whatever shall we do? Philippus: If only there was some other choice besides blindly following her orders! Artemis: This is such a conundrum!

Philippus, the brilliant Amazon general, Hippolyta’s closest friend and confidante (WIFE. WIIIIFE. MAKE IT CANON, YOU COWARDS.), and elected leader of Themyscira. And Artemis, one-time Wonder Woman who clawed her way back from death, Shim’tar and war-leader who is never shy about calling bullshit or leaping into action. Cannot think of any way to deal with a deranged, bloodthirsty queen except to hug themselves and look vaguely sad.

Cut to Air Force One, and some thinly-veiled criticism of the Bush presidency.

After casually plugging an upcoming miniseries (Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters), the President expresses his frustration at being stuck up in the air in the midst of an invasion. His aide tells him, “Your country needs you to be up here. Safe.” Which… okay? But is Air Force One really the safest place for the President of the United States when the Amazons have soldiers in the air who are apparently capable of destroying top-of-the-line fighter jets with primitive arrows? In what way is the President safer here than he would be in a bunker? Or, I dunno, the JLA Watchtower?

Then the President announces he’s implementing the Patriot Act, I’m sorry, the McCarran Act.

“A relic of the Cold War. Allows arrest of suspicious individuals. Provides for deportation. Imprisonment. Camps. It was created back in 1950 to fight the Communist menace that was supposedly poised at our doorstep. I’d say things are considerably more dire now. […] The country is ripping itself to pieces. The people need to know that they’re safe. Secure. They need to know that someone strong and capable is looking out for them. […] Implement the order. Now. There’s no other way to save the country.”

hoooo boy.

Leave aside the misogyny and the insensitivity and the flat-out bad writing for a moment. Here is the reason that the War on Terror analogy almost immediately falls apart in this comic: Amazons Attack! is fundamentally not a story about terrorism, despite Will Pfeifer’s attempts to retrofit it into one. It’s a story about two nations being manipulated into war. It’s about a sovereign nation invading the United States, overpowering the US armed forces and taking over the capital city.

We’ve seen no threat of Amazon ‘extremists’ infiltrating American society, or American citizens being ‘radicalised’ by Amazons, or Americans conspiring with Amazons to engage in acts of espionage and sabotage, or Amazon ‘terrorist’ attacks on American soil prior to the invasion. The McCarran Act isn’t relevant to this conflict — they’re fighting a hot war, not the Cold War.

The government and armed forces can’t be complacent about the possibility of American citizens aiding the enemy, it’s true — but when DC and Kansas are being bombed to shit and civilians are dying in the hundreds and the entire country is in a panic, an unsubstantiated fear of radical Amazon sympathisers is hardly the greatest concern. The President ought to be, I dunno, meeting with the Joint Chiefs and keeping on top of the literal war unfolding on American soil, not drafting plans to round up feminists in concentration camps.

But, dang it, Will Pfeifer has already decided that this is going to be a War on Terror story, so instead President not-Bush orders his aide to implement the not-Patriot Act.

(Also: “Implement the order. Now.” What order?! You never gave one! You just threw around a bunch of buzz words!)

Now for this issue’s obligatory dose of patriotic imagery, we cut to the eeeeeevil Amazons lurking among the Korean War Veterans Memorial’s statues of American soldiers, before Batman and Superman take them out.

Batman observes that Superman is using nonlethal tactics and chides him, “This is war.” Superman points out that Batman was fighting the Amazons with nonlethal tranq darts. Batman immediately about-faces and agrees that they are of one mind on this issue. So... why are we having this conversation, then?

Will Pfeifer continues to try to reframe the Amazons’ full-scale military invasion as a series of terrorist attacks, to better fit his War on Terror narrative.

Superman: But what [Queen Ragebiscuit] said? What she claims to have done? The military base? Kansas? It doesn’t make any sense. Batman: No. It makes perfect sense… if your goal is fear and uncertainty. Attacking the base shows they’re not confined to Washington. Attacking Kansas shows they know how to cripple our food supply. Terrorist strikes aren’t a typical Amazon tactic, but you have to admit, it is effective.

Except, up until this panel, spreading terror has not been the Amazons’ stated goal. I mean, granted, the goalposts seem to move every issue, but of the various goals they’ve had until now (freeing Diana, killing all the humans, possibly world domination), propagating fear and uncertainty through terrorism has not been one of them.

And at least one of those attacks (the Air Force base, where dozens of planes bound for DC were refuelling) was a tactical strike.

But it doesn’t matter, because the Amazons are al-Qaeda now, so they’re terrorists.

