#sylvie book save me sylvie book save me sylvie book save

[username8746489]

Have we gotten any semblance of Sylvie and Rick's relationship outside of that one mention during the cast stream yet? No.

Have they even met in canon yet? No.

Will I proceed to drive myself crazy over their parallels to Giovanni and Molly's own relationship anyways? YES!!!

[graceshouldwrite]

Writing Compelling Side Characters

**NOTE: Some of these tips don't really apply to ensemble casts, where there are multiple Main Characters (plural).

1) Agency - motivations, actions, effects

Technically, they ARE side characters in your MC's story, but don't base your writing on that fact.

Side characters need:

Their own REASONS for joining the story (because they want to, not because the PLOT wanted them to) Example: In Arcane, Caitlyn inadvertently gets involved with Vi due to her compassion and desire to help the undercity, not because the plot needs a love interest

A GOAL, on which they act INDEPENDENT of the plot, and actually affects your MC/the main plot (not the other way around) Example: In Loki, Sylvie's independent goal is to take down the TVA, and her actions reveal the TVA's corruption to Loki, influencing him to join her in fighting against the TVA instead of working for them

A STAKE in how things end (e.g. someone getting paid after agreeing to join a heist); they aren't just in it to be a "comic relief" or a "damsel in distress" Example: In Breaking Bad, Jesse joins Walt in cooking meth because he makes BANK from selling drugs, not because Walt needed a funny and traumatized sidekick

Their own RELATIONSHIPS with other characters, aside from the MC—they have their own friends, enemies, love interests, etc., and these relationships can completely change the plot Example: In the original Percy Jackson series, all of the side characters (e.g. Annabeth, Nico, Thalia, Luke, etc.) have their own relationships with each other that greatly affect the plot. Check it out: Annabeth's attachment to Luke, even after he became evil, completely changed the plot in several ways: kickstarting a journey to save her from Luke in The Titan's Curse, revealing his true evil identity as a vessel for Kronos (big bad!) in The Battle of the Labyrinth, and mainly contributing towards Luke's reversion away from evil in the last book due to him remembering his promise to take care of her a long time ago, etc.

Their own PAST that affects how they act, move forward, and how they treat the MC Example: In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Azula's pressure on herself and desire for perfection is greatly driven by her father's expectations of her as the fire-bending prodigy, resulting in a childhood of earning parental love and care AFTER she proves her worth to him. This created a mentality ceaselessly focused on her goals—which are usually her father's missions—causing her to be deadly, manipulative, and constantly causing problems for the main character.

The side character is not an extension or byproduct of the MC's plot; their own story happens to collide and intertwine with your MC's plot, but is ultimately independently driven.

2) Affecting the ending

The story can't have reached the same ending regardless of the side characters' existence. They must be necessary to the MC in helping them reach their goal faster, more prepared, etc. For example, in Avatar, Aang would not have been able to reach his goal of defeating the fire lord without the help of his friends, who each taught him valuable life lessons as well as combat skills.

Each character must have an independent impact on the MC—don't treat them like a group (e.g. "the side characters," who are one individual collective). Arcane does a great job with this, as each side character has a completely different impact on the MCs (e.g. Silco, Ekko, Caitlyn, and Vi—not a side character but for the purpose of this analysis, bear with me—all have a different impact on Jinx). It isn't just a literal impact. It's what the MC learns, and the theme of the story. They should help the MC realize things about themselves, and contextualize the MC by showing them in different situations with different people.

3) Avoid stereotypes Don't create characters from moulds and conform 100% to the trope: e.g. the "comic relief" can also be "the outlaw/rebel" or the "love interest," the "brooding antihero" can also be the "caregiver" or the "wise one," the "seductive girl" can also be the "science nerd" or the "broken optimist," etc. Mix and match. Everyone has more than 1 personality trait in real life, and probably fulfils more than 1 role to the other people in their lives. Give them intersecting personality traits to flesh them out.

4) Theme and Arc Especially compelling side characters have their own arc and embody their own theme.

Example 1: Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice is more than the brooding love interest—he develops by being less arrogant and learning to see people beyond their social status, and opens up to new ideas, people, and situations.

Example 2: Nico di Angelo from the Percy Jackson series goes on a journey of self-acceptance and embracing his identity, instead of just being the stereotypical emo kid who is constantly in a state of angst.

Example 3: In Arcane, Silco goes from a ruthless crime lord who believes that attachment is weakness, to someone who genuinely cares about his adoptive daughter, so much so that he can't give her up even in exchange for his lifelong dream.

∘₊✧────── ☾☼☽ ──────✧₊∘

instagram: @ grace_should_write

Hope this was helpful, and let me know if you have any questions by commenting, re-blogging, or DMing me on IG. Any and all engagement is appreciated :)

Happy writing, and have a great day!

- grace <3

[jo6hny]

Neighbor - Hazel Callahan

Pairing: College! Hazel Callahan x College! Reader 

Contains: fluff, kissing, slight angst, everyone knows you like each other besides the both of you, drunk hazel,  reader being an idiot, hazel being an idiot, sylvie and isabel mentioned.

Word Count: 2.7k

Summary: A very drunk Hazel Callahan stumbles upon your dorm room thinking it was hers. What happens when your crush and next door dorm neighbor wriggles her way onto your bed? 

A/N: This was written for the anon that requested it! I hope you like it <33 also, sorry if the description of college is inaccurate, i’m not american !! Requests are open! 

Knock Knock. 

The sound of the knock interrupts your reading. Curious, you get out of bed to see who it is. The comfort of your bed and the book in hand long forgotten as you made your way to your door. You rarely get visitors and your roommate, Sylvie, barely ever knocks. She’d usually just barge right in regardless of what you were doing. 

“Hi neighbor.” The brunette greets you on the other side of the door with a smile and a small tupperware dish on her hands. It was Hazel, the girl who occupied the dorm room right across yours. She looked good today. Scratch that, she looked good everyday. There was just something about Hazel Callahan that was charming and adorable.

“Oh, hi Haze.” You smile, greeting her back. “What you got there?” 

Hazel extended the dish towards you and said, “This is for you! There were some leftover brownies from the bake sale yesterday and I thought I’d give you some. I would hate for my beloved neighbor to starve.” 

Your smile grew wider at your neighbor’s gesture. If you weren’t so blinded by hunger, you would have thought that she’d given these to you because she liked you. Not that she did, though. Hazel seemed to be friendly with everyone. And, well, she always seemed to deflect your advances. 

“Aw Hazel,” You cooed, taking the dish from her. It felt hefty, the dish didn’t just contain a few pieces of brownies, it had a lot. Your heart swelled at the gesture.“Thank you so much! I’ll give you something back, I swear.” 

Hazel shook her head at this. 

“You don’t have to. You always do nice things for me, anyway.” She gave you a dimpled smile. Well, that is true. But it was a two way thing between you and her. Always watching out for each other, especially whenever there were inspections. 

You couldn’t exactly pinpoint how you two became close, or well, acquainted. But you knew it was because of Sylvie. She and Hazel were best friends, have been since highschool. Sylvie always told you about their “fight club” back then and how it was a women empowerment thing that saved their school from…football players? The details weren’t exactly clear, especially with how fast your roommate talked. Anyway, you meet Hazel through Sylvie. They’d always hang out at your dorm or Hazel’s dorm, whichever was available. You didn’t mind when they were at yours, they usually just geeked out about weapons and bands and all that shit. Plus, Hazel was easy on the eyes. You could look at her all day if you were being honest. Her hair was dark and soft and always so fragrant. You imagined what it was like to run your hair through her locks, how it’d feel between your fingers. And her eyes were to die for. They were like opals in the sense that they shifted colors ever so often. Most of the time they were blue, but there were times when they’d look silver or green. All of these traits (and more) were what made her so enchanting. 

“Well, no worries, Haze. We look out for each other.” You reply, putting a hand on her forearm. It wasn’t obvious, but Hazel’s breath picked up when you touched her. Because unbeknownst to you, she actually did return your feelings. The tension between the two of you was apparent to everyone except the two of you. Sylvie knows it, Hazel’s roommate Isabel did too. Basically everyone on campus did. 

“So…” You trailed off. Hazel was too distracted by your touch, her mind was elsewhere. “Um, are you going to that frat party later?” 

The blue eyed girl snaps out of her trance at your question and nods. 

“Oh, yeah! I’m going with Isabel and Sylvie. Are you?” 

“I can’t.” You sigh, slightly disappointed. This was supposed to be an opportunity for you to spend time with Hazel (and Sylvie and Isabel, of course). 

“Oh.” Hazel said dejectedly. You picked up on your neighbor’s tone at your reply.

“Sorry, Haze.” You apologize, squeezing her forearm. This caused the brunette to short circuit again. “I have to finish reading this book for my lit class.” 

“That’s-That’s okay.” She replied, feeling uncool at the way she stuttered. 

“Maybe we can hang out another time?” You said, hinting at a date with her. 

Hazel nods at your suggestion. “Yeah! We can bring Sylvie and Isabel too.” 

A frown forms on your face at her suggestion which you quickly wipe off and replace with a smile. 

“Yep. Sure.” You said, not feeling too enthusiastic. Was there something wrong with you? Did she not like you? You didn’t get why Hazel kept rejecting you. 

“I’ll see you, then.” She replies, walking back to her dorm room across from yours.

Back at the comfort of her room, Hazel slaps the palm of her hand on her forehead. It only just registered to her that you wanted to hang out with her without Sylvie and Isabel. 

“Stupid.” She muttered, letting herself dramatically fall onto her bed. The brunette groans at her inability to take cues. It’s not that she didn’t want to be with you, it’s just that she had a hard time taking in what you say sometimes. It was hard for her to discern things especially when you were in front of her. Hazel sometimes wished that she were normal. Normal enough to notice the little things. If she were, you  two would have gone out by now. The brunette groans again at the thought and buries her head in her pillow.

────────────────────────────────────────────

Finally onto the last chapter of your book, you decide to rest a bit before moving forward. Closing your eyes, you ease into your mattress a bit and let your head fall onto your soft pillow. A few more minutes you would fall asleep, the book forgotten. Sylvie seemed to have found herself back into your shared room as you heard the door being pried open. Weird though, she didn’t seem to make any noise as she entered. Usually she’d announce her entrance and make herself known. Oh well, maybe she had too much to drink. Back to resting. 

“Mmph.” A voice that wasn’t your roommate’s grunted across the room from you, the voice wasn’t Sylvie’s. This alarmed you and your head was filled with thoughts of danger. Your mind recalled all of the instructional videos you watched on self defense and you were counting on your brain to remember all the necessary steps when it came to it. 

