#the way ive been in this fandom over ten years and this is my first amv for tjem fjfjdkdk

[floorpancakes]

emotional amv let me know if you cried

[copingchaos]

kindly requesting the moon knight fandom to channel our inner jake lockley rn

now hear me out please

the moon knight fandom is an active fandom. there are people who post original work, or reblog things, everyday. it's been this way for years. ive been here for over a year and ive seen the way the fandom interacts with each other. it's always warmed my heart.

that's why i'm adressing this to you guys, in the hopes that it inspires some people to change their ways. i do believe the tumblr algorithm is probably making it hard for news about Gaza to reach my, and your, TL. so maybe i simply havent seen a lot of mk accounts share/post about it, because of the algorithm...but that is all the more reason, to keep (or start?) sharing what's going on in Gaza

for anyone who's missed it, it's been a full month since the first bombs were employed. over ten thousand people have died, 40 percent of those were children 💔

i'm not asking anyone to share my posts (although boosting this one so it reaches the fandom would be advantageous) i'm only hoping to keep the conversation of what's happening in Gaza going

every voice counts, every platform can make a difference. especially with the help of our fandom, it may not be the biggest out there, but we're active and that's the most vital part

I contemplated whether I should tag accounts, people that i admire and am fond of, who make my day when i see their posts on my TL, because i know they have active blogs with good engagement. I'm not going to because i dont intend to point fingers or to make anyone in particular feel called out.

but just please, realise that if you're active here, your involvement is valuable, your voice can inspire others, so please consider using your platform for the greater good

[dearophelia]

best of sara's fic, according to her

Because I’m feeling some kind of way about my cancer lately and wanted to put together a Sara’s Greatest Fic Hits while I’m still around to do it (which is a morbid thing to type, but see the intro: been feeling some kind of way lately).

These range from my most popular fics, to the ones lost to weird posting hours, and everything in between. If I counted correctly, there are 14 fandoms on this list: from Mass Effect and Dragon Age, to Grey’s Anatomy and Stargate SG-1, to The West Wing and Calvin & Hobbes.

I’d appreciate reblogs on this (I am not ashamed to pull the stage iv cancer card here) so it can reach as many people as possible.

I have been writing fic for over 15 years; this is not a short list.

All are rated T or lower unless otherwise indicated. All stories are at or under the 3k mark unless otherwise indicated.

Stargate SG-1:

waves are universal (the heaven in hiding remix) (Sam/Jack; I’m very Normal about this fic; time travel and alternate realities, a host of OCs (and some familiar faces from Norafic if you look closely), oh and the Sam/Jack kid from the alternate reality! Only she’s an adult and working on a way to save the world! This has it all, folks: humor, romance, angst, action! I told you I’m Normal about it; 40k)

strange is the night where black stars rise (Sam; horror! A low creeping sense of doom! The King in Yellow! No, seriously, fuck that planet; 10k)

#sg1wedding (Sam/Jack; their wedding turned into An Event against their will; bets are going down about who would win in a fight: Bra’tac or the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs; also Jack loses his socks; twitterfic from 2012 and technology has definitely Marched On, just read it like an unhinged group chat fic)

phoenix (Sam/Daniel/Teal’c, Sam/Jack, Sam/Jack/Daniel/Teal’c; apocalypse (that I consulted a real live geologist on!); rebuilding in the wake of said apocalypse; team family feelings, kids, and some really shitty neighbors; 38k)

Dragon Age:

joy cometh in the morning (Ariadne; rated M; a host of OCs; mind the warnings; friendship; worldbuilding galore; friendships and mentors and first loves; did I mention friendship and worldbuilding?; 56k)

through the rude wind’s wild lament, and the bitter weather (Ari+Cullen; quiet magic, kind magic, good magic is still new to Cullen)

as the sun kissed the horizon (Ari/Josephine; a relationship in ten moments)

‘til we meet again (Ari+Cullen; platonic sleeping together!)

so hold my hand, consign me not to darkness (Ari; her faith is the core of who she is and, for the first time, Andraste isn’t there; post-Trespasser)

raise your fists up to the sky (Kylie/Krem; it’s Krem’s first day with the Chargers and there’s a naked elf in the middle of camp)

every demon wants his pound of flesh (Krem+Bull; Krem was in the Fade with the Inquisitor and the fear demon had some Things To Say To Him)

black dove (Anaya) & strange little girl (Anaya+Dagna) & dissolving clouds (Anaya+Cullen) (because neurodivergent Inquisitor, friendship, blossoming romance, and three very different takes on blood magic)

skeletons (Zahara+Bull; she is saarebas, he is Ben-Hassrath, and language is important)

children shouldn’t play with dead things (Juliette Amell; she’s always had an easier time with the dead than the living; cw for bugs)

a sorta fairytale (Josephine/Cassandra; flower shop & tattoo parlor AU; 8k)

Mass Effect Trilogy:

gonna set your flag on fire (Nora Vakarian, Liv/Garrus, James/Liara, Liv+Liara, Livfam; action! Humor! Angst! Worldbuilding! OCs!; I am Super Normal about this fic too; I promise everything’s okay in the end, promise, even though it isn’t written yet; Nora is an N3 and has an inactive control chip in her head. She and her team are ordered to investigate a Cerberus facility. It goes, shall we say, awry; 40k)

anthem (Liv/Garrus, Hannah/Zaeed, Liv+Liara; eight months is a long time without each other; angst with a happy ending (I promise); post-Destroy; 13k)

holy ground & dress (Liv/Garrus; ficlets from the night he gets sworn in as Councilor)

brightly shone the moon at night (Liv, Liv+Liara, Liv/Garrus, Livfam; five Christmases in Olivia Shepard’s life; 5k)

the pieces of gold, they light up your eyes & now we’re alone, now we’re alive (Liv/Garrus; the evolution of a relationship)

fighting is said to have reached palaven (Liv/Garrus; please, please let him be alive)

and some things you just can’t speak about (Quentus+Nico; the war)

‘cause i know that it’s delicate (Liv/Garrus; pre-wedding!)

nosce te ipsum (Nico; he likes boys and fanfiction and he didn’t think he’d get his little italicized oh moment)

i will write you love letters if you tell me to (Liv/Garrus; Hannah gives him one of Liv’s notebooks before he goes off to Omega; Garrus does the only thing he can think of with it)

i really need you (Liv/Garrus; James POV during the reunion scene in Priority: Palaven)

you look really tired (Liv/Garrus, Liv+Liara; post-Thessia, Olivia’s not doing well)

hey, so, ground rules (Liv+Zaeed; it’s a lot weird now that he’s dating her mom)

and all the scars you bear are from a previous war (Liv+Quentus; Mom!Liv)

you can hear it in the silence (Liv/Garrus; just a moment, post-war)

this all started because of a bad day (Liv/Garrus; from first meetings to matching rings)

combat, i’m ready for combat & turn on your favorite nightlight (Hannah; she’s a civilian and her daughter isn’t, and she’s bound and determined to know what Liv goes through when her boots hit the ground; Hannah, Zaeed, Liv, and Garrus hit up Armax)

four quarians who never made it back to the fleet (and one who did) (kinda what it says on the tin, honestly. Oh, Tali’s in this!)

everyone’s lost, the battle is won (Evangeline; somewhat predictably, my experiment in getting as many of my team killed as possible resulted in Feelings About It)

across the sky (Susan/Liara; how to make the Control ending feel good)

and yours is in red underlined (Vanessa; The Illusive Man has pissed her off for the last time)

i’m headed straight for the castle (Vanessa; renegade control ending; kneel before your queen)

Mass Effect Andromeda:

for saviours (Tori; ten scenes from a pre-Andromeda life; 10k)

ringing joyful and triumphant (Tori/Liam/Jaal; just some morning fluff)

the thing with the baby angara (Tori/Liam/Jaal; thinking about the future)

the undone and the divine (Tori/Liam/Jaal; the lone single solitary explicit fic on here, give it props for that alone; Liam gets absolutely railed by his partners. That’s it. That’s the fic.)

you’re like the thing that makes the universe explode (Sara Ryder/Suvi, Drack; kid, the only people who don’t know that you like Suvi are people who haven’t met you and Suvi)

this one’s for the torn down, the experts at the fall (Tori+Garrus; one night in the intersection of Victoria Ryder and Archangel; maybe they’re better friends than they both thought)

The West Wing:

a great revelation sigh (CJ; she’s Chief of Staff; ten steps to the apocalypse; the apocalypse source probably didn’t age well, heads up)

it’s in my blood and i won’t give up ‘cause it’s running through my veins (Amy+Andi; it’s Election Day in the future and Amy has nothing to do)

Grey’s Anatomy:

dropsonde (the singers in a lower choir remix) (Addison/Alex, Derek/Meredith, Addison+Derek, Addison+Mark, Mark+Derek; the one that kicked off all the remixes; absolutely off the rails from canon somewhere in S3; budding romances and kidfic and my theory about people being storms and lighthouses; 40k)

scarlet city (Mark/Addison, Burke/Cristina; film noir gangster and detective AU; Addison’s the gangster, Burke’s the detective; literally everyone I could fit into this fic shows up; also Denny is comic relief; 18k)

Misc:

access records (Star Trek Voyager; Naomi Wildman’s holodeck access for the past week; worldbuilding!)

in this twilight our choices seal our fate (the song in the house of night remix) (SVU; Olivia/Elliot; rated M; on the rise and fall of partnership; probably a little too much religious imagery but what the hell else am I gonna do with a minor in religious studies?; 4k)

the end of days job (Leverage; Parker+Eliot+Hardison; the apocalypse job, basically; this one ages well!)

let the only sound be the overflow (D&D; Calia/Kelpie/Edal, aka ot3: fathoms below; the ocean is big and they are not)

we are golden stars above silver seas (we hear echoes from another galaxy) (Calvin & Hobbes; Calvin+Susie; throughout all those years, she never gave up on him; this one went viral on tumblr [LINK] and I cleaned it up for the AO3 version)

lift her, pull her, from the orchids (Grace and Frankie; Grace/Frankie; the one where I invoke the spelling bee)

rocket queens (Babylon 5/Pacific Rim; Susan Ivanova/Talia Winters; look, they’re jaeger pilots, I really don’t know what else to tell you)

the great gig in the sky (Battlestar Galactica; Six; rebirth is painful, she forgets this sometimes)

[aegor-bamfsteel]

Hello Bamfsteel. I have been following your blog for over a year now but I realize I haven't commented or reblogged much (I kinda avoid online interaction because I'm terrified of accidentally offending someone). But I cannot express how much I love your blog, and admire you for carrying on despite the hate you get from antis. I was already ambivalent about Daemon, but you got me rooting for him... and for Daena, Rohanne, and Aegor, the last of whom in particular is basically unanimously hated by the fandom (hell, one random tvtropes page even called him worse than Aerys the Mad King)!! So I'm grateful for your blog and hope you keep posting.

Anyway, as a fan of both the Blackfyres and Arthuriana, I'm currently planning to write an Arthurian retelling of Daemon I's life and was wondering about how he chose his sigil/heraldry. Twoiaf says that he simply reversed the Targaryen colors because that's what all bastards do. But I don't know if there are any other examples of this happening in canon.

On the contrary, I recall Jon saying to Arya in AGoT: "Girls get the arms but not the swords. Bastards get the swords but not the arms. I did not make the rules, little sister."

So now I wonder if the 'black dragon on a red field' was actually Daena's personal coat of arms, and Daemon simply chose it after Aegon's acknowledgement as a symbol of defiance and loyalty to his beloved mother. I love the notion that the chivalrous-to-the-last-breath Daemon Blackfyre didn't care all that much for his terrible and blatantly unchivalrous 'father' and instead everything he did, from winning the squires tourney to rebelling against Daeron, was his way of making his mother proud and atoning for all the humiliation she had to suffer due to his birth.

Sorry for the long ask. I am just excited to meet a fellow Blackfyre fan :)

Hello, thesupercat. Thank you for the long ask, and putting up with my slow responses over the past year. I have a little more free time/motivation to write recently, so I’m trying to answer more questions. I’m glad that my posts could bring your fandom experience some happiness. If you ever write the Arthuriana about Daemon I, don’t be afraid to send me a link.

