#his whole life would be restructured

[muddyorbsblr]

all will be alright in time [rtc what if…?]

'relinquish the crown' masterlist See my full list of works here!

Summary: Loki makes a realization about his role of keeping watch over the timelines when a branch slips from his grasp | sequel to 'bigger than the whole sky'

Pairing: Loki (God of Stories/Time) x Reader

Word Count: 6k [pls prep some drinkies & snacks before going in]

Warnings: 18+ | angst with a happy ending; some steamy moments at the end; this is the RTC universe so…themes of incest if you squint (he's adopted but still…); Loki S2 finale spoilers [let me know if i missed anything!]

Things to be aware of: no prior reading of RTC is required but reading 'bigger than the whole sky' is kind of required…

Dick-tionary: steamy moments (but no outright smut) starts at "We'll need it, my love." and ends at "Happy anniversary, my love"

Time moved differently from where Loki sat, in his throne beyond space and time. It was as if he was simultaneously between two ticks of the clock and experiencing every moment to ever happen in every multiversal timeline all at once. He wouldn't be able to tell if two seconds or two millennia had passed since he bid you farewell.

All he knew was the routine he established. The one that functioned as his own form of a personal clock.

First he would choose one of the timelines at random, monitoring for any threats that could potentially be beyond the capabilities of that world's defenders. More often than not an iteration of Thor would be among that group, so he would check on the blond oaf as well.

In the timelines where his brother mourned him, he would send a snake or a black cat his way. The god's way to send a message. I miss you, too, Brother.

Then he would check on you within that timeline. He found that in a few of those lives you were not in league with his brother, but rather one of the innocents, living your life in a constant state of elevated awareness, anxiously waiting for the next invasion and preparing accordingly. In those lives, you found love with an echo of him. A hotel night manager. A decommissioned military tracker. Even a prince in some timelines. And in a few occasions, an actor.

After that he would check on your timeline. His final stop on his personal clock. Every time a slight anxiety would wash over him, wondering what he would find when he saw you this time.

The first few moons worth of visits he found you in bed, curled into a ball and clutching his pillow. You'd cried yourself to sleep, the disquiet showing on your features even in your slumbering state. You grieved long past what was customary in Asgard, seemingly returning to your wardrobe set in onyx fabric when in truth if one looked close enough it was truly set in the deepest emerald.

Grieving for the living. What a peculiar concept that ruled both your lives.

It was only after a year that you'd begun to re-integrate yourself into Asgard's society, most of your steps fumbling and truly only powering through with the support and occasional aid of your family, mainly Sif and Frigga. You'd made amends with Thor and Odin, apologizing for your behavior while you were under the effects of the spell that locked away your memories, telling them what you could of yours and Loki's story when you became ready.

Lately you'd been working on restructuring some lessons within the school curriculum, assuring that the information was kept up to date and refining where necessary. It gave the god a semblance of peace knowing that there was something that could finally occupy your mind that somewhat gave you some form of satisfaction.

With every cycle he checked on you the longest. Stayed with you until you were fast asleep.

After two years you visited Midgard, blending among the denizens of a town that still reverently worshipped the gods of Asgard and stayed with Loki's altar for a fortnight. You spoke with him as if he was right there in the sanctuary standing beside you, your hand still instinctively twitching to reach for his even after all the time that had passed.

Your last day on Midgard you placed an offering at the altar. Loki could have sworn his heart stopped beating for a good few moments once he caught sight of the gold wedding band laying atop the offering plate. "Husband, I know not if you can see or hear me, but I wanted you to have this. It's a Midgardian tradition, I know, but it's one that I was always quite fond of. To wear something on ourselves that could serve as a symbol of our love. Our fealty to one another. Had I not been under the spell's influence during our wedding I would have chosen to include this in our ceremony. This is the closest I will ever get to giving this to you, but I wanted you to have it regardless."

You placed your hands onto the altar, the god's air catching at the back of his throat and tears welling up in his eyes once he saw the matching gold band around your finger.

"I love you and I miss you desperately and always, my darling husband." You pressed your lips to the black and gold marble altar before walking away, keeping your head down to shield your tears.

It was possible that you'd assumed that the ring, similar to all other offerings on his and the neighboring altars, would either be swiped by a nameless faceless passerby or cleared away throughout the periodic tidying of the sanctuary. That it wouldn't even have crossed your mind that the moment that no eyes were on his altar, he'd conjured the ring over to him, and it was now worn on his finger for him to look upon fondly as he checked on you, pressing his lips to the gold band once you'd tucked yourself into bed for the night, hoping that somehow you would feel the message he was sending you through space and time.

Goodnight, little Princess. I shall see you again tomorrow.

In the years that had passed, you continued to work on various texts, constantly revising on parchments and going back and forth in the library you held in your chambers, still so careful not to disturb Loki's side of the shelves that housed his journals and textbooks. The work had kept your mind occupied, and the people that surrounded you offered pleasant enough company that from an outsider's perspective, you seemed almost as lively as you once were.

They couldn't see that your smile never reached your eyes. They never heard the clipped quality of your laughter or how you would cut it short, the slight wince in your features as if you were admonishing yourself for granting yourself the permission to laugh. And the way that you would start playing with your wedding band straight after.

When he checked on you during what would have been the tenth anniversary of your wedding day, he found you once again curled up in your bed, shaking and screaming into a pillow as sobs wracked your body.

He couldn't help himself. He reached out to you, a breeze blowing through and ruffling your hair in a gentle caress despite all the closed windows and doors in your chambers. You immediately stilled your movements afterward, clutching your pillow tighter against yourself.

"I'm sorry, husband," you spoke into the quiet. "It hurts monumentally worse today."

For the first time in what felt like eons, he was unable to fight the urge of his hand twitching and reaching for yours. And his heart dropped as he felt a branch slip from his grasp.

"No," he hissed in a panic, already moving away from his throne to start chasing after it before the light inside of it began to fade and the branch would die.

Only it didn't. The green glow emanating from the branch remained as vibrant as it was when it was within Loki's grasp. It didn't even move too far away that he'd been able to return it to his hand after a few strides, as if nothing had happened.

"What--"

"I need to be honest, God of Time," a voice spoke from the void. "I was hoping you'd come to this realization a bit sooner."

"Who's out there?!" he yelled out, already conjuring duplicates of himself to be at the ready in case he would need to fight. "Show yourself, intruder."

First a pair of white glowing orbs materialized a mere few feet from where you once were the day that Loki last saw you. And then a body that resembled that of monks on Midgard, in robes that vaguely resembled the ones that he also wore, only set in different colors.

"There is no need to be alarmed, son of Odin. I pose no threat to you. I am the Watcher. I monitor all events within the multiverse, and I have been keeping an eye on how you have been adjusting to your new responsibility as the savior of the timelines."

"How did you get here?" He hadn't done away with his duplicates yet. Each of them were still poised to attack if this Watcher was lying and threatened the safety of the timelines. Any timeline.

"I was made aware of another set of eyes watching over the multiverse once you ascended your throne," the Watcher explained. "This plane is unreachable to most beings within these universes that we watch over, that is true. I am here and I can reach you because I live in the same plane. Think of it as a different room within a house."

"What realization did you speak of earlier?" He made the decision to move the topic along, his question about the branch not dying despite slipping from his fingers truly being the most pressing matter.

"You created a tree," the Watcher answered simply. "In its infancy, like any living thing, it requires a great amount of care. Do you agree?"

Why was this person speaking to him as if he were a child? "Yes, of course, but this doesn't explain what--"

"After it has been given enough time and care, however," he continued, not allowing the god to finish his sentence. "Would you also agree that it would not require as close of a supervision? Once a tree has grown to a certain size, on Earth or Asgard or any other realm, it requires less frequent tending to. It draws most of its energy, its nutrients, its life…from its foundation. The roots have become strong enough to support the rest of the tree, for the most part."

"I…I believe I'm beginning to see your point."

"You've created a tree," he repeated. "And its roots have taken form. They have strengthened. Now I know quite well how you are when spoonfed your answers, so I will leave the rest of this lesson for you to discover on your own. Be well, God of Time."

With that, the Watcher disappeared, once again leaving Loki on his lonesome. The lesson still not fully learned and due a good deal of experimentation.

He started with one branch in each hand, letting them slip from his grasp and observing how they behaved.   When there was no visible change and he'd realized that he couldn't feel any loss of life within those two branches, he released another pair. And another. And another.

Suddenly the lesson became crystal clear. He need not keep such vigilant watch on the timelines any longer. Much like a tree, it can be left to grow and flourish on its own, needing only the occasional visit to fortify and further nourish its foundation.

He could step down from this throne removed from time and space. He could end his isolation.

He could come home. To you.

It took a good long while, it could have been minutes or it could have been years, seeing as he constantly reinforced each branch with enough of his magic before setting them free. But finally his hands were empty, and the cape that had refashioned itself to hold more timelines roamed free as well.

He took a few moments to re-familiarize himself with his range of motion, bending and stretching in various positions to ensure that there were no sore points in his body. After that, it didn't take him long to decide on his next course of action.

Before he opened up a portal to his destination, he reinforced the foundation of the tree one last time, hopefully putting enough of a buffer that it would be a good long while before he would need to return.

Hopefully when he did, he would not be walking through the portal alone.

Once he was satisfied with the tree's reinforcements, and he could see that each branch was still existing safely and peacefully in its own place within the multiverse, he conjured a portal. Leading to the familiar corridors of Asgard's palace.

He'd forgotten what it felt like to have the sun on his face, to hear the footsteps of Asgard's people echoing throughout the halls. The sudden onslaught to his senses nearly disoriented him, but he persisted, striding down the hall and barely noticing how the people he passed began to look upon him and whisper words along the lines of Is that him? He's returned? Must we alert someone?

Soon enough he'd arrived at the doors to your chambers, nearly stumbling on his own feet because he couldn't move through the doors fast enough. "Y/N?" he called out, hoping that perhaps he'd arrived at an early enough hour of the day that you were still inside, preparing yourself for your duties ahead.

When enough time had passed with no answer, he accepted that he would have to embark on a search throughout the palace to find you.

"Before I have the guards take you, I expect you to explain yourself," a familiar aged voice pierced the silence of the room. "Who are you and why are you in the princess' marital cham--Loki?"

He turned and he was face to face with Odin, pure shock and a mixture of other expressions he'd never seen on the Allfather coloring his face. His mouth hung open, as if unable to find any words for what he was seeing.

"Hello, Father," Loki began, not entirely sure of what he could say after all the time that had passed. Before he could try and find any words, however, the Allfather's next action stunned him to complete silence.

He bent the knee, bowing his head to the ground.

"Come now, Father, this truly is unnecessary, there were times I've been gone for much longer," he attempted to joke, the tone coming out unnaturally, seeing as it had been eons since he'd actually spoken to anyone other than the Watcher.

Of course a tiny part of him relished in this moment, however. The Allfather bowed to no one. At least he thought…

"Y/N has kept us apprised of what you'd done, my son," he spoke, rising to his feet. "Of what you'd sacrificed to not only save the Nine Realms, but beyond our time, beyond our universe. She has worked tirelessly to ensure that all realms within her reach know the tale of your heroism. That they know you for who you truly are."

Odin motioned for him to look upon the parchments on your desk, illustrations depicting what you'd called "The Heart of Yggdrasil" on a handful of them.

"Children on Asgard and Midgard, and all realms in between, ask her what you are the god of now," Odin began to explain. "She tells them all that you are more than a god now. That you are the best of us. For those who cannot grasp such a large concept she named you the Keeper of Time. For the rest she named you the Savior of the Multiverse."

Loki found it near impossible to breathe trying to process the information, trying to understand that all this time the parchments that you'd been working on had been to tell one specific story. His story.

"She makes me seem some sort of hero," he said in awe.

"From the tales she has told, it is very much deserved." The Allfather clapped a hand on his shoulder, giving a squeeze as if making sure that he was truly there. "I'm proud of you, my son. We should have a ceremony to celebrate your return, and to anoint you your new titles. You have been greatly missed, by your family, by the people, but by no one more than Y/N."

There were no words he could muster to respond adequately other than, "Where is she? Where can I find my wife?"

Odin righted his stance, motioning toward the door. "I suggest trying the training fields. Thor does his best to keep her occupied so her mind won't wander too far. I suspect he will make more of an effort today considering--"

"Today marks a decade since our wedding," Loki finished, his heart constricting at the thought of you struggling to not even think of today, to keep yourself distracted until the last possible moment that you would have to be alone in your chambers, once again sobbing like he had seen you this morning. He began to step toward the corridor. "Thank you, Father."

Do not worry, my darling Y/N. You need not shed any more tears over our separation. Once I find you and have you in my embrace I will never let you go again.

