#eagles aren’t that smart either

[spikethecrazycat]

The Worst Decision That J. K. Rowling Made Within The Original Harry Potter Series

This has nothing to do with her now, or her views, or the movies, or the additional books that she wrote, this is just about the original series.

The fact that she made Ravenclaws’ mascot an eagle and not a RAVEN! Like, it’s literally right in the name, and ravens are one of if not the smartest birds. It just makes no sense to me, if she had made the mascot an owl, I would at least understand because owls are wise or whatever, but an eagle?

The other mascots all make sense, for Griffindor they probably didn’t want to have one house with a magical creature and made the mascot one half of the griffin (because the other half was taken by Ravenclaw [which honestly makes it have even less sense in my opinion]). Then they have a snake for Slytherin, probably because of the founder’s ability to talk to snakes. As for Hufflepuff, I guess they could have picked whatever they wanted to as long as it was hardworking and/or loyal, so a badger is fine.

Most Ravenclaw merchandise has a raven depicted on it, I hardly ever see eagles being mentioned as the mascot in and out of fanfics, I don’t know if Rowling remembers that she made eagles the mascot for Ravenclaw and just doesn’t care that everyone gets it wrong if if she just forgot about it along with everyone else.

Maybe we should have seen the signs about Rowling from the very beginning with her first questionable decision.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk

#harry potter #j.k. rowling #ravenclaw #hogwarts houses #griffindor #slytherin #hufflepuff #house mascots #owls aren’t actually that smart #they’re kinda dumb #why the fuck didn’t she make it a raven?! #eagles aren’t that smart either #birds that forage are much smarter than birds that hunt #based on no real evidence that I know of #that’s just my observation #though there could be evidence I’m just to lazy to look it up #ted talks

[lunargrapejuice]

a kiss in the rain

nozel silva x reader

repost from my old blog <3

“they told you to do what?”

the remaining members of your squad stand petrified in front of their captain, unable to decide if nozel really hadn’t heard what they said or if he had heard perfectly well and was simply asking out of disbelief that they would return home without you during a mission. it was all under your orders and as squad leader and significant other of none other than nozel silva, how were they supposed to tell you ‘no’? they all knew that nozel would not be happy about this choice but nothing prepared them for the violet eyes that pierced through their very souls as the confession of your call left their mouths.

one of them swallows the saliva stuck in their throat, gathering up the courage to answer with the fear it will only make things worse. before they can get out a word, he stands from behind his desk and heads towards the office door.

“when i return we’ll be going over again what it means to work as a squad,” he says coldly before heading out the door without giving them a second glance or asking for further information.

in their retelling of your orders they had already told him that you sent the rest of the squad back to the headquarters and branched off alone in a small town not far from nean so there was no need to waste precious time lecturing them now.

nozel watches closely for your figure in the wind as he rides his eagle into the common realm and towards the border to the forsaken realm, his heart picking up speed each minute that passes without you coming into view and the blue sky turns gray and cold. how could you be so reckless and ask your team to abandon you without reason, promising that you’d catch up with them before they even made it back to the headquarters only to not return even well after they did? you’re smart and strong, he knows you are but that doesn’t mean you’re strong enough to handle things alone. did you even know what you were getting yourself into? he hates the uncertainty.

close to nean he has no choice but use his mercury to create a makeshift umbrella just so he can see a little ways ahead of him in the downpour of rain. it’s almost impossible to see anything in front of him the closer he gets to the town and the more the fog comes into view. he really didn’t want to cause a scene for either you or him by walking around as a noble in the common realm or the lecture he was sure to give you when he found you but he has no choice but to set out on foot as it continues to rain even harder. it’s a relief that most of the locals are staying in doors thanks to the weather but it’s also incredibly frustrating that there aren’t many people he can ask about a direction they might have seen you go in.

he asked himself a million questions on the way here, like what could have possibly torn you from your team and sent you off on your own and then delayed you even further or where the hell you would be once he made it to your last known location. he can only assume the worst and that it’s some kind of threat to you because why else would you make a choice like this.

if you knew nozel you’d know his eager and slightly demanding tone is one of mostly worry and not completely of hostility while he questions the few townspeople that are outside at the moment. but they don’t know him, he’s never been great speaking with commoners as is, and his demanding words only scare them, making it so most of what they say are useless apologies that are wasting time. his only saving grace is the homeless man who said he watched you follow a hooded man into the wooded area just as the rain started its downpour.

a tch leaves his lips at the man’s directions and he tosses him some coins for the useful information before heading into the woods you were seen. the sun starts to set, the rain unrelenting and still no sign of you. thoughts of losing you or finding you hurt start to come to the forefront of his mind but he knows he has to shove them down and remain calm, it’s the only way he’ll find you. he’ll find you even if he has to coat this entire realm in his mercury to do it.

over the pounding of droplets on tree leaves it’s nearly impossible to hear but no matter how faint, he’d know your voice when he heard it and when the small yelp you let out came from the distance, he didn’t waste a moment heading in your direction.

normally you’d love this weather and the patter of the rain but it was.. less than helpful when trying to pursue an enemy. just as you followed the cloaked diamond kingdom mage into the wooded area outside of town it started to pour and it wasn’t much longer before the rain made it impossible to keep track of him and you eventually lost sight of him. you questioned his familiar face when you passed by him in your journey through this small town and after a few moments of pondering what to do, you decided to follow him and see what he was up to, strictly observing* and reporting to the magic knights that are in charge of this area what you discovered, if anything.

after you lost sight of him, that plan was out the window. once you were sure you weren’t being followed and that he hadn’t seen you in return, you began to make your way back to town to dry off and grab your broom. but the rain only got worse and made it harder to continue on so you waited under a larger oak tree that provided some kind of shelter. after waiting a good 20 minutes, your clothes soaking up the rain that made it through the trees, you heard the cry of an animal and followed it’s whimpers deeper into the woods until you came across a small fox with it’s leg caught in a trap.

it must have been very trusting or you really have a knack with animals because it didn’t even fight you as you preyed open the metal jaws to let it free.

“ouch!” you yelped when the trap went to close again, a spiky tooth cutting your finger as you moved your hand just in time to miss getting caught in the trap yourself. it’s nothing bad, a little worse than a papercut. the poor fox has it much worse than you.

luckily you are ever prepared and are able to apply a healing salve from your small backpack to help the bleeding, the magic imbued in the herbs already beginning to heal the foxes wound. it would be just fine and scurrying off without so much as a limp in no time. you’re both soaking wet but that does stop you from petting him as he rubs against your legs, you’d like to think it’s to return the kindness you paid it by saving it from the hunters.

a twig breaking from behind you brings your eyes from it’s dark orange fur but it is not the sight you were expecting to see. the fox hurries off when he makes a step closer to you.

“nozel? what are you doing here?” your heart rate picks up as he gets closer and you’re able to make out the look on his face. he may think he’s playing it off cool but the worry behind his eyes is ever present, something he couldn’t hide from the one that holds his heart.

“what are you doing?”

his tone makes his distress even more evident and it pulls at your heart strings.

“i- i was just-” you can barely spit out an answer as you watch his soaking figure step closer to you. he holds out his hand, pulling you up to meet his eyes from your crouched position. he doesn’t say anything as he waits for your explanation but he squeezes your hand tightly when he sees the blood from your cut and he quickly begins to inspect your whole body. you know you need to explain before the tension between you worsens. “i’m fine, just a little cut on my finger,” you assure him, holding up your finger to show him before continuing, quickly explaining what you were up to by yourself. “i was following a mage i’ve fought with before from the diamond kingdom because he looked familiar and suspicious so i was just checking it out but i lost sight of him and when i was heading back into town i heard that fox crying so-so,” you start to lose breath and your anxiety grows under his intense gaze.

“why did you go alone?”

“more of us would have only drawn attention,” you reason. “but i know better than go in blind with no back up, you taught me that. i wasn’t going to fight.” this time you take a step closer to him, grabbing onto the feathers of his uniform, hoping your touch will calm his panicked heart. “you know i’m a lot stronger than i look.”

“i still do not agree with your choice.”

“i-,” you go to further reassure him that you are okay but are cut off by nozels arms wrapping around you, one hand pressing the small of your back to pull you further into him, the other finding its way into your wet locks.

all of your words, all of nozel fears wash away in the rain and seep into the ground underneath the warm embrace shared between lovers.

“don’t scare me like that again,” it comes out as a whisper as he kisses the top of your head, his grip tightening against you at his next words. “if something had happened to you-”

you pull away but only enough to look into his purple eyes as you let the rain droplets run down your cheeks along with the few tears you can’t help let out at his sweet words and the love you feel from him. “i’m sorry i worried you my love,” the nickname has his heart stopping. “maybe it was stupid to go alone but no matter happened or happens, i’ll always come back to you. that, i swear above anything else.”

you don’t let him answer, don’t let him do anything but bask in your heart felt promise and your lips as you stand on your tippy toes, pulling on his cloak to bring him closer to you in a passionate kiss. you can feel him relax under your touch and you can’t help but melt into his arms as you holds you close, not caring how wet either of you are or the rain that has no sign of stopping falling around you.

when he pulls away his breath is staggered, his cheeks tinted ever so slightly pink. he looks perfect like this; his wet hair clinging to his face, his eyes soft, filled with love and adoration as he whispers the sweetest words, words only meant for you, “i love you y/n. i don’t ever want to lose you.”

“i love you too and you won’t, i won’t let it happen.”

“let’s get you out of this rain before you catch a cold.” with his arm still around you he summons his mercury eagle and creates another umbrella to shield you further from the rain as you snuggle into his side.

“take a warm bath with me when we get home?”

you can’t see it but you can hear the smile on his lips through his words. “as you wish, love.”

main masterlist

#black clover #black clover x reader #nozel silva x reader #nozel x reader #nozel silva #black clover fluff

[beantothemax]

An Accurate Dialogue session of Hollow Cleric featuring Jin Mei, Rai Mei, Ritsu, and Oboro interactions:

Jin Mei: Okay but what if I don't want to get my shit together. What if I want to be angry and fucking stab Kazan- or Oboro- or whatever his fucking name is! What if I don't want to get my shit together!?

Rai Mei: Then the world will continue to hurt for you. And eventually the people who try to stick with you will find out you hurt them more than help them. …And then they’ll leave you behind.

Jin Mei: But I’m in the right!

Rai Mei: What if you aren’t? What if in reality, you’re wrong and you’re now trying to fool yourself into thinking that everything you do is perfect? What then brother?

Jin Mei: I thought you would be on my side!

Rai Mei: And I am! I’m angry and I want justice but this is too far! You’re losing yourself brother! I barely recognize you and I’m scared that one day I’m going to wake up and I won’t recognize the person who is sitting in front of me.

Jin Mei: Rai Mei I- I’m still your brother.

Rai Mei: The brother I knew would have made it his priority to protect his family and make sure that they were okay. Not run off for a constant cycle of revenge.

Jin Nei: …So. Does that mean we’re not siblings anymore?

Rai Mei: …You made your choice all those years ago. And then you made it a thousand times over with every time you failed to killed Kazan.

Jin Mei: Oh.

Rai Mei: Yeah.

--------------------

Oboro: Well then. You seem to have things under control, as good as me actually. Everything in the city is okay and everyone respects you yet is willing to ask for your advice when needed. Good job.

Ritsu: Good job? GOOD JOB!?

Oboro: …Yes?

Ritsu: You can’t tell me that shit now! You can’t tell me you think I did a good job after what you did!

Ritsu: Kaza- Oboro you left! You stabbed Jin Mei and then you left and then killed yourself! And then when you came back to life somehow and you didn’t come back! You just left!

Oboro: You would have went and listened to a person who helped ended the world. Really Ritsu. You would listen to me whole-heartedly?

Ritsu: YES!

Ritsu: EVERYONE WAS LEAVING! Jin Mei was “dead”, Rai Mei had to leave for Stormhail, Hikari was exiled, everyone I knew either died or was being moved away from my station, and Mikka went and almost moved to Sai because she thought she would be a burden on me when I got promoted!

Ritsu: Everyone almost left and I would have punched you but at least you would have been a constant! An annoying ass constant but a constant because I need that right now!

Ritsu: And then I apparently was a good fit for your job because they promoted me and I don’t know what to do and- And when you were in charge you made things look easy!

Ritsu: I sat in your office and every time I was in there I felt like a parasite! I didn’t feel like I earned it! I just felt like I was eating scraps and trying to desperately live up to what everyone saw you as! You were an asshole but a smart asshole and one who had plans that were brilliant! I couldn’t produce that! Every time I went and brought up a plan of my own I can feel everyone judge me!

Oboro: Ritsu is this still about me or is this about you now?

Ritsu: I DON’T KNOW!

Ritsu: I don’t know. You haunt this office and I put you up on this pedestal in hopes that maybe one day people will give me the same respect that they did with you. And now you’re alive and- I don’t know. I don’t know anymore.

Oboro: …I don’t know what you want me to say.

Ritsu: I don’t know either. I think I’m just tired. Really, really tired.

Oboro: Yeah that’s- (inhale) That’s a familiar friend in this job.

Ritsu: It’s a shitty friend.

Ritsu: …You’re a shit friend.

Oboro: What you’re just realizing that now?

Ritsu: I shouldn’t have to realize that. You should have never made yourself like that.

Oboro: …Well, you can’t change the past.

--------------------

Jin Mei, huffing out a laugh: The Eagle of Ku, always so prepared.

Oboro: Yeah! I had to be “always prepared!” Not everyone can just wing it like you can Jin Mei!

Jin Mei: …

Oboro: …Listen you had it easy! You were practically given everything! I had to go and claw my way up to where I was. You never had that.

Jin Mei: …Clearly we aren’t talking about that time I tried to assassinate Hikari then.

Oboro: Right. Right that- Right you did do that.

--------------------

Oboro: Ritsu did you ever clean out my desk?

Ritsu: Nope. Never sat in it either.

Oboro: …Why?

Ritsu: It felt weird! It was your spot and sitting in it felt weird!

Jin Mei: Oh, that’s why everything is on the floor.

Ritsu: Exactly!

Rai Mei: Ritsu that’s impractical.

Ritsu: Well yeah but it felt weirder sitting there!

Oboro: You had my job for several years you can clean out my desk. Look Hikari is already doing it!

Hikari: What? No. I’m trying to find where your pens are at. All of Ritsu’s have been chewed on.

Rai Mei: Ritsu that’s unsanitary.

Ritsu: I DIDN’T ASK TO BE JUDGED!

Hikari: …Uh Oboro, what’s this?

Oboro: Oh- That’s uh…

Jin Mei: Oh yeah my uh…that’s my rib.

Hikari:

Rai Mei:

Ritsu:

Hikari, putting the rib down: Right.

Hikari: And the jar of ashes?

Oboro: Oh that’s mine. Well not mine mine. I mean that the ashes belong to me. Not that I was ever preserved in ashes whenever I died from fire!

Hikari:

Jin Mei: Oh that’s where Zhao went.

Ritsu: Okay you both are doing the face where you’re embarrassed we’re cleaning out the desk.

Oboro and Jin Mei: NO-

--------------------

Rai Mei: For two seconds can we all just not have problems!?

Jin Mei: Rai Mei that’s-

Ritsu: No she’s right. Two seconds.

Oboro: You have to admit that is-

Ritsu and Rai Mei: TWO SECONDS!

resounding silence

Oboro: Is the two seconds over yet?

Ritsu: No!

(more resounding silence)

Hikari: (sneezes)

Oboro: (small snort)

Ritsu: …Did you just laugh? And smile???

Oboro: No.

Rai Mei: We all saw and heard that. There is nothing to be ashamed of.

Ritsu: Who knew that all you need to be genuine is Hikari sneezing.

Hikari: I can sneeze again to see if it would work again a second time.

Oboro: It won’t work. And what you saw was a trick of light and what you heard was the wind.

Ritsu: Nice try, there isn’t any light because you helped bring an end to that.

Hikari: And if I remember correctly this is one of the few areas where the wind doesn’t blow. You told us that.

Oboro, under his breath: Fuck you past me.

Jin Mei: Hey if you want to know more about the Eagle being genuine, then let me tell you about this time where he kept bothering me constantly to tag a forgotten corridor of the palace when we both snuck out of a meeting.

Rai Mei: You tagged something!?

Hikari: And in the palace!?

Oboro, head in hands: Shut up.

Jin Mei: Yep! Dared me to do it and I did it eventually. Well less dared and more of dragged me into doing it while getting increasingly childish. It was amazing.

Oboro, blinking: You wrote “Kazan made me write this - Jin Mei.”

Jin Mei: I- It was much cooler than that!

Oboro: He tried to erase it afterwards.

Ritsu: You can’t just erase a thing like that!

Oboro: I can still remember the handwriting actually, all prim and prissy. I bet if we go there we would find it and I bet that your handwriting hasn’t changed a bit from the time since then and now.

Jin Mei: Yeah right.

Jin Mei: …(bursts into tears)

Oboro: Oh uh…Your handwriting is nice okay? It’s one of the easier ones I could read and it was nice.

Jin Mei: It’s not that! It’s the fact that we’re older now and look at us! All of us are so tired and shit! And- Ugh what happened?

Oboro: A lot of things happened.

Ritsu: …Yeah the two seconds are over now you can just- Just let it out man.

kiwi do you want this knife you drove into my heart or can I keep it

hhhghags…… first two parts hit very hard… rai mei and jin mei drifting apart as jin mei gets lost in this sea of revenge and hate…….. ritsu feeling like he doesn’t belong in any sort of leadership position and so angry about how everyone he knows and loves leaving him in some way…… AND HOW HE HATES OBORO BUT HE JUST. WANTS HIM TO STAY FOR SOME KIND OF CONSTANR IN HIS LIFE……… KIWI,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

last two parts were nice tho. hiakri just. finding Jin mei’s rib in a drawer was very funny. he just has pieces of him strewn about everywhere. there’s a femur under the carpet but he hasn’t told anyone yet. and oboro trying so hard to deny that he smiled and getting cornered by his own logic was delightful. they may not be able to not have problems for two seconds but I love them regardless

#asks #sombrerokiwi #hollow cleric au #I should make a dialouge tag for you #becuase this isn’t exactly an inbox fic #kiwi’s au dialoge #<-done!