Just outside of DC, a support group is meeting at the Athenian Women’s Shelter. They’re discussing their admiration for Wonder Woman and their concern about the invasion when an agent from the Justice Department arrives to arrest them. All of them.

Because in a world of gods and supervillains, the most likely collaborators with a murderous, human-hating invading force is a group of domestic violence survivors who have embraced Wonder Woman as a symbol of hope and empowerment.

The next day’s news is filled with reports of “waves of arrests” that took place overnight. Again, in the main Wonder Woman book, the war has been underway for less than a day.

Batman stands over the fallen Tom Tresser expositions about the murderbee attack that just happened in Wonder Woman, and an editor’s note reminds us to buy WW #10. Then he adds regretfully that he would send Supergirl and Wonder Girl to get the antidote Tom needs, but they’re MIA along with the rest of the Teen Titans. A second editor’s note exhorts us to buy Teen Titans #48.

I swear to god, like 60% of this miniseries is just promos for other comics.

This is also where we get the infamous “Bees. My god.” panel.

“Of course, you’ve got bigger problems right now. An Amazon attack, a deadly bee weapon… Bees. My god.”

It’s even funnier because he’s not even talking to anybody here. He’s just monologuing at Tom’s unconscious body.

Oh, and while all this is happening?

AN EPIC SUPERHERO FIGHT AGAINST THE LERNAEAN HYDRA IS TAKING PLACE. IN THE BACKGROUND.

Power Girl, Big Barda, two Green Lanterns, Vixen, Hawkman, Hourman, Blue Beetle, Captain Marvel, Black Lightning and Starman, all battling to subdue one of the most fearsome monsters of Greek myth—

--but nah, sorry, no time to linger on that, there are more important things happening. So after this one panel, we cut away and return to the excitement of Batman plugging tie-in comics.

Queen Wackadoodle stalks around the Chamber of Burning Books, monologuing about how last issue’s story thread with Donna Troy has gone nowhere. A soldier announces that two visitors have arrived — Wonder Girl and Supergirl — and then we abruptly cut away. Haha! Tricked you! If you want to know how that conversation goes, you’re going to have to read the Teen Titans tie-in story!

Wonder Woman joins Batman, and pauses to marvel over how strong Tom is.

“I can’t believe how strong he is. I’ve seen Stygian killer hornets tear an Amazon apart — or leave her begging to be killed. The fact that Tom still lives — even barely — says much about him.”

OOOOOH HE’S SO SPECIAL, HIS MANLY MAN STAMINA EXCEEDS EVEN THE MIGHT OF THE AMAZONS! THEIR FRAGILE LADY NERVES WOULD HAVE BEEN SHATTERED BY SO MANY BEE STINGS, AND YET HE ENDURES! ALL HAIL TOM TRESSER AND HIS RUGGED MASCULINE RESOLVE!

But then Diana continues, ‘welp, wish I could help him or something, but I can’t waste time going to Themyscira for the antidote — I’ve got a mother to kill. Only way to win the war; that’s what Circe told me, and I can’t imagine she’d have an ulterior motive.��

While I’m all for Diana leaving Tom to die in a ditch — this is yet another scene that’s completely incompatible with the events of the Wonder Woman comic.

Here’s the sequence of events in WW #10:

Tom collapses in Diana’s arms

A devastated Diana immediately whirls on Queen Loony Tunes and engages her in combat

They fight

Diana gets Bugfuck Magoo at her mercy, then turns the tables, surrenders her weapon and challenges her mother to go ahead and kill her

There is no room in the timeline for Diana to share this exchange with Batman.

Nor is it necessary. Because none of the things referenced in this conversation — the murderbees, Tom’s brush with death, the search for the antidote, or even Diana’s fight with Baroness Hissyfit — have any bearing on this issue’s story at all. They don’t feature again. They don’t serve to progress the plot. Everything in these two pages boils down to COMPLETELY WASTED SPACE.

News breaks of another attack, this time on a nuclear reactor in Star City. Artemis and Philippus discuss the developments. I’ll paraphrase again.

Philippus: Did you hear? There was another attack. Artemis: This is not the Amazon way, Philippus. This is TERRORISM. We’re acting like TERRORISTS. We shouldn’t be murdering innocent civilians. Philippus: I agree. Artemis: We should be murdering their leaders. Philippus: Exactly. That’s why I’ve sent a detachment to Virginia to kill the remnants of the American government. Artemis: Yeah… it’s just too bad we can’t do anything about our government. Philippus: I know. I simply can’t think what more we could possibly do to stop our Queen. Artemis: Guess we’ll just have to go back to folding our arms and sighing meaningfully at her.