Taking a careful peek, you notice that the stranger had made themselves comfortable in Sylvie’s bed. They were facing the wall so all you could see was the back of their head. The person had dark brown hair which flowed down to the base of their neck and they had a boyish cut. 

“Oh my head hurts so bad.” The stranger groaned. Recognizing her voice, you realize that Hazel was the intruder. She turns and wriggles around the bed which also helps you confirm her identity. 

“Hazel!” You exclaim, trying to get her attention. She must’ve thought that she was in her dorm room. The brunette didn’t seem to register your voice and continued wriggling around the bed. 

Slowly, you approach her and look at the situation fully. Alcohol reeked through her clothes and there she was in all her drunken glory sprawled all over Sylvie’s bed. Hazel Callahan, your biggest crush, was in your dorm room. The two of you were as close as neighbors could get but you’ve never been alone with each other.  You weren’t sure what to do. Should you wake her up? She seemed out of it, though. You’d assumed that Hazel was the type of person you’d need to drag around back to her own room because of how hard it would be to wake her. Plus, she may not look like it, but Hazel had some serious weight on her. The memory of seeing Hazel in a tank top with her toned arms flashed in your mind and you had to physically shake the thought off before you could get any more flustered.  Deciding against taking Hazel back, you took it upon yourself to gather a bottle of water and some meds (which you keep just in case) to her. 

“Hazel,” You nudge her softly. This caused her to stir a little. “What are you doing here, bub? You got the wrong room.” 

“What?” She replied, opening one eye and scanning the room. “Oh you’re right. This isn’t my bed.” 

Hazel starts to stand and get off the bed much to your disappointment and relief. What she does next surprises you, though. The brunette then decides to plop herself down on your bed and make herself comfortable. 

“This is better.” She mumbles, pulling the comforter up to her chin. 

“Oh, that’s not…” You say unironically. Racking your brain on the best possible move, you ultimately decide to just let the blue eyed girl be. There was no harm in letting her sleep for the night in your bed, right? 

Wrong. Hazel kept pulling you into bed with her until you lost your footing and gently crashed on top of her. Your neighbor quickly used this to her advantage and wrapped her arms around you, securing you in her hold. 

“Hazel, buddy, wake up.” You whisper, trying to get yourself out of her tight (but comfortable) grip. If you had it your way, you would reciprocate the cuddle but she was drunk and she wouldn’t remember any of this in the morning. 

With your free hand, you continuously poke the brunette until she got irritated and opened one of her eyes to look at you. At this, she smiled and uttered your name. 

“Hi, pretty. What’re you doing in my room?” She muttered, patting your hair. 

“It’s not your room, Haze.” You whisper, trying to hide the blush that was forming on your cheeks. Your body felt warm. 

“‘M pretty sure it is.” She mumbled, closing her eye again. Hazel seemed comfortable like this. Like she’d imagine doing this before. It had you thinking about whether or not she thought about you too. 

Ridding your head of the thoughts, you decide to give in. There was no waking your neighbor up and you were pretty tired too. Sighing, you relax your body and try to sleep all the while racking your brain on what to tell Hazel tomorrow. 

You’re awoken by a groan from your intruder neighbor last night. Hazel must be awake. Taking a look, you realized that you were now facing your wall and Hazel’s arm was wrapped around you as she nuzzled her nose into your neck from behind. The thought of your position made the blood on your cheeks warm up. 

“What?” You hear her mumble. Hazel rids her nose off your neck and sees that you were on the receiving end of her hug. You could feel her physically freeze at the sight. Deciding to break the ice, you faced Hazel and gave her a smile. 

“Hi.” You whisper, scared that if your voice was louder you’d freak her out more. 

“H-hello.” She whispered back, unsure of what her eyeballs were seeing. At that, your neighbor rubs at her eyelids to make sure you weren’t an illusion. 

“You okay?” You ask as you sit up. You reach over your dresser and hand her the water bottle and meds from last night. “Here, drink this. It’ll get rid of the headache.” 

Reluctantly, she sits up and takes it from you. Hazel looked lost, like she couldn’t believe what was happening in front of her eyes. Still, she took the meds and ingested it. Her head was killing her and she wasn’t going to reject being saved by an angel. 

“Is this real?” She asks as she finally speaks her thoughts out loud. 

This earns a giggle from you and Hazel’s heart picks up at the sight and the sound of your laughter. God, you were so pretty. Especially with you on her bed, well, it was your bed but that’s besides the point. 

“I’m pretty sure it is, Haze.” You reply, fidgeting with the blanket on your bed.

“Did we?” She trails off, her eyes wide. Hazel clasps her hand over her mouth in an attempt to cover up her gasp. 

“Oh, no! No, Haze. Nothing bad happened, don’t worry.” You reply, putting a reassuring hand on her lap. “You just got lost is all. Got the wrong dorm and you thought my bed was yours. You were pretty drunk.” 

“Oh, alright.” She replied, seemingly disappointed. Hazel wasn’t very good at masking her emotions and you could tell that she felt bad about something. 

“If it matters to you, I wasn’t mad or anything. You can stumble here drunkenly all you want.” You reassure her. The last thing you wanted was to scare your crush off because she found herself on your bed after a seemingly wild night. 

“And I didn’t say anything weird?” She asked warily. Hazel didn’t trust herself whenever she was intoxicated. She didn’t have a filter whenever she drank and she was scared out of her mind that she yapped on to you about her feelings. 

You shake your head at her question. “No, you’re all good. Though you did call me pretty.” 

Hazel’s cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. 

“It’s true.” She said. Ah, maybe she was still a bit drunk. Hazel mentally facepalmed at how she just openly admitted her admiration of you. This wasn’t how she imagined it going. In her head, Hazel confesses to you after a big life changing moment. Not this, not after drunkenly stumbling into your room.  

“I think you’re pretty too, Haze.” You whisper, leaning in closer. This is it. You were going to kiss and confess your feelings. Happily ever after. The thought made your heart race.

Hazel jumps at your action; her eyes were wide with surprise. Did you read it wrong? Oh god, you just made her uncomfortable. 

“I’m sorry.” You blurt out, hands wailing all over the place. “I didn’t mean to, I thought we were flirting. I’m so sorry, Hazel.” 

Hazel does a double take at what you said. The wires in her brain were all flaring up and her eyebrows furrowed. 

“You were flirting with me?” Hazel asks, confusion taking over her senses. She never thought that you’d be into her. Well, maybe you were. She wasn’t good at seeing signs. Sometimes it felt like you were flirting but her brain tries to push it off. She didn’t really see why you would want to be with her, to be honest. Some of the trauma from highschool carried on til this day and it’s something she has trouble with. 

“I have been for the past six months, thanks for noticing.” You mutter, breaking eye contact with the brunette. All your confidence disappeared. You felt dumb for ever thinking that Hazel would feel the same about you. She didn’t even know you were flirting. 

“I’m sorry.” She says as she hesitantly takes your hand. “I didn’t know. Well, a part of me did. It’s just that I’m bad at this.”

“No, Haze. I’m sorry too. I should have been direct with you, to be honest.” You interlock your fingers together and squeeze her hand. 

“For what it’s worth, I do like you.” She replies. Your breath hitches and your mouth is agape ever so slightly. Hazel Callahan just confessed to you. 

“Oh my god.” You exclaim, freaking out. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!” 

“It’s okay, you don’t have to return the feelings. I just wanted to let you know.” Sweet Hazel, again, wasn't reading between the lines. But you didn’t let this bother you. 

Taking her face in your hands, you decide to plant a kiss on her soft lips. Your neighbor was surprised at this but eventually melted into the kiss. It was everything you dreamt of. Hazel’s lips were soft and gentle. She kissed you with such yearning, like she’d dreamt about this moment too. 

“Dummy.” You say, exasperated. “I like you too.” 

Hazel smiles and the dimples on her cheek peeks out. Suddenly everything was quiet in her mind and the only thing she could think of was you. The brunette took your hand and kissed it, a declaration of her love and her loyalty. She couldn’t believe it. This moment was bigger to her than anything ever before. You were the quiet in her mind and the roar of her heart. 

[lettingtimepass]

Loki s2e5 Thoughts & Feelings (Spoilers)

THE INTRO LOSING THE LETTERS!! I'm a sucker for when an intro is slightly changed. And in the end credits when the lines and type get all wonky! I love it.

Ok I have a question. When Loki finds everyone, they are all on branched timelines, not the Sacred Timeline. So doesn't that mean the lives on these branches could be slightly different or totally different than their original lives on the Sacred Timeline? Sylvie says they're back in their "real lives", but is that even true? 🤔 Also, I know people are theorizing that Don's wife was dusted during the snap, but technically in this branched timeline, the snap might not have happened.

B-15 being a doctor was so good 🥺 "I looked happy." Yes, you did... I just noticed her name on the captions was "Dr. Willis!"

Don!Mobius said he'd seen Loki in the shop before, did Loki timeslip there and not remember it? Or... has that not happened yet?

OB's workshop looking super similar to the one at the TVA - So cool!

"So I am gonna write a bestseller!" Stop he's so pure!!

Did anyone clock that OB's book cover looks similar to Loki and Slyvie on Lamentis? 👀

"It's impossible. But don't let that stop you."

This is probably obvious but Loki couldn't control the timeslipping until he truly accepted his "why." Not to protect the timelines from HWR, but to protect his friends.

Don!Mobius literally dropping everything to talk to Loki and offer him a drink. Fellas.....

"You saw something in me that I hadn't seen in myself." NO THIS IS STRAIGHT OUTTA FIC THO 😭

I can't believe Loki assembled his own Avengers 😭😭😭

Gawd, the show starting with Loki's speech about how humans don't need choices, and now he's fighting to give his friends choices..... that's the good shit.

"I want my friends back." DO YOU REALIZE THE CHARACTER GROWTH?!?! Loki never had a friend other than Thor. He was so closed off, he didn't think he ever needed anyone else. He told the lie that he was fine, better off, by himself. For him to admit that he has friends, and he wants them, and doesn't want to be alone...? 🤌🤌🤌

"But without them... Where do I belong?" WHERE IS TOM'S EMMY?!?! The tear, the voice shake... this man 😭😭😭

Remember, this Loki is a "cosmetic mistake." He isn't supposed to exist. Mobius saved him from being reset. Without the TVA, without Mobius... he has no reason to exist... no glorious purpose. But he was still willing to let them all go to do the right thing 🥲🥲🥲

Mobius trying to sell a Jet Ski to B-15 is too funny.

