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x-bluefire-heart-x · 1 year ago

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Dance at a Feast

Happy New Year everyone! The good thing about having two weeks off from work is that I am able to get some writing done! I'm trying to get drafts done for a lot of fics I have plans for, so I can have some things to post when I go back to work.

Also, please feel free to make requests! I have a list of prompts which is linked below, and a master list that has the fandoms and characters I write for. If there is someone and a something not listed that would like to make a request for, feel free to and I will let you know if I know enough about it to write for it. Also feel free to make requests for this verse!

This is another part in the Covered in Steam verse. A fluffy piece between female reader and Thorin, it is set after Covered in Steam.

Warnings: Talks of a sexual nature. Dain being disrespectful - nothing insane just not acknowledging the reader as the Queen *yes I think this should be a warning*

Tag list: @catt-leya @bunson-burner

Master List

Prompt List

Covered in Steam

You fiddled with the sleeves of your dress tugging them down before pulling them back up and then down again. You glanced at the mirror in Thorin’s, no your chamber you hadn’t slept in the chamber that was yours since that night. You wore a beautiful gown in the colours of the family of Durin, the blue almost matched that of your Kings eyes. Your hair had been left down showcasing the braids and beads that Thorin wove into it every morning. You were nervous, this was the first feast since you were behaving as a true married couple. And you didn’t want to do anything that would embarrass Thorin. Which was why you were concerned about the dress, the shoulders of the dress could sit normally or be pulled down to expose your shoulders and collarbones, and the plunging neckline was lower than what you normally wore but it worked the best with the necklace Thorin had gifted you with on the day you got married, and you hadn’t worn it yet.

“Sister?” you heard Dis’ voice call out from the sitting room next to the bedroom where Thorin received any guests that came to your chambers.

“In here!” you called back, shifting the bodice of the dress a little, unsure about the gauzy material that ran in panels down your ribs before forming into the princess style skirt.

“Oh my,” Dis whispered as she laid eyes on you. “I think you may very well kill my brother in that dress.”

“Is it too much?” you spun around eyes wide with concern as you smoothed down the billowing skirts. “It’s a normal style in my homeland but I know it isn’t overly common amongst the women here.”

“You look stunning my Queen,” Dis assured you as she came to stand in-front of you grabbing your hands. “You do not need to pretend as if the culture and norms of your homeland do not exist, my brother would not expect you to only dress as a dwarven woman.”

“I know he has told me as such, but I just don’t want to…embarrass him in-front of his court, especially since everything between us is still so new,” you nibbled your lower lip before yelping a little as Dis pinched your arm.

“You’ll ruin the makeup,”

“Can’t have that can I?” you laughed, your nerves slowly leaving you in your sister in laws presence. Something she has always managed to do.

“Now, come on,” Dis tugged on you before stopping for a moment. “Wait, you are missing something.” She let go of your hand to go back to your dressing table and lifted the small crown from its resting place to put it on your head. “There.”

You lifted your hand to gently touch the crown as Dis went back to tugging you out of your rooms and towards the main banquet hall. You were still not use to wearing a crown, as you and Thorin both only tended to wear them when you absolutely had to. Such as at a feast welcoming Thorin’s cousin Dain. You could hear the celebrations before the door even came into view, you smiled. Dwarrow truly knew how to throw a feast and celebration.

“Introducing her Highness Princess Dis and her Royal Majesty Queen y/n,” the herald at the doorway announced both you and Dis causing the court to become quiet as Thorin stood from his chair and walked around the table that housed the royals. His eyes burned with a fire as he took in your appearance, you could feel the eyes of every dwarf on you as the king walked towards you and Dis quickly left your side to greet her sons. You could only guess the dwarf sitting on Thorin’s left was his cousin Dain, Lord of the Iron Hills. You briefly caught his eyes only to quickly break eye contact and focus on your husband. Dain had the same colour eyes as Thorin only his were cold and calculating, and you did not like the way he looked at you.

“My wife,” Thorin rumbled, this voice bouncing around the room. “You are a vision.”

You dropped into a small curtsy as your body warmed, your eyes locking onto his as you lifted your head back up. Thorin stepped closer to you to place a kiss upon your lips before gently taking your hand, guiding you to stand in-front of his cousin, who remained seated.

“Cousin, my wife, your Queen,” Thorin’s voice was hard as stone as he noticed the disrespect being shown to you. “Greet her.” Dain’s eyes narrowed before a friendly mask fell over his face as he stood and bowed low to you.

“It’s an honour to finally meet you, Your Majesty,” Dain’s voice didn’t sound overly pleased and you were concerned but you nodded back at him regardless, knowing now was not the time to raise concerns.

“And it is lovely to finally meet you Lord Dain, Thorin has spoken highly of you,” you responded voice soft, your eyes looking at a point over his shoulder as you didn’t want to look into his cold eyes again.

“Come my Queen, you must be hungry,” Thorin’s arm wrapped around your waist and led you away. You smiled gratefully up at Thorin raising on your toes to press your lips to his cheek in thanks. His arm squeezed you in kind, his eyes full of love as he stared down at you.

“Hello aunty mine,” Kili smiled up at you as you walked past. You grinned down at him, unable to resist messing up his hair. Kili pouted up at you as he tried to fix his hair, you dropped a kiss on his head in apology as you did the same to Fili as you walked past. Dis’s sons had been as welcoming as she had when you arrived, always smiling and including you, you were forever grateful for those three Durin’s.

“Aunty,” Fili smiled as you sat down beside him, Dis was in the middle of her two sons, who leaned around her oldest to smile at you. “Don’t worry about Dain. He’s a traditionalist but Uncle doesn’t pay any mind to those old dwarves.” Fili had lowered his voice and leant close to your side. His eyes, the same shade as his uncle was soft and kind as he looked at you. Your heart squeezed at his words.

“Thank you Fili,” you whispered back. “I will keep that in mind.”

“But, should he or any other dwarf look to cause you problems promise that you will let myself, my mother, Kili, Dwalin or Balin know. Of course Thorin should be your first choice but if you cannot find him, you also have us on your side,” Fili added squeezing your arm before letting go and focusing on his food.

You could hear the conversations going on around you as you picked at your food. You never ate much in-front of large crowds, but would always find a plate of food waiting for you in your chambers after a feast. You had always wondered who ensured the staff left it but never thought to investigate it too much.

“Are you alright love?” Thorin asked removing himself from the conversation with Dain to check on you. He had picked up on your added nerves after meeting Dain and wanted to do everything he could to be sure that you were fine.

“I am,” you nodded turning to give Thorin a smile but you could tell from the look on his face that he didn’t buy it. He leaned close enough to whisper into your ear.

“If I had known Dain would show such disrespect to my wife I would never had invited him here,” Thorin promised you. “Tell me at once if he ever does so again or makes you uncomfortable at all. Erebor if your home and you are the Queen.”

“You Durin’s and your need to protect,” you teased nudging your nose against his.

“Oh?”

“Fili just gave me a list of all the dwarves I can tell if Dain or any other dwarf causes me problems,” you explained. “It was pretty much you four and Dwalin and Balin.”

“Hmm,” Thorin hummed his eyes full of pride at your words. “Well, us Durin’s are fiercely protective of those we care about. And once we care for someone it is next to impossible to get rid of us. So I’m afraid my heart, you are stuck with me, and my sister and nephews.”

“Such an imposition that,” you laughed.

“You weren’t thinking I was an imposition this morning,” Thorin growled his eyes darkening as heat filled them. “With my tongue between your thighs.”

“Thorin,” you gasped in shock. “You can’t say things like that here.”

“I am the King,” Thorin shrugged kissing your lips and whispering his next words into your mouth. “I can say such things when I please. And no-one can hear us.”

You playfully glared at him about to say something back when Dain interrupted leaning around Thorin to gain his attention again, sending you a cold look before placing the mask back in place before Thorin could see. Thorin kissed you once more rounding on his cousin, you could hear the harshness in his tone as he spoke in dwarvish. You sipped at your wine, as music started to play, as it always does at a Dwarven feast. The boys beside you quickly stood up looking to find some partners to dance with, Kili raced off instantly looking for Ori. Fili however, hesitated, Dis had left seeking out Balin to discuss some matters.

“My Queen,” Fili said, his voice loud and pointed as he bowed low at his waist holding a hand out. “May I have a dance?”

You grinned up at Fili, standing up and reaching to take his hand but you were pulled tightly against a hard chest. Thorin’s scent surrounding you. Fili smirked, his eyes playfully challenging his uncle, as he continued to wait on your hand.

“My wife will be dancing with me first, nephew,” Thorin’s voice rumbled.

“I think Her Majesty can make that decision, Uncle,” Fili grinned.

“I am honoured Prince Fili,” you grinned, trying to keep your voice regal. “However, I would think you would prefer to seek out someone else to dance…and even maybe court?”

Fili’s face flushed bright red his eyes automatically going towards a dwarven woman that was standing off to the side near Bofur. The look in his eyes was similar to how Thorin would look at you and you knew that maybe you and Dis could do a little pushing.

“I mean…I can’t…” Fili stuttered in an uncommon show of nerves.

“Yes you can nephew,” you encouraged him stepping a little out of the circle of Thorin’s arms but he kept a hold of your hips. “I have seen that young woman look at you, in the same manner you look at her. You are a Durin, take the courage that all you Durin’s seem to possess in enough abundance to take on a Dragon and ask her to dance.”

You felt Thorin’s hands squeeze your hips and his lips pressed into your neck, you could feel the smile that tugged at them. You reached out to squeeze Fili’s hands, forcing his eyes back to yours. The red of his face had calmed down to a light pink.

“Right, yes, true,” Fili nodded.

“You are my heir Fili,” Thorin added reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. “You can do this.”

Fili nodded once more before he turned around and strode towards the woman in question. He forced the Durin swagger into his steps as the two of you watched him in amusement. Thorin tugged you close again turning you around, you smiled up at him wrapping your arms around his neck.

“So, that dance?” you asked. “Better make good.”

“Come along then,” Thorin smirked. Pushing you backwards, you giggled turning around and taking hold of his hand and pulling him onto the space in the middle of the room that was used for dancing.

Thorin spun you around before tugging you close, wrapping his right arm around your waist and grabbing your right hand with his left, you placed your left hand on his shoulder. You allowed him to led you around the floor trusting him to keep you from backing into anyone. The tune was a fast past one, your skirt flying out every time he spun you around quickly. He grabbed both of your hips and lifted you up and turning the two of you before putting you back down and grabbing hold of your hand again to lead you around.