When he made his way to the training gardens he was once again met with a pang of disappointment to find nobody there. Your sparring session with Thor must have reached its conclusion.

Still he attempted to call out to you. "Y/N? Little Princess?"

Again you did not answer, but Loki was met with another familiar voice. "Brother?"

He turned toward the direction of the voice, greeting Thor with a tentative smile, once again trying his hand at his former playful, mischievous tone. "Hello, Brother. Did you miss me?"

Once the blond god had made his way over he only responded by clapping both hands on his shoulders. "Y/N told us of your fate. How is this possible?"

"When last I saw her she stubbornly told me that there had to be another way," he explained, words getting caught in the lump in his throat. "I should have listened to my wife."

"She has been completely beside herself today," Thor offered, looking away the second his eyes began to fill with tears. He cleared his throat before speaking again. "It is agonizing seeing her like this, especially after she'd been doing so well the last few years. But today…today has taken its toll on her. More than she would ever admit, at least to me." He gave his brother's shoulders a light squeeze, not too dissimilar from how their father did a few moments ago. "Your return is the best possible gift you can give her today. Welcome back, Brother."

"Where can I find her?" Loki's tone had grown a touch desperate, his desire to find you and finally hold you again physically making his muscles ache. "Father told me to look here…"

"The armory," his brother finally answered. "She told me she would be there checking on the quality of the wooden swords for the young soldiers in training and that she wishes to be left alone, but I think she would be more than happy to make an exception for you."

He broke into a run, haphazardly thanking his brother before letting his feet carry him to the armory as fast as they could manage. The sound of your voice softly singing a familiar tune that brought him back to the days leading up to the festival for the Autumnal Equinox mere months before you two had become betrothed.

How shamefully oblivious he was back then to the fact that you'd been singing this while thinking of him. So consumed in his own efforts to hide away his affection for fear that you would find him so abominable that he had been unable to see that you had been doing exactly the same.

When he finally looked through the open door of the armory, it was as if he'd forgotten how to breathe, seeing how the light from the window hit your features just so that you seemed an angel. A forlorn angel with puffy eyes and a crease between your brows as you willed yourself to keep focused on the task at hand.

My darling wife.

"No weapons for you today, dear Daughter," your father declared before plucking away your dagger from your hand and placing it down on a nearby bench. "Your mind is far too pre-occupied I cannot in good conscience allow you to spar with anything that could harm either of us."

Instead of sparring as you normally did, him with varying weapons while you stayed your course with your daggers, he tested your defenses. You knew quite well why he'd chosen to spar like this today. It was to keep your mind reactive, your reflexes sharp, and dissuade your mind from thinking of much else in the process.

But ultimately after a few rounds of him too easily breaking through your defenses of crossed arms weakly attempting to push back, he stopped. "Daughter, are you sure you wish to train today? I truly would understand if you wish to--"

"To what, Father?" you interjected, a slight sneer pulling at your upper lip. "To stay in the kitchens and gorge myself with every little cake and pastry I lay my sights on? To see how many pitchers of wine I could consume before I stumble into my chambers and fall asleep?"

"Y/N I simply meant--"

"Look, Father, I'm already sad. On any given day. There is nothing to gain in changing my routine today in a way that would make me any sadder. Today is simply another day, much like the day before and the day after." Your voice choked on your own words, as if your white lies were so potent your own body was recoiling against it. "I will be alright."

Those words tasted the most bitter on your tongue. No, you wouldn't be alright. You hadn't been alright for quite some time.

The sound of Halley's steps bounding toward where you and your father were standing did not alleviate your souring mood any. "Princess! Princess ohh have you heard--"

"Shall I take a guess, my friend?" She excitedly nodded her head telling you to continue. "Fandral and Narda have returned from their betrothal ceremonies across the Realms and they've revealed that they eloped. Probably in Vanaheim. Or even Alfheim."

Her smile dropped, concern coloring her features. "Y/N do you truly not know who has returned to us?"

You shook your head stubbornly. "Halley, much as I am elated for our friend I cannot bring myself to smile and put today out of my mind. Please, do go and send my congratulations to both of them when you see them later in the day but…I'm afraid that I will simply be poor company to keep today."

The words were near impossible to utter through the lump in your throat, a slight hiccup escaping you and making you step away from both of them.

"Princess, if you would please--"

"I will be in the armory," you spoke dismissively. "Ensuring that the wooden swords are still safe to be used. I would appreciate it if I were to be left alone for the remainder of the day."

Thor knew there were no words that could bring you comfort this day in particular, so all he could do was respect your wishes. "I shall have the staff bring your dinner to the armory then."

You gave both him and Halley a single nod before you strode down the corridors toward the armory, sloppily wiping at the fat tears rolling down your cheeks with the sleeve of your dress. Normally you were able to put up a brave enough front so that your friends and family would not have to be so concerned for your well-being, but today…today was nearly impossible to maintain that facade.

Too many thoughts plagued you today of how your hours could have been spent celebrating with your husband; you felt as if the sun was cruel to pull you from those blissful dreams where Loki was by your side and you got to celebrate a decade together like you were meant to. The dreams had felt so real, much like the first times you'd dreamt of your beloved when salacious images overtook your subconscious. So real that when you were ripped from them you couldn't hold back the tears that wracked your body.

And things were only made worse when you felt the breeze in your chambers. The windows were closed, and as were the doors. There should be no wind coming in to your bed chambers, and by that logic you knew exactly what had caused the anomaly.

And guilt overcame you knowing that you'd given your husband enough cause for concern crying in bed the way you were so early in the day that he reached out. The gentle caresses of the breeze that should not be possible ruffling your hair as if trying to tuck it behind your ear the way he used to.

He had enough on his mind keeping watch of all the timelines, he should not be burdened further by witnessing your grieving.

You hadn't felt him at all since that exchange, and for the most part you were grateful for it. The memory of his words the last time you saw each other worsened your guilt. I can't hold you. I couldn't watch you break like this and do nothing.

Perhaps it was better that he look away.

You made your way to the rack that held the wooden swords, lightly running a finger across the dulled blades and immediately finding a dented spot that formed a sharp corner. "That won't do…" you muttered, pulling up a stool and grabbing some sanding paper from a nearby drawer to start filing away and dull the weapon once more.

Absentmindedly you'd begun to start humming an old tune you once sang in the music room, back then trying to express your frustration over finding yourself falling in love with Loki.

I'd let you ruin the rest of my life

How was it that somehow the words rang truer now that you were his wife compared to back then when you were still in the midst of falling?

The sound of another humming along to the tune had you sitting up with your back ramrod straight and alert. "I said I wished to be alone why is everyone so insistent on--" You turned around to berate the unwelcome visitor, only for your words to die off in a rather unbecoming sound in the back of your throat as you saw the figure at the door.

"Hello, little Princess."

"Oh Norns, this is it," you muttered to yourself. "I've finally lost my grip on reality. Hallucinating my husband in the middle of the day and I haven't even had a single sip of wine." You promptly put away the wooden sword and disposed of the sanding paper. "Perhaps I'd inhaled too much of the wood dust and now it's having a bizarre effect on me--"

Your words were cut short feeling a hand curve around your waist, a body walking up behind you and pressing against your back. "I promise you, my love, this is no hallucination…" The air around you became near impossible to breathe as his arm wrapped around your waist, working his free hand up to put your hair over your shoulder and expose the back of your neck.

"Why does this feel so real?" you questioned breathily when your illusion had pressed his lips to the back of your neck, kissing a path to your ear, your voice thinning to the point you could barely utter the words. "Is this Valhalla?"

"No, my darling," he mumbled against your hear, his exhale warming your skin. He turned you around in his arms, placing your hands over his shoulders. "I truly am here. With you."

Tears began to blur your eyes as you tentatively touched your hand to his hair, the air leaving your lungs once he turned his head to kiss a trail from your palm to the inside of your wrist, his eyes never leaving yours.

You shook your head at him, refusing to accept what was right in front of you. "Loki I said no more illusions, don't do this to me," you pleaded, already starting to step back from him.

He had his arms around you, pulling you back into his embrace the second you moved even a fraction of an inch away from him. "This is no illusion, little Princess, I swear to you." He brought your hands back up to his lips, pressing a kiss to each knuckle. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. Not without you."

Before you could utter a word in question, he grabbed the back of your neck and captured your lips in a desperate kiss, his other arm wrapping around you to lift you off the ground and set you down on the now empty wooden desk. You whimpered against him when his hands began to roam your body, grasping frantically at whatever was within his reach to press you harder against him.

You felt the sting of hot tears behind your eyes as you held on to him just as tight, feeling the skin straining and stretching over your knuckles with how hard you grasped at his back. If this was real, you would not allow him to slip from your fingers so easily.

Not like last time.

This time when you pulled away he was still there. You both were. "How is this possible?" you breathed out, your stubborn mind finally beginning to relent and accept that perhaps he truly was here, that this was no illusion cast by your husband to calm you some on what should be such an auspicious day for both of you. You rested your head on his shoulder, tears once again starting to fall down your cheeks. "How are you here?"

"I was wrong, little Princess. There was another way. It took a good deal of time for the solution to be plausible, but I finally found another way."

Neither of you moved from your spot, him stroking your hair and pressing a kiss to the top of your head whenever you sniffled, as he told you about how he'd seen you in your state just this morning and how the branch slipped from his hold. About the other being on that plane of existence called The Watcher leading him to the discovery that a strong enough foundation had finally been built. That now it would only need the occasional visit from him to ensure that its foundation was continually strengthened.

And finally about how the first thing he thought of once he was fully freed from the branches of the timelines was coming home and finding you.

You sat quiet for a good few moments, allowing his words to sink in before you spoke again.  "Does this mean…you're staying?" you managed to choke out before a fresh wave of tears begun to fall from your eyes.

"Yes, my love," he whispered into your hair, pressing a tender kiss to the same spot before tilting your head to look up at him, wiping your tears away. "I'm home."

He pressed his lips to yours once more, smiling against your lips when you threw your arms around his neck. He tightened his hold on you, breathing out a slight chuckle when you yelped at the feeling of the table disappearing from under you. When you opened your eyes, you were suddenly in your bed chambers, your husband carrying you across the room in his arms.

"That's…new…" you mumbled against his lips when he kissed you again.

"Eons have passed for me since last we saw each other in our chambers, my darling wife," he whispered into your skin, placing a soft lingering kiss below your ear before laying you down on the bed, your back settling into the soft mattress. "And yet through all that time my body, my heart, only ever craved to have you with me again."

Your heart felt as if it could burst at any moment. After all the time that had passed, it felt completely foreign to you, finally feeling as if you were no longer simply dragging yourself through life. There was no longer a void in your life in the shape of your beloved.

The visions of what your new future could hold now that he had returned overwhelmed you, rendering you unable to do much of anything other than pull him down to you so you could kiss him again, sighing into his mouth when he pressed his weight onto the bed and proceeded to deepen your kiss.

"In that time, little Princess, let's just say my abilities have…evolved. And in mastering them all, I've often thought about how I might use those abilities in this very room. Once we'd reunited and your memories have all been freed."

A small gasp escaped you as you watched a wave of his magic washed over the entirety of your chambers, a slight barrier appearing by the windows and doors before visibly fading into nothing. "Silencing enchantment?" you queried, unable to help the smile that stretched across your face.

"We'll need it, my love." With a small twitch of his fingers, both his robes and your dress dissolved into nothing, baring your bodies to each other. "Oh how I've missed this," he rasped, a thrill shooting through you as you watched him rake his eyes across your body before licking his lips. "How I've missed you."

"Husband," you whined, squirming under his gaze, the undeniable affection and desire shining in his eyes stealing all the breath from your lungs. "I've missed you."

Loki leaned down to hover over you, lips tracing along the bridge of your nose before proceeding to press featherlight kisses all over your face, letting out a shuddering groan when skin met skin, your chests pressed together as you trailed your fingertips down the length of his arm. Once you reached his hand, lacing your fingers between his, tears began to well in your eyes again as the gold band around his ring caught the light.

"You got the ring," you said in wonder, your breath coming out like a bewildered chuckle as he brought your hand up to his mouth to kiss along the backs of your fingers.

"Of course I did. For so long it was the only thing that brought me a sense of comfort, every time I looked upon it, it was almost as if I could feel you with me." He released your hand, leaning back down to capture your lips in a slow, languorous kiss. "And now I finally do."

You moaned against his lips as his hand wrapped around your knee, hooking your leg around him as he proceeded to roll his hips into yours.

"I know we should probably announce my return," he said in a teasing tone. "But I haven't even the slightest urge at the moment to do anything other than…reunite with my darling wife." He smirked against your lips as you whimpered desperately at the feel of him lining himself up at your entrance. "The only thing I plan on keeping for the foreseeable future is the love of my life, on our marital bed. Any and all forms of clothing forbidden."