THE MONKEY FROM THE INTRO!! I've been wondering what that was all about... we also see OB's sticky note wall!

"The pens... we have all the pens!"

When they all start spagettifying being parallel to the dusting scenes in Infinity War.... RUDE, MARVEL. MR STARK I DON'T FEEL SO GOOD.

"I can rewrite the story." YES YOU CAN KING!! And my immediate reaction was "Loki, God of Stories"! At first I thought Loki and Sylvie were going to run the TVA together, but now I feel like it might be Loki alone (with Mobius' help of course), managing all the timelines... writing the story.

THAT ENDING!!!! I'M SO READY BUT NOT READY FOR NEXT WEEK!!! I can't believe we're at the end.... I'M SO SCARED! 😭

[lokiiied]

my thoughts on the making of loki s2:

• “our approach was really doubling down on who loki cares about, who we care about.” and then having season 2 centre around loki & mobius’ relationship, how he cares for his friends, and sylvie’s independence & what she wants/fought for like okay cool got it.

• “tom is the author of all things loki” he really, truly is. bless him.

• ke huy quan must be protected at all costs the world does not deserve him

• loml rafael casal 💞💅🏻

• “mobius can be eccentric, because loki is eccentric, he just is. but they don’t see themselves that way. they’re the straight man (???) in this absurd world.” 🤨🧐 kevin…you were going somewhere and then you lost me.

• “this is her first chance to experiment with freedom, with choice.” (about sylvie). and her choosing a simple life, with the comfort of routine and connecting with a few particular humans and just appreciating life. the little things. with no romantic motivations that we see. big aspec energy.

and then replaying the scenes where she says “my life’s here now” and “your friends are where they belong. we’re all writing our own stories” like. yeah. just reiterating how important this life she’s built is to her and she has no interest in going back. she appreciates loki & mobius and the others in helping her to keep/save free will - but aside from that, she’d be fine never seeing them again. because if she did - it would probably mean trouble. fighting again. running again. and she’s already spent her whole life fighting and running. she’s tired. of course she was upset they kept seeking her out, cuz she thought she was done. that she fixed everything that mattered. even though she didn’t. but now she gets to live. and be sylvie. “not a loki” and to figure out who that is.

• 700 PAGE BOOK??!!? isaac bauman, the cinematographer. wrote a 700 PAGE “cinematography bible” of the entire visual language of the show. down to the smallest lights. the pure tism dedication. this is what i’m talking about when i say everything is intentional. every shot. the lighting. the tone. every time someone writes an analysis about these themes in this show - just one page of this mans work is appreciated. i never want to hear anyone talking shit about “reading too much” into cinematography. i have isaac bauman’s loki cinematography bible on my side.

• wunmi is so funny and warm i love her energy

• TOM “HELPING” OWEN UP THE STAIRS. 🫴🏻dead.

• christopher townsend sounds EXACTLY like an older tom holland it’s tripping me up

• “what is it mobius says…” tom says and then recites the line word for word. as if loki wasn’t thinking of that line while sacrificing himself. as if mobius’ words weren’t echoing over him in the final shot of the show. he’s so funny.

• speaking of…owen only talked for like 5 minutes what?? probably started rambling about mobius’ gay feelings for loki and they cut it :/ seriously though did they just not ask him questions?? his presence felt weirdly lacking.

• tom hiddleston everyone. our lord and saviour

[emmashouldbewriting]

I have a new book releasing this month! THE DUKE WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS is a chaotic, snarky Christmas romcom with a pair of frenemies and a miniature pig in festive knitted jumpers.

And you can pre-order it on Kindle for just 99c. Think of it as a 'lil Christmas pressie from me to you. Just call me Emma Claus 🤶🏻

Pre-order: https://geni.us/DukeWhoSavedChristmas

Blurb:

Sylvie Harding once swore that the only reason she’d ever return to Castleton was to plan her sister’s wedding… And here she is.

After eleven months of planning, the Christmas Eve wedding of her little sister’s dreams is only three weeks away, and professional wedding planner Sylvie is all hands-on deck from the moment she arrives home. Swept up in the magic that is Christmas in her hometown, the only thing that can possibly dampen her spirit is coming face to face with her childhood frenemy.

Thomas, the Duke of Castleton.

The man she spent her childhood feuding with thanks to an errant cricket ball is just as snarky, annoying, and gorgeous as she remembers. Despite running the village tree farm and his mother being the ringleader of all things Christmas in town, the past few years have turned him into a right little scrooge.

When a string of tragedies hit the wedding plans, Sylvie only has one person she can turn to: Thomas. Not that she has a choice—he has a habit of showing up exactly when she needs him to save the day, and she can’t stand it.

And when the ultimate disaster befalls the wedding just two days before the ceremony, Sylvie doesn’t see how it can go ahead.

But Thomas can.

And it just might be his chance to prove to Sylvie how he truly feels about her—and save Christmas at the same time.

[mysticcollectionbee]

Loki Season 2 Ep. 1 Thoughts:

(Heavy Spoilers)

Ok so I have a lot of thoughts and are basically all over the place so I'm gonna be putting in them in somewhat chronological order (Unlike Loki's current situation hehe)

They really HAD to put more of Loki's heartbreak over Mobius not recognizing him? Loki creators probably: "I know we're gonna bring the duo back but let's make 'em suffer just a bit more in the beginning".

I know others have covered this but also want to spread this headcanon/theory: Even though past Mobius doesn't know Loki ,and probably got his memory erased afterwards, It's still an interesting theory that maybe his interactions with Loki then might have somehow stuck with him and made him want to look into Loki a bit later.

Miss Minutes is with Ravonna right? I feel likeMinutes is probably the only tool/weapon that might give the former judge some leverage.

Casey! Casey not just being a comedic guy but actually a massive help is really nice. He (Present Casey) immediately saw Loki in pain/trouble and decided to help him without much question.

So...X-5 and D-90 weren't what I was expecting, they're kinda switched actually from what I was expecting. I thought X-5 would be a friend to Mobius and kinda con-artist and D-90 was a massive jerk who would side with Ravonna...But hey, I'm all for D-90's redemption.

New Judge is great. Screw Ravonna!...Where's Ravonna?

Apparently she was in on HWR's plan from the beginning...Guess she is a big bad after all. Also, why was she so great to HWR? Like in the comics they were couple but things seem to have taken a different turn in the MCU.

Look, I get it if you don't ship Lokius but...You have to admit was really nice to see Loki get some support from Mobius (And B-15, don't forget her stopping Ass-5) and then Mobius trying to calm/ground Loki while the poor dude is really going through it. AND even later, Loki and Mobius trying to make the other calm down and not to worry about their problems.

IF you do ship Lokius. We're either getting fed well or being clowned upon. Either way, let me just enjoy these two for a bit.

Why has no one talked about the weird fact that O.B.'s memory doesn't seem to have been erased but Mobius' has? Also, is O.B. like a TVA secret? Why the hell is no one in the TVA visiting him! How is he able to keep track of time in the TVA?!

Ok so that guidebook O.B. made, Loki still has it right? Like in a trailer clip he is flipping through an orange book, that's the guidebook right?

I love how Mobius is still thinking about whether he'll lose his skin or not till the very last minute lol. We know he's always was gonna pick saving Loki no matter what, but you'd totally still be worried about the skin thing.

I think Loki was pruned by either Future Sylvie or Future Loki. I think Future Loki and Sylvie came up with a plan to make sure Present Loki got pruned and survived. Also...Sylvie growing out her hair to have 50/50 hair colors is making me more of Bi idiot than usual.

While I enjoy the comparison to the Sam/Bucky roll to Lokius I think there is a key difference: FaTWS played this for comedy while this was played for relief that the characters are ok. And Sam immediately told bucky to get off while Loki probably just thought Mobius's suit was too heavy. (Yes, I'm wearing clown makeup, what about it.)

Finally, And I know how controversial this is: I don't think Loki is looking for Sylvie for romantic reason (OR more accurately, not the sole reason). She is literally about to be hunted down and probably killed and was the last one to see what happened in the Citadel. Even if he did feel betrayed by her, he still would probably want to save her.

[marshmallowloves]

replaying Bug Fables kinda reminded me that I have some little guys about it??? like it's been so long since I've drawn/written these three in their original context that I almost straight up forgot I made them for this game/universe specifically…and I really miss it!!! 😭 I think they're all pretty perfect for each other honestly. found family trope my beloved kdsjfhg

When I first wrote them, I didn't have any sort of complicated backstory for them and honestly I…kinda liked that?? 😂 like they're just a couple a gals who do things together and it's just nice dfkjg. They do still have their own little dynamics and motives that I think make them compliment each other really well, but I really like the idea that nobody really knows how they ended up together and became friends. Each of them was alone and wayward in their own way and just sort of…found each other at some point and ended up needing each other, which is why they call themselves Team Serendipity - though they're not even an actual exploration team, they're just kinda like this image dfkjhg

I know I've written about their backgrounds and stuff before (…at least I think I have kjfhg) but I'd like to write them again anyway :o It's been a while since I posted about these three anyway so it's kinda like a little refresher I guess kjdfg

Sylvie is a silverfish who used to live with her single mother, who loved her very dearly to the point of coddling and sheltering her. Her mother struggled financially to care for the both of them, and resorted to offering shady services in order to make ends meet. Sylvie saw many questionable strangers stay in their home for various periods of time, and her mother would often be drained and physically hurt by the time those bugs left. Sylvie soon came to view herself as a burden, blaming herself for making her mother go to such dangerous lengths just to care for her, and decided to move out as soon as she was old enough, believing that it would make things easier for her mother financially.

She ended up being right, and her mother very quickly became able to support herself through much safer work, but all it did was prove to Sylvie that others were better off without her. She became very introverted and a little emotionally detached, finding it hard to trust others and form new relationships, and mostly stayed holed up in her new home - an overturned book whose pages she ate away at until it became a house-shaped place for her to live - until she met Folia and Lilith.

Her two new friends - Folia especially - help her to be more independent, as her sheltered upbringing kept her from learning how to care for herself. They also encourage her to be as kind to herself as she is to others, and to understand that it's not an inconvenience for others to offer help.

+++++

Folia is a walking leaf who once had herself a traditional family - she, her spouse, and their two children made their cozy home in the branches of a tall, thin tree for several years. One day, an earthquake suddenly struck, violently swaying the branches of their home until they broke from the tree. Folia and her spouse tried desperately to save their children first, but before long the whole tree snapped and toppled over. Folia was the only one to survive the fall, and was not only burdened with the task of finding and burying her family, but also with finding somewhere else to live, as many other places nearby were destroyed in the quake.