You giggled as your dress managed to hit Kili and Ori on your way past them, you threw an apology over Thorin’s shoulder causing the two young Dwarves to laugh. Thorin couldn’t take his eyes off of you, your eyes were bright with happiness and you had not stopped laughing and smiling since Fili had first asked you for a dance. Your face was flush from your wine and from the dancing, you had danced to two fast paced songs before a slow paced song started to play. Thorin wrapped both his arms around your waist pulling you as close to him as he could get you. You looped your arms around his neck, using one of your hands to tilt his head down, he grinned as he rested his forehead against yours and swayed the two of you in time with music.

“You truly do look beautiful tonight, my Lady,” Thorin whispered. “Seeing you in my colours, I wish to take you from this hall and feast on something else entirely.”

“My King, was this morning and last night not enough?” you asked, stroking the back of his neck, his thick hair covering your movements.

“I will never have enough of you,” Thorin answered. “I will never have enough of your taste, of your body, of you. I will always want you in my arms.”

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definitelynotstable · 1 year ago

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Camomile pt. 9 [Ghost x gn!Reader]

pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3, pt. 4, pt. 5, pt. 6, pt. 7, pt. 8, pt. 9, pt. 10

AN: Ok this series just started out as cute one shots and now I have to think of a plot god damn.

Synopsis: The 141 celebrate your return to duty with a night out at the local pub. Ghost and you argue over Price's decision to clear you for duty. Word count: 1.8k Warnings: Casual drinking, mention of past trauma, arguments Ghost x gn!Reader (callsign Rags): Soap doesn’t know what kombucha is, Gaz doesn’t like mulled wine and Ghost gets a bit overprotective. Fluff, light-angst, etc.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

It’s nearly a month till you’re cleared for duty. You would be lying if you said you hadn’t been lonely. The guys were gone for recon missions half the time and you were either stuck behind a desk playing secretary, in physic therapy or in therapy therapy. It was a tiring routine.

But it didn’t stop you from feeling a little proud when you were able to present Price with a clean bill of health. He’d raised a skeptical brow as he skimmed the mental health section – no one in the military was well in that regard and most of you knew how to con a therapist. The nightmares hadn’t stopped and you supposed they never would. But you’d stopped jumping at random sounds or flinching when touched unexpectedly. You were fit for work and you knew it.

“Everything okay, Captain?” You asked, felling slightly nervous. He could, in theory, refuse to accept the medical certificate and write you off. The man instead sighed and with a flick of his pen he signed off on it.

“You have any problems, you come to me – am I clear?” He said sternly, leaning his elbows on his desk and creating a steeple with his fingertips. “I’m not stupid – wiser soldiers than you and I take years to get over this kind of shit, Rags. No on e would blame you off you needed more time.”

You frown, jaw set. “I’m ready, sir.”

He looks at you for a moment, eyes hard and unwavering – searching for any cracks in your resolve. Finally he nods, pushing up with his hands on the desk to stand. “Alright,” he reaches over the desk to shake your hand, “Welcome back, sergeant.”

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

“Good on ye!” Soap claps you on the back with a grin, “Glad tae have ye back!”

Soap and Gaz had negotiated with Price on the optics of a mid-week visit to the local pub. They never confirmed nor denied his verdict. You suspect permission wasn’t explicitly given.

Nevertheless, here you were. The three of you crammed into the usual booth in the back corner, a spot with the best view of all possible exists and entries. An old habit. It wasn’t particularly fancy – some might even call it dingy. But you liked the exposed brick walls, the dented and paint chipped bar made it feel homey. You favourite part was the roaring fire in the centre of the wall at the back, cracked leather armchairs with slightly scratchy pillows arranged in front of it. There was a dartboard off to one side, the wall behind completely littered in holes from drunken misses. The health and safety concerns behind having darts in a pub was certainly still up for debate – though you’d certainly spent a few evenings versing Gaz at the game.

“Thanks mate,” you smile over your mug of mulled wine – another reason this spot was a favourite – “Price was a bit hesitant, but I don’t think he could say no to the med-cert.”

“You’d be surprised,” Gaz remarked, some foam from his beer clinging to his upper lip, “he held LT back from an op once, claimed he faked the certificate.”

“And had he?”

“I had.” The low voice makes you jump as Ghost himself slides in next to Gaz, in the space across from you. “In fairness, I was a lot younger than I am now – and stupider.”

“Can’t’ve been that long ago then, mate.” Gaz jokes, passing the Lieutenant the drink he’d bough for him earlier. Ghost gives his arm a punch but thanks Gaz quietly for the drink anyway, taking a small sip.

“What held ye up?” Soap asks when the lieutenant shrugs of his jacket.

“Bloody paperwork,” he grumbles, “I don’t envy you, Rags. Just a couple of hours has me going mental – I can’t fathom a full day.”

You nod sympathetically, “Yeah, can’t say I’d recommend it.”

“Rags was just tellin’ us Price cleared ‘em for duty,” Soap says proudly, “I said we’d each buy ‘em a drink.”

“That so?” Ghost raises a pale brow at you, balaclava pulled up so he can drink. You blush under his stare. “Not sure how he’d react if you showed up to trainin’ hungover.”

You scoff, “It’s a week night, I’m drinking mulled wine.”

“Surely mulled wine can still get you drunk.” Gaz says, setting his empty glass down with a thud.

You shake your head with a laugh, “They cook it out, Gaz. There isn’t much alcohol left in here at all.”

“But surely there’s an amount you could have that’d do it – like kombucha – right?”

“What in the world is kombucha?!” Soap splutters, licking at the beer on his upper lip. You laugh as Gaz attempts to explain it.

“Tha’ sounds horrid.” The scot says, looking ill.

“It’s not bad,” you say, still grinning at Soap’s expression. “I’m sure there is an amount, Gaz, but you’d probably die of overconsumption before getting drunk, or something like that.”

“Boring.” Gaz mutters, flicking his empty glass away, “What’s the point in non-alcoholic wine, anyway?”

“Because they put spices and shit in it – it’s delicious.”

“Doubt that.”

“Here, try some,” you shove your half empty mug in his direction, some splashed onto the table, “it’s good, I promise.”

Gaz wrinkles his nose, pushing the mug away with a single finger, “I’m ok, thanks.”

You roll your eyes and reach out to take your drink back when a pale hand intercepts you. Ghost takes a long sip and licks the excess from his lips, watching you with something playful in his eyes.

“You’d do well to expand your palette, Gaz,” the lieutenant drawls, setting the mug back down in front of you, “instead of only drinking beer like you’ve just turned eighteen.”

Gaz snorts indignantly, “Ok, grandad.”

Ghost just smirks, sculling the rest of his whiskey.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Though Gaz and Soap are smarter than to get drunk the night before an early training, it still takes Ghost and you a while to drag them away from the bar.

“Social butterflies,” you scoff, slumping onto the couch in the kitchen after successfully directing the two men to their rooms. Ghost clicks the door to the hallway shut and flicks in the jug.

“Horny bastards.” Ghost offers instead and you laugh.

“All it takes is for the pair to have a single sip of alcohol and suddenly the pub’s their oyster.”

The lieutenant hums in agreement. “Camomile?”

“Yes please,” you groan, kicking off your boots and sinking further into the couch. You sling an arm across your eyes but still watch the man as he potters around in the kitchen. You smile as he reshuffles the mug shelf to find your favourite mug. He finds it and turns to place it on the bench next to his when he notices you watching.

“What?”

You grin, snuggling further into the couch with a sigh.“Nothing.”

The lieutenant huffs, returning to the mugs. Steam curls around him as the boiling water hits the cool ceramic. God he looks gorgeous in such a domestic setting. You’ll never get over it.

“Here,” a mug hovers in front of your face, you push yourself up and take it from him with a small “thanks”.

Instead of settling at the table like usual, the lieutenant nods at the other side of the couch. “Scoot.”

You curl your legs under you, careful not to spill your tea as the couch shifts as he sinks down next to you.

“So,” he says, leaning into the arm of the chair and angling himself to face you, “Price cleared you for duty, huh?”

You nod slowly, unsure where this is going. “Albeit hesitantly, but yes.”

“Hmm.” He replies, taking a long sip from his mug.

You frown, “What? You disagree?”

“I didn’t say that.”

You scoff, “Ok well that reaction heavily implied you did.”

He leans forward, eyes hard. “I just think – look none of us would judge you if you needed more time.”

“It’s been over a month!” You point out, exasperated. “Price wouldn’t have said yes if he didn’t think I was ready –”

–“I never said I thought you weren’t ready –“

“Then what are you saying?!” You cry, hitting the side of the couch with your free hand, Ghost watches you with wide eyes. “What is your problem?”

“I’m just saying – recovery doesn’t have a deadline.”

“I know that,” you snap, “but I can't keep babying myself. It's been long enough.”

The man across from you narrows his cobalt eyes, “Babying yourself? You call healing from trauma babying yourself?”

“No, I call wrapping myself in cotton wool and avoiding anything that reminds me of what happened babying myself.”

“Or maybe it's about bein’ cautious,” Ghost replies, voice stern and hard as steel, “about making sure you're in the right mental state before jumpin’ back into a warzone.”

“I've faced worse – we all have. I'm not going to let fear control me.” You’re glaring at him now and he glares back.

He shakes his head. “This isn't about fear, it's about being smart. You could be a liability out there if you're not mentally prepared.”

You let out a disbelieving laugh, pushing yourself off of the couch. “So now you think I can't handle myself? That I'm a liability to the team?”

“I never said that.” He growls firmly. “But if you're not thinking clearly, you put yourself and others at risk.”

“You're overthinking this.” You hiss, “I told you I’m fine.”

“You're not fine!” Ghost mirrors you, pushing himself to his feet where he towers over you, eyes shimmering. “You're pushing yourself into something you're not ready for.”

You push him with your freehand. He doesn’t budge and it only adds fuel to the fire. “And you're being overprotective, as always!”

The lieutenant steps closer, his voice low and intense “Because I care about you, damn it.”

You pause, mouth slightly agape – your retort forgotten.

“I care about what happens to you out there.” He says, stepping closer, eyes softer now.

“I know,” you say, searching his eyes, “I know you do. And I don’t expect you to understand. I just need you to respect my choice.”

You watch as he sighs, shoulder slumping. “I do understand,” he murmurs, “and I do respect your choice, I just –“

You cut him off by stepping closer, wrapping your arms around him. He tenses for a moment but relaxes in your hold. “I know.” You whisper into his warm chest, “I know you understand.”

He sighs again, arms finally wrapping around you, a hand settling in your hair. “I’m sorry for raising my voice.”

You laugh into his chest, “I raised mine first, I should be the one apologising. “

He lowers his chin to rest on the top of your head. “I know you’ve been trying, I know you’re doing better. I just can’t help but think of how you were when we found you –“

“Shh,” you hush, rubbing small circles into his back, “I’m ok, you got me back. I’m safe.”

A deep breath shudders through his chest beneath your cheek. “Promise?”

You pull away, his arms loosen but still around you. “Promise.”