TWOIAF and Dunk actually have different origins of the Black Dragon sigil; Dunk claims “the arms of House Targaryen had borne a three-headed dragon, red on black. Daemon the Pretender had reversed those colors on his own banners, as many bastards did.” (The Sworn Sword) but TWOIAF actually says “Reversing the colors of the traditional Targaryen arms to show a black dragon on a red field, the rebels declared for Princess Daena's bastard son Daemon Blackfyre, First of His Name, proclaiming him the eldest true son of King Aegon IV, and his half brother Darren the bastard.” (TWOIAF Darren II) What a lot of antis miss in their analysis of Daemon and Aegor is conflating their actions with that of what the Reds said their supporters did (if Daemon didn’t create the sigil, it could be evidence that the rebellion wasn’t premeditated, which I believe) I actually had an interesting debate about which version of the origin of the sigil was more logical with someone (I’d taken Dunk’s word to be true), but it’s actually more interesting if the rebels came up with it, because you’re right (no matter what the wiki has to say about it) the reversed sigil color scheme alone doesn’t actually indicate illegitimate origin: it requires that and a diagonal (usually red) slash, called in heraldry a “bend sinister” (which was used in real life illegitimate sigils, like the cadet branches of the House of Bourbon, Conti and Condé). There are multiple examples of illegitimate sons/their descendants using the reversed colors of their father’s house and the bend sinister: Walder Rivers and Walder of Woodmere (a silver castle on a blue field and a red bend sinister, for Frey), and the cadet branch houses Oldflowers (ten white hands on a green field and a red bend sinister, for Gardner), Vikary (quartered with a white lion on red crossed by a gold bend sinister, for Reyne), and Bolling (quartered with a gold stag on a black field and an orange bend sinister, for Durrandon). The other illegitimate children whose sigils are described are variations on a family sigil without the inverse colors (Aegor Rivers, Brynden Rivers) or something completely different (Benedict Justman, Blackshield). Far from being a simple sigil that marks being illegitimate Targaryen, the black-dragon-on-red-field is a symbol of anti-Targaryen defiance that rejects the “bend sinister” marker for a different lineage of dragon (a cat of a different coat, I guess), which makes a lot of sense if you consider the war was due to disgust at the current Targ regime. Daemon technically had the right to use the Targaryen sigil proper since he was legitimized (look at the Velaryon boys), but I’m certain Da3ron would’ve forbid him because that would be “putting him on princely level” never mind that he is a prince as Daena’s son and Yandel knows this; he might’ve actually used a different style of arms before the First Blackfyre that we don’t know of (same with Aegor, who got the black wings on his Pegasus sigil due to House Blackfyre; I headcanon him using a plain blue field during his youth, for the Riverlands), or even the sigil we know of with the bend sinister (which the rebels removed acclaiming Daemon their legitimate king waging war against an illegitimate usurper; also as a Targaryen bastard, Da3ron could’ve had the same sigil as Daemon which the rebels wouldn’t have wanted). But, you seem to be correct that whoever created the sigil put more thought into it than “reversed color scheme is what all illegitimate children do”.

There are two women described as having personal arms: Rhaenyra Targaryen and Barbrey Dustin, ruling ladies with important family connections. The Targaryen sigil is also often personalized to distinguish between brothers and cousins (Aerion, Prince Daeron, Valarr, Maekar all have variations on dragon position, color, borders, number), though usually not for the king or his heir except in civil war conflicts (both Rhaenyra and her brother Aegon II have variations on the Targaryen sigil. Which I guess makes sense why Daemon’s supporters wanted a separate Blackfyre sigil). Daena was also acclaimed queen by some, and according to a GRRM answer wanted to be queen, so it’s possible she had a variation on the Targaryen sigil as personal arms. It’s interesting that the most popular variation on using house sigils is when the person wants to honor their mother’s family: Harras Harlaw (Serrett peacock), Joffrey/Tommen/Myrcella (Lannister lion, which Jon thinks is overly proud), Cleos Frey (Lannister lion), Benfrey Frey (Rosby chevronnels), both Big and Little Walder (who quarter the Frey castles with sigils of their mother’s and grandmother’s families), and Harry Hardyng (quartering the diamonds of Hardyng with 2 Falcons for his Arryn grandmother and 1 broken wheel for his Waynwood mother) all incorporate their mother’s/grandmother’s family sigils to show their high lineage. Even Rhaenyra Targaryen quartered her two red dragons with the Arryn falcon for her mother and the silver seahorse for her first husband. It’s entirely possible Daena, famous for wearing black during her youth and twice uncrowned, incorporated a black dragon into her personal arms (though I like to think she also incorporated the Velaryon seahorse for her mother’s family, to better differentiate herself from the “usurper branch” of Viserys II), and Daemon accepted the nickname “the Black Dragon” partly to honor her (the connection between them wearing black was one of my earliest hc posts). That Daemon’s descent from Daena is emphasized in the same sentence as his supporters creating the black-dragon-on-red-field banner could be seen as connecting the reversal of “traditional Targ arms” to her, as being “Targaryen on both sides” was used at least in Rhaenyra’s case as a mark of better legitimacy. Tl;dr if you want to say that Daemon’s battle sigil is a black dragon to honor Daena, there’s enough symbolic connections considering other examples of personal/illegitimate arms to make that argument, especially for a fanfic.

I hope you have a good rest of your day. My askbox is always open if you have more questions, though response time may be slow.

[ghuleh-witch]

And We Are Tied As One Eternally-IV

Fandom: Ghost Rating: Explicit Warnings: (For Future Chapters) NSFW, 18+, unprotected sex, p in v sex, oral sex, mentions of past abuse and domestic violence, references to suicide Relationships: Papa Emeritus IV/Copia x OFC Additional Tags: soft!dom Copia, eventual smut, developing relationship, kind of a slow burn, no beta reader Chapter Word Count: 2112 Summary: Ellie Moran just wanted to make a new life for herself. Running to escape the people in her past, she ends up in a small town in the middle of nowhere that happens to be home to a Satanic church. She never expected her life to change again after she started attending the public masses at said church.

Ao3

Chapters: 4/?

Tag list: @sodoswitchimage

Chapter Four

Oh, my Elenor, look what you’ve become: A blasphemous heathen! Hanging around those devil worshippers? They’ll drag you to Hell!

Ellie could hear her mother’s voice in her ear as she looked over the schedule of activities and events Gemma sent her. Throughout the week the Ministry hosted everything from cooking classes to group therapy. Ellie was interested in going to one of the support groups; a group for people like her who came from religious backgrounds and were struggling with those former beliefs and indoctrinations. Since Ellie began studying Satanism and the Ministry’s beliefs, she’d been hearing her mother’s voice more and more. The woman whispered the same thing in Ellie’s ear every time. Melissa Moran loved to remind her that she was going to hell and wasn’t worthy of God’s glory and the eternity of Heaven. 

It’s been nearly ten years since Ellie last saw or spoke to her mother. As soon as Ellie could get away, she did. She could still remember the last words she said to the woman: God isn’t real and if He was, He’d be ashamed of you. 

But despite the certainty that God wasn’t real, Ellie still doubted herself every day. What if she died and found out she was wrong? What if she was going to spend an eternity in Hell suffering? Was she even loved by God?

Ellie found herself pulling up to the Ministry gates ten minutes before the support group started. She punched in the gate code that was given to her and parked in the lot. She made her way inside and down one of the corridors on the first floor that led to a small classroom. Inside were five Siblings who were mingling around a table with snacks and drinks. One of them looked up as Ellie came in.

“Oh, you’re Sister Gemma’s charge,” they said. “Welcome! Papa Secondo will be here soon and then we’ll get started.”

Ellie nodded. So she’d be meeting Secondo today? She hadn’t seen the former Papa since that very first time at mass. Gemma said no one was really sure what he was up to these days. 

“We ready to get started?”

Ellie looked up to see a bald man with sunglasses and a thin mustache walk into the room. He took off the sunglasses and folded them up into his breast pocket. He had the same white and green eyes as Copia. He scanned the room and nodded to each of the Siblings as they took a seat. Then his eyes landed on Ellie. He looked her up and down. “You’re a new face,” he said.

“Ellie,” Ellie introduced herself. “I-um-Sister Gemma said I was allowed to come to these.”

“Ah Sister Gemma,” Secondo smiled fondly. “You’re the new potential. She’s right, you are welcome here.”

Ellie smiled and relaxed back into her chair as the meeting began. 

She was glad she wasn’t the only one who felt the way she did. After hearing some of the Siblings talk about how they were raised and their fears and doubts, Ellie had enough courage to talk about her own upbringing. 

“We didn’t start going to church until after my dad was killed in Afghanistan,” Ellie said. “My mother thought it would help us heal. That church sucked her in and therefore me. When I left for college, my mother had my whole life planned out for me. She and that church were sending me to a Christian university where I could find a good God-fearing husband and have an education to fall back on in the event my husband was not around to provide for me and our children.” She let out a snort and looked around at the group. “I was 17. I didn’t want to get married or have kids. I just wanted to get a degree in something I was interested in and get a good job.”

“Christians love to have complete control over women,” Secondo said, looking over to her. “Their men think they hold all the power. They’re afraid of strong women and fear the power women hold. Without women, their way of life would never continue. There’s nothing I can say that will erase the pain and damage inflicted on you, Ellie, or any of you for that matter. But in time you will see just how strong and powerful you are. For what it’s worth, I believe you made the right steps in that direction just by coming here.” 

Ellie chewed on the inside of her cheek as she thought about what he said. 

“And we’ll end that there this week,” Secondo said. “Same time next week?”

“Sounds good,” one of the Siblings said as everyone began to rise.

“We’ll see you again?” Secondo asked Ellie as she stood.

Ellie nodded. “Yea…thanks.”

“No thanks necessary.” He replied before slipping his sunglasses back on and leaving the classroom. 

Ellie left the room a minute later, her mind on what everyone said during the meeting. She wasn’t paying attention as she turned the corner and ran right into…a tricycle. She didn’t have time to process what she was seeing as her shin collided with the front wheel and she went down to the floor. 

“Cazzo! I am so sorry!”

Ellie blinked and refocused. She saw Copia standing up straight from a red tricycle complete with a little brass bell. Copia was kneeling next to her as she sat up and winced. 

“Ellie I am so sorry,” Copia said again. “I should have looked before coming around the corner.”

“I’m okay,” Ellie reassured her wincing again. She pulled up the leg of her jeans and looked at her shin. It was already turning into a bruise and a small scrap was leaking blood. “Just a scratch. I’ll be fine.”

“Let me clean that up,” Copia said looking at her leg. “It’s the least I can do.” 

He stood, extending a hand to help her up. Ellie grabbed his leather-clad hand and pulled herself back to standing, the ache her in leg throbbing. “What were you doing riding a tricycle around anyway?” She asked, taking a step forward and wincing when she put pressure on her leg. 

“Oh, eh, it’s a thing I just enjoy,” Copia said, looking embarrassed as he picked the tricycle up in one hand and held out his other arm for her to take. Ellie took his arm and he slowly led her back down the corridor. “There’s a small infirmary just down here. We have a doctor and a nurse who live and work here in the Ministry.”

“It’s really not that bad,” Ellie insisted. “I don’t want to cause any hassle.”

“It’s not a hassle,” Copia responded looking at her. “You’re injured and should be attended to.”

Ellie didn’t argue as she limped down the hall with him. When they got to the infirmary, the door was closed and the lights were off inside. “Must be on their breaks,” Copia muttered looking at his watch. “I have some bandaids and some ointment in my rooms. I could clean your leg up there. If you are okay with that, that is.” 

“It’s fine,” Ellie said. “As long as I’m not interrupting anything. It’s just a scratch, Papa.” 

“Eh, I was just fucking around. I’m done with all my Papa duties for the day,” Copia said guiding them towards an exit. “And call me Copia. It’s just the two of us right now.” 

“Sure,” Ellie said as they walked outside and towards the house that stood behind the abbey. She looked over the house. It was a charming stone house with flowers surrounding the outside. “It’s a really nice house,” she said. “Was it part of the abbey when you all bought the place?” 

“Si, we think it was the priest’s home before. It was remodeled and all the Papas live here now. We all have our own rooms and bathrooms and we share a kitchen and living room.” Copia said pulling out a set of keys from his pocket and unlocking the door. 