Folia traveled for several moons throughout much of Bugaria, spending many of her nights at inns or in the homes of kind and sympathetic strangers, and doing various odd jobs to feed herself when she needed to. It wasn't until she met Sylvie and Lilith that she finally found somewhere to settle down and make a new home.

Not long after they become friends, Folia comes to adore Sylvie and Lilith almost like daughters. She knows she can never bring her own family back, but her new friends give her a chance to make up for losing those she feels she could have protected.

+++++

Lilith is an angel insect - bugs that are typically born without eyes or wings, but will produce new offspring with these features to help find a new home for the colony in times of hardship. Lilith was only born just as her colony was beginning to prepare for relocation, so she has no eyes, and although she does have wings, they are very weak and barely suitable for flying. As such, her colony deemed her unfit to help lead them to a new location and she was even shunned by a handful of her fellow bugs. Lilith took this personally and became quite a troublemaker in retaliation, picking fights with others and even stealing things in an attempt to prove her strength and ability, but it changed nothing. When her colony finally moved, they purposefully left her behind for her unruly behavior, and Lilith was forced to find her own way to a new home.

As she traveled, she kept herself afloat with prize money she earned from various fighting competitions, not all of which were…entirely legal. Despite her strength and conviction, she still came across many bugs that pitied her for her lack of eyes. Not wanting to be seen as weak by even more than her own colony, she started wearing a bandana across her face and played it off as part of her training, an intentional handicap meant to hone her other senses. It impressed plenty of bugs, as she'd hoped, including Sylvie and Folia, with whom she became fast friends.

Lilith's two new companions help build her confidence, encouraging her to see her worth not only in her fighting capabilities but in herself as a bug, no matter what others say. This is especially true after they learn her secret, and Sylvie and Folia continue to show Lilith that the way she was born has no impact on her value as their friend.

[layla4567]

Spoilers Loki s2 e5

I have a lot to say!!! (this will be long)

Ok first of all this scene made me laugh a lot because of how randomly they presented the original timeline of Mobius, he looks like a child playing (oh and him being a single dad it makes a lot of sense to me)

expectation:

reality:

Oh my f*cking god If I liked O.B before, now I love him with all my soul! He is not only a nerdy genius but a science fiction geek whose passion is to be a writer!!! And why didn't they let him keep his books in the bookstore?! I would gladly buy them!! Just look at his face, he needs a hug :(

AND WHY THE FUCK DID THEY NOT HELP HIM WHEN THE BOOKS DROPPED ON HIM?! IT COSTS NOTHING TO BE KIND DAMN IT

Ok, I think we've all realized that O.B's workshop is the same as the basement where he works at the TVA, maybe he was the one who created the TVA after all? btw how beautiful the photography is in this entire series.

I admit it, I laughed my ass off at this scene, I apologize (make it a meme pls lol) Honestly, this whole scene and the interactions that O.B had with Loki made me laugh (when Loki tries to control his timeslipping or when O.B electrocutes him as scientific proof)

This scene where Loki adjusts his hair and his jacket to see Mobius 👀 (he only does it with him) I wonder what the Sylki fans have to say

Remember how I said I hated Hunter X5/Brad Wolfe? Well I was wrong, there is one person I hate more, her. Girl, they're literally telling you that everything is going to shit and you don't give a damn? On top of that, when they tell you that you are selfish, do you take it naturally as if it were something to be proud of? Why are you like this? The worst thing of all is that when Loki says he wants his friends back she calls him selfish, not sweetheart, that's not being selfish. Being selfish is turning a blind eye to a problem that you mainly caused. Loki's fear of being alone is understandable and justified since he felt that way all his life and has done all the things he did for that same reason, which It's being really selfish, it's the opposite, wanting to be alone and forget your friends and not care that their timelines are falling apart. Sylvie you are a hypocrite (sorry I had to vent)

AAAAAAAAAA I'M GOING TO CRY GOD. I said it and I will always say it Loki needs a hug 😭 This scene is super moving because it shows us Loki's true purpose, he just wants his friends back, who are also people he hasn't known for a long time but who were attentive to him (btw Tom Hiddleston always shines in all his scenes )

This scene...holy shit this scene was scary. I think it's even more terrifying than Thanos' snap.

It's overwhelming how everything around her disappears in seconds leaving her in literal emptiness. There is absolutely nothing left, only threads floating in an enveloping blackness. When I saw that scene I felt empty and desolate.

OH SHIT HERE WE GO AGAIN...

NOOOOOOO MOBIUS NOT YOU (He just wanted to save his children 😭)

Loki's face when he sees his friend disappear D: (I'm having deja vu from the first season when Mobius was pruned)

Sylvie too?! Why does she disappear and Loki doesn't? (By the way, you just arrived Sylvie when you realize that everything is disappearing? really?)

Ok this is a nightmare for Loki, he was left alone and couldn't do anything to avoid all that, I think it's the most hopeless scene of the episode :( (And the way he tries to grab those threads…I'm broken)

OK HEAR ME OUT BECAUSE I HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THIS SCENE. I think the background voices help a lot with the feeling of anguish and helplessness that Loki feels, for not being able to save what he loved most, his friends. And when you feel overwhelmed by all those voices and at the end one stands out and it's Sylvie's voice saying something like what makes a Loki a Loki is the fact that we are destined to lose? That's when he screams in despair and goes back in time just a few seconds earlier and manages to control his timeslipping. And I must say that at first when I saw this scene it reminded me a lot of the scene from the movie "Ella Enchanted" when she is forced to kill the prince and she is surrounded by mirrors and begins to remember moments of her life such as when her mother told him to trust her or something like that (I don't remember the scene much, I saw it years ago lol) the point is that she refuses with all her heart to obey that order and in a moment of desperation she screams just like Loki and she says that she will no longer be obedient and drops the dagger, freeing herself from the spell. I don't know if you understand my point because I'm bad at explaining, but I think that the love he feels for his friends was what made him go back in time, that strong desire to want to make things right and that determination to say "this isn't true." It can end like this, I decide what is going to happen" (free will) I think that is what makes him finally able to control the situation, love is the most powerful force. Something similar happens in the movie "Tomorrowland" I think.

This scene is really powerful, the background music, the phrases that Loki says, the context of the scene, it is cinema. I think you don't need an action scene or scenes for a scene to be epic and move you. This is epic with so little, it is simple but effective. And the music is really the icing on the cake, it is so hopeful and gives strength to the moment when Loki returns to the TVA being able to fulfill his mission, I cried. Loki has evolved into a hero who saves the day and everyone.

And that ending??! Oh no the cliffhanger again..

Phew I know this was very long but I really needed this kind of catharsis, never has a Loki episode left me with so many emotions and beautiful things like this one. I laughed, I got excited, I cried and I was scared. I am very happy with the evolution of Loki and each episode that passes wins my heart more, I can't wait to see the next chapter. Everything is perfect in this series, the music, the settings, the actors, etc. It shows that it is made with the heart

[anonymousewrites]

Portal to My Heart (Book 3) Chapter Sixteen

Loki x Reader

Chapter Sixteen: For Glorious Purpose

Summary: (Y/N) and Loki know what type of gods they need to be.

Mouse Note: Thank you so much, everyone. This has been an incredible journey, and it's an honor to finish my first series with you all. Blue and Loki's story is over, and they have their ending. I cried finishing this, that's how much it meant to me, and I hope it meant a lot to you too. Thank you again for all the support. I have loved talking with you guys in comments and seeing your thoughts. It means the world to me, just as these two and this whole series did. So, thank you for coming with me to the end of our story. Thank you all.

            (Y/N) and Loki slipped back into their bodies in the TVA. They stood in the Loom Monitoring Station, and they looked at one another as the blast doors went up. Loki and (Y/N) gazed at the Loom as it blazed with light and threatened to destroy everything. Then they turned to their friends—the people they were willing to do anything to save.

            (Y/N) and Loki smiled sadly at their friends. They would keep them in their hearts. It was time. It was time to take their glorious purpose into their own hands.

            They walked to the top of the stairs to the antechamber.

            “Loki? (Y/N)?” called Mobius in confused worry.

            They didn’t respond and descended down towards the gangway.

            “Hey,” said Mobius, tensing.

            Loki and (Y/N) rushed down the stairs and sealed the door behind them as Mobius and Sylvie chased them down.

            “Loki, (Y/N), what’re you doing?!” cried Sylvie worriedly.

            (Y/N) and Loki ignored them and went to the door to the gangway. Mobius and Sylvie banged on the door, desperately trying to open it and get to them.

            “Open the door!” said Mobius.

            “Loki, (Y/N)!” shouted Sylvie.

            (Y/N) and Loki turned back towards them and smiled gently.

            “We know what we want,” said Loki. “We know what kind of gods we need to be. For you. For all of us.” He smiled.

            “Sylvie,” said (Y/N) softly, and Sylvie looked at her. “You have to know I forgave you for our fight long ago. Don’t keep feeling guilty about that.”

            “If you forgive me, then please just stay,” said Sylvie. “Please, (Y/N).” She swallowed. “Please. I love you.”

            (Y/N) smiled gently. “It’s alright, Sylvie. Loki and I are two people in a whole multiverse. Just open your heart. You don’t have to be alone, anymore. There are whole worlds of people to meet. And you have all the time in the world.”

            “No, no!” shouted Sylvie, trying to wrench the doors open with her magic, but even it wasn’t strong enough.

            “Come on, guys!” shouted Mobius, but (Y/N) and Loki turned away.

            Loki raised his hands, and the doors of the antechamber opened up. The light of the timelines swept over them. Instantly, the pure temporal radiation rushed over them, and (Y/N) and Loki braced. But the energy bonded with them, moving through them as if it was a part of them.

            Because it was. They were separate from reality. They had removed themselves from the time stream. They slipped through time at their whim. (Y/N) and Loki were gods, and the light of time was a part of them.

            (Y/N) and Look intertwined their hands and stepped out onto the gangway. They took a deep breath as power flowed around them and skirted across their skin.

            Green magic flew around Loki, and his clothes began to tear away to reveal black and green robes that whipped in the void as he continued forward. Horns curled out of a circlet on his head, and Loki gazed up confidently. He was the God of Stories.

            Beside him, blue energy collected around (Y/N), and her clothes whipped in the wind and melted into a blue dress. The layers of hues flew around her like her powers, and she stepped forward with unerring determination. Her veins were bright blue, and a crown of gold studded with blue gems sat on her head. (Y/N) raised her head proudly. She was the Goddess of Freedom.

