#I love what we got but I mourn what we might have had (zero with his faceplate cracked in a metaphorically coherent and pleasing way

[vaguely-concerned]

zero with the helmet faceplate broken so it reveals just one of his eyes and spiderweb cracks all around it.........

#I am not in drawing mode right now so I can't make this happen for me but by GOD I wish someone would haha #campaign star wars #agent zero #evil campaign #I'm so sad we never got to see zero get to go completely ham in battle #the closest we have is the mandalore arc but he's clearly reeling a bit from his lil guy getting thrown off a roof in that one lol #that's his emotional support lil aged out boy king and without him he lost two arms in one night. rough times for zero #I simply think zero should get to go full beast mode and kill a bunch of people in cool ways audiotorially on-screen. as a treat! #a treat for him a treat for me a treat especially for blue there are no downsides here. except for the people he'd kill I guess #I love what we got but I mourn what we might have had (zero with his faceplate cracked in a metaphorically coherent and pleasing way #killing fools and looking cool doing it. imagine someone almost managing to kill blue and zero going To Town on them. imagine.) #steadfastly not looking at how many of my comfort characters have their eyes or faces habitually covered in some way #it quite simply means nothing and signifies nothing

[suzannahnatters]

Ok so I wrote a whole steampunk trilogy about these two bejewelled idiots

so let me tell you about George V and Mary ("May") of Teck.

From the photo - woman dressed like a wedding cake, man wearing the Milky Way - you might think that this is a picture of privilege.

Well, yeah. You're right. Mostly.

Her name was Princess May, and she was Europe's least eligible spinster.

Although she was of royal blood, May was descended from a "morganatic" marriage - her grandfather on her father's side had married a commoner - in fact, a countess (gasp!) - on condition that their children would not inherit his small German duchy. May's two aunts never married, because no self-respecting German prince would be seen dead in a ditch marrying the offspring of a mere countess. May's father got lucky because over in England, Queen Victoria was struggling to cope with her cousin, MARY ADELAIDE. Mary Adelaide was fat, thirty-two, unmarried, more popular than the queen, and completely uncontrollable. Under the circumstances, the discovery of an unattached prince too beggarly to be picky was an absolute godsend. The English were too broadminded to care about the countess, and nobody else (as someone joked unkindly) would "venture on so vast an undertaking."

The marriage was happy, but extravagant. By the time May was 16, the family was so deeply in debt that they had to run away from England to avoid their debtors. For the next two years they lived in Italy, where May was able to get an excellent education in art history, languages, singing, and painting.

After returning to England, May took an interest in visiting the poor and collecting funds for charities. Serious, diligent, and intelligent, May hoped that one day she would have an important role to play in the world…but how? She was not royal enough to marry into royalty, but she was much too royal to marry beneath her.

It was Queen Victoria who decided to play the fairy godmother. One day, quite unexpectedly, she invited May to join her at Balmoral. Several days later, Prince Eddy also arrived. Eddy was Victoria's grandson, third in line to the throne, and thus (if you overlooked the affairs with married women, and the scandals, and the venereal disease, and the sub-zero IQ) the most eligible bachelor in the whole British Empire. In Victoria's opinion, what the future King of England needed most was a good, smart, steady wife. She'd already tried to arrange several other matches for Eddy, including one with Princess Alix of Hesse (who would go on to marry Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, a match which would in no way help to precipitate a violent revolution and end in a hail of bullets, blood, and diamonds), but all of them had failed. Now, she thought May would do.

Perhaps May thought it was her only chance to achieve lasting financial security. Possibly she agreed with Victoria that the future of the British Royal Family depended on Eddy marrying someone with half a brain. Maybe she even hoped for love. When Eddy proposed, May accepted.

Just weeks before the wedding, May was staying at Sandringham for Eddy's 28th birthday celebrations when he came down with influenza. The next day, he developed pneumonia. Five days later he was dead.

More than a hundred years later, we can be excused for looking back and feeling that both May and the whole British Empire dodged a significant bullet there. To Eddy's family, it was a crushing tragedy. One who mourned him was Eddy's younger brother, a steady, hard-working, unimaginative naval officer named George. Prince George was not just dull as dishwater and nearly as badly educated as his brother, he was also significantly healthier, smarter, and more disciplined. Now, with George taking Eddy's place as heir to the throne, many immediately began to think that George should take Eddy's bride as well. After all, Queen Victoria had already gone to the trouble of vetting and approving May, and why should all that work go to waste?

Among those who thought so were May's own parents. When Eddy's family went on holiday to the south of France to grieve in peace, May's parents packed up their daughter and followed. George dutifully called on the family, and over the next few months, as May travelled around Europe, she and George corresponded via letter. Emotionally constipated as he was, George had grown used to writing heartfelt notes to his deaf mother. May was also painfully shy. Signs were against them, but the two managed to become engaged in 1893 after significant prodding from both their families. Shortly afterwards, they exchanged these hilariously awkward letters:

MAY: I am very sorry that I am still so shy with you. I tried not to be so the other day, but alas failed, I was angry with myself! It is so stupid to be so stiff together and really there is nothing I would not tell you, except that I love you more than anybody in the world, and this I cannot tell you myself so I write it to relieve my feelings.

GEORGE: Thank God we both understand each other, and I think it really unnecessary for me to tell you how deep my love for you my darling is and I feel it growing stronger and stronger every time I see you; although I may appear shy and cold.

The rest, of course, is history. George married May in 1893 and in 1910 they succeeded to the throne as King George V and Queen Mary of Teck. In between ruling the colonies with a rod of iron (George), amassing a small fortune in fabulous diamonds (May), and wearing some of the era's most luscious fashions (both) the two of them remained as deeply in love as ever. When George took a dive in a newfangled invention named a submarine, May, standing on the Portsmouth quay, could not repress a passionate effusion of concern:

"I shall be very disappointed if George doesn't come up again."

ALSO May had a dollhouse that was a miniature copy of their home! The library contained VERY TINY BOOKS by literary luminaries such as Oscar Wilde and Rudyard Kipling! AND over the bed in the main bedroom there was a tiny sign hanging - "May George? - George May." I'm sorry but I love them. I'm not sorry at all for all the grand silly fun I had writing them both in Miss Sharp's Monsters. Though I'm afraid that at no stage was the real Princess May impersonated by a clever clockwork automaton containing a bomb intended to blow up Queen Victoria. I made that part up.

#history #miss sharp's monsters #the werewolf of whitechapel #mary of teck #george v #historical fiction #gothic #steampunk #gaslamp fantasy #victorian #1800s #1890s #bete epoque #late 1800s

[flowerflamestars]

Another alternative Effloresce pov. Azriel, as the slow moving shitshow train wreck his life is is quickly becoming a fast moving shit show train wreck.

I cannot tell you how much I love this one!

So, I would say across all my fics Azriel is a character who is the most consistent? Especially since almost all of them were written before acosf TERRIBLY let us in his actually creepy little headspace, and I've additionally chosen to keep my made up shadowman as he is.

Effloresce Az is basically Starlight Az but SADDER. He's Daylight Az without a kiddo and husband, Shoreless Sea Az without the absolutely beneficial retirement, and man is he TIRED.

You're Azriel, and your job sucks. Your inborn skillset leaves you zero other options, and you know this. It's better to be the left hand of power than in a cell for life, but you know what? Sometimes you can only do so goddamn much.

You're Azriel and that's kind of all you've got. You're one of a kind, literally. Alone forever in that. But you love Cassian. You play the little games with Mor for harmony. You respect- alien, ancient, different, probably what you'll feel like in a thousand goddamn years if you live that long- Amren.

You see the good in Rhysand, limited as it is to personal things, but you also see the vast potential for failure.

You see him listening to this CHILD OF A GIRL- who seems nice, yeah. You're worried about her, frankly. The Courts of Prythian revived her and will not just let that go- but that doesn't mean you think she has, shall we say, good ideas.

You watch Cassian spend days arguing against this.

You rock up over the wall and realize these two mortal, innocent women have probably been taken captive by Spring. Your orders are a mistake, you have a war to fight that has nothing to do with these people, but you're here, and you might as well do some good.

You move to neutralize the threat.

Lucien Vanserra does not act like a vassal of Spring. No, not even at Autumn prince. You can drown fire in the dark, but you can't swallow the sun or an ocean of flame without end.

That doesn't matter either, because this determined little slip of blond sunshine just fucking stabbed you. And for the first time in maybe decades, you just want to laugh. You've fucked up, clearly, but you're okay. (You can live through so much worse than letting a human woman stab you to feel safe.)

You hear Cassian coming, and you know.

It doesn't matter what Feyre is saying. Has said. You're Azriel and you can't not know or not hear- she's wrong or she lied. You have a High Lord sweating blood to protect a stunningly, dangerously charming woman and you have her sister, who feels less like delight and more like a dream.

You're a shadowsinger, whose providence is secrets and these two woman are shrouded.

You're fucked, essentially.

You know they're not really human.

You know they're hiding, and Feyre is going to break that right open if Rhysand has his way, no matter how many times you point out that the Queens want nothing to do with Prythian's fae.

You're Azriel, and you've always been smart enough to stay quiet when you have no orders forcing you to do otherwise. You're polite. You're frankly, horrified. You have no idea what to do with the Archeron sisters acting like you're nothing to be afraid of.

You know, before Cassian knows, that every wind that has ever carried him had lead him right here.

(You remember what that felt like. The fear, the euphoria. You were young and stupid enough to consider it simple rightness, your extra senses on your side, pulling you toward the correct choice in fealty. You didn't know what it was until too late. You didn't know and you never even got to know or got to mourn. You didn't have the right to mourn a girl dead too soon, who would have never been anything but your queen had she grown old enough to wear a crown.)

(Dead before the start, just like you.)

You decide, immediately, you cannot let what happened to you happen to Cassian. Nesta Archeron might be a compelling power, might be a fighter with ash in her hair and a cunning mind, but Shahar was a High Lady born. Not even that could save her.