“Are you sure this is okay?” Ellie asked. “I really don’t want to be a bother.” She knew Copia was just trying to help, but she had gotten so used to taking care of herself that the idea of someone else looking after her was foreign and slightly terrifying. She always felt like a burden. Her mother always made her feel like she was a hassle, and then there was her ex-

“Tesoro, you are not a bother,” Copia said turning to her and interrupting her train of thought. “Please let me do this for you. It’s my fault you got hurt.”

Ellie bit her lips and nodded. “Okay,” she said softly, giving in to his offer.

He smiled and led her inside. Ellie stepped into a small foyer where a coat rack stood filled with coats and hats. To her left was a living room with a leather sofa and a couple of armchairs. A large screen TV was mounted to the wall above a fireplace. The large bay window filled the room with natural light and made the dark wooden floors gleam. To her right was a kitchen with stainless steel appliances, granite counters, dark-colored cabinets, and a smooth tiled floor. Straight ahead was a staircase that led to the second floor. Passed the staircase were two doors at the end of a small hallway. 

“It’s not a lot, but it’s home,” Copia said as he watched her look around. 

“It’s lovely,” Ellie said. “Cozy.”

Copia smiled and led her up the stairs, taking each step slow as Ellie gingerly put weight on her hurt leg. The top of the stairs led them into a hallway with four doors—two on each side of the staircase. “My rooms over here,” Copia said, leading Ellie to the left and then to a door on the right side of the hall. He unlocked the door and pushed the door open.

Copia’s room was small but comfortable. He had a queen-sized bed covered in red linens and quilts. A loveseat sat at the end of the bed and faced an entertainment stand with a small tv and retro game systems. There were two doors along one of the walls that Ellie guessed were a closet and a bathroom. On the opposite side was a large window that overlooked the gardens and the forest that boarded the Ministry’s land. In the corner of the room was a large metal cage with—

“Rats!” Ellie exclaimed, limping her way over to the cage. “Oh my god, they’re so cute!” She looked over the four rats who scurried to the bars of the cage, curious about their new visitor. Ellie looked over her shoulder at Copia. “Do they have names?”

“O-oh? Si, yes,” Copia stammered as though stunned by her interest in the animals. “The white one in Alfredo. The black and white one is Pepper. The big gray one is Meatball, and the small gray one is Rigatoni.” 

“They’re so cute” Ellie giggled as she held a finger up to the bars for the rats to sniff. “Could I hold one?”

“How about after I patch you up?” Copia agreed, opening one of the two doors on the opposite wall. It led to a small white tiled bathroom. Ellie could hear him opening a cabinet and routing around before stepping back into the bathroom with a small first aid box. “Sit down on the bed for me, cara.”

Ellie nodded and stepped over to the bed, sitting on the plush linens and mattress. She watched Copia walk over to her and kneel before her. She watched as he gently took her leg and pushed up her jeans to reveal the red and purpling bruise and dried blood of the scraps. “It looks like it hurts,” he said. 

“A little,” Ellie confessed as Copia opened the first aid kit and took out a prepackaged wipe to clean the dried blood. “But it’s not so bad.”

He hummed in response as he gently cleaned the area. He reached for a small tube of antibiotic cream and dabbed a little on before opening a bandage. “It’ll be sore for a couple of days,” he said before applying the bandage. 

“I’ve had worse,” Ellie said, playing with the sleeve of her sweater, remembering the scars it hid from view. “Nothing a couple of ibuprofen can’t handle.”

He nodded and looked up at her, his hands lingering on her leg for a second before gently pulling the leg of her jeans back down. “All patched up. Now, you wanted to hold the babies?”

Ellie grinned and nodded.��

[lucabyte]

As a fellow aroace, I did think it was romantic, but also all my preexisting ideas of romance come from other ships and none of them are as interesting as this (aside from madoka/homura but all my favourite ships are some variation of that) anyway I'm eating your sifloop interpretation with ten spoons. Have you considered writing fanfic because if you did I would read it on loop

aroace people will look at a pair of characters who are this 🤏 close to mutually assured destruction and yet fundamentally cannot exist without each other and go : . yeah that's romance? right ? ?

(also god. i think i last watched madoka when i was what? 13? i need to rewatch that its been over 10 years my god. i never even got to any of the movies.)

also no i do not write fic !! not confident enough in my prose outside of dialogue if im honest. i play with prose in my little noncanon oc sandbox on toyhou.se where there's no pressure to be halfway decent. maybe i'll be strong enough someday, but also as ive said prior this is the first fandom in uh. over 5 years if not more. that i've really made actual fancontent for. and the first one ever where anyone's noticed me. so i've no experience in the medium. i will continue putting way too many speech bubbles in my comics though don't worry about that.

[tarysande]

Can I ask, how does one go about becoming an editor? Like, where do you apply for jobs?? What kinda training do you do?? Are there companies that hire out editors to writers? Im just so confused about it. Ive always been interested in editing, and am considering doing it as a job

Editing is a weird career.

Really, I started as a writer. Like, when I was eleven. In jr. high and high school, I was in a writing critique group and I wrote a lot. I graduated from university with a degree in theatre, film, and creative writing. I was often the person my friends came to when they needed help with a paper (or the correct placement of a semicolon). I've been involved in fandom since I was about 17, and I was very fortunate to fall in with a group of excellent writers who were also excellent betas and editors. I learned a TON from them without realizing how much I was learning.

I started editing by accident, really. Sometimes, that's how it happens. I mostly got gigs here and there through friends or word of mouth. About ten years ago, I got more serious about it. I worked for companies that paid horribly. Then I did an editing test for a company that paid less horribly, and they hired me. After a couple of years editing countless academic papers, ESL academic papers, novels, emails, business documents, etc., I decided to branch out on my own (mostly so I could work on more fiction; I was burned out on academic papers).

I joined Editors Canada, started volunteering with them, got a lot more experience, and took a few continuing ed courses to gauge where my skills were at and to determine if I needed to upgrade my education. I decided I didn't need to do that, because I already knew the things I was being taught.

I read a lot of books on editing, writing, and craft. I familiarized myself with the Chicago Manual of Style, APA, MLA, and a couple of other style guides. I learned the differences in spelling, punctuation, and style between US, UK, and Canadian English. I went to webinars, conferences, and courses (all the major editing associations offer these, usually cheaper or free for members; they are a great way to determine what kinds of editing you actually LIKE). I learned the difference between rules and preferences, and when to apply them to a text.

I work freelance, which means I have my own business as a sole proprietor. I'm a contractor with a couple of companies who sometimes send work my way, but most of my clients are individual writers planning to either self-publish or polish their work before seeking traditional publication via the agent/tradpub route.

Freelancing has many perks but is not particularly secure. Especially if you're American and need an employer to provide health insurance, or if you're single and don't have another income to lean on when contracts are scarce. These days, most of my work comes via referrals, my website, or the listing I have in the Editors Canada directory. I follow a couple of editing-related Facebook groups; I've learned a lot there, and I've also picked up the occasional client. A couple of people have found me through LinkedIn. A couple of people have found me through here!

I've never worked in-house for a publisher--mostly because having control over how many hours I work and when I work them is my top priority. In-house is a whole different ballgame; I know a bit about it from my peers, but I don't have firsthand experience to pass on. These jobs are supposedly more secure--and they tend to be salaried, with benefits, etc.

"Editing" is a GIANT umbrella term. There are SO many types of editing out there. People tend to think of book publishing first, but that's only one avenue. There are also different kinds of editors who tackle different types of problems. I've done enough of everything to recognize that I am much happier when I'm working on big picture stuff--coaching, developmental editing, manuscript critique. Others specialize in the nitty gritty mechanical details that make proofreading or copy editing a better fit.

Right now, the bulk of my work life is actually spent ghostwriting. The client's business-materials editor posted that his client was looking for someone to help with characterization in a novel. I ended up winning that contract. He came to me with one monster book. I helped him realize it needed to be at least a trilogy, and now he has plans for a ten-book series--and I'm helping write it. But I got the job because of the work I've done on the development side of editing--and because I've spent SO MUCH TIME learning about characterization (via acting, fandom/writing fanfic, reading, etc.). So. It all feeds into the same place.

The tl;dr is that my experience has been a bizarre mix of being in the right place at the right time, ongoing professional development, and learning the value of volunteering with an association. If I were starting down this career path right now, I'd probably do an editing certificate (there are many out there, depending on country). I'd definitely join an association sooner (even as a student member) and volunteer.

Actually, the ultimate tl;dr is ... this industry IS CONFUSING. So, don't feel bad about being confused. It's actually probably about eight different kinds of job wearing a trench-coat and pretending it's something called "Editing."

[magpiefngrl]

smutty dialogue game

Thank you for tagging me @tenthousandyearsx! You know, in all my years in fandom, I've never seen a "share smutty dialogue" game. I gotta admit this is very much my thing, and I'm grateful to you for coming up with it!

Rules: pick any ten fics, select some smut or pre-smut dialogue, and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, feel free to share anyway!

I didn't do ten fics. Turns out it was pretty hard for me because I tend to break up dialogue with narration, which is why the passages are all a few paragraphs long. (The first one is quite long, but it's one of my fave dialogues that I've written so indulge me).

I am sharing 7 fics: 4 drarry and 3 of other ships.

i. Hush Darling (drarry) Incubus!Draco

‘You were always reckless, Harry. Everyone else would run in the opposite direction, but no, not you. You are here, placing your faith in me, knowing full well how badly I can hurt you.’

‘But you won’t.’

Draco ignores him. His hair falls on his face, his voice husky. ‘It’ll feel good, I promise. I can give you the orgasm of a lifetime.’ He accompanies his words with a sinuous roll of his hips, setting Harry’s nerves alight. ‘I can make you writhe, and whimper, and come five times in a row while I suck the life out of you. Is that what you want, sweetheart?’

‘Is that supposed to scare me?’

Draco’s hands tighten on Harry’s wrists. ‘Don’t challenge me.’

Harry’s temper flares. ‘Then stop pushing me away. You’ve been holding back in bed ever since the first time. I could tell. You’ve been actively trying not to cause me any harm.’ Draco glares at him, and Harry glares back. ‘All I see is your fear talking.’

‘You see nothing. I take, Harry. That’s what I am. I take and take, and sometimes — sometimes it’s hard for me to stop. And you make it harder. You make me want to ravage you. I want to put my mouth on you and suck your bones dry. I want to use you up.’ Draco’s gaze is feral, his mouth a snarl. ‘All my instincts scream to take from you.’

Taking advantage of Draco’s distraction, Harry rolls them on bed and pushes Draco on the sheets. He pins him down and leans over his startled face. ‘Well, I have a lot to give.’

ii. say the word (hualian)

‘San Lang, you know how—’ Gege trails off.

‘How?’ he prods.

‘How I feel.’ A deep blush spreads on his god’s face. Hua Cheng wants to drown in it.

‘I want you to tell me exactly how you feel. Exactly what you like.’

Dianxia swallows, but he complies valiantly. ‘You know how much I want you. How much I want your—’ he swallows ‘—your cock.’

‘Do you want to sit on me?’ Hua Cheng asks.

iii. 9 ½ Days (drarry)

‘Harry…’ Harry’s hands hadn’t stopped stroking his hair, and Draco grinned, his face lit with jubilation. ‘Are you telling me you like my hair this way? Longer?’

Longer. Mussed up. Falling sweaty on your cheekbones after sex. ‘It’s all right.’ Harry shrugged.

‘Just all right?!’ Draco let out a peal of laughter. Harry marvelled at how he could tuck away his pain like that, shove it somewhere out of sight. At dinner he’d been quiet and introspective, picking at his food. Now, propped next to Harry on his elbow, he preened, his expression elated. He leaned over Harry, his breath on Harry’s mouth. ‘I think you like my hair.’ A brush of lips. ‘No, you love it.’ Another brush, lingering. His hand sought Harry’s erection, and he pressed his knuckles against it, while he nosed down Harry’s jaw, his mouth seeking the tender spot under the ear. ‘And you won’t admit it.’

The luxurious massage Draco’s hand was giving Harry’s hard-on didn’t leave much room for coherent thought. Harry’s breath came laboured. ‘Fine, I admit it. I like your hair.’

iv. 'But if he wins?' (berencel)

‘I should be angry with you for keeping this,’—Ancel rubbed himself harder against Berenger’s cock— ‘away from me for so long. The best thing in your possession, and you didn’t think to gift it to me.’