Meanwhile, Green Arrow goes to investigate the nuclear reactor. The disaster has been contained, but it was a near thing — Oliver finds an incredibly high-tech bomb on the site, one powerful enough to have destroyed all of Star City had it not malfunctioned.

And I’m reading this thinking, Okay, well… it’s evil and horrible, but at least the Amazons’ advanced technology is finally getting a fair showing?

So of course the very next panel is ‘Well, obviously the Amazons couldn’t have done this! They’re total primitives!’

Green Arrow: This bomb is a pretty amazing piece of machinery, one-in-a million malfunction aside. I didn’t know the Amazons could build something like this. Batman: They can’t. Swords, shields and magic? Amazons. Microchips, computers and high-tech weapons? Someone else. Green Arrow: Someone else? Who? Batman: Same people who destroyed Vandenberg Air Force Base. And burned Kansas. And no doubt have other catastrophes planned. The game has changed, Oliver… A new opponent has taken the field.

NOW HANG ON.

Fake Steel: My boss down at the White House wants some details about Amazon technology. In particular… the unfortunately named “Purple Death Ray”. Diana: I won’t give you that! the destructive power—

Queen Bazonkerface: Those “innocent people” [humans] want our weapons technology!

This ENTIRE WAR was partially predicated on an apparent attempt by the US government to force Wonder Woman to hand over advanced Amazon weapons technology, so do not come to me with this shit about Amazons being primitive savages.

Back on Air Force One, President not-Bush is still frustrated about being stuck up in the air while his country burns. I would be, too, because the air? Not the safest place to be right now. There are flying horses out there, and supernaturally deadly arrows, and whatever the hell it was that set an entire state on fire, and—

Wonder Girl: EITHER YOU BRING THIS PLANE DOWN NOW… OR WE’LL BRING IT DOWN FOR YOU!

—and… that.

Fuck.

But to find out how the hell Cassie and Kara got to the point of threatening to murder the President of the United States, we have to go over to our first tie-in comic, Teen Titans #48, by Adam Beechen and Al Barrionuevo.

I’ll run through this one pretty quickly.

It’s been somewhere between 24 hours and three days since the Amazons invaded, and already the US government has established full-scale internment camps. Helena Sandsmark is arrested and writes to Cassie to beg her not to do anything stupid like try to break everybody out.

So Cassie teams up with Supergirl to try to break everybody out.

They get into a stoush with the military, and the Teen Titans arrive to stop them, but Cassie is irrational and female and preoccupied by some romantic drama with Tim, so she refuses to leave and everybody fights. The camp ends up half-destroyed and Cassie’s mother is injured.

A guilty Cassie cradles her mother, who again urges her not to do anything stupid.

So Cassie and Kara fly off to do something stupid, leaving the Teen Titans to be arrested for “associating with known threats to the United States” (i.e. trying to stop them???).

Cassie and Kara go to Queen Murderpants and ask her to please make peace, pretty please? Lady MacBatshit explains that she can’t, because the President refuses to come and speak to her.

Well, hey, if that’s the only problem, maybe you could, I don’t know, offer a temporary ceasefire, some show of good faith, indicate that you’re willing to negotiate a withdrawal—

‘LET’S KIDNAP HIM!’ says Cassie.

Cassie: Well… Well, what if we brought him to you? Would you speak to him then? Countess Wackadoo: If you think it possible, then I would… Kara: What’s possible? What are we doing? Cassie: Pulling the President out of Air Force One. I’ll explain on the way.

As they leave, Queen Kelloggs-Crunchy-Nutbar gloats that no negotiation will be necessary once she has the US President as her hostage.

#when shamazons attack #comics talk

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thecuriouscrusader · 7 years ago

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The Perfect Gift

Pairing: Dean x Castiel

Word Count: 1963

Prompts: Antique Store + Mug

Tags: Alternate Universe, First Meeting, Fluff, Humour, Embarassing Idiots

Summary: Dean is searching for a present for Sam’s brithday when he stumbles across an antique store. He makes a great first impression by smashing a mug.

A/N: Written for @huntingandwritingthings SPN Cluedo Challenge 2K17. Congrats on 500 followers Amber! Also, thank you to @mrsgabrieltrickster for betaing x

Dean had never been great at buying gifts. Whenever Sam’s birthday came around Dean would usually present him with something impersonal that he had bought at the last minute, so this year Sam had told his brother not to bother.

Dean - despite knowing that his lack of skill at choosing wanted or needed items when it came to buying presents was a real issue - had taken offence and vowed to find his brother the best damn birthday present he had ever gotten. Sam had teased that he did not think anything could beat last year’s forest scented candles.

So, the older Winchester had been scavenging around the streets of Lebanon for hours on his quest for the perfect gift.