You understand the instant way you like Elain is magic, whether she knows it or not. (She does not). Real affection follows quickly, you are, despite all magic to the contrary, as Illyrian as Cassian. You cannot not know. You like Nesta too- if only for her ferocity. Her bleeding, present fury.

They treat you like a person.

Fearlessly.

Easily.

You watch as their sister breaks their hearts, cracks already laid. You watch Rhysand act more and more territorial, and of course you know why too. You watch Lucien Vanserra safeguard the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of humans and you understand this, here, is a Court too.

A better one.

You quietly, a secret, kill their father.

You bind yourself in blood to a favor, and use it to unshackle the Archeron bloodline and their vassals from the Queens.

You watch Nesta Archeron kneel in the snow, watch Elain Archeron pull a knife on a High Lord of Prythian over human lives, and think, with dread and barren exhaustion, you're making the right choice.

The hard choice.

(How many noncombatants died in Sangravah? In every city Amarantha occupied? How many servants in the Hewn City every year? How many Illyrian children in the starving north? How many deaths were Azriel's fault, because Rhysand didn't care?)

(The Archerons would rather die with their people than live. Were educating their maids. Sending their kitchen boys to university. Taking in the orphans of other estates, having never forgotten what it was to be forgotten, hungry and alone.)

You're Azriel, and you can't not know how badly this is going to hurt.

#FAST MOVING TRAIN WRECK AHOY #I only covered what's posted because the next chapter is truly #THE BONES OF MY SOUL IN MY HANDS THE WORLD ON FIRE AND I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO GIVE BUT MORE DEATH #from Az's POV #he takes finding Shahars remains NOT WELL #plus you know #the war kickstarts #Cassian continues to act basically insane in a good way #And Nesta and Elain just keep raising the goddamn bar he was trying to ignore even existed #The Shahar stuff is actually really important #he does not tell Rhys #EVER! #Bones are literally he closest he's ever going to come #they weren't in love #they didn't even know each other #HE DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL SHE DIED #and of course #Rhys made that entirely about himself #Az just. I think he likes Feyre in this impish way canon always wants Cassian to (but then Cassian put her on such a high altar it failed) #but also? is too deep in the shit of it all #not to be like: she's a really powerful symbol #but she shouldn't be in charge????

[philtstone]

Anne/Gilbert, 13

#13 - You say my name for the first time and I fall in love in an empty bar

two days ago i accidentally stumbled upon an ancient half-written opening scene to an anne of green gables psych au in the depths of my wip folder, and it struck me that whatever this concept was, the world deserved to see it. so i decided to pummel it into a coherent prompt fill and here we are. the prompt is ... interpretive, but i think it works. if it isn't clear, anne is shawn, diana is gus, and gilbert is juliette. i don't actually know if there's a lassiter in this universe; suggestions are, of course, welcome

for @foolgobi65, because as one might expect, the title of the google doc read, "for maya"

Anne’s day ends with her spitting out a large gulp of no-brand hallucinogenic instant coffee onto the potted azalea in their lobby. 

Well. That is not wholly accurate. One could argue that Anne’s day ends with the gasping splutter that follows, and the wide-eyed stare she bestows upon her sheepish colleague slash long-time childhood friend slash former sworn enemy, slash --

Well. That, too, leaves some points unaddressed. 

The most accurate account capitulates that Anne’s day -- an all-around uneventful, if emotionally complicated affair -- ends with the soft, butterfly-wing laugh shared by two friends who have acknowledged the known truth of a secret badly kept and ultimately harmless in practice.

But that’s where Anne’s day ends; it begins quite monotonously, with a tip-off about Mrs. Blewitt’s peevish cat having gone missing (it had run away and good riddance, Anne insists, a conclusion she comes to without any collection of evidence nor erstwhile psychic episode), and the spilled bowl of coco puffs that heralds the complicated emotions of the day’s middle.

And so, without further ado, the middle:

Gilbert is starfished on the floor, t-shirt clad back against cheap laminate. 

Gilbert has been starfished on the floor (t-shirt clad back against cheap laminate) all afternoon. Anne does not know if this is his natural mourning position or something unique to this particular lamentation. Either option is pitiable on principle, and saddening in the more subjective sense; he is a dear friend, and this a sticky situation. 

But the fact of the matter is that his limbs are simply too long to be starfishing in the Lady C’s Psychic Detective Agency lobby. Specifically, they don’t actually have a lobby, as the entire space is just one dinky office and a houseplant.

“Oh, Gilbert,” says Diana, placatingly, as she’s said at least twelve times in varying tones of commiseration in the last hour.

“I’m a fool,” Gilbert tells the ceiling. Anne can acquiesce that the ceiling is a very good listener; she and that ceiling have had many a despondent heart-to-heart in the past year alone. “A prized idiot, Anne.” 

Anne scowls. 

She does so enjoy being right -- it has to be said -- but that doesn’t mean she would pull an I told you so after someone’s job has been lost. Jobs are livelihoods. Livelihoods mean being able to do things like actually afford groceries, or own a car that does not make horrible rattling noises every time one turns on the left-hand blinker. 

She got the “I told you so” off her chest hours ago. 

“You’re not an idiot,” says Anne, more snappishly than she intends it. “You’re a good person, Gilbert Blythe. That is not an idiot.”

“I am,” insists Gilbert. “This was a terrible idea. Zero out of ten, would not do again. Why didn’t I go into medicine? Remember Ms. Stacey from the seventh grade? She said I should go into medicine.”

At this, Diana throws Anne an aggrieved look from under the well-groomed fringe of her glossy dark hair. 

Diana -- when she isn’t saying “Oh, Gilbert” in commiserating tones -- is making coffee in the corner in what must be a noble attempt at offering a comforting hot drink during a time of trouble. Only, she’s using the last of their instant coffee mix, which Anne employs more in DIY home facial remedies (a desperate bid to reduce her stubbornly-enduring freckles) than she does in coffee. It generally tastes like putrified cardboard and has odd kernels of glittery orange stuff in it that Anne once insisted almost did give her an out of body hallucinogenic psychic experience.

Marilla had said “Fiddlesticks” and attributed that to sleep deprivation and a too-large cup of artificially caffeinated joe, but that is beside the point.

The point is: Anne’s not sure if the coffee is their best course of action, comfort-wise, and of course reminiscing about seventh grade is not going to get them anywhere good. Seventh grade involved terrible hair dye jobs, the distasteful entity that was Josie Pye, and that one time (read: the entirety of seventh grade) where Gilbert tugged Anne’s braid in a misguided attempt to get her attention and Anne vowed to hate him forever. 

Obviously, Anne did not keep good on that vow, else Gilbert would not be starfishing on the floor of her slightly-fraudulent psychic detective agency office, in the throes of misery. 

Anne sighs. She tries to telepathically communicate to Diana that it is indeed a go on the well-meaning offering of mediocre bean juice and taps her foot. 

“Here, Gilbert,” says Diana, kneeling down and offering the chipped mug to the general vicinity of Gilbert’s prone chin. Gilbert looks at her desolately, and then down his nose -- it’s a very fine nose, Anne thinks unhelpfully -- at the steaming cup. He goes a little cross-eyed.

“Oh,” says Gilbert. “Thanks, Diana.”

But he doesn’t make any move to get up. Anne taps her foot more insistently and crosses her plaid-clad arms, frowning.

“Drink the coffee,” says Anne, in a tone she hopes brooks no argument. Diana told her only yesterday that she’d quite excelled in recent weeks at achieving it. The wisdom of its application had been another matter entirely, tangled in an unfortunate case involving a missing Jersey cow and a classical opera singer’s heirloom willow-pattern serving platter -- but that was neither here nor there, and Diana’s faithful encouragement was greatly appreciated.

A Jersey cow in Toronto, Anne thinks now, huffing. Of all the things --

Gilbert has not taken his coffee. 

“Gilbert,” says Anne.

Perhaps the stuff’ll be so strong that Gilbert will be knocked right out cold, thus reprieving him of his woes for a short while. Or maybe it’ll give him that hallucinogenic experience Anne had, and, subsequently, he will realize that Anne herself is not the real thing, and merely an expert fake, and their carefully-built, much-cherished friendship will be over forever.

Fiddlesticks, says Marilla’s sensible voice in Anne’s head. 

Focus, Anne, thinks Anne.

“Gilbert,” Anne says again, in less theatrical tones, “you did absolutely nothing wrong. You are free of the corrupt institution of manufactured public justice now, and good riddance to that.”

This is the second time today Anne has said “and good riddance to that”. Gilbert says nothing, and continues frowning at the ceiling. 

“You pursued justice,” continues Anne -- and is it really her fault the theatrics are creeping back in? -- “and for that were dishonourably suspended. You followed protocol and reported disingenuous practices that were hurting an innocent family. That’s more than enough to ensure your relative moral standing in an ethically complex situation. So, really, who is the dishonourable party here? The --”

“The Toronto police department,” offers Diana helpfully.

“The Toronto police department!” finishes Anne. 

“Yes,” says Diana.

“Yes,” repeats Anne, then flounders, realizing her point has already been made. “And – well – good riddance to them!”

There is a beat; Gilbert turns his face, rather muppet-like, across the floor, to look at her with marginally-less miserable eyes; the top of his curly dark head flops against the floor. They stare at each other awkwardly for a long moment.

“Well?” Anne says, finally. “Drink that poisonous coffee and up and at ‘em.”

Finally, Gilbert sighs, and pushes himself up onto his elbows. This is good. One brown-fingered hand grasps the death liquid in a sort of fumbled grapple for balance and prevented spillage. He says,

“Thank you, Diana -- Anne. I -- I know.”

“Well, good,” says Anne.

“I’m just -- I’d be perfectly happy figuring out a new life, on principle, but this case -- I can’t just leave it.”

“Well that’s a given. Obviously, you’ll figure it out. Bring those clowns to justice.” 

This is Anne speaking.

“Right,” says Gilbert. There is a furrow remaining between his frustratingly nice brows. “But Anne -- I don’t have any resources anymore. I got fired, remember? I had to turn in my badge and gun and even my car.”