"I have no objections to that," you said back breathlessly. "Happy anniversary, husband."

"Happy anniversary, my love."

One day, centuries after your reunion, Loki helped you into a set of robes that seemed more suitable for lounging than anything else before conjuring up a portal that led back to the tree. He would have to be there for a while, tending to the branching timelines and ensuring that they would all stand on their own for a good long while after he would once again leave them to grow and flourish on their own.

"I want you to come with me, darling. We could make an adventure of it."

He didn't need to ask twice. You would go to the ends of the world with him.

He held your hand firmly in his as he led you through the portal toward the solitary throne he once occupied, giving you a soft smile as you discovered the changes he made to the space before he went home to you all those years ago.

There were now two thrones at the heart of the tree.

A/N: I had to make it better I couldn't just leave my precious blorbos in pain even if this is an alternate universe 🥺🥺 And I just had to add that little bit of Odin bending the knee as a treat 🫡

Here's the song that gave me most of the vibe for this story:

And here's the song that Y/N was singing in the armory:

'everything' taglist: @simplyholl @loopsisloops @imalovernotahater @coldnique @loz-3 @huntress-artemiss @salempoe @vickie5446 @athalialaufeyson @lokiprompts @kats72 @kikster606 @asgards-princess-of-mischief @lokixryss @thomase1 @mischief2sarawr @peaches1958 @lovingchoices14 @lunarnights95 @goblingirlsarah @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @creationsbyme @maple-seed @mjsthrillernp @ladyofthestayingpower @mygfloki @sititran @glitterylokislut @ozymdias @fictive-sl0th  @lokidbadguy @mochie85 @silverfire475 @joyful-enchantress @elizabethmidnight2017 @holdmytesseract @smolvenger @gigglingtiggerv2 @lokidokieokie @superficialdomina @anukulee @kmc1989 @november-rayne @goddessofwonderland @buttercupcookies-blog

#loki x reader #loki x female reader #loki fanfiction #loki fanfic #loki laufeyson fanfic #marvel fanfiction #marvel fanfic #mcu fanfic #loki angst #loki laufeyson angst #muddyorbs writes #Spotify

[transformation4life]

Do The Chul Dance!

"Alright Darren, get ready!" The dance director shouted with his megaphone.

Darren the scrawny white man walked onto the stage.

"Okay Darren, we need you to do something like those KPOP stars now chop chop!" The director waved his baton.

"U-Um sir... I don't... watch KPOP-"

"Nonsense! Just feel it in your body!" The director interrupted Darren.

"N-Not to be mean sir but I'm just a an american white guy..." Darren isn't korean let alone someone that's ever left the U.S. so he wasn't sure how he could "feel it in your body".

Infact this whole gig was weird from the start. Darren was an amateur dancer and was trying to find a bit of work to fund his student loans and this job just came to him on a phone ad one day.

Dance like a star!

Get money and change your life!

K-Star~

The tagline was a bit weird but money is money. But now... he was at a loss.

"Now now darling, how about you put these on!" The director got out of his chair and handed Darren an impressive pair of shades with Darren reluctantly putting the eye covers.

"Let's take it from the top! Show your korean gusto, Darren!" The director shouted into the megaphone once more

"S-Sir... like I told you before I-I'm america-"

"What are you talking about my good chap? Being korean was part of the sign up process. You are 100% one!"

"But I'm not-"

"You are Korean. Always have been," The moment the words left the director's mouth Darren's new shades began to glow and Darren's body began to change.

Darren lost a bit of muscle as he became a bit skinnier while his face was restructured to be much more authentically korean with narrower eyes, a bit plumper lips and slimmer nose. The final physical change for now was Darren's becoming a bit tanner. Memories of being on American soil all Darren's life were replaced with memories of korean city skylines and immigrating at age 20. Despite it all he's somehow pretty good with english but still stumbles from time to time. Darren's mom was always enamored with american names so she named his son with one.

"Ah, right. So sorry! Don't know what came over me!" A korean accent quickly overtook Darren's former voice like it always been there.

"No worries no worries! Now you said your name was Darren correct? That's not a very korean name is it? Why did your parents choose it?" The director gave a curious smirk.

"Oh! Well my mom has always been fascinated with american culture so she named me something american so she felt like it was always a part of her life-"

"Good. Great. Fantastic even. Just one tiny problem with that. It says on this paper here your name is 황철순..."

"Hwang Chul Soon? Like the famous bodybuilder? Oh please the fact we're the same race is more insane than anything let alone me sharing the same name as him-"

"Your name is definitely 황철순," the shades glowed again as Darren's or rather Chul's timeline was changed to fit the director's vision.

Chul's mother never had a knack for american culture. Instead it was just pure coincidence that he would share the name of famous South Korean Bodybuilder Hwang Chul Soon. Chul felt like he never deserved the name and yet he still had it.

"Apologies. I slipped up again... yes... my name is 황철순... But can we get to the dancing now? You've been asking a lot of questions-"

"It's all part of our process for a perfect korean dancer, Chul! Just a bit more now!" The director smiled

"Okay... what else do you want from me?"

"Hmm... how well do you know your korean?"

"I was born and raised there so I would say it's about as perfect as it can be..."

"Excellent! How about your english? Doing good on that front?"

"My english? Not too bad... I do fumble a bit sometimes though,"

"그래서 당신이 말하는 것은 당신이 더 이상 영어를 몰라도 괜찮다는 것입니까?" (So what you're saying is that you wouldn't mind not knowing english anymore?)

"어… 뭐?" (Uh... what?)

"당신은 더 이상 영어를 모른다," (You don't know english anymore.) The shades shining glory returned and absorbed all knowledge of the english language from Chul. Despite immigrating to America he never quite figured out the language so he stayed in mostly korean immigrant areas leading to this korean dance company.

"...더 이상? 그래 내가 영어를 전혀 못하잖아..." (…Anymore? Well yeah I don't speak english like at all…)

"좋아요! 스타가 될 순수한 한국인!" (That's right! A pure korean that will be a star!) The director was being especially loud this time.

"어… 그래? 난 널 위해 한 번도 춤을 춰본 적 없어-" (Uh… yea I guess? I haven't even danced once for you-)

"나는 당신의 조급함을 이해합니다 하지만 여기서 거의 끝났습니다. 조금만 기다려줘 알았지? (I understand your impatience but we're almost done here. Just wait a bit for me okay?) The director gave a look that gave Chul chills in his spine.

"자, 당신의 체격을 어떻게 설명하시겠습니까?" (Now, how would you describe your physique?)

"오, 별거 아니에요 선생님… 저는 평생 체육관에 가본 적이 없어요. 황철순 같은 사람과 이름을 공유하는 것조차 의욕이 없었어요-" (Oh, it's not much sir… I've never been to the gym all my life. Even sharing a name with someone like Hwang Chul Soon I've just never been motivated to-)

"무의미한 말! 당신은 신의 체격을 가지고 있습니다! 누구나 당신이 되고 싶어할 것입니다!" (Nonsense! you have the physique of the gods! Anyone would want to be you!)

"부럽긴한데 근육이 거의없어서..." (I'm flattered but I barely have any muscle… ) Chul twiddled his thumbs in shame

"나한테 거짓말 할 필요 없어 철. 카리스마처럼 근육이 엄청나다!" (You don't need to lie to me Chul. your muscles are huge just like your charisma!)

"선생님… 저는 그 둘 다 가지고 있지 않습니다-" (Sir... I have neither of those-)

"신의 근육과 고기 가득한 근육과 HIGH 카리스마," (You have the muscles of gods and the pecs full of meat and HIGH charisma.) The shades shone like never before as Chul began to pack on muscle at an alarming rate.

First there was the massive biceps, then the faint appearance of a sixpack with Chul's back widening soon as his neck become thicker and his adam's apple more prominent. The star of his upper half began to show itself as his flat rack became massive chunks of meat that could rival the most gifted of women. Chul got a bit taller as his swishy pants rode up exposing the thicker legs that he just obtained. A smirk overcame Chul as his hairstyle become much more suave and he threw his lousy shirt side exposing his new muscle body and charisma.

"알아차리셨다니 다행입니다! 이제 충분히 말하고 더 춤추세요!" (So glad you noticed! Now enough talking and more DANCING!) Chul's new charisma immediately showed itself as Chul began to show his moves.

"내가 찾고 있는 바로 그 철! 나를 위해 밈 댄스를 해주세요!" (That's the Chul I'm looking for! Do a memey dance for me!) Chul nodded and began his routine.

"그리고…. 플렉스!" (And... Flex!) Chul walked up to the stage and flexed to the director.

"잘했어 철! 당신은 당신의 분대에 완벽합니다. 당신은 내일 시작합니다." (Great job Chul! You're perfect for your squad. You start tomorrow.) The director stood up and clapped.

"이런 기회를 주셔서 정말 감사합니다 선생님. 내일 봐요!" (Thank you so much for this opportunity sir. See you tomorrow!) Chul waved goodbye to the director and left the building.

With no one in the room the director began to laugh manically.

"Heh... another transformation complete I almost surprise myself with my power. I'm going to have the greatest bodybuilding dance group known to HUMANITY!" The director laughed even harder.

"Poor ol' Darren..." The director pulled up a picture of Chul or rather Darren.

"He doesn't know anything... how much happier he is now."

#race change #bodybuilder tf #chul soon tf #male tf #muscle tf #reality change #mind change #mental change #korean tf

[mari-lair]

the recent chapter was decent, but when I realised akane wasn't the yoshiro after convincing myself he was for a month i had to close the tab stare at the ground and like. process for a few seconds. how i wish he had been... i did enjoy mirai trying to save his life though, and teru recognising that they hadn't been going to their full strength because maybe they didn't care about the yoshiro, because as you said, they had been presented at a higher level and we didn't see that in chapter 109

I always had doubts about him being the Yorishiro, with Akane having 2 bodies and the supernatural one already being stabbed in the chest before, so even that reveal was more of a "oh, okay. Makes sense" feeling.

It's... kind of sad... my experience with this chapter. With this arc.

The only thing I like is Mirai saving Akane, and how rich with character quirks, values, and experiences, Akane's fight with Tsukasa is, it goes beyond just his judo skills (and Elise will talk about it when she has the time) But I'll be honest, I have no hope for this arc, no wish to think about it and theorize it or anything.

I am here for terukaneaoi and the way Aoi hasn't shown up even as a small panel since the clock was frozen is... very telling... Akane's 'betrayal' with Teru also saddens me, for the more I look at it, the more clear it becomes that it is a tool, not a conflict they planned as a means to clash ideals, learn more about each other, or strengthen/restructure bonds (like Aoikane in chap 69 or Kou and Teru in chap 87). When Aidairo does want to create character conflict, they are amazing at it! Which makes Akane and teru feel... that much weirder.

I never expected Teru to jump and try to help Akane, he is handcuffed and without his sword, but I did expect him to have some kind of thought about the situation while he watched Akane be beaten up in front of him.

We get no reaction panel about what he thought of the fight. At all. Akane isn't in immediate danger when we do see his thoughts but it still feels... Strange to frame chapter 108 in a way that highlights how much Akane's betrayal affects Teru on a personal level, to make chap 109's gag revolve around Teru being THAT angry with Akane and then... Make Teru not spare Akane a single thought.

Teru even takes into consideration Nene's lifespan, but absolutely nothing about Akane. No cursing him. No "oh he did almost die like I wished for, idk how to feel a bout that". No "it feels strange to not be able to do anything, just watch". No, "I guess he is a clock keeper not the boy i thought I knew". No "i'm glad he is not dead". Not even "he should have died", as cruel as it sounds, it would still make way more sense than just... Nothing.

He doesn't even refer to Akane by name.

Teru is someone who has taken things personally since his very introduction, unused to change and prioritizing his relationships over his duties (not exorcising Hanako so Kou doesn't get mad at him. Putting the intire school at risk cause Tiara wanted him to clean up a mokke in chap 39. Letting Akane punch him in chap 71, etc-)

He is pathetic and unexperienced when he takes things personally, he wants to be reliable and admired, he doesn't know how to handle not getting what he wants (especially with Akane, who always obeys). Even when he tries to be detached his pathetic nature still show up. It had been consistent.

But the guy that locked himself in his bedroom and hid under the covers for a whole day after his fight with Kou seemingly got over Akane betraying him in what must have been 1 hour without talking about it ? I know Akane is not as important to Teru as his family but it's insane that he got over it without even thinking about it or being able to move in any way to let his frustrations out.

The worst part is that even when I suspend my disbelief and go along with the idea that Teru "isn't taking things personally anymore and is in professional mode cause the situation is dire!" it still makes no sense.