[princetonmontessoriacademy]

A Daycare Plays a Crucial Role to Enhance Social Skill Of Your Children

Social skills are the skills that we use to interact and communicate with others. These skills are a set of skills that need ongoing refinement as your kids get older. Social skills aren’t something your child either has or does not have. These are skills that can be learned and strengthened with effort and practice with time.

It is frustrating to watch when your child can not make friends easily and remain a loner. They find it difficult to fit themselves in certain social settings. Good social skills allow kids to enjoy better peer relationships. Naturally, Children face many challenges the day they open their eyes in this material world. Developing social skills and interacting with the world around them will be a vital part of their success and happiness. Learning a social skill is far more important than their academic results because people will judge first by their character and appearance, not by their academic certificates.

Some kids are social from birth and more socially adept than others. These children do not find any difficulty in a new situation. So when they go to daycare or childcare, they do not cry or create problems for their caregivers. On the other hand, daycare becomes a stressful place for children who are not social naturally. Nevertheless, socializing is an art one has to learn and try to develop in this skill every single day.

It has been found that children who start going to daycare, childcare or preschools, learn this skill easily and quickly. Parents may keep their children in these centers from early childhood to make them more socially adapted. There are various high-quality daycare centers in Eagle Rock, CA where you can send your kids to learn social interactions.

When you enroll your children in any quality daycare centers your children will learn sociability automatically because caregivers at that daycare teach children how to share and take turns. They encourage children to make new peers, being part of a team and playing well with others to enhance their communication skills. At daycare children first, meet people who are not their parents or family members. Here they learn to respect and obey elders whom they did not even know a few days ago. Daycare caregivers teach them to solve problems, compromise, and conflict-resolution techniques. These qualities enrich them and make them able to combat almost all odds of life. Most of the daycare centers also follow schools' schedules and routines. Though these routines are quite flexible, children gradually learn to follow the timetable, rules, and regulations of a school. This law-abiding, sincere, and obedient nature helps them in the future in their workplace.  

At home also parents and other family members should take special care so that the children become smart social children. Your children should learn to express, interact and respond to social stimuli. Help your children learn appropriate greetings and responses. Help him to overcome shyness and express his feeling. Help them in a way so that they become able to maintain a healthy social life in the future.

#Daycare Eagle rock CA #Preschool Eagle rock CA #Child care Eagle rock CA #Montessori Eagle rock CA

[kassandras-one-braincell]

After having a shitty day at work my one remaining brain cell decided to start continuing on w your villain hcs for our favorite murder ladies. Maybe Kassandra would be Deimos in this situation or an extremely bloodthirsty and law breaking mercenary, Eivor either an Order member or a brutal warlord? and I can't think of anything for Soma rn

Love me some evil murder ladies and thinking about all of the bad things they could and would do for me bc they love me 🥺

That and a mechanic au bc I have to take my car to an auto shop to get it fixed and like women fixing cars? Attractive and I would gladly listen to them explain literally anything about a car

Murder ladies best ladies 🥺

Yeah personally I can never picture Kassandra as Deimos, because that would imply Alexios is the Eagle-Bearer and he gives me the biggest ick conceivable. He doesn't deserve that title. Stinky.

So let's talk irredeemably evil women who care about one person and that's you 🥰 Minors don't even think about touching the cut

(it should be said that there is a lot of violence under the cut - torture, disembowelment, scalping in slight detail - and of course it isn’t healthy knowingly taking an evil woman for a lover, not that it would stop us lmaooo. but please read at your own discretion)

Kassandra:

The most feared mercenary in Greece. She excels at what she does, but she enjoys the bloodier contracts a lot more than what’s healthy. The sounds of snapping bones and the squelch of a blade cutting through flesh bring a smile to her face. Her crew aboard the Adrestia fears her, and the shadier figures around the country struggle to sleep with the looming possibility of waking to her spear.

The only exemption from her depravity is you: you’re the brightest ray of light in Kassandra’s life. Her blood-money ensures you can live safely and comfortably without ever having to lift a finger. A part of her wants to stow you away in a cosy palace on an island so you would never have to witness the atrocities she commits, but you’d both miss each other terribly. Instead, she has a small house on every island for when you aren’t sailing.

But with her notoriety comes enemies. People want her dead, but are too afraid to instigate a hit on her. Anyone who tried didn’t live long enough to tell the tale. So one day, a corrupt man with far too much money and influence thought it wise to lure Kassandra into a trap. He hired a group to kidnap her one weakness, tying you up in a dingy cave, instructing messengers to leave subtle clues on your whereabouts. With a harsh grip on your hair, he promised that if she didn’t show up soon, he’d start hurting you. The array of tools atop a nearby boulder told you all you needed to know about his candour.

Oh, she showed up alright.

Kassandra is a smart woman. Any soul guarding the entrance to the cave was snuffed out before they could blink. They died far too swiftly for her liking, but your safety was her priority. When she found you in the cave, tears streaming down your cheeks with the conspirer’s knife grazing your skin, the final tether of her patience snapped. She shot his hand with her bow, then his knee, before slicing the heels of every other guard and binding their wrists. With them incapacitated, she turned her full attention back to the man about to hurt you, stabbing him over and over and over and over until his blood drenched her face.

When the - now rather literal - red mist dissipated, she didn’t waste a second before enveloping you in her arms, stroking your hair and kissing your temple firmly, whispering how worried she was and urgently asking if they hurt you in any way, tears pricking the corners of her eyes because she was scared. After checking you over, kissing you one or two or a dozen more times, she scooped you up and carried you back to her ship, lying you down and staying with you while you got some food in your belly, not quite ready to leave you alone. She orders her crew to lug the immobile guards back to her ship.

That night, Tartarus is unleashed upon the deck of the Adrestia. She took her time torturing the men who tried to harm you in a plethora of ways for her own amusement until they were crying in puddles of their own blood and piss.

Their wails of agony woke you from your light slumber. It was a cold night and Kassandra didn’t come to bed with you, so you woke up uneasy, still shaken from the incident and unable to feel safe without your misthios’ protective embrace. You knew she didn’t like to be disturbed when “working”, but you needed her.

The moment you asked in your sweet, slightly frightened voice for her to come to bed with you, she dropped her weapon. You never had to explain yourself to her; you shared a soul, you being the good and her being the bad. Her current subject had his neck snapped - the most mercy she had shown anyone all year, really. And as she held you in the captain’s quarters, listening to your soft breathing, she swore she would double the pain she inflicted on those men for disturbing your peace with their incessant crying.

Eivor:

Oh, cruel warlord Eivor. The chieftain who raids with the drengir of her clan not for supplies for her settlement, but to hurt, to burn, to ravage people of their possessions and to hurt again. Her rule was that people had the chance to flee, and she and her men would respect their choice, but if anybody crossed her, they died.

Her title of the “Scourge of Mercia” wasn’t earned through the eradication of false kings. No, no, she purged the kingdom of anybody who dared stake a claim to a crown or sizeable plot of land, and thrived in the aftermath: a chaos-ridden, kingless land. She did debate taking the title of King for herself, but thought better of it; with kingship came taxes and politics, which left less time for raiding. Eivor liked to have fun, after all.

But that doesn’t mean she couldn’t have a queen. You were a princess, the stepdaughter of one of the “kings” she loathed particularly, about to be married off to some undeserving man. Eivor was smitten the second she laid eyes on you, when she was scouting your stepfather’s keep for infiltration points - your castle was well-fortified, and she wasn’t a fool, she would seize the land with as few casualties on her side as possible - and pledged to save you from your miserable fate. She courted you properly, not incapable of nobility herself, and swore to whisk you away before you were married. You fell for her alarmingly fast, even though she was a terrifying Pagan who you were raised in fear of. But nobody had made you feel loved before.

She stormed the castle on your wedding day. It was nothing short of a bloodbath, the decorative petals on the ground stained crimson with entrails scattered between them. You were crying at the altar, not out of fear, but because you thought Eivor had broken her promise and was about to desert you, leaving you to be married off. Gods, her heart shattered then and there. She dislodged her axe from somebody’s skull and ran to kiss you, ripping off your veil, reassuring you that she would never abandon you, that if you’d still have her she would make you so, so happy. Her men had never seen her so soft. They knew then and there that you were special and not to be trifled with.

As she carried you away from the carnage, she ordered her men to gather the blood of the castle army. She had Gunnar forge a necklace from the iron in the blood and weld a pendant to the centre: a hollow crystal that she filled with her own blood, so that she would always be close to your heart. When she asked you to marry her, she gave you the necklace. Your heart swelled, of course, but then your stomach dropped, thinking that you’d be expected to make yourself bleed for her in return. Eivor immediately put your nerves to rest, saying, “My sweet dove, for you to feel the slightest pain would pierce me like a knife. All I ask for is your love.”

But while she was sweet and tender with you, her foes outside of her clan (and the traitors within, moreover) were met with a sadist who tortured ruthlessly for her own entertainment. She preferred live targets to training dummies. She would read of a particularly creative method of torture or execution and be itching to try it. Her poems sung of the blood she spilled and the queen who knew nothing of her deplorable joys.

Well, sort of. You knew Eivor was well acquainted with torture, and assumed that the men she brutalised were holding incredibly important information. Not caring for details, you never asked what they did to be sobbing with dozens of carefully opened wounds. Raised a princess your whole life, you were terribly squeamish; upon witnessing your first Vikingr execution, you fainted at the sight. Eivor’s men caught you before you could hit the ground - they were like brothers to her, and wouldn’t risk you hitting your head. She paused the execution as soon as you were brought to her attention, leaving the traitor on the stand half-disembowelled, and carried you to bed, ensuring you were in the safe hands of the servants before resuming.

You mattered most. If there was an object your heart desired, you would get it. Growing up as royalty meant you rather fancied material possessions, which gave Eivor an excuse to raid, just to bring you beautiful jewellery and dresses and decorate your darling body with the spoils of war. She would take the pretty things by force if it came to it. Nobody, nothing, came in the way of seeing her wife smile.

Soma:

Conquest was never as important as kingdom to Soma. She cared deeply for Grantebridge...and that was it. The remainder of England lived as a collection of pawns for her to dispose of as she saw fit, and if a lord of some pathetic little shire thought to challenge her, she would send his people his head as a harsh reminder.

Her port thrived under her rule, and with a port comes trade. You were the handmaiden of an ostentatious merchant’s wife, abused and living in fear of her next command. Soma first saw you with a split lip, covered in bruises, trembling under the weight of her gaze, flinching the moment the woman opened her painted mouth. Her steel heart softened; she may have been nefarious, but the notion of forcing people into servitude made her blood boil.

The evening of your arrival, she managed to ease you out of the wretch’s grasp. She wrapped your quivering form in the bear’s fur draped across her shoulders as she cleaned your busted lip, asking how such a sweet little thing as yourself wound up in that old bitch’s hands. And you broke down, telling this stranger, who you knew hurt people, everything: how she beat you and broke your spirit with her words, and threatened to let her husband’s men do unspeakable things to you every time you misplaced so much as a strand of the hair she obsessed over.

Soma held you as you wept, infuriated by the words falling upon her ears. She offered you a new, free life, asking what your passions were, promising you the freedom to explore them without inhibition. She wanted to see the tender soul within you flourish, for a reason inexplicable to her.

That night, she told you to keep far away from the guest quarters where the merchant and your mistress slept. She gave you clean clothes and allowed you to sleep in her bed, where nobody would dare disturb your slumber - the first real bed you had slept on in a long time. Entering the guest bedchamber with a plan, she first took the eyes of the merchant - befitting of his apparent see-no-evil attitude - as to spare him from witnessing the wrath she was about to inflict upon his wife. She ripped the hair your mistress cared for so deeply from her skull, scalp and all, a feral glint in her eye as she sobbed in anguish. The couple, one blind and the other in blinding pain, were escorted to their ship during the night so the eyes of the town’s children would be spared.

You were kept awake by the sounds, and thought yourself diseased in the head for not being disturbed by her agonised screams. The Jarlskona would not want somebody so sick in her town, you thought, tears streaming down your cheeks. But Soma found you, apologising to you for her inconsideration. She embraced you as you were honest in your emotions, and she convinced you that you were the purest, loveliest soul to set foot in her town.

When Soma saw you sat bathed in the sun amidst a field of flowers, delicately weaving some into a crown, finally free from suffering, she was convinced you were a nymph who had wandered too far from the forest whence you came. You were the epitome of beauty, glowing in the sunlight. The gods had brought you to Grantebridge. She pledged to herself to take you as her bride. But you deserved to be treated with amity, so she courted you formally, never wanting to bring you discomfort. Birna and Lif joked that she had gone soft, to which she always grinned, but Galinn dared to speak against you, saying you were peasant blood and good for nothing but servitude. Her dagger shore open his throat faster than he could blink.

She now had one more reason to keep the port safe from plotters and bandits. Seeing you play with the town’s children, telling them Saxon tales of dragons and warlocks, lounging about the flowers and lending a hand whenever to help the port thrive filled her with more joy than bloodshed ever had. So she would annihilate those who threatened her town, torturing them for information on fellow conspirers, for your safety. But she would always wash her hands before caressing her darling, for you did not deserve to be tainted with the blood of filth.

( I could be persuaded to write smut snippets for each of the ladies with these depraved personas so do let me know if you would be interested <3 )

#tis unhinged hours my good bitches #so unhinged that i didn't proofread shit #murder murder ladies #❀ sugar and spice ❀ #tw: blood #tw: gore #eivor x reader #soma x reader #kassandra x reader #eivor #eivor varinsdóttir #kassandra #kassandra of sparta #soma jarlskona #ac soma

[pale-silver-comb]

So I know absolutely nothing about Leverage except what I've been seeing you post lately and I have to admit you're making it look tempting to watch! Can I ask what are some of your favorite things about the show/reasons you would suggest people watch it? And is there really a poly relationship that is canon?

Okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. I am going to do my best not to just “asdfghkjl” at you and answer coherently.

In a nutshell, Leverage is about 5 people. 4 are criminals (Parker, Hardison, Eliot and Sophie) with different and unique skill-sets and 1 is an ex-insurance investigator (Nate) who, at one point or another in his career, has tracked down (or at least attempted to) the other 4. The whole show is essentially: man reluctantly reforms 4 criminals to use their criminal powers for good and 4 criminals move into man’s life and stubbornly refuse to leave because, goddammit, now they have morals. 

I’ve got a lot of favourite things about the show but the main ones are as follows:

1. Found family. And I’m not talking about loners who come together to fight crime and happen to co-exist to the point where they realise they happen to have found themselves a family. I mean, Nate and Sophie are the Drunk Uncle and Wine Aunt who somehow become Mom and Dad to 3 beautiful criminal children. Mom and Dad love their criminal babies and the kids love them (as well as each other, but we’ll come to that in a moment). You get amazing family moments such as: Mom and Dad packing the kids lunch before sending them out to kick corporate greed’s ass; Mom and Dad giving the kids ridiculously expensive and personal Christmas presents causing their most Grumpy Kid to go very very quiet and soft as he runs off to gleefully play with his new murder toy; the kids interrupting Mom and Dad’s big Movie Style Kiss to ask if they can please keep their new underground layer and huffing and puffing when Dad tells them no.

2. Found family: the OT3 edition. To answer your question, the OT3 is indeed canon, confirmed by the creator. Now, usually, “confirmed by the creator” infuriates me because most of the time it’s a way for a creator to be seen as “progressive” without doing anything to actually be progressive. That isn’t the case here. The OT3 are built up carefully and while it is obvious the creators didn’t originally intend for all 3 of them to become a relationship in the romantic sense, by mid-season 5 we are given a very clear picture of where Parker, Hardison and Eliot are heading in their relationship. There aren’t any kisses at the end to signal this but there are solid marriage vows in not only one but two episodes. (And by marriage vows I mean literal equivalents of marriage vows: “for better or worse” and “’til death do us part”. I’m not even exaggerating). The OT3 also doesn’t need explicit romantic narratives to convey how much they love each other. Their love is laced through the whole show, from the way they teach each other things to the way they respond to each other and work as a unit. The way they fiercely protect and admire each other. Like someone once said, if you need characters to kiss or say I love you to let the audience know they love each other, you are writing them wrong. 

Aside from that, each of the parings in the OT3 are just. Gah. They are so well done, with friendship being the solid basis for them all. The creators never expect the audience to assume anything about them or fill in the gaps. They give us their relationships on screen and reference many things off-screen to show us how these relationships continue to build in between episodes.

Hardison and Parker are a canon couple and date in the show: it’s approached slowly and they are so goddamned sweet. They are basically every fluffy slow-burn trope with a healthy dash of mutual pining in the mix. They are basically that quote “love is patient, love is kind”. (I would like to add their romance never becomes the focus of the show or overrides the importance of any other relationship they have with the other characters, especially Eliot.)

Hardison and Eliot are the Old Married Couple and from day one are already bickering and looking at each other/making comments that are found in every UST fic ever (not to mention Hardison has a very good knack for making Eliot grin like a little kid, when usually he’s basically an Angry Little Chef Man). They argue, they play, and love each other plain as day. 

Parker and Eliot are more subtle but every bit as wonderful. They have an unspoken connection and understand each other on a level no-one else can. Parker and Eliot are not good with giving themselves over to affection for different reasons (and Hardison plays a central role in helping them realise it’s okay to want it and have it- that boy has endless patience) but there is something so beautiful in the way the two of them come together on their own and develop their own special bond that works for them. Parker and Eliot are that trope where the characters don’t need to speak to understand each other perfectly. They just do. Their love language is a lot of the time non-verbal but speaks volumes. (Parker also likes to annoy the hell out of Eliot and Eliot....just.....lets...her. Because he’s soft. The softest, grumpiest boy.) 

I could go into so much depth for each pairing and their dynamics as a 3 but that's for another post.

