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mediaevalmusereads · 1 year ago

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Hen Fever: A Sapphic Victorian Romance. By Olivia Waite. 2022.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Genre: historical romance, novella, lgbtqia+ literature

Summary: Lydia Wraxhall is on her best behavior every day of the year—except one: the annual Bickerton Christmas Poultry Show. On that day she brushes her birds, sharpens her tongue, and engages in the closest thing the village knows to war.

Harriet Boyne is a soldier’s widow reeling from the worst years of her life. She and her friends have inherited a manor on the village outskirts, and Harriet is looking forward to a quiet holiday far from the anguish of the battlefield.

But a dispute over a flock of loose chickens — a rare local breed, which Lydia thinks could be champions and Harriet thinks could be delicious — draws Harriet into the competition under Lydia’s grudging guidance. Harriet’s frozen heart is thawed by Lydia’s gentleness, and lonely Lydia blossoms under Harriet’s keen regard. But the day of the poultry show is fast approaching, and everyone’s drawing up battle lines. And in the contest between secret love and public glory, there can only be one winner.

***Full review below.***

Content Warnings: graphic sexual content

Overview: This book has been on my list for a few months, and since I haven't been in the mood for a full-length novel, I figured I'd pick it up. Overall, there were things about it that I liked and things that I wish had been a little different. While I enjoyed the homestead-y premise and the ways in which post-war trauma was treated (especially with the focus on women), I also think the romance could have been built up more effectively and the conflict could have been more substantial. Thus, this novella gets a 3.5 star rating from me.

Writing: Waite's prose is fairly clear and well-organized, effortlessly transitioning between telling and showing when appropriate. It feels very natural and flows well without feeling like it rushes or drags, and I think it's appropriate for both the scope and genre of the story.

Plot: The non-romance plot of this book follows Lydia Wraxhall, a known town spinster, as she strives to compete in the local poultry fair. Lydia has won the competition every year for the better part of a decade and aims to do so again. As she is deciding what kind of chicken to show, her prize rooster runs away. Lydia follows him into the woods and finds 6 hens of a breed thought to have been lost a decade ago. She also happens upon Harriet Boyne, the owner of the property, who wants to claim the chickens for herself. Lydia and Harriet strike a deal, but what they don't account for is their growing attraction to one another.

While I think this story started out well, competing interests in the chickens seemed to be brushed aside fairly quickly, and afterwards, it seemed to pose no obstacle at all to the love story. The dominant theme is thus not the poultry fair, but the PTSD and grief that the characters carry as a result of the war. I don't quite really have a complaint about this shift, as I thought that Waite portrayed them well. In fact, I appreciated the focus on how war affects women and people back home, rather than how it affects men. But I also think there was something of a disconnect between the dark tone of post-war trauma and the lighter tone of the poultry fair. Granted, Waite does try to weave them together towards the end, but I also think Waite could have made the two threads more strongly interconnected.

Characters: Lydia, one of our protagonists, is interesting in that she is a forty-something year old spinster who uses her skill in chicken farming to express herself. When the story begins, Lydia is grieving for the loss of her brother, Peter, who died during the war, and she chafes under the expectations of her parents, who treat Peter's death as a heroic sacrifice. I liked that a huge part of Lydia's arc involved reflecting on what she wanted out of life and confronting her fear of leaving her village. I also liked the bond she had with her brother and the way his loss was felt so keenly.

Harriet, our second protagonist, was also interesting in that she had post-war trauma, and seeing a female character with war trauma is somewhat rare, in my experience. I liked that Harriet's arc involved accepting that grief was a part of her life and that she had to learn to live anew. I also liked that she evolved from a closed-off, cold-hearted woman to someone who was willing to be vulnerable and accept love, even when it was scary.

Supporting characters were fine and appeared at appropriate times without dominating the narrative. I liked the group of war survivors that all lived together in the same house with Harriet; they felt like a found family, and I adored the way they supported one another through each other's grief. Peter, Lydia's brother, also felt like a full character, even though he is never present (because he has died); characters talk about him with fondness and often voice their feelings about how "heroic sacrifice" was worth less than having a flesh-and-blood brother and friend in their lives. The village couples at the end of the novella were a nice touch, mirroring the conflict at the beginning in the church.

Romance: The romance between Lydia and Harriet is both emotionally fulfilling and somewhat frustrating. On the one hand, I very much enjoyed that both protagonists were a little older, and I liked that their love was portrayed as a kind of healing force that sparked joy in both of their lives. However, I also wish that Waite had done more to build up a feeling of longing and that the conflict towards the end was less manufactured. As it stands, it feels like Lydia and Harriet bond over talking about the war and Lydia's dead brother, and while that's fine sometimes, I also wish Waite had shown more moments of emotional vulnerability and longing while they were preparing the chickens for show. When they finally get to the show, Waite then has Lydia say something careless which hurts Harriet, and to me, it didn't feel genuine, as Lydia isn't portrayed as thoughtless or careless with her speech elsewhere. Even if she wanted an excuse not to be "nice," it doesn't explain why she lashed out at Harriet. This conflict is also resolved fairly quickly, and while it might be just fine for some readers, I personally like my conflicts to be a bit more substantial.

TL;DR: Hen Fever is a tender sapphic romance featuring two heroines who are greatly affected by the war. While I wish the romance included more longing/yearning and I wish the conflict was a bit more substantive, the novella as a whole is a pleasant reflection on grief and finding one's place in a small community.

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endlesstwanted · 2 years ago

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Hello internet!

This is Chase (endlesstwanted), and I thought I should start this blog with an introduction. I haven’t kept a blog in over a decade, so please bear with me while I figure out how all of this works. The essential info about me will be above the cut, because I’m an oversharer and I don’t know how long this will enventually be.

As I said, my name is Chase, I’m over 21 years old and currently studying a vocational course which I have no vocation for. I’m in the CET time zone, based in Spain, and I like to think I’m bilingual even if my brain can’t keep up with Spanish half of the time (most of the content here will be in English). I am a non-binary trans, which influences how I view things and a friend said it would be good to mention. I’m also bisexual, which is a great excuse to be multishipper too. My sun sign is taurus, and my moon and rising signs are virgo.

My main interests are writing, languages and travelling (been all over Spain). I enjoy puzzles, funko pops, cinema, series and music. I’m not active in fandoms outside of Marvel, even though I like a lot of other media. For starters, I plan to use this blog for bingo stuff and to share what I write and post on Ao3.

Moving now onto the fandom talk, I entered the fandom world at eight years old with pop music. I then moved to tv shows when I watched Broadchurch and discovered Teen Wolf, to later follow punk rock bands and being introduced to concerts. I began being interested in cinema at the age of eighteen and eventually found Marvel a few years back.

I’m familiar with the MCU and X-Men films, and am slowly trying to find my way into the comics. I’m a multi-shipper (the rarest the pairs, the more interests I will get) and willing to read and write anyone I’m comfortable with.

That’s said, my favourite characters would have to be Bruce, Sam, Natasha, Clint and Bucky. I am fixated on others like Scott Summers, Sprite, the Peters (Maximoff, Parker, Quill, you name it), the Grandmaster, Justin Hammer and Remy Lebau (I’m into those who have no more than five scenes, as you see). My favourite projects (that I’ve watched so far) are The Amazing Spider-Man films, The Incredible Hulk, Wakanda Forever, Infinity War, Black Widow, Eternals, X-men Apocalypse and the Hawkeye series.

As I said I plan to keep this blog to share my writing and Bingo-related information. In case things go out of hand, please remember that my previous experience has been ten years on twitter, I feel in need of mentioning the other media I am fan of. This is a warning in case one day I wake up willing to fill my page with that, which you know, can happen.

I like a variety of cinema genres, going from thriller to comedy, even though I enjoy dramas the most and I’m a huge fan of Spanish cinema as well. The films I need to mention now are the ones that really got me into this world and hold a special place in my heart : the Scream saga, The Faculty, Deux Moi (French drama from 2019), Clue (1985), Marrowbone, Coherence, The Broken Circle breakdown, The Birds, and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Talking about series now, everything has been non-stop since discovering Teen Wolf until now, with a few years gap I used to go to concerts and consume the MCU an embarrassing amount of times. The ones that have shaped me as a person are The Night Shift, Leverage, The Society, Sneaky Pete, Stitchers, On My Block, Code Black, Hunters and New Amsterdam. I’m currently watching the Chicago-verse series after watching a bunch of episodes on tv with no idea of what was going on because they played eight a night, I’ve just started Chicago Med.

As far as music goes, I thought to mention the people that have literally raised and/or been an inspiration for me at some point: 5sos, Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift, Sam Smith and Chase Atlantic.

The list goes on and on but you don’t want me to bore you with the Spanish’s pop artists, music contests, and all the things I said I’ve recovered from and I haven’t.

If you’ve got to this point, thank you! I know I walk (write) a lot, so it’s good to know someone listening. Other sites I’m on are Ao3, TvTime, Letterboxd, NanoWriMo and Spotify.

Here you have a picture of Wanda, that is my latest addition on my funko collection ♥️ (do people use emojis in here?)

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yelenasdiary · 2 years ago

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The Third Widow || Yelena's Worry

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff X Fem! Belova! Reader.

Summary: Y/n Belova is the younger biological sister of Yelena Belova and the adoptive sister of Natasha Romanoff. Saved from Red Room by Melina & Alexei she now must adjust to a new normal. Going to school, recovering, and finding love in the eyes of another troubled teen, Wanda Maximoff. All while General Dreykov has his eyes set on claiming back what he calls his most powerful ‘widow’.

Notes: Flashbacks are bold, italic and start with ‘~’ | Written in second person. |

Translations: сестра (sister), плющ (Ivy), Мэри (Mary), стереть ее (erase her)

The Third Widow Masterlist

Natasha watched from the back door as you walked further and further out into the woods, only grabbing her widow bites when you were out of site. She tried to stop you when you came down the stairs, but it was clear to her that you weren't hearing her and assumed you were sleep-walking. "Y/n!" She called out when you came to a stop.

"Help me! Please come quickly!! He's coming for me!! Help!!"

The voice of a young girl screamed from miles away, you only stopped to hear it again and turned in the direction it came from. "Y/n! Stop!" Natasha called once more but you didn't hear her, you could only hear the cries for help that had been keeping you awake for the past week. Natasha followed you deeper and deeper until suddenly the calls for help stopped and you were left in the middle of the woods confused on why the young girl had stopped.

"Y/n" Natasha's voice finally registered with you as you turned around and looked at her, "What are you doing?" Natasha asked in a worried tone, you rubbed your hands over your face in frustration and shrugged, "I just wanted to go for a walk" you lied. "No" Natasha shook her head, "this has been going on for almost two weeks now, you come here to the same spot every night, are you sleep walking?" She asked. Your eyes fell to the ground in front of Nat's feet, your jaw clenched as it became clear to you that Natasha wasn't hearing the cries for help.

"You don't hear her, do you?" You asked, slowly looking up at her again, her heat wave making it impossible for you to look at her for more than a few seconds. "Hear who?" She questioned. "The girl, she needs help. She's been calling for help every night since" you paused and wondered if this was because of your session with Wanda that was still a secret between the two of you. "Since what?" Natasha's tone filled with more concern than worry. "Doesn't matter" you mumbled, "let's just go back" you walked by her without looking up at her.