Dean absentmindedly glanced in each store window as he rushed by until he saw a wooden rocking-horse staring back at him. There were all sorts of dated toys in the window along with a globe, and an old camera.

He looked up at the sign above the store, ‘Novak’s Knick-Knacks’. The small shop was tucked away between two clothing boutiques and judging by the random items in the window, appeared to deal in a wide array of antiques; if Dean could not find anything for his nerdy brother in there then he might as well give up.

Dean opened the door and a small bell jingled to alert the owner of his arrival. There was no one behind the desk as there were no other customers. He looked around in awe. There were rows and rows of shelves stocked with fine china, shimmering jewellery, and polished trinkets.

He spotted a slightly worn looking wooden clown puppet dangling from the wall with a menacing grin. A sadistic side of Dean thought that he would enjoy the look on Sam’s face if he opened that on his birthday; his brother had various negative feelings about clowns.

Dean continued to wonder around until a brass telescope caught his eye. He leaned over to take a look through the lens, but he accidentally bumped the table behind him as he did so. He heard an ominous wobble and whipped around to try and steady the object he had hit. He turned too quickly, whipping his arm widely and knocked whatever it was off the table.

Dean froze as a crash rang out loudly in the empty room. He winced as he peered down and saw the shattered remains of what he assumed was some kind of cup as there was a handle amongst the shards.

“Hey!"

Dean turned around and saw who he figured was the store owner looking at him in shock. He was a strikingly handsome guy with dark tussled hair and impossible blue eyes.

"That was a tea mug handcrafted for the emperor of Japan in the late eighteen-hundreds; it costs eight hundred dollars!"

Dean’s jaw dropped. "I-I, uh, oh crap. I-I’m so sorry” he stuttered out an apology. “I…you should put something like that in a safer place, dude!” he threw back, his fear and embarrassment giving way to anger before he could stop himself. “Sorry. I just…I don’t know if I can afford to pay for that..!"

"No, please, it’s alright” the other man said as he raised his hands apologetically; he seemed worried by how much Dean had started panicking. “I-it was just a joke. It was mine from home; I bought it from Pottery Barn for seven dollars.” He quickly knelt down to pick up the pieces.

Dean took a moment to process the information before sighing deeply; his shoulders visibly sagged with relief. “You’ve got a sick sense of humour, man” he said sarcastically.

“Sorry” the guy said sheepishly. “Humour just goes over my head sometimes. I confess I’m socially awkward and terrible at breaking the ice.” He placed the remains in a trashcan behind the desk.

“Well breaking a mug isn’t a real subtle way to spark a conversation either” Dean said with a small smile, the other man responded with nervous laughter but Dean found it quite endearing. “Are you Novak?” He asked.

“Yes, well, that’s my surname. You can call me Castiel."

"Hey, I’m Dean."

They shook hands.

"What can I help you with, Dean?"

"Well, it’s my little brother’s birthday and he always complains that I’m no good at buying gifts, so I want to get him something that will blow his freakin’ mind so he realises how ungrateful he is."

"So, you want to get your brother an amazing birthday present not out of love, but out of spite?” Castiel asked with an amused smirk.

“I hadn’t looked at it like that, but yes” Dean confessed.

"Well, I’m afraid I sympathise with your brother" Castiel said. “I too have an older sibling whose choice in gifts is less than admirable. For my last birthday Gabriel had a stripper show up on my doorstep at two in the morning.”

“That sounds pretty awesome to me” Dean smirked.

“Not when you’re as socially awkward as I am” Castiel claimed. “I made him a pot of tea and we watched Game of Thrones."

Dean could not help but laugh. "Seriously?"

Castiel lowered his head and nodded bashfully.

"That sounds like a pretty awesome night too” Dean said hoping Castiel would realise there was no need to be embarrassed.

Castiel looked with surprise but was put at ease by Dean’s genuine smile; now Castiel was starting to blush for a whole other reason.

“What sort of things does your brother like?” He asked to divert Dean’s attention from his embarrassment.

“Oh, well he’d really be into old crap like this” Dean said without thinking.

Castiel raised his eyebrow.

“Did you just imply that my livelihood is old crap?" he asked.

Dean froze again. "Uh…"

"Because it is. I just couldn’t really put that on the sign” Castiel joked.

Dean relaxed again. “Okay, so maybe I’m not so slick with the social talk either” he confessed. “What I meant was Sam likes history, mythology, stuff like that.”

Castiel hummed in response as he surveyed some of the shelves.

“Why did your brother decide you were no good at buying presents?” Castiel asked curiously.

“Well, one Christmas I bought him a new plastic G.I Joe action figure” Dean said.