3. Subverting stereotypes. There is the occasional hiccup in the show regarding stereotypes but ultimately, Leverage gets an A+ when it comes to writing characters and making them 3 dimensional people who are not defined by certain characteristics or events. Nate could so easily fall into the White Man Pain trope where he uses the trauma of losing his kid as a reason as to why he is entitled to act like a dick. Nate is a dick but he doesn’t use his pain to excuse it and I appreciate that. Hardison is a black man who is soft and nurturing. Easily the most empathetic and patient of the group. He’s nerdy, an actual genius, and has the biggest heart of all the characters. Nate is maybe the glue but Hardison is definitely the heart. Media’s usual aggressive, amongst other, racist stereotypes can fuck right off. Parker is canonically autistic (I am sure this was confirmed by one of the creators) and she is not defined by it. It’s not written as some kind of singular personality trait. It’s part of what makes up Parker but it’s only one facet of who she is and not once is her actions, thoughts or feelings treated like a joke. Sometimes people don’t understand why she does and says the things she does but it’s met with patience and fondness over the course of the show. Equally, it’s not met with over-caution. Parker is just Parker. No-one tries to change her. The other nice thing is Hardison, who always makes sure Parker knows she’s amazing because of who she is and not in spite of it. Finally, Sophie is in her 40s. She’s not treated like she’s past her prime. Ever. She’s sexy, smart and never is she pitted against or compared to Parker (who is younger) for anything. Sophie is amazing and there’s never even a conversation of “I may be older but I am still *insert adjective typically associated with younger women here*”. Sophie is possibly the first female character I’ve ever seen who isn’t just unapologetic about her age but has never had to apologise for her age. It’s a non-issue and that’s that. The women on the show are written so well, right down to secondary characters and it’s beyond refreshing.  

4.) It’s just fun. The show has a “monster of the week” type format. Except instead of a ghoul or a ghost, the monster is some corrupt wealthy and powerful individual or organisation. The show draws on real-life individuals to do this and therefore closely parallels real-life people and events. It addresses important political, economical, social and environmental issues while at the same time remaining fun and light-hearted. The characters constantly get the chance to play dress up and by GOD do they have fun with it. You get to watch Eliot beat up bad guys in the most delightful of ways, usually after a witty non-sequitur and with a weapon you’d never think could be a weapon. The dialogue and back and forth between the characters is everything. And finally - my favourite thing- the team can never resist striking a dramatic pose after they’ve taken down the bad guy, making sure the bad guy sees them. I mean, they COULD just walk away, satisfied they’ve taken the person down, but nope. They gotta be dramatic bitches 24/7 and pose like they are models for every single month of this year’s Criminal Calendar.  

5.) Competence Porn. So. Much. Competence Porn.  

Honestly, I could list a thousand reasons for why Leverage is amazing but to list them would to be spoiling so many amazing moments you’d get to discover for the first time on your own if you do choose to watch it. It’s the kind of show you can watch with an eagle-eye and sink your teeth into. But it’s also the kind of show if, you would prefer, put on in the background for something entertaining while you do something else. Each episode is about the job at hand but it’s made up of so many moments between the characters that show how much the creators and writers care about them. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll do whatever it is you do when something Soft and Wonderful happens that makes your heart melt. I am so beyond grateful for Leverage. It’s everything I always wanted in a show. Nearly every show I’ve watched in the past 10 years has disappointed me in some way, usually either because the writers run out of steam or characters who I love are treated poorly or given some kind of unnecessary “shock value” arc. Leverage doesn’t do that. Leverage is what it says on the bottle. Fandom isn’t something I joined because I needed canon fix-its. Fandom only enhances and celebrates an already excellent canon. 

#leverage #leverage ot3 #parker #alec hardison #eliot spencer #sophie devereaux #nate ford #talk leverage to me

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Mind The Gap: One

Summary: In an age of Heroes, there's always one more Villain. Can Shang- Chi handle his girlfriend needing to walk a Hero's Journey of her own? And how will he handle the two of you not being the only "people" in your relationship?

“Where are you?”

“I’m safe- well. Relatively speaking.”

“Y/N-” He tightened his grip on the phone like it was a life line. Like if he clung on hard enough, he could find you somehow.

“I promise to explain it all when I get back,” you say slowly, in what you hope is a relaxed tone of voice. It’s a little had to do with a desert Eagle pointed directly at your nose but for Shang-Chi, to keep him out of this you’d try.

“Please,” he whispered. He could hear the difference in your tone. It wasn’t your usual easy going voice. The one that filled him with a sense of calm. There was a sharpness. And under current he’d only heard once before. And it made the hair stand up on the back of his neck.

“Tell Katy I’m sorry I have to miss Karaoke night,” you try, hoping to break his concentration. “I have to go, I love you.”

And before he can get anything else out, the line goes dead. The line goes dead and he can feel a hollow ache in his chest. One that tells him you’re in trouble. Big trouble. And without being able to keep you on the phone, there’s no telling where you went.

“She’s smart,” Xialing said frowning. “Either she’s done this before or she was warned. But we couldn’t get a fix on her.”

“She’s an archive,” Shang Chi said, trying not to sound bitter, “Smart is an understatement.” He folded his arms and looked over Xailing’s shoulder frowning. There had to be a pattern. Something had to make sense. You were a creature of habit. Very particular habits. When you ate and when you slept was a strict schedule. And on the run you’d be trying to hold on to something… Unless that was all part of your cover, too.

“What happens if-”

Shang- Chi felt his head jerk up and his eyes narrow, making Katy flinch reflexively, “If we can’t find her?” he finished.

Katy nodded hesitantly and he exhaled slowly trying to rein in his temper, “I don’t know, but it can’t be good.”

____

You toss your phone away carelessly and listen to the sound of a heavy boot crushing it under heel and scattering the pieces. But still, you don’t look away from the man pointing a gun at you.

“Not bad for a librarian… A little on the nose don’t you think?” he scoffed.

You force yourself into a nonchalant shrug and smile a little, “The best place to hide is in plain sight. At least some of the time.”

And that’s the last thing you managed to get out before that Desert Eagle cracked across the side of your face, sending you into the dark once more.

________

Wenwu watched his son pace, trying to stem the tide of panic. Your phone had gone from ringing out to nothing. Straight to voice mail.

“You got me, leave a message. Or don’t. Whatever.”

“Does she have enemies?”

Shang-Chi exhaled slowly and took a deep breath, “None. At least none that I know about. She avoided the snap but… There’s a bit of time before she wound up in the City she doesn’t really talk about.”

“So she could have enemies?”

He stopped and carded his fingers through his hair, “If not enemies because of who she is then… maybe because of what she is.”

“What she is?”

Shang Chi nodded reluctantly. He wasn’t even sure he completely understood. He only knew that your brother had warned him. Told him that there were things you could do that were… rare. That might attract attention. And he wasn’t sure if he could share that information. Even if it might bring you home. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. For all he knew you could be dying. You could be dead and it could already be too late. But if there was a chance… No matter how small, he could take your anger. He could take you never speaking to him again. As long as he knew you were alive.

She’s an- an Archive,” he said slowly. “At least. That’s what the world knows them as now, I guess.”

He watched in apprehension as he saw his Father’s eyes widen in understanding and it was clear that he’d met, or at least heard of the Archives before.

“What does she hold?” he asked, seriously.

“Secrets. Things that are hidden.”

Even as Shang-Chi heard himself say the words, he knew he didn’t understand, not really. That had been what your Brother had told him. Quickly. Quietly. While you were distracted with a tea kettle and getting out the mugs. And even his most intense searches could turn up no information.

“Secrets?” Wenwu repeated, “Such as?”

And all Shang-Chi could do was shrug. He’d seen you at work. Your fingers brushing the spines of books. Tenderly. Almost lovingly. And he’d thought that it was cute. That it was an extension of your curiosity. A love of knowing. He thought of the way you’d told him once that Libraries were where you felt at home. Where you felt safe. He thought of the evenings when he came to walk you home. The serenity in the security lights. The way you smiled at him. And his chest throbbed. The secrets you knew probably didn’t include any martial arts.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, leaning heavily against the table, hanging his head. “The only information I have came second hand from her brother. And even then, he only told me that she isn’t human. At least not all human.”

He didn’t like to think about it. And he didn’t like to think about the distance he tried to put between you when he found out. Or how that distance had lead him here. The reaction that had made you avoid coming to him for help. He felt the hand on the back of his neck. But it didn’t register. Not really. In the back of his head, he could hear you. A casual fact. Things about Aliester Crowley. Or Agrippa. Or the Knights Templar.

You’d always written off questions about it as being a weird kid. Or by reminding people that you had a doctorate in Anthropology. But it wasn’t… It never felt like that. It felt like you had just… said it.

Shang Chi didn’t need to be looking at his father to know he was frowning. Thinking. “If we can’t get to her, I need to try to call her brother.”

“What is her brother?”

“An engineer,” Shang Chi said smiling a little. And a former Marine. But he was going to keep that to himself. He had a hunch that your best chance wasn’t going to involve his Father going on a recruiting mission simultaneously.

Wenwu’s frown deepened but he nodded as he watched his son pull a card from his wallet and dial the number.

“Kai-”

“We have a problem,” Shang Chi said quickly, “Y/N is missing.”

“Missing missing or went camping for a couple days?”

“Missing, Missing,” he clarified, “I got a phone call an hour ago and she hung up before we could trace it.”

“Let me call you back-”

And the line went dead before he could say more. “Shit,” he hissed. He wasn’t sure what Pandora’s box had been opened with that phone call. And he hated bumbling around in the dark. He hated not knowing if you were safe. If you were hurt.

“He said he’d call back,” Katy said helpfully, “Maybe he’s calling family.”

“I don’t know if there’s any family to call,” he said pinching the bridge of his nose. He could kick himself for not pressing you for answers. He hadn’t because he’d not been prepared to give you any. He still wasn’t sure he wanted to drag you into his life but. It was looking more and more like he might not have any choice.

When the phone in his hand rang he almost dropped it and had to fumble with it for a second before he could answer, “Kai-”

“I’m assuming you aren’t alone,” the other man said shortly, “I’ll text you the coordinates. Get there as quickly as you can. I’m not sure if we’re going to extract her or clean up the mess. Those idiots have a tiger by the tail and they don’t even know it.”

The call ended and all Shang-Chi could do was stare at the phone for a second, “What the fu-”

“Y/N,” Katy demanded, “Our Y/N? The dirty chai loving, vintage wearing Y/N that cried for 30 minutes at the end of the brave little toaster?”

“Evidently-” he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Does anyone else here have a secret badass origin story?” she yelped, “What the hell?”

_________

The coordinates were, So far as anyone could tell, in the middle of nothing. A waste land of tall grass and trails left by herds of cattle in Montana.

But, even without asking he knew he was in the right place. There was a palpable sense of… mayhem in the air. Like the feeling before a nasty storm. Rising anxiety and energy crackling on the wind. Everyone was affected and everyone was quiet.

It wasn’t until they got closer that Shang-Chi and Katy could pick Kai out of the small knot of people. And it was something of a comfort that he looked relaxed. Or at least unconcerned.

“Hey,” Kai said taking a slow drag off his cigarette and exhaling a cloud of smoke towards the sky. He didn’t seem the least Perturbed that Shang-Chi hadn’t come alone. Or that they were all dressed for a fight.

“What-”

“We’re waiting,” Kai said shrugging. “She’s got to take the vortex apart. Then we mop up whatever comes out of it.”

Almost on cue, a Motor Cycle comes roaring over the flat ground as an explosion rattled the ground beneath their feet. “2 hell hounds and at least a baker's dozen in demons, grades 4 to 2.” The words sound like they're coming from you but. You don’t look like you. Skin coated in soot and eyes shining like silver in moonlight. It makes Shang-chi want to shake you.

“Y/N-” He starts, but when you look at him, he doesn’t know what to say. Or where to start.

“You’ll know what it is when you see it,” you say, spitting a mouthful of blood into the grass. “Take it down quickly. Headshots. If it doesn’t go down run for me. Demons don’t play. And, I make better bait. The rest of you are kinda like designer purses. Nice to have but ultimately disposable.”

“Is the vortex closed?” Kai asked grinding the cigarette out with his heel.

“With half the Golden Dagger on the other side of it. Everyone else scattered before I could get anything else for Lea.”

And then there wasn’t time for you to answer anything else. As the small hoard surged into the open field, Kai almost lazily tossed you the other sword he’d had strapped across his back and it was all a blur.

You were a blur. Almost preternaturally fast as you dismembered the bodies that hurtled towards you. It wasn’t until the last demon crackled on the fire that you crumpled like paper, sagging heavily against Shang-Chi who had made his way to your side.

“Shi-” he caught you, if only just. The dead weight taking him by surprise. And the warmth of the blood running over his hands. He could only gasp before the rest of Kai’s team descended like a plague of helpful locusts, loading you quickly onto the nearest stretcher and starting to try and repair the damage.

“I wonder how long she was out,” Kai mused, lighting another cigarette. “Or if she remembers anything. She doesn’t always.”

Shang- Chi opened his mouth to ask, wiping blood off his lip with the back of his hand, but Kai only shook his head. “She told you she’d explain. Let her do it.”

“Will she be okay?” He heard himself ask, but as he watched you loaded into a helicopter, nothing felt real. He’d just watched you dismember a demon. You’d looked at him… But hadn’t seen him. You didn’t look at him like you even knew who he was.

“She will,” Kai answered, looking at him sympathetically. “It takes time… but. The Archive has a vested interest in keeping her alive.”

____________

“Hey.”

“You look like hell.”

“Gee thanks,” you sigh, wincing as you try and sit up straighter. “You should see the other guy.”

“I did,” he said. And he can’t stop the frown when he looks down at your hands. They’re clean now. No trace of the black blood you’d been coated in. You looked like you. Your eyes were the same color that they’d always been.

“I’m sorry that I lied,” you tell him. “That I didn’t come clean when you came back from Ta-lo with Katy. I just… I guess I was still holding out hope that I could be normal.” You look away from him, taking a deep breath. “Becoming an Archive… I always hoped it wouldn’t be me. And then it was. And it was… it was a blessing and a curse.”

“You weren’t born an Archive?”

You shake your head and exhale slowly, “I was born a witch. If Lea and my grandmother can be believed, the most powerful witch born into this family in 400 years. I became An Archive when I was 12.” You swallow hard and take the hand that reaches for yours. “It- I remember the pain. I don’t remember much from before. I remember smoke and screaming. And I remember… I remember hunters and- and- when I woke up I was here.”

Shang-Chi squeezed your hand and reached up to touch your cheek, wiping away tears with his thumb. He’d been ready to be angry. He’d been hurt. But now all he wanted was to pull you closer. “The scars on your back-”

“I’ve been told it’s best that I don’t know,” you murmur. “Lea- She knows but.” You stop and take another deep breath.

For a moment, there is silence. It stretches out around the two of you while Shang-Chi digests those pieces of information and you try to try to put together a coherent explanation. Beyond the door, you can hear voices mingling in the kitchen. Katy. Kai. Lea. Wenwu. Xialing. Cousins. Your Grandmother. Both familiar and strange.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Shang- Chi asked quietly.

“Calling you… I know I told you I’d explain I just- I don’t know how.”

Shang-Chi smiles a little, “It’s probably harder given there’s a lot you don’t remember.”

“A little,” you murmur. “Sometimes, the Archive condescends to tell me what they’ve been doing with my body but other times? It feels a little like waking up from closing down the Karaoke bar.”

“How much time are you missing now?”

“A day. Maybe two. I’m not sure.”

“What’s the longest time span you don’t remember?”

“Close to a year,” you sigh. “If my physical body is in danger, The Archive will take the driver’s seat until the danger has passed OR It’s deemed that I can handle it on my own… Now that I’m older and I’ve grown into the powers I was given I spend a lot more time driving.”

“Even when you’re with me?”

“The Archive seems to think it can trust you. Though if it’s just with my physical body or with the things we know I’m not sure. Sometimes it views those things as one and the same.”

“Do you- I mean. When we’re alone?”

“You mean when we’re having sex?” The blush that blooms over his cheeks makes you smile a little. “I mean. The Archive lives in my head. Sometimes it has notes though… I don’t know how it would know-”

“Notes?”

You nod and roll your eyes. And even if he’s confused and a little offended, he can’t help but chuckle, “What kind of notes?”

“Ugh-” you groan, “No. We’re not humoring the freeloader in my head.”

#Shang-Chi #Shang-Chi x reader #fluff #angst #cannon violence

[sweeethinny]

Emerald Eyes

Summary: After Lily Evans kisses him, James needs help to figure out what to do in that situation. And who better to help him and Sirius with relationship issues if not his dad?

Notes: I was reading @startanewdream's fanfic Exist Song (For Film) when she wrote about a song that spoke of emerald eyes.

I remembered the song Claudia by Finneas, and needed to write about Jily's first kiss, and somehow get Fleamont involved.

I don't think I've ever read a fanfic where he helps James and Sirius with relationship issues, so I wrote it! I know James only becomes prefect in seventh year, but I needed him to become sixth, to make sense of the story.

sue me

AO3

-------

James was fine about just being friends with Lily, really, he was up for it and he liked being friends with her. Of course, he still thought about kissing her and, dammit, sometimes dreamed of her with her clothes off and couldn't look her in the eye for the next three days. But overall, he was fine with his old crush.

Everything was fine, it was just a crush, he would get over it.

He liked other girls over the last few years, liked hanging out with them, kissing them, and there was one muggle girl that James really thought was going to be something more serious - he even lost his virginity to her. But things didn't go as it should and life went on. Sirius comforted him that his crush on Lily was probably because he idealized her in a way that it was now difficult for him to like other girls, but that James needed to let go of the 'what ifs' and move on.

James tried, he swears he did.

But when Lily Evans kissed him on the train back to King Cross, after a prefect meeting where James was trying not to sleep, things completely fell apart for him.

When he got back to his friends, James felt very lost, and Remus even asked if he was alright, but all James could do was nod and touch his lips in fear that the feeling of Evans' soft, sweet lips would go away and he realized it was a dream.

As much as he had dreamed very hot things about Lily, they never kissed, so James wasn't prepared for it at all, he was just imagining it was supposed to be good. But it wasn't just good, it was stupidly good.

So good that he spent all the traveling hours remembering. And when they arrived at the station, he could only think of meeting Lily to say that he thought he was in love. Was this possible?

"Mate?" Sirius asked, following him out of the wagon. '’Did something happen at the meeting?'’

"No, I-" James saw her, which automatically made him forget all the words his parents had taught him, suddenly his brain shutting down and only caring about one thing; Lily Evans.

James didn't know what to do, if he was going to talk to her or not, if he waved, if he called her, if he shouted for everyone to hear that she kissed him… James wanted there to be a manual on how to deal with this situation, because he felt so lost and it was stupid.

There was no time to do anything however, the students were hurrying to leave and pushed James who had been standing in the middle of the corridor, while Lily blushed and smiled awkwardly, giving the boys a wave and then getting off the train.