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Tag list:

@alanalanalanalanalanna

Comment if you want to be added :)

Masterlist

#simon ghost riley x reader #call of duty #task force 141 #141 x reader #cod mw2 #simon ghost riley #kyle gaz garrick #ghost cod #cod mwii #ghost mw2 #ghost x reader #ghost x you #simon riley x you #simon riley #simon riley x reader #simon ghost x reader #simon ghost x you #john soap mactavish #ghost drinks camomile

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kaiannae · 8 months ago

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Fairy courting- Dancing

In Fairy culture, at least where the Kryn are concerned, dancing is a fundemental part of courting. The courting dances are elaborate, and the chimestry and coordination between the two dancers is thought to foretell the quality of the future match. Courting dances involve the Fairies' wings, via wing touches and movement. As such, a human is considered incapable of real courtship and ill fitting as a match. Caleb heard that and said "hold my beer". Consider this as a "What if" pic for Starling-verse. It is not considered canon as of now, and I don't know whether it will ever be. We'll have to wait and see where the story goes.

In other news, yes, I am writing as fast as I can but I don't have much free time, as real life demands my attention and the vet bills still exist and are a work in progress to get rid of. (Kitty is mending, thank any god who listens. He still looks as if he tried to fight a lawnmower and his fur is slow to grow back, but he's getting there).

The current chapter I'm working on in the time I do have has proven to be a bit challneing to write, and so I've been venting by drawing a bit of Fairy AU Shadowgast to motivate myself.

As its done, you get to see! Hopefully, the next chapter will be ready soon (It pretty much has the length required, but no good place to cut it yet, so you might get an extra long one when you get it.)

Please stay tuned.

#shadowgast #starling #caleb widogast #essek thelyss #fairy au #fanfic #fairy essek #starart #starlingart

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t4tozier · 4 months ago

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in the hot for teacher verse do you have a desc doc for what you think the rat grinders look all human? :)

i don't have a specific doc for it because the first chapter was truly just vibes and i didn't expect to be writing more about them, but i do have some ideas in mind! the humanoids are pretty generally the same so for fun i'll give you some facts about all of them in the verse as well! putting this under the cut because it got quite long.

oisin: i was originally picturing him as black w locs, skinny teen who beefed up over the previous summer (lowkey wendell from nsbu before wendell existed) but i was mulling it over earlier and i actually really love the idea of samoan oisin?? he comes back from visiting his family over the summer and has gained so much muscle and fat and got some pe'a and everyone thinks he's so cool for it. he's got long hair that is usually up in a bun. probably also shoots up to 6'2, 6'3".

he's into manga. people who don't know him think he's really intimidating but he's the sweetest guy ever. ivy brings out the bitch in him lbr but for the most part he's just a really buff nerd. am i just describing ify nwadiwe. i swear it's not intentional.

ivy: i don't have a specific race for her but described her in got it bad as olive-skinned, brown hair with blonde highlights. i think she gets the chunky bleach highlights that were popular in like 2020-21. oisin is definitely the tallest of all of them, lucy the tallest of the girls, but ivy's probably second/third-tallest at around 5'8, 5'9.

she runs an anonymous aguefort confessions blog and has a viral tiktok account that mainly went viral as a result of the jace (and porter) videos. jace always says she's gotta quit with the gossip but will still ask her about it he's the worst enabler. she does archery and rides horses at aguefort! she transferred in middle school and everyone was very intrigued by her because she's british. they kept asking her if she's met the queen. she just started saying yes eventually.

lucy: since i made porter a white southern guy lucy is also white and southern by default. i think that she doesn't have the accent her uncle has because her dad married a new englander, so instead she's got this southern/new england mix that leaves her pronouncing certain words very oddly. she still has vitiligo--instead of gray hair she's got light brown with patches of white, and maybe a port wine stain on her face. she's about 5'11" - both of her parents are very tall so she inherited her height from them.

she got bullied pretty badly in elementary school and middle school. she is very sensitive and cries with basically every emotion so it can be hard to determine why she's actually crying if it's not obvious. she's not good at standing up for herself but her friends will hunt a bitch down for her. she will cry if you kill a bug instead of letting it outside. grew up knowing porter's best friend jace bc he gets brought to all the family events and was very grateful when he didn't make anyone call him mr stardiamond when they started his class because that would've been a weird switch to make.

mary ann: shortest one of the group at just around 5 feet. black, box braids with little charms on the ends, braces. her favorite outfit is overalls and her pink hoodie that she's been wearing for years on end because it's been washed so many times it's the perfect texture. between her height, her clothes, and being quiet and autistic, she gets infantilized a ton and she hates it so she will sometimes overcompensate by making dirty jokes at inappropriate times.

she's usually of the mindset that if someone isn't speaking directly to her or talking about something she's interested in she probably doesn't really need to join in the conversation. she was one of those toddlers who didn't speak until she could say a full sentence. she's the first girl on the football team--nobody thinks that she's gonna be any good but she's small enough that she just kind of darts between all the players and can hold her own more than people think.

buddy: truly just the same. sorry buddy i have nothing special for you. he's like 5'7". his grandpa runs the town's megachurch and he keeps trying to get everyone to come with him. he sort of latched onto their group but he genuinely is nice he's just also brainwashed so they haven't like actively tried to kick him out. i think that after spending enough time with them all he gets more chill especially because they call him out when he says something outright fucked up and he likes being friends with them so he wants to not offend them--it's just that he genuinely doesn't think he's saying anything wrong.

kipperlilly: also looks relatively the same but slightly taller, probably like 5'3". she and jace bond over having the same clothing organization app. she doesn't wear the prep-school kind of stuff she wears in canon but it's definitely still very clean, she probably irons everything. type a but not as much Like That.

jawbone realizes the conflict of interest when she starts talking about her anger issues and hating the others and actually has a parent teacher conference to recommend external therapy. can often be found with her journal after that. she and riz are in competition to see how many more ap credits they can gain than each other. rarely seen without lucy by her side. they have a homoerotic relationship for years because neither of them realize that they're more than girl best friends (and lucy's uncle porter always has his best friend everywhere, that's how adults are!)

ruben: i'm thinking he's maybe mixed, black and hispanic? he's got frizzy curls because he's much more invested in writing songs on his ukulele than paying attention to the right products for his curl pattern. he also has braces and mourns when his tooth gap closes because he can't whistle as well. 5'4".

he thinks it's the coolest thing to have his uncle work at the school and he and lucy bond over it even though he doesn't actually take his uncle henry's classes. he's part of the school band and plays in the orchestra for the theatre department - in addition to the ukulele he also plays acoustic guitar and piano.

#got it bad au #i should probably update this now that i have multiple works #the rat grinders #frostkettle #oisin hakinvar #ivy embra #lucy frostblade #buddy dawn #kipperlilly copperkettle #ruben hopclap

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remedyturtles · 9 months ago

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YOUUUUUUUU

Yes, you. I adore you so much you have no idea. FUCK.

I love your latest oneshot about the boys "stare directly at the sun" and I'm going insane. I AM UNWELL. I could write a whole ass essay about how much I love it, how you've written the characters felt so authentic and how you've emotionally broke me in the worst places possible, I've read ROTTMNT fics before, but this one stood out being an alternate setting with character being HUMAN and living normal mundane lives. How much their lives differ from what we know in the OG series yet we can spot things that stayed the same.

I love how instead of being crime fighting Ninja's, while I know that's pretty badass, But these kinds of fics makes the characters feel real for me, there's not much human setting fics of the boys which I'm sad about, (kinda wish there's more) I could literally write my own fic about em but sadly I'm not built like ao3 authors with the time and energy to do so :(( which your fic touched me on a personal level, they are going through school problems, SPLINTER HERE BEING A GOOD PRESENT FATHER GAAAHHH and then having more access in mundane things it holds a special place in my heart omfg...🫶✨

And the fact Leo wants to be a doctor my heart goes out to him 😭😭😭 I'd like to ask what do the other brothers dream to become in the future? What careers they wanna do? I have a few guesses, but I truly wanna know it in your inverse human au you've cooked up with and totally cool if you ignore this part– I don't wanna take more of your time— buuuut I really wanna know more about your human au about the boys;

Are other canon characters still there?

How drastically did you change the world to make it more humanely normal for them?

Do Yokais still exist?

Will this just be a oneshot one time thing or can we expect more of the human verse of your world?

Oahskwbw anyways, thank you so much for existing and writing your beloved fics, I love your works sm you're literally one of my favorite ao3 authors, it's making my heart explode!! Pls do take care of yourself also!!!! <33

STOP you are far to kind to me omg

i am incredibly influenced by the fact that i've read 'problem child' by taizi approximately a MILLION times. also shoutout to 'teenage mutant ninja what now' by tangledinink and the related 'scotch gambit' by like_theletter. OH and of course 'running on low (all the way home) by gibbouslunation. if you've never read human au's before and liked mine, DEFINITELY check out these!!!

writing 'stare directly at the sun' was literally because i had this idea of leo not wanting to be a doctor anymore being like a HUGE red flag and essentially built a story around that hahahaha.

i have zero intent of writing more in this au (i wrote it in 11 days like a fever dream and now i am turning my attention back to firefight haha) but i will answer your questions regardless:

no idea if there's other canon characters. it is genuinely just the real world lol, so no yokai.

raph is currently in university for education to become a teacher, undecided for what age but probably younger. mikey has changed his big ambition at least once a year, anything from chef to professional gymnast to zookeeper. donnie is going to take engineering (to start, he wants to milk the education system for all it's worth so he may get multiple degrees) and he would be accepted at any school he applies to so he will choose whichever one accepts leo haha

cheers mate thank u for the kind words ;__;

#rem askbox #i wrote it so fast i legitimately hurt my wrists. MINOR REGRETS

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seeingivy · 2 months ago

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method acting asks

an: I can't believe I still get these

this is literally so funny to me. taylor as gojo stan u always make me giggle it makes me so happy to see u in my inbox. im so glad u liked it, it makes me feel all types of ways!