Castiel frowned. “I would have thought a child would love that."

"Probably…but Sam was nineteen when I bought him that."

Castiel laughed, it sounded like music to Dean’s ears. "I see, what birthday is he celebrating now?”

“He’s turning twenty two. I’m driving down to Stanford to see him; he’s studying law there. He’s a total nerd about it."

"Really?” Castiel said with intrigue. “Well, in that case I may have something that will blow his freakin’ mind” he said with air quotes. “Was that the expression?”

"Yeah, that sounds like me.”

“I picked this up a few days ago” Castiel said. He ducked behind the counter and reappeared with a brass statue of a blindfolded woman holding a sword and a pair of scales.

“Lady Justice” Dean said with a grin. “She’s a symbol of objectivity, weighing the support against the opposition. Like how Anubis weighed the ancient Egyptians’ hearts before they entered the afterlife."

Castiel seemed a little taken aback by Dean’s outburst, so Dean quickly shut his mouth and hoped that the heat he felt rising to his cheeks was not visible.

"Are you sure that your brother is the nerd in this situation?” Castiel teased.

“I like to read” Dean retorted. “Besides, you’re the one who owns an antique store! I bet you know the story behind everything in here."

"True” Castiel conceded. “But you shouldn’t be embarrassed about being knowledgeable. It’s a very attractive quality” he added with a small smile.

And now Dean was certain that his cheeks were glowing red.

“H-how much?” He asked quietly.

“For you, seventy dollars."

Dean pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and thumbed through some bills.

"I only have fifty dollars cash and a Biggerson’s gift card worth ten bucks” he claimed sheepishly.

“You break my mug and then ask me for a discount?” Castiel asked.

“O-oh…” Dean stuttered; he felt the embarrassment begin to consume him all over again. “I-I can pay for-"

"No, please! That was just my bad sense of humour again!” Castiel quickly exclaimed. “I really don’t care about the mug. I’ll accept the fifty dollars because I like those fairy-tale green eyes and that goofy smile.” He looked mortified for a moment before bowing his head. “Dammit, Cas” he whispered under his breath.

“Thank you” Dean said with a small smile; he could not help but feel a little smug. “You’re awesome."

Castiel shot him a grateful smile before he ducked behind the counter and grabbed a box. He filled it with some packing peanuts so that the statue would sit safely inside and taped it up.

"She’s all yours” Castiel said as he exchanged everything with Dean. “I hope your brother likes her."

"Well if he doesn’t I’m getting him underwear for Christmas” Dean said. “Thanks so much, Cas. And, uh, I am sorry for breaking your mug.”

“You’re welcome” Castiel smiled. “And don’t worry about it, really. I hope that you’ll come and see me again soon. I-I mean that you’ll come to look around the store and obviously, I’ll be here-’"

"No, yeah, I get you” Dean assured him. “I’ll definitely come and see you…the store, again. Okay. Bye.”

“Goodbye, Dean."

As soon as he was back in his car Dean called Sam. He could not stop grinning and although it made him feel like a clueless teenager again Dean had to tell someone.

"Hey, Dean. What’s up?” Sam answered.

“I just bought your present, but that’s not important-” Dean started excitedly.

“Wow, Dean that makes my birthday feel real special-”

“Shut up, Sam. This is serious!” Dean stressed. He took a deep breath. “I think a boy likes me."

Dean re-visited the antiques store the day after he returned from Stanford.

When he arrived Castiel was serving another customer so Dean pretended to be deeply engrossed in one of the window displays so that he did not appear too desperate to see Castiel again.

"Hello, Dean” Castiel said with a smile after the other customer had left. “Did Sam like his gift?"

"Yeah, he loved it!” Dean grinned. “I think I’ve finally redeemed myself; he even called me a jerk.” Castiel frowned. “Oh, no, it’s our nicknames for each other!” Dean quickly explained. “He calls me Jerk, I call him a Bitch, it’s a whole thing” he said with a dismissive hand wave when he realised he was rambling.

“Dean, relax” Castiel laughed. “I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon…but I’m really happy I didn’t have to wait too long."

"I’m glad you said that” Dean replied with a crooked smile. “But I did have an excuse in case I seemed too…desperate.” He placed a small box he had been carrying on the counter.

Castiel opened it and pulled out a blue mug which had 'hot cup of awesome’ printed on it in silver lettering.

“I figured since I broke your other mug buying you another one would be a good excuse to come and see you again.”

“Well, I love it” Castiel smiled. “You certainly have improved your gift giving game. I think you’re pretty awesome and hot too.” He visibly flinched and closed his eyes. “And there goes my awkward gene again."