“We have a car,” Diana says helpfully. Anne nods, not quite realizing the end goal her bosom friend and psychic detective partner is building up to here; she is more caught on the fact that Gil’s department issued vehicle was a sleek Volvo, and Diana’s car is her mother’s ancient fire engine red Toyota and outside of ongoing engine troubles also smells eternally of the family kimchi recipe. “We have food in our fridge, too –” (that kimchi) “and we have pens, and pencils, and lots of paper, and a printer – Anne’s got a taser, even –”

“Diana,” Anne hisses, instinct overriding any higher brain function that would catch on to Diana’s burgeoning Point.

“You know that’s illegal, right?” says Gil, unhelpfully,

“What I’m trying to say,” says Diana, “is sure, you have resources, Gilbert Blythe. You’ve got us, haven’t you? Actually, well, I’ve had a really great idea. You could just work here!”

It is here that the heroines of this daytime drama begin their journey towards the spluttering end-of-day outlined at the beginning, because at this cheerful declaration Anne turns, and blinks rapidly at her colleague. Gilbert, in turn, blinks at Anne.

“You’ll be an official part of Lady C’s Psychic Detective Agency!” continues Diana, all dimpled smiles, and even claps her hands together – so enthusiastically that the puffy cold shoulder sleeves of her powder blue top bounce. “I think that solves all of our problems, don’t you, Anne?” 

The late afternoon sun shining through the half-covered office window is making Diana’s Wednesday work-day highlight pop quite extraordinarily; perhaps this is what distracts Anne enough that she does not take her by the well-manicured hand and say, with awkward comedic timing, a word? like people do in humorous television shows. Rather, realizing that there really is nothing else she can say: 

“Oh, erm, sure.” 

Only then, somewhat immediately, does the reality of the statement barrel into her like that damnable Jersey cow. 

“Diana,” Anne hisses, a second time.

“Oh, don’t be a sourpuss, Anne,” Diana says breezily. “I think Gil’ll get on just fine here. And anyway, Marilla gave us, like, four days’ worth of leftovers to keep in the fridge. We need a man to help us eat through it.”

Amidst all of this, Gilbert’s expression has been slowly evolving from an understandable bewilderment to a perhaps more expected bemusement. By the time Anne has gathered enough of her wits to a), ignore him, and b), say, “No one says sourpuss anymore, Diana,” (because she is feeling acutely uncharitable in that exact moment), Gilbert has properly pulled himself up into a sitting position, rested his elbows loosely upon his knees, and said,

“That sounds fine to me.”

Anne whirls around to face him. She has lost words. How could Diana do this to her? This great betrayal of her deepest trust? Absolutely, Gilbert cannot work with them. Gilbert, who she has finally made peace with. Gilbert, who is one of her most valued friends. Gilbert, who trusts Anne, but does not at all know her process. Gilbert does not know the minutiae of her talents. Gilbert does not know that she is, in fact, lying through her teeth to the law, for money and also the greater good of the Greater Toronto Area. Well, perhaps it’s more like bending some truths – but Gilbert is an innocent in this equation, is the point! Of course, he is innocent in a manner that makes him utterly guilty and culpable in every respect, as Anne never hesitates to blame him for her many personal ills – but the fact of the matter is that she, Anne, will not be able to keep her fraudulent clairvoyant claims safe if Gilbert is living in her detective office.

“It’s not like I need a place to crash or anything,” Gilbert says, as though reading Anne’s very unhelpful and resoundingly mute train of thought. “But what I’d give to beat the bastards who did this at their own game.”

… Oh. The case. Which they have still not solved.

Anne, with herculean effort, unsticks her voice.

“No,” she says. “Absolutely not. This is a terrible idea, Gilbert Blythe. I won’t have it.” 

Gilbert eyes her very carefully, like she is a puzzle he cannot quite crack. Diana, on the other hand – who has been collecting her coffeemaking supplies with efficiency – whirls around on her way to the kitchenette and offers Anne a terribly pointed, knowing look. 

“I think it’ll be good for all of us, actually.”

“No,” Anne says. Really, she almost clasps her hands together in prayer. “No, no no no no, Di-ana –”

But Diana is gone, and Anne finds herself suddenly mute again: Gilbert has abandoned his laminate lamentations and stood to his full height.

He’s right in front of her and everything, too. She is struck by an awful earth-shattering vision of the same unfairly broad, football player’s chest now directly in her eyeline walking away from her, broken and defeated by the soul-destroying betrayal that will follow his inevitable realization that Anne is a lying liar who lied. 

“C’mon, Anne,” Gil says, as he steps forward to follow Diana out. His whole person is too close, his voice too chummy, just by her ear but oh so casual, and then, in the most infuriatingly possible way he could say it – “what’s the worst that could happen?”

And he leaves her standing in the empty Lady C’s lobby, wishing that she really did have psychic abilities after all. 

Maybe then, she could have seen this total disaster of a development coming.

#my writing #anne of green gables #psych #taylor swift prompt meme #anne x gilbert #anne x diana #anne shirley #gilbert blythe #diana barry #shirbert #anne x gilbert x diana #anne as a far more unhinged version of shawn is deeply appealing to me #also i made the blueberry red bc i feel it needed to be different for the au #i retain psychological damage every time i remember that gilbert canonically plays football in university

[3-cats-in-a-coat]

The marauders + Regulus (mostly Regulus and Remus) as lyrics from kent songs:

But first, formatting and translation: the original swedish lyrics are in italics and the translations are written one line underneath [like this], a comma will usually signify the break between two lyrics that are right after each other. I will mostly be directly translating them from Swedish, so the syntax might not make a lot of sense.

Dom Andra [The Others]:

En pessimist i sitt livs form, Jag vädrar blod, det luktar sorg

[A pessimist in its life form, I despise blood, it smells like sorrow]

- Reggie and Remus

En utomjordings kärlekstörst, En undran vem som svek vem först?

[An aliens love thirst, a wonder of who let who down first?]

- literally everyone (probably not the alien part tho)

Och jag blir gärna en martyr, Vi behöver nog en ny

[And I’ll gladly become a martyr, we probably need a new one anyway]

- Regulus, but also everyone (other than Peter but it could still work from his own twisted perspective)

Och vi kommer inte längre, Vi är tillbaks på noll, Men ingen kommer sörja, Vi har spelat ut vår roll, Vi glömmer hela skiten, Det betyder ingenting, Vi skulle kommit längre, Men räckte inte till

[And we’re not getting any further, We’re back to zero, But no one’s gonna mourn, We’ve played out all our roles, We’ll forget the whole shit, It doesn’t mean anything, We would’ve gotten further, But it wasn’t enough]

- everyone, once they realized that the whole first war was pointless and that Dumblewhore was a manipulative cunt who used them.

And your old friend waits with the scythe in a swing and how you played when you were kids - Sirius when Bellatrix killed him because no matter what she did or how much he tried to deny it, she was still his cousin Trixie who he played with when they were kids and he still had somewhat loving memories of that, of her.

The sleep came and you were so right in time, the sleep came like tears against your screen, the sleep came like a right twisted opinion, but compared to dollars and yen death can easily become a joke - literally everyone

You’ve lost your war, you’re the last one left, and no one is coming to your defense (coming to your defense) so you stand in a salute with your back straight and you take 400 hits - Regulus realizing that no matter what he does he will never be good enough for his parents and that he should have just left with Sirius when he asked.

Den Döda Vinklen [The Dead Angle]: (the title of this song could be a reference to the whole album it’s from being from death’s POV or it could also be a reference to the blind spot in a car)

I was alone for a long time, an only child, the monster underneath a home built bunkbed - Remus (I want to hug him)

Give me a winter drug, give me all you’ve got. Come now I’m chronically low, the only thing that can be heard is the darkness - Remus after Halloween 1981 begging for Sirius to be innocent

In your eyes there was a storm I saw, like summer snow, from the dead angle/blind spot I see everything you do - Regulus’ ghost watching Sirius fuck up his entire life, eternally destined to facepalm so hard and so much that he would break his skull if he could.

And there they’re coming, I can see them between the trees. Please can you help me escape? - Regulus to Sirius and Sirius to James

(These lyrics are from Den Döda Vinklen [The Dead Angle], this could be a reference to the whole album it’s from being through the perspective of death or it could also be a reference to the blind spot in a car)

And everyone who’s ever loved you has hated me out of fear - wolfstar (this was somehow the only lyric from Palace & Main that worked and I don’t know how)

An icey wind over the water bears an echo from the world of the dead, a greeting from a jealously scornful ocean - Reggie, obviously (for like the fiftieth time because the whole Du & Jag Döden [You & Me Death] album is just incredibly Regulus coded)

And in the bars the wreaks cling tight we mourn a lost burden and the snow helps the debris fall down. Black branches obscure the white of the house, I haven’t been here since all of this was yours. - Remus talking to an imaginary version of Sirius after the first war ended.

Like a Romeo in jeans on your balcony (I want you, you’re mine, you’re only mine) I’m the shadow by your screen door once again (I want to have you, I’m yours, I’m only yours) - Sirius to Remus, either immediately after he escaped from prison or a bit after the prank (I like the first option much more because I don’t like the idea of the prank ever happening)

And your dress is like rags in my hands- Sirius when he found Lily

(All of the most recent lyrics are from Romeo Återvänder Ensam [Romeo Returns Alone])

And you and I hold our breath and hold hands in the leap, it’s not that long till we reach home, and even so there’s still a thousand tears left - Sirius and Regulus while running away together (I might be a bit delulu)

So don’t ever apologize again. And we’re finally passing their borders. Do you remember our blood oath, our law? Our idiotic crusade against an equally stupid town? I remember everything like nails to glass, but you just laugh at me and reduce everything to a joke, but I see in your pathetic demeanor and your hunting look that it feels like there’s still far to go to get home, and soon there won’t be any more tears left - also Sirius and Regulus running away together

And that boy I never knew, that roamed streets I never saw, thought thoughts I never thought, under a thin and frizzy haircut, as all the feelings struck and exploded during a time when nothing happened in a city that never slept, but we were all young once my love. Yes, we were all young once. Yes, we were all young once - Remus, Sirius and Regulus

And I’m scared out of my own life of living and I’m scared to death of dying, but we will all die one day my love. Yes, we will all die one day - Regulus and James

(These past lyrics are from Mannen I Den Vita Hatten (16 År Senare) [The Man In The White Hat (16 Years Later)].)