Should that mean something? Why didn't she talk to him?!

''Come on James, I want to go home.'' Peter complained, making him wake up from his reverie and follow them outside, knowing Sirius was watching him with the eyes of an eagle, and that probably Remus too, but very more discreet.

After they said their goodbyes and headed off to find his parents, Sirius whispered, never bending over or making it sound like he was whispering, "You kissed her, didn't you?"

"She did it." James swallowed, still completely shocked. "Best kiss of my life, I must say."

"Fuck, James." Sirius shook his head, walking faster and accepting Euphemia's hug as James greeted his dad with a longing hug.

"Are you two okay?" Monti asked, a hand in James' hair and an all-too-knowing look that made him think his dad had heard, by some miracle, what Sirius had said. Fleamont always seemed to know everything.

"Yes, perfect." Sirius smiled. ‘’Right, James?’’

‘’Yes, more perfect than this impossible.’’

[...]

That night, after Euphemia left for the annual florist dinner she always went to, Fleamont called James and Sirius down to the dungeons, where he had finished brewing another beer. James knew his dad wasn't an idiot and he knew the two of them had already been drinking in hiding there on several occasions, but he liked that they were now considered old enough to be able to go there without having to dodge.

"So, how were things at school this year?" his dad asked, pouring some beer into each of their glasses, sitting on the wooden bench he and Sirius had helped to assemble last summer. "Any news?" Fleamont lingered at James, but then smiled at Sirius and glared at him too.

"Yeah, I think I'm liking someone," Sirius said, and then looked at the glass of beer in front of him on the pine table.

''You think? How can this be? Either you are, or you aren't.” Fleamont didn't seem to judge him, that gentle smile that had James spilling so much of his secrets over the past few years to his dad for help.

"She's a little complicated," Sirius ran a hand through his hair, taking a sip of his beer. ‘’ She says she doesn't want anything, but then she gets mad when I talk to another girl? I don't know, I like her, I just don't know how… you know?’’

"No." James didn't know how Sirius still hadn't learned to never do that to his dad. Fleamont would never say what he thought you meant, even if he was sure what it was, he would always make you talk.

‘’How to tell her.’’ It was funny and almost frightening how Sirius looked like someone else when he arrived at his house. There he didn't have to pretend anything or be an asshole to draw attention, his parents were always willing to listen to him, just like they did with James and that's probably why he always seemed very comfortable telling things to Fleamont, like now.

"Well, I think you two are friends at least?" Sirius nodded. ‘’So, be honest with her. What do you have to lose?''

‘’Her friendship? Humiliate me? Do you hate me, Monti?’’

"Sirius, don't talk like that," Fleamont stood up, a little slower than he used to when James was younger, but still quick for a man of nearly sixty. "When I told Mia I liked her," He floated a pot of potato chips off the top of one of the cupboards, like he did after James had behaved himself and helped him clean the yard. ‘’I felt like I might pass out at any moment, I was in a cold sweat… We were in front of her house, at night, after I took her on a date,’’

''I hope you were respectful Monti, I don't want to be disappointed in you when I found out you took her to a dodgy bar.'' Sirius joked, making James laugh along with him, knowing he'd just done it to make himself feel less nervous.

Sirius did this whenever someone was paying attention to him and actually treating him as an equal, James had noticed this over the years.

"Of course not, we went to a fair near her house," Fleamont sat back down, putting a portion of the potatoes into a smaller pot. ''Anyway, at the end of the night, I knew I needed to tell her that I loved her, which today I think was a silly thing, because I didn't even know what love was yet,'' He shrugged, a smile on his face. "I was young and Mia was, and still is, the most beautiful woman I've ever met, I felt I couldn't let her go without knowing it."

"She said she liked you too?" James asked, and for the first time he was interested in that story. His dad looked at him with that look that said he knew exactly why James was paying attention, but he didn't say anything.

"No, and it made me very angry and humiliated." He glanced at Sirius, who raised his eyebrows as if proving a point. ''But I wasn't fair to her, Mia was just being truthful, but I was too young to understand that sometimes things just don't happen at the right time... A few weeks later, I met her at a family dinner and we talked, and she said she didn't love me, but she liked me.'' He shrugged. "I think she loves me these days, I mean we're married and we have a family." Sirius chuckled.

"How did you know she was the right one?" James asked, looking at his half-finished beer. "I mean, let's assume," Monti nodded, paying attention to what he said as if it were the most interesting thing. ‘’If you had dated other people and so did she, how would you know she was the right person?’’

“Hm… wouldn't know, son.” Fleamont shrugged, pouring himself more beer. ‘’And I didn't know then either. Just happened.''

"I asked Hestia out," Sirius admitted, and not even James knew it, so he turned his head to his friend with an almost incriminating look, but it was gone as soon as he saw the annoyed smile on his lips. ‘’But she didn't want to go, so… I guess she's ashamed of me? I don't know, she's really smart and a good girl, I don't think she wants to be seen with a guy like me.”

“A guy like you?” Fleamont grabbed some chips.

"Monti, no need to pretend you don't know," Sirius rolled his eyes. "I don't have a good family, and you've had to sign a lot of letters because of my detentions."

‘’Hm… yeah, you're right about the detentions, but the family? Sirius, you are not a reflection of your parents' mistakes. Maybe she doesn't want to go out with you right now, and maybe, most likely, you aren't even the problem at all. Who can guarantee us that she… Hestia, right? That Hestia isn't going through a difficult time where she doesn't really know how to deal with this sort of thing, and just needs some time? You're not always the villain in the story, son, actually you never were.'' Sirius looked like he wanted to deny it, James noticed how his brow furrowed, but it eased as Fleamont pushed the pot of chips towards him, a fatherly smile at the lips that seemed to make Sirius' beast fall back to the ground like a trained dog.

James thought of Lily, the things he'd witnessed over the past few months and how she seemed to be dealing with a lot more than that these past few days. He still remembered how sad she looked when she read a letter that had come to her from her mum. James didn't ask what was written, of course, but he tried to make her smile for the rest of the day and during their patrol, hating that her brow was so furrowed.

The war was getting worse, a lot of people were dying, and the mini death eaters were really putting into practice what they had been learning in the last few years. It was frustrating, to say the least, that Dumbledore did nothing to stop sixteen-year-olds from getting their arms marked by Voldemort.

He wished he could help her, not just because now that spark of feeling inside his chest had become a scorch of acres and would leave a huge footprint inside him, but because James really cared about her before anything else.

"Dad, um…" James began, not quite sure how to speak, or what. ‘’Can we install a muggle phone?’’

"Of course," Fleamont smiled, just as he had smiled at Sirius. ‘’And you son, how was school?’’

‘’Well, I… Nothing too important but… it was a good year. There haven't been a lot of detentions this year, so I think it's a win.” He joked, just because it was a little weird talking about it with his dad.

"But he wanted to be dating," Sirius nudged, pouring more beer into his glass.

“Oh, is that that muggle girl?” Fleamont at least looked away, spending more time than necessary picking out some chips to eat. James mentally thanked him.

"No, and Sirius doesn't know what he's talking about." James rolled his eyes, wanting to push him off the stool. ‘’I decided that this year I will dedicate myself to studies.’’

"Oh James, you don't have to lie to your old man so much like that, it's okay, your mum isn't here so come on, tell me, what can I help you with?"

"It's her again, Monti," Sirius reveals, as if he doesn't say much.

James wanted to kill him now.

‘’Evans? Oh, son, are we still in it? When will I meet her? I'm starting to imagine you guys invented her because it's been almost five years since I first heard her name and never saw her.” Sirius and his dad laugh together, watching James blush like a fool. ‘’What happened this time? I thought you had raised a white flag for her… Is it because of her that you want to install the phone?’’

‘’It's just… She has family issues, and I think she's going to be alone this vacation since Marlene has traveled and Hestia too, so… I just thought about trying to call her. She gave me her phone number before classes ended, and I think it might cheer her up, I don't know, we're friends and I don't want to-’’

‘’Mate, you kissed her today, what kind of friendship is this?’’

''I wasn't the one who kissed her, she was the one who came at me, and for Merlin's sake, can't you shut up?!'' Fleamont doesn't intervene in the boys' discussion, seeming to enjoy it, and James almost took back everything he said and ran to his room to hide under the covers, but his dad seemed to notice this and became serious again.

"James," he said, in a warning tone but still with the shadow of a smile on his face. "It's kind of you to worry about her like that, anyway, but I think Sirius is right, I don't believe there are friendships where people kiss."

‘'She didn't even talk to me about it later, she just… ran away, leaving me alone. I don't think she even wanted to do that or I’m a bad kisser.'’

‘’It is a possibility, for sure,’’

"Even more if we think you ate that plum candy before the meeting, which smells disgusting." Sirius grimaced.

"But, you even said, she's having problems at home, and like I told Sirius, it's not all about you. She probably doesn't know what to do or say either, and is afraid of ruining the friendship… The best thing to do is ask her what it means, but knowing that maybe the answer will hurt you. It's a risk you take.” James nodded, looking at the beer kegs near the wall, and then down to his own glass again. "We'll install the phone and you'll call her, maybe that doesn't encourage Sirius to be less fearful and send Hestia a letter." Fleamont smiled. "There's nothing to lose, for either of you, just tell them how you feel."

''Haha! He would die before he did that, you know what he did last month?’’ James grinned vengefully, dodging Sirius' hand that tried to cover his mouth as his dad laughed at them both.

[...]

''OK.''

"Potter, just do it."

"Padfoot, what if she curses me-"

''She is not going.''

‘’ But she can. ’’

‘’Call her for fucking sake!’’

"Quiet or my mum will listen, and she doesn't need to know we can swear." James took a deep breath, the crumpled paper in his hands trembling as he noted the number written there, then looked at the buttons on the phone.

The man who came to install it had explained to them how it worked, but James was so nervous he'd forgotten all about it.

"Just dial!" Sirius cried for the umpteenth time, sitting beside him in the armchair, a Muggle magazine in his hands.

"Mum will kill you if she sees this." James pointed at the five women in bikinis, in very indecent positions for a rock magazine.

''Shut up Potter, and call her or I'll do it.'’ James huffed, rolling his eyes and looking at the numbers again.

Okay, he could do that.

Yes, just do it, James.

"Hello?" Evans' sweet voice sounded from the other end, it didn't sound much like her, it was a little more harsh and hurt than James used to hear, but it was definitely her. He tried to picture her by the phone, probably wearing a T-shirt from some muggle band he didn't know but would try to learn about just to impress her.

"Hello… Lily?"

“James?” Her voice radiated happiness then, as if she were grinning from ear to ear. His stomach turned over. ''Is that you?''

"Yes, yes it's me." Sirius chuckled softly, patting him on the shoulder and walking out of the room, probably so James would feel more comfortable being a lovesick fool. ''How are you?''

‘’I'm fine, I… how did you call me? Did you buy a phone?

"It was something my dad had wanted for a long time, so it was pretty easy to convince him." James grinned. “I just called to…um…just to say I like you, Evans. I really like it, and maybe you don't feel that way, and I know things aren't easy, but I really care about you, and if you don't… like me, that's fine, I'll understand. But ever since you kissed me I… I keep thinking about you, and I keep thinking about kissing you again, so I called just to tell you that… I like you a lot, Lily.'' James took a deep breath, feeling as if a weight was lifted from his shoulders.

Lily took a while to speak, which made him a little, very, nervous, and James even considered hanging up the phone and never using it again, but he remembered what his dad had said about listening to what she had to say and not rush.

"I…I like you too, James." He could hear her smile, even though her voice was a little quieter now. "I can't stop thinking about you and our kiss, either." His cheeks would tear. ‘’And… would you like to go out with me? For a date?’’

"Evans, I think if you asked me to jump off a bridge right now, I would." She laughed, one of the most beautiful sounds James had ever heard in his life. ''Yes I do.''

‘’Great, I… I need to turn it off now because Petunia is taking a shower and if I take too long the water will be cold and she won't leave me alone anymore, but-’’

"I'll call you later," James said before she even asked. He didn't lie when he said he would do anything for her, and if that meant talking to her on the phone overnight, he would. It was so much better than a letter, it took less time, and there was also the fact that he could hear her voice. It couldn't be better. "See you later, Lily."

"See you, James."

#jily #my fic #james x lily #marauders era #james potter #lily evans

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS Do-S Kyuuketsu VERSUS Ⅲ Vol.5 Shuu VS Yuma [Track 4]

Original title: 過去の確執

Source: Diabolik Lovers VERSUS III Vol. 5 Shuu VS Yuma [CD not owned by me]

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Toriumi Kousuke & Tatsuhisa Suzuki

Translator’s note: This track hurt. Per usual, Yuma is really out there preaching the good shit. I have said it before and I will say it again, Yuma is honestly the most ‘chill’ character in all of DL. Yes, he can come across as intimidating because of his built, the tone of his voice and his aggressive behavior, but he has a very strong sense of justice and his values and morals are honestly on point most of the time. So let’s all applaud him for telling Shuu to move his lazy ass and BE A MAN already. :p I love Shuu, but he really does have a bad habit of running away from his responsibilities. 

Track 1 ll Track 2 ll Track 3 ll Track 4 ll Track 5 ll Track 6

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

Track 4: Discord of the Past

You trail behind Shuu in the forest.

Shuu: ...Don’t follow me. Just leave me be. Just return to the human world where he is.

You shake your head.

Shuu: ...You really are such a meddlesome woman. Why do you always insist oー ...!?

*Kaw kaw*

*Rustle*

Shuu: ...Get down!!

Shuu tackles you to the ground.

*Thud*

Shuu: Don’t move...You’ll be killed by that eagle.

*Kaw*

Shuu: ...Buzz off!

He launches an attack at the eagle.

*Kaw*

Shuu: Stop flying from one place to another...Get out of my sight!

*WOOSH*

*Kaw*

Shuu: ...He ran, huh?

*Rustle*

Shuu: ...You’re unharmed, right?

You nod.

Shuu: Good. ...Hah. I didn’t think we’d run into one one those guys here. ...The eagle from earlier was part of the Adler Clan. I assume they caught rumor of me struggling to use Father’s powers to their full potential and are using it as an opportunity to strike. Your heart has a strong scent, that’s probably whyーー Ugh...

You grow worried.

Shuu: ...Uu...Stay away!

*Thud*

Shuu: Haah, haah...You should hurry up and...!

You ask Shuu if he is struggling to control the force inside of him.

Shuu: Why are these the times you actually use your brain...? ...I’m having trouble controlling Father’s powers...The moment I pick up the scent of blood...I feel as if I’m about to lose my mind...Ughーー!! Ah...Haah...What is this? ...Fuck! I shouldn’t have returned here...Hah...This thirst...won’t settle down...

Shuu bites you.

*Gulp gulp*

Shuu: Mmh...Nn...Hah...I might end up...killing you...Like this, I’m no different from those other guys...

You give him permission.

Shuu: You foolish woman...Even if you wouldn’t mind that, Iーー ...Fuck! I know this isn’t the time to be overwhelmed by my own urges but...! Hahn...

*Gulp gulp*

Shuu: Mmh...

*Gulp*

Yuma: Oi!? What the fuck ya doin’!? ...Move out of the way!!

Yuma punches Shuu.

*THUD*

Shuu: ...!?

Yuma: ...Oi! ...Che...Didn’t I tell ya to fight back!? 

You apologize.

Yuma: ...Fix up yer clothes. Don’t make me any more upset than I already am. Come on!

*Rustle rustle*

Shuu: Ugh...

Yuma: Heh. I can’t believe ya. Ya were makin’ a big deal ‘bout me takin’ out my anger on her earlier, but you’re no different, are ya? You’re just lettin’ yerself get pushed ‘round by the powers ya inherited from yer Old Man...I’m pretty sure your past self would have never let that happen. 

Shuu: ...

Yuma: Say somethin’...Don’t ya feel any sort of responsiblity now that you’ve inherited his strength!? Stop constantly runnin’ around...Ya need to step up and fulfill yer duty! Why don’t ya understand that’s the perfect way for ya to atone for what ya did to me and my family!?

Shuu: Atonement...? Don’t try and connect two things which are completely unrelated.

Yuma: They are related! ‘Cause you’re the one behind that fire!

Shuu: ...!? That’s...

Yuma: You’re gonna try and tell me ya weren’t the one responsible? Even I know that much. My memories might still be vague, but I’m smart enough to realize that Reiji started the fire ‘cause he was jealous of you. 

Shuu: ...!!

Yuma: However, just ‘cause Reiji is the one who lit the fire, doesn’t mean you take no blame at all. If ya had handled the situation a lil’ better, then maybe he would never thought of doin’ such a thing. Right!? ーー In that case, I wouldn’t have to be turned into a Vampire either. In other words, Shuu...You are the one who started it all.

Shuu: Haah...My responsibility, huh?

Yuma: I honestly don’t hold a grudge against ya or anythin’. It’s not like we can still bring back the lost village. I just want you to get yer shit together and take responsiblity now that you’ve got the power to do so. Don’t ya think it’s ‘bout time ya stop turnin’ a blind eye to everything? ...Don’t ya feel bad for her as well?

Shuu: ...Are you done now?

Yuma: Haah?

Shuu: I didn’t inherit these powers because I wanted them.

Yuma: Hah, I see. ...Ya really are hopeless shitbag, aren’t ya? ...Let’s go.

Yuma starts walking away as you try and convince him to talk to Shuu.

Yuma: Just give up. No matter what we say to him now, he’ll just ignore it. ...Don’t ya dare ever show me that face again.

Shuu: ...

You leave with Yuma.

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #shuu sakamaki #yuma mukami #diabolik lovers versus III #diabolik lovers translation #diabolik lovers drama cd #drama cd

[shortcrust]

Audio transcript of appointment between Lt. Ranger John Lawrence (ID J-JLAW_122.21-C) and Dr. Cai Qiu Yue (ID C-CQIU_824.65-D)

PPDC Mandated Counseling, Session #84 1601 HKT, December 19 2024 

CQY: So, Johnny. How did the sparring session go?

JL: Don’t give me that look.

CQY: What look? This is just my face.

JL: You know about LaRusso.

CQY: I don’t know anything which you haven’t chosen to tell me for certain. But I’m sure you’re aware of how Shatterdome walls like to talk.

JL: [inaudible]

CQY: This is still easier if you speak to me, not to your hands.