Berenger huffed a laugh. He was pulling them towards the bed behind them. ‘I thought you preferred emeralds.’

‘I prefer both,’ Ancel said, falling on the bed. He quickly divested himself of his silks. ‘Don’t take this as an excuse not to give me more emeralds in the future.’

v. Sometimes a man needs (drarry)

‘You don’t date?’ Draco shifted towards him.

The atmosphere in the room changed from lazy and mellow to something with sharp edges; something rising to a crest. ‘Not recently. Relationships can be a hassle. Sometimes,’ Harry said, mouth dry, ‘sometimes a man needs a shag, nothing more, just to get it out of his system.’

Malfoy’s eyes had gone dark. ‘Sometimes a man needs just that.’

vi. Jaskier's surprise (geraskier)

‘’S fine,’ Geralt murmured between kisses. ‘We don’t have…’ he kissed Jaskier’s clavicle, ‘… to do that thing.’ He laved Jaskier’s nipple, teeth gently scraping the nub. ‘We can do… other things.’

Oh no, sir. Jaskier had bought oil specifically for this purpose. He pulled back a little and pouted. ‘But I want… that thing.’

‘Jaskier…’ Geralt growled.

Jaskier assumed his most stern expression; as stern as it could be when he had his legs still wrapped around Geralt’s hips, a cock that was leaking profusely, and flushed skin from head to toe. ‘Geralt, if you don’t take me the way I want you to, I’ll—I’ll sing to you.

vii. The Boy Who Died (drarry) Reincarnation AU

‘You’re thirty-four, but I’m now in the body of a twenty-seven-year-old. I’m much younger than you.’ He winked at Draco. ‘Better stamina.’

Draco gave him a dangerous smirk. ‘Is that a challenge?’

‘What if it is?’

Draco climbed on the bed and crawled towards Harry like a sexy blond panther. ‘You’ll live to regret those words, Potter.’

Harry rolled his eyes. ‘You’re all talk, Malfoy.’

Draco hovered over him. ‘You cheeky little thing. I’ll delight in fucking you raw.’

Tagging everyone who wants to do it! You, reading this right now, go ahead and do it if you want and tag me so I can see :)

[demadogs]

Hey! Can you rec your favourite snowbaz fics? I keep seeing some posts in between that mention them and i am curious of the names. (Also I know a lot of people in fandom who refused to read the other two books but pls give them a shot. Awtwb is my fav, even more than CO!!)

PS. Shoutout to you and @kidovna for being the only active snowbaz and byler fans i know of! I feel represented!

HELL YEAH I CAN!!!!!!! ive had people ask me for byler fic recs and i couldnt even give them an answer bc literally the only fanfiction i ever read is snowbaz. ive read maybe 4 byler fics total but i read snowbaz fics multiple times a week which is honestly crazy considering i first read the book like 7 years ago and im still wanting more content every day.

most of these arent that long bc i personally like to read something i can read in one sitting or at most 2-3 days. but if you do want a wholeass novel boy do i have an author for you (philaetos).

the wheel by sleepdeprivedphilosopher

this is one of my favorite fics ever and its also by one of my favorite authors. its an au but theres still magic. simon and baz are in this never ending cycle of constantly being reincarnated in a new life together. theyre always rivals and simon always ends up killing baz but every life the situation for why theyre rivals is different. (this isnt a spoiler you find out pretty soon) the reason for this is that the first time simon killed baz he begged fate, who is like an actual personified thing you can talk to, to give him another chance so she “spun the wheel” and allowed him to be able to have another chance every time he messes up and kills him. so theyve been reincarnated for like centuries. its so good that i wish it was a whole book with completely new characters. i hope this author some day actually write a novel like this i love the plot so fucking much. it kinda reminds me of the show dark which is my favorite show of all time.

do as your told by IL46

also one of my favorite authors. they havent posted that much but everything they have i LOVE!!!!!!!! this one is my favorite tho. simon accidentally curses baz with a compulsion spell that forces him to do whatever anyone tells him to do and they work together with penny to try and create a counter spell for this ancient illegal spell that has no current counter. bazs life is pretty much ruined and hes really going through it but simon helps him. lots of hurt/comfort. i really loved this one.

love alarm by nevergonnacallmedarling

my favorite kinds of snowbaz fics are ones with a spell gone wrong and this is one of those. someone casts a spell that makes everyone whos within ten feet of someone theyre in love with have an alarm go off in their heart announcing their love. so baz is fucked and hes avoiding simon at all costs its really fun (not for him).

kiss it better by krisrix

this one SLAPS simon gets slashed by a goblin in the leg and the only way baz could help is with the kiss it better spell but hes so scared to do it bc he has to kiss the wound and ya know vampire and all that. i love this one.

a room just for two by krisrix

another banger by this author. its just late night conversations between the two of them and they slowly become more and more friendly and open up to each other more and more.

dream with eyes open by krisrix

i love this author ok. this ones about simon invading baz’s dreams over the summer break with “psychological warfare”.

sweet dreams by annabellelux

simon has nightmares so baz casts sweet dreams on him every night but that just leads to simon having romantic dreams about baz.

dont hate the player hate the game by annabellelux

i fucking love truth or dare fics

and these are some much longer ones if thats more what youre looking for. i actually am all here for the slowburn and thats it so ngl to you i ditched both of philaetos’ fics after they kissed even tho theres was so much left but i still recommend it because the slow burn slaps.

wondrous and mystical by philaetos

i fucking LOVE philaetos theyre fantastic. this one takes place right after baz gets back from being kidnapped and it really explores his trauma bc the book really brushed over the fact that he was literally locked in a coffin for over a month. so this is simon and baz slowly becoming friends and simon noticing that somethings definitely wrong with baz. i also like fics where simon finds out baz is gay well before they get together and that happens in this one.

ours by phileatos

this one everythings the same but baz has extremely bad internalized homophobia. i havent seen any other fics that arent aus explore this concept and i wish more people wrote it its an interesting take. baz honestly reminds me of mike in this fic.

the truth will set you free by sorbriqette

another classic fucked up spell trope. baz is spelled to tell the truth if hes hiding something he wants to tell someone so naturally he avoids everyone at all costs for weeks

i could recommend so much more honestly there are so many talented writers in this fandom. about the second and third books, im glad you loved them but i honestly will probably never read them for the same reason as me not finishing philaetos’ fics. im here for the slow burn i really dont care about established relationship that much when it comes to enemies to lovers (friends to lovers i eat it up but enemies i just love the angst). and i know they break up in the second book and i just KNOW id put the book down the second they do and never pick it up again even tho i know they get back together eventually. i just think carry on was perfect and i dont want anything to risk ruining it.

[crossroads-consoul]

i absolutely adore you, your fanfics, and your artwork!! like genuinely you're my favorite creator for supernatural <3

your fanfic, just go with it, has a special place in my heart. when i tell you i reread that constantly, like ive definitely read it over ten times lol. it's just so good and it always brightens my mood. it's easily my biggest comfort fic!

i also read the first installment of chromaticity a while back and i think about it a lot. like the way you write, it's just so lovely, you have this way of making everything sound so vivid and intriguing and i was always on the edge of me seat, waiting for what was gonna happen. i couldn't get enough of it. also the way you characterize sam and gabriel, SWOON. i swear to god you're like magical because it's so genuine and beautiful and i just don't even know how to describe it really. i'm definitely super duper excited to start on the next installment!!

thank you for all the things you create. you feed my sabriel heart in the best way possible. i just hope you know that you truly are so wonderful!! <3

My sabriel heart has been validated by your lovely words! I haven't been writing as much in the last year as I would like, so seeing that you enjoy my older works (because they are like 4-5 years old now holY FUCK) along with my art brings me so much joy. I can only hope my spn content continues to bring you and everyone else that stumbles across the little corner of the spn fandom I inhabit happiness!

[girlwiththegreenhat]

there’s a reading of cancelled TFA season four premiere ‘trial of megatron’ at TFnation this year with the original ten year old script:

but it wont be recorded or otherwise made available for people who can’t be there:

[istumpysk]

Operation Stumpy Re-Read

AFFC: Samwell I (Chapter 5)

It's not my fault it's long!

Sam was reading about the Others when he saw the mouse.

Credit to @decadelongsummer for spotting mice encounters in back-to-back chapters.

+.+.+

His eyes were red and raw. I ought not rub them so much, he always told himself as he rubbed them. 

Samwell reads books, while the red witch incorrectly reads flames.

After gazing into the flames so long, it took her a few moments to adjust to the dimness. Her eyes were dry and tired, but if she rubbed them, it would only make them worse. - Melisandre I, ADWD

+.+.+

One more book, he had told himself, then I'll stop. One more folio, just one more. One more page, then I'll go up and rest and get a bite to eat. But there was always another page after that one, and another after that, and another book waiting underneath the pile. I'll just take a quick peek to see what this one is about, he'd think, and before he knew he would be halfway through it. 

:)

One more arrow, and I'll rest, he told himself, half a hundred times. Just one more. Whenever his quiver was empty, one of the orphaned moles would bring him another. One more quiver, and I'm done. It couldn't be long until the dawn. - Jon VIII, ASOS

+.+.+

With a stack of books and scrolls under his left arm and the candle in his right hand, Sam made his way through the tunnels the brothers called the wormways. A pale shaft of light illuminated the steep stone steps that led up to the surface, so he knew that day had come up top. 

There's no way these tunnels don't become important in the future.

+.+.+

There were dragons here two hundred years ago, Sam found himself thinking, as he watched the cage making a slow descent. They would just have flown to the top of the Wall. Queen Alysanne had visited Castle Black on her dragon, and Jaehaerys, her king, had come after her on his own.

Could that dragon pass the Wall? I forget.

+.+.+

Could Silverwing have left an egg behind? Or had Stannis found one egg on Dragonstone? Even if he has an egg, how can he hope to quicken it? Baelor the Blessed had prayed over his eggs, and other Targaryens had sought to hatch theirs with sorcery. All they got for it was farce and tragedy.

House Targaryen almost being eradicated is not a tragedy.

Or had Stannis found one egg on Dragonstone? Even if he has an egg, how can he hope to quicken it?

Pain. I'm in pain.

A huge chunk of this fandom actually believing there's a dragon egg in the north will never not be funny. Baited.

+.+.+

"Where's your longbow, Sam?" asked Grenn. 

[...]

Almost the first thing Jon Snow had done as Lord Commander was institute daily archery drill for the entire garrison, even stewards and cooks. The Watch had been placing too much emphasis on the sword and too little on the bow, he had said, a relic of the days when one brother in every ten had been a knight, instead of one in every hundred. Sam saw the sense in the decree, but he hated longbow practice almost as much as he hated climbing steps. When he wore his gloves he could never hit anything, but when he took them off he got blisters on his fingers. Those bows were dangerous. Satin had torn off half his thumbnail on a bowstring.

How odd, it seems everyone is practicing archery these days.

We will fill the air with arrows if they come within a league of Yunkai. Do you think it is so hard to kill a dragon? - Daenerys IV, ASOS

+.+.+

Sam had only spoken to Val twice, when Maester Aemon called upon her to make sure the babes were healthy. The princess was so pretty that he oft found himself stammering and blushing in her presence.

I desperately need Samwell and Sansa to meet.

+.+.+

King Stannis had plans for Val, he knew; she was the mortar with which he meant to seal the peace between the northmen and the free folk. 

Oh, so she's kinda like the key to the north? Neat.

Remind me again why the wildlings or anyone in the north gives a shit about Val? Christ, this is so forced.

Stannis gave him a measuring look. "Does this mean you will not wed the girl? I warn you, she is part of the price you must pay, if you want your father's name and your father's castle. This match is necessary, to help assure the loyalty of our new subjects. Are you refusing me, Jon Snow?" - Jon XI, ASOS

You ever notice this wasn't about the wildlings? You ever notice this was actually about Sansa? You ever notice a lot of men in this story need to marry a Stark daughter to ensure the loyalty of their subjects? You ever notice Jon isn't Ned's son?

+.+.+

A small army was crawling over the ice a quarter of the way up, where a new switchback stair was creeping upward to meet the remnants of the old one. The sounds of their saws and hammers echoed off the ice. Jon had the builders working night and day on the task. Sam had heard some of them complaining about it over supper, insisting that Lord Mormont never worked them half so hard. 

x

"He's Lord Snow for true now, too bloody highborn for the likes of us."