#marauders #marauders era #regulus black #sirius black #remus lupin #wolfstar #sirius and regulus #regulus black deserved better #sirius black deserved better #remus lupin deserved better #kent #Du & Jag Döden

[chairteeth]

Fic question! Which one of Touka and Nemu is more likely to derail your plot? (I know together is probably the worst, so who contributes the most after that)

Oh boy! Lovely question thank you, let me just elaborate for you. So as you said, together is peak plot derailment, but besides that, the one who makes it impossible to have something normal and simple is Touka, but only if Nemu is there. Also Nemu's role is often just, riling Touka up which then causes the plot derailment. But let me go longfic by longfic, outlines included. There will be some level of spoilers for all of them, though I'll try to keep them mild or vague enough, so I'll put it under a read more just in case:

Ascent of the Fourth Beast (130.4k): This was supposed to be a fun little pokemon crossover, following the story of the Black & White games with only a little adjustment, such as Touka being Professor Juniper's assistant instead of just a normal kid and Nemu being well N (for obvious reasons I think). Needless to say, that did not happen! They got tangled up in a whole mess and then TOUKA threw a curveball at me, the curveball being "oh you know how I'm actually from Johto (because I have a Japanese name and it'd be weird for me to be in the US-based region with a Japanese name)? Well actually I died when I was 11 and got juiced up by a god and so now I have to deal with a second puberty and all that it entails and also I want to roast Nemu's father over an open flame" (this is completely valid considering she's talking about Ghetsis and as we know Ghetsis is the scum of the earth).

Pragma (18.8k): This is the ONLY "longfic" that was actually normal, and the only reason Touka did not yeet it off the rails was because I struggled very hard to end her necromancy arc early and did not want this to be any bigger. I wanted it to be an exploration of grief and mourning and also Nemu really didn't want her to go down that route or the meguca wish route. Luckily we managed to keep it self-contained! It is the only time I have succeeded in that regard.

Cage of Briars (wip): This was supposed to follow the plot of Ib, but then the lesbians lesbian'd and suddenly it's way longer than it was supposed to be. Plus I have a chapter that goes before the main plot so I can introduce the changes to the cast and then two more chapters after the supposed end of the game in order to tie up loose ends. However, the worst part is most definitely the lesbians unnecessarily lesbianing. Literally, please explain to me why the ball was necessary. And so on and so forth.

Roadkill AU: THE WORST EXAMPLE. Mad scientist Touka is like the worst possible idea anyone could have ever had. If you thought she was intense in Cage of Briars, you have NOT met motherfucking roadkill!Touka. I cannot even begin to explain the extent of her insanity in this AU, and almost literally everything in it is her fault. It was supposed to be a horror/mystery thing that would end once the mystery behind Tasuke and Nayuta's untimely demises was solved, and that is not what it became. She has zero excuses too because she is a whole ass 29 years old in this one, she's just Like That. To give you an idea, though I think I've mentioned it before, in the very first chapter she finds a wounded dirty naked woman in her property during a stormy night and first kicks her to see if she's alive, and upon hearing a grunt in response, she tells Ui to put her in a sack and stuff her in the trunk of the car, then gets to the mansion and chains her in an observation room in the basement. As far as she knows this is just some homeless person that snuck into her property. You can probably tell this is already unhinged behavior but she gets EXPONENTIALLY WORSE as the chapters go on. Sure it's not like Nemu's attitude is doing anything but encouraging her, but solely because of Touka's shenanigans in this AU, this fic might even cross into explicit territory (more for the graphic depictions of violence than anything else though, the cannibalism will likely be, considerably graphic, but also please do not underestimate roadkill!Touka because she is fully capable of putting in some wildly nsfw scenes that are not quite smut but still "??????????" in nature).

Fairy AU: This one, hopefully, will remain relatively self-contained, but I do not really trust the shenanigan potential that a Stardew Valley-esque farm setting combined with the Satomi cousins has, particularly considering Touka is 100% going to be drooling for several chapters at minimum. Plus of course detective shenanigans with the Rabi subplot and whatever Nemu is hiding and the fairy hunters that Touka thinks are lunatics, then Touka's secret that of course she has, the human experiments subplot, the Mikoto plot... Somehow I feel like Touka's shenanigans, drooling, and investigations are going to take up way more words than they're supposed to and she will get immensely distracted from the very simple premise of "dethrone the Fairy Queen (Mikoto)".

Teacher AU: This one is super grounded and has zero magical elements, however Touka's trauma in this is Very Very Intense and highly tied to relationships which will cause more friction than ever with Nemu, plus there's a child in the midst. To sum it up, Touka is an elementary school teacher (yes, elementary, there is a very important reason why she's an elementary school teacher), Sakurako is an 11 year old adopted child with a single mother. Sakurako thinks her mom is very very lonely and that she'd get along with her favorite teacher, thus tries to set them up not knowing that Touka has Very Very Intense trauma that will cause issues later down the line, ft. emotional support Ui. I expect this one to get derailed less because of Unhinged Touka BehaviorTM and more because of the sheer trauma this girl is packing in this AU, she will be avoiding a lot of things very hard.

#nishiposting #don't really wanna put this in the main tag so uhh #fanfic

[demonslayedher]

Anime-only Content: Demons

I'm of two minds about Ufotable's filler content. Sometimes I think it serves the pacing of the story well, like showing more interactions between main characters or establishing aspects of their personality more solidly than the manga had time to. I also really like it when they scrape outside material like Taisho Secrets and fanbooks for extra content, like they did for the extended Fuji TV showings of the first season (baby Giyuu and fix-it Aoi, I'm looking at you two. Tanjiro taking a very long gulp of tea, maybe not so much). And, all that said, I really hope they'll scrape a bit on Gyokko and Hantengu, maybe even show us more of their loathsome human existences early on not so much to make them sympathetic, but at least to flesh them out at characters. Hate to say it, but the Swordsmith Arc might be comparatively lacking in impact without adding more to these villains. We don’t need to love them like we did the Shabana siblings, it would be ok to loathe them or experience the terror of Muzan through them. (Or can they have theme music as good as Enmu's, please??)

Speaking of demon impact, that brings me to these two:

I really like the addition of the Older-Older Sister spider. While the older sister's flashback did feel a smidge long (and maybe this was created to fill air time), I thought it served a lot of purpose in the story:

1. Fleshed out Rui's "family," really drove home the point that he was imposing his own will and terror on them and that they lacked the warmth of a true family

2. Sets up the encounter with Shinobu nicely, for we already see that Older Sister is willing to lie and sell others out and be ruthless, anything to save her own skin

3. There was an emotional connection on-screen, two characters bonding in a bad situation, and it had impact when that fell apart

Speedy, though...

Even if we only look at his character design, he was distractingly similar to a much more impactful demon whom we know is coming later. Older-Older-Sister demon, at least, had a plot-based reason for looking like a knock-off of her "siblings" but was still distinct from them. Speedy, he... uh... if I think back without a screenshot I recall the blacks of his eyes? And he was bald, right? And he liked to tap his foot like he has fantasies of bring a racehorse, right?

There's just nothing memorable about this guy aside from his annoying personality traits, because he added no emotional element to the plot. He was a zero-stakes demon who didn't even bother finishing off his victims; we're assured his victim from the previous night will be treated so thoroughly that this encounter will leave no scratch on her flesh or spirit. Just like Speedy's impact on the plot.

This episode existed purely for the sake of making Rengoku-san look cool, right? And he did! That cape-flip? Totally unnecessary, but so snazzy. Delivering every line with bravado? That's our man and we love to hear it. The moment with the sword sliding into the sheath? Please, Rengoku-san, there are children watching this, tone it down! 

But, sadly, Rengoku-san was robbed of the chance to show how calm he is under pressure, because we felt no threat from that demon. Speedy's taunts did absolutely nothing to challenge Rengoku-san's views, and a fight with tension will challenge characters at this level too. Maybe if Speedy had killed that boy outright we'd find the confrontation more believable, but we couldn't have Rengoku-san's meal spoiled by a recent failure; it wouldn't had fit the "umai" set-up.

That is, unless we got a moment with Rengoku-san alone making peace with his failure and choosing to keep moving forward, as the world will not slow down for him to mourn. If this sounds similar to what he later tells Tanjiro, that's on purpose.

Rengoku-san doesn't need help looking cool; if the purpose of this episode was to show Rengoku-san being friendly and interacting with common people, this could had accomplished that without Speedy. It was light on plot importance, but I liked the effort in wider world building around the Mugen train, and I liked the snippets of Pillar and Corp member interactions. Any silent brainless demon would had done just as well to give Rengoku-san an excuse to draw his sword (and more importantly for this episode, to put it back, amirite?), for Rengoku-san never needs help looking cool. We could still get more world building through Rengoku's investigation; we could had found clues that don't alter the plot but make us say "ooooh, that's Enmuuuu" and feel the darkness of demons' influence, like more discussion of the recent deaths and disappearances. Maybe even interactions with Enmu's underlings, which would add more nuance to their characters, like Older-Older Sister Spider did for Older Sister Spider.

But on the flip side, what if Speedy had been written well?

What would inspire him to be the way he is?

Was he tortured and powerless in life, like someone repeatedly beating his legs to the point that he couldn't walk well, and even if he always though the next encounter would be his last, they toyed with him by never killing him? That's maybe too dark for a filler episode. What if he idolized (but was also terrified of) the Upper Moons, and he always fell short of impressing Akaza? He stopped short of killing that woman because it was his twisted understanding of what Akaza would do? Maybe he hears an ominous voice in his chopped head at the end telling him he was a pathetic demon, but thanks to him (presumably) Akaza has found someone more interesting?