Akane's betrayal should have filled his head with questions about the situation, about what changed, but Teru never even tried to connect his vague talk with Akane with the clock keepers seemingly being nerfed.

Why 'now?' feels like an important question. One that should stick, but Teru ignores it.

Which again. Goes agaisnt what is established of his opinion of Akane.

Why would he neglect the words of a colleague he considers wise? Of someone he is treating as fully part of the clock keepers now? Someone he always wanted to hear his opinions before even in his 'professional and smart' mode? Someone whose opinions we have been told he doesn't dismiss even when what Akane says clashes with his upbringing as an exorcist? I am just supposed to assume he is treating Akane as any other supernatural now? Is the betrayal an insta 'everything that has been established no longer applies' free card...?

So yeah, sure... This is a big improvement from chapter 109 but it has the same core problem as chapter 109, at least to me: Aidairo has no interest in exploring Teru as a character in this arc. Aidairo wants the spotlight fully on the broadcasting club, and they will tweak his character whenever it's convenient to set the stage. Just like Nene had turned into a kid with minimal agency, Teru has become a presence that doesn't ask questions, unless said questions will move the plot.

Feelings will also be reduced to what moves the plot, we don't need to know how he feels about being in a position with no power, no sword, and minimal knowledge for the first time in this manga. There is so much they can explore completely disconnected from Akane, despite putting a spotlight on their relationship in chap 108, but there is nothing for Teru's character.

Even when Tsukasa points at Nene, whom he isn't angry at, he has no reaction. He does not care about this guy targeting the little baby girl after witnessing Akane be dragged on the floor.

Of course he doesn't. This isn't about him, is a Hanako set up, Teru can't have even a panel of spotlight on him that is about his character, can't bring attention to his fall out with Akane, less the reader get any expectative from it, or take space in a manga that currently isn't about him.

Teru is a tool first, and a character second in this arc. Chapter 109 stuck him in a dumb gag box. Chapter 110 stuck him in a smart guy exposition box. His personality is picked apart when it is convenient not when it makes sense for a character that has been molded for 100 chapters.

I don't care about this plot. I care about my favorite characters, and how they would react to the circumstances the plot been put on. That's my priority. It isn't Aidairo's. Even if Teru does have a relevant role later, it's still clear that exploring his character isn't Aidairo's priority in this arc.

I told chapter 109 to make me care about the arc, and chapter 110 is way better but not enough to make me care. Which is very sad, I wish it did :(

...This was already a depressing enough answer as it is, I don't want to talk about it.

#i hate being so pessimistic about two chapters in a roll #minamoto teru #tbhk #tbhk 110 #jshk #toilet bound hanako kun #jibaku shounen hanako kun

[lumosandnoxwriting]

say my name and everything just stops || George Weasley

Title: say my name and everything just stops Pairing: George x Reader Summary: George didn’t expect being fake engaged to the love of his life whose heart he broke would be this easy. But as they put their plan into action, he’s surprised at how seamlessly she fits into his life. It feels as if no time has passed as they settle into a routine, and it feels like she was always meant to be there by his side. It’s hard to keep a grasp on the original goal, when all he can think about is how much he’s already dreading having to say goodbye. But as a new scheme starts to come together in his head, there may be a way for George to get everything that he wants.  Warnings: mentions of alcohol consumption, a scene takes place at a bar and one mention of a hangover!  A/N: part 2 of hockey!george is here! I did a bit of restructuring to this part and the next, but I’m very happy with the way the story is coming together! As always feedback is welcome! <3

-

“Thank you again for doing this,” George says for what feels like the millionth time today. But it still doesn’t feel like enough. Y/N has upended her entire life for him, and he still has no idea why she agreed to this whole charade. 

After spending a few days in Washington to figure out some of the logistics of Y/N moving, which included George getting on his knees to beg Fred to take over her lessons at the rink, they’re finally back in Chicago. Thankfully Y/N’s actual job in marketing is remote, and George already arranged to have a desk and whatever else she may need delivered sometime this week. 

He had his assistant stock the apartment with all of the things Y/N used to love, including her favorite snacks and several fuzzy blankets, and he signed the contract for Y/N’s car service this morning before they got on the plane. George has even already added her to his Amex account, and the black card with her name on it should be here any day now.

George has money to spend, and there’s no one else he’d rather spoil than Y/N.

”You really can stop saying that,” Y/N reminds him as she follows him through the front door. “It was cute at first, but now it’s just kind of annoying.”

”Sorry, I know. You’ve had to sacrifice way more than me for this stupid arrangement and I feel bad that I’ve basically uprooted your life. I don’t deserve any of the shit you’re doing for me and I just wanna make sure you know how much I appreciate it.”

”George, it’s really okay. I wouldn’t have said yes if I didn’t want to be here.” 

In all honesty, Y/N feels a little guilty over how accommodating George has been. She’s not really here to help him out, but to figure out whether her life has become the plot of a book and she’s about to get her second chance at love or if she’s about to break her own heart. Either way, she’s not here out of the goodness of her heart, and George’s kindness is undeserved. 

“Right, okay,” George gives Y/N a grin, before motioning for her to follow him. “I had my assistant clear some of my stuff out of the dresser and closet so there should be plenty of room for your things,” he explains as he leads Y/N down the hall towards his bedroom. “This space is ours now, and I want you to feel like it is too.”

As soon as they step through the door Y/N is hit with the scent of him and it nearly knocks her on her ass. Because George still uses the same cologne he did in high school, and it reminds her of home. She used to steal the bottle when he went away for games, covering her bed in it so it would feel like he was there with her at night. Now she’ll be surrounded by that scent 24/7 and she’s not sure her heart is ready for that. 

George drags the suitcase he’d been rolling into his closet disappearing for a second before he pops back out. “I only have a one bedroom, I uh, never really thought about having to share my space with someone,” he admits sheepishly. “But you can take the bed and I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Y/N shakes her head. “No, George, I’m not taking your bed. The season’s about to start, you need to be well rested and there’s no way sleeping on a couch for weeks will be sufficient.” She gives him an appraising look, taking in his broad frame. George has always been big, but time has done him well and his build has really filled out. 

“Besides, I don’t think there’s a couch in this world big enough to fit all of you,” she continues, and Y/N can feel the blush creeping up on her cheeks. “You stay in your bed, I can sleep on the couch.”

”Absolutely not,” George insists, taking a step closer to her. “You’re my guest, and I’m not going to have you sleeping on the couch.”

Y/N bites her lip, already regretting what she’s about to suggest. “Well then if you’re not going to let me sleep on the couch and I’m not going to let you sleep on the couch, we’ll just have to share the bed.”

Her suggestion takes George by surprise, and his jaw clenches to keep it from dropping. He was already questioning whether he’d be able to survive sharing space with Y/N, but sharing a bed? His cock is rock hard at just the thought of smelling her shampoo on his pillow. 

“Are you sure?” He manages to stutter out, running a hand through his hair. 

“I mean it’s big enough,” she responds, gesturing towards the bed. It’s got to be King sized, with a thick black comforter that’s sure to reek of George that Y/N wants to wrap herself up in. “We’ll probably barely even touch.”

“As long as you’re fine with it, I am too,” George agrees. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

”It’ll be fine George,” Y/N lies, giving him a grin that she hopes is genuine. 

Fake engaged to and sharing a bed with the man she loves that broke her heart? Yeah everything is definitely not fine. 

-

After a torturous first night together, Y/N thanks the heavens that George is up and out early for the first day of training camp the next morning. Because despite all of her reassurances yesterday, sharing a bed with George Weasley is the worst idea she ever had. 

Despite the size of the bed, George is massive, and as soon as he laid down next to her she could feel the heat radiating off of his body. It doesn’t help that she was completely enveloped in his scent, and her pussy was throbbing with need from the moment she crawled under the blanket. It took her hours to fall asleep, her body rigid as George tossed and turned as well. It wasn’t until his breathing evened out that Y/N finally managed to close her eyes and relax. 

Only for her to wake up a few hours later to George’s arm wrapping around her waist before he pulled her into his chest. Turns out all these years later he’s still a cuddler. Being back in his embrace was too intoxicating to deny, and Y/N laid awake for over an hour, just letting George hold her as his breath ghosted across her neck. It felt achingly familiar, and she didn’t want to give it up. 

But she knew things would be awkward if George woke up to find her in his arms, so after getting her fill Y/N wiggled her way out of his hold. She stuffed a pillow into his chest for good measure, needing to keep his arms occupied so she didn’t find herself caught in his embrace again. Y/N doubts she would have had the willpower to pull away a second time. 

Y/N is up and out of bed the second her alarm goes off, electing not to stay buried under the covers while she scrolls social media like she usually does. Just the smell of George has her wet and if she lays there for another moment Y/N knows she’ll have her hand down her pants, touching herself as she buries her nose in George’s pillow like a weirdo. 

She wanders out to the kitchen, taking advantage of being alone so she can snoop around. Last night George had assured her that this is her space now too and she’s welcome to anything, but it felt weird going through his things with him around. Apart from finding where he keeps his dishes and a cursory look in the fridge for a drink Y/N didn’t do too much exploring. 

So when she opens George’s pantry, she’s surprised to find it filled with all of the things she loves. A brand new box of her favorite cereal sits right next to the granola George puts in his yogurt in the morning, and her favorite chips and cookies are mixed in with the kinds that George prefers. It all feels so natural, and Y/N slams the door shut as she struggles to catch her breath. 

Because fuck, this is the life she always imagined having with George, and none of it is real. This is the life Y/N has always wanted, and yet it’s still not really hers - something she has to remember. There’s a very real possibility that once George makes Captain they will go their separate ways for the last time, and she has to be prepared for that. 

Deciding to avoid the pantry for now, Y/N wanders to the fridge and pulls out the things to make an omelet. She’s just starting to whisk the eggs and deciding whether she should work from the kitchen island or the couch when the doorbell rings. George hadn’t mentioned anyone stopping by, and Y/N remains cautious as she goes to open the door. Some part of her fears that some crazed fan or ex-lover of George’s will be waiting on the other side, but a sigh of relief leaves her body when she checks the peephole and it’s just a few delivery people. 

No more Criminal Minds for her. 

“Hi Mrs. Weasley,” one of the men greets when Y/N opens the door, and she’s too shocked to correct him. Her knees shake as she steps aside to let them in, her mind still focused on how good it felt to be called by George’s last name. “We’ve got the things your husband ordered, it shouldn’t take too long for us to set it all up.”

“Okay,” Y/N says hesitantly as the men start to bring a few boxes into the apartment. She’s a little unsure about letting these people in since George didn’t say anything about a delivery, but Y/N knows the security here is intense and they wouldn’t have been let into the building if there was something weird going on. “You know where everything is going?”

The first man nods, giving her a smile. “Yes, your husband was very clear when he placed the order a few days ago. We’ll be in and out so quickly you’ll barely even know we were here.”

Y/N nods, gesturing towards the kitchen as the men head towards the dining room. “Alright, well, if you need anything I’ll be in there.”

She shoots off a quick text to George as she walks, knowing she’s unlikely to get a response. But it makes her feel better that at least someone will know other people came into the apartment in the event that this really is an elaborate ruse to kidnap her. 

Y/N: hey! Hope hockey stuff is good - just wanna let you know the delivery people are here setting up whatever you ordered

When a response doesn’t come through Y/N tucks her phone back into her pocket and refocuses her attention on breakfast. She’s just plating up her omelet and toast when the man from before appears in the kitchen. 

“We’re all done here if you just want to take a look to make sure everything looks good before you confirm delivery.”

“Uh, sure,” Y/N agrees, following him into the other room. 

When George gave her a tour last night the dining room had virtually nothing in it. There was some artwork on the walls, a small table with a few chairs with a fake plant tucked in the corner and a lamp in the other. Which made total sense to Y/N, since George lives alone and has an island with barstools for him to eat at, he hasn’t really needed a fully functioning dining space. 

Which is why her jaw practically drops when the man leads her into the dining room. The small table is gone, and in its place is a gorgeous wooden desk with the softest looking chair Y/N has ever seen behind it. There’s two large bookcases against the back wall, and there’s a plush carpet covering the floor. Tears prick the corner of her eyes, and Y/N runs a hand along the glossy desk just to make sure it’s real. 

“Does everything look okay?”

Y/N spins around to face the man who she forgot was even there. Swallowing the emotion crawling up her throat, she gives a curt nod. “Yeah, it’s perfect.”

The man gives her a smile and thrusts out a clipboard. “I just need a signature and then we’ll be out of your hair.”

She signs without even looking, her attention back on the office George created for her. After their breakup Y/N couldn’t fathom when her sweet, loving boyfriend turned into the heartless person that dumped her so carelessly. It’s just starting to hit her that maybe the George she knew wasn’t really gone after all, just hidden behind a facade. 