"Jon has duties," Sam said in his defense. "The Wall is his, and all that goes with it."

"A man has duties to his friends as well. If not for us, Janos Slynt might be our lord commander. Lord Janos would have sent Snow ranging naked on a mule. 'Scamper on up to Craster's Keep,' he would have said, 'and fetch me back the Old Bear's cloak and boots.' We saved him from that, but now he has too many duties to drink a cup of mulled wine by the fire?"

Grenn agreed. "His duties don't keep him from the yard. More days than not, he's out there fighting someone."

That was true, Sam had to admit. 

And it begins.

+.+.+

Once, when Jon came to consult with Maester Aemon, Sam had asked him why he spent so much time at swordplay. "The Old Bear never trained much when he was Lord Commander," he had pointed out. In answer, Jon had pressed Longclaw into Sam's hand. He let him feel the lightness, the balance, had him turn the blade so that ripples gleamed in the smoke-dark metal. "Valyrian steel," he said, "spell-forged and razor-sharp, nigh on indestructible. A swordsman should be as good as his sword, Sam. Longclaw is Valyrian steel, but I'm not. 

<- Brienne I, AFFC

"A sword is only as good as the man who wields it."

+.+.+

Longclaw is Valyrian steel, but I'm not. 

Heh, you can say that again.

+.+.+

Gilly was leaving as Sam arrived, wrapped up in the old cloak he'd given her when they were fleeing Craster's Keep. She almost rushed right past him, but Sam caught her arm, spilling two books as he did. "Gilly."

[...]

He had to get down on his knees to gather up the books he'd dropped. I should not have brought so many, he told himself as he brushed the dirt off Colloquo Votar's Jade Compendium, a thick volume of tales and legends from the east that Maester Aemon had commanded him to find. The book appeared undamaged. Maester Thomax's Dragonkin, Being a History of House Targaryen from Exile to Apotheosis, with a Consideration of the Life and Death of Dragons had not been so fortunate. It had come open as it fell, and a few pages had gotten muddy, including one with a rather nice picture of Balerion the Black Dread done in colored inks. Sam cursed himself for a clumsy oaf as he smoothed the pages down and brushed them off. 

I hope it's not too badly damaged.

Again, what do we think Jaqen is trying to find in the Citadel?

And of course there was even less chance of his coming on the fragmentary, anonymous, blood-soaked tome sometimes called Blood and Fire and sometimes The Death of Dragons, the only surviving copy of which was supposedly hidden away in a locked vault beneath the Citadel. - Tyrion IV, ADWD

+.+.+

"Which one was it that I heard crying last night? I thought he'd never stop."

"Dalla's boy. He cries when he wants the teat. Mine . . . mine hardly ever cries. Sometimes he gurgles, but . . ." Her eyes filled with tears.

Thanks for that random piece of information, author.

+.+.+

Jon's solar was back beyond the racks of spears and shields. He was reading a parchment when Sam entered. Lord Commander Mormont's raven was on his shoulder, peering down as if it were reading too, but when the bird spied Sam it spread its wings and flapped toward him crying, "Corn, corn!"

Look, Bran's still training to be a lord.

+.+.+

Faint scars still marked Jon's cheek, where an eagle had once tried to rip his eye out. 

George, I assure you, nobody in the jonsa fandom forgot.

+.+.+

He handed him the parchment.

"What is it?" asked Sam. The raven began to hunt out corn kernels amongst the rushes.

"A paper shield."

Why don't you ask your father how valuable those are.

+.+.+

"A letter to King Tommen?"

"At Winterfell Tommen fought my brother Bran with wooden swords. He wore so much padding he looked like a stuffed goose. Bran knocked him to the ground." Jon went to the window. "Yet Bran's dead, and pudgy pink-faced Tommen is sitting on the Iron Throne, with a crown nestled amongst his golden curls."

We've already discussed it, but I'll say it again: this story gets repeated too many times in this series.

My only guess is that Tommen is also going to visit the Tumbledown Tower, and not be so lucky.

+.+.+

Bran's not dead, Sam wanted to say. He's gone beyond the Wall with Coldhands. The words caught in his throat. I swore I would not tell. 

yeah, yeah.

+.+.+

"Well," said Sam, "he will not want it said that Stannis rode to the defense of the realm whilst King Tommen was playing with his toys. That would bring scorn down upon House Lannister."

"It's death and destruction I want to bring down upon House Lannister, not scorn." 

Orgasm.

+.+.+

"I gave Stannis food, shelter, and the Nightfort, plus leave to settle some free folk in the Gift. That's all."

Jon giving Stannis permission to settle some wildlings on his Gift.

+.+.+

"The Blackwater was one battle. Robb won all his battles and still lost his head. If Stannis can raise the north . . ."

Yikes, does he know what happened to Robb?

Jon cheerleading Stannis is how you know he'll fail miserably.

+.+.+

He's trying to convince himself, Sam realized, but he can't. The ravens had gone forth from Castle Black in a storm of black wings, summoning the lords of the north to declare for Stannis Baratheon and join their strength to his. Sam had sent out most of them himself. Thusfar only one bird had returned, the one they'd sent to Karhold. Elsewise the silence had been thunderous.

Remind me again why anyone in the north would give a shit about Stannis?

+.+.+

Val was the sister of the woman the King-beyond-the-Wall had taken for his queen. The wildling princess was what Stannis and his men were calling her.

I hear those wildlings are big on hereditary monarchies.

+.+.+

Jon paused, frowning. "I would sooner take off Mance's head myself. He was a man of the Night's Watch, once. By rights, his life belongs to us."

More evidence Jon was never going to hang Janos Slynt. This fandom is full of it.

+.+.+

"Pyp says that Lady Melisandre means to give him to the flames, to work some sorcery."

"Pyp should learn to hold his tongue. I have heard the same from others. King's blood, to wake a dragon. Where Melisandre thinks to find a sleeping dragon, no one is quite sure. 

I'm praying it's not you.

Someone on Reddit mentioned the possibility of 'kill the boy and let the man be born' becoming literal, and my heart stoppped.

+.+.+

Mance's blood is no more royal than mine own. He has never worn a crown nor sat a throne. He's a brigand, nothing more. There's no power in brigand's blood."

+.+.+

The raven looked up from the floor. "Blood," it screamed.

Shhh.

+.+.+

He shifted in his seat. "My lord, when I was looking through the annals I came on another boy commander. Four hundred years before the Conquest. Osric Stark was ten when he was chosen, but he served for sixty years. That's four, my lord. You're not even close to being the youngest ever chosen. You're fifth youngest, so far."

Wow, interesting. The 5 year gap is dropped, and now I'm learning all about 10-year-old Starks being elected to lead. Fascinating.

And let me guess, Alayne now has the body of a fully developed woman and the maturity level of a young adult?

+.+.+

The oldest histories we have were written after the Andals came to Westeros. The First Men only left us runes on rocks, so everything we think we know about the Age of Heroes and the Dawn Age and the Long Night comes from accounts set down by septons thousands of years later. There are archmaesters at the Citadel who question all of it. 

Runessssss!

Did you catch that? Everything we're about to learn is questionable.

+.+.+

we say that you're the nine hundred and ninety-eighth Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, but the oldest list I've found shows six hundred seventy-four commanders, which suggests that it was written during . . ."

"Long ago," Jon broke in. "What about the Others?"

Am I stupid, what was he about to say?

+.+.+

"I found mention of dragonglass. The children of the forest used to give the Night's Watch a hundred obsidian daggers every year, during the Age of Heroes.

A hundred?

Will that be enough for all those Dothraki?

+.+.+

"The armor of the Others is proof against most ordinary blades, if the tales can be believed," said Sam, "and their own swords are so cold they shatter steel. Fire will dismay them, though, and they are vulnerable to obsidian." He remembered the one he had faced in the haunted forest, and how it had seemed to melt away when he stabbed it with the dragonglass dagger Jon had made for him. "I found one account of the Long Night that spoke of the last hero slaying Others with a blade of dragonsteel. Supposedly they could not stand against it."

"Dragonsteel?" Jon frowned. "Valyrian steel?"

"That was my first thought as well."

This doesn't make sense.

Valyrian steel is a type of steel from Valyria, yes? Valyria was founded five thousand years ago, and was destroyed one hundred years before conquest.

The Long Night happened eight thousand years before conquest.

Dragonsteel can't be Valyrian steel. It's impossible. I don't think that's a mistake George would make. He knows the Long Night predates Valyria.

They're wrong. Either dragonsteel is another type of material / object, or there was never a blade that ended the Long Night.

Also, it's not helping we're hearing about this in the middle of back-to-back chapters that strongly emphasize the wielder being more important than the sword.

+.+.+

"So if I can just convince the lords of the Seven Kingdoms to give us their Valyrian blades, all is saved? That won't be hard." His laugh had no mirth in it.

Is that why Samwell steals Heartsbane?

+.+.+

"Did you find who the Others are, where they come from, what they want?"

"Not yet, my lord, but it may be that I've just been reading the wrong books. 

We're now treating the Others like they have consciousness.

+.+.+

"There is no more time." Jon sounded sad. "You need to get your things together, Sam. You're going with Gilly."

"Going?" For a moment Sam did not understand. "I'm going? To Eastwatch, my lord? Or . . . where am I . . ."

"Oldtown."

"Oldtown?" It came out in a squeak. Horn Hill was close to Oldtown. Home. The notion made him light-headed. My father.

We open the book in Oldtown, then a Greyjoy tells us how much he hates maesters, then a Sand Snake tells us how much she'd like to burn Oldtown down, and now Samwell's visiting Oldtown.

I'm starting to think that's an important place!

+.+.+

"His life will be at risk. I am aware of that, Sam, but the risk is greater here. Stannis knows who Aemon is. If the red woman requires king's blood for her spells . . ."

I appreciate characters trying to protect Edric Storm, Aemon Targaryen, and Mance's baby, but for the love of god, can one of them please remember Shireen exists?

If you think the man is easily capable of burning his child nephew or a baby, maybe we should be a little concerned for the daughter? It doesn't feel like that big of a leap to me.

+.+.+

"Dareon will join you at Eastwatch. My hope is that his songs will win some men for us in the south. The Blackbird will deliver you to Braavos. From there you'll arrange your own passage to Oldtown.

First you give her needle, and now you're sending her Dareon. Complicit.

Why are they going to Braavos? Why are they switching ships? I see right through you, author.

+.+.+

If you still mean to claim Gilly's babe as your bastard, send her and the child on to Horn Hill. Elsewise, Aemon will find a servant's place for her at the Citadel."

Samwell 'The Quiet Wolf' Tarly.

Anyway, you know what I forgot? Sam left Gilly and the baby on the Cinnamon Wind, and now Marwyn's taking it to Meereen. If she didn't hop off that thing, I'm going to die.

+.+.+

Gilly would be with him, though, and the babe would grow up safe. "Yes, I . . . my mother and my sisters will help Gilly with the child." I can send a letter, I won't need to go to Horn Hill myself. 

Don't take too long, Dragonstone is calling.

+.+.+

I'm . . . I've been working at my archery every afternoon with Ulmer, as you commanded . . . well, except when I'm in the vaults, but you told me to find out about the Others. The longbow makes my shoulders ache and raises blisters on my fingers." He showed Jon where one had burst. "I still do it, though. I can hit the target more often than not now, but I'm still the worst archer who ever bent a bow.

Find me another character who practices shooting arrows more than Samwell Tarly.

+.+.+

I like Ulmer's stories, though. Someone needs to write them down and put them in a book.

+.+.+

"You do it. They have parchment and ink at the Citadel, as well as longbows. I will expect you to continue with your practice. 

. . .what kind of longbows do they have at the Citadel?

+.+.+

Sam, the Night's Watch has hundreds of men who can loose an arrow, but only a handful who can read or write. I need you to become my new maester."

The word made him flinch. No, Father, please, I won't speak of it again, I swear it by the Seven. Let me out, please let me out. "My lord, I . . . my work is here, the books . . ."

". . . will be here when you return to us."