As filler characters, Older-Older Spider Sister and Speedy were both doomed from the start, but it doesn't actually take much to make you feel for a character. Hopefully if we wind up with more filler in future seasons, Ufotable will give themselves enough wiggle-room in the plot to give emotional impact to existing characters instead of just making talking canon fodder.

#thoughts I've had floating around a while #KnY fandom theories and meta #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer

[panlight]

lets say that you have to keep Twilight and BD exactly as they are. However, you can make as many books in between with whatever you want. How would you lead the story so that Twilight leads into BD better? How would you get Jacob to madly in love with Bella but then imprints on Nessie without it being so jarring? Would you include any of the newborn stuff, even though a lot of it (like Bree) didn't actually matter? How would you introduce the corrupt Volturi that we see in BD without having to include the more morally neutral Volturi of NM and Eclipse?

I think we need more time between Twilight and New Moon to convince me that Bella cares about (and knows!!) the other Cullens and that they care about and know her. Skipping from Prom at the end of Twilight to the birthday party at the beginning of New Moon and then them all leaving for the whole book just doesn’t give me the sense they were actually close at all. When I see these headcanons about the Cullens mourning leaving their “daughter” or “sister” behind I’m like, did we read different books? I just personally didn’t get the sense they were close yet. All the “tell” about ‘being part of the family’ or whatever just didn’t carry any weight for me without the “show,” and the “show” we got at the birthday party was, to me, a family that liked her (other than Rose) and was trying almost TOO hard to seem accepting, not like the easy comfort of a close-knit group. I mean when the James stuff happened they LITERALLY. JUST. MET. HER. Then prom. Then the birthday. We as readers saw zero development of any relationship(s) between Bella and the Cullens in canon. 

And with Eclipse, we either need to throw out the whole newborn battle plot OR sit with it longer and have some fallout. Bella wasn’t there, she didn’t fight in it, she had no emotional attachment to Bree, so all of that literally didn’t matter very much to her. But you’re telling me the whole thing didn’t bring back some dark memories for Jasper? That Esme and Carlisle weren’t upset that they had to kill fellow vampires, that they were prepared to welcome Bree into their family and then saw her murdered instead? That Rosalie isn’t horrified at the continued danger her family is in because of Edward and Bella? And all the wolves are just like, “whee that was fun?” I know SM and the characters tried to downplay it once they wolves were involved like, “oh it will be easy” but it was a still a life or death fight! This isn’t some playground rumble, it was kill or be killed and that SHOULD affect your characters somehow and we just get absolutely nothing. It’s like it might as well have not happened at all. I think the only reference to it in Breaking Dawn is from Jacob’s point of view and it’s just in a “we know how the Cullens fight now so if we have to fight them, these will be the hardest to beat” way. it didn’t lead to any character growth at all. It’s just right into wedding planning.  

So I guess we’d do something with that summer between Twilight and New Moon to establish some kind of friendly relations between Bella and the other Cullens (aside from Edward and Alice I guess). Although canonically Emmett and Rosalie are gone most of that summer. So then when they all leave in New Moon I might actually buy Bella being sad about the whole family leaving and not feel like she was only sad about Edward and maybe Alice. 

I guess their meeting with the Volturi might be a bit more menacing? Aro comes off as this like flighty, eccentric old relative rather than a real threat as written, but then is supposed to be this horrifically corrupt Big Bad in Breaking Dawn, so maybe their interaction was somehow more fraught, maybe they almost didn’t get to leave. Maybe originally Aro was going to make Alice and Edward stay in exchange for Bella’s freedom but then he saw how that would play out in Alice’s vision and didn’t like what he saw and that’s why he let them go. Or something. It’s just weird that he wants Alice so badly he’s willing to let a newborn army rage out of control in the off chance most of her family will be killed so she’ll be easier to recruit (or whatever his motivation is supposed to be in Eclipse), but he LITERALLY HAD HER IN HIS HOME and just cheerfully let them go. 

Then Eclipse basically happens as is but Bella gives more weight to the “you won’t be able to have kids” argument and is genuinely a little sad about it, so then her instant motherly bliss in Breaking Dawn feels a little more natural. Throw the Jacob kisses in the garbage and keep his affection for Bella very real but less romantically focused. If the idea is that Bella is destined to be the mother of his soulmate, maybe he mistakes his panic about her becoming a vampire as a romantic thing when really it’s a mostly about keeping her human (long enough for Renesmee to be born. LOOK I KNOW this still sucks, but if I have to keep Breaking Dawn as is, it might be the best I can do). 

And then there’s just some fallout with the fight. Bella can comment on how weird the vibe at the Cullen house is, how sad Esme and Carlisle seem, how jittery Jasper is now that his old habits and instincts have been awakened, literally anything I beg of you. Maybe one or more the wolves are shaken by the whole thing, too, and are talking about trying to figure out how to stop phasing because they don’t want to do this anymore. Someone being weirded out that one of the newborns they killed was wearing the same band or movie T-shirt they have. Otherwise what was the point of putting all those characters through that? Just an excuse to have Bella up on a mountain in a tent with Jacob and Edward?  

#asks

[harmcityherald]

being gone almost a week, my turtles, all my animals and my garden and plants are all happy to see me. they told me so. oh and I grew a spaghetti squash!! a little stunted I think but its turning high yellow and Im happy to get even one and you never waste anything the garden gives you so that will be a fun snack. Its like everything else, Im no master gardener and no matter what hobby or interest I might indulge, from astronomy to music and art, Im working with a zero budget. That, and the fact that you don't have to be good at something to engage in it. I love playing bass. maybe Im not so good at it and so what, I engage with something I enjoy and then share and pass on/show off our shiny new Frankenstein creation or a new picture of the moon or a drawing, whatever. I enjoyed and communed with the universe, the goddess, the unnamed power to create something new. I will do this until the day I can't. creation fuels my passionate, burning desire to live! to somehow pull the fire out of every minute. Im branded as talkative, verbose, animated. Even in day to day conversation I want to pull the mirth and the raw power of the very moment out for any group of or even one on one in private, I always wear the mask of performance. forever a chameleon in flux. life is so shiny and beautiful and I can't help but animatedly point to its beauty and complexity. there's so much to see. there's so much out there yet to see. just like on social media, if my furtive, verbose, animated nature offends I force myself upon no one. I wish we had a block button or one of them there snooze buttons in real life. go ahead and snooze me Im bingeing strange new worlds and I got 79 gifs sitting in the cutting room ready to go, its going to be a whirlwind! buckle up or check out. and just think, a real life block button for the telemarketers and bill collectors. Block skip, lock skip, block skip, block skip, block skip. That would actually feel kind of good. So far it's a good day. The pain level is moderate. The noise is at a minimum. The cats are playing and the plants are singing to me. the feel of autumn is in the air and the young ones are all smiling and laughing as life flows by in its unstoppable surge. pops talks a lot. they already know, trust me. even the plants know I talk too much. the bell hasn't rung yet, but its just around the corner. chemo by pill this time. when they say go I go. a few more tests and then its on. me and the bear. Im already laughing at him. The air smells so good today. some moments you wish you could scoop up and keep close to your heart. keep them forever to pull out and savor. they pass by like water slipping through your fingers. transient monuments, lost to the wind. every moment we live we mourn the moments lost around us. The now is so precious. its all we have. We can plan ahead for hours and we can plan ahead for years, but we can only affect things around us in the course of minutes. So important is the minute. I fight the bear this very minute to buy myself more minutes so that I can write on my Tumblr page about the minutes that go by. You grab them take them and hug them put them up to your nose and smell their beauty every minute that you get of every day. The celebration is every one of us to Celebration is you, alive, exalting in the beauty of everything that is, was or ever will be.

by all that matters, celebrate every one!!

#gardening #stomach cancer

[dilfdoctordoom]

As much as it might sound crazy I believe James really has no clue how tragic Gamora's death was. None. Honestly if you look at it there's a main character death hierarchy. At the very top is Yondu who got a thoughtful arc, died heroically, had a funeral and James makes sure he's not forgotten by having him in the holiday special and a moment in vol 3. There's Groot who sacrificed himself for the team and got the loving we are Groot moment. That's pretty much it but little Groot does get to live with the guardians, especially Rocket. Actually I'm convinced part of the reason we have a Groot 2.0 is because he's mostly seen as an extention of Rocket's story and happiness. Then there's Gamora who died at the hands of her abuser so her soul could be traded for a dumb stone they could have thought up a million different ways to bring into the story. After that she got nothing.

The other issue is James is so invested in Peter's letting go arc and how it involves that Gamora shouldn't be in his life he doesn't want to show she was important to the whole family or have her build new relationships with anyone. That's why they don't talk about missing her and Gamora is such a non entity to most of them. If she can't be in Peter's life she can't be a guardian because he's certainly not taking that title or the family from Peter. She's the one who loses out. All of this demonstrates a total lack of empathy for Gamora and zero understanding that her individual story had meaning.

Plus it's ridiculous how it never comes up that maybe if the family had talked about Gamora being dead in a serious way, gave her a memorial of some kind and shared the loss, Peter could have begun to process everything better and in healthier ways. Denying a tragedy doesn't help. Knowing that Gamora was safe somewhere instead of missing with no clue if she was okay would have helped too. James sets up all these extremes and then presents it as if mourning Gamora is wrong rather than how dismissing her life and death was not the way to handle it.

Alll of this!

I've got a lot of issues with how Gamora was ultimately handled (like how 2018 Gamora gets reduced to a disposable black girlfriend) and I don't believe every bit of it was intentional, but intent doesn't equal impact and the reality is, the impact is rooted in racism and sexism and that very much needs to be discussed.

I'd say the past week really confirmed that; the fandom reacted so viciously to the mere concept of this and the idea that male characters benefited from female characters (specifically, the ones played by non-white actresses) getting horrifically shafted.

I don't think Gunn is great at empathizing with his female cast and Guardians really, truly cements that idea. All of them are failed on some level and it's always to elevate a man. I don't believe for a second that he gets what happened to Gamora; that she was fridged for the benefit of her abuser.

I don't think the Russos did, either, because inventing a fridging cliff is just.... so bizarre even in concept.