Natasha walked closely behind you without asking anymore questions, keeping her thoughts to herself as she wondered more and more about what you meant, who were you talking about and why were they dragging you out into the middle of the woods so late at night. Natasha, watched as you wandered up to your room and closed the door before she could say another word. You didn't get any sleep that night, you stayed up waiting for the cries to make back but they didn't, and you watched the sunrise with the birds doing their morning song before you took a shower and freshened up for the day.

"Hey, Kate has an archery contest on today, you should come" Yelena snapped you out of thought as you sat at your desk staring at the blanket page in your sketch book. "Is Wanda going?" You asked slowly turning your head to face her, she shook her head, "Nope" Yelena replied sternly, you didn't reply. You hadn't seen or heard from Wanda since she walked you home late that night, you'd called and left messages and waited for her to meet you by the river, but she never came. "Wanda is out of town" Yelena broke the silence, "Oh" your eyes dropped to your sketch book once more, "I'm fine, thanks" you added turning down the offer. "Suit yourself" Yelena sighed and closed your bedroom door.

That night wasn't any different than the last few nights. You got ready for bed and just as you were trying to fall asleep the cries returned.

"I know you can hear me, help!! I don't' want to go!! help me, please!!"

Although tonight they seemed louder than any other time, each cry for help got louder until it was unbearable. You slipped out of bed and changed into black sweats and a hoodie before tip toeing downstairs and putting on your boots. Through the living room window you could see the small heat wave in the far distance of the woods.

"He's coming!! Quick!! Don't leave me out here, please!!"

The younger voice screamed as you took slow steps towards the heatwave, it got further and further away the longer you walked. The voice started to fade out and become distant until you could hear it no more.

"Where are you?" You called out but got no reply, you looked around and the heatwave had disappeared. Sighing, you turned around and walked back to the house, your eyes struggling to stay open with the number of sleepless nights you were having once again. Yelena was getting a glass of water when she saw you coming back in from the back door. "Where'd you go?" She asked, turning on the living room light so her heatwave didn't hurt your tired eyes.

"Nowhere" you replied.

"Snuck out with Wanda again?" She asked, you frowned and shook your head. "I haven't seen or heard from Wanda since…nevermind" you sat down on the sofa and took off your boots. "Since you and her got high?" Yelena watched your every movement, "h-how did you know?" You asked. "Wanda told me, you've been spending a lot of time with her" she sat in the armchair across from you.

"Does that matter? She's a friend"

"No, it doesn't. I just" she paused and took a mouthful of water before sighing softly, "I just wanted to know if I had upset you or something" she adds. "Upset me? Why would you think that?" You frowned again. "Because плющ you've been distance with me. I asked if you wanted to spend some time together and you asked if Wanda was coming, and you barely speak to any of us at the moment. I just wanted to make sure you were okay" she admits, looking into your eyes. You wanted so much to tell her that it wasn't her or anybody else making you feel the way you do but you thought if you told her that things didn't feel right then it would become another issue for them to worry about.

"плющ, talk to me, please. I can see something is bothering you" she breaks your thoughts once more. "I'm f-fine сестра" you lied, hating every moment of it. Yelena shook her head, "you're lying" she mumbled and took another mouthful of water. "Yelena, I'm fine!" You snapped and stood from the sofa, "плющ" she spoke in a soft tone, "sit down and talk to me. It's just us" she adds while looking up at you, "I just want to spend some time with you, I don't care what we talk about" she explained. You could see that Yelena didn't like showing this soft side of her and she wouldn't offer this side of her again for a while if you shut her out once again.

Slowly you sat back down and looked at your older sister. You wondered which one of you looked more like your mother or which one of you looked more like your father. You wondered if your parents were even still alive, did they look for you? Or were you both born into this world without the true love and affection of a mother and father. "Have you heard anything more from Asya?" She asked. You shook your head, "my phone is full of texts from unknown numbers" as you sat back on the sofa.

"Saying what?" Yelena frowned.

"It doesn't matter"

"плющ" Yelena looked at you with eyes full of worry. "Horrible things. Things at are all true" you confessed. Yelena leaned forward slightly, "what things плющ" she said more sternly. Your eyes built with tears as you remembered some of the messages, you'd read from people you couldn't name or describe. "That I need to pay for what I did to Grace. That I should be put away, dead even" tears feel freely from your eyes, "all things that are true! I should pay for what I did, I should be in a prison cell, I s-shou- "

"No!" Yelena stood from her seat as she cut you off, she walked over to you and sat beside you, pulling you in for a hug. "it's true, сестра" you broke down, "I don't belong here" you added.

"You do belong here. Dreykov is to blame for Grace. I will deal with Asya, I promise" she held you tighter as you lost control of your emotions, "don't do anything сестра, please. I will do what is right when the time comes" you sobbed. "If you think I'm going to sit back and let this сука make you feel like this any longer, you're wrong" Yelena replied.

"сестра please" you begged as you pulled away from her slightly, "I'm tired of being a problem, I am tired of making things worse for everybody. I heard Melina and Natasha talking…. If you…if you do anythi- "

"Listen to me" she cut you off once more, "you are my sister, my baby sister, you could never be a problem to me. It is my job to protect you, it my job to look out for you, it is my job to make sure you are safe and that you have a friend to lean on. Shit isn't normal for us, I know but what is normal is you and I, by blood, by name, by looks. Nobody, not even Dreykov can take that away" she wiped your tears that didn't stop, she said all the things you needed to hear but still it didn't change how you felt deep down, and the dark cloud of death seemed to grow bigger.

"I…I love you сестра" Yelena said softly as she looked deep into your eyes. She saw the darkness that had consumed your mind, she saw the fight you wanted to give up and it worried her more than she's ever worried about anything. You hugged her tightly as a reply feeling the safety she had to offer and eventually drifted off to sleep in her arms where she let you.

----

Yelena had her own secret that she'd kept from you and after hearing how you felt, she hated herself for telling Wanda to keep a distance from you. Her intentions were good but after last night she knew she had made a mistake. You started to miss Wanda and wondered if she truly was out of town or if your confession had scared her. You'd never felt those feelings before, not for anybody and for you to confess them to somebody was big enough but Yelena wasn't to know that you'd told Wanda about your crush.

That day you spent by the river alone once more. It was a hot day but that didn't stop you from getting lost in your thoughts as you watched countless wildlife creep up to the river for a drink and wonder back into the woods undisturbed by your presence.

"Мэри" Wanda's voice entered your thoughts before you saw her climb up onto the rock, "Мэри" she repeated snapping you out of it. "W-Wanda? Y-you're back" you looked at her but all she saw was sadness. She gently brought a hand up to up your right cheek, her thumb strokes your skin softly. You turned your head away from her, "I'm sorry" she spoke, "I didn't mean to disappear like that, I swear" she added.

"W-was it because of what I said?" You asked, still not looking at her. "No" she smiled softly to herself at the memory, "I only did what Yelena asked" Wanda admitted. You turned to face her again, this time with a frown.

"What do you mean? What did Yelena ask?"

"Yelena asked me to give you space for a few days…. I…I thought that's what you wanted" Wanda lightly frowned when it was clear that Yelena did this without your acknowledgement. "I hated not seeing you and it's only been a few days" she added. "Yelena told you to give me space? Why?" you asked, ignoring her last comment.

"I don't think she likes the idea of us"

"Oh" your eyes dropped, "Hey" Wanda gently cupped your face once more and brought it up to look at her, "I like the idea of us" she looked into your eyes "and I like you too" she added. You wished her words changed the way you felt but they didn't, and your eyes dropped once more. "Please look at me" Wanda spoke softly, your eyes looking up at her slowly, her thumb gently stroking your face once more, "can I give you something?" She asked. Her question confused you slightly but you nodded anyway. "Good" she whispered.

Wanda leaned in closer to you, her eyes dropping to your lips as she moved closer to your lips. Your heart started to race, and you sore you felt sweat in the palms of your hands the closer she got. Wanda smiled softly as she reached your lips; your body froze as you felt her lips connect with yours. They were soft and warm, you wanted more, you never wanted her to stop as she deepened the kiss, bringing her free hand to cup your other cheek. You were too sure if you kissing her back was what you were supposed to do but it felt right, and you kissed her back just as hard.

Wanda smiled against your lips once the two of you remembered the need for air was strong. Your cheeks felt like they were on fire as Wanda pulled back, brushing a lock of hair behind your ear. You wore a smile on your lips that you couldn't hide. Wanda licked her lips and smiled softly once more. "Can we d- "

"Yes" Wanda nodded already knowing your question, "we can do it as much and whenever you feel like it" she spoke, and you liked that idea very much.

"Can you forgive me?" She asked.

"After that? Yes" you nodded with a soft smile, "I'd like to that again, if you don't mind" you added. Wanda chuckled before gently placing her lips on yours once more, this time the kiss was softer and slightly longer, you took a mental note to remember the giddy and fluttering feeling Wanda's lips gave you so you could add it to your sketch book.

That night you couldn't stop thinking about the feel of Wanda's lips as she gave you your first ever kiss. You've read about moments in books and seen it displayed at school and sometimes catching Melina and Alexei kiss but it never crossed your mind that you'd be doing it with somebody, ever. That is not to say that you weren't mad at Yelena, you just didn't want to end the day getting into an argument with her.

Everything was fine until your eyes started to drape shut.

"You must come!! He's so close! Please I'm begging you! Don't leave me out her for him!! Help!!"

The cries for help returned once again as expected. This time you weren't giving up.

"Help me!!! Please!!!"

You followed the cries deep into the woods once again, this time going deeper than any night before. A heatwave soon caught your attention as you wandered in its direction.

Yelena was woken by Natasha lightly shaking her, "Yelena wake up, it's Y/n she's gone again" she spoke as Yelena woke. "What do you mean gone?" She rubbed her eyes. "Into the woods, I've been keeping an eye on her each night. She's good further tonight get up. I'm waking Melina and Alexei" she explained before leaving the bedroom.

"You're so close I can see you! Please help me! I want to go home, I'm so scared"

The young voice spoke as you got closer to the heatwave. "I'm coming" you said and kept walking.

"She can't have gotten far" Melina said as she hurried to put her boots on. "If she's sleep walking, it's possible" Natasha replied. "You should've told us!" Melina looked up at Nat with concern. "Enough, it doesn't matter right now" Alexei stopped the two from breaking into an argument as he grabbed his handgun. Yelena stormed down the stairs in a rush, not caring for anybody she bumped into on her way out the back door. "Yelena! Wait!" Natasha called.

"No! She's my sister! I'll find her" Yelena snapped then continued walking towards the woods.

"He's coming! PLEASE!!"

The cries got louder as you hurried through the woods, the heatwave becoming bigger and the cries for help seemed closer.

"Where are you?!" You called out.

"Just a little more! I can see you; I am stuck! Please hurry"

The voice replied giving you another hint of the direction it came from. After a few more passing moments the heatwave you picked up disappeared leaving you confused.

"I can't believe it" a voice spoke with a chuckle, "you actually came" the voice stepped into the moonlight. "Asya?!" You frowned, your stomach dropping. "Surprise!" She laughed, "that was so easy and kind of adorable how worried you were" she circled around you, "running out here like a little puppy" she adds.