            (Y/N) and Loki raised their free hands, and (Y/N)’s blue veins turned green as she channeled and strengthened Loki’s magic. Their combined power collected around the Loom as the branches of time strained against it.

            With a scream of determination, (Y/N) and Loki forced the Loom apart. It exploded, and the strands of time whirled outwards into the void around them. The light rolled over them, and (Y/N) and Loki braced as it passed. (Y/N)’s veins turned gold as time touched her, and then her powers faded to blue once more as her spatial magic attached and adapted to the temporal.

            Around Loki and (Y/N), dark branches fell and floated listlessly, unable to be weaved into life for the people living within them. The auras of the timelines thrummed with iridescent light as they tried to come to life, and the dull glow surrounded (Y/N) and Loki.

            (Y/N) reached out and took ahold of a branch. She breathed out, and her magic flowed into the branch. It burst into blue light. She smiled as she felt the life within it. It was as if every echo of people existing within transferred to her. Just as when she’d broken herself from the time stream, she was everywhere and nowhere, and she was connected to the pure energy that was life and free will as people existed.

            She let go of the branch, and it faded. And so, (Y/N) reached out and took ahold once more.

            Beside her, Loki gripped another branch. It glowed green with life, and he held it tightly. He looked at her and nodded.

            She smiled back. The branches were dying, but they would give them life once more.

            The pair continued down the gangway, each collecting branches as they went until the void was alight with blues and greens in an aurora of rebirth as time itself was repaired by its gods.

            (Y/N) and Loki gritted their teeth. It was hard, and their bodies strained at the energy the branches demanded of them, but they pushed forward. Their strength refused to falter. They were going to save everyone they cared about. That was all they needed to keep going.

            The lights flowed through the branches, and they parted ahead in the void. (Y/N) and Loki watched in amazement as a rift opened up. They knew instinctively that was where they needed to go.

            They turned and cast final looks over their shoulders towards their friends at the windows. Timely, Casey, Ouroboros, Mobius, Sylvie. They and everyone else within the timelines they cared about would be alright.

            (Y/N) and Loki turned back to the rift and watched as it widened to reveal the rubble of the Citadel at the End of Time. HWR’s home still existed, but there were no remains of him. This was (Y/N) and Loki’s domain, now.

            (Y/N) and Loki stepped off the gangway without hesitation, and blue-green light collected into a stairway, a path just for them. They took each step together, perfectly in sync with each other and the branches around them, at peace with the void and their magic.

            With a final step through the rift, the branches flew in after them, and the opening sealed to leave (Y/N) and Loki beyond time itself. They continued upwards to the debris of the Citadel, all the while pulling branches to them and bringing them to life with a glow of blue and green. They weaved timelines into existence once more, giving everyone a chance at life, from the TVA to the Sacred Timeline to every branch of every choice made of free will.

            They reached the end of the stairs and gazed at the top of the rubble. HWR’s precious chair lay empty and broken in two. (Y/N) and Loki stepped up towards it, straining against the branches and the burden weighing on them. But with a cry of determination, they forced one foot in front of another.

            Golden bits of ore collected underneath them and flowed into the split throne, rebuilding into two sitting side-by-side. The gods of the multiverse stepped upwards, Loki’s cloak and (Y/N)’s dress trailing into time branches as every bit of them weaved life into existence.

            They turned and sat down, and the branches flowed around them, waving and dancing with blue and green light, intertwining like (Y/N) and Loki’s hands.

            They gazed at one another, a King and a Queen. They leaned in. They kissed.

            And time became whole once more.

l

            Boastful Loki swung his sword and cut down another enemy. He would have his throne. It was what he deserved. He pivoted and struck at another warrior, but the moment before he made contact, another person appeared between them and blocked.

            Boastful Loki’s eyes widened in surprise, and it gave the woman in front of him just enough leverage to kick him back. Blue energy collected at the point of contact, and he went flying backwards.

            He groaned and raised his head to find a sword at his throat, and he looked up at the powerful woman standing over him.

            “Stand down, Loki,” she snapped.

            “I will not,” declared Boastful Loki.

            She scoffed. “You can’t win.”

            “Neither can you,” said Boastful Loki.

            “Then how about a truce? My men and your men will stop fighting, and we can both get something out of it instead of this foolish bloodshed,” said the woman.

            “A truce? I don’t do ‘truces,’ ” said Boastful Loki.

            “Then you’re an idiot,” said the woman.

            Boastful Loki narrowed his eyes. She was right. Both of their forces would continue to lose men and resources if this continued.

            “Fine. We can discuss a truce,” said Boastful Loki, standing up.

            “Alert your men. Otherwise we’re not talking about shit,” said the woman.

            Boastful Loki raised a hand, and a glowing green rune appeared in the sky to alert his men. He looked back down and gazed at the woman. “So, what is your name?” Boastful Loki liked hers. Her spirit was stronger than anyone else he’d ever met’s.

            “I’m (Y/N).”

            Boastful Loki smiled.

l

            Teen Loki waved his hands, and the trick flowers he’d created transformed to appear as regular plants.

            “What’re you doing?” said a new voice, and Teen Loki jumped.

            “I’m just, ah, adding to the garden,” said Teen Loki, easily flowing into a lie as he turned to see a young girl in a servant’s outfit.

            “Uhuh, yeah,” said the girl, unimpressed and seeing through his lie. “It’s to spray the lords and ladies coming to the gala tonight with water or something else, right?”

            “Don’t tell anyone,” said Teen Loki.

            “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” said the girl, grinning. “I’ve had to run so many errands for them, and they’re ungrateful witches—and not in the good way.”

            “You want me to create mischief?” said Teen Loki.

            “I never get to have any fun,” said the girl, shrugging.

            Teen Loki grinned, excited to have someone on his side. “Brilliant. Get behind me, they’re coming around the corner soon.” The girl grinned and got behind him.

            A few minutes later, a few people rounded the corner in fancy outfits. The minute they walked by the illusioned flowers, water sprayed out at them and hit them, transforming with magic into stains. The people cried out in outrage and ran from the garden, complaining all the while.

            “That was great,” grinned the girl. “Great job, Your Highness.”

            “Just Loki.” He rolled his eyes. “Your Highness is my father and mother.” He looked at her. “And you are?”

            “I’m (Y/N).”

            Teen Loki smiled.

l

            “Another press conference?” sighed President Loki.

            “Yes, it is your job, Mr. President,” said his assistant.

            “Fine,” said President Loki, rising. “Who is it with this time?”

            “The Daily Bugle,” said his assistant.

            “Very well,” said President Loki. “Perhaps it’ll be that young photographer. At least he was easy to make nervous and it got the ordeal over with.”

            His assistant coughed. “It is a different reporter, Mr. President.”

            President Loki raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And is there something you’re worrying about?”

            “Well, I have heard that she’s quite…forceful,” said his assistant.

            “Oh?” President Loki grinned and opened the doors to his interview room. He was looking forward to meeting this reporter. He walked in and found a young woman in a blue pencil skirt and suit jacket. “Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

            “Well, then, I’m quite sure it’s not,” said the reporter shortly.

            President Loki’s smiled tensed. “Excuse me?”

            “You ran on the platform that you lie about everything, so obviously, that was a lie about being pleased to meet me,” said the reporter, flipping over her journal for notes.

            “Well, on that note, I was telling you the truth,” said President Loki, leaning forward and smiling charmingly.

            The reporter cocked her head, unfazed. “If you swear that you’re always lying, does that mean you’re lying about that statement itself and instead telling the truth?”

            “What?” asked President Loki, confused.

            The reporter tsked and rolled her eyes. She put one leg over the other and raised an eyebrow. “Or does everything you say cease to have any meaning since always lying means everyone knows that you’re lying, thus defeating the point?”

            “Excuse me?” asked President Loki. He had to admit, he was quite caught off guard by her pointed questions.

            “Do you know how to answer questions or not?” she remarked, poised and elegant as she tore into President Loki with pointed questions.

            President Loki smirked. He liked her spirit. “I do,” he said, finally sitting down. “And as for your questions, lies have a certain…magic. They are no so straightforward as you might think. In fact, sometimes speaking the truth can be crafted into a lie so no one detects it.”

            “So you’re not a god but a fae, understood,” said the reporter coolly.

            President Loki’s smirk turned into a grin. Oh, he really liked her. He cocked his head. “You’re sharp.”

            “I know,” said the reporter.

            “How would you like to get a drink?” said President Loki.

            The reporter smirked and raised an eyebrow. “I don’t go out with politicians. And you don’t even know my name.”

            “If I knew it, would you consider?” said President Loki.

            The reporter tilted her head. “Perhaps.”

            “Then may I ask for your name?” said President Loki.

            “I’m (Y/N).”

            President Loki smiled.

l

            Classic Loki was nervous to finally leave the planet he had been hiding out on. It had been so many years since Thanos’s attack, and nearly as long since (Y/N) left to fight. And Classic Loki had never gone to find her. He had been too scared.

            But something had changed. He felt strong enough to take a step towards her. He felt confident enough to try to find her. He was nervous, but this was his love he was talking about. He needed to find her.

            And so, he summoned a portal and stepped through, following his instincts and his magic to find (Y/N). After all, he could find her and her magic anywhere. His heart always followed her.

            Classic Loki found himself outside of a house, and inside, he saw someone pouring a drink. He swallowed his fear and stepped up to the door. He knocked, and it sounded like thunder to him.

            The door opened with a click, and a woman’s face appeared in the doorway. She was older, but it was still the face of the woman Classic Loki loved.

            “(Y/N),” he said.

            She smiled. “Loki. I’ve been waiting for you.”

            Classic Loki smiled.

l

            “The yard could do with a bit of work,” said Sylvie as she walked up behind Mobius as he looked at a variant of himself home with his kids.

            “No. It’s great,” said Mobius. “Christ, it’s the best house on the block.” He sighed. “Never look, never know.”

            Sylvie was silent for a moment. “It’s weird that Loki and (Y/N) aren’t here, isn’t it?”

            “Yeah,” murmured Mobius.

            They both deeply missed their friends.

            “Well…See you around, I guess,” said Sylvie.

            “Where are you gonna go?” asked Mobius.

            Sylvie shrugged. “ ‘There are whole worlds of people to meet.’ ” She echoed (Y/N)’s words, and her heart ached. “You?”

            “I might just wait here a little bit,” said Mobius. He gazed out over the world in front of him. “Let time pass.” He was content. He was finding his place.