Gamora's always the one that loses out to men's apathy. I want her to return at some point, Zoe Saldana is utterly captivating in the role, but I don't want her back if there are only men behind the camera. Her past 3 appearances have proved, over and over again, that a female voice is needed. A single woman in the writing room of any of these films would've been able to point out all the issues present.

#q & a

[phrynewrites]

I wish you'd write a fic where everyone has a timer on their body counting down to something. Where different colors mean a countdown to a wide variety of things. Jasmine's counter is to her death, which is soon imminent. She dreams of having a whirlwind romance before it hits 0.

Okay babes let me take a swing at this! When I read it, I immediately thought of one of those classic soulmate aus, kind of like "They Both Die at the End." So this will be part of a "jasco soulmate au" if we feel like we want more of this.

____

Jasmine didn't understand what she was looking at.

Bosco, her best friend and roommate, would jab that "not understanding" was normal for the blonde who had far too many blonde moments to count.

But for a her timer, those numbers on her wrist, bloody red and mocking, to drop from 68 years 21 days 8 hours 32 minutes and 4 seconds immediately down to 30 days 1 hour and 48 minutes? There was little she could fathom about losing so much time.

There was much she was mourning now that she'd gone through the phases of loss. Now that she scrubbed at the timer furiously. Gone to The Time Keeper, sure that there was simply a glitch, only to find that the timers never glitched. Come home sobbing and fell into Bosco's arms, muttering through heavy tears that this might be the last time she was going to be held, going to have her favorite pizza from the shop downstairs, going to ride the train, going to have pigeons shit on her patio furniture.

She mainly mourned the fact that she'd never find love before she died.

Jasmine dreamed about being swept off her feet by a dashing and gorgeous woman. Someone who'd listen intently as she prattled on about her newest video game obsession or how she'd learned to cut vegetables so smoothly or how she wanted to get another tattoo but wasn't sure which. And she wanted to be proposed to. And get married. And have a house with a back yard, where her cats could roam around while her and her wife watched, settled on the porch, drinking iced tea, all of them catching the light.

As her eyes settled on those ticking numbers, all of those dreams washed away.

"It's stupid," Jasmine said that night, wrapped in Bosco's arms. They'd insisted in sleeping right beside her after she told them the news, when they'd finally found the words between their own tears.

"Hmm?" Bosco fitted Jasmine's head against their chest. "What is it, baby?"

"Nothing." Jasmine tried, but it wasn't right. No use lying, given all her words lived close to the grave now. She tried again. "I just never got married is all. No one's ever—"

She tasted salt, the streaming tears interrupting her words. She let the interrupting drag on, let Bosco's thumb drag across her cheek.

"No one's ever loved me."

It fell like bricks, making her feel weighted and heavy. All this crying should lighten her up, Jasmine thought, but it seemed to only do the opposite.

She found her face pressed right into Bosco's chest, their hand raking through her hair as they shushed her, tried to calm her with, "You know that's not true," and "You've still got some time."

Jasmine shook her head. "No I don't. Not enough..."

Bosco doesn't know what to say next, so they just hold Jasmine close. There's no use convincing her that there's enough time, especially when they don't think there's enough time with her either.

While there is time, they suppose, they had might as well love her as much as they've always wanted to, as much as Jasmine's always deserved.

And at the conception of that thought, Bosco's own timer had hit zero, leaving only a faint pink glow, nearly matching the pink of their own cheeks.

#for anon #asks answered #jasco soulmate au #this was kind of fun to do #and reminded me of a story i once wrote in high school #which is kind of yikes #but also kind of fun to revisit

[takaraphoenix]

All Rise: Season 3 Review

I’m so... vastly... disappointed in this season, to be quite frank.

I adored the first two seasons, the show quickly shot up to be my favorite currently ongoing TV show back then.

And even during those two seasons, I spent them in a state of tense suspense about Lola and Mark; I’ve seen what heteronormativity does to a perfectly fine TV show where the man and the woman were perfect as friends (looking at New Amsterdam in particular here). I feared they may kiss/cheat or that the show would just kill off Lola’s husband, give them a bit of a mourning phase and then make Mark/Lola a ship (again, looking at New Amsterdam here).

So that didn’t happen in season 3 either but damn they somehow managed to something worse?

Not only that they recast Robin with an actor who has... zero... chemistry with Lola, just at all, no, they newly introduce the “college sweetheart” and we spend the majority of the season watching Lola pine for this new character, have sex dreams (and, what’s infinitely worse, marriage and kids dreams) about him and then we end the season with her kissing that guy?

Which, the hypocrisy of that is driving me up the wall on its own if we consider the slut shaming that she did with Mark, when Mark got kissed against his will? She kept calling his lips slutty, she literally slut-shamed him for a non-consensual kiss that he shut down after. I always hated that, because she was supposed to be Mark’s best friend and her behavior around that was incredibly gross, made worse by the fact that she did not slut-shame her other best friend, aka the woman who did the kissing, the woman working with Mark’s girlfriend at the time, knowing full-well that Mark was in a relationship. But her? No, not her, Lola only slut-shamed Mark.

And now she’s the one kissing other guys. Sure, he was the one initiating the kiss, but so damn slow she could have backed out. And after all that pining.

I hate this. I hate nothing more than cheating plot-lines and now you are ruining this character that I love and this show that I love and it’s pissing me off beyond the moon.

And on top of that? The way  the queer rep on the show got treated this season was just nasty.

I always loved Lisa’s character and was so happy when she finally got a girlfriend. And then this season sees her written off the show, which also obviously writes her girlfriend off the show, losing not one but two queer characters. Sure, Lisa had some special guest star moments, but it’s just not the same and Georgia didn’t come back at all.

The season 2 finale saw Sam and Ness kiss each other and I got excited about them doubling the wlw representation, and with two major characters this time around too!

And season 3 saw Sam written off entirely; Lisa at least had the guest appearances but Sam’s just... gone. And with her that entire plotline. Queerness does not come up around Nessa at all... if Nessa is even in it, because she was barely in this season too.

And then we end the season with a literal knife to the gut for Ness, their one remaining queer character (not that it’s been acted upon beyond that one kiss in season 2), leaving her potentially to die and be written off the show too.

Which, chances are quite high, considering that this finale left us with three majorly injured characters (all... characters of color, if I might add that). And it looks like Luke is going to pull through, so there’s about a 50/50 chance for Ness if they need the drama of her death or if they let her live.

I just... I’m just disappointed all around?

They went in their queer rep from 4 to... zero, basically, with nothing queer happening on-screen at all (i.e. dates, kisses, meeting someone, heck, just talking about their sexuality/partners).

And they chose to make their leading lady cheat on her husband, after spending a season of straining her relationship with said husband - which was, might I add, actually a really truly beautiful relationship in seasons 1 and 2.

This is genuinely the worse turn I’ve seen any show that’s been picked up after a cancellation take.

#All Rise #CBS All Rise #All Rise CBS #Phoe's Random Show Rants

[softdisclosurecore]

The World is Ending.

This is not a delusion we're having.

This is the End of the World.

And anything can be.

This is not a delusion. And you wouldn't be crazy for agreeing with me. But you could be.

This is the eschaton, and I'm immanentizing. It's an ontological position which allows me to construct a robust moral framework within which what I do matters, and within which what happens, doesn't.

The globe is falling, and is mere instants from shattering against the tile floor. Do you want to have a good time? Do you want to jump with me before the impact so we can feel the weird feeling of our stomach dropping as we become a pancake while everyone else accordions? Jump now. nnnnnnow! Jump!

Did you feel it? What you would've felt if the world had ended?

Do you know what happens when you spin a top in zero gravity? It flips, then keeps spinning while inverted. Then flips again. The Earth's gonna do that, and the continental crust will stay in place while the slippery slimey guts of our planet spin and twist beneath us. Like a tablecloth pull, or like the white paper laid out over the examination bench in a doctor's office. Next patient!

Lava everywhere, scraped up and spewed out between the cracks in the bedrock like cheese against the grater. Would you climb a mountain with me? If we stand on top, we might get ejected with a big enough bubble of air to just chill in space for a while. Fair warning- if I get hungry, I'm eating you. Aliens will think we were one organism.

The World is Ending- everything real is getting further apart. We needed more walls to write on, so we built the space to build the walls for us to deface. It's called an Internet and it's eating the nonspace between everything real. The nutrient-rich, intimate adjacency of all that ever was. You're a boltzmann brain in reverse and your submersion into the simulacral jacuzzi is all anticipation. Enjoy the wait.

The World's Ending, Babe. Isn't that just the way?? I sure hope so, but you don't see me scrawling on cardboard about it. Don't got a thick enough sharpie.

Desire is the measure of all things, and mine's getting longer. A turtle stopped standing and started stepping, and you'll never believe what happened next! The World is Ending. Smile!

The World is Ending. You could be crazy too.

I insist. Give the Earth a name, and tell as many people as you'd like, or write it down and bury it in soft, wet soil. You're allowed to lie about this.

If you're running and feel yourself falling forward, just run faster. Bring your knees up into the smaller and smaller space between your chin and the ground. And fucking right back down again. Duh.

Tripping only comes along once in a while, if you're lucky. Step on that shoelace! Catch that curb! Slam your flailing hand onto that big red button! When I get dizzy, I like to fall over into something soft and pretend I died. World's Ending. Get used to it.

Never liked the phrase "head over heels" cause I never understood it. Isn't that how it's supposed to be? Isn't that just standing around? Don't you want to join my church group? We sneak into other churches and practice mourning.