JL: I said I can’t believe it. 

CQY: How are you feeling?

JL: Don’t know. 

CQY: Okay. Let’s set some parameters.

JL: You love those.

CQY: Sure do. Should have been in K-Science. [pause] Alright. Wikipedia’s entry on Ranger LaRusso states the following; ‘Daniel LaRusso is an American pilot with the Pan Pacific Defence Corps. LaRusso helmed the Japanese jaeger Perfect Balance alongside Nariyoshi Miyagi until the latter’s death in 2020. His exit from active service removed the last of the Mark 1 jaegers from operation’. Would you say that is accurate?

JL: No.

CQY: How so?

JL: He didn’t ‘exit service’. He pussied out. 

CQY: He experienced an incredibly traumatic event. I would have thought that, of all people, you might have some understanding for how that must have felt.

JL: I didn’t take all the glory then quit when the going got rough.

CQY: No. And I would encourage you to feel sympathy about that, the next time you have dinner with Marshal Brown.

JL: [pause] Point taken.

CQY: Can you describe what happened for me? Today?

JL: He was on the mat with Miguel. He’d already been through most of the trainees and they were - fine, my kids are good, they’re great. But that wasn’t it; it just wasn’t lookin’ right. None of them were doing it wrong but I could just see how LaRusso wasn’t getting into it, was missing all these openings. It pissed me off. 

CQY: Because….

JL: Because he’s a good fighter! He should have been better than that. Like, how the hell am I meant find him a co-pilot if he won’t try.

CQY: Did you?

JL: Try, or find him a co-pilot?

CQY: Take your pick.

JL: Back when me and Bobby were in Cobra, it wasn’t - it was like we anticipated each other’s moves, you know? I could just guess what he was going to do next. With LaRusso it was more like I already knew. Like it was he was already in my head, and he’d read and practiced some kinda instructions written on the inside of my skull. He knew like I did. Like some other part of me.

CQY: And yet you don’t like him.

JL: Absolute shit for brains. [pause] Wait.

CQY: Perhaps not the best insult under the circumstances. Are you apprehensive about the drift?

JL: Not my first rodeo. 

CQY: I imagine Ranger LaRusso feels similarly.

JL: What, you talk to him too?

CQY: You have to know by now that I can’t tell you that.

JL: Yeah, y-

CQY: But no, I don’t. Have your seen your new jaeger?

JL: Hah, ‘new’. She’s a refurb.

CQY: Aren’t we all?

JL: I wish. 

CQY: What do you think?

JL: I think she’s gorgeous. I think she’s one of the most beautiful machines that man has ever made, and I can’t wait to die in her.

CQY: I see.

JL: Isn’t this where you usually tell me to be more optimistic?

CQY: John, the last time we spoke you were a highly specialised gym instructor. Now you’re suiting up to drive a 8,000 tonne robot for the first time in over a decade. There is no ‘usually’ here, and I’m not in the habit of lying to you.

JL: You know they’re not technically robots, right?

CQY: Yes. Don’t think I don’t notice you attempting to distract me, but yes. I do know that. 

JL: They’re letting me name her.

CQY: Oh?

JL: Don’t tell anyone, in case it gets back to LaRusso. Don’t want him to give me some pretentious sh- stuff. But I’m thinking Eagle Fang.

CQY: Eagle… Fang?

JL: Yeah. Like it?

CQY: I think it’s more important that you do. On different note; how is Robby?

JL: Still won’t speak to me. Still not speaking to me from the middle of the continent, though, so I’m taking the win.

CQY: Did you reach out to him like we talked about last week? Have you told him about your change in circumstances?

JL: He’s the one looking at the numbers. He’s a smart kid, he knows. 

CQY: And Cadet Diaz? Have you told him?

JL: Oh, come on. He definitely knows. Have you looked out the fucking window recently?

CQY: John.

JL: Sorry. [pause] Yue, I can either keep the kids safe by putting them as far away from the action as possible, or by teaching them how to fight. Call it playing the odds. Not that mine have never been all that great.

CQY: I understand that you still aren’t open to discussing the situation with Sergeant Diaz -

JL:  [crosstalk] You’re goddamn right I’m not.

CQY: [crosstalk] But I feel obliged to state for the record that what happened is in no way your fault. She was an exceedingly competent pilot who knew the risks she was taking, same as you. 

JL: Yeah sure, I knew the risks. Still ended up putting her in a fucking wheelchair. [pause] Sorry. 

CQY: I’ll let the ’goddamn’ slide. Call it an early Christmas present. [pause] John, I understand that for how closely you have been involved with the training and co-ordinating the jaeger program these last few years, there is a world of difference between teaching and doing. I would just like you to be able to feel whatever it is you need to feel about that.

JL: Well, doc, that was as delightful as ever. Same time next week?

CQY: Holidays.

JL: Oh, right. Hey, think they’ll still be paying us in January?

CQY: I’ve been stealing the cutlery from the canteen for years. If I pawn it I can probably keep us going for ano- [alarm siren begins sounding, recording ends abruptly]

[ Clearance D - Do not distribute or remove from PPDC site ]

#realised Cobra Kai could be a jaeger name and this au sprung forth fully formed #you can't see but my t-shirt says Ask Me About My Pacific Rim AU #cobra kai #pacific rim #johnny lawrence

[rickriordanfandam]

opinions on riordanverse ; my edition

a lot of people have been doing this so i decided why not right. probably gna lose some followers or smth but anyways. pls respect my opinions! if u disagree, thats fine, but please be polite. unless any of my opinions strikes u as morally wrong then pls point it out to me respectfully. thanks!

- i actually liked drew. im so sorry to everyone who hates her but full offence, why. think about it this way ok, first of all drew became hc because silena died. silena was the traitor, the one who betrayed chb, yet after she died campers celebrated her as a hero? and then drew suddenly has to replace her and live up to idk that legacy she left behind,, when all of a sudden this girl named piper swoops in and takes her place. idk abt u but i wld be salty abt that too. not only that, but as an asian, the chances of drew having faced racism/bullying as a child is pretty high (she studies at brooklyn academy). which means that when she finds out shes a demigod, and arrives at chb where most of the campers are white (this is an assumption btw), she’d obviously be scared of being bullied for her skin color right?? so the first thing she wld do before the campers get to bully her is to bully them before they can do so. (sentence structure here is wack i apologize) ofc this might not even have happened, drew could have had a perfect childhood && was a b1tch for no reason, BUT EVEN THEN HER ROLE AS A BULLY WAS PRETTY VITAL BECAUSE THAT FURTHER SHOWED THE CONTRAST BETWEEN HER AND PIPER,, HIGHLIGHTING PIPER AS A HERO//GOOD CHARACTER,, AND THEREFORE MAKING READERS LIKE PIPER MORE. anyway stop hating on drew please. ALSO WHY IS THIS SO LONGA SDFJHG

- jason isnt bland, the fandom just kinda erased his backstory (thanks to @pjohoo-memes for the phrasing lol)

- reynabeth wouldnt have lasted/would have broken up several times. idk i just see them as two extremely powerful characters who have firm opinions and will definitely clash at some point. in a platonic relationship,, i can see them as really good friends but as lovers? idk i just think theyll break up

- PIPABETH

- i dont really like jercy,, i see them as better friends than lovers. also idt jason and percy were that close..?

- the dam and not my type jokes are srsly cringey and were never funny. ik that seems hypocritical since my username literally makes use of the dam joke but honestly i dont actually like the joke. its not funny to me and has never been funny

- the seven were not best friends. they definitely argued,, and honestly probably werent as close as the fandom makes them seem. like ure dumped with 6 other people, out of which u only know a few. my introverted ass would have jumped off the argo 2 quicker than leo valdez could bomb camp jupiter up. also leo was a dick to frank. so what if frank is bigger sized?? thats not a valid reason to tease him

- the fandom needs to stop hating on octavian while worshipping luke. if u hate luke and u say u hate octavian too, then okay. but if u tell me ure a luke stan but u despise octavian?? imma disagree w u. luke was worse than octavian im sorry. first of all, octavian being a dick was kinda justified. hes been after the praetor position for so long, and everyone keeps saying to “wait for jason” when suddenly this dude, whos a son of NEPTUNE (neptune wasnt liked much by romans), and the camp decides to make him praetor?? dude i would be pissed off big time. and then afterwards, he finds out that greek demigods are real and the dude they made praetor is greek. AND THEN GREEK DEMIGODS COME TO CJ AND ONE OF THEM BOMB IT UP?? octavian has been told all his life that greeks are scum and this dude called leo valdez attacks cj. sure it was an accident, but did octavian know that? no. so it was honestly justified that he was such a salty prick im just saying. also some of yall be hating on octavian for cutting a teddy bear open and thats the funniest shit ive ever heard i swear 

- luke didnt go to elysium

- travis and connor stoll r way too underrated. the two have been head counselors of the hermes cabin since luke was revealed as a traitor, can u imagine the stress? luke, the person they probably looked up to as a brother, betrayed them. and they didnt even have time to process this when they were  thrown the roles of being hcs. that would have been so stressful and i would probably have broken down if i were them. the stoll brothers taking turns to wake up at ungodly hours because a new camper is crying and homesick and terrified, the stoll brothers having to comfort and take care of new campers, having to deal with the amount of people in that cramped space because not enough campers are being claimed fast enough. having to resolve issues between campers in the hermes cabin all the time. the stolls arent just comedic relief, and we need to stop treating them as such

- tratie shldve been canon idc idc

- demigods of the demeter cabin arent talked about enough and i love the fact that meg was demeters kid. like she isnt the child of one of the big three yet shes so powerful.

- we need to hype clarisse up more her character arc was phucking amazing 

- rachel is overhated. sis found out greek gods exist and regularly come down to earth to fuck around and went “ok cool”. queen shit behavior methinks

- the floor 19 crew of mcga is srsly underrated. like do u even remember halfborn gunderson, mallory keen, tj, etc??? bc i feel like we only remember samirah, magnus, alex, and sometimes blitz and hearthstone

- sadie (tkc) was kinda annoying at first. i like her more now tho but i rmb not liking her for a phat while

- tkc and mcga need more love

- carter kane and jason grace arent boring. theyre just really sweet boys who are too good for this world and yes yes yes 

- hazel and frank (especially frank) need to be hyped up more. i hardly ever see anything about them. also yall seem to forget that frank was literally made praetor and that even hecate admired hazel and was willing to fight beside her because of how powerful she was

- frazels age gap is kinda sketch but i still think theyre really cute

- nico definitely had trauma from going to tartarus on his own

- GROVER IS PERCYS BEST FRIEND

- annabeth isnt smarter than leo but neither is leo smarter than annabeth. ive seen a lot of discussions about who is smarter and heres my hot take on it: neither. theyre equally smart, just in different ways. leos a genius mathematically speaking. he has no issues solving math problems meant for people much, much older than him. annabeth on the otherhand, is great at strategies etc. she can make an army of 1000 more powerful than the enemy, even if theyre outnumbered. so in my opinion, both are equally as smart//u cant compare their intelligence, because their talents lie in two different areas.

- while i do agree rick riordan isnt a god and that hes bound to make mistakes,, AND that hes given us a lot of representation,, if the representation offends the people its sposed to represent, then theres a problem. im talking about piper as a poc and wearing feathers in her hair. im not a poc, so i cant speak for them on whether or not its wrong, because i dont know either. HOWEVER, i have seen multiple posts BY pocs talking about how they didnt really like rick’s representation of piper, and thats an issue. pocs have been and are still oppressed and discriminated against by many. as a white cis man, we cant really blame him for not knowing (tho he could have done a research,, asked some pocs,, idk), but by representing pocs in that manner, hes influencing impressionable kids/teens into thinking “oh pocs wear feathers in their hair all the time” etc, which isnt true. the pjo/hoo series is extremely successful, and kids who read the books will probably start forming inaccurate opinions on pocs. the amount of fan art that depicts piper with feathers in her hair dont help either. “but rick said so in the books, so its canon” yeah well rick isnt a god and he can get some things wrong at times. im not saying we should cancel him, im saying we should start educating ourselves and not spread false info like pocs wearing feathers in their hair all the time. also that snake song shit where she sang Summertime was just- yeah. bc heres the thing you can be racist, and still include minorities, but portray them in a racist way. And even then, ignorance isn't a thing to admire. Getting those facts wrong still has a major impact. It continues to perpetuate racist stereotypes.

“ With the feather thing, I looked it up myself; it takes less than five minutes to figure out that Cherokees don't braid feathers into their hair. I didn't grow up in the country where my parents are from. I have many other first/second generation American friends who have also been through that, with a bit of a disconnect from their culture. But something that most of us have in common is that when we didn't know something, and when our parents weren't that big of a help, we looked it up. We sought out resources online and through other people from our culture to be able to connect more with where we came from. Some of that took a Google search. So I find it hard to believe that Piper, a girl who Rick's trying to portray as someone who is attempting to connect with her culture and is totally against racist stereotypes, wouldn't know that eagle feathers aren't supposed to be braided into your hair casually. She may be disconnected from her culture, but she's also shown to want to connect back to it. Piper wouldn't be casually braiding feathers into her hair while also telling off people for being racist. It makes no sense.” - reddit thread (down below) 

for those of yall who wanna know more please please read this, it has a lot of things i wanna add in here : https://www.reddit.com/r/camphalfblood/comments/gy3gl2/piper_mcleans_portrayal_is_innacurate/ 

as well as https://finding-my-culture.tumblr.com/post/189422373260/maxie-ratties-and-cattie-finding-my-culture 

i will be posting screenshots of these in future posts so if ure viewing this on ig and u dont have tumblr,, dont worry 

- the fact that most of the strong female characters in the series refuse to be “girly”, and ngl i dont really like that. just because ure girly doesnt mean u cant be strong. 

- piper would have been a great way for him to start making the strong characters act girlier, but instead he went with the “I’m not like other girls” trope which is quite obnoxious to hear constantly, and I don’t think it’s necessarily great for younger girls to read that idea growing up.  the closest we've ever had to a strong female character who was also into "girly" things was Silena. when I was younger I admired Piper's "I'm not like other girls" thing, but then I got older and realized that the whole mentality of "not like other girls" is super obnoxious, and a little bit toxic

i have a heck load more that i cant rmb rn but yeah feel free to add more 

#riodanverse opinions #frank zhang #hazel levesque #leo valdez #piper mclean #jason grace #percy jackson #annabeth chase #grover underwood #tkc #the kane chronicles #mcga #magnus chase #magnus chase and the gods of asgard #pjo #pjato #hoo #Heroes of Olympus #the seven #octavian #luke castellan #meg mcaffrey #apollo #trials of apoll #travis stoll #connor stoll

[authordgaster]

Chapter 1.2

The kids wandered about, deciding to meet the other students as Byleth continued to discuss matters with the other two professors. They didn’t know Byleth particularly well, but it still surprised them that such a blank faced guy had been picked to become the new professor for an academy housing the next rulers of the continent. Then again the ArchBishop did let a bunch of strangers into the academy without very much hesitation either.

The two professors were named Hanneman and Manuela. Hanneman stated that he is something called a Crest Scholar, and Manuela said she was a former Songstress, reminding them of Azura. They were kind enough to explain the three different houses and their origins.

The Black Eagle House is for students from the Adrestian Empire. Their house leader this year is Edelgard, the Imperial princess, who is in line to be the next emperor.

The Blue Lion House is for students from the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Their house leader this year is Prince Dimitri. He is to be the next king of Faerghus.

Lastly, there is the Golden Deer House, which is for students of the Leicester Alliance. Their house leader is Claude, grandson to Duke Riegan, the leader of the Alliance.

The group reached the area in front of the classrooms, and saw the three house leaders standing around. Soleil immediately began to walk towards Edelgard, with Shiro right behind her to make sure she stays out of trouble. Selkie bounded towards Claude to say hi to him, and Dwyer was right behind her to keep her out of trouble.

Midori and Forrest exchanged a look before smiling and making their way towards Dimitri.

---

Edelgard smiled when she saw Soleil and Shiro approach her. “Ah, it’s you. I was pleased to hear that you will be joining us at the officers academy. I hope you decide to lend your power to the Black Eagles.” She said with a slight bow.

“If you’re the one in charge, then I have to admit that your house is quite appealing.” Said Soleil.

Shiro rolled his eyes at his friend’s flirtations. “You’re one heck of a fighter, our brawl with the bandits proved that. I definitely don’t wanna be on the wrong side of that axe.” Joked Shiro. 

“A smart choice.” Stated Edelgard. 

Soleil stifled a chuckle at that, Shiro turned to her and gave her an unimpressed look. “Next you’re gonna say, ‘Shiro and smart? Those words definitely aren’t used together very much.’”

“‘Shiro and smart? Those words definitely aren’t used together very much.” Laughed Soleil, who paused for a moment before sticking her tongue out at Shiro.

Edelgard watched the display with a bit of surprise. “That was impressive, how did you predict what she was going to say?” She asked. 

Shiro chuckled and scratched the back of his head. “My mom’s a fortune teller, I inherited some of her abilities when it comes to predicting the future, though it works a bit weirdly with me.” He explained.

“I see… your mother must be quite wise to be able to predict the future.” Said Edelgard.

“Yeah, she’s pretty impressive… when she’s not screwing with everyone for her own amusement. She definitely has a… unique sense of humor.” Said Shiro, making a face like he was recalling events that he would prefer to be forgotten.

“Oh yeah… like the time she tricked Midori’s uncle into revealing a story from when they were children and she scared him so bad he soiled himself?” Asked Soleil.

“Yup.” Said Shiro.

“Well… it sounds like your kingdom has quite a unique queen. Hoshito, was it?” Asked Edelgard.

“Hoshido, with a d, and yeah. But fortunately dad keeps mom from going too far, and she’s there to make sure he doesn’t have a stick up his bum at all times.” Said Shiro as he shook his head while smiling fondly at the memory of his parents.

Soleil laughed. “Yeah! I think the only one more serious than Lord Ryoma is Lord Xander! I’m pretty sure his face would actually crack if he tried to smile.” She joked. Shiro laughed as well.

“I’m amazed you can talk so nonchalantly about the rulers of your countries.” Said Edelgard. 

“Meh, I mean, we spent months fighting together in Lord Corrin’s army, that tends to break down most social barriers.” Said Soleil.

“I suppose that is fair…” Said Edelgard.