            Sylvie patted his shoulder in goodbye, turned away, and stepped through a Time Door to another area of the world. She walked out onto the sidewalk in front of a coffee shop. Quietly, she walked in, ordered, and sat down. Sylvie looked out the window and watched the world go by. The world was there because of what Loki and (Y/N) had done, were still doing. Sylvie wouldn’t squander what they had given everyone.

            But Sylvie did miss them. She cared about them more deeply than she had cared for any else she knew. Loki was someone who understood her, and (Y/N)…Sylvie had loved her. She swallowed and looked down at her coffee. She took a drink and let the bitterness rest on her tastebuds. She couldn’t have (Y/N); she knew that. She and Loki loved each other. But Sylvie would remember her words and her advice. And she wouldn’t let her down.

            “Hey, do you mind if I sit? All the other tables are completely filled.”

            Sylvie was broken from her thoughts and looked up. Her breath caught in her throat as she gazed at the woman looking at her. She stumbled over her words. “Right, yeah, sure.”

            “Thanks,” said the woman, sitting down.

            Sylvie cleared her throat. “I’m Sylvie, by the way.”

            The woman smiled. “I’m (Y/N).”

            Just open your heart.

            Sylvie smiled.

l

            The God of Stories and Goddess of Freedom separated and gazed at each other. Their kiss had woven time together. Around them, green branches twined into a trunk and opened up into a blue, glowing canopy. A tree of life and time built from love lit up the void around them.

            “We did it,” murmured (Y/N).

            “Together,” said Loki, smiling softly.

            “And they all get their freedom,” said (Y/N). “For happiness. For love.”

            “Just like us,” said Loki, cupping her face.

            “Just like us,” repeated (Y/N), leaning in.

            “I love you,” murmured Loki.

            “I love you,” whispered (Y/N).

            They spoke from the heart with the love of a million variants. In every world, they’d find each other. In every world, Loki and (Y/N) loved one each other.

            For all time. Always.

Taglist:

@alexpangender

@technikerin23

@kikster606

@neenieweenie

@h-l-vlovesvintage

@chronicallybubbly

@oscarissac2099

[insanityclause]

Now that Loki season two has closed the TVA Handbook on Loki’s story, the question remains as to whether Tom Hiddleston has bid adieu to the MCU. It’s hard to imagine a better ending for the former God of Mischief, and since Loki‘s potential series finale aired last week, Hiddleston even referred to the episode as the “conclusion” of his 14-year journey with Loki. However, when pressed further on the subject this week, he then created a little bit of wiggle room for himself to return someday. 

For Loki executive producer Kevin R. Wright, Hiddleston’s finale performance felt like a goodbye of sorts.

“I think his approach to that performance certainly was [a send-off], and I think we all felt that on set,” Wright tells The Hollywood Reporter.

But similar to his lead actor, Wright is quick to issue his own caveats.

“We wanted this to feel like a proper ending for our show, but that does not mean that there won’t be more Loki or stories within this world,” Wright adds. “We just wanted to give this a proper ending in a way that we often don’t get to do in the MCU.”

Wright, who originated much of the series’ foundational elements through his own pitch years ago, says that he’s still making the case for more TVA stories in the MCU.

“I would love to keep telling TVA stories. Internally, people pitch everything, and I’m actively like, ‘I want to do more TVA!’” Wright shares. “It will just end up being about where it makes sense for them to come in, in the future, but we all look at that corner of the MCU and go, ‘God, we’re just scratching the surface.’”

Below, during a recent spoiler conversation with THR, Wright also addresses a couple Mobius fan theories and how he’s looking forward to developing future TV series in a more traditional fashion.

So, in the end, instead of killing Sylvie to save time itself, Loki makes the ultimate sacrifice for the good of everyone else, and in doing so, he tasks himself with literally holding the fabric of existence together. And to me, that’s both a tragic and triumphant end. Why was this the right note to end the series on?

I’m glad those are the two feelings, because that’s what we were going for. (Laughs.) I don’t know if I can answer that beyond what you just said; it’s just the right ending to the story. We always knew the show was going to end with Loki on a throne, even in season one, and it was never about where he was going. It was always about the feeling we wanted audiences to feel when he got there, and it was about building the story that led to that feeling. Ultimately, because I don’t want to get too into the weeds on the last ten minutes of the show, we all feel like the answers and the intentions are there on screen. 

But what I can say, generally, is that we are all really bored by the binary of hero-villain, good guy-bad guy, good choice-bad choice. In the real world, choices are really complicated. Real heroism often goes completely unrewarded. It often involves people who are making really tough decisions and will never benefit from the sacrifices that they’re having to make. And if you can build a superhero comic-book story that dives into the weeds of a more complicated heroism, then that was a challenge that was worth it to us to try. And Loki is the best character to do that with in many ways.

Technically, did Loki become the God of Stories, or a personified version of Yggdrasil, the Norse Tree of Life?

Are those mutually exclusive? It all comes back to questions of free will. Is he writing stories, or is he allowing stories to continue to be told? Is he weaving them together? It’s an interpretation of what exactly he did there at the end, but I think both can potentially be true.

Of course, anything is possible within the comic book genre, but this finale feels like a send-off for Tom Hiddleston as this character. Do you think we’ve seen the last of Tom’s Loki for at least a long while?

I think his approach to that performance certainly was [a send-off], and I think we all felt that on set. We wanted this to feel like a proper ending for our show, but that does not mean that there won’t be more Loki or stories within this world. We just wanted to give this a proper ending in a way that we often don’t get to do in the MCU. But also, in Marvel comics and the history of comics, the end of a comic run doesn’t mean the end of that character or those stories. And if there’s another story to be told or further stories to be told with what we’re doing here — and it’s with the right filmmakers and the right writers and the right team — then we would love to continue to see Tom. I also said this in season one, but I honestly think Tom will play Loki until he’s Richard E. Grant’s Classic Loki. It’s about the right thing and when we’re doing it, and being really careful about how we build those stories. 

The TVA still has some unfinished business, as they have to track Kang variants. So will the TVA appear in the MCU again at some point?

I would love to keep telling TVA stories. Internally, people pitch everything, and I’m actively like, “I want to do more TVA!” It will just end up being about where it makes sense for them to come in, in the future, but we all look at that corner of the MCU and go, “God, we’re just scratching the surface.”

360 sets. You begged and pleaded for them, and they were worth their weight in gold. Kasra Farahani also sounded optimistic that this approach might become more common on other MCU projects. So do you think you’ve successfully made your case to the crested blazers of the Marvel Studios Parliament? 

We’ll see. It comes down to the speed at which we make streaming shows, and that’s natural for TV. That’s not a Marvel speed. You’re shooting a lot in small schedules, and it’s benefited by having sets and not having to do a ton of VFX in every shot. It makes good practical sense, and there’s a reason why people did it for a hundred years of moviemaking. It’s about when it makes sense for our stories, certainly, but we’re also telling comic book stories, and sometimes, things have to be more fantastical than what you can build. So it’s about being smart and how you do it. I love it, and I know our team loves it. When we were shooting Loki, we had a number of filmmakers who visited set, and their reactions were like, “They let you build all this?” And it’s like, “Yeah! Wait, you’re not? You should be doing this, too.” (Laughs.)  So, long answer short, yeah, I think people have seen what we did and they see that it’s an option now, and will hopefully embrace it.

Fan theories can be both a blessing and a curse, as your friends on WandaVision know, but have you lost any sleep over not making the McDonald’s kid a young Mobius (Owen Wilson)?

No, but I love that theory. I also saw that maybe Mobius is an Odin variant, and that was really imaginative and cool, too. So it was never discussed and I never lost sleep over it, although I read all that stuff and I love it. Partially why Loki feels more densely layered than some other projects is we know that people are looking at it in that way and are digging into everything. So everybody on the team really embraces that and goes, “If it’s in frame, it has to hold up the scrutiny.” We’re either subliminally hiding things in there, or we’re putting things in there to misdirect so that we can better impact people with something more surprising. But I love that people engage with it that way, and I hope that they see that we are engaging back with them in how we build the show.

And what about a medium shot of Loki and Mobius on the tandem bicycle? Do you regret that you won’t see that meme for the rest of your life?

No, because I can go online and I can see it in all of the amazing fan art. It’s out there. We knew you just had to handle that with a very light touch, and the audience will fill in the blanks. And they beautifully have.

Marvel made a bunch of release date moves recently, and we’re not going to see much of you in 2024. Are you a bit relieved since Marvel Studios’ own temporal loom won’t be overloaded? 

What’s exciting to me — and this is something [head of streaming at Marvel] Brad Winderbaum has talked about — is what I personally will get to be making next. We’ll really be able to have the time to slowly build it, find the right team for it, find the right people to develop it, build a pilot and build things on a more traditional schedule. It’s a little bit like the sets. It’s good, it’s practical, it’s smart, and when things are done right with the right team, these projects can be really, really good. And I think Loki is really, really good. So, if we give the development and production cycle the right amount of attention and build a calendar in a way that allows us to really do this correctly, you will get to see more projects that are of this caliber. It’s just about giving the creatives the space and the resources to do things properly. So, ultimately, this is a really good thing. I know people want more, but I also know that if we take time with it, they will appreciate what they get.

Well, the ultimate compliment I can pay all of you is that I didn’t care much for Loki prior to this series, and not because he was a bad guy or anything like that. This show fulfilled the original promise of these Marvel Disney+ series by deepening this character in a way that the movies don’t have time for, and I have nothing but fondness for Loki now. So Loki should be the case study for how valuable Disney+ can be for Marvel.

One, thank you. Two, I agree. I know that our writers, Justin [Benson], Aaron [Moorhead], Kate [Herron] and everybody would also agree, and that was the most appealing part of this. You can slowly take your time and build a really fulfilling story. We have very little action this season. (Laughs.) There’s a lot of thrills and there’s a lot of big stuff, but it was about really taking our time to build a character story that can feel truly fulfilling. So I look forward to being able to do more stories this way.

[carebeartherese]

My live reactions to Loki season two ep 5:

-WOOOO HERE WE GO

-running through the recap

-Im actually scared for this episode srsly

-oooo the almost silent intro

-ALIVE???

-he is angelic fr

-where is everyone???

-did they go back to their timelines??

-Im loving these continued camera shots

-pie room??

-TIME SLIPPING

-oh shit

-:0 double Loki

-hello?

-time slipping is just an excuse for Loki to flip his hair like the hoe he is /pos

-time loop???

-WHAT THE FUCK

-WHY IS EVERYTHING COMING APART

-SHIT

-oop there’s the theme

-prison??

-CASEY?????