"Enough!" A deeper voice emerged from the darkness of the woods in front of you. Your stomach turned as you came face to face with the deeper voice before you felt a prick like pinch to your neck and your vision blurred out before you saw darkness.

"Take her to the jet" Dreykov muttered to his guards as one scooped you up from the hard group. "Good job Asya" he turned to her "but you won't be coming back with us" he adds.

"W-what do you mean?" She stuttered. Dreykov looked to another one of his guards, "стереть ее" he spoke before making his way back into the woods towards the jet. With the command, Asya was executed without a sound.

—-

"Y/n!" Yelena called out to you as did the others as they made their way through the woods.

"Guys!" Yelena called out to the others once she almost tripped over Asya's body. Melina caught up and flashed the flashlight on her before kneeling to feel for a pulse. "She's still warm" Melina looked up, "Y/n can't be far" she added. "What the hell is Asya doing out here" Yelena frowned as she looked up at Natasha, "where the hell is my sister?!" She added.

The four searched the woods till the early hours of the morning, there was no sign of you anywhere.

"He has her, I know it!" Yelena turned and snapped at the other three.

"Yelena, we can't think like that" Melina took a step towards her, but Yelena shook her head and stormed by them, making her way back to the house. The other followed behind with a fair distance behind her. "Whatever happened here tonight was enough for Y/n to leave Asya like that" Natasha spoke, breaking the silence. "We don't know if she killed her" Melina looked to Nat, a hint of worry filling her eyes as she looked over to Alexei. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him as they walked, "she is a strong girl, she'll come home" he assured her.

Yelena didn't waste any time calling Kate and Wanda for help when she got back to the house. "I think I might know where she is" Wanda spoke with hope, "but you guys can't come with me. I promised her it was a place she could go if she needed" she added.

"I'm coming!" Yelena stood her ground.

"Just stay with Kate. If Y/n is where I think she is, I'll text you and I'll bring her back"

"No! I don't know what the hell you tow have going on but she's my sister! I promised her I'd protect her, I promised to be there for her! We're coming with you"

"Yelena, please! Just trust me on this. Y-you don't know how important this place has been for her"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Yelena stepped forward. Wanda's jaw clenched as Yelena's eyes filled with anger. "Guys, this isn't the time to fight! We need to find Y/n" Kate inserted herself before anything could happen. "We are coming with you" Yelena said again with more sternness to her tone giving the two a few more moments of strong eye contact before Wanda nodded lightly, "fine" she mumbled.

Wanda took Yelena and Kate through the woods to the river side where she hoped deeply that you would be sitting on the rock like she usually found you. "How much further?" Yelena asked in a frustrated tone. "Sh…she should be here. This…this is our spot" Wanda replied, her heart sunk to her stomach when you were sitting on the rock with your sketch book or glazing at the water. "Well, she's not here so that was a waste of time" Yelena turned to start walking back to the house. "Lena, wait" Kate stopped her and looked between her two friends.

"You both know Y/n well enough. Yelena you're her sister and Wanda, she's close with you. Has she ever mentioned anything about leaving or running away?" Kate asked.

"No!" Yelena replied without a second thought.

"Yes"

"What? No, she hasn't! What are you talking about?" Yelena frowned.

"She told me. She said she hated feeling like a problem and that if she went away that everything would go back to normal for you and the others" Wanda explained.

"You spend a few weeks with my sister and suddenly you think you know her? Does she know about you? About the mind reading and the magic? Or did you leave that information out?!"

"Yelena, stop!" Kate spoke, trying to avoid an argument.

"I know more than you think, Yelena! You're upset and I understand that. We're all worried but don't blame me for this! If she has ran off, maybe it's because you failed to tell her you asked me to keep my distance after she told me she had feelings for me!"

"Guys, please! This is not the time to fight" Kate stepped in once more. Yelena's eyes dropped to Wanda's feet, "You told her about that?" She asked. Wanda nodded, "I wasn't going to lie to her. She deserved to know the truth. Yelena, she thought she scared me off, that I wasn't" Wanda stopped herself from saying another further, "Kate's right, we need to find her"

"Wasn't what?!" Yelena looked up at Wanda once more.

"We should split up and see if maybe she's just hiding out around her somewhere" Wanda ignored Yelena.

"Wasn't what, Wanda? Answer the question" Yelena repeated. Wanda threw her head back slightly to keep herself from crying with worry. "She thought I wasn't interested. That I didn't feel the same! You made her feel that I wanted nothing to do with her!" She snapped wanting Yelena to stop digging for more information. "You like her?" Yelena asked.

"Like? It doesn't matter"

"Tell me! Do you have feelings for her?!"

"Yes Yelena! I do! I think she's the best thing to have walked into my life after all that shit with HYDRA! She made me feel again! Is that what you want to hear?! Y/n is out there somewhere and you're fucking worried if I have feelings for her! Fucks sake, Yelena!"

Kate was taken back by Wanda's tone and her words left Yelena speechless. "I'm going to look for her and if I find her, I'll call!" Wanda said before storming off into the woods. "Wanda!! Come back!" Kate called only to be ignored.

"Let her go" Yelena spoke turning her back to Kate so she wouldn't see the tears in her eyes, "I know where she is" she added. "Then let's go get her!" Kate said with hope, but Yelena shook her head, "we can't" tears fell from her eyes, "I don't know where she's gone but I know where she's going" she spoke softly before making the slow walk back to the house leaving Kate behind.

#yelena belova #yelena belova x reader #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #marvel #fanfiction

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dragoncityinteriordesign · 2 years ago

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The question you never knew you wanted to ask was, “If a bird was also a human, would she dress normal?” Lucky for you, Ya Qing is here with the answer: oh good heavens no.

Ya Qing dresses like a Drag Race contestant got the challenge prompt “Edgar Allen Poe” and had only ever read one thing by Edgar Allen Poe. Her outfit is a combination of thrift-store finds and things you could not find at a thrift store because no one ever wore them in the first place. She looks like a Victorian widow and somebody’s “fallen angel” OC had a transporter accident. I love this for her.

Let’s do this top-down:

Her fascinator is doing amazing triple duty with its poof of feathers, the sparkly beading in the center, and the lightweight mourning veil that hovers menacingly over her forehead. Her hair is pulled back in two braids on either side, each of which gets run through two silver beads; the rest of it gets knotted into a high ponytail that kind of gets lost underneath all the feathers. Whatever burgundy she’s chosen for the highlights, it’s really working for her.

She’s got a single earring on her left ear, one that connects with a chain up to an ear cuff like she’s Bajoran, and the ear cuff has extra wind-chime-like danglies on it. Based on this and the single earring Da Qing wears, I thought briefly they might be going with a thing where all the yashou have single earrings, which would have been a great costuming choice. But alas, no. (For all Zhu Hong loves her necklaces, she doesn’t wear earrings at all.)

Strange as it seems based on the overall effect, I don’t think she’s wearing a dress per se. It looks to me like her outfit is three parts: a feathered cape, a lacy high-cut bodysuit, and a long skirt. In one of the shots up there, you can see both her shoulder and part of her side, which makes it look like what’s covering her torso is disconnected from the other pieces. The bodysuit has a thick, stiff collar, which suits her pretty long neck.

The feathered cape is ... well, it’s a lot. Obviously most of it’s happening around her shoulders, where there’s big sprays of flight feathers just behind her neck and down around her shoulders, with a downy layer between them. It has sleeves too, but those sleeves are like Nightmare Boy’s, in that they’re slit up the side and therefore mostly just suggestions of sleeves. It also has a long cape down the back, almost as long as her skirt is and of the same material, which sometimes makes it hard to tell where one stops and the other starts.

Her gloves are everything. They’re so weird. On the tops of her fingers and the backs of her forearms, they’re a completely different lace pattern from her bodice; underneath, they’re solid leather. They go up just below her elbows, where they stop with a curtain of thin loose silver chains. I cannot tell if the chains are attached to the gloves, or if they’re just an extra layer she’s strapped on. When she has her arms by her sides, her almost-sleeves mostly hide them; this is good, because they have the amazing effect of looking great in motion and kinda doofy when they’re just dangling there.

That asymmetrical pleather belt is every belt my mother owned in 1987.

I love her skirt, which has so many layers that it gives her extra menacing vibes whenever she’s walking. It’s full enough that it’s got about five different hemlines all going at the same time, and it’s long enough that it brushes the ground when she walks. Alas, I couldn’t get a good shot of it, but she’s also got on some amazing chunky-heeled black ankle boots on under there.

I’m assuming that either her look is based on the woman in the first-episode backstory art, or vice versa. However, that lady is clearly supposed to be mutating down in Dixing, so something jumped tracks here. (Obviously Ya Qing herself is in there too, in the shot with all three yashou, but that’s more clearly supposed to be an actual drawing of her final look.)

I also love how absolutely none of the other birdies dress like this. She is indeed the proverbial rara avis.

#guardian #zhen hun #dragon city fashion #yashou

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keeper-of-gates · 3 years ago

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Poptropica; the pinnacle of creating stories to wreak a kid via emotional principles that caused a domino effect on my writing and unhealthy connections with characters.

Reasons include;

1. I never recovered from Monster Carnival and I hope raven gets a good ending when they release the island again. My man deserves so much more.

2. Astro Knights being the proper introduction to Poptropica as a whole, with Merlin the owl being the first animal I had emotionally attached myself to. The reaction I had when Binary Bard just attacks Merlin, was that even though I knew as a child that both Mordred and Merlin's relationship was merely creator and creation, there was a sense that Binary Bard really had some form of emotional bond with the robots he made while in hiding, and that the bird wasn't on his side made him snap emotionally, even after two decades. I will live on this hill regardless. Never let this island be behind a membership.

3. The idea that islands correlate and connect with each other. I may not have enjoyed mythology island (because I had no clue what I was doing and didn't want to look up a walkthrough) but by god did I enjoy knowing that Dr. Juipter was Zeus the entire time I was going through the dreams of super villains and that the boss fight was correlating to the same boss fight on mythology. Not even that, the entirety of supervillain island is the anchor point for nine different islands (ten when including reality tv because both Dr Hare and Black Widow show up as contestants). Good shit, enjoy red string connections.

4. Main plots. There is always a single plot point that makes each island unique with ideas branching off the main plot. becoming a detective and the culprit constantly avoiding you for Mystery Train, shrinking "Honey i shrunk the kids" style while the kid whose house you're stuck in left clues for you to find in Shink ray, superheroes who have id and need to capture five criminals to even be considered as a superhero in Super Power. it always made my job making fanfics easier; understand the main plot before adding filler and the nitty-gritty

5. Ghost Story, Cryptids and Vampire's Curse. No need to elaborate.

and 6. Poptropica being my source of entertainment as a kid, it guided me into its world by including me in both the genre and the plot.

Case in point; Poptropica is top of children's entertainment I enjoyed and will continue to love with my heart despite what world we live in.