Sam put a hand to his throat. He could almost feel the chain there, choking him. "My lord, the Citadel . . . they make you cut up corpses there." They make you wear a chain about your neck. If it is chains you want, come with me. For three days and three nights Sam had sobbed himself to sleep, manacled hand and foot to a wall. The chain around his throat was so tight it broke the skin, and whenever he rolled the wrong way in his sleep it would cut off his breath. "I cannot wear a chain."

[...]

He doesn't understand. "My lord," Sam said, "my f-f-f-father, Lord Randyll, he, he, he, he, he . . . the life of a maester is a life of servitude." He was babbling, he knew. "No son of House Tarly will ever wear a chain. The men of Horn Hill do not bow and scrape to petty lords." If it is chains you want, come with me. "Jon, I cannot disobey my father."

I checked the clock, and it turns out it's time for another reminder that Randyll Tarly is The Worst Human Ever. Where oh where are we going with this?

Ha, just kidding, we already know.

+.+.+

Jon, he'd said, but Jon was gone. It was Lord Snow who faced him now, grey eyes as hard as ice. "You have no father," said Lord Snow. 

Uh oh, it's déjà vu!

Only Robb and baby Rickon were still here, and Robb was changed. He was Robb the Lord now, or trying to be. He wore a real sword and never smiled. His days were spent drilling the guard and practicing his swordplay, making the yard ring with the sound of steel as Bran watched forlornly from his window. At night he closeted himself with Maester Luwin, talking or going over account books. Sometimes he would ride out with Hallis Mollen and be gone for days at a time, visiting distant holdfasts. Whenever he was away more than a day, Rickon would cry and ask Bran if Robb was ever coming back. Even when he was home at Winterfell, Robb the Lord seemed to have more time for Hallis Mollen and Theon Greyjoy than he ever did for his brothers. - Bran IV, AGOT

Someone needs to soften Jon. Someone needs to perfectly complement his weaknesses. Someone needs to Catelyn his Ned.

+.+.+

"My own father raised the same objections when I chose a life of service," the old man said. "It was his father who sent me to the Citadel. King Daeron had sired four sons, and three had sons of their own. Too many dragons are as dangerous as too few, I heard His Grace tell my lord father, the day they sent me off." Aemon raised a spotted hand to the chain of many metals that dangled loose about his thin neck.

Explain to me the danger of too few dragons, because I'm not seeing it.

I can see how too many is going to be a problem though.

+.+.+

There was no help here, he saw. Maester Aemon was as trapped as he was. He will die at sea, he thought, despairing. He is too old to survive such a voyage. Gilly's little son may die as well, he's not as large and strong as Dalla's boy. Does Jon mean to kill us all?

It won't be Daenerys, but at least Jon gets to kill one Targaryen.

+.+.+

Gilly and her child would ride with him. The second wayn would carry their clothing and possessions, along with a chest of rare old books that Aemon thought the Citadel might lack. Sam had spent half the night searching for them, though he'd found only one in four.

Thanks for that random piece of information, author.

What books?

+.+.+

"Lord Snow," Maester Aemon called, "I left a book for you in my chambers. The Jade Compendium. It was written by the Volantene adventurer Colloquo Votar, who traveled to the east and visited all the lands of the Jade Sea. There is a passage you may find of interest. I've told Clydas to mark it for you."

[...]

"Knowledge is a weapon, Jon. Arm yourself well before you ride forth to battle."

Aemon is trying to signal to Jon that Stannis is not Azor Ahai.

"I looked at that book Maester Aemon left me. The Jade Compendium. The pages that told of Azor Ahai. Lightbringer was his sword. Tempered with his wife's blood if Votar can be believed. Thereafter Lightbringer was never cold to the touch, but warm as Nissa Nissa had been warm. In battle the blade burned fiery hot. Once Azor Ahai fought a monster. When he thrust the sword through the belly of the beast, its blood began to boil. Smoke and steam poured from its mouth, its eyes melted and dribbled down its cheeks, and its body burst into flame."

Clydas blinked. "A sword that makes its own heat …"

"… would be a fine thing on the Wall." Jon put aside his wine cup and drew on his black moleskin gloves. "A pity that the sword that Stannis wields is cold.  - Jon III, ADWD

+.+.+

"You do the same, m'lord," said Gilly. "You do the same for t'other. Find another wet nurse, like you said. You promised me you would. The boy . . . Dalla's boy . . . the little prince, I mean . . . you find him some good woman, so he grows up big and strong."

"You have my word," Jon Snow said solemnly.

"Don't you name him. Don't you do that till he's past two years. It's ill luck to name them when they're still on the breast. You crows may not know that, but it's true."

"As you command, my lady."

A spasm of anger flashed across Gilly's face. "Don't you call me that. I'm a mother, not a lady. I'm Craster's wife and Craster's daughter, and a mother."

Sigh.

+.+.+

This may be the last I ever see of Castle Black, thought Sam as he hoisted himself atop his mare. 

Oop.

Ser Kevan did not visit him that night. He was probably with Lord Tywin, trying to placate the Tyrells. I have seen the last of that uncle, I fear. - Tyrion X, ASOS

+.+.+

Jon was watching the wayns. "The first time I saw Gilly," he said, "she was pressed back against the wall of Craster's Keep, this skinny dark-haired girl with her big belly, cringing away from Ghost. He had gotten in among her rabbits, and I think she was frightened that he would tear her open and devour the babe . . . but it was not the wolf she should have been afraid of, was it?"

No, Sam thought. Craster was the danger, her own father.

He was talking about himself, Sam.

What an awful thing to say to her. He needs a nap.

+.+.+

"She has more courage than she knows."

"So do you, Sam. Have a swift, safe voyage, and take care of her and Aemon and the child." Jon smiled a strange, sad smile. "And pull your hood up. The snowflakes are melting in your hair."

Don't worry, he's not your brother. He's not going to die.

You, on the other hand. . .

Final thoughts:

Five of Samwell's first six chapters have something in common.

ASOS:

Arya III -> Samwell I

Samwell II -> Arya VI

Samwell III -> Arya IX

Arya XIII -> Samwell IV

AFFC:

Samwell I -> Arya I

Is he doing this because of their Braavos storyline or is something else going on?

-> return to menu <-

[bluiex]

I feel like this is very niche but I have not stopped thinking about a scarian au based on the Chinese novel/show mo dao zu shi or The Untamed on Netflix Very specific plot beats in that series give me such intense scarian vibes its not funny.

If you’ve never heard of it essentially its set in a fantastical ancient China where there are five different clans (3rd life factions anyone?) where our main character is a goofy and charming but very clever and talented at this worlds magic called cultivation. (Scar) He meets our secondary main character (grian) who immediately dislikes him as the mc is very much a troublemaker and disrupts his daily life. Shenanigans happen and their forced together on an adventure where they resolve to save the rest of the clans from the one evil clan thats trying to take over..

More shenanigans and TRAUMA happen and grian falls in love w scar but scar accidentally invents a dark magic that starts corrupting his mind causing him to antagonize all the clans and accidentally kills a lot of people (hes just a silly guy) grian tries to save him from himself but scar is too far gone and ends up dying by falling of a cliff. Like ten years later scar is ressurected through a sacrifice ritual and finds grian again and has to deal with the world that has changed while he was dead and uncover an murder mystery and conspiracy and lots of things happen in that series but the gist of it is:

3rd life Scarian have like WAYY too many parallels with that series and it gives me massive brainrot

Ex: when scar dies in third life by falling off the cliff and the mc of mdzs dying by falling off a cliff

There’s a very specific scene where mdzs main character says to the second mc “if I am doomed to die, I’d want to be killed by you” AND I WAS LIKE HOLY CRAP THIRD LIFE SCAR TELLING GRIAN HE CAN SLAY HIM AND TAKE THE ENCHANTER I MMM SOOO

I feel like no one else has thus very niche crossover of interests but I’ve been brain rotting over this concept for at least two months

(btw the mc of mdzs dying isn’t like a spoiler or anything for anyone interested its the first sentence of the show)

But yeah scarian tragic and in live soulmates w magic powers + murder mystery + shenanigans + trying to prove scar is a good person to people brainrot I have not stopped thinking abt this for Weeks

YOOO WHAT THE SOUNDS SICK AS HELL?! I need to add that show to my netflix list wowowow (im watching devil in ohio atm and the cult gives me hella watcher vibes ngl (well the fandom version of watchers if they were a cult) Anyways-- Bruh. The whole concept is AMAZING. I wish I could brainrot MORE about it with you but alas ive not seen the show :weary: Literally sounds liek a perfect setting for desert duo scarian with the way you explain everything. so cool

[ghuleh-witch]

And We Are Tied As One Eternally-XI

Fandom: Ghost Rating: Explicit Warnings: assault Relationships: Papa Emeritus IV/Copia x OFC Additional Tags: soft!dom Copia, eventual smut, developing relationship, kind of a slow burn, no beta reader Summary: Ellie Moran just wanted to make a new life for herself. Running to escape the people in her past, she ends up in a small town in the middle of nowhere that happens to be home to a Satanic church. She never expected her life to change again after she started attending the public masses at said church.

Ao3 || Masterlist Chapters: 11/? Previous Chapters Tag list: @sodoswitchimage Fic Divider by gothdaddyissues

She was bent over that masked freak when Ethan stepped over the threshold of her bedroom. He holstered the gun he used to knock the freak out. Ethan didn’t want to scare Ellie and a gun would scare her. 

Ethan took a second to look her over. She was just as beautiful as the night he met her at that party. She’d be just as easy too. It’s been almost ten years since she was last with anyone. He was her first and only and he’d keep it that way. It was so easy to follow her for all these years from place to place. Did she forget he was going to school for computer science and knew how to hack? He’d been able to get into her bank account and track down exactly where she was moving about. Despite her stupidity, she would have made the perfect wife and mother if she hadn’t ruined it for the both of them. He would make sure she paid for that before he took her back. He’d make her his perfect woman then.

Ethan pulled himself from his thoughts. He had to be quick now. He leaned over and in a matter of microseconds, grabbed Ellie around the shoulders and pulled her away.

Ellie felt someone grab her from behind and she screamed before a hand came over her mouth to quiet her.

“Shhhh, it’s okay,” Ethan’s voice sounded. “It’s only me babe.” 

Ellie thrashed against him, trying to bite at his fingers, but he squeezed her so tight she felt the air leave her lungs. Every cell in her body was screaming at her to fight as years of memories came flooding back to her. She wouldn’t let him take what she was building there. Her thoughts raced between Ethan, Swiss, and Copia. Was Swiss dead? Would Aether get there in time? How long would it be before Copia realized she was missing? Would Copia look for her? 

“I don��t know why you’re struggling so much. You know you can’t escape. I’ve always been much stronger than you,” Ethan said, sounding irritated as he tightened his grip around her again. “Come this way, babe.” He said leading her toward her bedroom. Inside Ellie saw a black duffle bag on her bed. It was open, showing off the rope, duck tape, and a box of bullets.

Fuck he has a gun, Ellie thought as she continued to struggle. “I’m going to move my hand from your mouth. Don’t scream or make things difficult.” He said hotly in her ear, one hand reaching from the rope in the bag. He then removed his hand and went to grab her wrists. 

Ellie took advantage of being free for a moment and screamed. “Swiss!” 

“You dumb bitch,” Ethan hissed whipping her around and grabbing her face, his finger pinching into her cheeks so hard she couldn’t move her jaw. “What did I just say?”

He heard his name being screamed and it snapped him out of unconsciousness.

Swiss groaned and got up. He felt hot remnants of blood on his neck. Ethan had somehow got the jump on him, posing as a package delivery person before forcing his way into the apartment with a gun. Before Swiss knew it, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head and he was out. 

“You dumb bitch! What did I just say?” Came a gruff male voice.

Oh fuck, Swiss thought before sending out an SOS signal through the pack bond. He felt Aether respond and then materialize next to him. The two ghouls looked at one another and nodded.

“Ellie,” Swiss called out as he and Aether charged towards the bedroom. The need to protect their Papa’s mate overwhelmed them as all hell broke loose. 

Ellie saw Swiss and Aether come into the room. She wasn’t sure how Aether got there so fast, but Ellie wasn’t going to ask questions. Everything was happening in slow motion. Ethan turned towards the door upon hearing footsteps. Aether charged at Ethan knocking him into the wall as Swiss pulled Ellie out of the path of destruction before joining the fray. She watched as Aether bent Ethan’s arm in an unnatural angle and there was a snap of bone. Ethan cried out, trying his best to fight back, but Aether was stronger. Swiss pinned Ethan to the wall and let out a menacing growl.