@elliesbabygirl super random but im the president of the neuroscience society at my school and i gave an entire talk about parasocial relationships and the neuro basis of that recently and for some reason??? the crowd started asking me about fanfics HAHA. and while i admit some of the concerns i started like vehemently defending them because i think when they're done right they can really hit people and be really moving because it's personalized

(basically this ask is an affirmation that i'm right and even if im not i guess i just have a parasocial relationship with a 2d drawing and that's who i am)

hehe im so excited for the upcoming chapters of canary mate. i have to build things up but EEPPPPP im so excited for the reveal already (fun fact: ive been hinting at how its going to happen already!)

ahhh a masters in psychology is so exciting!!! I hope you are so so proud of all of your hardwork. it takes so much to do that and i can't wait for it to all feel full circle to you (im graduating from undergrad in the spring and im already in reflecting mode.

also is this how i realize i don't follow you im going to go like combust in a puddle now this is so embarrassing

@deusfoundry btw the other ask u sent also persuaded me to ignore the poll i made and attempt to answer your request bc I KNOW you've been asking for it since i wrote that chapter last year.

levi when he's dad but not dad. oh levi. and sorry they're ALL going to call her sweetheart. that's THEIR collective sweetheart actually i don't make the rules. (yes I do)

hi!!! i want to thank you for existing right back. and for sending me this ask when i needed it. at the time i was writing that chapter i wasn't at that point at all, but now i am, and it's severely meta to have something i wrote as advice to myself.

the transitionary period is hard. getting denied from things you worked for is hard. thinking about how people can leave whenever and you can't really control that AND you can't really take that pain away from someone else when someone important does leave is really hard. lots of thoughts going on in the ronnie verse and i am patiently waiting for the point that where i know im out of this and somehow glad that i went through it bc i learned something about myself and people and love and all that.

(wishing the same for you soon my friend)

the words of encouragement mean the world!!! i hope you have a lovely day/night/life.

@deusfoundry everything they do. the venice pics. the concerts. the blowing the kiss during the concert. yeah.

@stillnotherapy I love this video of him. I love them. I am manifesting the day that this will be me.

(it's the same video as the last one) and yeah.

#asks!#method acting

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arkus-rhapsode · 3 months ago

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So... What is a Cartoon Network Show? (A Discussion)

Hey everyone, Arkus back again and I'm doing something that I alluded to a while ago, but I was working on a project involving Cartoon Network. Now for those unaware, I don't consider myself to be a part of the larger animation community like say a Cartoonshi or an Alpha Jay Show. I approach this topic as simply someone who grew up on Cartoon Network and has always had a level of reverence for the channel and undoubtedly had an impact on my formative opinions on the value of animation that I still have to this day.

So when I heard the announcement for Jellystone's Crisis on Infinite Mirths special it got me wondering-wait what is a Cartoon Network show? Now that might seem like an easy answer: "Its a show that was on Cartoon Network," but as I delved deeper into the question there appeared a great amount of context that seemed to go all over the map. I'm sure that there are people more versed in the content that may see this as common sense knowledge. So this is post for people like me-the average enjoyers of animation who want to understand more and have greater context about a channel they may have a soft spot for and want to be better informed when the question is asked, "what is a Cartoon Network show?"

(Yes I did make a spreadsheet on this one. This wasn't a task I took lightly)

So before we really get into the weeds of everything, I do want to make sure we're all on the same page: Cartoon Network is a television channel which is aired in multiple countries around the world which is overseen by the parent company of The Cartoon Network Inc. Which itself is owned by the mega conglomerate that is Warner Bros Discovery. The Cartoon Network Inc. Owns various production companies to make original content the primary ones being Cartoon Network Studios, Hanna-Barbera Europe, and Williams Street. The network itself is broken up into several blocks such as Cartoonito (An early morning block aimed at pre school children) and Adult Swim (An evening block aimed at 18+ individuals). With (At the time I am writing this) the 6 AM to 5PM being aimed at kids 6-12 years old and being considered "Cartoon Network" hours.

So with all the terminology out of the way, lets address the obvious answer of "a Cartoon Network show is a show that aired on Cartoon Network" I would say that interpretation is a bit reductive. Sorta like calling every game that's been on a Nintendo console a "Nintendo game." While not necessarily wrong, it does conflate the idea that the third party games are the same as the first party ones, which also makes a lot of misinformation very possible. Cartoon Network like Nickelodeon, Disney and many other channels can have original programming and acquired programming. Original programming being shows made for and existing solely on this network while acquired programming may be shows or movies that a company is pay broadcasting rights for. You see this a lot in foreign programming. Obviously the various anime that air on Toonami are not creations for Cartoon Network nor produced by them.

However, I think there is some interesting things that would be considered acquired programming on Cartoon Network. Because now we have to talk about why Cartoon Network exists in the first place and that's Hanna-Barbera.

Without Hanna-Barbera there would be no Cartoon Network. Plain and simple. The channel was founded with the intent of housing the animated library of Hanna-Barbera (Along with classic Luney Toons shorts from the 40s) when Ted Turner successfully acquired the studio. Now the thing to remember is Cartoon Network was made in the early 90s, while Hanna-Barbera shorts had existed since the 50s in various forms of syndication. Usually on ABC.

As such these shows like Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, Scooby-Doo, Tom & Jerry etc. Wouldn't be considered original programming for the network. But it would be a division of Hanna-Barbera that would become what we know today as Cartoon Network Studios, which would begin creating shorts for "What a Cartoon!" Which would in turn become the seeds for Cartoon Network's first original programming.

Speaking of acquired programming, I'm sure if you're of a certain age group you probably remember Warner Bros other network that contained original animation-The WB. And probably more famous its animation block, Kids WB.

Now the reason for the creation of The WB is itself a massive business interests and experiments in network television and policies of the Federal Communications Commission, so I simply want to get into its well known kids programming block, Kids WB that actually served as an outlet for shows created by Warner Bros Animation. Such as

Animaniacs

Pinky and the Brain

Freakazoid!

The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries

Superman: The Animated Series

Road Rovers

Waynehead

The New Batman Adventures

Histeria

Batman Beyond

Detention

¡Mucha Lucha!

What's New, Scooby-Doo?

Ozzy & Drix

Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island

Loonatics Unleashed

Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!

Now, you may be seeing some of those names and wondering, "Wait wasn't that on Cartoon Network though?" Which yes, many of these shows would come to Cartoon Network especially in the wake of the WB's own tumultuous history that would eventually see it become one half of what we know todays as The CW. However, many of these shows weren't made to be aired on Cartoon Network, but rather to air on the The WB, which while both were owned by the greater Warner Media parent company, these were acquired programming. I can personally attest to reruns on the Cartoon Network being my exposure to shows like Freakazoid and Superman the animated series and The WB in turn actually had aired some programming from Cartoon Network such as Samurai Jack and Powerpuff Girls. And because these properties are all owned by the same parent company it actually makes the water more muddy on what is "Cartoon Network show." Made even more complicated by the fact that Hanna-Barbera the production company as we know it would be absorbed into Warner Bros Animation in 2001.

We are not talking simply about getting Pokemon because some broadcasting money was exchanged to air in America, we're actually talking about programming that the channel itself was founded on rerunning and playing reruns made by a sister network in the bigger Warner Television umbrella.

As such, while I don't think the "If it aired on Cartoon Network, its a cartoon Network show" is an interpretation I agree with, I can see where there's a shared level of DNA in some of the programs that makes it harder to separate the two.

This actually leads us to another potential answer for what is a Cartoon Network show, "Its a show made by Cartoon Network Studios."

Now as previously mentioned, Turner would acquire Hanna-Barbera and at the time Hanna-Barbera was still making new shows by the time Cartoon Network was started. Such as The New Adventures of Captain Planet, 2 Stupid Dogs, and SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron. But these shows would actually end up debuting and airing on TBS, another Turner/Warner Television Arm. But now we return to that newly formed division in Hanna-Barbera studios known as Cartoon Network Studios. This studio was primarily made for making original programing for What a Cartoon! which would lead to the creation of some of the earliest Cartoon Cartoons.

Johnny Bravo

Cow and Chicken

I Am Weasel

Power Puff Girls

And of course the big one, Dexter's Laboratory.

In fact, when you look back on it, Dexter's Lab is structured similarly to an old school Hanna-Barbera show. Where you'd have say the Huckleberry Hound Show, but you'd have various segments one being the Huckleberry Hound segment, but then having a segment focusing on Hockey Wolf, and a segment with Pixie, Dixie and Mr Jinks. In the case of Dexter's Lab, an episode could contain a Dexter segment then go into Dial M for Monkey or The Justice Friends.

However, these weren't really considered "Cartoon Network Studios" as we in the early 2000s probably remember it. As these productions were still made by Hanna-Barbera for the first few seasons with Cartoon Network Studios being a studio in name only at the time. Probably why you may remember older Dexter episodes ending with the Hanna-Barbera logo then followed up by the Cartoon Network Studios logo in later seasons.

Now if we went strictly by Cartoon Network Studios being what makes a Cartoon Network show (Including the previous five shows mentioned) and originally aired on Cartoon Network then that leaves us with:

Now some eagle eyed viewers may have noticed that this list has some noticeable absences. Such as Courage the Cowardly Dog, Codename Kids Next Door, The Amazing World of Gumball, Teen Titans, and one of my favorite Cartoons of all time, Ed Edd n Eddy. And well the simple answer is that they weren't made by Cartoon Network Studios. Ed Edd n Eddy was made by a.k.a Cartoon and Funbag Animation Studios. Kids Next Door like Sheep in the Big City was made by Curious Pictures. And Courage the Cowardly Dog was made by Stretch Films (Though both Courage and Kids Next Door would have their pilots developed in Hanna-Barbera).

Gumball was made by Hanna-Barbera Europe which is a production company under the Cartoon Network Inc parent, but is again technically not made by CN Studios. Teen Titans is another product of Warner Bros Animation same with Teen Titans Go. Kinda funny that a show that for a time basically controlled the channel wasn't even made by CN Studios. Even the first ever original exclusive show made for the Cartoon Network, The Moxy Show, wouldn't count under this definition as it was made by Colossal Pictures.

There's also the fact that some shows made by Cartoon Network Studios are exclusive to Adult Swim such as Primal and some to the pre-school block of Cartoonito. Now these may actually be more rare than you would first think as really only Jessica's Big Little World was made by CN Studios for Cartoonito, while Adult swim actually has its own interesting background.

You see, Cartoon Network's earliest adult animation was the animated parody talk show, Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Which utilized the classic Hanna-Barbera character as a surrealist spoof of late night talk shows. These would be produced not under the banner of Hanna-Barbera or Cartoon Network Studios, but actually under the name Ghost Planet Industries. This production arm would eventually become The Cartoon Network Inc in house production company for adult animation known as Williams Street. So most shows you might watch on Adult Swim these days are by Williams Street. However, with the fifth season of Samurai Jack, you being to notice that Cartoon Network Studios became more comfortable producing shows that would air in the evening time slot of Adult Swim.

(Also this is a complete side tangent, I didn't want to include failed pilots within this list as it would feel like unnecessary bloat, but I wanted to highlight Korgoth of Barbaria made by Aaron Springer with animation made by Genndy Tartakovsky, which was sadly never picked due to the production cost, would be repackaged as a special on Adult Swim. And this was a co production with Cartoon Network. Like wow. Like wow! I know we have Primal on the list, but its kinda just a bit of trivia I like)

So while they're made by CN Studios, they were not shows accessible to CN's usual demographic time slot.