“Ah, Lady Edelgard, there you…” A gruff sounding voice caught the attention of the trio as a taller man with black hair that covered his right eye approached them. “Ah… I see that you are preoccupied at the moment. I assume that these are the ‘otherworlders’ that rescued you?”

“Oh, hello Hubert.” Said Edelgard. “Yes, this is Soleil and Prince Shiro of the kingdom of Hoshido, I fought with them against the bandits.”

“I see. Well, as Lady Edelgard’s retainer, I thank you for protecting my liege at a time where I could not, and I advise that you treat her with the respect that she is due, even if one of you is a prince.” Said Hubert calmly.

“Well… you’re a real ray of sunshine…” Said Shiro drily.

Hubert crossed his arms. “It matters not what you think of me, all I care for is Lady Edelgard’s well being.” He said.

Soleil chuckled. “Well, from one retainer to another, I can respect your dedication, and I look forward to seeing you in the future.” She said as she extended her hand to the tall and creepy man. 

Hubert looked at the outstretched hand, then at Edelgard who was looking up at him with an unimpressed expression. Sighing, he met Soleil’s hand with his own. This caused a smile to cross Edelgard’s face. “Hubert, I take it that there was something you wished to discuss with me?” She asked.

“Indeed.” Said her retainer. “Something I would prefer was discussed in private.”

Edelgard nodded her head.. “Understood. Soleil, Shiro, why don’t you meet the other members of my class. They’re located in the room on the far right with the red flag. I hope to see you and your friends again in my class.” She said before departing with Hubert. 

“See you Edelgard! Let’s get tea together soon as well!” Said Soleil as she waved goodbye to the princess.

“Why are you like this?” Asked Shiro tiredly.

“Because I am an adorer of all things adorable and girls are the most adorable of all!” Said Soleil proudly.

“Fair enough. Let’s go meet the others.” Suggested Shiro.

“Alright! I hope the class has more cute girls!” Cheered Soleil as she and Shiro made their way to the other Black Eagles.

---

“Midori, Forrest, it is wonderful to see you both again.” Said Dimitri with a polite bow as the two younger teens approached him.

“Hello Prince Dimitri.” Said Forrest with a similar bow.

“Hey Prince Dimitri!” Said Midori with a smile.

“Please, simply Dimitri will do.” Said the prince with a chuckle. “We are going to be attending the academy together in the near future, there is little need for formalities.”

“Very well.” Said Forrest with a smile. 

“Ok Dimitri.” Said Midori with a giggle.

“There, now if only Ashe could do the same…” Said Dimitri with a light chuckle.

“One of your classmates?” Asked Forrest.

“Ashe? Yes, he’s the adopted son of a lord named Lonato. He is a polite young man, perhaps too much so since he insists on sticking to formalities when referring to me.” Said Dimitri.

“Perhaps he is intimidated by you? You are a large man and from what I witnessed against those bandits, a powerful one as well.” Said Forrest.

Dimitri laughed awkwardly. “It is certainly true that I’m adept when it comes to combat. I remember that my friends and I would pretend to be knights and such when we were younger.” He said.

Midori giggled. “I bet you were a cute kid Dimitri.” She said. That only earned more awkward laughter from the prince of Faerghus.

“Come now Midori, no need to say such things.” Chastised Forrest.

“Oh come on Forrest! I was trying to be nice!” Pouted Midori.

Dimitri watched the pair with a soft smile for a moment before speaking up. “So, if I remember correctly, Forrest’s father is a prince of Nohr, Midori’s mother is the chief of the Flame tribe, and her father is a retainer to the king of Valla?” He asked.

“Yup! Aren’t my parents so cool?!” Asked Midori proudly.

“Indeed, though I am curious as to what Forrest’s mother does.” Said Dimitri.

“My mother? Oh, she’s an assassin employed as one of the retainers of my aunt Camilla.” Explained Forrest.

“An assassin?” Asked Dimitri.

“Indeed. It was not a life my mother chose, but one that circumstance forced her into and cost her her emotions to survive in. One day she found her way into working for aunt Camilla, and that led to her and my father becoming comrades in the war. After learning her story, my father decided that he would help my mother learn to feel again, and they developed a love for one another that eventually led to me. A unique love  story for two people as unique as my mother and father.” Said Forrest, a smile on his face as he recalled the story of his parents’ love. 

Midori giggled at the sight of her friend’s romantic side. “What about you? What’re your parents like Dimitri?” She asked, turning to the prince. All the warmth on Dimitri’s face vanished as he looked down for a moment. “Dimitri…?” Asked Midori worriedly.

Dimitri looked at the pair once more with a strained smile. “My parents are sadly… no longer of this world. They died four years ago in an event known as the tragedy of Duscur. I lost almost everyone that I cared about that day.” He said.

Midori gasped and covered her mouth. “Oh my gosh, that’s terrible!” She exclaimed. 

“Indeed. It was a tragedy, not just for me, but an event that would lead the people of Duscur to ruin…” Said Dimitri.

“A…and, here we are talking about are parents all happily while yours are gone… I… I feel terrible!” Midori was starting to tear up, causing Dimitri to panic.

“P-please Midori! Yes the loss of my parents caused me great pain, but I continue forward for there sake. So please, there’s no need to be upset on my behalf.” Said the prince.

Midori sniffled. “O…okay…” She said softly.

“Milord, is all well?” Everyone turned as a giant of a man approached the group. Forrest and Midori had to tilt their heads back to see his face.

“Ah, Dedue. All is well, I was simply speakingwith two of the people who helped me against those bandits.” Said Dimitri in a slightly shaky tone.

“…I see…” Said Dedue as he turned to Forrest and Midori, causing Midori to flinch a little. “You are the ones who aided his highness, against the bandits. It is not worth much, but I offer my thanks.” 

“It was no problem then and it is no problem now.” Said Forrest simply with a smile and a nod.

Dedue returned the nod before looking at Dimitri.

“Perhaps I shouldbe with you at all times so I will be there for you the next time an unexpected attack occurs.” Said Dedue.

“Dedue, while I appreciate your company, that is far from necessary.'' Said Dimitri.

“…as you wish.” Said Dedue calmly.

Dimitri looked at the smaller pair. “Ah, I realized I’ve yet to introduce you. Forrest, Midori, I would like you to meet my retainer, Dedue. He is not just the one who protects me, but he is also a close friend of mine.” He introduced him to the pair.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Forrest, a prince of the kingdom of Nohr and this is my ally, Midori.” Said Forrest with a polite bow. 

“Hello.” Said Dedue.

“Good, now that you have properly met Dedue, perhaps you should come and meet the rest of our class.” Said Dimitri as he began to make his way to the center classroom of the school, with the others right behind him.

---

“CLAAUUDE!” The archer barely had time to process what was happening when the sentient fluffy ball of energy launched straight at him.

Dwyer watched Claude spit grass out as he stood back up after Selkie’s tackle hug. “You get used to it…” He said. “Eventually…”

“Common occurrence?” Asked Claude with a chuckle. 

“Very…” Said Dwyer. “It’s just my lot in life to follow after Selkie and keep her out of trouble. I’ve gotten pretty good at it over the years…”

“Yup! He may act tired and lazy all the time.” Said Selkie.

“Because I am...” Said Dwyer.

“But he’s still my best friend! And he heals me when I’m hurt!” Said Selkie.

“Which happens a lot. I’ve probably used at least a dozen staves and rods on you alone…” Noted Dwyer.

“Staves?” Asked Claude.

“Yeah, these...” Said Dwyer as he pulled his staff out. “It’s how we heal each other in battle. But they break after they’re used too many times.” 

“Uh huh…” Said Claude as he examined the item. “In Fodlan we simply learn spells. Faith, or White Magic for healing and Reason, or Dark Magic for hurting.”

“We use Tomes and Scrolls to cast spells in our world. I have some experience but I prefer using a dagger. It’s more my cup of tea. Even if I’m a coffee drinker…” Explained Dwyer.

“All I need is my Beaststone to get the job done!” Said Selkie proudly.

“Well who needs weapons when you can turn into a giant beast and maul your enemy…?” Noted Dwyer.

“So are shapeshifters considered normal in your world?” Asked Claude.

“Hardly… other than the Kitsune, the only races of shapeshifters are the Wolfskin and the Vallite royals that descended from Anakos…” Explained Dwyer. “And our army only has two of each… Kitsune and Wolfskin usually live in isolation because people try to hunt them…”

“People want our fur.” Explained Selkie softly.

“Oh… charming…” Said Claude awkwardly.

“Fortunately the kings have outlawed such activity, so now their kind can go about without as much fear...” Said Dwyer.

“And if someone tries to get me, I’ll just have to get them first!” Cackled Selkie.

“…so, you’re royalty?” Claude decided to tactically change the subject.

“Correct, our mothers are both the youngest siblings of the royal families of Nohr and Hoshido. Their friendship lead to Selkie and I meeting at a young age, despite our Deeprealms being separate...” Explained Dwyer.

“…Your Deeprealms?” Asked Claude.

“Yeah, we were born during the war so our parents hid us in different Deeprealms where we would be safe. Unfortunately due to the different flow of time, by the time a month passed for them, we were nearly at adulthood. Realizing that if we stayed there much longer we would die of old age by the time our parents ended the war, we were invited to join lord Corrin’s army…” Said Dwyer. “Some of us wound up becoming the same age as our parents. Our friend Rhajat is older than her own father now…”

“That is… really disturbing.” Said Claude. 

“Oh yeah, a lot of us were definitely… not happy with our parents. Apparently our friend Percy tricked a band of mercenaries into thinking the army was a band of bandits and attacking us. That was a fun story.” Giggled Selkie.

“The more stories I hear, the more insane your army sounds.” Noted Claude.

“Our army is filled with crazy weirdos…” Said Dwyer simply.

Claude couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Well, the Golden Deer definitely isn’t in short supply of those. Would you like to meet them?” He asked.

“Yes yes yes!” Said Selkie excitedly.

Claude continued to chuckle as he stood up, brushing grass and dirt off his pants. “Well then, let’s get going. Just a heads up, the purple one is very… stuck up.” He said.

“I will keep that in mind…” Said Dwyer.

---

Fire Emblem: Three Fates

#fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fire emblem fates #fire emblem three fates #authordgaster drabbles #Shiro #Soleil #Forrest #Green #Midoriko #Dwyer #Selkie #edelgard von hresvelg #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #claude von riegan #sorry for taking so long to update

[sleepykittypaws]

Celebrate the Olympic Spirit

Sure, the Olympics aren’t a holiday, per se, but the every-four-year, or two if you count both Summer and Winter editions separately, massive international sporting events sure seems like a reason to celebrate, especially given their recent, unprecedented delay. And what better way to get into the Games mood, than by watching a sports movie?

Here are my favorite motivating, inspirational, and aspirational tales of athletic derring do…

Favorite Sports Movies

The Cutting Edge (1992) - This figure skating romance was released around the 1992 Olympics, and actually name-checks that year's winter host city, Albertville, more than once.  It's not good in the traditional sense of great storytelling or athletic veracity, but I loved it so very much I saw it three times in the theater as a teen. Watching it at some point during every Winter Games is a tradition for me so, yeah, I can’t help it, I love this silly sports movie/romance, which also features a bit of holiday feels.

Wimbledon (2004) - It's a rom-com. It's a sports movie. It's a rom-com sports movie that really should be better known. Notting Hill but set at tennis' best-known event. Paul Bettany and Kristen Dunst have surprisingly great chemistry, and there's more sports-related tension than you'd think.

Friday Night Lights (2004) - A football movie for people who don't really like football. a.k.a. 🙋‍♀️. The TV series it spawned is also brilliant (”Clear Eyes, Full Hearts,” indeed), and well worth a watch, but the original movie, starring Billy Bob Thornton, is, honestly, a masterpiece. Definitely Peter Berg's best work and the original book, written by Berg's cousin, Buzz Bissinger, is a great read.

Muriel's Wedding (1994) - You mean you forgot this Australian export, which made Toni Collette a star, was a sports movie? Yep, one of my all-time favorite movies, of any genre, this absolutely brilliant, ABBA-soaked comedy is not only a girls-night go-to, but also a stealth Olympic sport classic.

Remember the Titans (2000) - OK, football isn't in the Olympics, but it sure does make for a good sports movie setting. Even if this early 1970s-set story is most definitely Disney-fied, Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Ryan Gosling and a baby Hayden Panettiere really sell this sort-of true story.

Invictus (2009)-Rugby isn't an Olympic sport, or even one most Americans know much about, but this Matt Damon-led, Clint Eastwood-directed, based-on-a-true-story tale made me care about a sport I'd only tangentially knew even existed before watching.

Hoosiers (1986)-I grew up in Indiana so, by law, I have to include this basketball classic on any "best of" sports movie lists. Also, it actually is really very good.

Rudy (1993)-Ditto the above. But, again, it's hard not to root for Sean Astin (and Jon Favreau!) in this love letter to the Fighting Irish. Plus, there’s no better scavenger hunt task or TikTok challenge than going into a bar and convincing a patron to allow you to put them on your shoulders and march around chanting, 'Rudy, Rudy, Rudy.' 

Miracle (2004) - Given how much more popular the Summer Olympics are, it's weird that the Winter Games seem to get all the good movies made about them, but this Kurt Russell-led true tale is another Disney sports movie classic.

McFarland, USA (2015) - Disney, and Kevin Costner, just really know how to make a sports movie, damn it! This movie made me care about cross country for which it, too, could have carried the title Miracle.

A League of Their Own (1992)-The best baseball movie ever. Yeah, I said what I said. Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty—even Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell are making it work. 1992 was a weirdly great year for sports movies.

Moneyball (2011) - A movie about baseball, and math, and yet it's also great, I swear. In addition to all of the above, it's also a stealth Christmas movie and maybe Chris Pratt's best non-Marvel, movie role.

Creed (2015) - This surprisingly effective Rocky reboot starring Michael B Jordan as Apollo Creed's illegitimate son has spawned its own movie series which, in many ways, exceeds the original Rocky franchise.

Rocky Balboa (2006) - Maybe it's because I was a toddler when the original Rocky came out, so only saw the ever-worse sequels as a kid, but this mid-aughts return to the character for Sylvester Stallone, as both writer and actor, is a triumph.

Eddie the Eagle (2016) - That Hugh Jackman features in as many movies (spoiler alert) on this list as Kevin Costner surprised me, too. This story of the English ski jumper who became infamous for being, well, less than golden, is one of those non-Olympic triumph stories that really works. If you're going to watch one underdog-at-the-Games movie, I definitely prefer this this to the more ubiquitous Cool Runnings.

Love & Basketball (2000) - Only because I'm an anglophile is this great, chemistry-filled Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps college basketball romance not my favorite sports-movie-meets-rom-com.

I, Tonya (2017) - Margot Robbie and a nearly unrecognizable Sebastian Stan are perfectly cast in this sarcastic, highly stylized look at the Tonya Harding scandal.

Pride (2007) - Apparently I like this swimming movie, which I think almost no one saw, better than critics, but I found this 1970s-set, Terrence Howard-Bernie Mac-starring story of inner city kids excelling in the pool emotional and entertaining.

Field of Dreams (1989) - This Kevin Costner magical realism baseball classic is often goofy and imminently tease-worthy and yet…It also works. Maybe it's no surprise that someone who loves cheesy Christmas movies as much as I do would have a soft spot for Field of Dreams.

42 (2013) - Chadwick Boseman is absolutely fantastic as legend Jackie Robinson. One of those movies that's ostensibly about baseball, but is really about so much more, except not in a pretentious way.

Race (2016) - Before Jason Sudeikis was Ted Lasso, he was famed track coach Larry Synder in this Jesse Owens biopic that is far from perfect, but still important. Plus, I honestly don't think Stephan James got enough credit for his relatively nuanced portrayal of Owens.

Goon (2011) - This overlooked gem starring Sean William Scott as a semi-pro hockey player whose main skill is his ability to take, and dole out, a beating, is surprisingly great.

Real Steel (2011) - This is a robot-boxing movie starring Hugh Jackman that is basically Rocky meets Over the Top—and yet it's actually really good. Yeah, I was surprised, too.

Forget Paris (1995) - OK, so maybe Billy Crystal playing an NBA referee doesn't really make this a sports movie, but it does begin and end (spoiler alert) at real NBA games, and I will die on the hill that this rom-com co-starring Debra Winger is wildly under-rated.

Bend it like Beckham (2002) - This girl-power sports movie has some highly questionable romantic dynamics (the coach is their love interest???) but this Parminder Nagra-Keira Knightley movie is also a heckuva sports movie and an inspiring immigrant story.

Bonus Pick: The Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso is one of the best things I watched in 2020, and I'm sure of that, because I watched it twice since, just to be sure. Jason Sudekis is absolutely perfect as an American college football coach taking over a UK Premier League team. This sweet show with a heart of gold is smart, funny, and absolutely impossible not to love—even for a cynic such as myself.

More Sports Movies Worth Watching

For someone not very into sports, I am, apparently, into watching movies about sports, so while not a comprehensive listing of the entire, vast genre, here are a few more suggestions I personally think are worth watching.

The Miracle Season (2018) - This movie about high school volleyball champs whose star player dies suddenly stars Helen Hunt and is a lot better than you'd think based on its tiny budget and, honestly, fairly small story. Just missed making my Top 25.

The Way Back (2020) - This Ben Affleck as a drunken high school basketball coach movie is a lot better than expected. Released just as the pandemic kicked into high gear, it was overlooked last year, but worth seeking out.

Fighting with My Family (2019) - Does it count if it's a show, not a sport? Either way (but that's why this isn't in my Top 25), this stealth Christmas movie/love letter to the WWE is a lot better than it ever needed to be thanks to some really great performances from Florence Pugh, Lena Headey and directer Stephen Merchant. Even The Rock reins it in.

Warrior (2011) - You couldn't pay me to watch an actual UFC bout, but this Tom Hardy story of (literally) battling brothers is incredibly compelling and well done.

Win Win (2011) - This movie isn't really enough about wrestling, even though its ostensibly centered around the sport, to make it into my Top 25, but it's still really good, and Amy Ryan gives an outstanding performance.

Fever Pitch (2005) - Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon star in this remake of a UK film whose ending they had to shift when the Red Sox unexpectedly won the World Series.

Fever Pitch (1997) - This Colin Firth-starring, Arsenal-centered original is much smaller, more realistic and arguably better than the big budget Barrymore-Fallon redux.