Ellie thought she felt a breeze flow through her apartment. When she looked around for the source of the air, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned back to the struggle and gasped. Swiss had a brown-colored spaded tail that was lashing back and forth. Ellie then looked at Aether. He had a tail too except his was a shade of gray. I’m going insane, she thought. Ethan is torturing me right now and I’m losing my mind and imagining all this.

All of a sudden darkness filled the apartment. It was so dark she couldn’t even see the hand she was waving in front of her face. If her heart wasn’t slapping against her chest, she would have thought she was dead for a moment. There were hands on her arms, holding her gently in place. Ellie didn’t know how, but she knew it was Swiss holding onto her as she heard Aether and Ethan struggling. Then there was a deafening roar and Ellie had to clamp her hands over her ears and clenched her unseeing eyes shut. It felt like her head was going to explode from the intensity.

When silence fell, Ellie opened her eyes and her apartment was light again. She saw Aether standing in the corner where he and Ethan were struggling. The tail that Ellie had seen was gone, but so was Ethan.

“W-where did he go?” Ellie asked, whipping around as though he were going to jump out of her closet.

“He’s gone,” Aether said. “He’s never coming back.”

“Excuse me?” Ellie sputtered. “What do you mean he’s gone? Did you kill him? Why did it go dark? What was that roar?”

“I think you better call Papa,” Swiss said to Aether from behind Ellie. “He’s going to need to explain all this.”

“Explain what?” Ellie asked, eyes wide and panic coursing through her. “What’s going on? What are you two?”

“Papa will explain everything.” 

Ellie wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Swiss had guided her into her living room and sat her down on her orange couch. He went to her kitchen pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge, opened it, and handed it to her.

“Drink. You’re in shock,” he said.

Ellie didn’t remember taking a drink, her mind trying to comprehend everything that just happened. Tails, darkness, roaring, and Ethan was just gone. Poof. Like magic. 

Demons, Ellie thought. They’re demons and Copia is their…leader? But Copia wasn’t a demon. Was he? No, he couldn’t be, Ellie reassured herself. He was human, just like her. 

The next thing Ellie remembered was Copia sitting on the couch next to her.

“Cara, are you okay?” He asked, his voice sounding frantic. “Copia?” She asked, looking over at him, confused as to when he got there. Had she been that lost in her head? 

“Are you okay?” He asked again, more urgently this time.

“I’m fine,” Ellie said. “What’s going on.”

“Grazie a Satana (Thank Satan),” he muttered. “I’m so glad you’re alright. When the ghouls called I thought…well it doesn’t matter. I know you have questions, a lot of questions, and you don’t understand what you saw and experienced.”

“Yeah, I have questions. They have tails and made my ex just vanish,” Ellie said pointing to the ghouls. 

“Yes,” Copia said simply and to the point.

“What are they?” Ellie asked.

“The ghouls are just that, ghouls. They are lower demons the Papas have summoned from Hell to help around the church and with the Ghost project. Every clergy member, every Sibling of Sin is sworn to secrecy about the real nature of the ghouls,” Copia said. “And now I need you to swear you will never tell anyone what they are.”

“I-I won’t,” Ellie said as her mind grappled with what she was just told. “Despite me not understanding any of this, I don’t want them to be captured and experimented on like lab mice.” 

Copia nodded. “Thank you, cara,” he said. “What you saw today, the blackness, the roars, the sudden appearance of Aether, and the disappearance of Ethan, that was all from the powers the ghouls have. They are blessed with infernal magics and use them when needed. They sent your former fiance to the Pit.”

“Hell?” Ellie questioned.

“Si, basically,” Copia answered. “He will never harm you again.”

“But what if people come looking for him?”

“The ghouls are already taking care of that as we speak,” Copia said. “Cumulus and Cirrus are wiping memories and Dew, Aurora, Rain, and Phantom are making it look like Ethan went for a hike and had a tragic accident.” 

“Faking his death?” Ellie asked.

“Si .”

“And that’s it?” Ellie asked slowly. “He’s just gone?” It all seemed to be over so quickly and easily.

“Forever. He will be punished for his abuse towards you.” 

Ellie chewed on her lip. It was over—just like that it was over. She was free. She’d never have to move again. She’d never have to look over her shoulder and wonder if she’d been found. Ethan was gone, never to bother her or torment her. How did she get off that easy? 

You’re welcome, a voice in her head said, and Ellie didn’t understand it.

“I–” Ellie began. “I don’t know what to say…none of this makes sense.” 

“I know,” Copia said. “Do you have any questions?”

“Only a million of them,” Ellie huffed. “You’re human though, right?”

“Si, I am human,” Copia answered. “Just a human that’s been blessed by the Olde One.” 

“Blessed how?” Ellie asked slowly.

“Infernal sight, for one,” Copia said gesturing to his white eye. “We can see into the Pit to communion with our Lord, and we can see the dead, eh, well the ones that chose to be seen that is. And we can summon ghouls, and demons, and all that other shit….You’re taking this surprisingly well.”

Ellie couldn’t help but laugh. “I mean…I already believe crystals can protect me,” she said gesturing to her necklace. “What’s some magic and demons on top of that.” 

“She’s still in shock,” Aether said.

“I know,” Copia responded, glancing over to the ghouls. “You two can go. Make sure everyone is updated on what’s going on.”

“What do you want us to tell Sister Imperator if she comes looking for you?” Swiss asked.

“Just…Just tell her I had to run out and get the rats more food,” Copia said shrugging. 

The ghouls nodded and with a shimmer of light, they vanished.

“Not going to get used to that,” Ellie muttered, her eyes still on the spot where the ghouls stood just seconds before. 

“Between you and me, I’m not even used to it. It’s-eh-kind of weird,” Copia admitted. “Let me go tidy up your room and then I will get you something to eat,” he said. He turned to walk to her bedroom before stopping and bending down to pick up the discarded garment bag. “Your Samhain dress?”

Ellie nodded. She’d forgotten all about the dress and the fun outing she and Gemma had.

He nodded as well before taking the dress into the bedroom. She heard him open her closet to store the dress inside. A few minutes and some shuffling around later, Copia was coming out of Ellie’s room. “Alright,” he said to himself going into her kitchen and looking through the refrigerator and practically empty cabinets. “Right, I will order us a pizza.” 

After a quick phone call to a local pizza joint, Copia was sitting back down next to Ellie. Ellie rubbed at her eyes and sighed. Her head felt like it was going to explode from the amount of information that was just dropped on her.

“So the ghouls are lesser demons,” she said, repeating the information as though it would make better sense to her. “That work for you and the church and they have magic. You and your brothers are blessed by Satan with certain gifts. My ex is now gone and the ghouls just made all my problems disappear into thin air. Am I missing anything?”

“I think you’ve summed it all up,” Copia said. 

“I feel like everything I’ve known is a lie,” Ellie said. “Wait…if Satan and Hell and demons are all real then God and all that is real too then?”

“Yes.”

“Oh…” Ellie groaned. “I’m definitely going to Hell then.” She spent the better part of a decade convincing herself that God wasn't real, that she wasn't going to Hell for her sins, and that everything she was manipulated into believing was false. Now everything she was just told—just saw confirmed that God, Satan, Heaven, and Hell were indeed real. Ellie felt her palms begin to sweat as her anxiety spiked.

“Hell is not a bad place. It’s just another afterlife.”

Ellie put her hands over her face and groaned again. “I can’t deal with this.” She knew she was going to need to talk to her therapist after this. But how would she do that without giving up the church's secrets and without sounding like she would need to be institutionalized?

 She felt Copia rest a hand on her knee and squeeze it. “It’s overwhelming, I know,” he said. “But you just need to take this one step, one day at a time. It’s okay to not understand everything all at once. You don’t have to go through all this alone. I’m here to help you.” 

She was grateful for that, but she didn’t think he really understood how she felt at that exact moment. He had years and years to process all this hidden knowledge that had been dropped on her in seconds. “This is a lot to take in, Copia.” 

“I know.” There was a pause and then he spoke again. “You-eh-Do you want me to go?”

Ellie dropped her hands and looked at him. “No,” she said quickly. “No, please stay.” Despite everything, she didn’t want him to go. She needed him here. She didn’t want to be left alone to deal with everything. Despite everything, so still wanted him in her life and wanted to be part of the Ministry. The feeling of belonging felt too good and too right to abandon everything because of some stuff she didn’t understand. 

Copia gave her a hint of a smile and took her hand. “I will stay then.”

[caramelcal]

heartbreak girl

Word Count: 2.7k

a/n: ik i have requests to write (i am writing them don’t worry !) but i got super inspired when i was listening to my bbys 5sos

the luke hemmings / luke patterson comparison videos ive seen are my favourites, love it when two fandoms collide lollll

disclaimer: i do not condone plagiarism on my work at all, this has not been posted on any other platforms, or on tumblr anywhere else but my account (rosemoonmist) if you see anyone plagiarizing mine (or anyone else’s work for that matter) please inform the rightful author ! thank you lovelies x 

masterlist

You call me up It's like a broken record Saying that your heart hurts That you'll never get over him getting over you And you end up crying And I end up lying 'Cause I'm just a sucker for anything that you do

You couldn’t stop playing the video. Ever since it was sent you from a random number, you couldn’t stop crying. The video was barely ten seconds long, but it was ten seconds that broke your heart. There your boyfriend was, clear as day, kissing a girl that wasn’t you.

It isn’t long before you heard the front door open and slam behind someone, reminding you of who you told to come over. Luke, your best friend since you guys met in the sandpit at six years old. When he accidentally pushed you in, so you kicked him in the nuts. You guys had been inseparable ever since.

Luke was your best friend, and you were his. You guys had been through everything together. When he first learned guitar, when you did gymnastics, when he joined a band, when you guys first went to high school, and now, your first heartbreak.

“y/n?” He calls from downstairs, looking around the dark room. He had learned from a young age to just come into your house without knocking, your house was his second home after all.

Of course, you do have a few female friends that you could have called but none of them knew you as well as Luke did and you knew Luke would be there with you through everything. He would understand. He would comfort you better than any girl ever could. You walked down the stairs, trying to keep your sobs in but once you caught eyes with Luke, the tears started to fall.

“Luke,” You let out, looking at the boy barely keeping yourself together.

“y/n/n, what’s wrong?” Luke questions, eyes wracking over your defeated posture before looking up at your puffy red eyes. It was clear you had been crying, but why?

“He- he-,” You cut yourself short, letting back a choked sob as you land at the bottom of the stairs, Luke walking closer to you, his face looking at you with concern, “Luke he was with another girl, he cheated-”

Mind wracking back over the video, you broke down into tears, falling into Luke’s now open arms. Suddenly, once you're in the arms of your best friend all of your walls come crashing down and you start to cry louder, letting out every emotion you felt that night. The sadness, betrayal, and overall heartbreak.

Luke holds the back of your head soothingly as you cry into his chest, playing softly with the hair on your head. By this point, he is supporting all of your weight but he doesn’t mind as he lifts you over to the couch, allowing you to continue crying in a more comfortable position than the awkward standing position you were in moments before.

Whilst Luke was sad hearing you cry, he was overcome with anger.  The fact that the scum would cheat, on you of all people. You were amazing, perfect even, so why would someone ever give away the chance of being with you? He knew he wouldn’t. Luke knew how much you loved and cared for the boy, Jack, and to see him cheat on you, he couldn’t help but be furious.

If he was being honest, the thing he wanted more than anything right now was to hook him right in the face. Punch him right where he stood, busting open his face so that no other girl would ever want to kiss him again. It’s what he deserves. Luke knew he was probably being a bit overprotective, but that didn’t matter to him, what mattered was that you were okay right now.

The last thing you needed in your state of fragility was Luke leaving you by yourself to set into the dickhead. Oh no, that could be done another time when you weren’t crying. What you truly needed right now was his comfort, so that’s what he gave you. He held you close, not even saying anything but hugging you closely, silently reminding you that he was here for you and always would be as you softly lulled into a sleep.