The World's Ending. My heart's so full of love

#my word garden

[wow-cool-robot]

Episode 25: The Battle of Odessa

excited to see this shows take on actual battles that overshadow the white base in scope!

amuro is very high strung before the battle, and it's pissing the engineers off.

now he's sadly flashing back to the times he spent with matilda last episode. i liked matilda, but this does feel a little like them just needing to reuse some animation to fill time

the music getting cut off when sayla says his name made me laugh

come on, answer fraw bow when she asks if you're ok, don't be rude!

the black di-stars mourning their lost member is a fairly nice scene. as always, this show is really good at humanizing the enemy, with the only exception being m'quve so far. he's just kind of generic

i love them sliding around. very code geass

did they not know when they were attacking? i thought that had already been decided and shared

have faith in fraw bow! you're 5, you don't get to be worried about that sort of thing

oh shit, they're going to find the spy

amuro no! the corruption goes all the way to the top!

oh he convinced the grunts beforehand that this might be worth listening in on? that was smart

hopefully things go well on that front

kai's doing surprisingly well, and this whole battle is well animated

aww, the orphans are helping fraw bow out :3

kai's out of the fight now, so it's amuro vs the black di-stars, with hayato in the core fighter

so since elran got got, that screwed m'quve? good, i hope this is the last we see of him

you're gonna nuke everything????

"yeah, it's a warcrime. but have you considered i would like to win the battle?" is interesting logic, but i'm not sure that'll hold up in a military tribunal

revil's stone cold, huh. not even hesitating?

i was expecting these guys to last a while, but amuro is really cutting through the ranks of the black di-stars (now just the black star singular)

hydrogen bomb as a uniquely taboo weapon feels weird in a world where zeon dropped a colony on australia, but i guess you really don’t want fallout in a colony

dude that's so fucking risky! i mean, no better option i guess, but if i were amuro i might just hunker down and hope the gundam will stop me from getting radiation poisoning if i'm not at ground zero

why do you think the data pre-treaty is still accurate? they still have the weapons, why would the not be making more in secret?

the poor gundam shield. gets destroyed every episode these days

"the federation has ignored my demand that they let me win or i'll start committing war crimes, so now i must commit war crimes! this is their fault!"

more like black no-stars. or die-stars? idk

that nuclear bomb is still on fire, and just exploded on a mountain. that seems like it's still a major issue!

though i guess the dom exploding is a bigger explosion? dunno what's up with that. maybe i just don't understand how nukes work

oh god damnit. i knew this battle wasn't the end of the war, but i was hoping it would be the end of m'quve!

i was going to ask why amuro was the one shaking hands with revil, but he did just save them all from a nuclear missile, so i guess that makes sense

good episode, the first one to explicitly call out war crimes being committed, which will become something of a recurring theme as i understand it

#0079 #gundam liveblog

[bookofmirth]

I hate to see people romanticize Elain's kidnapping.

I didn't see anything there that seemed romanticized, Elain saying You came means maybe she believed no one would, and it might have been all for Feyre.

And apart from if the Author romanticized it doesn't mean , we should continue to do so if we know it's wrong and we have choices not to continue to romanticize something that is wrong.

And other than that I don't think there's anything romanticized there or even Elain and Az in Acowar.

more is my interpretation too, I just don't like Elain kidnapped and the scene being used to confirm shipp, when there must be better ones to use.

YES, THANK YOU so I'm going to rant now.

It's the way that these horrific things have happened to Elain and somehow, people need to interpret it as ship confirmation or having romantic connotations when the whole reason that Hybern was able to use the Cauldron's power to kidnap Elain was because she was still in love with Graysen in acowar.

1) When Elain was kidnapped, how did the Cauldron do it? It used Graysen, her ex-fiancé whom she was still mourning. It exploited her pain to take advantage of her. The gave her a small, sickening glimpse of hope and then dashed it.

And then after she had been rescued, imagine how she felt:

She's still sad af!!!! Where is the buildup, I ask you.

2) "You came for me" is not specific to Azriel; Feyre was there too, but disguised as Ianthe at first.

Feyre changes her face back to her own. The Cauldron had *just* tricked her using Graysen. Of course Elain is like "the fuck is happening, is this real??? Graysen wasn't real, the person who sold us out to Hybern and got us kidnapped in the first place just walked in with Az, wait that's my sister, ummmm????"

"Devouring the sight of him as if not quite believing it" yeah because everyone is playing Funhouse Mirrors with Elain and she's not sure what she can trust to be real.

On top of this is the fact that Elain is the quiet, unassuming one who stays out of the way. I'm sorry bookclub I forgot who said this but someone mentioned to me that Elain might have thought her absence would go unnoticed. So it's possible to interpret it not as "YOU came for me", but as "you came for ME".

3) And maybe this is unrelated to the kidnapping but you know what? It's about Elain's feelings being disregarded so I'll go there too.

When Az gave Elain Truthteller, what did she do with it? She killed Hybern. Leaving aside the fact that she had zero training and no one expected her to actually do anything with it...

Does anyone care (in the fandom or amongst her family members!) what impact that had on her, the gentle grower of things, to kill someone? Even if it was to defend Nesta and Cassian? Here are some thoughts I've had on that.

I find these scenes really interesting in terms of what they can tell us about Elain and how she's feeling. Especially since we have never had her POV. IMO it does the character a disservice to only think about romantic implications, and not even just that, but to ignore the blatant fact that Elain is mourning a relationship.

#elain #ask #anon #acotar

[eskelbigbang]

Eskel Big Bang 2021 Masterpost

Here are all the fics and art made this year for the Eskel Big Bang. Congratulations on the hard work, everyone!

AO3 collection || #ebb works tag || #ebb art tag || #ebb fic tag

Below the cut is a full list of all EBB works:

Uprooted (T, No Pairing, 12k) by @rachofspades, art by @drachedraws

When a nondescript notice begging for a witcher's aid catches Eskel's attention on his way back to Kaer Morhen for the winter, he finds himself drawn in by his own curiosity despite his initial reservations. Once he arrives, it quickly becomes apparent that there's something more sinister going on than typical monster attacks, and he's determined to figure out what it is. Fic || Art (1) (2)

These Clay Hands (T, Eskel/Jaskier, 4.7k) by @aalizazareth, art by @hobbart-art

Eskel is a shy pottery instructor who meets Jaskier during one of his lessons. The two hit it off. Fic || Art

The Empty Safe Job (M, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 18k) by @iboughtaplant, art by @gods-no-longer-tread-here

A team of thieves with complicated pasts take down the rich and powerful to help those that get left out from justice. Their latest job should be simple, but an unexpected adversary has Eskel confronting his past. Sometimes bad guys make the best good guys. Fic || Art

the broken vines are an open door (M, Eskel & Geralt & Yennefer, 5.2k) by @trissmarrygoals, art by @flyingyarn

Traveling through Aedirn with his newly acquired child surprise, Eskel stumbles upon a dead body - and with it, a mystery. Fic || Art

With you I'll never be alone (T, Eskel/Geralt, 5.8k) by @dat-carovieh, art by @mondfuchs

From their first meeting, through their whole long life Geralt and Eskel have always been there to comfort each other when one of them got hurt. --- Or five times Geralt and Eskel comfort each other through some kind of hurt and one time they're just comfortable. Fic || Art

Eskel Has A Good Day (G, Eskel & Wolf Witchers, 9.3k) by @gods-no-longer-tread-here, art by @phoenixandjacob

The Wolves (and bard) of Kaer Morhen go on a vacation to the coast, and have a good day. Fic || Art (1) (2)

Tu Me Manques. (T, Eskel/Jaskier, 8k) by @etcorsolus, art by @cvbeebop

In which, Eskel meets a bard who calms him. Body, mind, and soul. Story title is how the French say 'I miss you.' The more literal translation is 'You are missing from me.' Fic || Art

Little Red (M, Eskel/Lambert, 6.1k) by @miahclone, art by @llwynbleidd

Eskel helps Lambert while he's recovering from a serious injury. To distract him from the pain, Eskel tells stories of past hunts. Fic || Art

Constellations (M, Eskel/Geralt, 7.2k) by @dredshirtroberts, art by @dat-carovieh

Eskel loves Geralt but their soulmarks don't match - he'd know. They're witchers, and scars are their business. As he joins Geralt in retirement, Eskel figures whatever he can get with the other witcher will be enough. He might get a little bit more than he thought he was bargaining for, but Eskel's never passed up a good deal. Fic || Art (1) (2)

Trial By Fire (Eskel and Aza's Wild Ride) (E, Eskel/OFC, 11k) by @janzoo, art by @liaonyxrayne

When Eskel rescues his succubus acquaintance from witch hunters, their reunion becomes something more as they're drawn into the hunters' plot. What can they do against a twisted idealist and the danger he presents to witchers and non-humans? Fic || Art

Pardon Me While I Burst Into Flames (E, Eskel/Jaskier, 29k) by @ghostinthelibrarywrites, art by @wolfgeralt

When Eskel is hired to kill an incubus who ruined a noble wedding, he finds that his target is far from a bloodthirsty beast, a too-pretty court bard. Eskel spares Jaskier and they go their separate ways, with Eskel expecting never to see the incubus again. But Jaskier has other ideas. Fic || Art

I Could Eat the World Raw (E, Eskel/Jaskier, 7k) by @buttercupsanddandelions, art by @gods-no-longer-tread-here

“This is Eskel.” He pushes him slightly forward, “And he just had his conduit moment.” After becoming a mage, Eskel finds that he's been soul-bound to a little lordling. Fic || Art

Something we bury (M, Eskel/Geralt, 10k) by @heartoferebor, art by @craftgamerzz

“Where’s Eskel?” Ciri asks Geralt, frowning a little. “He went out to do more hunting and gather some potion ingredients. Should be back any moment,” Geralt reassures her. “Ah. Good.” She hesitates a little before deciding to forge right ahead with her next question. She’s asked everyone else in the keep, of course she’ll have to ask Geralt, too. “About his scars…” * Ciri wants to know where Eskel's scars came from, so she decides to ask everyone at the keep about them. Except, they all seem to have different stories... Fic || Art

Lord What Fools These Witchers Be (T, Aiden/Eskel, 21k) by @jayofolympus and @frenchkey, art by aviixrc

When Lambert brings Aiden to winter with him in Kaer Morhen, Eskel is catapulted straight into his own personal hell. It would be easier if he didn’t like the Cat. Instead, he finds himself falling head over heels for his brother’s boyfriend and trying to hide it from a pack of nosy Witchers. If only Aiden would stop flirting with him... Fic || Art (1) (2)