We are Marshall (2006) - A real-life sports tragedy made into a sports-movie tearjerker starring Matthew McConaughy. And my tears were very much jerked by the end.

Coach Carter (2005) - Samuel L Jackson plays real-life basketball coach Ken Carter and, because it's a Disney movie, doesn't use the F-word even once. Now that's a feat worthy of its own sports movie.

Invincible (2006) - Yes, it's Mark Wahlberg, and another based-on-a-true-story, Disney sports movie that hits all the cliches, but dang it, that works on me. It just does.

Glory Road (2006) - If you're sensing a theme with me and Disney sports movies…Well, you're not wrong. This look at the first all-Black starting lineup at the 1966 NCAA Final Four does, unfortunately, center white coach Don Haskins, played by Josh Lucas (though I always mis-remember it as Josh Charles), making the important story it tells less than what it should be, but it still mostly works.

Million Dollar Arm (2014) - Admittedly one of the lesser Disney sports movie entries, and another that centers a white guy in a film mostly about people of color (not a great look), this Jon Hamm movie about a scout seeking an Indian cricket star who can make it in the Major Leagues still mostly worked for me.

The Mighty Ducks (1992) - One of the few movies on this list aimed directly at kids, this beloved peewee hockey saga actually is cute, and mostly does hold up.

Cool Runnings (1993) - Kind of shocked this movie that is part White Savior-movie and part-wacky kids movie essentially making fun of a real group of athletes of color came out in 1993 and not 1973, but the earnest charm of John Candy and a general Disney gloss keep this from being totally unwatchable and mostly just mildly, rather than extremely, offensive. Not really recommending, but feels like it belongs on an Olympic movie list.

Nadia (1984) - This made-for-TV, mostly true biopic, starring Talia Balsam as Nadia Comaneci, was a Disney Channel staple in that network’s early days. 

Munich (2005) - It's a movie with the Olympics very much at its heart—namely the 1972 Israeli athlete hostage tragedy—that isn't really about the Olympics at all, but this Steven Spielberg-directed movie about national revenge is compelling, if problematic if you think about it for too long.

American Anthem (1986) - Is this Mitch Gaylord-Mrs. Wayne Gretzky (a.k.a Janet Jones) starring movie good, realistic and/or well-written? No, no and none of the above. But did I still watch it 8,000 times as a kid on HBO? Yes. Yes, I did.

Men with Brooms (2002) - Once, on a business trip to Canada, my husband was stuck in a hotel that only got three channels, and one of them always seemed to be showing curling, which actually got him weirdly into this obscure sport. This movie wasn't quite as fun as I hoped, but it's still a mostly charming, if slight, Canadian classic.

Unbroken (2014) - The harrowing and incredible real-life story of Louis Zamperini deserved better than this Angelina Jolie-directed movie delivered, but it's still a serviceable version of a worthy tale.

Chariots of Fire (1981) - I remember being bored out of my mind by this movie trying to watch this movie on cable as a kid, but no denying that, if nothing else, the score is iconic and indelibly linked to sports-movie magic.

Without Limits (1998) - Jared Leto’s Prefontaine beat this one to the theaters, but this Billy Crudup-starring film is the better of the two movies about the life of running pioneer Steve Prefontaine. There’s also a 1995 documentary, Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story.

Personal Best (1982) - Mariel Hemingway’s story of ambition at odds with love, is a sports and LGTBQ+ classic. 

Olympic Dreams (2019) - The story of how this small, meandering movie was made during the 2018 Winter Games is, unfortunately, more interesting than the movie itself, but there is some charm in watching Nick Kroll as an Olympic dentist making his way through the real Village, while interacting with real athletes.

Foxcatcher (2015) - This excellently-acted story is more true crime than sports inspiration, but if you're seeking a look at the dark side of the Games—and don’t want to turn on a doc like Athlete A—this is very dark tale indeed.

Seabiscuit (2003) - Every great athlete deserves to have their story told.

Any Given Sunday (1999) - Oliver Stone and Al Pacino take on pro Football. 'Nuff said.

The Replacements (2000) - I mean, the movie isn't amazing, but Keanu Reeves is super charming and Gene Hackman is always worth a watch.

The Program (1993) - Another bit of a dark-side-of-football take, worth it if only for the fantastic cast: James Caan, Halle Berry, Omar Eps, Joey Lauren Adams.

Everbody’s All-American (1988) - Not a movie I particularly love, but this Dennis Quaid-Jessica Lange football story that spans decades has always stuck in my memory.

Bull Durham (1988) - Just let Kevin Costner play actual baseball already.

[carewyncromwell]

“Oh, simple thing, where have you gone? I'm getting old and I need something to rely on... So tell me when you're gonna let me in -- I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin. And if you have a minute, why don't we go Talk about it somewhere only we know? This could be the end of everything, So why don't we go somewhere only we know?”

~“Somewhere Only We Know (cover),” by Lily Allen

x~x~x~x

Hi guys! Next up on my Valentine’s Day posts, here’s something for my OG girl Carewyn for the Valentine’s Ball, and um...yeah! I’m doing something a little different and focusing on someone who Carewyn does care about, not romantically, but platonically -- her good friend, Talbott Winger! I haven’t really dedicated much material to these two’s friendship on this blog, so I thought this would be a great opportunity! For Carewyn’s dress, I took some inspiration both from this very 80′s-style dress and from Sarah’s princess dress in Labyrinth -- her necklace is even a replica of one that Jareth the Goblin King wears in the movie! Talbott, of course, is wearing his Valentine’s Ball ensemble. ^.^

It was hardly a surprise to anyone in the seventh year class that the self-titled “Style Wizard,” Andre Egwu, had taken it upon himself to make sure those attending could look their very best for the upcoming Valentine’s Day ball. He’d even managed to make Argus Filch look presentable, a challenge just about no one else would’ve been brave enough to attempt. So Carewyn truly wasn’t surprised that her ex-boyfriend-and-still-good-friend had designed specialized outfits for all of their friends. She was a little surprised, though, when she noticed a tell-tale eagle feather on the floor of the Great Hall where Andre had set up some of his mannequins -- and so, after trying on the silvery-white dress and jewelry Andre had picked out for her, Carewyn excused herself, saying she wanted to try walking around in the heels he’d picked out for her to test out how comfortable they were, and headed out to the Courtyard. Sure enough, who should she find there but a familiar eagle roosting on one of the large statues in the moonlight.

Carewyn shot a furtive glance around to make sure the coast was clear. Then she approached the eagle with a smile.

“Hey.”

The eagle took flight, landing on the ground in front of her. By the time its talons should’ve met the ground, Talbott Winger was already standing in its place. He was dressed in a dusky purple tuxedo jacket over a disheveled collared shirt, rose-patterned vest, and pink tie, some gray jeans, and trainers.

“How’d you know I’d be out here?” asked Talbott.

“Lucky guess.”

The Slytherin Head Girl scanned his outfit, her lips spreading into a ruby red smile.

“So you were getting a fitting,” she said. “I didn’t know you were planning on going to the ball, Talbott.”

Talbott glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck as he smiled wryly. “Heh...yeah, not exactly my scene, is it?”

Despite his attempt at offhandedness, Carewyn could tell he was self-conscious. Her smile faded, leaving a slightly gentler expression on her face.

“...You look quite nice,” she told him kindly.

Talbott cocked his eyebrows amusedly. “Only ‘quite?’“

“Well, your collar and tie are kind of a mess and your shirt’s untucked,” said Carewyn coolly.

“And here I thought it was considered attractive for men to leave their shirts unbuttoned.”

“There’s a fine line between casual and messy.”

“Well then, you can hardly expect me to have seen it clearly enough to not cross it -- I only have eagle eyes some of the time.”

Carewyn brought up a hand to her mouth to hold in her giggles. Talbott’s expression softened a bit too -- Carewyn didn’t laugh very much, if for no other reason than her giggling was distinctly unlike her usual “perfect” image, so it was kind of cool, to be one of the few people who could prompt it out of her. Talbott and Carewyn’s senses of humor had always matched up really well too, which helped.

“Andre went all out with you, of course, as usual,” remarked Talbott with a quick glance at her dress. “But I suppose he always has treated you like his little dress-up doll...”

“Oh, hush!” scoffed Carewyn, but she was smiling. “I’m glad you like it, though...I might switch out the pearls for a pair of earrings Jacob gave me for Christmas. And as much as these shoes are lovely, I’m tempted to switch them out for flats -- heels can pinch your feet something terrible after a while, particularly when you haven’t broken them in properly...something you don’t know anything about,” she added with a nod to his trainers.

Talbott grinned wryly. “Nope.”

His eyes drifted off toward the sky absently as he settled down on the edge of the fountain. Carewyn lowered herself down next to him, fluffing her skirt out so that it was under her legs properly.

“I’m kind of surprised you’re going,” Carewyn admitted, though her voice remained rather gentle. “I mean, I’m only going because I promised to sing some songs for the event, to help ‘pep’ it up...and I’m much more the sort to go to parties than you are.”

Talbott flushed slightly. “Well, it’s just...something I figured I should do. I mean, this is our last year -- probably the last time we’ll be hosting anything like this...”

He slouched forward, resting his head in his hand as he looked up at the sky rather than at Carewyn.

“And, well...I wasn’t there, for the Celestial Ball,” he muttered, “so it’d...probably be my last chance if I ever wanted to...at least at school...”

Carewyn’s blue eyes softened. Stretching her arms out so she could rest them on either side of her on the ledge, she leaned back slightly and shifted her focus up onto the sky too.

“I’m sure your date will be really happy that you cared so much.”

Talbott looked at her, startled. She didn’t look at him, instead keeping her focus skyward with a smile. After a moment, Talbott cleared his throat loudly and looked away, his cheeks darkened with a blush.

“That...well...”

He looked down, trying to collect himself. Then he raised his head, smiling at her through his blush.

“...Hm...thanks, Carewyn,” he mumbled. “...I’m...actually a little nervous. Penny offered to help me with some dance lessons, but...well, it’s still a bit weird. I’ve never really done anything like this...and before I even asked my date out, I got asked by several other people too...”

He cringed, his expression visibly awkward and self-conscious.

“I don’t even get why -- I mean, it’s not like I make myself very approachable.”

Carewyn gave him a sympathetic smile. “It is really uncomfortable, to be asked out by someone you’re not interested in.”

Talbott snorted in soft laughter.

“Oh yes, of course you’d know the feeling,” he teased, his lips spread in a smirk. “Naturally Hogwarts’s favorite fashionista has had her fair share of admirers -- breaking hearts as well as curses -- ”

“Oh, stop it!” said Carewyn, smacking his arm lightly, which only made Talbott laugh more fully. Despite herself, Carewyn couldn’t completely bite back a giggle of her own.

“Still, you getting asked out, that makes sense,” said Talbott dismissively. “I frankly don’t get why I got so many invitations...”

“I do,” said Carewyn.

Talbott raised an eyebrow at her.

“You’re a good man, Talbott. You’re smart, funny, loyal, talented...not to mention the air of ‘mystery’ you’ve got going on,” she added with a wry smile, and Talbott gave another snort. “But most importantly, you’re true to yourself. You’re not the sort to tell people what they want to hear or be what others want you to be. You’re honest and you don’t feel the need to change yourself...so you never have to wonder if the people who admire you do it for who you are, or just for the superhuman saint they think you are...”

Carewyn offered her friend a small, slightly grim smile, even as her eyes drifted off in the opposite direction.

“...That’s certainly not something I’m always sure about.”

Talbott’s smile slid off his face, his expression becoming a bit more serious.

“Mm...I guess so. Though there are plenty of times I don’t say everything I should...or even know how to say what I mean...”

“You’re more than good enough of a writer to sort those words out eventually,” Carewyn pointed out with an encouraging smile. “And at least when you do find the words, no one ever has to doubt that they’re sincere.”

Talbott smiled slightly. “Thanks.”

He shifted himself over to look at her better, adjusting his hand that had been supporting his head beside his neck.

“Really, though,” he said more seriously, “I don’t reckon there’s as wide of a divide as you think -- between what people think and who you are.”

Carewyn tilted her head in faint confusion.

“You hold yourself to impossible standards, Carewyn,” said Talbott rather brusquely. “You always have. Sure, you’re no saint...but you’re a good person. And good people -- truly good people, who want to make the world a better place and are willing to fight for it, even after life’s dealt them a bad hand...those aren’t easy to come by.”

Carewyn’s eyes softened. “...No, they’re not.”

Her lips spread into a fuller smile as she shifted over to look at him better too.

“We’ll get to really start working at making things better next year, won’t we? Once we get to the Ministry?”

Talbott smiled. “Yeah. Then I can take out the wrongdoers, and you can prosecute.”

Carewyn nodded. “And then we can go out for coffee and do it all over again.”

Talbott inclined his head in agreement, his grin and eyes both gleaming with determination.

“Sounds good.”

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #my art #my writing #talbott winger #carewyn cromwell #andre egwu #yes I left talbott's date's identity open-ended so that anyone who ships themselves can fill themselves in #*smiles in elaiza candy and night's direction* #GOD do I love these two and their friendship #I actually headcanon talbott as being on the demi spectrum the way carey's on the ace side of things too #and just..GAH they're so different in so many ways and yet there are those common threads #and they just respect each other so much and want each other to succeed and understand each other X3 #I'm so happy I finally got to draw my bird boy #yes I'm hosting this thing in seventh year #we already got the festival in sixth year it makes sense for this to be in seventh year :I #in carewyn's timeline the vaults are dealt with by the end of year 6 so this is the first time she really can do only what she wants to do #valentine's day #singles awareness day

[frozenartscapes]

Promises - SS/Modern AU

Following up after Byleth brings a time-traveling Emperor back to her apartment. I was thinking some more about a name for this AU, and I believe it was @lysissisyl who one time suggested “A World Without Gods”... And I kind of like it. It’s not like the Dragon Family has disappeared, but the world has since moved past them. Magic still exists, but has grown with technology to become accessible. Possessing things like Crests or other godly gifts aren’t really valued anymore, because anyone can now do what a person with a Crest might have been once able to do. Hell, we’ve even established that getting a Crest or having one removed is about as simple as donating blood.

But being thrown into such a different world in the blink of an eye is daunting, even for someone as strong as Edelgard. But, this is Silver Snow!Edelgard. By the time she and Byleth had their final confrontation, she had effectively lost everybody that she cared about: either they had joined the enemy side and hated her, or they had died trying to protect her. And the heart can only take so much loss.

Byleth has been living with the guilt of her actions for 850 years. She finally has a chance to make things right, but the path will be a long and challenging one.

---

Byleth held a cup under the spout in the sink and filled it up. She couldn’t really sleep, and thought perhaps a glass of water might help. She chugged it back and added the cup to the small pile of dirty dishes. She really ought to do those, she thought, as she stared blankly at the mess.

She should go back to bed. But she couldn’t relax enough to sleep.

“No! Please!”

She was out of the kitchen like a shot, quickly finding the spare bedroom door in her dark apartment. She could hear the struggle inside: that bed was a cheap one, often prone to squeaking and groaning; the ruffle of blankets being fought with; pleas from someone locked deep in a nightmare.

“Please! Come back! Come back!”

Byleth knocked, hoping she wasn’t about to make things worse. “Edelgard?” she called. She could just let herself in, but given the former Emperor’s apparent state, and recent events, she decided to wait. “Edelgard? It’s me. You ok?”

There was another yelp, and frantic gasps of breath. Then: “P...Professor?” Calmer. She must be awake now.

“Can I come in?”

...

“...Yes.”

Slowly, Byleth pushed the door open. She caught Edelgard in the act of furiously wiping tears from her cheeks, the slight blush nothing compared to the dark bags under her eyes. Blankets and sheets were strewn about, indicating quite a bit of tossing and turning.

“I...I suppose I was talking in my sleep again,” she said sheepishly, refusing to make eye contact.

“I wasn’t listening for it,” Byleth told her earnestly, “I...I couldn’t sleep, myself, and I just...” She caught a quick flash of lilac, desperate and lonely. Byleth cleared her throat. “Do you...want to talk about it?”

Edelgard sat up, pulling her legs up close to her chest. “I doubt it would help,” she muttered bitterly. The way Byleth’s varsity hoodie encompassed her small frame made her seem extra vulnerable now.

Byleth carefully approached the bed. “It might, though,” she prompted carefully, “Talking helps release pent up energy and emotions.”

She scoffed. “Another medical discovery of this time, I presume?” she asked in annoyance.

“A lot of work has been done with mental health,” Byleth told her, “More still is needed, but...it is infinitely better than what you are used to, I’m sure.”

Edelgard remained silent, eyes focused on the digital clock on the bedside table.

Eventually, after a few minutes passed, Byleth grew bold. “Who were you calling to?” she asked gently, sitting down on the foot of the bed.

“I...” She looked up again, very briefly. All Byleth had time to see was unimaginable pain. “Everyone...anyone...I... I don’t know,” she whispered, “There were so many shadows. People without faces. Voices with no bodies. They all felt familiar but... They were all leaving.”

Byleth had no doubt she had been one of those faceless shadows. The thought made her heart ache with a guilt she’s lived with for eight hundred years.

“I...” she began. Hesitant. Scared. This apology was coming far too late, and perhaps at a bad time, but if she were to move forward, it had to be said. “I’m sorry,” she said, head bowed, “I’m so sorry, Edelgard. I...I didn’t know what I wanted. I didn’t know what to do. I...I should have been more sure. Confident, like you always are. I should have been there for you when you needed me the most and I wasn’t and... I’m sorry.”

Edelgard stayed quiet. She sniffled softly, and wiped away some fresh tears with the sleeve of the sweater. “You hesitated because you could see what I truly was,” she eventually murmured, pulling her sleeve down a little to trace the shackle scars along her wrist, “You all were smart to stay away from me. You said the world is the way it is because of me... But would it have been the same had I gotten my way? Or is it like this because of you?”

Byleth opened her mouth to protest, but words wouldn’t form.

“I knew my path would be a lonely one when I chose it,” Edelgard confessed, “A path of isolation and blood, one where I rid the world of monsters by becoming one myself. Someone as kind and wonderful as you should never have to dirty your feet as I did... None of you should have.”

“You aren’t a monster,” Byleth said, perhaps a little too quickly, “And I would have. I should have. I... When Rhea made me choose I just... I didn’t know...”