And that's not even beginning to scratch co-productions Cartoon Network Studios has been involved with over the years. Such as the Star Wars Clone Wars series made by Genndy Tartakovsky or transformers Animated which obviously the Star Wars and Transformers IP isn't owned by Warner Bros. Same with Mixels. But then there's shows such as Villainous and Jorel's Brothers which are actually originally properties made with the Latin American Branches of Cartoon Network. Villainous itself relishes in so many Cartoon Network cameos.

And then there's the CN Real shows which... Yeah I think its not Gatekeeping of me to say they don't count.

And of course there are shows that while made by Cartoon Network Studios would actually end up either being web exclusive or go straight to HBO Max like Get' Em Tommy, Tig n' Seek, and The Fungies! There's also the many, many shorts, pilots, and pilot movies produced by Cartoon Network Studios like Welcome to My Life, Party Wagon, and Fire Breather.

It's a lot. And I get why some people really want to simply it. But it's also why I think simply saying a "Cartoon Network show is a show made by the Studio" you're leaving out several shows, some of which icons of the network. And some CN Studios shows just never had a chance to be part of the Network in the same way. This isn't a question that can be easily simplified like that.

So maybe the answer is "A Cartoon Network shows is a Cartoon Cartoon?" Yeah, afterall Ed, Edd n Eddy are considered Cartoon Cartoons even if they weren't made by CN Studios. Heck, look at competitor Nickelodeon who dubs all their various animated works produced "Nicktoons." Surely, Cartoon Network can do the same, right? Well you see, unlike Nicktoons which became an overall term for all their original programming (and honestly much easier to do research on), Cartoon Cartoons specifically referred to a programming block which then became the collective brand name of the shows that aired between 1996-2009 (Ending with Ed Edd n Eddy). But even then some CN Originals made during that time weren't recognized as Cartoon Cartoons like Samurai Jack. Nor were shows like The Moxy Show recognized retroactively.

The Cartoon Cartoons were:

Dexter's Laboratory

Johnny Bravo

Cow and Chicken

I Am Weasel

The Powerpuff Girls

Ed, Edd n Eddy

Mike, Lu & Og

Courage the Cowardly Dog

Sheep in the Big City

Time Squad

Grim & Evil (Eventually Split into The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Evil Con Carne)

Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?

Codename: Kids Next Door

So really the term Cartoon Cartoons is honestly an exclusive club for a specific set of shows on a specific programming block. That even itself doesn't cover every Cartoon Network show even for a specific era as there are absences from even that. So while Cartoon Cartoons are Cartoon Network shows, not every Cartoon Network Show is a Cartoon Cartoon.

Well then maybe a Cartoon Network show is a show that had to originally aired on Cartoon Network and was exclusive to only it?

With this definition we're abled to include many of the CN Studios shows everyone is popularly aware of while being able to include shows made outside of CN Studios like various Cartoon Cartoons, Warner Bros Animation shows and Hanna-Barbera Europe.

That said, this would exclude things like the shows from The WB and Hanna-Barbera back catalogue, and the Looney Tunes shorts. While Boomerang has become the home for all the classic Hanna-Barbera programing, you can still see the reverence that CN has for its roots from cameos in CN Originals and CN City to new iterations of these shows airing on Cartoon Network like the Real Adventures of Johnny Quest, The Looney Tunes Show, and Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated.

Speaking of Boomerang, while also another channel owned by WBD Television, many of the Cartoon Network shows have migrated over to. Thus not really making them all that exclusive anymore As well, this definition would also include CN Real programs which... yeah umm not sure about that. No matter what Cartoon Network is for Cartoons.

So even this isn't quite a perfect definition. Neither would be using the HBO Max section labeled Cartoon Network because its obviously and incomplete record that has erased so many shows from its catalogue.

So if all these don't work, then what does? What is a Cartoon Network show? Well... Maybe it's not something that fits in with an objective empirical definition. It may sound corny, but Cartoon Network shows always felt like a family to me. In a way that made this sort of recognizable brand between many of its shows even if all of them were very different in their themes, styles, and humor. I think that's why CN City is so in the minds of people, because you took all these varying characters and made a world where none feel out of place. And it wasn't just Cartoon Network characters, you had the classic Looney Tunes and even goddamn Captain Planet roaming around with all these younger shows.

There's even been recent efforts to enforce this cohesion. As the CMYK/Redraw Your World era. Mixing together this color coding with all these various characters and designs to make them all "fit" together so to speak.

Obviously, Im being a bit flowery here. Im sure Cartoon Network and Warner Bros legal team could probably give you an extensive copyright list which they hold and what can be used, but I still think there is value in this being an answer that you can come up with yourself.

And to me, Cartoon Network represents one of the most important channels in animated television. At its highest and even at its lowest. Cartoon Network was the place of creating cartoons, a place where in the short existence of creator driven network television animation, so many legends were born. This was a channel that really brought out so much creativity from talented people that were inspired by the classic animated shows of the golden age who are inspiring new creators even to this day. That shouldn't be forgotten. That shouldn't be erased. Whether unfitted or seasonal rot, this family of cartoons deserves to be remembered.

This is just me, but this is what I would consider Cartoon Network shows. Shows that were made for CN regardless of being CN Studios, Hanna-Barbera Europe, or Warner Bros Animation. The WB, TBS, Adult Swim stuff? That's more off in its own little corner. Cousins of CN almost.

And I guess I turn the question to you, So... What is A Cartoon Network show?

Well that got a bit heavier at the end. But I hope you enjoyed this. I didn't want it to be a big think piece like some of my more recent discussion post. And I didn't just want it to be me making a list without some thoughtful context. If you enjoyed this please give a like or a reblog, I've been trying to do more fun projects on Tumblr recently that go out of my usual postings.

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adarkrainbow · 1 month ago

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Should we include Lovecraft among fairytale authors?

This question might surprise you, and yet it should be asked.

Today when people speak of Lovecraft's work or Lovecraftian horror, they mostly think of the type of fiction popularized by games like "Arkham Horror" or the Call of Cthulhu RPG. People of the 1910s, 1920s, 1930s USA, mostly the East Coast, mostly New-England, fighting eldritch monsters, alien abominations and other multi-eyed blobs while investigating creepy cults, ancient witchraft (well... ancient usually means "Salems' trial) and other star-alignments. Not very fairytale-y.

And yet, Lovecraft wasn't just all this. Lovecraft is usually considered one of the early fantasy authors, and he has an entire set of works not taking place in our world, but rather in fictional cities, otherwordly civilizations, alien planets - and all being... well pure fantasy of gods, sorcerers, strange monsters and fictional wanderers in a world of ghosts, magic and curses. They are still famous to this day, and they are an essential part of his "mythos" and yet people seem to completely forget about them. The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kaddath, The Quest of Iranon, The Other Gods, The White Ship, The Doom that Came to Sarnath, The Cats of Ulthar... Much more dark fantasy than what people associate Lovecraft with today.

In this "fantasy" side of his (that fans of the mythos sometimes classify as the "Dreamlands"), we see the HUGE influence of Lord Dunsany, that Lovecraft admired and tried to imitate, but also the influence of... The One Thousand and One Nights. One of the main reasons Lovecraft had such an "Orientalist" obsession was because he was a huge fan of The Arabian Nights, and tried to recreate them in his own work. This Orientalist obsession was also caused in him by Beckford's Vathek, the unique "Oriental Gothic" novel that marked literature (Edgar Allan Poe, Lord Byron, Thomas Moore, John Keats, they all paid homage to Vathek) - but we fall back on our fairytale topic, because Vathek itself was meant to be a Gothic horror version of the One Thousand and One Nights (and quite fittingly it was published in the 1780s, aka the end of the "fairytale era" in France, the time when literary fairytales only existed in parodies, deconstructions or subversions).

Due to this huge influence, the question should be asked: Should Lovecrfantasy works, his Ulthar, Sarnath, Iranon, Kaddath, be considered part of a fairytale-verse?

Well my answer is no. No, Lovecraft doesn't write fairytale-like things and I never saw fairytale vibes in his work.

But then why am I making a whole damn post? Because of Clark Ashton Smith.

There's a lot of things people ignore or go wrong with when it comes to Lovecraftian fiction or the "Cthulhu mythos". This is because The Cthulhu mythos was built out of many rewrites, derivative works, adaptations and pop-culture vibes. People forget the mythos was originally called "Yog-Sothoth mythos". People forget Cthulhu wasn't the focus of the mythos. People forget water was supposed to be Cthulhu's main bane and enemy, as it was the sea that trapped him and prevented his powers from working - so making him a sort of sea-god is the opposite of what Lovecraft intended. Lot of stuff like that.

But what people forget the most is that the "Cthulhu mythos" we know today wasn't created just by Lovecraft himself - but by the "Lovecraftian circle". Yes, Lovecraft invented it all first, created and oversaw the whole thing - but he encouraged and asked his friends and pen-pals to include in their writings elements and characters of his fictional worlds so as to "expand" the mythos, and in return said friends and pen-pals created their own dark gods and evil sorcerers and cursed tomes that Lovecraft included in his own works, to form a full circle. The Lovecraftian circle.

For example, it might surprise people to learn that Conan the Barbarian is part of the Cthulhu mythos. And yet he is! Robert E. Howard was one of the most prominent members of the Lovecraftian circle, inventing several important parts of the mythos as we know it today - and his most famous heroes, like Conan the Barbarian or Solomon Kane, all had to face a part of the "Lovecraftian mythos" at one point or another. Today we don't associate the prototype of heroic fantasy with "eldritch horror", and yet it was - but Robert E. Howard had a quite different take on the monstrous gods of Lovecraft, who were much more physical and... let's say killable Xp In fact that's one of the things with the Lovecraftian circle: each author had its own take and vibes on the eldritch deities of Lovecraft's pantheons. Sometimes the emphasis was put on them being alien beings and physical monsters, sometimes they were more like the classical gods of Antiquity (just uglier), other times yet they were more abstract ideas and concepts...

And the third important author of the circle, outside of Lovecraft and Howard, was Clark Ashton Smith, who was REALLY much more of a fantasy author than the other two. And he also was VERY much into fairytales - a lot of the same Arabian Nights as Lovecraft (heck, Smith even wrote a sequel to Vathek!), but he also was a big fan of Andersen and madame d'Aulnoy fairytales as a kid. And, if you ask me, you can feel a lot the "dark Arabian Nights" vibe into his Zothique work.

As I am writing these lines, I am reading compiled works of Smith. Smith was very prolific and created several "cycles" covering various alternate periods of Earth. There's the Hyperborean cycle, set on the fictional Hyperborea country of legends, and in the Prehistoric era before the Ice Age - this is where many of the "classics" gods of the Cthulhu mythos comes from, like Atlach-Nacha, Abhoth or Tsathoggua. There's the Poseidonis setting, an island meant to be the last remaining part of Atlantis after its sinking. There's the Averoigne cycle, which I am looking forward to explore because Averoigne is a fictional region of medieval Southern France infested with witches of all sorts. But the compiled volume I am reading currently is his Zothique collection - set in the continent of Zothique. It is supposed to be the last remaining continent of Earth, a new Pangea that reformed itself at the end of the planet's history, and where all the "ancient gods, old demons and primal magics" resurfaced after being forgotten and ignored for many civilizations. And despite being located in a far-far future, Zothique is heavily Arabian Nights inspired - as Smith intended the Zothique continent to be what remained in the future of "Asia Minor, Arabia, Persia, India" plus North and Eastern Africa.