-WHAT THE HELL

-oh hes escapin

-where are they i wonder

-a boat prison??

-no not again dude Loki can’t handle this

-ALCATRAZ????

-his name ain’t Frank lmfao

-oh it’s the BOAT PLACE

-dude why are we back in the tva

-:0 SHIT NEW YORK 2012

-Aw b15 is such a great doctor I love her

-MOBIUS WHAT ARE YIU DOING

-living his dream

-who tf is don

-also his son??? No thank you

-LOKI GO SEE YOUR MAN

-this is so unserious

-LOKI IS SO CUTE ABOUT MOBIUS

-Mobius is adorable

-SINGLE DAD???

-FUCK YEA

-ooo 1994

-OB!!!!

-hes so silly

-awww he just wants to sell his books

-hes a writer <333

-in his bunker???

-ITS JUST LIKE HIS LAB

-dude ob will believe anything that happens to him

-the sons of who??

-ob is so adorable with his little “hey”

-dammit

-none of that made sense OB

-cannot control the time slipping

-oooo true

-LOKI = TEMPAD

-to save his friends

-oh yea shit kang is coming aint he

-control it Loki!!!!

-nope

-you look like you’re trying to take a shit

-there is no controlling time

-OB WE DONT SHOCK PEOPLE

-OR WHATEVER THAT WAS

-stop psychoanalizing

-go to the pie room

-GET THE BAND BACK TOGETHER

-oh that’s actually kind of smart

-ob is adorable and I love him and his tism

-oh fuck there he goes

-TO MOBIUS AGAIN!!

-he sucks at taking the trash out

-yea Kevin

-these kids are literally adorable

-don’t burn down the house pls

-“HELLO”

-these guys are so awkward

-just kiss srsly

-WAIT THEY ARE SO CUTE

-HES SUCH A SALESMAN

-wife long gone????

-cause of the gay

-is he flirting??

-are jet skis flirting????

-mobius really thinks lokis crazy

-OB HI

-none of this makes sense

-awww the way he grabbed Mobius

-dude theyre so gay

-they need to just kiss already fr

-yea your kids will be fine mobius I swear

-hes just a suburb dad

-this is a little heartbreaking but also gay tbh

-IKR IT IS A COOL NAME

-B15!!!! Come with!!!!

-CASEY FUCK YEA

-ESCAPE

-where’s sylvie?

-mobius looks shook

-and Casey trusts no one the little thief

-mobius/don is he flirting with Casey/Frank

-I love sylvie but she always gets angry and fucks shit up

-please leave her out of this one

-WAIT WHAT

-HOW DOES SHE KNOW YOU

-wait till it back

-fuck get that time slipping under control

-sylvie with her lesbian fit and her mullet

-ok but Loki loves mobius and doesn’t wanna loose him

-uncaring queen

-I mean she wants to live

-damnnnnn

-WAIT CALL HIM OUT

-WHAT DOES HE WANT

-FALSE

-HE WANTS MOBIUS SRSLY

-oh come on Marvel be more specific

-of course he doesn’t wanna be alone

-don’t make this romantic again pls

-NO WE ARENT

-his story is with mobius tho!!!

-Casey is such a weird ass hardened criminal

-mobius stop trying to sell shit to people

-Loki you are so babygirl

-NO WHAT ABOUT THE GANG

-I don’t understand anything anymore

-is sylvie flirting with record shop guy??????

-THE VELVET UNDERGROUND

-HOLY SHIT

-literally what is happening rn

-whos this guy in the back

-oh he disappeared????

-why’s shit disappearing????

-NOOOO

-THE TIMELINES DECAYING

-OH GOD NO!!!

-NOT HOT RECORD SHOP GUY

-and she’s gone

-so is the timeline

-Loki is so sad and lonely

-MOBIUS KISS HIM PLS

-HE NEEDS TLC

-NOT TRUE

-a timeline just died for some reason

-Loki was just waiting for this opportunity

-CASEY DAMMIT SRSLY

-OH FUCK NO

-WAIT EVERYONE COME BACK

-NO MOBIUS PLEASE

-OH GOD NOT PLEASE NOT KNTO THE DARK

-THIS VERY BAD DREAM

-oh shit Loki use them timeslipping powers

-GO BACK IN TIME

-YOU CAN DO THIS BBG

-ITS ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS

-oh come on dont give me that fuckin cliffhanger

[alotofpockets]

3.5K Celebration: Requests Closed!

Wow another milestone added to the books. Thank you so much for your ever continuing love and support, it means the absolute world to me!💗 

To celebrate this number, I would love to write your requests :) As always please read my request info before requesting!

I will leave a prompt list below the cut for inspiration but also feel free to send me your own requests! I'll be writing for the following people:

MARVEL

Yelena Belova | Natasha Romanoff | Wanda Maximoff | Kate Bishop | Florence Pugh | Elizabeth Olsen

WOSO

Jackie Groenen | Daniëlle van de Donk | Katie McCabe | Leah Williamson | Alessia Russo

CHICAGO FIRE

Leslie Shay | Sylvie Brett

RENEE RAPP

Reneé Rapp | Leighton Murray

Prompt list below the cut

"I'll drive you home."

"Take my jacket."

"Are you bleeding?"

"You've always felt like home."

"Maybe things would've been different in another life."

"I think I'm in love with you, and that scares the crap out of me."

"You just can't help yourself, can you?"

"I'm at the hospital."

"Is that a hickey?"

"I didn't know where else to go."

"It was you the whole time?"

"We need to talk about what happened last night."

"You do realize that we're locked in right?"

"You remembered?"

"I want you, and only you."

"It's nothing, just a scratch."

"You're great with kids."

"There is enough room for the both of us."

"We're just friends." - "Are you joking? They look at you like you are their whole world."

"They found out we are dating because my lockscreen is a picture of you."

"Please don't hang up."

"Your flirting is so bad it's adorable."

"I thought you said you wouldn't fall in love?"

"I come here whenever a need a quiet place to think."

"My keys are in my back pocket. Can you get them for me?"

"They just invited us to be the third and forth wheel."

"The weather is getting worse. Why don't you stay the night?"

"Your handwriting is recognizable, you know that right?"

"You're wearing my shirt/jersey."

"You love me?"

"Can we go home?

"Twins? We're having twins?"

"I saved you a seat."

"What if I don't know how to be a good parent?"

"That guy at the bar keeps staring at you."

"If there is nothing going on between you two, you don't mind if I ask them on a date, do you?"

"I think I'm gonna feel that tomorrow."

"Here, let me help."

"I like that you make me laugh so much that my cheeks hurt."

"I've had a bad day, and honestly all I want right now are some cuddles."

This prompt lists consists of prompts found on Pinterest and ones I wrote myself. All credits for the Pinterest ones go to the original writers.

[alittlextrathatway]

Line: "You gave me roses and I left them there to die." Location: firehouse

Another entry for the Hockey AU.

You can find the additional parts here and here.

***

After coffee that night, they start texting again. It’s a slow re-entry into knowing each other again, but it’s a start.

On one of his days off, he and Severide are invited to the firehouse for dinner. Sylvie says their garage sale committee has a proposal for them. Severide chuckles as his fiancé, Stella Kidd, sends him the exact same text.

“They’re gonna ask us to sign autographs in order to draw a crowd,” Kelly stated, smirking knowingly. “Watch. We’ll have a solid home cooked dinner and then Mouch and Herrmann are gonna try to swindle us into showing up.”

Mouch and Herrmann. Damn. Those are names he hasn’t heard in a while. “Maybe we should. The money from the garage sale helps struggling first responders and their families. Why not?”

“Well, when you put it like that,” Severide replies with a sigh.

Matt grins and slaps his back as he finishes changing out for practice. “Come on, it’ll be fun. And it’s the right thing to do.”

Severide’s guess is spot on. After dinner, they’re presented with all the reasons they should show up and sign autographs at Firehouse 51’s annual garage sale. They save everyone time and agree before Herrmann and Mouch are done trying to sell them on the idea.

Afterward, Severide wanders off to find Stella, leaving Matt on his own. He hasn’t seen Sylvie’s face in a few days and he misses being near her so without much thought he finds himself searching the firehouse for her.

He finds her sitting on her bunk, reading a book. The ambo was out when he arrived and all through dinner. He isn’t even sure she knew he was there.

He leans against the half wall adjacent to her cot and clears his throat. “Reading anything good?”

Her head snaps up and her eyes immediately finding his. “Oh, wow. Talk about a blast from the past. Seeing you in the firehouse takes me back.”

“Me too,” he says, smiling through a twinge of regret in his gut. “It’s been too long. I shouldn’t have been away so long.”

She swallows thickly, glancing away from him to hide the sadness he knows he’ll see in her face. “No, you shouldn’t have. But you’re back now and we can’t change the past — no matter how much we may want to.” Scooting back in her cot, she pats the foot of the bed. “Have a seat.”

He doesn’t give her a chance to rethink the offer and sits immediately. “The last time I was here we were celebrating Thanksgiving while you were on shift.”

She smiles slowly as she recalls the day. “That was fun. You and Severide and Cindy Herrmann cooked the food while we went on calls. You looked adorable in an apron being bossed around by a badass midwestern mom.”

“Cindy’s sweet but she scares me a little bit. She has that disappointed mom look down. That’s a very sharp weapon when she wants it to be.”

“Accurate,” Sylvie agrees with a soft chuckle. “And that hasn’t changed a bit.”

“And then apart from that, I think the last time I even saw this place was…” Oh god, why did he bring this up? “Over FaceTime on your birthday after I first moved to Vegas.”

A mere four months before they broke up.

“Right, you sent me roses.”

He has to work hard to withhold a wince. In truth, he didn’t send those. His assistant did. He got caught up in his practice schedule and team events and completely forgot. At the last minute, he asked his assistant to send Sylvie flowers to the firehouse, not thinking to specify her favorite flower — gerbera daisies. So, his assistant sent a very generic bouquet of red roses. Which she received while they were on FaceTime together. Her face told him she saw straight through the gesture. She knew he had phoned it in.

“Yeah, I did,” he confirms with a forced smile.

“Full disclosure,” she says, guilt briefly flashing across her face. “I didn’t take them home. I left them on the coffee table in the common room. I think I even forgot to water them. They didn’t last long.”

Is it ironic that a symbol of how he neglected her ended up being neglected too?

He scoffs and shakes his head, at his past self and not at her. Never at her. “I don’t blame you. I didn’t exactly give you my best effort that day.”

“No, you didn’t. But I never told you it hurt me. I could have,” she says, gnawing on the inside of her lip. “But I didn’t want to rock the boat. I thought if I did I’d lose you faster.”