#poptropica #binary bard #ringmaster raven #dr hare #black widow

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lizzie-is-here · 3 years ago

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•lizzie’s masterlist•

requests (closed)

series:

acta, non verba- follow your journey as the avenger’s lawyer, and become a bit more.

girls just wanna have fun- you are the most popular girl at midtown tech, and you have eyes for only one boy. peter parker.

like the dawn- the captain, the soldier, and the angel: the infamous trio. who knew it all started on a playground?

lonely is a man without love- a vigilante, a gift-shoppist, a bonus vigilante, a bird skeleton, and an ex-black widow. the recipe for chaos.

dear reader- one shots inspired by the one and only music industry

one shots:

kate bishop, hawkeye

waking up early for work- a lazy morning where kate doesn’t quite want you to leave the bed yet

and there was only one bed- you and kate have known each other for years, sharing a bed is fine, totally fine

don’t. fucking. touch her.- a bar, a gross guy, your hawkeye in shining armor, and an arm wrestling contest

sacrifices- kate tries to break up with you to keep you safe. keyword: tries

bucky barnes, the white wolf

december 16- bucky watches a documentary that he stars in

poppies and babies’ breath- the holiday of love, and bucky doesn’t know how to ask you out

the white cat pt. 1- there’s a man looming outside the animal shelter. bucky finally works up the courage to come in

the white cat pt. 2- alpine takes the role of cupid. minus the bow, wings, and diaper

peter parker, spider-man

naughty list- you haven’t seen peter in weeks, but your meet-up gets interrupted

shang-chi, the holder of the ten rings

a christmas proposal- nothing quite like christmas engagement pictures

headcanons:

lunar new year’s with the avengers- chinese!reader celebrates lunar new year with avengers and co.

spending valentine’s day single + the avengers- you’re single, but so is most of the team. so you all get drunk together.

international women’s day + the avengers- who run the world?

colorguard!reader x peter parker- exactly what it says on the tin

#masterlist #fanfic #fan fiction #marvel x reader #avengers x reader #x reader #mcu x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #kate bishop x female reader #kate bishop x reader #peter parker x reader #shang chi x reader

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toondisneypunx · 3 years ago

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Movies and shows I have been watching recently (June - October 2021)

1. Loki

Rating: 9.5/10

I really enjoyed this series and seeing the character again. I loved all the new characters that were introduced and the story was phenomenal. It’s only weakness was that the plot was hard to follow.

2. Black Widow

Rating: 10/10

Finally, the film we’ve been waiting patiently for throughout the pandemic, Black Widow. Despite the long and painful wait, it was well worth it. Black Widow not only had a great storyline, but it introduced some great new characters. I also cannot forget to mention the well written humour in this film.

3. Atypical (season 4)

Rating: 10/10

I personally a huge fan of Atypical. I very much enjoyed the first three seasons and the characters. The fourth and final season did not disappoint. I enjoyed watching through Sam and Casey’s development. Definitely a good series finale!

4. Monsters at Work

Rating: 7.5/10

While I liked all the new characters and the humour, I felt like some episodes were boring and repetitive. However, this will not disappoint fans of the original movie and keeps the original charm.

5. The Owl House (Season 2a)

Rating: 10/10

Great continuation of season 1. We were introduced to many new amazing characters such as Hunter and Raine. The story began to build up very well. The season was intense in its tone and I can’t wait for season 2b.

7. Snake Eyes

Rating: 3.5/10

While the concept was innovative, it was executed poorly. The story was confusing and the film was boring in general. The action sequences were filmed with a shaky camera that hurt my eyes during the film.

8. I’m Not Okay With This

Rating: 10/10

Such an underrated Netflix series. I’m Not Okay With This was a well written, brilliant series with great characters and representation. This is a top notch indie Netflix series. Unfortunately, it ended at just one season but deserved a second season.

9. The Loud House Movie

Rating: 7/10

I am personally not a fan of The Loud House but I watched this movie out of curiosity and thought it was solid. I enjoyed the songs and heck, it had some good humour. My biggest complaint is that the movie’s plot was predictable. However, it is still worth watching.

10. Rick and Morty (season 5)

Rating: 9.5/10

While season 5 is not my favourite Rick and Morty season, it was better than season 4. I enjoyed many of the episodes, including the season finale and the return of bird person. There were many funny scenes throughout the season as well.

11. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Rating: 10/10

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was not only exceptional asian representation, it brought light to asian stigmas in an accurate way. Also, the story was entertaining and it had clever humour throughout the film.

12. Wander Over Yonder

Rating: 9.5/10

I remember when the show was airing and I never wanted to watch it. Then, I decided to give it a chance and I absolutely loved it. I loved how the show made the audience root for the villains more than the heroes, defying clichés of TV villains. I also enjoyed the overall plot in the second season of the show, despite its simplicity.

13. The Ghost and Molly McGee

Rating: 8/10

This review is based on what I have seen so far in this show. I enjoy this show and the characters a lot. However, some of the episodes feel repetitive. I see a ton of potential later on in this show, however, season 1 is probably just a buildup of what is to come. I cannot wait to watch new episodes.

14. Amphibia (season 3)

Rating: 10/10

This is a review of what has been released so far. I really enjoy season 3 of Amphibia so far, especially how Hop Pop, Sprig and Polly interact in the human world. I cannot wait to see more of season 3.

15. Love on the Spectrum (season 2)

Rating: 10/10

Before people come after me, I am autistic myself and I really enjoyed this show. I watched the first season when it was released and I decided to binge this season in one day. I enjoyed following the contestants on the show trying to find true love and how it presents itself. I also very much enjoyed the LGBTQ+ inclusion in this show. Definitely recommend!

#loki #Black Widow #monsters at work #the owl house season 2 #the owl house #atypical season 4 #atypical #snake eyes #im not okay with this #the loud house #the loud house movie #rick and morty season 5 #rick and morty #shang chi #Wander Over Yonder #The Ghost And Molly McGee #amphibia #amphibia season three #love on the spectrum

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crowdvscritic · 3 years ago

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crowd // REBECCA (1940)

Photo credits: IMDb.com

If you’ve ever felt like you can’t live up to expectations, have I got the movie for you.

We meet our heroine (Joan Fontaine) in the south of France, working as a companion to an older woman touring Europe. But the highlight of her trip is meeting the dashing Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier), who proposes and whisks her to his home in England, Manderley. But the new Mrs. de Winter learns she has glamorous shoes to fill, specifically those of the first Mrs. de Winter. Rebecca, the previous mistress of Manderley, hosted elegant parties, earned the adoration of the staff, and left her husband in a fog upon her death. Maxim’s new bride is competing with Rebecca’s ghost not just for her husband’s affection but for her own happiness.

Here’s the thing about Alfred Hitchcock movies: They don’t age. Like Rebecca, they remain captivating and beautiful for new audiences long after their time has passed. Rebecca may not be a pop culture icon like North by Northwest, Psycho, or Vertigo, but it’s just as well-paced, just as thrilling, and just as accessible. (Or as much as The Birds, Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, Strangers on a Train, To Catch a Thief—wow, I could keep going quite a long time.) While I’ve yet to marry a fancy pants widower with a fancy pants English estate—though I’m happy to report I do still have that option available to me—I still found Mrs. de Winter’s situation relatable. Mrs. de Winter is fighting for her her own slice of identity from the leftovers left of the hostess with the most-ess Rebecca. Wrestling with a queen bee for respect is a contest every woman knows too well—most of us are just lucky we aren’t tussling with a memory in effigy.

Rebecca’s tension doesn’t build thanks to sudden violence like Psycho or the mysterious circumstances of North by Northwest—it’s a slower burn, like Rear Window or Vertigo. The circumstances we watch may not be unusual, but a subtle dread manifests thanks to social anxieties and fears of the unknown. Anyone who has lived through the horrors of middle school knows the isolation that comes with not fitting in your own skin or with the people around you—unfortunately for Mrs. de Winter, she can’t just hold out till graduation. She has married into a world of privilege and into the arms of a man haunted by his past, and our unease grows with every new revelation that builds a new bar on her gilded cage. While I won’t spoil the ending, I will say its most dramatic moments feel entirely earned by then, though you would have never guessed in the first scenes that’s where we were headed.

Bottom line: Rebecca is still a thrill 81 years later.

POPCORN POTENTIAL: 9/10

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actuallylorelaigilmore · 4 years ago

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2021 movies

this year, i’m aiming to watch 50 movies i haven’t seen before. so i can keep track, my want-to-see list is behind the cut. it includes the ones you guys recced me in 2020 that i haven’t gotten to yet plus some i’ve added since. i’ll link to reviews here, and cross them off as i go.

4th man out (2015)

12 years a slave (2013)

a family man (2016)

a simple favor (2018)

a single man (2009)

a wrinkle in time (2018)

about time (2013)

admission (2013)

all the bright places (2020)

always be my maybe (2019)

ammonite (2020)

an education (2009)

ant man (2015)

ant man and the wasp (2018)

aquaman (2018)

arrival (2016)

atonement (2007)

august: osage county (2013)

australia (2008)

bad education (2019)

be kind rewind (2008)

bedazzled (2000)

begin again (2013)

big eyes (2014)

billy elliot (2000)

black widow (2021)

blockers (2018)

bohemian rhapsody (2018)

bowfinger (1999)

boy erased (2018)

brideshead revisited (2008)

bright young things (2003)

burn burn burn (2015)

cairo time (2009)

can you ever forgive me? (2018)

casino royale (2006)

chef (2014)

cinderella (2021)

clemency (2019)

coco (2017)

colette (2018)

crazy rich asians (2018)

crouching tiger, hidden dragon (2000)

cruella (2021)

demolition man (1993)

devil’s knot (2013)

dog day afternoon (1975)

dreamgirls (2006)

earth girls are easy (1988)

effie gray (2014)

enola holmes (2020)

eurovision song contest: the story of fire saga (2020)

fast color (2018)

fright night (2011)

galaxy quest (1999)

girls trip (2017)

goodbye christopher robin (2017)

gosford park (2001)

happy death day (2017)

happy death day 2u (2019)

happy texas (1999)

her smell (2018)

hidden figures (2016)

high school musical (2006)

high school musical 2 (2007)

high school musical 3 (2008)

holes (2003)

how to talk to girls at parties (2017) how to train your dragon (2010)

hysteria (2011)

i am not your negro (2017)

i don’t feel at home in this world anymore (2017)

i, tonya (2017)

if beale street could talk (2018)

in the heights (2021)

inception (2010)

infinitely polar bear (2014)

jackie (2016)

jane got a gun (2015)

joyful noise (2012)

judas and the black messiah (2021)

junebug (2005)

jupiter ascending (2015)

just mercy (2019)

keeping mum (2005)

knife fight (2012)

kubo and the two strings (2016)

lady bird (2017)

laggies (2014)

last christmas (2019)

last holiday (2006)

late night (2019)

legally blonde (2001)

lemonade mouth (2011)

lilo & stitch (2002)

little (2019)

logan lucky (2017)

love, simon (2018)

love hard (2021)

ma rainey's black bottom (2020)

mansfield park (1999)

mars attacks! (1996)

mary queen of scots (2018)

me and earl and the dying girl (2015)

meet the robinsons (2007)

megamind (2010)

men in black international (2019)

mermaids (1990)

miss peregrine’s home for peculiar children (2016)

miss pettigrew lives for a day (2008)

miss sloane (2016)

monkey business (1952)

monuments men (2014)

moonlight (2016)

moonrise kingdom (2012)

morning glory (2010)

mr. magorium’s wonder emporium (2007)

mr. mom (1983)