"It’s okay” Dean laughed. “I haven’t exactly been smooth either."

"Well, how about I close up the store and we can try to make a fresh start somewhere else” Castiel said. “Hey, how about pancakes at Biggerson’s? I just got a voucher” he teased.

Dean smiled softly.

“Yeah, sounds good."

#spn cluedo challenge 2k17 #amber's 500 followers celebration #destiel #destiel fanfiction #supernatural #supernatural fanfiction #curious writes #my stuff #spn writing challenge

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screaminginkerch · 8 years ago

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To Leigh Bardugo. A letter of thanks. You've changed my life in such a way I could never repay you, nor thank you enough. As an artist, I could express myself in ways that I couldn't by reading or writing, quite literally. Since I was a child, I had a pretty horrible case of dyslexia. Growing up, I grew frustrated and embarrassed with myself, especially when a teacher would call me out to read aloud to the class. In high school, we were required to read several novels, and up until year 10, I had my sister read them to me. I then started to try reading again, to show myself I could do it. 4 months later and I'd finished only 1 chapter of a book, and I ended up asking the teacher to read to me after class. Only able to read small sentences at a time, I could manage social media just fine, which lead to me stumbling across a post by @here-be-fangirls on tumblr, talking about Six of Crows, the characters, and what she thought of it. It sounded beyond amazing, and something I'd read, if I could. The next day, I went to my local bookstore, and asked if they had any books by Leigh bardugo, and so the lady showed my to the shelf with her books on it, and to my delight, SoC was there. I didn't have much money, but I had just enough, so I brought it. When I arrived home, I was going to, once again, ask my sister to read it to me, but after sitting down with the book, smelling it, I started reading. I covered the pages so I only read one word at a time, and gradually, I could read without covering anything. It was really difficult, but I finished the whole book in 30 days. My first ever book. No one can understand, how excited and relieved I was, at the age of 19, to finish reading my first book. My family knew how hard I found it to read, and they were all so proud of me. After finishing it, I was also left shattered. IT WAS LEFT ON A CLIFFHANGER! I had to get the next book, but with some google searching, I discovered that the book wasn't published yet, but holy butts, I was excited. Because it wasn't finished yet, I saw on the back of SoC, there was a trilogy by Leigh, and I knew I had to read it. 19 days it took to read Shadow and Bone. 12 days it took to read Siege and Storm. One week for Ruin and Rising. My newfound hunger for reading could never be sated. I took to the Internet again, in search of a release date for Crooked Kingdom, and upon finding one, my excitement overflowed to incoherent noises of which my mother did not approve of, especially for my age apparently. I then discovered I could pre-order the book I craved. And of course, I did. BUT! I managed to get a pre-order of a SIGNED copy!! (With temporary tattoos ❤️) The day arrived. It was on my doorstep, in a white postal bag. But, I found it on the way to university, and I was very reluctant to open it, just because it was so special to me. Getting to the bus stop, (yes, I took it with me) my patience and self control ran out. Opening it, I was the embodiment of a fangirl, just ask my boyfriend. I found the tattoos, I opened the book to look at the maps and was amazed with the artwork. Thinking the signature would be on the cover, I said aloud, "ah well, I thought it was signe-*insert loud and incoherent screaming here*" halfway through the word 'signed', I turned the page to see "to Jess - *signature*" It only took me 1 day to finish Crooked Kingdom. In between all of this, I made a Twitter account to stay up to date with Rooster Teeth staff, and I started following Leigh. Whenever I made little doodles at Uni about SoC, or The Grisha Trilogy, I'd post it, I even said about how my mum was judging me because I was re-reading one of the books. She would make my day by just liking one of my tweets, or commenting on them, no matter how shitty they were. Now I'm going to get a little deeper. I'm on medication that I don't want to be on, for a condition I can't deal with, and it's hard to find comfort form anything. Because of another condition branching from this, I have to wear leather gloves during the day and in bed. I have too much energy and I can never sit still. As I said before, I could barely read for a large part of my life. I have a lot of trouble with beliefs that were forced onto me. I'm a slightly larger person, and enjoy my food. I'm actually pretty good with knives and swords.. Kaz: taught me that wearing gloves isn't a bad thing, and it kind of made me feel like a bit of a badass sometimes. Jesper: showed me that having boundless energy can be fun, and not an impediment. Inej: well, she's the wraith. Is there much else I need to say? Wylan: there's ways around reading, you don't need to be perfect, and there are other things to be good at. Nina: I can be curvy and still kick ass. Matthias: I need to be true to myself, and not be so influenced by negative words. Oh, and Wylan & Jesper showed me that I don't have to hide my sexuality. (SCREW ANYONE HATING ON LEIGH FOR INCLUDING LGBT+ IN HER BOOKS) Leigh Bardugo, here-be-fangirls, and reading really changed my life, my ability to complete exams, do uni work etc. So thank you, everyone. @lbardugo @here-be-fangirls