If you want to check the "horror Arabian Nights" vibe of this setting, just read "The Dark Eidolon" which is very much 1001 Nights-like. (Interestingly The Dark Eidolon was one of the inspirations of Michael Moorcock, famous for setting up the modern dark fantasy with works like The Elric Saga)

#clark ashton smith #one thousand and one nights #lovecraftian fairytales #fairytale horror #dark fairytales #vathek #zothique #gothic fairytales

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loquarocoeur · 2 months ago

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hi, i have some qwestions, if you are in the mood to answer maybe perhaps :)))))

Do relationships like Lestappen in yours verse and Landoscar in casual really exist? Like can couples love eachother that much after years of being together, are still as obsessed about one another as in the begging or is that just wishful thinking/imagination?

I can't help but think shit, i want someone to love me as they love eachother, but then i am surrounded by couples irl and just doubt every fanfic/movie/book lol

Thank you, have a lovely day!💫

Weelll idk I'm definitely not someone in a position to tell you from experience, but I'd say probably yes and no..?

You have to remember that in fiction, especially romance, we write about what we want to see, because this isn't always the place for all the nitty gritty difficult and shitty parts of real relationships, it's where we come to escape life and have fun and feel feelings in a safe space

That also doesn't mean it's completely unrealistic, but I guess that relationships like the lovely ones we see in writing aren't as easy as they're made out to be. Relationships are hard work and sometimes there are fights and difficulties and compromises and people hurting each other, no matter how much they love each other. Even good and lasting relationships don't always look as perfect as you see them in media, because this isn't supposed to represent all facets real life, at the end of the day it's supposed to be nice to read

But yeah, I also think genuinely good relationships are a lot more rare than we like to think they are, because fact is, most people in relationships probably aren't even good for each other, they're just trying not to be lonely

But still, there's plenty of couples for whom it is real, and it's actually kind of up to you to make it happen instead of expecting to find a perfect puzzle piece and chickening out every time things get even remotely difficult or unpleasant. The hard things just have to be worth the good things, you know?

Anyway idk, I don't really have the life experience to really know what I'm talking about, but yeah, it's a complex business I suppose

#asks

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maxmoffs · 14 days ago

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random thoughts ellie thinks about ft. wanda’s connections over time + with my beloved faves , witchy verse/lore edition. ( also yes I still have to post my verses especially my witch verse for her bc it is the one I use the most because of my good friends that I love and adore ♥️ but bc I’ve yapped abt her so much to everyone in tvd/supernatural/non-marvel verse, i sometimes also envision her witchy life and the circle of people she surrounds herself with )

NAUSICAÄ & KOL ( @wickedslip + @bloodwr4th ) & @unsnare ‘s KAI.

dove and alls are literally the first mutuals not even just a month ago and I’ve just enjoyed writing/yapping with coming back totumblr and for also accepting me with open arms bc I am #shy , and much like the way they accepted me idk what it is but like my psa about ‘ships’ and chemistry , the vibes kind of just sparkled ✨ and because ive basically developed her with the thoughts and involvment of two wonderful angels and @unsnare , I’ve always visioned wanda in her witch verse just like how she already is just without the marvel of it all, a covenless witch with strong / unidentified chaos magic I literally can’t unsee her without them in this verse at least. being covenless and knowing that she is one of many witches that exist in this ‘realm/universe’ , she is AN OUTCAST , and finding her people or a circle that can keep her close by or even just knowing she isn’t completely alone , I’ve literally not unseen her without having at least references her knowing of nausicaä , kol and kai , it just makes sense with the way that she is and her character.

she almost sees nausicaä and kol as mentors first and then allies , at least so far upon our few interactions and pockets of moments of back and forth mentions of how they would be/vibe , from the moment I started interacting with yall the first thing I definitely saw was knowing that I wanted wanda to have allies and they were the perfect fit. more to come + yes i will yap to u guys more obvs but pls know you guys have impacted my view of her in her witchy realm verse.

and with @unsnare im sure u already know too from our few yaps , there’s a vibe with them that just seem right with the chaos magic and the villain side of kai + the trigger that could release that unknown magic wanda carries in this universe since I’ve visioned her to still in her prime of discovering what it means to be a covenless witch. and so she can and could easily be manipulated into harnessing her powers to fruition and with kai being that, is such a powerful and interesting dynamic. MORE TO COME YES ? the vibes are strong.

das all, and because I wanted to give a major major s/out and love to these wonderful angels bc truly, from the moment I came back on tumblr, they have made an impact as well on how I personally connect with wanda as well as also have an impact on her development with writing partners , that’s all im gonna run away shyly now but know that I think about them always ♥️

#that’s all im gonna run away now uwu #&. ( the catalyst for the elements of chaos magic! hc. )#&. ( divine rage beyond great magick : witch lore. )#wickedslip #bloodwr4th #unsnare

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thethndr · 4 months ago

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18+ ⚡︎ SFW ⚡︎ SEMI-SELECTIVE CHICK HICKS OF PIXAR'S CARS & CARS 3

BIO ⚡︎ VERSES ⚡︎ PROMO ⚡︎ TAGS

"IN YOUR DREAMS, THUNDER." "'THUNDER'? — WHAT'S HE TALKING ABOUT, 'THUNDER'?"

TRACK RULES

⚡︎ SELECTIVITY; kind of a given amongst any RP blog either way, but I'll be curating my own space here! To summarize, I am ORIGINAL CHARACTER friendly, CROSSOVER friendly, and AU friendly, but I will pick and choose whatever deriving from these I wish to entertain! ⚡︎ PERSONAL BLOGS (non-rp blogs); YOU MAY FOLLOW!!! smooch smooch ily sm just please be nice to me and let me do my thaaaang ⚡︎ ACTIVITY; relatively low, sadly :'D I work full-time and even weekends often elude me. writing will happen whenever I have time and inspiration. ⚡︎ SHIPPING; probably not but we'll see /shrug. ⚡︎ NSFW/SUGGESTIVE CONTENT; nah. some vaguely mature themes may arise here and there but nothing at all in the lane of suggestive or sexual.

My rules are pretty short and sweet because I feel like a lot of etiquette goes without saying at this point, but if there's anything you need further clarification on then don't be afraid to ask! xoxo

WHAT'S THE DEALIO HERE?;

HI I'M CHICKLOVER01! wait— HIIII I'm R and I run this joint. 21+. I was in the Tumblr RP scene for a good long stint years back but it's been a hot minute since then and my ears may fall deaf on a lot of the new lingo and trends, so bear with me kindly! DISCLAIMER; YES THIS IS A GENUINE CARS RP BLOG. I understand due to the nature of the franchise it has an inherent "crack" vibe to it, and while I'm still intending to entertain the humorous aspect of it, this blog still exists in earnest! KA-CHICKA btw. I'm also going to be EXCESSIVELY LOOSE with interpretation and details regarding the Cars world and the cars themselves given the nature of the universe lol. In terms of interacting with a literal car, I frankly do not mind however you choose to approach it! Whether it's normal, it's insane, it's just another Tuesday morning to your muse -- whatevah's your cup of tea! I also embrace the tonal whiplash of a completely normal human or fantasy character interacting with Chick because I think it's funny. BUT WITH THAT BEING SAID; I also have a humanized verse for those interested.

THANK YOU FOR READING I now bequeath him to you

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existential-life-crisis · 4 months ago

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☆ Get to know me :) (updated)☆

Hi! A bit of info to start with: I'm a minor; a lesbian; and a cis girl (she/her).

Ethnicity and language

I live in England and currently only speak English fluently however I am currently studying both French and German! (German is definitely my favourite of the 2)

Subjects and Interests

My favourite subjects are Maths and Classical Civilisation but I enjoy most subjects. (Lessons can still suck tho bc dam some teachers can be boring)

I enjoy drawing, playing games, reading (books and fics), listening to music and watching youtube.

Video games

I have a few favourite games at the minute:

• Hades

• Horizon: Zero Dawn and Forbidden West

• Genshin Impact

Finished games I still love:

• Astro Bot (its a vr game abt a little robot)

• Spiderman PS4

• Spiderman PS5 Miles Morales

• Portal 1 and 2 ♡♡♡

I am also 100% a completionist so if I finish a game I probably have 100% on it.

Reading

My fav books are everything Rick Riordan but i plan to read some other stuff as well soon.

My fav characters from the main series are Nico, Leo, Frank and Lester/Apollo but I do love pretty much all of the main cast. I haven't read Magnus Chase or Kane Chronicles since I was a kid so I'm gonna reread those before deciding favourites but I think they were Alex and Carter. Also, in love with all of the side characters even if they are 90% hc.

My fav canon ships/friendships are

• solangelo (Will x Nico)

• percabeth (Percy x Annabeth)

• frazel (Frank x Hazel) (But I do hc that either Frank was younger or Hazel was older bc the age gap was a bit strange in canon, being 13 and 16. Its a bit inconsistent , as all ages are in PJO, but if time works normally Hazel should be 14 and therefore definitely older than Nico too but thats a topic for another time)

• shelper (or shipper as I like to call them) (Shel x Piper)

• Lost trio (platonic)

• PJO trio (platonic) (Grover my baby, why must they always forget you)

• Lester and Meg (I dont think i have to say this but platonic) (please say I don't have to say that. No one ships that right)

• Reyna and Thalia (platonic) (omg let aroace characters exist in peace) (no hate if u ship it but my gods)

Fanon ships/friendships

• Valgrace (Leo x Jason) (but aroace Leo is still amazing)

• Pollen (Apollo x Darren) (Is this entirely about Dear Reader by wrongcaitlyn? Yes. Do I care? Nope. Am I insanly invested in their relationship? Oh absolutely.)

• Nico and Leo (platonic) (This had no reason to not be canon and had every reason to be and I will never forgive Rick for this until he fixes it)

• Frank and Leo (platonic) (I swear every book they would fix their relationship and then as soonas the next one starts they would hate each other again)

• Nico and evey side character ever (platonic) (especially year round campers) (bc hes genuinely just a nice guy)

• Will and Clarrise (platonic) (this is kinda canon but all we really know is that he can calm her down)

Feel free to ask for fic recs if u want them.

Music

My fav music artist is 'Grandson'. (He writes rock/alternative/indie/rap (?) music often about political/social/personal issues.)