“I shouldn’t have made you choose, either,” Edelgard replied, “I made the decision for you in my head the moment you hesitated, and every moment since. I just... It was easier to let my heart break and stay broken than to try to keep fixing it, only for my efforts to have been for naught. Even when we met again in the Goddess Tower, I... I had become so jaded that I believed there was no way you actually cared. After all: no one else did.”

“That’s...that’s not true,” Byleth admitted, “They all came, Edelgard. All of the Eagles. They though you were the one who didn’t care. I...I should have said something. Told them that you did, but...”

She smiled sadly. “It’s in the distant past, now,” she breathed, “It doesn’t matter.”

Byleth frowned. An unpleasant lump of emotion was forming in her throat that she couldn’t swallow down. “But it does matter,” she said quietly, “It did back then, and it still does now. Maybe things would have been different if...” She stopped, shaking her head in frustration. It would do neither of them good to dwell in ‘what-ifs’. “When we first came back here, you...mentioned something,” she pressed gently, wincing as she spoke, “You said you...expected... to die by my blade.” She met Edelgard’s gaze, lilac eyes brimming with tears. “You...begged me to do it,” she whispered.

“I knew I had lost,” Edelgard uttered, “I lost, Byleth. My war. My empire. My crown... My friends... My family... I have always looked to the future, refusing to look back on the past. And every time, I was able to envision the future I strived for. But... When I lost that fight... I tried to look into the future and I saw nothing. Just darkness. I knew then that I had one of two choices: surrender, and succumb to the crushing weight of despair and guilt and failure; or die.” She paused, wiping the moisture from her eyes with a grimace. “Just...give up, fall into the void. Lay down my axe and finally, finally stop fighting. I tried. I tried so hard to fight it back, to make something of my miserable existence before death caught up with me, but... I lost.”

Byleth felt the dagger of guilt sink deeper into her un-beating heart. She wished more than anything to be able to go back to that moment, that fateful decision point where she chose wrong. But that was impossible. She could only move forward. That’s all anyone could do. She hoped. “And...what about now?” she asked hesitantly, waiting with baited breath and praying, “What do you see if you look to the future, now?”

Edelgard rested her chin on her knees, staring off into a darkened corner of the room. She sat for a few minutes, eyes vacant, before answering. “I...I don’t know,” she admitted sadly, “It’s...it’s still so dark. I...I don’t know where I can go from here.” Her eyes moved to the window, where the never-ending light of the city flowed in through cracks in the blinds. “I’m not sure how I will fit into this world, or if I even can,” she said, sounding so uncharacteristically small, “Everything’s so different from what I’m used to. At least then, when I lost everyone I cared about, I still had my belongings. My home. Or...what used to be my home. I have even less now than I did then.”

Her gaze moved again, finding Byleth’s in the dark room. She saw the deep, earnest concern on her former teacher’s face, and the faintest bit of light appeared in the void of darkness that was her envisioned future. “But...” she said slowly, carefully, “Perhaps... Perhaps I am not as alone as I think.”

“You’re not,” Byleth replied quickly, a cautious smile beginning to spread on her face, “I’m here, Edelgard. This time I promise I won’t leave you.”

Edelgard tried to mirror the careful grin, but her smile did not reach her eyes. “I...” She looked away abruptly, eyes closing tight as if wincing in pain... or bracing for the backlash. “I... Forgive me, my Teacher,” she breathed, shame practically dripping from her words, “But... I wish I could believe you.”

Byleth felt her heart drop in her chest. Those words were the slap in the face she wished Edelgard would just get on with. Byleth deserved it, after all. After everything she had done to the poor woman sitting before her. The lump in her throat was most definitely a sob, and it took everything in her to keep it down. But she couldn’t hold back the tears in her eyes.

“I’m going to help you find that belief,” Byleth said solemnly, scooting a little closer on the bed, “I know my words probably mean very little right now. You have every right to never want to listen to me or trust me ever again. You don’t even have to forgive me. Just...just know that I’m here for you now. You can stay here for as long as you need. I can teach you everything about this world and fitting into it. You don’t have to believe me, but just...know...that you’re safe here.”

It came slow, at first. Like the rain before a storm. Tears neither of them could hold back any longer began to flow. It was Edelgard who moved first, throwing herself forward and clinging with a desperation that consumed her. Byleth felt those strong hands of an Emperor now shakily grasp her shoulders, fingers digging in as if Edelgard was expecting the universe to wrench them apart.

Byleth was no longer able to hold back that sob, and it tore through the damn holding back her emotions like a wrecking ball. She hadn’t cried this much in centuries. And she forgot how much it hurt.

“I’m sorry, Edelgard,” she choked out, holding on just as fiercely, “Goddess, I’m so sorry.” She swallowed roughly. Her words felt like bile in her mouth. Like they could never fully express what she felt. Weakly, no more than a whisper, she confessed, “I thought I lost you forever. I thought I would never get to tell you... Goddess I wish things had been different.”

Edelgard sniffled, her own sobs slowly fading as Byleth’s words hit her. “I thought...five years was long,” she said softly, pulling away so their eyes could meet, “I know we fought, but... Seeing you after all that time...” She wiped the tears from her cheeks, offering a weepy smile. “I was still so happy to see you alive.”

Byleth met her with a grin of her own, her sobs breaking into gentle chuckles. “I would have waited a thousand years for you,” she breathed, “Two thousand. A million. I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to see you here, despite...despite everything.”

“Then... Perhaps that should be what we focus on,” Edelgard said, “The past is gone. And though we both will bear the scars it left us for the rest of our lives, scars will fade. I...I should know.”

Byleth gently reached out and cupped her friend’s cheek. “You can be anything you want to be in this life, Edelgard,” she stated, “This time, the path is yours to choose. And I promise I’ll help you along the way, for as long as you want my help.”

“My Teach- ...Byleth,” Edelgard whispered, mimicking the affectionate action, “I have always wanted to walk with you. So in this life, I shall.”

“I won’t leave your side for anything, this time,” Byleth vowed.

“E...even...now?” Edelgard asked, sheepishly looking away as she nervously wrung the sheets in her hands. “I...I haven’t been able to get a good night’s rest in... I’m not sure how long. But, perhaps if you’re here, the nightmares might-”

Before she could finish, Byleth flopped comically down on the empty side of the bed, answering the request without any words spoken.

Relief washed over the former Emperor in an instant, and with a small smile, she sunk down under the covers, facing her host on the bed. Byleth reached out and carefully took her hand in hers, giving it a small, affirming squeeze.

“I’m here,” she whispered, “I promise. And if I’m not when you wake up, you can find me in the kitchen.”

Edelgard nodded in reply. “Thank you, Byleth,” she whispered back, closing her eyes as sleep slowly came back to her.

Byleth shut her eyes as well, and as she drifted off, she heard a very earnest, very grateful: “Thank you.”

---

The next morning, Edelgard awoke and Byleth’s spot was empty on the bed. A brief moment of panic seized her heart, until she remembered the rest of her promise. Carefully, she pulled the covers back and left the bed, first heading to the window. The strange, new Enbarr greeted her as she opened the blinds, with its impossibly tall buildings and endless noise. But at least the colours of dawn remained the same.

She cautiously headed through the apartment, taking in the details she had been overwhelmed by the night before. Everything seemed so strange. The furniture was oddly shaped, and far too much of something: too soft, too hard, too simple, too complex. Everything felt so bright as light from the morning sun flooded through the large windows and doors to the balcony. The colour scheme in Byleth’s apartment was mostly neutral: white walls, light grey rug, light wooden floors... Actually, was it wood? It looked like it but didn’t feel like it... She had the odd pop of colour in a cushion or a plant but otherwise it all felt so...empty and bleak compared to the deep, rich colours of the tapestries and upholstery the Imperial family kept in the palace.

She drew a deep breath as she tried to calm down her fears, and as she did, a familiar scent hit her nose: bergamot. And her worries faded as a smile formed on her face.

True to her word, she found Byleth in the kitchen. A well-used teapot sat on the small table, scented steam wafting out and filling the room with the smell of her favourite tea. Two teacups were placed on either side of the table, beside two mismatched plates. Beside the pot was a rectangular, brightly coloured box.

Byleth was rooting through a tall, silver storage unit next to the counter with the...what was it called again...microwave? She stood up, a blue carton in her hand, and smiled when she noticed her guest. “Perfect timing,” she said warmly, setting the carton down on the table, “You liked milk, yes?”

“That’s milk?” Edelgard asked, eyeing the carton with curiosity.

“Yep,” Byleth said simply, reaching into a cupboard and taking out a small jar, “And sugar, too, right?”

Edelgard merely nodded. She hadn’t missed the amount of boxes and jars of food in just that one cupboard alone, and couldn’t imagine how much more could possibly be stored in this kitchen. She reached for the carton of milk, gasping slightly to discover it was cold, and she was fairly certain that silver box was too small to hold ice blocks.

Byleth chuckled, watching as Edelgard glared at the milk carton as if she had just demanded it tell her all its secrets. “Come sit, Edelgard,” she said as she took a seat across the table, “I’ll explain more after breakfast. I got us a little treat.”

She gestured to the box. Edelgard cocked her head as she regarded the strange package. Big, ridiculous letters spelled out...something... Although she had no idea what the word was or what it meant. “Do...nuts?” she wondered, looking up at Byleth with a lost expression.

Byleth merely grinned and opened the box, revealing six decadent-looking pastries. Each one was different, and strange...but the smell alone was incredibly tempting. Five of them were shaped like rings, with a hole in the centre of the cake. The sixth one was a solid circle, covered in a copious amount of white powder.

“That one’s a jelly-filled,” Byleth said as she noticed Edelgard eyeing it, “Strawberry. Then there’s chocolate dipped, old-fashioned, honey cruller...” She pointed to a different one as she listed them, going from the one with a dark brown topping, a simple plain one, and one that was fancifully twisted and covered in white glaze. Next, she pointed to one with pink frosting, and bright, rainbow sprinkles. “Strawberry dipped,” she said, “It’s seasonal, and really good, by the way.”

“And the last one?”

“The best one,” Byleth told her confidently, “Double chocolate.”

The fact that anything was single chocolate, let alone double absolutely floored her. Chocolate had been one of the most valued delicacies that she was aware of. Much like coffee, the beans needed to produce it could only be grown in consistently warm, humid climates that only the southern-most parts of Adrestia could support. Instead, it largely came from other nations that sat further south, and as a result was often incredibly hard and expensive to procure. Being Emperor, she had had the fortune of tasting chocolate before, and had loved it. But even she could only get her hands on a small box only a few times a year.

And now here was this...donut...that was both made with chocolate, but also dipped in it.

“What...exactly is the occasion?” she asked hesitantly, “Surely this cost you greatly.”

“Nah,” Byleth said with a nonchalant shrug, “The whole box was about six bucks.”

“...Six...Bucks?”

“Never mind. That’s just slang for ‘dollars’.”

“...D...dollars?”

Byleth blinked. “Oh...right, sorry. I forgot currency changed quite a bit over time,” she said sheepishly, “It...it doesn’t matter. All the stuff that made pastries expensive back in the past is widely available now.” She then smiled shyly, and continued cautiously, “Last night was...a little rough. I know you’re going through a lot and it’s not going to change over night. It...it likely will only get harder, for a while.”

Edelgard found herself nodding at that, prompting Byleth to wince. “But I just... I thought these might help,” she said with a lopsided grin, “No matter how confusing and scary the world might seem, there are good things in it.” She gestured to the box, prompting Edelgard to take her pick. “Like donuts.”

Edelgard reached out tentatively, but rather than selecting a donut, her hand found Byleth’s resting on the other side of the table. “And...you,” she said quietly, a generous dusting of pink spreading across her cheeks.

Byleth’s heart had never moved a day in her immortal life, but in that moment, it fluttered, leapt like a bird taking to the sky. She didn’t know why or how, but in that moment, it felt right.

She chuckled softly, impressed by how smooth her former student was. She brought her other hand down over Edelgard’s, giving it a small squeeze. “I’ll always be right here,” she promised.

They held each other’s gaze far longer than either of them realized, and once they did, they broke apart, both of them blushing furiously. “Well, go one then!” Byleth coughed out awkwardly, gesturing to the box, “I’m excited to know what you think.”

Edelgard eyed the double chocolate one. “It... You said that one was your favourite...” she began slowly, “I don’t want to take it for myself...”

“It’s alright. We can split them,” Byleth offered, getting up to retrieve a knife. Upon her return, she selected the donut from the box and set it down on her plate, before cutting it in half. She then offered a half to Edelgard.

Edelgard picked it up carefully, looking over the pastry thoroughly. Byleth merely chuckled and simply took a bite out of her half, an action Edelgard hesitantly followed.

The moment the chocolaty goodness hit her tongue, her eyes widened and lit up like the sun. “Oh Goddess,” she breathed, before eagerly taking another bite.

Byleth’s chuckle turned into a mirthful laugh.

#fanfic #fe three houses #ss/modern!au #i think i finally found a name #and a direction i want to take this thing #...if i ever find the motivation #i am totally willing to accept help on this though #if people just want this to be a series of one-shots and short stories #i'm fine with that too #a world without gods

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

Surprised by a storm with Nozel (part 1/5)

Your steps echoed alongside the cave walls as you and Nozel were walking out of a dungeon. It was just the two of you on this particular mission, which made you happy as you were completely infatuated with the stoic Captain. But even though you were happy, you couldn’t help but wonder why precisely had he assigned you to this mission. It would have made more sense, to you at least, to take someone who had been in the Silver Eagles for longer. You figured it was because you had proven yourself capable of defending yourself quite quickly, and that other possible candidates had more important things to do. The vice captain, for example, needed to take care of paper work as Nozel was gone.

The dungeon’s traps and creatures lurking in it, hadn’t been powerful in themselves, but what had made the mission rather tricky, was that the dungeon was a self-altering maze. You even got separated for a few occasions, but had managed to regroup every time. In all honesty, you were quite proud of yourself and hoped that Nozel might praise you, though knowing that he trusted your capabilities enough to take you on a mission such as this, was a praise in itself already. But still, you felt a fluttering in your heart just by thinking of the possibility of being acknowledge by him.

You were both rather winded from the mission, and perhaps that along with the echo bouncing of the walls kept you from noticing a small ball of water been thrown over the rocky ground right at the cave’s entrance, making it slippery. The sky was grey and foretold rain, so there were no hints of water spills on the ground as light wasn’t around to glimmer from it. And even if there had been obvious puddles, they in themselves wouldn’t have been out of place, as a small river ran by the cave’s entrance.

You were having small talk about the dungeon as you stepped outside. The first few steps you both made were secure, but as you asked about the other magic item Nozel found and he started taking out to show you, you both lost your footing. Nozel was able to regain his balance, but his arm had hit your side accidentally, which made you lose yours completely and you fell into the river.

Lucky for you the current wasn’t strong and the water wasn’t too deep either so you could stand up relatively easily. Nozel looked at you with wide eyes, his muscles tense and frozen in place. Your eyes met his as you started to stumble back to the shore, feeling your heart sink to the bottom. He secured his footing with his magic, after a couple of seconds and moved to reach to you with his hand. You averted your eyes, but gladly took his hand and let him assist you back to the river bank.

Standing on the shore, you look at your clothes and let out a sigh and a groan. Nozel’s expression has returned to his usual stoic one, but he internally curses what just happened. The night would most likely be too cold to spend out camping now that she was soaked. He pondered the options, being this out in the country with a slight frown. It occurred to him, that he could give his cape to her, but it would eventually end up soaked as well, so it wouldn’t do much good. Finding a nearby village seemed like the best option.

While Nozel weighed the options, you squeezed water out of your hair and your cape, a blush and a frown embedded on your face. You cursed your faith, and the flutter inside of you had died out and an empty space had taken its place as you had made a fool of yourself in font of him. Now, he’ll never compliment me, you thought with clenched teeth.

You gathered the hem of your skirt and squeezed some more water out, your thighs now visible and glistening in the couple of rays of sunshine escaping through the clouds. Nozel’s eyes widened slightly from their usual narrow glare, and a warmth rose to his cheeks. He lifted his loosely clenched right hand to his mouth and closed his eyes. “*Krhm* That won’t do any good. You can’t squeeze all the water out no matter how hard you try,” he said with an unwavering tone, staying as cool and collected as always, though his heartbeat steadily rose. You gave him a slight, hesitant smile. “True. It won’t help with the cold, but this way they aren’t as heavy as they would be otherwise,” you said, not meeting his gaze.

A cold breeze of air came from the north, licking your skin and taking whatever warmth there were still left with it. You quivered and wrapped your arms around yourself, letting the hem fall to the ground. A small sneezed escaped you after which you apologized quietly, “Sorry…” Nozel made no remark of it, but instead took out his grimoire and enveloped you both with his mercury to carry you both. “Sit down,” he said with a pause, “that way the wind won’t get to you as easily…”. The latter part of his sentence much more quiet than the start. He enveloped you further with his magic in an effort to create a bit of a cover for you. Your eyebrows rose from the frown they had been in, softening your expression. You smiled to him as you sat down and said: “thank you.” He only hummed as a reply, his gaze now turned away from you and into the horizon.

“We need to find a place to stay for the night, or else you’ll come down with something more than just a cold,” he said as he started flying towards the capital. You nodded as cold was creeping down to your bones and your breathing growing heavier. Nozel wasn’t looking at you, but he could almost feel your body trembling and he felt an urge rise in him. He needed to get you to warmth. He wanted to just speed up and race to the capital, but that wasn’t smart. He knew that, because even if he raced, it would still take far too long. Now, what he needed to do, was to calmly look around for any kind of an establishment where you might lodge for the night.

After a while of flying he spotted it. Smoke rising from somewhere nearby amidst the trees. As he flew lower, he could make out a road, possibly a tavern for travellers. He wished that he was right, since at worst it was a hideout for thieves. But even if he was a bit winded, he could still handle a couple of lowlifes.

He landed you by the door, by which a sign was hung. The sign was old, but well maintained and it red “Traveller’s tavern”. He scoffed internally. “How imaginative,” he thought before catching a glimpse of your shivering form. “This is… suitable” he concluded to himself. A small wave of relief washed over him as he had been right about the smoke coming from a tavern and not from a hideout for goons.

[Part 2]

#black clover #nozel silva #nozel x reader #surprised by storm