#leigh bardugo #six of crows #crooked kingdom #the grisha trilogy #grishaverse #this is a thank you #thank you #shadow and bone #seige and storm #ruin and rising #reading saved my life

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michaelfallcon · 5 years ago

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A Coffee Drinker’s Guide To Sheffield, England

In the heart of England, Sheffield is a winning mixture of past and present, where the proud industrial history of the Steel City lives on in numerous buildings, and in firms that still trade today. The world’s first official soccer team was founded here in 1857, though Sheffield FC is now less familiar than the two top clubs, Wednesday and United.

While sports don’t always score abroad, the city has shipped seriously successful cultural exports in more recent times. Brit guitar groups Pulp and the Arctic Monkeys both hail from Sheffield, and actor Sean Bean swung a sword in mega-franchises Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones.

There’s some spectacular scenery on Sheffield’s doorstep, too, with the Peak District national park a haven for walkers, cyclists, and climbers. And even when you’re strolling on concrete, a reputation as one of Europe’s greenest cities means you’re never far from a park.

But if you want to take all this in you’ll need some fuel, and happily the culinary scene seems to be flourishing. Two food halls—packed with independent traders—have opened in the past year, while the city’s renown as an outstanding beer destination is well deserved. The last 12 months have seen new cafes open and existing ones expand, so there’s probably never been a better time to grab a coffee and explore. You may end up stopping for a chat though—I found the staff at almost all these venues to be so friendly and happy to suggest other coffee highlights.

Upshot

If you’re heading out of the city into the glorious Peak District, Upshot’s orange sign is a beacon for a worthwhile stop. Inside, a two-tiered seating area is all minimalism and light woods, the ceiling speckled artily with asymmetric tiles. A window bench fits neatly in the uncluttered space, which is popular with university students and staff from the nearby hospital.

A two-group Kees van der Westen espresso machine sits on the counter, where Girls Who Grind provides the regular stock. I enjoyed a smooth cappuccino from that roastery’s Fazenda Sertão Brazil and learned that Upshot’s guest espresso comes from “all over.” There’s batch brew and pour-over at hand, plus plenty of equipment for sale, including Chemex kits and kettles.

If you need a feed, the menu mixes brunch classics and less obvious choices such as savory oats with turmeric and mushrooms. Those offerings are bolstered by rows of baked treats, and if you take one thing away from this piece, ensure it’s the following: arrive early enough to get a cinnamon bun. In my opinion, whoever bakes these has completed cinnamon buns. (You can also find them at the owners’ other venture, Elm, alongside natural wines and smart small plates.)

Upshot is located at 355 Glossop Road, S10 2HP, Sheffield. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Steam Yard Coffee Co.

This busy cafe sits just off Division Street, a road lined with young, independent businesses. That aesthetic continues inside via various pieces of cool wall art, but on sunny days the courtyard is the place to be.

Espresso runs through a Victoria Arduino Black Eagle, with house options by Caravan Coffee Roasters. My visit involved a sweet flat white from Caravan’s Market Blend, while guest espresso came from Campbell & Syme. Alongside batch filter, the bar also houses a tap for nitro cold brew. Floating further down the drinks list is the “Astronaut”. I haven’t tried this yet, but it’s reassuring to know that someone will pour an espresso macchiato into a short, chocolate lined ice cream cone if called upon to do so.

Speaking of ice cream, Steam Yard has recently collaborated with another Sheffield independent, Bullion Chocolate Company, and the menu now features frozen delights like peanut butter ice cream sandwiches. These recent additions compete against the established expertise of local outlet 4eyespatisserie—we’re talking cherry and pistachio cruffins filled with Chantilly cream.

Those wanting stodge rather than sugar can peruse a list of grilled cheese and brioche sandwiches, and toast with toppings that I would appreciatively describe as “posh”. Laptop laborers be aware: there’s no Wi-Fi.

Steam Yard Coffee Co. is located at Unit 1-2 97, Aberdeen Court, 95-101 Division Street, S1 4GE, Sheffield. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Tamper Coffee

Tamper has become something of a Sheffield institution since it brought “Kiwi cafe culture” to the city in 2011. There are now three venues around the city centre–including at the recently launched Kommune, a multi-vendor space stuffed with fantastic independent food and drink—but the focus on quality coffee remains.