But I listen to tons of other kinds of music too from metal to pop to instrumentals by a ton of different artists:

• Måneskin (italian rock band)

• Polyphia (instumental, primarily guitar, math rock)

• Chappell Roan (yk who that is)

• Chase Atlantic (u have probably heard at least 1 of their songs, pop/alternative/indie/r&b)

• Dutch Melrose (alternative/indie/pop)

• Mother Mother (yk who that is right?)

• Eminem (right?)

• MSI (punk/alternative/rock)

And a whole lot more

I also play guitar (acoustic and electic).

Loveeee Spiderman: Into and Across the spider verse.

My fav characters are Miles, Hobie, Pavitr, Spidernoir and Gwen but I love all of them.

Shows:

• Avatar the Last Airbender

• The Legend of Korra

• Batman: the animated series

• Voltron :)

Beliefs

Im an atheist but I support people of all religions. I support Palestine. I am left liberal (again I'm British so keep that in mind, I know nothing abt US politics besides the basic/well known stuff). I believe in equal rights for all groups and am open to other ideas and perspectives.

If you cant respect that then please get of my page. You don't have to agree with me but you do have to respect me and others.

Thats all for now.

Byeee ♡♡♡

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alexanderlightweight · 2 years ago

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Can we get more of 'in his wake petals fall' for writing wendsday? I do love Alec with his flower crowns!

yes! especially because i love this verse but not going to lie, I got distracted writing this by researching local botanical gardens as well and going ‘am I close enough for a day trip’ and also finding out which places allow nightshade (and I found one close enough!)

i hope you enjoy!

lumine

—

“Is this really necessary?” Alexander asks as Magnus portals him blindfolded away from the loft.

“Yes.” Magnus assures him, keeping him stable as he guides him through the portal to the little alcove hidden for warlocks in the gardens, he’s brought them too. It’s with a kiss and a flourish of magic that he unveils the setting to Alexander, disintegrating the blindfold with a little flare that goes unnoticed or appreciated.

“Oh fuck.” Alexander stares wide-eyed and he turns in a slow circle, his hand finding Magnus’ and squeezing harshly, his delight too strong to be contained. “Where are we?”

“Singapore’s Botanical Gardens.” Magnus tells him with relish, and he delights in the awe on Alexander’s face as he looks at the various plants. “It’s the nicest and one of the oldest mundane gardens. I’ll take you to the seelie ones soon enough.” And here Magnus pulls Alexander out onto the path, “now come along darling, we have places to go and plants to see.”

—

It’s not often that Alexander gets to enjoy and appreciate the mundane world, but he does when it comes to plants and Magnus watches with amusement as Alexander carefully avoids the mundane children running around them. His tall shadowhunter is used to people parting for him in the downworld but even here, unglamoured, he acts like they can’t see him. The fluidity of his motion catches attention and Alexander himself only has eyes for Magnus, and the plants of course.

Alexander shrugs and then hesitantly explains, “I’m not sure how delicate mundane children are. Seelie, nephilim and warlock kids are all pretty sturdy from what I know. I’m not sure about werewolves and well, there are very few vampire children.”

Magnus shares a look at him with that, because born vampires are rare and powerful and definitely not delicate, they’re also created in ritual rather than in birth.

“Valid.” Magnus allows and he pulls Alexander close for a quick kiss that his magic will blur. There’s never a need to introduce Alexander to mundane homophobia and while Magnus is incredibly out and proud, he’s not going to subject an unprepared and vulnerable Alexander to the disdain of mundanes.

Especially when Alexander is more likely to just swat any aggressive mundanes away — like a fly — and Magnus is still trying to figure out how to avoid those kinds of situations. So he hides away their kisses from their worlds and while they hold hands, Magnus ensures that there is a discreet magic placed on them, to discourage curious gazes.

It’s the safest way to curate their experiences in unfamiliar places and while Magnus hates it’s necessary, he can’t say that he minds hiding away Alexander’s intimacies from the world. There’s something almost sacred, about adoring and worshipful hazel eyes watching Magnus with the kind of devotion offered to gods and angels and even demons.

Alexander acts like Magnus is his god, his angel, his reason for existence and it makes Magnus wants to destroy and remake the world, so that it better suits his boy’s taste. Instead, Magnus leans in for another quick kiss and then pulls away, reaching up to use magic and gently create a crown of the opal peonies Alexander recently planted on their roof. The image of Alexander, crowned in peonies against a backdrop of rich green foliage and Magnus has to remind himself that he can just create a pocket dimension for his boy, he doesn’t have to destroy the world to make him happy.

Even if it is tempting.

#lumine writes #writing wednesday #writing wednesdays #magnus bane #alec lightwood #malec #shadowhunters #shadowhunters au #my fics #my fanfics #my ficlets

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tlou-reid · 1 year ago

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The Show Must Go On - Stick Season

♡ DISCLAIMER: this story deals with heavy, dark, and triggering themes. warnings will be included on each chapter. this story is 18+, minors do not interact. (also i can not guaranteed my timeline is exactly right but i am doing my best)

♡ DISCLAIMER: i am incapable of writing songs so reader's music will all be from noah kahan's stick season. songs used in each chapter will be linked at the beginning, and the character is inspired by the story he creates throughout the album.

♡ WARNINGS: alcohol consumption, takes place in a bar, jesse and ellie get drunk, ellie being a Simp

♡ fem!musician!reader x ellie williams (eventually)

❥ prologue ❥ next part

“Come on, Ellie,” Joel rushed her out the door, lightly pushing her back, “I thought you’d be excited for this.” It was Ellie’s 18th birthday, something she’d been looking forward to since they can came to Jackson. And honestly, Joel was excited too. While there was no official set of laws, it was general knowledge that you had to be 18 to be able to go into the Tipsy Bison and have a drink. Joel was excited to see Ellie in this kind of environment, and he couldn’t wait to embarrass her in front of everyone.

“Dina and Jesse are gonna meet us there, right?” Ellie asked, making sure she’d get to spend her birthday with her best friends. Joel nodded yes, and they continued their trek to the bar.

The saloon-esque doors opened and Dina and Jesse’s hands shot in a wave to Joel and Ellie almost immediately. Sitting along with them was Tommy and Maria. Ellie smiled at her found family and raced over to them. Joel could only chuckle as he followed behind. A few other people were there, acquaintances of the groups. They all cheered for Ellie, wishing her a collective happy birthday.

It wasn’t until she reached her friends when Ellie noticed the music. She followed the sound to the small stage set up in the very back of the bar, where her eyes on landed on you. She paused for a second to listen. This wasn’t one of the songs she’d ever heard on the radio, or even had on cassette to listen to. You went into the next verse and she stopped to listen to the words you were singing.

“So I thought that if I piled something good on all my bad, that I could cancel out the darkness I’ve inherited from dad.” She noticed how beautiful you looked with your eyes closed and a slight smile on your face as you continued your song, “No, I am no longer funny, cause I miss the way you laugh. Once called me forever now you still can’t call me back.”

You and Ellie made eye contact as your eyes opened for the chorus. The strums of your guitar after each line made Ellie smile, and, much to your amusement, she was nodding her head along. “And I love Vermont but it’s the season of the sticks and I saw your mom, but she forgot that I existed…”. Joel tapped her shoulder, making her reluctantly take her attention off of you. Behind her back, Dina was smirking at Ellie’s reaction to the singer.

“So what are we drinking?” Joel asked, excited to give her what he thought was her first drink. “Hamblen whiskey,” Ellie answered with a proud smile on her face. “How the hell do you know what that is?” Joel asked as he waved the bartender over. Ellie just answered with another smile, before turning to her friends.

“Who is that?” Ellie asked, gesturing to where you were finishing up your song on the stage. Jesse told her your name, and explained how you sang here on Fridays, and how often Seth complained about it. “It brings more people in, so he puts up with it.” Jesse finished with. “Why have I never seen her before?” Ellie inquired.

“You guys kinda run on opposite schedules, like with patrol and stuff.” Jesse explained. “And she kinda keeps to herself. She writes music, the songs she sings are hers. Her and Michael are good friends, they’re patrol partners most of the time.” Dina added on while Joel passed Ellie her drink. It was definitely not the whiskey she asked for, but it was alright.

“Thank you guys! See you next week!” You announced as you pulled your guitar off your shoulders. Ellie couldn’t help but watch as you rested it on a stand, presumably for you to grab when you leave. Much to her surprise, you started making your way towards her and her group. Her eyes raced up and down your body, unabashedly checking you out as you came over.

“I heard it was your birthday,” you smiled at her, “why don’t you let me buy you a shot to celebrate?” Ellie was dumbfounded. She was sure her mouth was hanging open, as if she been approached by a celebrity. She could feel her cheeks warming at your words, already forming a little crush in her own mind. You let out a chuckle when she nodded. “C’mon then,” you reached out towards her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her closer to the bar. Dina and Jesse let out a laugh when you two walked a few steps away. Ellie turned and glared at them over her shoulder.

“I’ve, uh, I’ve never seen you around here,” Ellie started as you flagged down the bartender. “I’m Ellie, I’ve only lived in Jackson for a few years now.” She was proud of herself, the way she could form an introduction. You introduced yourself, telling her your name. “I sing here every week, you’ve never come in before. I would’ve noticed a pretty girl like you.” Once again, she was at a loss for words. When your attention turned away from her to tell the bartender what you wanted for the shots, she took the opportunity to check you out again.

Ellie couldn’t deny how attracted she was to you already. Up close she could see every detail that was hidden from her when you were on the stage. She could see the necklace that dangled from the way you leant over the bar, the small freckles that spread across your cheeks, the chipped paint on your fingernails that shined in the light as you waved to the bartender. She was so enthralled by you, she didn’t even have the chance to wonder how you got nail polish in a literal apocalypse. All of your little details had her memorized all the way through. She could feel her head getting lighter, her heart beating fast, her pussy getting wetter, and her fingers tapping harder against her thigh.

“Yeah, I just turned 18, Joel said I had to wait to come hang out here.” You laughed as you handed her the shot. “So this is your first shot?” You asked. She nodded. “Okay, let’s get to it then.” She nodded again, watching you and following your actions as she took her first shot. Her face winced up at the taste. “What is this?” She asked, reaching for the drink Joel had given her. “I don’t know, I asked the bartender for the nastiest shit they have. It’s a rite of passage.” You laughed and she flipped you off, very quickly, from behind her glass.

“You didn’t even react!” Ellie squealed, still trying to recover from the taste. She wasn’t sure if it was the nastiness of the alcohol that raised her voice two octaves, or if it was how close you were standing to her. “Oh,” you laughed, “I don’t drink. I told him to put a little bit of water in my shot glass.” Ellie’s mouth dropped, “that’s not fair!” You laughed, the sound filling her chest with warmth.