Once the door shuts behind the delivery crew Y/N makes her way behind the desk, sinking back into the plush chair. Her apartment back home isn’t big enough for her to have a dedicated office space and she often works from her kitchen table or couch, and Y/N had been totally fine with doing the same at George’s. So the fact that he’s gone and made Y/N her own space in his apartment has her heart pounding in her chest. 

She fires off another text to George. 

Y/N: the delivery people just left and holy shit, George. You really didn’t need to do this for me. I love it, thank you.

They must be on a break, because a few minutes later as Y/N is opening her laptop to start working George responds. 

George: ah shit, sorry, i totally forgot to mention the delivery last night.

George: we can go out and get different artwork or decorations or whatever. I meant what i said last night, this is our space now and i want you to feel at home

George: and i know i didnt need to, i wanted to :)

She’s already starting to fall back in love with George Weasley, and Y/N is not sure she’ll be able to stop.

-

Things get easier to navigate as the week goes on. 

That first night when George got home from training camp it had been awkward, neither of them really sure how to navigate this interesting relationship. On one hand, they’re technically engaged and it should be expected for them to act somewhat like a couple while at home. But on the other hand, they haven’t been around each other in years and it kind of felt like two strangers living under the same roof. 

But they slowly started to get into a routine. George is always up first, and before he leaves for camp he puts on a fresh pot of coffee so it’s still warm and fresh by the time Y/N gets up too. They usually text throughout the day whenever George has the chance, discussing what to do for dinner or to just share something about their day. George gets home at 4 everyday, and Y/N has a protein shake waiting for him on the counter while she finishes up with work. Then they cook dinner together, moving around the kitchen effortlessly while they talk about their days. 

Dinner is always eaten in the living room while they watch something on TV. George cleans up the kitchen while Y/N empties his hockey bag, throwing his sweaty gear into the washing machine before repacking his bag with fresh athletic gear and a clean practice jersey. They get ready for bed together, standing at the his and hers sinks in the bathroom as they brush their teeth. George is usually the first to fall asleep, and Y/N will read or scroll on her phone until she too goes to bed, and then they wake up in the morning to do it all over again. 

George didn’t think they’d fall into a routine so easily, but he’s been pleasantly surprised so far. He finds that every night after a long day of camp he’s looking forward to seeing Y/N at home, and the little texts they exchange during his breaks have become his favorite part of the day. Even falling asleep next to her has become second nature, and George will never get tired of the fact that his bed has started to smell like the both of them. 

He figured it would be an adjustment, having someone else and their stuff in a space that has always been just his. But George loves seeing the touches of herself that Y/N has started to leave around the apartment. It’s always a thrill when he enters the closet and her clothes are hanging up next to his. He loves the rumpled blanket she always leaves on the couch, and the sight of her coffee mug in the sink next to his in the afternoon always makes him happy. 

They’re living the life George always wanted, and he’s already dreading the day it comes to an end. But the inevitable heartbreak is worth it to see the way Y/N lights up when he gets home in the afternoon. 

“What’s got you in such a good mood, Weasel,” Thomas, the Rebel’s goalie, states as he slides into the seat across from George. 

They’re on break for lunch, and George was taking advantage of the opportunity to text Y/N back. 

“Yeah, you’ve been a lot more smiley, Weasel,” Adam, a defenseman, adds as he sits next to George. 

“What? Is it a fucking crime to be happy?” George asks with an eyeroll. 

Before he has a chance to even react Thomas is reaching over and snatching George’s phone out of his hand. “No it’s not a crime,” he starts, scrolling through the texts on George’s phone. “But I’m sure it has something to do with Y/N and why she’s asking you what you want for dinner tonight.”

“Fuck you,” George grumbles as he grabs his phone back, and he can feel the flush on his cheeks. He knows that the whole point of Y/N being his fake fiance is so he can show everyone how responsible he is, and in order to do that people have to know about her. But a part of George was hoping to keep Y/N to himself for just a little bit longer. 

“Weasel’s got a girlfriend!” Adam exclaims, ruffling George’s hair. “You’ve been holding out on us George, when the fuck did that happen? Who is she? Where’d you meet?”

“Yeah, give us all the details George, you owe it to us,” Thomas adds. 

“You two are worse than a couple of school girls for christ sake.” George takes a sip of his water, needing a second to compose himself. “It happened during the off season. I went back home for a bit, you know, to see the family and everything. Y/N and I dated before I was in the league and we reconnected. We didn’t want to be apart when I had to come back for the season so she moved in with me.”

“Holy fuck, look how red his cheeks are,” Thomas teases. “Our little Weasel’s in love.”

“Little lover boy,” Adam joins in, ruffling George’s hair again. “Fucking finally, Jenny has been dying for you to get a girlfriend, she said her and Olivia need a new drinking buddy.”

“Hell yeah, bring Y/N to team drinks tonight,” Thomas suggests with a grin. “You can’t keep her from us forever, and Olivia will castrate me if she finds out you have a girlfriend and I didn’t try to get you to bring her out.”

George huffs, thinking it over. They have a day off tomorrow, and he was kind of looking forward to doing nothing but hanging out on the couch with Y/N. But introducing her to the team and their partners is probably the most natural way for him being in a relationship to get back to Coach, and that’s the whole reason Y/N is here in the first place. 

“Alright fine,” he relents, causing the other men to cheer. “But you fuckers are on a short leash, you hear me? Say any weird shit and we’re gone.”

“We’ll be on our best behavior,” Adam promises, placing a hand on his heart. “Scout’s honor.”

“Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it.”

-

“Are you sure I look okay?” Y/N asks again, pausing just outside the entrance to the bar. 

It physically pains George to look her over, because the pair of jeans clinging to Y/N are so tight they look like they’ve been painted on and it’s taking all of his willpower and thoughts of his grandmother naked to keep him from popping a boner. The fabric showcases every single curve on her, and all he wants to do is plant one hand on her ass while the other grips the back of her neck as he kisses her senseless. 

But he can’t do that, so he settles for grabbing her hands to stop the way she tugs at the hem of her shirt. It’s just barely too short, letting a sliver of skin peek between the top of her jeans and the bottom of the shirt, and Y/N has been tugging on it constantly. As if another few inches of fabric will suddenly unravel and cover her completely. 

“For the millionth time, you look incredible, baby,” George reassures her, taking too much pride in the way her cheeks flush. “You have nothing to be nervous about, Y/N. This is just a casual hang out with my friends.”

“I know, I know. You’re right,” Y/N agrees. George intertwines their fingers, squeezing her hands and it sends butterflies fluttering through her tummy. “I just want your friends to like me, and I don’t want to fuck up this whole fake fiancé thing.”

George can feel the cool band of Y/N’s engagement ring pressing into his skin, and he’d be lying if he said it doesn’t send a thrill through his body. He thought it would be strange, seeing the ring on her finger knowing that he’s the one who put it there. But every time he gets a glimpse of the diamond it feels like it has always been there, a feeling which George has carefully boxed up and stuffed to the back of his mind. 

“You have nothing to worry about,” George soothes, releasing one of Y/N’s hands so he can pull her behind as he pushes through the door to the bar. “All I told the guy’s is that you and I dated when we were younger and reconnected when I went home during the off season. Technically none of that is a lie.”

Y/N nods in agreement as George drags her into Maynards. Except for the rowdy crowd in the corner that is very clearly George’s teammates, it’s practically empty and she feels some of her nerves drift away. Pretending in front of people George knows is one thing, but having to put that facade up in front of fans with phones is a whole nother story. On the drive over George had explained that Maynards was the team’s go to spot because it’s close to the arena, but is so dingy and outdated that not too many people come in. The boy’s like the anonymity that Maynards provides, and it’s often the place they go when they just want to hang out for the night and spend some time together. 

Y/N feels honored to be let into that special club. 

It’s one of the guy’s girlfriends that notices them first, and the rest of Y/N’s nerves float away at the look of pure joy that crosses the stranger’s face. 

“Holy fuck, Thomas wasn’t lying!” The girl shouts excitedly, causing the few people standing with them to turn and look their way. She abandons her boyfriend, bounding over with her arms stretched out for a hug.

Except much to Y/N’s surprise she walks right past George, wrapping her arms around Y/N instead. “I’m Olivia, it’s so nice to meet you.”

Y/N returns Olivia’s hug with the arm that isn’t attached to the hand George is still holding on to, returning the tight squeeze. “It’s nice to finally meet you, George has told me so much about you.”

Which isn’t a total lie, from the time George got home until they reached the bar he’d given her a brief run down on everyone she’d be meeting tonight. He’d spent the most time talking about Thomas, Adam and their girlfriends, since they are who he’s closest with on the team and who he spends the most time with off the ice. 

“Well he’s told us absolutely nothing about you, so we’ve got a ton of catching up to do.” Olivia releases Y/N from her embrace, grabbing her hand instead. Except as she starts to drag her away, George keeps his own grip on Y/N tight, catching her in the middle. 

“Y/N is my date, Olivia, you just can’t steal her,�� George huffs, pouting at them. 

Olivia rolls her eyes, clearly used to George’s antics. “Sharing is caring, Georgie,” she mocks, tugging on Y/N so George has no choice but to release her hand. “You’ll get her back, I promise.”

Before she disappears into the crowd with Olivia, Y/N shoots George a reassuring smile over her shoulder, a silent signal not to worry about her. 

If only she knew that George’s reluctance to let her go has nothing to do with worry, but his overwhelming need to feel her hand in his. 

-

“So what was Weasel like back in high school? Was he always such a little shit?” Thomas asks with a grin. 

They’ve been at the bar for a few hours, and despite her initial nerves, Y/N is actually having fun. Olivia had dragged her over to where Jenny, Adam’s girlfriend, and some of the other player’s partners were huddled together and it was as if they were old friends. After a few margaritas and getting to know each other the guys had wandered over. George had immediately wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing Y/N in close so her back was pressed to his front. That’s where she stayed as his friends asked her what felt like a million questions about George. 

“Weasel?” she responds, wrinkling her nose. Y/N tilts her head back so she can look up at George. “That’s what they call you? I’m ashamed, it’s not very creative. Woody was way better.”

George’s cheeks immediately flush at the reminder of his old nickname, causing Thomas and Adam to whoop in laughter. “You’re a little menace, you know that?” he murmurs in her ear, squeezing her waist. 

“Woody? Now that’s a story I want to hear,” Adam says, his eyes lit with excitement. 

Y/N goes to tell the story, but before she can even utter a word George claps his free hand over her mouth, muffling her words. “No, nope. I will not let you hooligans rope my fiancé into your shenanigans.”

 Everyone around them goes silent. When Olivia had referred to Y/N as George’s girlfriend earlier she didn’t correct her, figuring there was a reason why he hadn’t told his friends about the engagement. So she went right along with it, keeping her left hand tucked into her pocket as much as possible. 

“I’m sorry, did you say fiancé?” Jenny asks, her voice loud enough to draw looks from those around them.

“Um. Surprise?” George responds sheepishly, dropping the hand he has over Y/N’s mouth to grab her left hand instead. He lifts it up to show everyone the ring, and even in the dim light of the bar the diamond shines. 

“Oh my god! Congratulations!” Olivia shouts as Jenny giggles, and the girls take Y/N’s hand from George so they can examine the ring more closely. 

“Damn, Weasel. You’ve broken the hearts of female hockey fans all over the country,” Adam teases, clapping George on the shoulder. “No wonder you’ve been in such a fantastic mood lately. Congrats.”

Thomas winks at George. “Yeah, congratulations or whatever, but let’s get back to the conversation.” His eyes sheen with mischief and George lets out a groan. “Why the fuck did they call you Woody?”

The girls dissolve into a fit of giggles as Y/N looks up at George for approval. But when he gives her a pleading look all Y/N does is wink before she refocuses her attention back on the group and launches into the story.

“Well you see, it all started back when we were in high school, and George was away with the junior team for the first time.”

George tunes out the rest of the story, not needing to listen as Y/N recounts the story of how he got caught jerking off in his hotel room the night before his first game in the junior league. Instead he focuses on the bright smile on her face, and how the people he cares about most react to her. He can already tell that Jenny and Olivia have accepted Y/N as one of their own, and he knows she has Adam and Thomas’ stamp of approval too. 

Y/N fits into their group flawlessly and it makes his chest feel warm. George tightens his grip on her waist, and he never wants to let her go. 

-

They spend a large part of the next day on the couch. Y/N is too hungover to move and George wants to be wherever she is. With each of their heads at one end of the couch their legs are intertwined in the middle, both of them content to just watch movies and eat snacks all day. It isn’t until the sun is starting to get lower in the sky that George finally speaks. 

“We should go out somewhere for dinner tonight.”