And when then phone call finally ends You say "Thanks for being a friend" And I'm going in circles again and again

I dedicate this song to you The one who never sees the truth That I can take away you hurt Heartbreak girl Hold you tight straight through the daylight I'm right here, when you gonna realise That I'm your cure? Heartbreak girl

Walking down the hall, Luke’s eyes catch onto you. Even though he’s been with you all weekend, comforting you after the video you saw on Friday, just looking at you is a sad reminder of how you are doing. A frown has fallen onto your face whilst you look over at something. Following your gaze, Luke finds him, Jack, with his arm wrapped around the girl in the video.

He wants to punch that stupid smirk off Jack’s face, then they’ll see who’s truly laughing. When Luke’s eyes drift back over to you, he feels his stomach dropping slightly. The look in your gaze makes you look broken, eyes conveying a sense of vulnerability that Luke didn’t think was possible. Maybe it’s just because Luke knows you better and knows how to read you better than everyone else, but he notices all of the changes in you. He sees how your eyes lacked the sparkle they usually had, your usual smile not present, even your outfit seemed a little dull. Nonetheless, you’re still gorgeous, Luke thinks so, but you look different; less lively.

All of this heartbreak just because of a stupid boy. One stupid hard-headed jock that doesn’t know how to truly value the important things in his life. The stupid jock that didn’t know how much you were truly worth.

Luke knows he could treat you so much better if you just gave him the chance to. If you looked his way instead of Jack’s. He would hold you close and never let you go, let you know just how much you meant to him and those truly important around you. He would watch you like the only person in the world because you were the only one that mattered. 

He doesn’t even realize he was staring at you until he hears a cough sound from behind him as Reggie puts an arm over his shoulder, smirking, “You’re staring, pal.”

Luke, who’s eyes briefly glanced over towards Reggie when the bassist spoke, glanced back at you quickly, sighing lightly in relief when he realizes you didn’t notice him staring at you. He shrugs half-heartedly, not noticing the knowing look that Reggie gives him as he speaks, “I can’t, Reg. I’m not supposed to like her like this, she’s my best friend.”

“Best friend or not, I see the way you look at her, everyone does but her,” Reggie says before patting his friend on the back.

“She still likes him Reg, and I’ve known her since we were six. She’s been in so many relationships yet she fell for the stupid jock,” Luke says, shaking his head as his fists clench at his sides. He doesn’t realize but his face contorts into anger, making Reggie smirk, “she deserves so much better. She deserves someone who’s going to appreciate her. Someone who will show her how much she means to them-”

“Someone like you?” Reggie asks, making Luke glance at him with an annoyed expression, huffing. Reggie shrugs his shoulders, “Just saying man if anyone knows y/n it’s you. You just gotta be there for her and she’ll realize how much you mean to her. I mean, everyone thinks you guys are meant for each other, soon she’ll see that too.”

I bite my tongue But I wanna scream out You could be with me now But I end up telling you what you wanna hear But you're not ready And it's so frustrating He treats you so bad and I'm so good to you, it's not fair

And when the phone call finally ends You say "I'll call you tomorrow at 10" And I'm stuck in the friendzone again and again

Luke is frustrated. It has been two weeks since his conversation with Reggie, and the hope Reggie had given him for pursuing a relationship was surely fizzling out. Reggie was wrong, that’s what Luke thought anyway. Not only had you not realized how much Luke was bending his back for you, going out of his way to comfort you, being there for you 24/7, you had been so utterly stupid. Jack had given you the most insincere apology known to man, and you were meeting up with him for a date.

It had been forty-seven minutes since you had left, not that Luke was counting or anything and he still hadn’t heard a word from you. No text, no call, nothing. Jack was probably taking up all of your attention with his boring jock stories or his lame jokes. He probably didn’t even compliment you when you arrived and that was practically criminal.

You had been all dressed up when you left, not that Jack would have even noticed, but Luke did. He noticed the way the outfit you wore looked perfect on you, complimenting everything about you and most importantly, how confident you felt in it. You deserved more than a boy that wouldn’t even tell you that you were pretty, Luke knew that, he just wished you did too. 

He paces around his room, feet aggressively hitting the ground. He wanted to punch something, to let out all of the anger and frustration that was itching, begging to be released. Yet, his anger was cut short when he heard his phone start to ring.

“Hello?”

“Lu?” Your voice sounded through his phone, ringing in his ears.

“Y/n?” Luke said in confusion, eyes glancing up at the time, “Aren’t you supposed to be on your date?”

You hesitate to answer, a complete silence hanging in the air until your light sniffles sound through the phone, “He didn’t show, Lu. M-My mom dropped me off, I don’t have my car. Can you come pick me up?”

“I’ll be there in 10, stay there y/n/n.”

Luke ran out of the house.

I dedicate this song to you The one who never sees the truth That I can take away you hurt Heartbreak girl Hold you tight straight through the daylight I'm right here, when you gonna realise That I'm your cure? Heartbreak girl

I know someday it's gonna happen And you'll finally forget the day you met him Sometimes I'm so close to confession I gotta get it through your head That you belong with me instead

Luke couldn’t help but smile at you, hazel eyes meeting your e/c eyes as he strung his guitar expertly. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for you to be at band practices, actually, you were at a large amount of them. It was normal for you to watch the band, well that’s what you said you were doing, but you were only really looking at Luke.

You didn’t play any musical instruments properly, but you could play a little guitar from what Luke had taught you. You remembered his teaching you, arms wrapped around you, hands guiding your fingers onto the different frets, playing different cords. He didn’t give up when you messed up, and instead, he smiles and shows you again, your back flushed against his chest.

It was no secret that you always enjoyed watching their band practice and perform, but it was different this time because they had gotten you to stop thinking about Jack. This was the first day that you didn’t feel miserable and instead felt happy in their presence. It was the first day that your gleaming smile returned, one that all members of the band had missed.

Soon enough, they were finished, congratulating each other on how well they played with large smiles.

“We’re gonna sound great at the rally!” Reggie says, flipping his bass down to his side so he didn’t have to hold it as he gave Luke a high five before turning to Alex, all of them breathing heavily with huge smiles.

“Of course, we’re still finishing with the other song, right?” Alex asked, eyes looking over at Luke for approval. He nodded his head, making you look at them in confusion.

“What other song?”

Luke glanced over to you, walking closer before kneeling beside you, guitar still in his hand, smirking “Can’t tell you, it’s a surprise.”

You groaned lightly, flinging your head back before giving the boy your puppy eyes, “Please? I won’t tell.”

He laughed lightly, shaking his head at you. Over the years, he had often been the victim to your puppy eyes, and whilst he often found them irresistible, he knew he couldn’t tell you this secret. He playfully slapped you on the arm, “Get those puppy eyes away, they’re not gonna work today.”

“Fine,” you grumbled, standing up before you stood up alongside Luke, who slung an arm over your shoulder. You guys shared a look, almost communicating through your eyes, something that you guys had gotten freakishly good at since you were kids.

“So, who wants to go grab a smoothie?” Luke said, turning his attention towards the rest of the band as you jumped on his back, ready to leave practice for smoothies.

I dedicate this song to you The one who never sees the truth That I can take away you hurt Heartbreak girl Hold you tight straight through the daylight I'm right here, when you gonna realise That I'm your cure Heartbreak girl

Soon enough, the rally at school came and the students surround the stage that the band was playing on. You stood at the back, proudly watching them as they played. Their most recent song blasts through the halls, exciting the students more than you had seen for the previous people on stage, even Dirty Candy. Sweat drips off of them, lights blazing down on them with intensity.

Eyes looking at Luke, you see him jump around when he sings and it brings a smile to your face. You knew this was their surprise song, the song that they were ending with because it was an unfamiliar tune, but one that Luke was pouring every feeling into as he sang the lyrics.

Suddenly, he’s no longer playing his guitar and it’s hanging on the strap by his side, mic detached from the stand and he’s making his way off of the stage and running through the crowd. You’re astonished, not only because Luke is running off stage, but that it somehow isn’t affecting his vocals.

Everyone seems to knowingly make a path for him to run through, almost as if they know where he is going to. Your eyes stay on him as he comes through the crowd, slowing down to a walk as he begins to sing again,

“I dedicate this song to you The one who never sees the truth That I can take away you hurt Heartbreak girl

Hold you tight straight through the daylight I'm right here, when you gonna realise That I'm your cure? Heartbreak girl.”

His eyes meet yours when he is standing barely feet away from you. His hair is messed up, dripping with sweat but you barely notice. When he stops singing, he lifts the mic away from his face and holds it down away from both of your faces so that it can’t pick up what you’re saying.

People start to talk between themselves, all of them staring at you and Luke standing barely a foot apart, eyes gazing into one another but you don’t notice because you’re too busy looking at Luke. You’re speechless, heart racing faster than you thought humanly possible, with lips slightly apart before he whispers to you, “This is for you, my heartbreak girl.”

Then, his free hand makes its way up and cups your cheek, and his lips connect with yours.

[wickymicky]

wickymicky’s Top Ten Kpop Songs of 2021

9: Cherry Bullet - Love So Sweet

I gotta say, I’m a little bit surprised that this made my top ten list, but I’m really really glad that it did. I’ve never really stanned Cherry Bullet in a major way, though I really liked their song Hands Up last year. This is a group who I’ve known about for a long time, of course. They debuted only a month or so before I got into kpop, I believe, so they were a little bit of a hot topic among some of the first kpop people I followed, haha. I didn’t really get into them until Hands Up in early 2020 though, and I’ve been steadily getting more into them over time. During Girls Planet 999, I got to see a lot more from Jiwon, May, and Bora, the last of which was already my top candidate for bias, I think, and she’s definitely my bias now. I was already considering Love So Sweet one of the best songs of the year, but spending that time watching and rooting for the Cherry Bullet members made me appreciate them as a group a lot more, and made me want to promote Love So Sweet even more too haha. People need to know how good this song is.

I really think this song is a superb example of something that I think was a big theme of this year’s girl group releases, which is very focused, minimalist, no-excess-fluff songs, with simple and extremely catchy songwriting. The songwriters knew exactly what they wanted to do with this song, and they did it. They had a good idea, the hook, and they built the song around it. They didn’t just slap a song together in order to get a paycheck, this is clearly an example of someone having a really strong vision for what they wanted this song to be, and they only added stuff to the song that fit their vision. Every part of the song works towards that goal, there’s nothing that feels out of place. There were a number of songs like this in 2021, and you’ll see a few more later on in this list, but obviously this one was the first, since it came out right at the beginning of the year, in January. 

I can’t really describe it any better than saying that this song knows exactly how catchy it is, and every thing it throws at you in the verses, chorus, and instrumental is there to accentuate that and reinforce that. There’s nothing that distracts from that, in my opinion. Everything only adds to it. It’s simple, it’s minimalist, but there’s still a lot going on. It’s not trying to be too much or to do too much though, it’s just exactly what it needs to be, and nothing more, and it’s soooo much better because of that. 

To be honest, the only reason this isn’t higher is that I still wouldn’t say that I stan Cherry Bullet like that. I don’t think I would call myself a Lullet (their fandom name). If I did, I have no doubt that this would be a top 5 song, easily. But as it stands, while the song quality is there, part of what goes into my rankings in this list is, well... bias. I didn’t listen to this song as much as most of the others on this list, but every time I did listen to it, I thought to myself “I should DEFINITELY listen to this more” haha. I’m getting more and more into Cherry Bullet every year at this point, so it’s not out of the question that I will actually stan them by this point next year. I wouldn’t be surprised, to be honest. I’m a bit worried for them though, because this was their only comeback this year and obviously its anniversary is only a month away... but hopefully FNC gives them a good start to 2022 and capitalizes on their GP999 popularity? We’ll see... I don’t trust that company very much, but we’ll see. In any case, this song had to be here on this list. It’s only 9th, I know, but tbh just being in my top ten at all means that I love it to death. I’m super impressed by this song. I find it hard to think of literally anything negative to say about it at all.

links to the rest of the list: 10 - After School (Weeekly) 9 - Love So Sweet (Cherry Bullet) 8 - Odd Eye (Dreamcatcher) 7 - Eleven (IVE) 6 - Rub-a-Dum (TRI.BE) 5 - Holiday Party (Weeekly) 4 - Ring x Ring (Billlie) 3 - Zombie (Purple Kiss) 2 - ASAP (STAYC) 1 - First (Everglow)