“I’m the one that lost you, Sylvie. You never lost me. Make no mistake about that,” he assures her. Hell, to this very day, he’s still hers.

“Never?” She asks with a brow lifted in his direction. He thinks he can see a flirtatious glint in her blue eyes but it’s tempered by her downturned mouth. It makes her incredibly hard to read.

“Never,” he repeats.

“If you could do that day over again,” she begins, a melancholy grin tugging at one corner of her mouth. “What would you do different?”

“Order gerbera daisies to be sent to the firehouse and then arrange to fly back here to see you on my days off. We should have celebrated your birthday together, even if it was belated.”

Her breath catches in her throat as she listens and then a slow satisfied smile spreads over her lips — replacing the melancholy completely. “Good answer.”

“Speaking of do-overs,” he says, inhaling and exhaling slowly while he gathers his courage. “Maybe I could take you out and we could have a little more than a coffee?”

“Is that you’re way of asking me for a date?”

He chuckles at her wry smile as she calls him out. “Yes, it is.”

“In that case,” she begins, rolling her lips and setting aside her book. “I’d love to. How about tomorrow night?”

“Impatient, huh?” He teases.

She laughs and smacks his arm. “Shut up. You know you are too. I’m a fantastic date.”

He grabs her hand as she tries to pull it away and holds it in both of his, beaming brightly at her. “You’re the best date. And tomorrow night would be perfect.”

After years of believing she’d always be the one that got away, he can wait one more day. But after that, he’s never letting her get away again.

[flowers-of-io]

Fic Rec Friday #4

The Tyrannical Verses

by @exhaling-dust

Read on Ao3

Written records of the new era of the Osmium Dynasty, carefully repurposed and designed by the once-disowned heir of King Oryx: Nokris, the Whispering God of Life and Death and immaculate ruler of the Hive.

Rating: Gen | Relationships: Nokris & Original Ghost, Dûl Incaru & Nokris, Ir Airâm/Kelgorath | Word count: 4,065 (so far) | Chapters: 5/?

He lives everywhere.  In the first and last breath. In the syllables on his behalf. In the rumors of his name.  He lives everywhere. In the petals where wind flows through. In the insects and animals wandering between. In the quiet hum of unspoken silence.  He lives everywhere.

I am obsessed with this fic. It is a sickness of the mind. I'm pretty sure I'm entitled to medical benefits by now. It’s such a compelling AU being uncovered piece by piece in a sort of non-linear, episodical manner, but it all revolves around the lynchpin that Nokris is.

The way Sylvie crafts new lore that feels so much like it's Actual Canon, and meshes with it seamlessly; the new meanings; the way it reads like Books of Sorrows 2. “Three pillars, three crowns, three worms; as our eyes determinate our sights and our sights determinate our future.” That whole bit in Chapter 2 about the worms feels like taken straight out of Books and it makes me SICKKKK. And oh, every chapter is like a journey; each one is different, distinctly so, yet they're all connected.

When Father was around, he wanted to carry you in his arms. Pillars were tall as the sky as feet touched the floor, yet with him, you could see the stars of the ceilings. In the years to follow, you would then make constellations out of them through a wounded heart. But for now, you are touching every twinkling bright in the darkness.

You were cherished and you were cared for. You were a keen-curious child amongst other children about your age. You had friends. You wrestled about the worms, you pretended to be Father. And brother learnt to hate you for not giving up on the mantle because he didn’t like being Akka. You two would throw a tantrum. You two would laugh the next dawn. You would be friends with your siblings. You would be loved.  Mother, who never wanted to be referred to as that, told you: You are a joyful child. If you follow Father’s lessons, you will be a great ruler. And you believed her.

Crota and Nokris playing-pretend the coronation of Oryx… Gosh this is so precious and so deeply sad.

The assortment of characters is also really interesting! Nokris talking to Eris, Ir Airâm being relevant at all, and oh, this passage makes Season of the Witch so much better in my eyes. Sylvie I’m DYING to know more.

“I severed Xivu Arath from her throne and locked her in the depths no architecture could be forged from the sword. She lays in dirt and she travels aimlessly in hopes to twist this structure in her favor. Savathûn wanted me to save her, and I did it. It is enough for me.”

Everyone please read this fic Right Now. I am gnawing at a wooden tabletop.

[egittae]

Matthias was still pissed even as he woke up. Sure by the end of the night he had mostly composed himself but...he was still pissed, upset, and frankly, disappointed. Perhaps a different approach. His travel bag had contained only a few things, the weapons he was allowed to take, his clothes, and the logs he had kept for his own personal use. One was bound differently than the other and he had retrieved it from beneath the bed. It had been a gift from when he had first taken up his position of Margrave. Lambert had known he enjoyed recording things for himself and as if naming him a babysitter, he had the gal to ask for a journal all to himself. Of course he had obliged. From retellings of court meetings(and the utter chaos Lambert caused in them) to the military feats that had saved his life many times over. It had been put to the shelf after the northern campaign due to the state of the spine. Long since had it been filled...quite literally as pages that had been added in were threatening to burst. Knowledge was power after all. He had been quick in opening the door to the shared dorm. It wasn't hard to spot the mop of a head the man wore and with little grace, He had hurled the book at him, it firmly hitting his leg, some pages even flying up and falling to the floor. Just as soon as the door had opened, it closed shut and he was on his merry way to handle the rest of his plans for the day. Hope he enjoys reading his utterly ridiculous escapades.

bitch this is so long

(tw.: panic attack, emetopobia)

Naps fixed many things. This wasn’t one of them.

Yet at the same time, there was little to do about it at the moment- napping being the best option so far. He was tired, upset, his skin hurt from being under the sunlight even with protective ointments and he was almost positive that he might’ve been a little bit dehydrated earlier which only added to the fatigue. The moment his body reached his bed, suddenly the dingy, thin mattress felt like the most luxuriously comfortable bed and sleep was quick to take him.

Only to be awakened by something hitting his leg and a door closing, making the professor jolt awake believing it must have been some ambush. Except, azure pools found no weapon, no threat, only a worn out book laying by his leg. The spine was slightly busted resulting in some pages coming loose, resting on the floor. Sure, one of his roommates was a mage- Tormod, but Lambert highly doubted the man would treat his tomes with this carelessness.

And this was too small to be a magic tome, or any other type of book if he were to be honest- it seemed like a diary, instead.

“What in the heavens…” Lambert took a moment to sit up and rub his eyes, trying to make sure this wasn’t some bizarre dream and that he was indeed very much awake. With that confirmation- which only made him even more confused, Lambert reached out for the diary, holding it carefully as to try to preserve its form despite the spine while also taking a moment to retrieve the loose pages scattered around the floor- those being the first ones his eyes came to scan.

"i did not plan on coming back. the punishment of being suspended from fighting at the border is a mercy for what i did i don't understand why." "so dearly i wished to join my wife and child…sweet edith and sylvie…when i stood at death's edge the king dragged me back and held me as such that i felt it impossible to hide my sorrows. i suppose we sat for an hour like that covered in their blood and yet i felt relieved…for all i've lost there is more to gain" "i told him i did not feel my punishment enough and so as always the man outdid himself "fine then, take half your food storage and we'll deliver it to the sreng border tomorrow. you speak well enough to say sorry." even in tragedy he finds ways to further his own plans. i'd be mad were i not so enamored"

_____________“…may the goddess embrace them both. however as much as i understand the grief that has taken over you, my friend…we cannot afford to give in to death.”

“miklan does not need a death father, and gautier does not need a dead margrave. and i…do not need a dead friend.”

“war does not wait for one to mourn. but even if the world requires you to keep going with your chin up, i shall be there, by your side. always.”

Lambert let go of the paper before he could accidentally crush it as a particularly vivid memory flooded his brain. One where he stood before a broken man, drenched in blood, eyes burning with grief and from that day onwards, changed forever. It was more than obvious enough who that man was- and who he was grieving at that moment. And of course, the role he played within that situation. King.

It wasn’t even an assumption, it was written on the paper.

This was Matthias’ diary, or something similar.

It felt wrong to hold it- and even worse to read it seeing how he had no idea who would have thrown it at him. It could be someone trying to purposefully mess with Matthias by grabbing his intimate possessions and throwing them around to embarrass him, yes. Lambert didn’t wish to intrude on the man’s business like that.

Yet at the same time, with the way it was delivered to him…

Azure pools glanced over the multiple loose pages, picking on multiple bits of history. All tellings of Matthias’ own life and memories, but he could spot a couple of them mentioning the name ‘Lambert’ or talking about the said king. And for nearly all of them, it felt as if a small light somewhere in his mind flickered on. Faint, lone in the darkness, but sitting there. A series of torches weakly illuminating a handful of paths, not enough for a proper full view but just enough to perceive an outline to be followed.

One page caught his attention. It was mostly loose, yet still somehow holding on to the book’s broken spine, sitting lopsided in comparison to most of the others.

“the front was broken entirely by that beast. no matter how well composed a man, a beast capable of magic feats would unsettle most men. i had called for a retreat and most obliged without listening…but sreng still pursued.” “i cared not for the beast, my sights had been set on oleg and i made my way towards him under the cover of the snow that had been whipped up.” “it had set upon me just as i had grabbed the man. i wasn’t fearful and yet i had frozen as those claws had been aimed at me.” “my mind went blank and before i knew it my back was on the ground and i could only look up as the blood of my king spilt upon me and the last war cry oleg would ever conjure was let out.” “it seems he is intent on keeping me, the daft bastard. what king risks his life for a margrave….even worse what king would spend what he thought to be his last words praising the man that nearly brought him back to the goddess?”

I would.

Because I know you’d-

“…be capable of bringing my dreams to fruition.”

The blizzard became weaker- the night sky barely visible between the occasional break between clouds. The trail was still impossibly dark and blanketed by snow, but tidbits of moonlight made it possible to at least get a notion of his surroundings. In the distance, a red fox stared at him.

Though his path was snowed over, the fox’s paw prints replaced the trail.

He choked and sent into a coughing fit- only then he understood that he had been hyperventilating, that his mind was running amok as if a light was being pointed directly into his eye. Memories, all of them- voices and faces and names and whatnot, but it felt nauseatingly disorienting. With a shaky hand, Lambert put the book under his pillow and jolted out of the bed to go outside, managing to reach a secluded enough spot before throwing up.

With eyes closed shut as he tried to regain his breathing and wait for his mind to settle down, he placed a hand on his torso- the left side, where a scar sat. A scar that could’ve only been caused by a massive beast.