Y/N raises an eyebrow as she raises her eyes to meet his. “You suddenly get bit by the going out bug?” she teases.

George chuckles. “No, I’d much rather lay around all day with you. But if we want people to believe we’re engaged we should probably be seen out and about together.”

At least that’s the excuse he’s come up with. In reality last night he started to come to the realization that he doesn’t want this engagement to be fake. Y/N had fallen asleep as soon as they crawled in bed but George had laid awake watching her closely as he reflected on the night and the last several years. 

Because being at that bar with Y/N is the happiest he’d been in a long time, and when he really thought about it, the last time he remembers being truly happy was before he ended things with Y/N. Even the day he was drafted and his first game in the NHL didn’t come close to being his happiest memory, because she wasn’t there with him. 

So George made a decision last night. Fuck being named Captain, his one and only goal is to make Y/N fall in love with him again. That way he can marry her for real, and he never has to think about what life will be like without her by his side. He’d stayed awake for hours formulating a plan, and this is just step one. 

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Y/N agrees. “But nowhere fancy, okay? I still feel like shit. You weren’t kidding, Olivia and Jenny go hard.”

George agrees to her stipulation, and he finds himself returning the grin on Y/N’s face. Operation Get Y/N to fall in love is officially a go. 

-

“Remember that time at Rosie’s when Fred made you laugh so hard milkshake came out of your nose?”

George attempts to laugh at the memory, choking on the sip of milkshake he’s just taken. “Oh god, don’t remind me,” he spits out once his coughing calms down. “I smelled vanilla for weeks after that.”

Y/N giggles at the grimace on George’s face as she settles back into the booth. To comply with her request not to go anywhere fancy, they’re at a dingy dinner a few blocks from the apartment that George swore has the best milkshakes in all of Chicago. And as Y/N takes a sip of hers, she can’t help but agree. 

“That was also the first time we held hands,” Y/N reminds him, blush coating her cheeks. They were twelve and George had been so embarrassed that Y/N had reached out to squeeze his hand and he never let go. Two weeks later they went on their first date, and a week after that they were boyfriend and girlfriend. 

“I was so nervous that I threw up when I got home,” George admits with a grin. “I told Fred it was because I could still feel milkshake dripping out of my nose, but really it was because the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen had held my hand.”

He lays his arm across the table, palm up in invitation. Without a moment of hesitation Y/N places her hand in George’s and a shiver runs up her spine when he grasps her fingers. George brushes his fingers over her knuckles, and they sit in silence as George looks at their intertwined hands and she looks at him.

“What happened, George?” Y/N asks suddenly, her voice shaky. “I thought things were going so well and then suddenly they weren’t.” 

“I was scared,” he admits after a few moments of silence, still refusing to meet her gaze. “I always knew the NHL was my future, but getting that call, that Chicago was going to offer me a rookie contract, scared the shit out of me. I still had two years until they were going to call me up, and so much could have happened. They could have decided to drop me, or I could have had a career ending injury. And I had no Plan B. Hockey came first, my grades were barely passable and I had no passion for anything else. Without the NHL I would be nothing, and I couldn’t burden you like that. I figured letting you go so you could find someone worthy of your love was better than dragging you down with me.”

“George,” Y/N whispers, at a loss for what to say. Her heart aches in her chest, because George may have been the one to break them, but Y/N didn’t fight hard enough to save them. She knew something was wrong with George, and that he hadn’t suddenly become a heartless asshole after nearly ten years together. Y/N wishes she had stayed that day, refused to leave until George talked to her about what was really going on. 

Maybe if she had the engagement ring on her finger would be real, and it would have saved them both years of pain and longing. 

Before she can say anything else the waitress is back with their food, and they pull apart as she places the plates down in front of them. She’s gone in another instant, and even though everything smells and looks amazing, Y/N has suddenly lost her appetite. 

-

The next morning there are pictures of them all over social media, with several different sports sites publishing articles about how hockey’s hottest bachelor is officially off the market. Y/N hadn’t even noticed people taking their photo, but she’s glad that they all seem to have been taken before things got awkward. In each photo they’re both smiling, and there’s even a few where you can clearly see a blush outlined on George’s cheeks. 

They actually look in love, and it makes Y/N feel sick. 

Things were weird between them the rest of the night and George was up and out of the house to head to camp before Y/N was awake. Her only shred of hope has been the fact that George had still left a fresh pot of coffee for her. Maybe this whole thing isn’t over before it really even got started. 

Because Y/N has decided it’s time to stop playing the long game and merely hoping that this whole thing ends with her and George together for real. Y/N is going to get George Weasley to fall in love with her again even if it kills her. After his confession yesterday, Y/N knows now more than ever that George is the man she is supposed to end up with, and she is not going to give him up again without a fight. 

Will she ever forget how he had hurt her that day? Of course not. 

But what matters is that she’s forgiven him, and she’s ready to show George that what they have now can be real. 

She barely focuses on work all day, formulating a plan and figuring out her next steps. By the time George gets home that afternoon, his usual protein shake is waiting and Y/N is ready. Operation get George Weasley to fall in love with her is a go.

-

Y/N decides to make her move that night when they’re in bed. The awkwardness between them had started to fade as they fell into their evening routine, and by the time they were eating dinner on the couch together they were laughing and joking around again. While they hadn’t talked about what George said at the diner, it seemed they had come to a silent agreement to leave the past in the past and to keep moving forward. 

With only one week of training camp left before preseason starts, the focus of camp has shifted from running drills to starting to run plays, so when Y/N crawls into bed that night George is still awake, sitting up against the headboard as he reviews his book of plays. 

She mirrors his position, keeping only a few inches of space between them as she starts to read her romance novel. Y/N keeps glancing at George out of the corner of her eye, not really paying attention to the words on the page. After a few minutes she gives up, huffing as she shuts her book before angling her body to face George. 

“I’ve been thinking,” she trails off, waiting for George to give her his full attention. 

“That can’t be good,” he jests, placing his playbook on the nightstand before he turns to face her as well. “What’s been going on in that pretty little head of yours?”

Y/N rolls her eyes, but there’s a smile on her face. “Well I saw all the pictures of us people were posting this morning, and I was thinking about that family skate thing and the team dinner you were talking about and how if we’re going to be out and around people, there’s probably certain things they are going to expect from us.”

“Like?” George asks, urging her to continue. 

“Like PDA things,” she explains, swallowing the nerves threatening to creep up her throat. “Holding hands, touching, cuddling. Kissing.”

“Oh,” George murmurs, his cheeks turning pink. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“So I was thinking maybe we should practice. Doing all of that stuff. That way when we’re in front of people it doesn’t look weird or awkward. It looks like something we do all the time.” When George doesn’t say anything Y/N feels her stomach drop, and embarrassment flushes her cheeks. “Nevermind, forget I said anything,” she dismisses, kicking herself for even bringing it up. 

But before she can turn her back to George and pretend to sleep he grabs her wrist, using his grip to pull Y/N even closer. “Sorry, I was just processing. You’re right. No one will believe we’re engaged if we look like two chickens pecking at each other when we try to kiss or if you flinch every time I touch your ass.”

Without giving her a chance to respond George grips the back of Y/N’s neck, pulling her into a kiss as his other arm wraps around her waist. There’s no hesitation as they kiss for the first time in years, and Y/N feels fireworks as George’s mouth melds against hers. 

George breaks their kiss for a moment, muttering a quiet fuck before he’s kissing her again with more force. Angling her head back, George deepens the kiss and Y/N moans as he nips at her bottom lip. She shivers as his tongue soothes the sharp pain before letting him lick into her mouth. 

Next thing she knows George is pulling her closer, dragging her so she’s straddling his lap. Her own hands grip his shoulders as George massages the back of her neck, his other hand wandering down to cup her ass. He drags her even closer, and they both let out a gasp as his hard cock presses between her thighs, nestled just where she needs him most. 

As Y/N rocks against him, moaning as his cock nudges her throbbing clit, the reality that they are about to cross a line that they will never be able to come back from hits them both. In the blink of an eye Y/N is back on her side of the bed, hair tousled from George’s grip and her breathing heavy. She spares a glance at George, happy to find that he looks just as affected. 

“So I think that was enough practice, yeah?” George doesn’t even wait for Y/N’s response before he’s up and out of bed, one hand trying to cover the tent in his sweatpants as he rushes into the bathroom. A second after the door closes Y/N hears the shower turn on, and she can’t help but slip a hand under her sleep shorts. 

Phase one complete. 

-

They haven’t kissed again since that first night early in the week, but much to both of their delight, physical touch starts to become a regular part of their relationship. When they’re out in public George doesn’t hesitate to grab Y/N’s hand, and he often keeps a hand on her lower back to guide her. Now when George gets home he seeks her out, sometimes content to rub her shoulders as she works, sometimes so desperate to feel her close that he hauls her from the chair into a hug. While they cook dinner together they’re constantly brushing against one another, and Y/N is practically in George’s lap while they eat. 

The space they try to keep in bed at night has been completely erased, with George refusing to fall asleep until Y/N is wrapped in his arms. Her plan is working even better than she could have imagined and she can’t wait to show off their new found closeness tonight at the Rebel’s family skate. 

Training camp is officially over, and every year to celebrate the team hosts a family skate night. The guys get to bring their wives or girlfriends and their kids, and everyone just gets to have fun together on the ice before the craziness of the season starts to take over. Preseason starts next week, and after the first game at home on Tuesday, the team will be gone for the better part of the next three weeks. Which makes tonight at open skate and tomorrow’s team dinner Y/N’s last chances to really get close to George before they are apart again. 

“When do you think is the last time we skated together?” George asks as he steps out onto the ice, holding his hands out so he can help Y/N enter the rink. 

In years past George never really cared for family skates considering the fact that he never really had anyone to bring with him, but he’s been looking forward to this all week. Not only did he and Y/N meet on the ice, but ice skating was their first date, making this the perfect next step in his plan to get her to fall in love with him again. 

Y/N thinks about it as she grabs George’s hands and joins him. “Probably a family skate back when you were in the juniors. You used to have to bribe me with kisses to get on the ice.”

George keeps Y/N’s hands in his, starting to slowly skate backwards, pulling her along. “Mmm, that reminds me.” He pulls her in closer, leaning down and kissing her briefly. “Thank you for skating with me.”

She knows it’s for show, but it makes her heart rate pick up anyway. “You’re welcome. But I think I deserve one more kiss for being so brave.”

“Y/N, you can have as many kisses as you want,” George murmurs as he leans down before pressing their lips together again. 

Their kiss is much longer this time, and Y/N is just about to open her mouth for George’s tongue when someone skates by, stopping sharply to spray them with ice. 

“Adam, fuck you,” George growls as they pull apart, glaring at the other man as he skates away. 

Y/N laughs, pushing George away to put some distance between them. There are children present after all. “You look so cute when you’re mad.”

“Only when I’m mad?” George pouts playfully, bringing his attention back to her. 

“Nah, you’re cute all the time,” she reassures him, momentarily releasing one of his hands so she can boop him on the nose. The smile that graces his lips takes her breath away, and Y/N tilts her chin, silently requesting another kiss. 

George immediately obliges, pressing their lips together in a sweet kiss. It’s over far too quickly for Y/N’s liking, but George keeps her close as they continue to skate around the rink. It’s nice, just being there with him, and Y/N lets her gaze wander around as they move. 

It’s funny, watching these guys who are so big and broad glide around with their kids. The ones who are too young to skate are just being held in their dad’s arms, bundled up in little snowsuits. There’s a few toddlers too, wearing little skates and a tiny version of their dad’s jersey as they’re guided along the ice. Some of the kids are even old enough to hold sticks, and they’re skating around passing pucks with their fathers before taking turns shooting on the goal. 

It hits Y/N then, that if this all works out that could be her and George next year. A tiny baby in his big broad arms, wearing a jersey that says Daddy across the back with George’s number underneath it. A few of the wives have custom jerseys as well, with Mrs. Last name embroidered on the back and their husband’s number underneath. She’s sure that George would insist on her having one too. 

Y/N’s attention refocuses on George as they slow and they come to a stop in front of the home bench, where George’s coach is tightening up his daughter’s skates. George wraps his arms around Y/N’s waist, pulling her back into his chest. 

“Coach,” he greets when the other man turns and acknowledges them. “I just wanted to introduce you to my fiancé, Y/N.”

“Daniel Morris.” His voice is gruff, and Y/N takes the hand he offers, giving it a brief shake. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet the woman who’s lit a fire under this ogre’s ass,” he teases with a grin. “Weasley has been playing his best these past few weeks, and we have you to thank.”

“Oh well, I don’t know about that,” Y/N brushes off, hoping the pink tint on her cheeks can be blamed on the cold. “But thank you. It’s nice to meet the guy George is always bitching about.”