much ado about nothing (2011)

nancy drew and the hidden staircase (2019)

nanny mcphee (2005)

nanny mcphee returns (2010)

never let me go (2010)

no time to die (2021)

northanger abbey (2007)

obvious child (2014)

old (2021)

other people (2016)

pacific rim (2013)

paddington (2014)

paddington 2 (2017)

palm springs (2020)

parasite (2019)

paris is burning (1990)

passing (2021)

penelope (2007)

pete’s dragon (2016)

pirate radio (2009)

please stand by (2017)

pride (2014)

pride and prejudice and zombies (2016)

professor marston and the wonder women (2016)

quantum of solace (2008)

return to oz (1985)

rise of the guardians (2012)

rocketman (2019)

roll bounce (2005)

saving face (2004)

say anything (1989)

seeking a friend for the end of the world (2012)

shang-chi and the legend of the ten rings (2021)

shoplifters (2018)

short term 12 (2013)

sing street (2016)

single all the way (2021)

skyfall (2012)

sleeping with other people (2015)

someone great (2019)

soul (2020)

spiderman: far from home (2019)

spiderman: homecoming (2017)

spiderman: into the spiderverse (2018)

spotlight (2015)

spy kids (2001)

stage fright (2014)

strip down, rise up (2021)

suicide squad (2016)

taylor swift: miss americana

teeth (2007)

tell it to the bees (2018)

the anniversary party (2001)

the batman (2021)

the beguiled (2017)

the best exotic marigold hotel (2012)

the breadwinner (2017)

the children act (2017)

the craft: legacy (2020)

the disaster artist (2017)

the divine order (2017)

the emperor’s new groove (2000)

the fall (2006)

the favourite (2018)

the fighting temptations (2003)

the five year engagement (2012)

the gentlemen (2020)

the godfather (1972)

the godfather part 2 (1974)

the godfather part 3 (1990)

the great gatsby (2013)

the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society (2018)

the hate u give (2018)

the hunchback of notre dame (1996)

the hunt (2020)

the iron lady (2011)

the legend of tarzan (2016)

the master (2012)

the notebook (2004)

the old guard (2020)

the photograph (2020)

the prince of egypt (1998)

the princess switch 3: romancing the star (2021)

the prom (2020)

the queen (2006)

the second best exotic marigold hotel (2016)

the secret garden (2020)

the skeleton twins (2014)

the spy who dumped me (2018)

the suicide squad (2021)

the trial of the chicago 7 (2020)

the truman show (1998)

the united states vs. billie holiday (2021)

the velocipastor (2018)

the way he looks (2014)

the world to come (2020)

their finest (2016)

this means war (2012)

tick, tick...boom! (2021)

to all the boys: p.s. i still love you (2020)

to all the boys: always and forever (2021)

tootsie (1982)

treasure planet (2002)

troop zero (2019)

two lovers and a bear (2016)

us (2019)

valley girl (2020)

velvet goldmine (1998)

venom (2018)

victoria & abdul (2017)

walk the line (2005)

what we do in the shadows (2014)

where’d you go, bernadette (2019)

widows (2018)

wild target (2010)

wonder woman 1984 (2020)

yesterday (2019)

young adult (2011)

zombieland: double tap (2019)

#2021 movies

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fulgensun · 4 years ago

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; about Spira - through the Fiends Tales

I said I would have done it, and here it is. While not being a very good in-game mechanic, one which can even be soft-locked in case YRP level up too fast, the Fiend Tales in FFX-2 aren’t completely silly, or useless in my opinion. They offer much to think about, mostly because they do reflect a non-idealized vision of Spira -- contrary to what Tidus’ POV may offer us, before shifting into something else, something bigger and closer to reality. The Fiend Tales are, in fact, stories of Spirans, people who died somehow and turned into monsters -- some before, some during and some other even after the events of both FFX and FFX-2.

They narrate their tales to Yuna, presumably (she has to catch them, after all), and find a way to either ascend to the Farplane or to avenge their death, if violent one. They are common folk, priests, heretics, Al-Bheds, elders, children even -- ! What I found fascinating was that their tales did offer slices of common life of all major Spiran cities, routines, dangers for certain workers and habits, even traditions... all part of a Spira we haven’t really seen in-game; for what use is a firework festival in Besaid to a future Summoner or their Guardians ready to eradicate Sin, for example hmm ? Yet it exists, in the FFX universe. SO. I decided, for rp sake and to also make things a tad tidier, to list and explain here some of the things about these Spiran Tales that I consider cute, funny, important or worth some more thoughts. I’ll leave the specific Tales next to the info, too.

-- Children in Spira attend a school, the Temple School. Obviously founded by the Temple, it makes sense it provides a basic education while indoctrinating them to Yevon -- which isn’t hard to do anyway, before and during FFX; orphaned children are also taken by the Temple / Temple schools, most likely trained to either become priests or warrior monks in adulthood. Monks, specifically, are trained to what gets called ‘Yevon Academy’, which prepares them for military life; its volunteers move to this academy and don’t see their family till they graduate, but can write them letters. [ Doggo the Coyote, Big Mama the Protochimera, Jaws II the Xiphactinus, Happy-Birb the Peregrine ]

-- The Tale of Happy-Birb is very sad, and refers to children and temple. I feel it gives us a good example of how hard life could be, for... a rather gifted kid. “ I always kept to myself in a tiny room in the temple, staring outside my window. I had no friends, no family to look out for me. If I were to suddenly vanish one day, would anything be different? Since I was supposedly orphaned after an attack by Sin, I was raised in the temple of Kilika. They tell me my parents were killed by Sin, but I know it’s a lie. Why would I be the only one to survive? The monks told me I had to be strong to provide hope for the future of Spira. I didn’t want to go on living in such a sad world. So I decided to take a gamble. One night, I fled the temple. [...] But when I encountered a fiend in the woods, I froze. I don’t want to die, I screamed. I truly wanted to live. ” Don’t the monks’ words sound familiar, to you? It’s speculation, but it sounds like this child exhibited the potential to become a Summoner, his family refused to let him train as one and they were disposed of -- so that the child could come into the “custody” of Yevon and ‘provide hope’. Summoner potential isn’t hereditary, mind that, but you kinda get the mentality that might have made Braska think Yuna wasn’t safe in the religious capital of Spira. The boy, here, was just ten years old.

-- Spira has a considerable amount of criminals, for a world that should - utopically, be united by the tragedy Sin represented for everyone. Thieves considering burglary their very ‘grand career’; killers having no remorse in deceiving old people to obtain their inheritance; Al Bhed hitmen sent to kill Yevonite children in temples or wandering priests, children kidnappers, kids thieves in Luca killing one another for money, etc. [ Bulbasaur the Purpurea, Mittens the Couerl, Brick the Bicocette, Bolt Josh ]

-- Engagements are a quite serious thing, considering a family could not bless the union if the suitor was of a lower class (even between relatively common people), or just too poor to be deemed worthy. A refined girl from a well-to-do family in Bevelle was forbidden, for example, to love a young sailor. Engagement rings are also a thing, and the Moonflow riverbanks are lovers’ favorite dating spot. [ Frosty the Flan Pallido, Boko the Chocobo, Venom the Gucumatz ]

-- So many Tales from children, it kinda gives off a very sad vibe considering they too can turn and not reach the Farplane. Many are attacked by monsters, some lost in the desert, way too many others have drowned by the Moonflow when left unsupervised. One Tale tells even of a young thief, a child, who died in jail. Being Spiran kids seems dangerous. [ Lesser Josh, Squelch the Amorphous Gel, Scooter the Vespa, Nexus the Dark Elemental, Widow the Black Elemental ]

-- The Tales narrate of children’s stories and legends. To make their children behave, tell them to stay put and be good, else ‘they will turn into fiends’: the more they misbehave, the uglier their monster form will look. Another old legend says spirits of people who died a violent death make their way to the Moonflow to bloom with the moonlilies. I found this last one is very similar to the old bedtime story in the FFX novel, where Old Spirans believed the souls of the dead bloomed as flowers in the Farplane. With the advent of Sin, though, and the spread of religion, this tale was forgotten. [ Petal the Ochu, Cyanide the Assassin Bee ]

-- The Temple of Macalania is sinking, as Shiva’s Fayth is no more and there is nothing to freeze the lake now. Many people remained trapped in their rooms inside and died during the sinking, like some wives and children of Macalania priests, for example. The few survivors performed their funeral . [ Mayo the White Elemental ]

-- Apparently, people living near Gagazet have a rite of passage for adulthood, which takes place as a boy reaches 20 years of age. He must climb the peak of the mountain alone in the dead of the night and bathe in the first morning lights. Needless to say, it’s quite dangerous, but the Tale is pretty funny. [ Wuff the White Fang ]

-- The excessive usage of machina, by the time of FFX-2, is starting to pollute the water and air. It is said fish and birds are starting to suffer because of it. [ Daisy the Haize ]

-- The punishment for murder, in Spira, is execution. Hissss the Kukulkan was sentenced to death, mistaken for the killer when he was a mere witness of said murder. He spent one year in the cell of Bevelle -- most likely Via Purifico ones (all monsters in Via Purifico are people who were executed nearby -- aside from Omega who was taken to the ruins), to then being sent to the gallow.

-- Malboros have very long lifespans. Their average one is about 300 years, and a legend says the insides of a Malboro over 500 years old are linked to the divine. There’s a legend of a monk who was swallowed by a 700-years-old Malboro, survived the digestive fluids and returned to his people with his battle garb still on. [ Vape Nation the Malboro ]

-- In Luca, if the Goers win Blitzball matches, pubs and bars offer everyone free drinks. In Kilika, instead, barmaids also dance, which is seen as quite the spectacle. Men usually flock to those bars to drink and also bring gifts to the most beautiful dancers, even ending up in fights for their attention. [ Jub Jub the Archaeothyris, Venom the Gucumatz ]

-- Religious Spirans believe in reincarnation. Yuna mentions it in the Ultimania too, referring to her father, and theorizing if, one day, she’ll ever have the chance to meet his soul again, born anew somewhere in Spira. It kinda goes against the principle of souls dwelling in the Farplane, but it’s useful to remember those are mere illusions anyway. A tale says that ‘when looking into the water of an oasis after a sandstorm, you can see yourself in a past life’. [ Venom the Gucumatz ]

-- Footage of Zaon becoming a Fayth exist, and are stored inside long-gone and deactivated machina still found near Zanarkand Ruins, which once served to protect the couple during the Machina War. One of these footages shows Zaon embracing Yunalesca, and her promising him her love and to return safely. [ Punt the YAU71 ]

-- Music seems important in Spira. Yevon Maesters hire musicians, since the most popular music seems to be Yevonite one -- religious, solemn type, played with harps, horns and strings. There seems to be an annual Yevonite concert for the Maesters too. Still, Spira��s most rebellious teens have started rejecting such old-fashioned music and guitars are spreading among youth nowadays. [ Casper the Lich ]

-- At some point in Braska’s pilgrimage, the trio arrived in Bikanel and got separated. A Cactuar and Jecht met at the oasis; the man taught the friendly fiend how to play Blitzball and signed its ball. “ A guy with a huge sword wandered into the oasis. He had strayed from his traveling mates, and he stayed with me for three days. He taught me how to blitz! We didn’t speak the same language but I had fun. I’m clumsy, so it takes a lot of practice to get better. He used to say ‘The only thing the untalented can do is practice!’ with a big laugh. [...] I heard a rumor that said he was dead, but it’s just a rumor, right? ” [ Needler the Cactuar ]

-- A Besaid Festival exists, and it includes a fireworks moment. While Luca has a Eating Contest, where the competitors have to eat 200 crispy-outside, juicy inside Luca sandwiches. The local champion was poisoned before the contest started. [ Akao the Sahagin Prince, Mr Creosote the Anything Eater ]

#meta tag.#[ i left out the most stupid and absurd like.... belgemine's bootleg noah's ark ]#[ or just people who turned into fiends bc they were stupid ]#[ or worse ]#[ as well as shinra being whatever that is ]

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maybemarvelbaby · 5 years ago

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The Hit Girl

Part 1/???