“It looks like the party’s over here!” Jesse yelled, slurring his words a bit. His arms wre thrown around yours and Ellie’s shoulders, as Dina laughed behind him. Ellie rolled her eyes at his interruption. “Ellie, this is y/n. Y/n, Ellie’s been checking you out since we came in!” Jesse drunkenly rambled. Ellie’s face was heating up again as your gaze turned to hers. “Is that so?” You asked with a smirk gracing your beautiful face. Ellie couldn’t tell if she was embarrassed or turned on. “Well, the feeling is mutual.” You said with a wink, before pushing Jesse’s arm off of your shoulder, “I’ll see you guys around, I’ve gotta get the stage cleaned up before the bartenders shift switches. Happy birthday, Ellie.”

And just as quickly as you’d shown up, you were gone. Ellie turned to socialize with her group, letting everyone wish her happy birthday and buy her a few drinks. Her eyes kept drifting to the stage, where you were organizing everything on it, and putting your guitar into its case. She was unaware of the way your eyes drifted to her, checking her out as well.

“Jesse,” Ellie slurred later in the night. Jesse was half-conscious, drunkenly stooped over a table in the bar. Most of the people had left, leaving a few stragglers and Ellie’s group. Dina was the most sober, taking care of everyone. Tommy and Maria had retired home, calling it a night. Joel was sat in the corner, sipping on a drink and keeping an eye on the kids. “I need a favor.” Ellie finished. Jesse let out a disgruntled groan, not excited about the sound of her voice in his ear. “I need to be put on patrol with y/n. You gotta be a wingman here.” Jesse let out another groan, one that seemed to be of agreement.

Later in the night, as Joel helped Ellie stumble into her bed, all she could think about was you. She’d never had such a crush on someone who was relatively a stranger. She’d never been approached by anyone, let alone someone who was so confident and seemed to be interested in her. All she could do as she passed out from the amount of alcohol in her system, was hope and pray that Jesse would remember the agreement he’d made. All she wanted to do was see you again.

Unfortunately, that didn’t last long for Ellie. In the morning, her focus was entirely on the pounding headache and upset stomach she was nursing. This was her first hangover, so she laid around most of the day. Until Dina came knocking on her door. “Els,” Dina shouted, making Ellie groan, “come on, let’s go get the kids all set up.”

Ellie had totally forgotten she was movie duty tonight, taking care of the children and setting up the film with Dina. With a groan, she got up to open the door. Dina yelled out something along the lines of, “you’re not even dressed!”, but Ellie was too focused on shushing her to really understand what she said. Ellie got herself together as quickly as possible before heading to the community center to set the movie and snacks up.

When she passed the stables, she saw your figure emerging. You guys held eye contact for a second, and you brought your hand up to wave at her. Ellie’s cheeks flushed a shade of pink as she smiled and waved back. Dina chuckled from next to her. “You like her? For real?” Dina asked, not in a teasing tone. She was asking if Ellie liked her, or if she was just attracted to her. “I don’t really know her.” Ellie answered, ever the mysterious type. “But you want to?” Dina didn’t miss the rosy blush that reappeared on Ellie’s cheek, despite her silence following the question.

Luckily for the girls, Jesse had shown up and started getting things together. Dina helped seat the kids as Ellie went to set up the film. Soon, everything was running smoothly, and the three were standing in the back of room. “Jesse,” Ellie whispered, leaning into his side, “do you remember the deal we made yesterday?” Jesse’s eyebrows furrowed, answering her question without saying anything. “The girl, the uh, the singer from last night,” Ellie nervously started. What if he made fun of her for asking? What if he ran off and told her that she asked for this favor?

“Could you maybe, uhm, set us up on patrol together?” She finished. Jesse’s face broke out in a smile, “yeah, of course. I’m a great wingman. It’ll just be a while, the schedule’s made for like two weeks or something. You’ll have to go on a night patrol, since that was she does. You think Joel will let you?”

Ellie didn’t know how to say, ��I don’t really give a damn what Joel has to say about it, I’m going on that fucking patrol’ without sounding like an asshole. Instead she said, “yeah, I’ll make it work. Just make it happen for me.”

The night passed and Ellie made sure to follow-up with Jesse almost everyday until he confirmed that they were scheduled together for 15 days out. Ellie marked the date in her journal, outlining it with little hearts.

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presidenthades · 1 year ago

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I am doing very minor revisions of Daemon’s Handbook (mostly formatting and continuity errors), and I wanted to do some behind-the-scenes commentary before too much time passes and I forget my original thoughts. Here’s Chapter 11!

(Note that these commentaries aren’t canon to the verse until/unless the author writes them into the series. I might change my mind on a few points later, but these are the thoughts I had while writing.)

In my early outline, the big scandal in the last chapter was supposed to be Luce and Aemond getting caught in flagrante by somebody aligned to Otto (the servants’ passages scene in Chapter 9 didn’t happen in this version). I was writing it as a parallel to the Episode 4 brothel scene, so I was going to have it take place in the city somewhere, and there was going to be a lot of drama with Luce and Aemond being forcibly separated while Daemon searches for Luce. But the pacing was off and the necessary sequence of events was too contrived, so we got the version that currently exists in the fic.

I kept wondering if it was plausible Clement Celtigar to be stupid enough to unwittingly act as Otto’s lackey. I decided the answer is yes. I try not to character bash, but the Celtigars make it too easy. 😭 Seriously, read about them on the ASOIAF wiki (and look at Edwell and Bartimos’s pages).

I imagine that Otto pretended to be more familiar with Rhaenyra’s side of the family than he actually is, and he dropped some hints (without outright saying it, because like Daemon thinks in this chapter, young men want to believe they come up with their own ideas) that Luce favors Clement, and that she enjoys visiting the library late at night. Then Otto had the note forged in Aemond’s handwriting and left it for Luce. I’m sure this scheme was a lot smoother and sneakier than my bullet points can convey.

I picked the library as the setting so I could play with the trope in a lot of Aemond/OC fanfics (which I really enjoy! But I also enjoy flipping tropes) where Aemond and his love interest rendezvous in the library.

ASOIAF has names for hours of the day (eg hour of ghosts), but GRRM hasn’t revealed all the names. So I extrapolated names for all 24 hours of the day. “Hour of the cat” in the forged note is 11PM.

I spent a while debating how badly Luce injures Clement. I considered making it a lot more grievous (with a knife involved, as a redux of Driftmark), but that would have drastically darkened the story’s tone and changed the fallout from the event. So Clement gets away with a bit of testicular torsion, which Dr Google tells me *can* be serious if not quickly given medical treatment.

Bartimos comes close to calling Luce a whore. If he said it, Daemon would probably have given him the Episode 8 Vaemond treatment. Again, that would’ve been a very dark tonal shift, so Barty stays quiet.

Clement wants 8 sons and 2 daughters because a crab (his house sigil) has ten legs total, two of them being pincers. But Luce doesn’t care about the symbolism, and she ain’t having that many kids.

Normally Luce would have sneaked off alone to meet Aemond in the library. But she brings Rhaena because the argument with Daemon is still fresh, and she’s smarting from his (reasonably accurate) accusation that she doesn’t think enough with her upper brain. So in a strange way, Daemon’s diatribe benefited Luce because if she’d gone alone, there wouldn’t be any witnesses to defend her.

Daemon’s snooping around the girls’ letters is also proving to be surprisingly helpful several years later! If he hasn’t read Aemond’s letters to Luce, Daemon wouldn’t notice the handwriting discrepancy.

Daemon spends the entire fic paranoid about Hightower schemes, and he’s FINALLY right! He finally gets validation! 😂 But he also has zero evidence, literally just gut feelings and vibes.

Baela has been having a great time with Cregan Stark (who canonically has a thing for bisexual tomboys). The Northerners are staying around longer than most wedding guests because the distance is so far, so Baela has plenty of time to keep seducing him. By the time Cregan leaves, I imagine he’s going to make an offer to Baela, but she’s going to put him off for a while longer; she’ll *probably* accept him eventually, but she’s not sure Moondancer will like the cold.

After Daemon confronts Aemond, Aemond goes to the Tower of the Hand to confront Otto. I’m not sure what exactly they say to each other, but afterwards, Aemond tears his room apart looking for the present he planned to give Luce three years ago. I don’t know where he eventually finds it, but it’s probably a laughably obvious spot he totally overlooks at first.

Jace has already been setting up a gossip/whisper network in the Red Keep, so she’s able to hear first thing the next morning about the library incident.

I like Paddy Considine’s take that Viserys *does* have the “blood of the dragon,” he just forces himself to control his temper because he’s trying to be a good king. Also, when he’s a walking corpse in Episode 8, he has the wherewithal to draw his dagger and threaten to cut out Vaemond’s tongue. Viserys would 100% call for Clement to be gelded and gossipers to be silenced. So, for once, Viserys strongly approves of Daemon’s violent streak. 😇

I spent a while debating Clement’s punishment. He kissed Luce when she didn’t want it, which, for most girls, would unfortunately be swept under the rug since he’s the heir to a notable house. But things are different with the royal family. Luce doesn’t want an unnecessarily cruel punishment; she was friendly with Clement until recently, and in Chapter 7, she’s restraining Aemond from violence against Ulf. Even though she’s quick to defend herself by any means necessary, she’s by no means a sadist. She was also deeply affected when Aemond lost his eye (which she partially blames herself for), which leads to her resisting punishments that involve maiming.

Jace also advocates for less violence, but not because she’s a softie. She prefers the diplomatic route, which is harder if you’re trigger-happy to forcibly amputate your vassals. But she knows a monarch has to make hard decisions sometimes, and she’s willing to do what it takes. For example, if Clement had done worse than kiss Luce, Jace *would* want him to be gelded, and she’d have no qualms about it.

Helaena did not have a vision or prophecy about Aemond and the book. She just saw him panicking in his room and figured out what he was up to, because she’s his sister and she knows him. 😂 And because she knows him (and Luce) so well, she can deduce they’re probably going to patch things up, so she packs his bags for him.

No God’s Eye duel in this verse, but I couldn’t resist slipping in a reference about Luce jumping into Vhagar’s saddle 😭

ASOIAF book readers can probably deduce what Joff’s candle is. And that’s all I’m gonna say about it until we get Joff’s POV. 👀

Joff kisses Daeron’s cheek purely to distract Daemon from asking more questions about the candle. Daeron is now very confused. I like to imagine he runs off to Jace and Aegon’s room screaming “Aegon, Joff kissed me, what do I do????” But Jace and Aegon are newlyweds so Aegon isn’t going to appreciate Daeron’s interruption 😂😂😂

That’s it for the Handbook commentaries! Fingers crossed that I have an update this weekend about my next fic in this AU-verse. 🤞

#my writing #hotd #house of the dragon #hotd fanfic #meta #hotd fic #house of the dragon fanfic #daemon’s handbook

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