Morris lets out a loud laugh, grabbing the attention of almost every single player out on the ice. “I like her George, you better keep this one around.”

“Oh trust me, Coach,” George starts with a grin, flicking his gaze down to Y/N. “I intend to.”

And that’s the truth.

-

“God I’m so sore,” Y/N moans as she crawls into bed that night, flopping down onto the pillows. “I don’t know how you do that every day. I barely did anything and my body aches like I just climbed Mount Everest.”

George shakes his head as he chuckles and he rubs a comforting hand down Y/N’s back. “Years and years of conditioning, baby. Where did you think all these muscles came from?” He flexes, causing Y/N to laugh. 

“I do love your hockey butt,” she teases, giving George a wink. 

“And I love your regular butt,” he responds, playfully giving it a slap. “C’mere, let me make you feel better.”

George maneuvers her so they’re cuddled close, one of Y/N’s legs slung over his hips with her chest pressed against his own. She presses her face into the crook of his neck, and a shiver wracks through his body when she kisses the sensitive skin there. George starts to rub circles into the tight muscles of her back, his fingers applying just enough pressure to work the kinks out without hurting her. 

“Feel good?” he asks after a few moments, and Y/N lets out a moan of appreciation. “Good,” he murmurs as his hand starts to trail down her back. He pauses for a moment on the curve of her ass, digging his fingers in for a moment before continuing down to the thigh he has slung over his hips. George repeats the same motions as he did on her back, working out the muscles of her thighs. 

George threads his free hand through the hair on the back of Y/N’s head and he slowly starts to scratch at her scalp. The gentleness of George’s simple intimacy brings tears to her eyes, and Y/N shuts her eyes to keep them from escaping. It’s easy to pretend when they’re like this, that this is just a normal night and they’re just a normal couple taking care of each other before they fall asleep in each other’s arms. 

As Y/N starts to slowly fall asleep she sends out every piece of good karma she has out into the universe, wishing that her plan to make George fall in love with her works. Because she’s already head over heels in love with this man, and if he breaks her heart again she’ll never be the same.  

#george weasley #george weasley imagine #george weasley fic #george weasley fanfiction #george weasley fan fiction #george weasley au #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter au #gw #golden

[autumnmobile12]

Felt like sharing some speculation today:

All right, so we know My Hero Academia has the something of the same premise as X-Men in the sense that select a group of humans were suddenly born with powers, the whole 'evolution leaps forward’ deal.

We see in My Hero how the First Generation of people with Quirks, especially the ones who appeared non-human or semi non-human, were originally ostracized like the mutants of X-Men are, but then more people were born with powers and then more people had powers until it became a widespread phenomenon and ‘normal’ people became the minority and society had to restructure itself to accommodate the new normal.

But have you read The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black?

The plot is a 19th century doctor who theorizes that mythical creatures like the minotaur, harpies, sirens, and the like all existed millions of years ago but slowly interbred with humanity and eventually died out altogether.  So he believed that when someone was born with extra fingers, limbs, a tail or otherwise didn’t have the typical human shape, it wasn’t so much a mistake in genetic coding as it was the extremely recessive genetics of those ancient creatures trying to reoccur in the modern day.

...

Definitely an interesting premise, so now I’m wondering if the My Hero world has a cult, conspiracy theorists, or even some scientists/historians that have similar views regarding mythology.

If this whole Quirk thing happened back in the Stone Age where no one had the benefit of science or awareness of DNA, anyone born with an otherworldly power would have been worshipped as a deity. Or the ones born with a non-human appearance would have been reviled as monsters.

So following the idea of The Resurrectionist, maybe the sudden appearance of superpowers did lead people to take a closer look at the old myths and consider the stories of the gods/goddesses of old were originally stories of people with 'Quirks' who rose to power.  Humans with meta-powers ruled the world for a few centuries, then those powers inexplicably died off. For a variety of reasons or maybe unknown reasons, humanity lost that history but remembered the old stories and chalked them up to just myth until the powers that made it possible began to reappear full force several millennia later.

Some myths began as historical events but in being handed down hundreds of generations, the multiple tellings and retellings exaggerated them into the realm of impossibility.

Lightning/electricity powers:  Zeus, Thor, Hinon

Fire powers:  Hephaistos, Surtr, Hestia, the phoenix

Foresight:  Any seer, prophet, or oracle that appears in any myth ever

Ice powers:  Yuki-onna, Skadi, Morana

Water powers:  Poseidon, Chalchiuhtlicue, Anuket, Tlaloc

Plant-related Quirks:  Demeter

Gigantification Quirks: Giants, titans, nephilim

Ryukyu:  Is a dragon.  ‘nuff said.

All Might:  Herakles

Tokoyami having a bird head but otherwise appearing human is pretty reminiscent of the old Egyptian gods.

Hawks:  Any winged creature; take your pick.  Personally, the one that comes to mind for me is Hermes.  He only had wings on his sandals, sure, but the trickster archetype resonates.

Tsuyu: Naiads, nymphs, rusalki, any kind of water fae

Momo: Sedna (created sea life from her finger bones), Ukemochi no Kami (produces food from her own body)

Best Jeanist: This one's a bit of a reach, but the fabric thread thing coupled with the long, spider-like limbs kinda brings to mind the story of Arachne the weaver.

We do get a nod to Ancient Greek mythology with the prison Tartarus.  What better place to lock away beings with god-like powers than the prison of the Titans itself?

Obviously an incomplete list, but you see my point.

Personally, I'm leaning toward cultist ideology with this one as I find it hard to believe every civilization would have forgotten about a previous appearance of Quirks. But civilizations die off, civilizations are overrun by others and their histories are suppressed, maybe this hypothetical 'previous Quirk phenomenon' wasn't as widespread as the current one and so fewer people were affected and therefore fewer people were alive to verify the truth of facts, maybe this hypothetical time was from an age of oral history and nothing was documented properly, so not impossible just really, really improbable.

Still, I love mythology and I find it an interesting headcanon to think about.

#my hero academia #the resurrectionist #hawks #fumikage tokoyami #keigo takami #ryukyu #mythology #folklore #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #headcanons #quirks #all might #yagi toshinori #tsuyu asui #momo yaoyorozu #denki kaminari #tartarus #best jeanist #dabi #endeavor #shouto todoroki #heteromorphs

[butterflydm]

wot reread: a memory of light (ch 5-6)

spoilers through a memory of light, the last book in the series

Rand wakes up next to Aviendha, and goes to the tent entrance to glance at the busy camp, already at work on preparing for the day. "Everyone knew these were their last moments before the storm arrived".

2. Aviendha sneaks up on Rand, delighted that she managed to succeed despite the bond. She had to move very slowly and carefully but she manages to startle him when he turns around to see her right there, still naked.

Yeah, if I were restructuring WoT as a whole, I think I would place the bond way later in time than it happened in the books. Like "last night" late. Still have the love confessions happen in WH (and Rand finally sleeping with Elayne) but don't have Elayne suggest bonding yet (honestly, when you look at Rand's arc as a whole, it's kinda weird that he's willing to agree to bonding at that time).

And when Rand sneaks off with Nynaeve, he should leave Min behind in Caemlyn too, which would (a.) actually give Min time to bond with Elayne & Aviendha and (b.) actually let Rand be genuinely emotionally alone and isolated for the arc where we're constantly being TOLD that he's alone and isolated and finally (c). be a much better reason why Min never tells Rand that Elayne is pregnant than 'doesn't remember due to being blackout drunk from jealousy'. Then Aviendha trains when she's in Caemlyn, and instead of going to Arad Doman with the rest of the Wise Ones, she goes to Rhuidean at that point (since Min is still in Caemlyn; you could have the Semirhage thing be a non-romantic moment where Rand breaks through to save Nynaeve or one of the Maidens). And then the actual bonding happens once the four of them are all reunited in Merrilor before the Last Battle. Plus, this means that Alanna stays important to the story as Cadsuane's Rand mood-ring.

Anyway, obviously not something that Jordan could have done, because he had not yet written all the parts that would need to be restructured. But in an ideal world. Because as it is, after the bond happens in WH, it's extremely underutilized. And Rand doubting that he can really love all three of them without that being an issue between them makes a lot more sense if he hasn't already experienced their affection through the bond.

3. Also, Rand being able to feel the land here ("The Dragon is one with the land" as we were told in EotW) is really neat and I like it a lot. He can feel the life of the land and also how precarious it all is.

4. There's still a bit of a culture clash going on, as Rand is puzzled at how Aviendha can find their first time together (back in TFoH) to now be something that can't be talked about at all (because she has met her toh over it to Elayne), which I like. They were raised in very different cultures. Aviendha also has definitely accepted here the idea that she plans to live in the wetlands, post-Last Battle, and is faintly wistful that they have no time for a bath before the big meeting (in one hour).

5. Ah, and Aviendha here shows us that it seems likely that the Aiel, out of all the nations, may have the easiest time of adjusting to the notion of men being able to channel now that saidin is clean -- she says that concern over men channeling now would be like refusing to forget toh after it has been met. This makes a lot of sense to me when I think about it -- we know that Aiel men who can channel historically left their clans to go face an honorable death in the Blight (even if we've just learned in this book that was being thwarted by the Dark One) so the Aiel haven't really been villainizing male channelers the way that so many cultures have done.

And Rand uses the One Power to give them a shared shower together. A nice hot shower like they used to have in the AoL. Aviendha does not find Rand's ancient memories at all off-putting, the way that Min did. She just teases him that he was easier to manage before he had his new ancient wisdom. They are being so cute together. 🥰🥰🥰

6. But, yeah, I love how Rand feels comfortable talking about the Age of Legends and what "we" did back then with Aviendha, with no worries that she's going to judge him or freak out on him. She 100% teases him and gives him shit about it, though. And when she criticizes the AoL attitudes as naive, he agrees with her. This is also when she requests her future 'boon' from Rand and while it would definitely be nice if she just... told him about her vision, I love the way that she makes her request, because it's couched in a way that is full of not denying his consent in the matter and with respect for her partner:

"Rand, today, I will request a boon."

"What boon? I'm not certain I could deny you anything today, Aviendha."

"I'm not certain yet what it will be."

"I don't understand."

"You needn't understand. And you needn't promise me you will agree. I felt I needed to give you warning, as one does not ambush a lover. My boon will require you to change your plans, perhaps in a drastic way, and it will be important."

Also, on a physical level, I like that Rand likes how rough Aviendha's hands are. <3

7. We switch to Egwene's PoV at this point. In this book, there has been a lot of mid-chapter PoV swapping and I'm not certain that I like it. I mean, that's kinda the reason that Sanderson gave for why he cut scenes like the bridal wreaths scene -- because it might have felt frivolous when set against the attack on Caemlyn (but Perrin and Rand yukking it up didn't??) -- but if there was less mid-chapter PoV swapping, then you could add more of those character beats in without it feeling jarring, because you could continue the story on to move back to a serious plot beat before swapping to the Black Tower storyline in the next chapter or whatnot. It's a self-created problem, is what I'm saying. Jordan would occasionally do mid-chapter PoV swaps but it was much more sparing. I understand the urge to always have the scene be in what you feel is the 'most effective' PoV for that part of the scene but sometimes the story is stronger as a whole if you don't constantly do that. I feel like maybe the PoV swapping extravaganza should possibly have been saved for chapter 37.

8. Egwene is trying to interpret her dreams while they happen. A glass column of light; trying to hold the world together and it continuing to break under her hands. When she wakes up, she's temporarily disorientated, because she's sleeping in a different room than normal, with her own room in the White Tower still being put to rights after the attempted assassination. She's been commuting to the Field of Merrilor, essentially, lol.

Gawyn reads a letter about the latest news from Caemlyn and they talk about "the Seanchan woman" (aka Leilwin née Egeanin) who Nynaeve has said won't cause them any 'intentional' harm. A glowing endorsement! Egwene, much like Rand, is worried that they will have to fight the Seanchan and the Trollocs at the same time (another thing that Mat is sheltered from -- from what I recall, I don't think he ever finds out how much danger all his friends were in from his slaver wife, because the narrative needs to keep the illusion alive for Mat for as long as possible).

9. Hundreds of thousands of people are reported dead in the Caemlyn attack. That's hundreds of thousands of lives that Mat could have saved if he'd been slightly less mistrusting of Aes Sedai. And the city itself is lost, at least for now. The city had also housed much of the planned food supply for Elayne's troops for the Last Battle, also now lost. They also get word of the time for the day's big meeting, and it's in half an hour, so they get moving. (Gawyn suggest letting Rand wait but Egwene says it would be a bad idea to allow Rand to fully set the narrative for the upcoming meeting).