A/N: What’s up? I’m back. We all know I freaking love Natasha, so I decided it would be fun to do kinda like a Tony and Peter thing, but with you and Natasha, plus the Black Widow movie is coming out next year and I’m ecstatic. This will be my first series and I’ll probably turn it into some kind of Peter Parker x reader later on. If you are emotionally attached to these characters (like I am), then this story will probably not be the happiest. I have lots of twists and turns and all sorts of ideas in my head, so I’m really excited to use them. Anyways... Enjoy!!! <3

Pairing(s): mentor!Natasha Romanoff x mentee!Reader, Peter Parker x Reader

Warnings: Language, violence, blood, a Badass Reader, a Badass Momma Romanoff, Sam being a dumbass, Clint and Tony act like they are three years old

Imagine being nothing but a pawn in someone else’s game of chess. That’s what you started out as. You started as a nobody in the Red Room. You were a pawn, you didn’t matter much to the player, used often for distraction, and nobody really cared much if you were lost. You hated that. Being the pawn in someone’s game is the most humiliating and self-degrading position. So, after Natasha Romanoff (one of the facilities strongest assassins) left, you promised yourself that you would take her place as the queen.

You one every sparing match you ever participated in. Each death of your opponent brought you one step closer to your goal. You were 15 by the time you were valued as the queen in the Red Room’s chess game, making you not only the best assassin the facility ever had, but also the youngest to ever achieve that rank. Everyone feared you, the other girls, the guards, even the instructors themselves. You had what you wanted, but still, you longed for more.

When Natasha heard of the news that the Red Room was still running, she was furious. She convinced Tony and Fury to allow her and the other Avengers to get the girls out of that place. The sufferings that Natasha went through during her time at the Red Room were indescribable. She would never wish that kind of pain on anyone, not even her worst enemies.

You were eighteen when it happened. The Avengers were spotted and every girl was killed, every girl except for you. You were their queen, their best attack and defence, without you, the game would be lost. While on your way out of the bunker, your instructors were all shot down, some with bullets in their heads, others with arrows through their hearts. You pulled the small handgun you carried with you and spun around quickly to prepare yourself for battle, but before you knew it, you were face to face with Natasha Romanoff. Part of you wanted to shoot her right then, but the other part of you decided that it might be better if you didn’t. You didn’t know why, but something told you to trust her. She personally escorted you to the Quinjet, Clint Barton watching your back.

As soon as the facility was void of any life, Natasha took the pleasure in blowing up that godforsaken place. You smirked to yourself, you hated that place. You might’ve been the queen, but that was purely survival instincts that kept you in that position and helped you realize how important it was.

“How come she is the only one?” Tony Stark asked, “I thought there was like... thirty-four girls.” His eyes glanced at you suspicously, but you stayed silent.

“The rest were killed, I guess to stop us from having so many like me.” Natasha shrugged, with a tinge of sadness and guilt in her eyes.

“Why is she alive then?”

“I don’t know.” Natasha’s gaze turned back to you as she eyed you up and down.

You decided that if they were to trust you, you needed to communicate. “I am their queen.” You stated like it was the most obvious thing on earth.

“What do you mean you’re their queen?” Clint asked, his hand prepared to reach into his quiver in case you were a deemed threat.

“The Red Room is like a game of chess...” Natasha muttered, deep in thought, “You start out as a pawn. Someone that doesn’t matter much to them, your death is inevitable, and you can be easily replaced. But, you can become a queen, someone that they cannot win the game without. She is the best of them all.”

You caught her gaze and nodded. “Yes, I am their most valuable piece. I won eighty-four sparring matches, and have yet to lose a single one.”

Steve glanced over at Natasha. Her eyes full of anxiety, caution, and wonder.

“How many did you win, Tash?” Steve asked.

“Thirty-two.”

•──────✧✦✧──────•

“What do you mean she’s dangerous? She like four feet tall and super cute!” Sam exclaimed. He had tried to tickle you, but Clint stopped him, explaining you were not to be messed with.

You felt Sam’s words light a fire in your stomach, and you grew enraged. Yes, you were short, but you were not adorable, and you were extremely dangerous. In the blink of an eye, you had Sam pinned to the ground, your knee pressing into his back, his wrists trapped by your hand, and a knife pressing into the back of his neck.

“Call me ‘adorable’ or mention my height again, and I will not hesitate to slit your throat, pluck out your eyes, and feed your organs to the birds you’re named after.” You growled in his ear, before releasing him and backing away. He stood up slowly, fear in his wide eyes and hands raised in surrender. The scary look on your face disappeared and was replaced with the sweetest smile you could make.

“Got it, will not do.”

“Ms. Chernov, you are requested to meet Ms. Romanoff in the training room at this time.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. spoke.

“Let’s go, kid.” Clint said, escorting you to the training room where you were meant to meet with Natasha.

When you walked into the room, Natasha smiled at you warmly, before nodded to Clint to let him know he was dismissed. Clint mouthed ‘good luck’, earning an eye roll from his best friend.

“So, (Y/N), was it?” Natasha asked, reviving a nod from you, “Nice to meet you, I’m Natasha.”

You ignored her extended hand, keeping your perfectly straight posture.

“Anyways, we have some rules for training here, it’s not like the Red Room.” She stated. “Rule number one: there will be no killing, everyone here is an equal, no one is better than another, there are no ‘ranks’ and everyone’s life if valued...” She went on to explain to you every rule and regulation before taking you to a room in the sleeping quarters of the facility. “This is your bedroom, you’re not going to be handcuffed to your bed, so you can move freely, but please don’t kill anyone in their sleep.”

You nodded, thought you didn’t know if you’d be able to keep that promise. Sam has already gotten on your nerves enough to receive a death threat, and you still had half of the other Avengers to meet.

“Last but not least,” Natasha started, before walking into your closet, a high-tech, black catsuit with blue accents, similar to the one that Natasha owned, displayed itself on a mannequin behind a secret door in your closet.

“Welcome to the Avengers, (Y/N).”

Before you could open your mouth to reply, Tony and Clint rushed into the room.

“Tasha!! (Y/N)!!! I got a name!!” Tony yelled enthusiastically.

“So do I! And mine is much better than his!” Clint retorted.

“Anyways... Nat, what do you think of Sapphire Shadow. Cool right?”

“Nonono, Kobalt Killer is much cooler, right Tash?”

The two men continued bickering before Natasha or (Y/N) could even respond.

“Okay, shut up!” Natasha stated harshly, fed up with the childishness of the two men, “why don’t we let (Y/N) decide on her name?”

“Ughh... fineeeeee.” They whined, before turning to face you, “So, (Y/N), what’s it gonna be?”

•──────✧✦✧──────•

IMPORTANT AUTHOURS NOTE:

Okay, so, I have honestly no idea what your name should be, so I’m gonna do a contest thingy to pick a winner. Here are the rules:

Must be commented/ reposted or you can tag me in a post of your own with the name you think would fit the character best

That’s it. There is one rule and the winner of the contest will get sneak peeks and stuff into the story I guess. Anyways, have a lovely rest of your day and thank you so much for reading! <3

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gaylenightingale · 4 years ago

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TUMBLR Inu/Sess Mini Bingo

Chapter 4

Second Love

@redalgaebloom

When the second is born, the unity of the two will be grand.

Any attempts to separate will fail even though well planned.

In time a curse will fall and split the pair, love will slip away like quicksand.

During this time the enemy, he will assail, evil will be at his command.

Long and painful be the time that passes until united they stand

But when they do, faith, hope, love, peace; all will be well in the land.

Life in the fishing village was hard but satisfying. When Izayoi and Inuyasha decided that this village would be their new home they made the best of their situation. Izayoi made money with her embroidery work, selling it to traveling salesmen and Inuyasha did heavy labor jobs, helping with the fishermen and helping around the village. His favorite was patching roofs especially after storms tore them apart. The air was still electric. He could sit on the roof above the people and observe. The mother and son had quickly made a difference in the village. With Inuyasha’s help the men could get more hard work completed. Izayoi had made sure the widowed and infirmed were fed and their clothing mended. They were not treated poorly because of Inuyasha’s hanyou status. No one knew that Inuyasha was a hanyou. He had worn a scarf to cover his ears from the day they arrived at the village.

Izayoi made a head scarf for Inuyasha with embroidery work on it. Every so often she would make him a new one when they had enough supplies. It was not ornate, but it was done well and with love. Each one Inuyasha treasured until it wore out.

Saya, one of the widowed older men that Izayoi had cared for, became a foster grandfather to Inuyasha. Villagers would see the old man teaching the young one how to tie knots, and repair nets. They would sit quietly together and watch the sea late into the night with only the birds and the water as company. Upon Izayoi’s death, Saya who was heirless, declared to all that when he died, his boat and equipment were to go to Inuyasha. He perished not long after Izayoi.

Now motherless and without his foster grandfather Saya, Inuyasha decided he would sail the boat to a bigger town and try and make his way in the world there. The villagers were sad to see him go but they knew the young man carried a great sorrow and perhaps a fresh start would be the best thing for him. They all stood at the edge of the water and waved goodbye to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha loved the sea. Once out of range of the villagers he carefully removed his scarf and allowed the saltwater breeze to blow through his long white hair. The smell of the ocean, the sound of the birds, and the sounds of the water filled his soul and soothed the sadness from the loss of his mother and foster grandfather.

During the journey, several seagulls hovered over him squawking. As soon as he opened his travel food, they tried to steal it. They worked as a team, one distracted him by calling out “mine, mine” and the other took morsels of food. Soon they had stolen half of his meal. Inuyasha began yelling at them that it wasn’t theirs, it was his. Fortunately, the inuhanyou had enough food and water to continue his journey, but he was not fond of the seagulls after that. That was the beginning of Inuyasha’s personal feud with seagulls.

Before long he was within range of Port City. He studied the beautiful handiwork and carefully he put his scarf back on.

The port was full of all sorts of ships, sailing yachts and motorized boats, merchant ships and military crafts, large vessels, and small rafts. Inuyasha smiled with joy. He wanted to sail on the big ships with the tall masts! He loved being up high and watching the world from there. For a second a recollection of running through trees flashed through his mind. He tapped his forehead to bring it into better clarity, but alas the memory was gone. This was not the first time he vaguely remembered something, so he did not dwell on it. He brought his boat into dock next to another fisherman’s.