At the original Seller’s Wheel outlet near Sheffield’s theatre complex, baristas run a three-group La Marzocco Linea PB and work with Tamper’s own blend from Ozone Coffee Roasters. Batch brew and drip options are available, and to me it’s still noticeable when a cafe serves an Americano in favor of a long black, allowing customers to dilute to their taste. Hasbean was in the guest espresso slot when I last visited, but the house roast made a delicious oat milk flat white.

Exiled New Zealanders and Australians might be tempted by the rare chance of a hot Milo, and an antipodean flavor is infused through the food menu: witness beetroot on burgers and the holy trinity of “smashed avo,” poached eggs, and halloumi. If you fancy something sweeter, Tamper’s lamingtons are a blissful combination of sponge, chocolate, and coconut. A bonus: Seller’s Wheel is licensed, and open late Fridays.

Tamper Coffee has multiple locations around Sheffield. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Bragazzis

Just around the corner from Sheffield’s Antiques Village, this Italian-inspired cafe retains something of a vintage vibe. Retro posters and soccer memorabilia almost form a mosaic, while home cooks can browse stacks of stylishly packaged pastas, oils, olives, and more.

The coffee menu is similarly classic. There’s nothing too fancy or alternative, but a creamy cappuccino feels a good fit in these surroundings. The house espresso is a blend of Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Nicaragua, roasted darker than usual–at Bragazzis’ request–by fellow northern outfit Darkwoods Coffee. A compact, two-group La Cimbali dispenses the drinks, on a counter that’s usually half-covered with ruffled pastries and jars of bite-size cannoli.

If you have been browsing the antique stalls, or walking in one of the woods nearby, you could easily be drawn to the pristine Italian sandwiches piled on the glass cabinet. That’s presuming you enjoy golden ciabatta with salami, or roasted Mediterranean vegetables, or fresh mozzarella…

But whether you’re eating or not, the relaxed vibe—enhanced on my latest visit by a superb soundtrack of lo-fi American indie tunes—means Bragazzis can still offer you a slice of La Dolce Vita as you explore the quirky Abbeydale Road area.

Bragazzis is located at 224-226 Abbeydale Road, S7 1FL, Sheffield. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Foundry Coffee Roasters

Opened in 2018 in the formerly industrial Kelham Island, Cutlery Works was Sheffield’s first food hall, and it houses some superb eating haunts. Handily, it also provided a second site for Foundry, which has been roasting coffee in the city since 2012.

The company’s new location is on the airy second floor, with one long bar that glows when the sun shines through the roof. Beans are roasted behind the counter when the venue is closed, and espresso arrives from a lovely-looking Londinium L3. On my last trip, Foundry’s Ethiopia Layo Taraga was clean and fresh in a piccolo, and naturally you can buy their beans here too.

Non-dairy-drinkers will be pleased that oat milk is swapped in for free, while those who want something stronger can opt for an Irish Coffee. Tea fans can also support Sheffield through a range of brews provided by the local Birdhouse Tea Company.

Food is bakery-based: Leeds outlet Brown & Blonde supplies indulgent brownies, while Foundry’s own “toast station” sits next to an array of spread-it-yourself toppings. There are rumors crepes may be on the horizon as well, along with extended evening openings, which would surely be welcomed in this buzzy, sociable setting.

Foundry Coffee Roasters has multiple locations around Sheffield. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Other cup winners…

Once I started, I realized there is almost too much good coffee in Sheffield. For your convenience, I’ve condensed some more suggestions.

Traveling via Sheffield Train Station? Look for Motore Café’s little blue van. Perched on the main walkway into town, it offers Darkwoods Coffee espresso and a jazz soundtrack while you wait. The barista remains unfailingly cheerful in all weather. Five minutes away is Marmadukes Café, which serves consistently good drinks (Origin Coffee on house duties) and camera-ready cakes in a classy setting. On the city centre’s outskirts, relative newcomer Albie’s is a chill, welcoming little spot. Beans come courtesy of another Sheffield independent, Smith St Coffee, which has coincidentally just opened its own cafe. Back at Albie’s, you’ll find more 4eyespatisserie bakes to complete your caffeine hit.

Finally, the suburb of Crookes has benefited from the 2018 arrival of Whaletown Coffee Company. The drinks list is built on Bailies Coffee Roasters, with an ambitious range of guests that recently included Belgium’s Mok Coffee. Tired travelers might spot the rare option of an “orca”, a quadruple-shot latte which apparently makes one “highly intelligent and extremely fast.”

Martin Flynn is a freelance writer based in Sheffield, England. Read more Martin Flynn for Sprudge.

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A Coffee Drinker’s Guide To Sheffield, England published first on https://medium.com/@LinLinCoffee

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