A Moment of Comfort (M, Eskel/OC) by @merpancake

An attack at a brothel begins with blood and carnage, but Eskel finds an unexpected peace in the arms of Cenna. As their paths continue to cross, Eskel carries that same peace within him on his journey through monsters and men. Art

Toussaint's Finest (M, Eskel/Geralt, 9.1k) by @kate-river, art by @justhereforeskel

Eskel is still roaming the Continent. But in recent years the Path has become harder and harder. Eskel has made it a habit to come by Corvo Bianco around vintage and this year's events might change a few things in his life forever. Fic || Art

Beneath the Shadow and the Soul (E, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 32k) by @vix-spes, art by @buffskierights

Eskel had the strange feeling that everything was going to change when he passed through Dol Blathanna one year on his way back to Kaer Morhen for winter. He had been passing through a town and, instead of running away from him, someone had exclaimed “You’re a Witcher,” and proceeded to sing at him. He just hadn't realised how much of an impact it would have on him. Fic || Art

Daughter of Fire (T, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 4.9k) by @kittynannygaming, art by @zmezagain

Witchers are sterile, that's a fact. No female human can bear their child. Well, the keyword here is 'human' and a succubus is very not human. And Eskel now has a sweet 7 years old daughter. Fic || Art

Break It Recklessly (E, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 22k) by @anonymousblueberry, art by @nol-nol

From teenage tearaways to successful adults, Geralt and Eskel have always been inseparable. To the extent that when Geralt accepts a wedding invite with Eskel as his plus one, there’s the assumption that they have finally sorted their shit out and got together, forcing them to keep up the facade or cause chaos for the happy couple. What follows is a crash course in emotions, dating, and working out that love can burn long and slow for a very long time. Fic || Art

The Question (M, Eskel/Istredd, 40k) by @eskelchopchop, art by @stars-in-my-damn-eyes

Eskel's in Ohio when Yennefer calls. He’s reluctant to pick up; he’s still not over Geralt, and he's got zero desire to chat with Geralt's new lover. Turns out Yen isn’t his lover anymore, and this isn’t about Geralt. It’s about witcher’s work. Yennefer owns Portal, one of New York City's most popular gay clubs. A Post-Conjunction Entity (PCE) is hunting her clientele, leaving a string of withered corpses in its wake. The police are doing jackshit. Will Eskel come back to a city full of bad memories and take a job off the books to stop it? He'll sure as hell try. Along the way, he’ll cross paths with Istredd, a man with sorcerer’s eyes and a painful past of his own. If Eskel doesn't work fast enough, they both might become the PCE's next victims. Fic || Art

Is It Cold In The Water? (E, Eskel/Jaskier, 12k) by @jennyloggins, art by @jerry-of-rivia

His horse is tied to a branch a few trees out, and that’s where Eskel heads to grab his water skein, taking a deep drink and soothe his dry throat. Patting his horse’s backside affectionately on his way past her, Eskel feigns a stern voice to say, “Zuzanna, keep watch for me.” Her tail twitches as if to swat him away. Fic || Art

Everything I Want (I Can Find in You) by @eyesofshinigami, art by @phoenixandjacob

Eskel didn't think he'd ever see Jaskier again, sure the Cat witcher was only looking for a night of fun. But then he keeps showing up, taking Eskel to bed and leaving him little presents. It takes Eskel a bit, but eventually he realizes that maybe, just maybe, Jaskier means it when he says he wants to keep him. Or Eskel doesn't think he deserves nice things and Jaskier is determined to show him otherwise. Fic || Art

One Stop Shop; Tattoo's Piercings, And Love (M, Eskel/Jaskier/Lambert, 7.4k) by @jesheckah, art by @moondrunkart

When Eskel fumbles an invitation at a party to come into his tattoo shop, Jaskier and he move towards an explosive love. How many tattoo sessions does it take for the heart to know what it wants? Fic || Art

Entanglement (and other words for a mess) (E, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 31k) by @violaceum-vitellina-viridis, art by @merpancake

Eskel has a hundred marks on his body, but a soulmark isn't one of them. Fic || Art

Beneath Each Other's Bones (E, Eskel/Geralt, 7.6k) by @pressedinthepages, art by @drachedraws

Winter at Kaer Morhen can be brutal. But Eskel and Geralt find warmth in each other in an effort to stave off the cold. Fic || Art (1) (2)

#9fe2bf on the Shore (T, Eskel/Jaskier, 4.5k) by @buffskierights, art by @phoenixandjacob

The sea roars with a vengeance, something angering the waves even as the stars shine brightly overhead in the clear night sky. If Eskel were a poet he’d say it almost sounded like a wail of mourning, the way the whitewater crashes upon the night black sand and the gathering foam, the sea frothing furiously. But Eskel’s always hated his poetry lessons so being a poet is firmly off the table. Fic || Art

lion in the wolf's den (T, Coen/Eskel, 5k) by @patchwork-doublet, art by @justhereforeskel

eskel is nervous being around ciri, afraid things will go south like they did last time. Fic || Art

Sugar Baby Blues (E, Eskel/Jaskier, 24k) by adevinecomedy, art by @pastelrune

Jaskier’s mind slipped back to a night several months ago when he was all worked up but had nowhere to go and a mountain of school work to get through. How it was just so much easier to log onto a camming website and watch someone perform seemingly just for him. The gorgeous, confident man on the other side of the screen had been so accommodating, even though Jaskier had been shy and hadn’t typed much into the chat. Modern au where Eskel is a Cam boy and runs into a bit of a financial bind. Enter Jaskier who just might be the answer to all his woes. Fic || Art

Winter Comfort (T, Eskel/Jaskier, 10k) by @myidlehand, art by @liaonyxrayne

Jaskier comes to Kaer Morhen to spend some time with Eskel, after briefly meeting him in the fall. And while both of them seem delighted to see each other again, Eskel starts to shy away from Jaskier's comments and flirting. It doesn't take a genius to see Eskel is having body image issue. Jaskier aims to help him through it. Fic || Art

The Subtle Knife (M, Eskel/Jaskier, 26k) by @major-trouble, art by @cylin-aka-ankamo

There's an assassin haunting the Continent. No one knows their name, everyone - that is, everyone in the know - calls them The Specter. If you want a rival out of the way, a political opponent disposed of, or a strategic target taken out, contacting The Specter gets the job done. For a price, of course. There's an art to subtlety, after all, and it wouldn't do to risk the attention of law enforcement. So there's no obvious cause, no knife to the back, and the deaths aren't usually remarked upon. The Kaer Morhen Agency, however, has noticed. One of their agents has been hired to protect potential victims, people scared that they've been targeted. And they have reason to worry. When Eskel's first assignment winds up dead of no discernible cause, it starts him on a search for the elusive Specter, hoping against hope to track down the assassin before they're hired again. Setting a trap for a ghost is something Witchers are used to. Setting one for a trained killer may prove beyond them. Fic || Art

No Funny Business (M, Eskel/Jaskier, 11k) by goldendaydreams, art by @nanero11

Eskel had long given up on finding his soulmate, his soulmark nothing but scar tissue from a house fire he’d survived as a child. Knowing that most people wait for their perfect someone, their destiny, didn’t stop him from falling in love with Jaskier, the nurse he met after a hunt gone wrong. Fic || Art

Stronger Than My Storm (E, Eskel/Geralt) by @rawrkinjd, art by @nol-nol

Eskel and Geralt were friends from the very beginning. They added the benefits later. It was another way to offer comfort and companionship when the rest of the world closed in around them, and Eskel was content with it for years. Until he wakes up one day and realises it’s become something more. He touches Geralt’s silver hair, wreathed in a halo of yellow sunlight, and allows himself to feel the cracks spreading through his heart. Witchers can’t love each other. It would only lead to suffering. Eskel realises he must weather the storm inside or let Geralt go forever. Fic || Art

Full of Life (T, Eskel/Jaskier, 6.3k) by @sternenstaub28, art by @llwynbleidd

When Eskel gets hired to solve the case of people disappearing in town, she didn’t know she’d find a friend and maybe even something more. or Beauty and strength don't necessarily make your life easier, a companion and love however do. Fic || Art

choices are the hinges of destiny (T, Eskel/Geralt, 7.5k) by @lutes-and-dandelions, art by @cassandrasartworld

After rescuing a fae from the clutches of death, they repay Eskel by helping him make a choice. -oOo- A story about what would have happened if Eskel had claimed his child of surprise. Fic || Art

Eskel Vs The Continent (And His Feelings) (M, No Pairing, 47k) by @chibitabathasloves, art by @zmezagain

Eskel decides he needs to leave Kaer Morhen after the fight with the Hunt. Where will it take him? And will he be able to face his feelings he desperately tries to ignore. Fic || Art

lookin' to the sky to save me (T, Eskel/Geralt, 10k) by @torynickles, art by @trissmarrygoals

Geralt slides his hand from Eskel’s shoulder to his back. And then. Then he keeps moving it, outwards, away from Eskel’s torso, where there should be nothing but air, but— “What the fuck?” he chokes, because he can still feel Geralt’s hand, sensation where there should be none. He shakes his head wildly, twisting his arm to reach for his own back. His fingers connect to something, but—it’s not his body, it can’t be his body, even though he can feel himself touching it. Because he’s made up of skin and flesh, bone and muscle, and this thing has all of those, but— It’s covered in sticky, damp feathers. Fic || Art

A Fine Night at the Faire (M, Eskel/Geralt/Jaskier, 12k) by Elensule, art by @liaonyxrayne

Eskel has been hurt by the world and hides for refuge in his little goat farm. He's found no reason to look for love, or much of anything else. But encouragement from his brother sends him to an unfamiliar locale; the renfaire! Maybe stepping out of his comfort zone was just what he needed. Fic || Art

#eskel big bang #eskel #witcher eskel #the witcher #the witcher eskel #the witcher 3 #tw3 #jaskel #geraskel #geskel #eskel x geralt #geralt x eskel #eskel x jaskier #jaskier x eskel #ebb works #eskel fanfic #eskel fanart #eskel/geralt/jaskier