It wasn’t long until he sold his boat and equipment and hired on to a larger boat and crew as an apprentice sailor. He learned a lot about big ships and was well loved by the crew. He helped with everyone and did not shirk his duties. His enthusiasm about learning boatmanship caught the attention of the captain and soon Inuyasha was often seen at the captain’s right elbow.

Captain Totosai found Inuyasha to be pleasant company and spent many evenings talking to the lad. The captain was old and soon for retirement. Young men typically avoided him because he was “old”. But not Inuyasha. His foster grandfather Saya had been a good man and was well grounded. He had instilled in Inuyasha that wisdom came with age and that it was to be treasured.

In addition to common sense and treasuring wisdom, Inuyasha’s strength and agility served him well. Once during a storm at sea, the sails were stuck, and someone was required to climb the mast and secure them. Inuyasha volunteered and quickly fixed the problem. When he returned to below deck the sailors were surprised that he had accomplished the task so quickly. One accused him of faking it, but another sailor braved the storm to look and saw that the sails were tucked in properly and lashed to the mast as they should.

When Inuyasha was asked how he was able to accomplish that so quickly he told them of all the times he and Saya had tied knots together and of the silly competitions they had had. By the time the storm was over, the crew had bonded, and knot-tying contests had been introduced as regular entertainment.

The missions of the ship varied. Sometimes they fished. Sometimes they moved people and cargo. Sometimes they escorted other ships. Some were short trips and others were long.

One fateful day, the ship was attacked by pirates. Many of the crew didn’t know how to fight. Half were slain within the first wave of the pirate invaders. Inuyasha found a sword on one of the dead and started fighting back. He was lethal, and the pirates retreated. That day the remaining crew named him the “Crimson Demon” because he was covered in blood and had claimed the lives of more pirates than anyone else.

The ship crippled back to port. Their goods were sold, and new crew members solicited. Inuyasha was promoted to second in command. Captain Totosai gave him a new sword and told all that after their next voyage he would be retiring and giving his command to Inuyasha. There was much celebrating and merrymaking.

Many of the crew were going ashore to drink and to wench and asked Inuyasha to join them. He smiled as he told them that he had but one love—the sea—and that they should go without him. But as he turned back to his cabin, he thought to himself, “The sea is my second love. There was one before---I think.’ That night he had dreams of sakura blossoms, nothing more.

Upon hearing of the failed piracy and the sailor who made them retreat, the pirate king beat his subordinates. After he regained control of his temper, the pirate king put a bounty on the Crimson Demon and ordered even more attacks on Port City. His attacks were vicious and brutal. He beheaded anyone who offended him. Slavery, rape, and abuse awaited any who he captured. Every morning the town folk woke fearing this day would be their last. It was a dark and evil time.

Fortunately, the last mission of Captain Totosai went smoothly, and the ship returned to Port City without a scratch. As they moored other sailors ran to the ship. They shared news of the increased number of pirate attacks and how survivors of those attacks said the only demands were to give them the Crimson Demon. When the pirates heard the Crimson Demon was not on the ship they pillaged and burnt the ships.

The sailors shivered in fear but Inuyasha reassured them when he laughed. “I shall buy an outfit of bright crimson so they will not have to ask of my whereabouts, and I will fight any pirate who dares to come aboard my ship!”

Word count: 1436

#inusess#inucest#mini bingo @redalgaebloom#Inusessbingo

#inusessbingo #inuyasha yaoi #inuyasha #inuyasha fanfiction #inuyasha and sesshoumaru

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thecleverdame · 5 years ago

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Sleepy Hollow - Chapter Seven

Series Master List

Pairings: Sam x Reader, mentions of Dean x Jo

Summary: In 1799, specialized police constables Sam and Dean Winchester are sent from New York City to a small town called Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of murders. Approached by the town’s council, the Winchesters discover the local residents believe that the murders are the work of a deadly Hessian horseman whose head has been mysteriously chopped off. With help from the beautiful Y/N Van Tassel, Sam Winchester’s investigation takes him further through the dark wood where more murders have been occurring. What Sam does not realize is that the mysterious Horseman is being controlled by someone in a sinister plot to kill the most suitable men in the village.

Warnings: Canon-level violence, murder, smut, horror, gore and a little fluff for good measure.

Words: 40k

Beta: ilikaicalie

This series is completed. You can read it on my Patreon for a monthly pledge of 2.50. This pledge includes early access to all my stories and Patreon exclusive content. >> CLICK HERE <<

Philipse House - Night

Sam and Dean crouch in the shadows, peeking over the edge of a lighted window, watching men pace and argue.

“Can you make out what they’re saying?” Sam whispers.

“Not when you’re talking.” Dean shoves an elbow into his ribs, moving his ear toward the pane of glass.

Magistrate Philipse is packing his bags while Steenwyk, Lancaster, and Hardenbrook are in agitated conference. Their voices are raised but indecipherable.

“Look out!” Dean hisses, both Winchesters sinking to the ground, pressing their backs against the side of the cottage.

Steenwyck comes right to the window as if he has seen something, but merely closes the shutters. The front door opens and Philipse exits, tying his bag to a horse and quickly riding off into the night.

“That’s not suspect.” Dean snorts.

Road Outside of Town A mounted man is approaching on a heavily loaded pack horse. It’s Magistrate Philipse making his getaway from Sleepy Hollow. Sam and Dean rode ahead not ten minutes before and have been waiting to intercept him. Sam leaps out of the shadows grabbing the bridle of the pack horse.

“What are you doing? Let go!” Philipse shouts, kicking the horse.

“What are you running from, Magistrate Philipse?” Sam thrusts a finger toward him.

“Damn you, Winchester,” the magistrate sputters, still trying to break free. “Both of you quiet down,” Dean hisses. “You'll raise the village.” “You had a mind to help me and now you are leaving,” Sam questions. “Why?”

“Yes, but I am a fool. I put myself in mortal dread of…”

“Of...what?” Dean rolls his eyes. “Powers against which there is no defense,” Philipse whimpers. Sam’s not done with this man, there is more he needs to know and no one is leaving until he’s had his fill.

“How did you know the widow was expecting a child?” Sam presses.

“She told me.” “We are to deduce you are the father,” Dean quips, folding his arms over this chest. “I hope your deductions serve you better in your contest against the Hessian. I am not the father.” “Did she tell you the name of the child's father?” Sam insists.

“Yes, she did.” Philipse is beginning to sweat, looking around him, scanning the line of the woods. “She came to me for advice as the town magistrate.” There’s the sound of sheep in agitation at some distance but Sam holds Philipse to his story. “She wanted to protect the rights of her child. I was bound by my oath of office to keep the secret.” “Do you believe the father killed her?” Dean looks to his brother. Philipse stares at him in surprise. “The Horseman killed her! You damn fools, do you suppose the Horseman stops to impregnate women?” “The Horseman?” Sam scoffs. He’s had enough. “How often do I have to tell you there is no Horseman! There never was a Horseman! And there never will be a Horseman!” Sam grabs him fiercely, pulling on the amulet Philipse wears around his neck. “Let go! It is my talisman that protects me from the Horseman!” “You’re a magistrate and your head is full of such nonsense! Now tell me the name of-” A flock of sheep comes streaming and bleating across the path. The horses go crazy, braying and rearing.

“Sam…” Dean side-eyes his brother, looking toward the forest.

“Don’t start Dean, not this preposterous old-wives tale-”

There’s the distant thundering sound of hoofbeats and the wind kicks up. A flock of bird alights from the woods, flying into the moonlit sky. “Oh my.” Philipse makes the sign of the cross over his heart. ”Oh my, oh my, oh my.”

Philipse throws himself from the horse, scrambling to his feet and running away. The hoofbeats grow louder as Sam and Dean look to the dark of the road before them.

The forest explodes open, foliage bending to make way as the Headless Horseman gallops into view atop his black beast.

“That is no costume.” Dean draws his pistol. Sam is momentarily stunned, unable to believe his eyes. He looks down to draw his flintlock pistol, but the Horseman roars past before he can raise it or Dean can take aim. Everything happens in what feels like seconds. The Horseman chases Philipse who’s looking over his shoulder, running for his life in a flat sprint. The Horseman draws his sword. Philipse gathers his courage and stops, turning. He raises his iron key talisman before him. The Horseman is closing in. “Philipse!” Sam shouts as he and Dean take off toward the magistrate. Philipse holds the talisman up with shaking hands, trying to be fearless. The Horseman swings his sword upon the talisman and Philipse's severed head spins. His body falls and folds to the dirt. The Horseman turns his horse in a wide circle, making a complete turn, letting out a feral cry as the Horseman rides straight toward brothers.

Before either brother has time to take proper aim, the Horseman is upon them, then past. His foot kicks out as he passes Sam, connecting with the youngest Winchester’s temple in a sickening crack as he rides toward Philipse's corpse. The Hessian leans effortlessly to skewer Philipse's head with his sword. With the head as his prize, the Horseman races away. Sam and Dean turn, watching him head back into the forest. “Sam,” Dean grabs his brother. Sam can feel the gush of blood running down from his hairline and then he loses consciousness for the second time in Sleepy Hollow.

Van Tassel House - Sam’s Room Sam gasps awake as there’s a knock at his door. He shoots up in bed and Dean jolts awake from his chair in the corner. “Constable Winchester?” Baltus calls from the hall. Sam looks at his hand balled into a fist. He opens his hand holding both halves of Philipse’s iron key talisman. In the hallway, Young Masbath is seated by Sam's closed door. You’re behind your father who knocks again. “Has he spoken at all?” your father inquires. Young Masbath shakes his head no. Baltus enters, you and Young Masbath follow him, cautiously. Sam sits up in bed looking utterly bewildered.

“He has a concussion.” Dean yawns, getting up from his seat. “It was a Headless Horseman!” Sam mutters. “You must not excite yourself,” your father warns.

“No, you must believe me, it was Horseman! A dead one! Headless! My brother saw it too, tell them, Dean!” Sam looks from you to your father, but there’s not much behind his eyes. “I know, I know.” Baltus nods. “You don't know because you weren't there! But it's all true!” Sam looks to you earnestly. “Of course it is. I told you! Everyone told you!” Baltus exclaims. “I saw him,” Dean confirms, turning to you. “This isn’t good for him. He’s out of his mind, he took a hard hit to the head and he needs time to recover without this kind of agitation.” Sam’s eyes roll up into his skull and he falls back on the pillow.

“Sam,” you say gently, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking his limp hand in yours.

“I suppose it's back to the city then,” Young Masbath sighs.

You stiffen, looking to the elder Winchester who catches your eyes before shaking his head.

“He needs a good night’s sleep is all.” -

A million white milkweed seedlings are floating in the sunlight. Young Sam is laughing in delight as Mary’s blows the seedlings into the air. She hands him a milkweed pod and shows him how to do it for himself.

Sam breaks the pod and releases another million. But when he looks around to share the delight, his Mother has gone, and he sees her disappearing among the trees. He gets up to follow her. Sam can't see his Mother anywhere, he’s searching and searching finally to see her standing in the middle of a beautiful circle in the forest glade, surrounded by toadstools and mushrooms. Sam watches as his Mother spins inside the mushroom circle, almost dancing, his face smiling and happy. She stoops down to pick up a mushroom and eat it, dropping a small piece. He sees it fall, running forward to pick up and popping it into his mouth.

She watches him in delight, takes his small hands in hers, dancing with him. As Sam whizzes around laughing, his point of view becomes the encircling trees whizzing around, and suddenly he seems to be surrounded by menacing headless figures dressed all in black. Sam falls over dizzy and when he looks up he sees that the headless figures have merged into one, becoming his Father, watching his Mother heedlessly dancing, his face like thunder. His mother has loosened her clothes and is virtually bare-breasted. John's eyes begin to glow like live coals as Sam cowers away from him. Suddenly he’s in his house at night. Sam spies through a crack in the kitchen door, wearing a nightshirt that falls past this knees. Mary is seated, her head down. His father paces, chastising his mother angrily, his fist balled up in rage. John continues to berate his mother. He picks up his Bible off the table, waving it, then grabs Mary by the shoulders, forcing her to the floor. John forces her to her knees, she’s afraid, clasping her hands in front of her as John forces her to pray. He starts reading from the Bible. In Sam's dream, this is the same Bible from Baltus's house. Sam watches, afraid. He backs away, retreating upstairs to his room. A window is thrown crashing open, thundering booming. Young Sam sits up in his bed. He goes to close the window, rain pouring in. He looks down... Below, in front of the home, a man is dragging Mary toward a coach. Two other men stand watching, faces hidden under hat brims. His mother looks back, eyes pleading, struggling. In a desperate moment, she looks up to Young Sam. The two men look up to Sam: one is his father, and the third is a man with a villainous face. Sam reaches helplessly toward Mother as she’s forced into the coach. The third man speaks to John, then walks to the coach. He gets onto the coach as the coach starts away. John watches, rain flowing down his stony features. Lightning flashes and in the corner of the room Sam sees the cat watching him with glowing eyes.

Sam awakes, breathing heavily. After a beat, he flings back the bedclothes and springs out of bed, energized by a new determination. He finds Dean in his room, barging in without so much as a knock. His brother is laying on his bed, fully clothed with one hand on his chest.

“I’m glad to see you up and moving,” Dean cracks one eye.

“Perhaps a knock to the head was what I needed.” Sam paces across the floor in front of the fireplace. “The supernatural is alive here, Dean. All the logic in the world can not explain away what we witnessed.”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” Dean sits up with a grunt. “I saw him. There’s no room left for doubt. This place has brought to life a demon, now flesh and blood.”

“I can’t help but wonder, have I closed my mind to other such possibilities? Were there signs, clues pointing in the direction of the Horseman all along? Have we wasted time?”

“No,” Dean shakes his head, one hand on his thigh. “You’re thorough, Sam. That’s what makes you an effective investigator. I didn’t see it either.”

“We cannot be dissuaded.” Sam is animated, head bobbing as he thinks to himself. “If anything, these people need us now, more than ever. There is no man here, except for us, equipped to take on a true nightmare like The Horseman.”

“I agree.” Dean stands, patting his belly, looking around for his coat. He stops, looking at Sam, as he pulls a memory from somewhere in the ether. “Do you remember when you were a little boy and that woman broke into our house? You were sleeping and woke up to her in the bedroom. She was crazed and attacked you.”

“How could I possibly forget that?” Sam snorts. “How old was I? Five? And all of a sudden this woman, who looked very much like a wicked witch, for the record, was clawing at me.”

“Dad intervened before she could do any real harm.” Dean gets lost in the memory.

“He told us she was shtriga. I was convinced that I survived a creature of the night only to find out she was the drunk from next door who’d wandered into the wrong house.”

“Do you ever wonder how many people he killed in the name of God? He was dead set on the idea of good and evil, black and white. Men and monsters. He never stopped to think that perhaps his judgment was clouded. He was nothing more than a preacher turned hunter who saw what he needed to see to be able to sleep at night.”

“Dad was the real monster.” Sam breathes and Dean freezes, jaw tightening as he looks at Sam.

“I guess he was.”

Van Tassel House - Downstairs

Baltus, Steenwyck, Doctor Lancaster and Notary Hardenbrook are having another meeting, this time with you and Lady Van Tassel on hand with the drinks. “Right,” Baltus nods, pacing the room. “This time I'll go to New York myself and I won't be saddled off with more amateur deductors.”

“Detectors.” Hardenbrook corrects. “Deductives, I believe.” Steenwyk raises a finger.

Doctor Lancaster shakes his head. “No, no…” You stand in silence watching a room full of men babble on about nothing.

“Look here, amateur sleuths!” Baltus demands the attention of the room. “This time it is a magistrate that is dead and we-”

The door flies open, hitting the wall with a resounding thud. Sam strides forward, looking not only transformed but raring to go. Dean is quick behind him, folding his arms over his chest with Young Masbath round-eyed just behind them. “Gentleman.” Sam nods, looking around the room. “I need able men to go with us into the Western Woods. Who will be the first to volunteer?”

“You’re going back out?” Your father questions in amazement. “We thought you’d shot your bolt.” “Merely a setback.” Sam’s eyes flicker to you. “It may surprise you to know that this is not the first supernatural creature my brother and I have encountered. Albeit most accounts of ghosts and ghouls have a perfectly preternatural explanation, but in rare cases, such as the one you have here, the culprit is truly metaphysical. There is no one better versed than we are. Today we move forward. We now know who has done these terrible-”

“Now you know, we already knew,” Steenwyck sneers. “Quite so.” Sam concedes.

“It seems fate has chosen us to work a case without parallel in the annals of crime - in short, to pit ourselves against a murdering ghost.” Dean asserts, eyes narrowing as he looks from man to man. You can feel a sickening fear rising in your stomach. Sam has just come into your life and the horseman may snatch him from you just as quickly.

“No, Sam-” You stop short as every soul in the room looks at you. Scrambling to collect yourself you start again. “Constable-”

Your stepmother smiles softly, a knowing grin you’ve come to recognize all too well.

“Tell me, Constables.” Lady Van Tassel looks from you to Sam and Dean. “Do you intend to arrest him? Or impound his horse?”

A low indulgent chuckle erupts throughout the room.

“Neither.” Sam’s unphased. “We intend to put an end to the killing. To discover the cause and remove it. Who’s with us?” This call to arms is met with a heavy silence. No one.

#sam winchester smut #sam winchester fanfiction #sam winchester au #sam winchester x reader

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handeaux · 4 years ago

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Harry Spindler: From Wild Drummer To Wild Kingdom

If you ran into Cincinnati’s Harry Spindler in 1940, and hadn’t seen him since 1920, you might imagine you were meeting a completely different person. Harry had the good luck to find success in two entirely different fields.

In the beginning, Harry was the leader of one of Cincinnati’s pioneer dance bands. It is generally agreed that the first jazz record was pressed early in 1917. By December of that year, “Cincinnati’s Original Jazz Band,” directed by Harry Spindler was sizzling the local hot spots. Harry’s musical career was interrupted by World War I, which he spent as a musician first class in South Carolina.

Harry received an honorable discharge, headed back to Cincinnati and put another “Original Jazz Band” together. When his group headlined the “assembly dansant” at the Odd Fellows Temple on 11 January 1920, Harry was billed as “the Wild Drummer.” The only known recording of Spindler, a jaunty 1925 version of George W Meyer and Alfred Bryan’s “Brown Eyes, Why Are You Blue?” (Cameo 781) sounds all but sedate to modern ears, with no percussive pyrotechnics to speak of. An Enquirer article [9 September 1937] describes a photo of Harry’s old drum kit:

“The picture shows a drummer with more aids fastened to a trap drum than there are instruments in a modern cockpit.”

Harry and the boys had a good run. They toured Canada and the Far East, endorsed Wurlitzer instruments in newspaper ads, took first place in an Atlantic City popularity contest, played the best speakeasies in New York City and earned top billing at Cincinnati’s swankiest hotels.

The tour through Asia reignited Harry’s childhood passion for animals. As the band performed in India, Sri Lanka, China, Japan and Egypt, Harry bought a boatload – almost literally – of animals and shipped them back to the United States for sale to collectors. By 1930, wild animal collecting was his main source of income. Harry developed a partial paralysis of his right arm and could no longer maintain tempo on the drums. By then his international tours had yielded connections with animal dealers all over the world – and he piggy-backed on the reputation of Cincinnati’s Zoo. As he told the Cincinnati Post [27 March 1930]:

“Cincinnati may not be known in the jungles of India or South Africa, but if you are there and need a friend, all you have to do is to mention the name of Sol or Joe Stephan of the Cincinnati Zoo. Every native who trafficks in animals or birds has heard of these two men."

A 1929 expedition to India and Africa netted 500 animals. Harry learned that collecting the animals was easy. Transporting them was another thing:

“It was fun going over, but coming back you can imagine our job. With gales to buffet and with screaming, scratching, clawing, shrieking, howling, roaring wild beasts on board sick from the storm and heat, you can imagine how much sleep I had in 47 days.”

As a naturalist, Harry associated with several pet shops in the Cincinnati area, through which he sold some of his exotic animals. Throughout the years, Harry held any number of official titles, including Federal Zoological Instructor for the Civilian Conservation Corps, Zoologist for the Ohio State Department of Education, Sanitary Inspector for the city’s Department of Health, Director of the Cincinnati Recreation Commission Traveling Zoo, and Special Lecturer for the Hamilton County SPCA.

Harry was in demand as a lecturer throughout Cincinnati and the darling of local media. For years, he had his own column in the Cincinnati Enquirer and was regularly featured in Ollie James’ column in the same newspaper. Radio loved Harry, but it loved his pet mynah bird, Jerry, even more. From 1930 until Jerry died in 1950, Harry brought his talkative fowl to all the Cincinnati radio stations – including Ruth Lyons’ radio studio – and even to Dave Elman’s nationally broadcast “Hobby Lobby” radio show out of New York. Jerry could imitate a window shade rolling up, the squealing sound of automobile brakes, speak 20 words in English and whistle several tunes including “Sweet Adeline” and “That Old Oaken Bucket.” For old time’s sake, Jerry sometimes launched into a melody from his native India.

The talking mynah was far from Harry’s only trained animal. He even domesticated a black widow spider, teaching her to climb a glass rod out of her jar to amble around his palm before clambering back into the jar. Harry brought his poisonous arachnid to New York for a segment on “Hobby Lobby,” but a stagehand knocked the jar from a table and killed the little beast. Host Elman suggested Harry come back when he had trained another black widow. Harry replied:

“Alright, but listen – when I bring my next trained black widow, she’s going to have a dozen understudies with her.”

Throughout his career as a lecturer, Harry kept running into myths and ignorance about animals. So many Cincinnatians swore they knew someone who had seen a hoop snake grab its tail and roll away that he offered a $150 reward for anyone who could produce one. Listening to Harry, you get the impression that his audiences were as entertaining as he was. Here’s one he told the Enquirer [8 January 1939]:

“A man in one audience told me he knew of a grocer who had a monkey trained to steal customers’ change and conceal it in his mouth. The man claimed the monkey tried it on him, and he hit the monkey so hard that the animal spit out $906.”

Harry died in 1961 at the Veteran’s Hospital in Chillicothe, Ohio. He is buried in Spring Grove Cemetery.

#Harry Spindler #cincinnati music #cincinnati jazz #natural history museum #cincinnati zoo

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