10. Every nation but Murandy, Arad Doman, and the Seanchan-held lands is represented at this meeting. Darlin (of Tear) is worried deeply about the Seanchan threat to his lands, we learn, and so will stand with Egwene if need be, because she has promised him Gateways back to Tear, if he should need to bring his army back to face the Seanchan. But both Darlin and Gregorin (the steward of Illian) tell Egwene that Rand is willing to listen to reasonable arguments. See Egwene's worries here about how much she could trust 'the man he had become' would resonate a lot more in general, if her last meeting with Rand had been ruthless!Rand.

She is surprised to see that, despite what she'd thought going into this meeting, that the flag of Arad Doman is present after all. And so is the flag of Murandy. So only the Seanchan-held lands are not present.

11. Rand arrives, wearing red and gold, and with a carpet of fresh grass growing under his feet (because he's One with the Land <3). The impact that this would have had if she'd only seen ruthless!Rand in ToM and not zen!Rand. It's still pretty good but it could have been an even bigger moment for Egwene. The grass spreads outward until the entire area that the leaders are standing on is covered in green. Egwene sends Gawyn off to see if one of the Aes Sedai & Asha'man pairs will spill the beans on what weave Rand might be using to cause such an effect.

12. He has a large floating bundle that unravels as he walks, setting an enormous pavilion ahead on the green. Egwene reluctantly admires his showmanship, lol. Without breaking stride, he tells all the gathered leaders that they can bring five people with them each, and then heads into the tent. lol at Min being a prop just like the saidin glowbulbs are props. There she is, clinging to Rand's arm like a bracelet, as has been her duty since fucking A Crown of Swords. The Hero's Reward For His Sacrifices And Suffering. When I think of how interesting Min's storyline could have been and then think of how pointless it has been... it's just really sad and frustrating.

Okay, actually, here's a good time to mention an element of weird: Elayne just casually mentioned to Egwene that Aviendha spent the night with Rand. So, off-screen, Elayne has apparently shared the whole "all three of us love him and are in a relationship with him" thing with Egwene, because Egwene has zero thoughts or feelings about the fact that Elayne is pregnant with Rand's kids, Aviendha spent the night with him, and Min is stapled to him today. This is the same woman who believed in ToM that Gawyn shouldn't share a bedroom with her because they were unmarried, mind you. And she has zero thoughts or feelings about Rand hooking up with three different women while not married to any of them; she just recites the facts without any kind of response to them. You'd think that this would come up when she was thinking about how much he'd changed from the boy she used to know!

I say again, definitely not for the first time:

Stop having important emotional moments happen off-screen!

13. When Elayne enters the tent, she and Rand smile at each other, and Egwene is like "ugh, how can she be so pleased and impressed with him!" before reluctantly admitting that she feels some pride in how much he has accomplished as well. When Perrin ("and his wife") and Nynaeve come in, they go stand by Rand, as does Cadsuane. But again, Egwene apparently has no opinion about Min clinging to Rand while Elayne smiles at him from the other side of the tent. Egwene is not a character who is shy about having opinions!

14. Rand thought that the king of Murandy might be Demandred, I'm guessing, by the way all his people went on alert and him going to stare at the guy and then going, "you're not him. Where is he?" but poor Egwene is so baffled by this.

Rand lays out the situation and says that one of the big problems of the last Age is that they weren't all united against the Shadow -- each general led on their own (with LTT being just as guilty of this fault as anyone else). Another emotional beat that kinda fell by the wayside of hurrying to the ending: whenever Rand has revealed in the past that he has LTT's memories, it caused a lot more concern and fuss over his potential madness. Again, I do get why Sanderson would be like "we don't have time for that" but I do feel the need to note it.

15. Rand talks here about how he wants to prevent another Breaking, wants to prevent conflict from breaking out the moment that he's dead.

Ah, I wonder if Egwene's bizarrely uncharitable "Even Elayne had gobbled up another country" thought here is part of what contributed to the whole "Elayne is acting out of power-hunger" fandom belief even though we were actually told in Elayne's own PoV thoughts back in ToM that Elayne is acting out of thinking about the future and the looming threat of the Seanchan Empire. Between Birgitte's increasingly bitter PoV and Egwene throwing Elayne under the bus with the other rulers, readers choose to believe them over Elayne's own actual internal thoughts about her reasoning behind her choices. Though I feel like part of the issue there is how shortchanged the Elayne Takes Cairhien plotline ended up being -- if we'd spent more time getting to see Elayne navigate the politics of it, like we got to see with Caemlyn, then we would have gotten more of Elayne's own thoughts on the reasoning to balance everything out.

16. At this point, Rand presents "the Dragon's peace" -- one of the three things that he says he requires in exchange for him giving up his life to save the world.

Hmm, I wonder if getting Elayne's genuine reaction here was part of the reason that Rand has kept his distance from her? This way, the other rulers see her reaction alongside them and think of her as aligned with them instead of aligned with Rand?

I do feel like I don't really have any good idea here of whether or not the random leaders of the world know that Elayne and Rand are in a relationship but if I assume that they mostly don't, then that's an actual reason for Min to be clinging to Rand's arm here... but then Elayne kinda punctures that idea later in the scene and it kinda seems like, off the page, everyone did get a debriefing on the "so, the Dragon Reborn has three girlfriends, let's not make a big thing about it" issue. I feel like this is not something I should be so confused about at this point in the story, lol.

And I feel like this scene would make more sense if people (especially those not firmly on Rand's side) DON'T know about Rand and Elayne's relationship, because then Min clinging to Rand as a very visible "Hey! Look at me! Mistress to the Dragon Reborn!" distraction technique would make more sense (as part of a thing that the polycule worked out on purpose) and make her choice to do that seem more strategic and less like she's peeing all over Rand in public to make her claim on him. But, again, Elayne publicly telling Rand "I love you" later in this scene ruins that theory and we go back to 'Min feeling the need to reassert her claim after Aviendha slept with Rand last night' because we didn't get to actually see a scene where Min has been okay with the polycule and we've been left with possessive & jealous Min as our only 'on-screen' Min (didn't have to be the bridal wreaths scenes -- any scene of the three of them actually talking would have been nice to get! Bonus points if Rand is actually part of the discussion too!).

17. Egwene cuts off the discussions on this to ask after Rand's other two requests -- the first is that he essentially wants Egwene's blessing on breaking the seals (though he plans to do it even if he doesn't get her blessing). But this leads up to Egwene and Rand having a big argument and... tbh, I don't envy Sanderson for needing to come up with a reason for Egwene and Rand to be so ~at odds~ in this last moment so that Moiraine can swoop in to save the day because it really makes no sense that they can't come to terms with each other! I'm not sure there's any argument that could have been worked up here that wouldn't feel at least a little artificial.

Given the paths that they've both walked to this point, it feels somewhat infantilizing that they need mom holding their hands in order to stop fighting with each other. If the reason you 'kill off' the mentor is to allow the students to reach their full potential, it really does kinda stifle/reverse that growth if it ends up that the mentor needs to come back to fix things.

Oh, and to quote Sanderson's retrospective on Moiraine coming back:

In his notes, Robert Jordan was very specific about the fact that Rand and Egwene needed to almost come to blows in the lead-up to the Last Battle. He called it the grand union of the armies against Rand, whose decisions were considered too radical, too dangerous, to be allowed to proceed. Moiraine was to be the force that brought the two of them together, unifying the armies of light, cementing her importance—and showing why she needed to be rescued by Mat before the Last Battle. (There were a lot of instructions about what Moiraine was to say, and some good writing on that meeting at the Field of Merrilor.)

Just in the interest of having all the appropriate information.

18. Random side note, I love Berelain's reaction to Rand's treaty (it really would be a huge blessing to teeny tiny countries like Mayene!). I just adore her basically going "two thumbs up, five stars, no notes" to the Dragon's Peace. But Berelain has been such a strong & loyal supporter of Rand for a very long time (and deserves a lot more credit for it than the books were willing to give her). idk it's a fun little side note.

19. Oh, and Rand's last request is that he wants full control over the armies for the Last Battle rather than everyone controlling their own army.

Yeah, Egwene thinks here that Rand is acting very much like an Aes Sedai (which feels like a counter-balance to Rand going all, "You're Not Like The Other Aes Sedai to Nynaeve" -- or, I guess, I would say that it counts as evidence that Rand's PoV in that chapter in ToM IS meant to be his own biased PoV and not the objective truth about Aes Sedai), and we also have her thinking that she can tell he still has strong emotions going on underneath the surface but that he's got them under much better control than before.

20. So, yeah, knowing that at least some of what Moiraine says and does here in the tent at Merrilor came directly from Jordan's notes does make me wonder how much that shaped some of the other plot points that happen in this discussion.

21. Man, I do not love having this chapter start out in Perrin's PoV. That really feels like the most useless of the potential PoVs. Either Rand or staying with Egwene would be so much better imo.

Anyway, we are in Perrin's PoV as we see Moiraine enter, and Perrin wonders why Mat isn't with Moiraine and he gets a vision of Mat... "on a horse, riding along a dusty road, tinkering with something he held". I will... hold off my thoughts about that until we actually get to a Mat PoV and I can evaluate it properly. But, just as a reminder: at the end of ToM, Mat was planning to return to Caemlyn and was suggesting that Moiraine do the same so that she could speak to Elayne before trying to talk to Rand. And the group of three did not bring any horses to the Tower of Ghenjei.

22. lol so much at Moiraine just blowing off any attempt to give Mat, Thom, or Noal/Jain credit for saving her and going right to "the Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills". Reminds me so much of people who attribute life-saving medical intervention to a miracle from a god and not the doctors & nurses who actually saved their lives. The real reason Mat isn't here: so that he doesn't die from anger & frustration at his sacrifice being completely brushed off by Moiraine.

Perrin also notes the presence of Thom coming in after Moiraine.

23. Rand kneels before Moiraine until she tells him not to, Egwene welcomes her back to the White Tower, and Nynaeve gives her a hug (as sweet as the Nynaeve hug is, I still think she would be better served being in the Black Tower plotline right now). Anyway, Moiraine Fixes Everything by giving everyone present a lecture on how they need to trust Rand and quoting prophecy at them until they give up and agree to go along with him.

24. Also, both the Aes Sedai and the Asha'man are randomly using the Power to smack anyone who protests Moiraine's presence/importance (which kinda does feel like another Jordan Throwback and not one that I super-enjoy).

25. What's weird is that Perrin thinks of Grady as "one of the nearby Asha'man" here but... he should be the person who brought Moiraine and Thom to Merrilor? How is he already at this meeting as one of Rand's Asha'man? How did Moiraine and Thom get here if Grady was already present? Moiraine has been stuck in the Tower of Ghenjei and so didn't have a chance to learn how to Travel yet. Grady was the one opening Gateways to the Tower of Ghenjei in order to retrieve Mat & co once they were done with their task. Did Grady bring Moiraine and Thom to Perrin's camp, and then leave and go over to Rand (without telling him about it), and then Moiraine and Thom eavesdropped on the meeting until the ~most dramatic moment~ for her to enter and save the day? Not that this is necessarily out of character for Moiraine, of course, but... that should mean that Mat is here too, because Mat was with Moiraine and Thom. The logistics of this are not adding up for me.

26. One of the Aes Sedai (Perrin doesn't know her name) points out that even if they all agree here to the Dragon's Peace, there's a huge flaw remaining -- the Seanchan.

...wow, Mat really should be here for this conversation. I'm feeling sorta like I did at the start of Crossroads of Twilight, where it feels like the author decided to do a major swerve from what was set up in the previous books. Logistically, Mat should have come to Merrilor with Moiraine & Thom... it's honestly difficult to see how he possibly avoided it? Assigned Gateway-maker Grady is at Merrilor. Literally right here, in this meeting. Perrin just mentioned him.

Logically: Mat should have arrived at Merrilor, mentioned that he had been planning to return to Caemlyn (for the Band & Olver) and found out that Caemlyn was attacked (learning from Talmanes that the knowledge of the attack was in the letter that Verin had left for him). This would bring his arc re: mistrusting Aes Sedai to an appropriate conclusion: mistrusting Aes Sedai so strongly has led to massive death on a scale as bad as anything in his war memories. Then Mat should have learned that the only thing holding back the potential peace for the world post-Last Battle is the Seanchan. He finds out how worried everyone is that the Seanchan will attack, either while the Last Battle is happening or afterwards.

Then, as a show of self-sacrifice (and guilt over letting Caemlyn be attacked), Mat tells Rand & co about his marriage and volunteers to be the one to go to Fortuona, to make one last desperate attempt at a peace treaty before the Last Battle. Because of his marriage, he's the best person for the job (making his marriage actually matter in the narrative and giving it a reason to have a prophecy about it).

Before he goes through a Gateway to Ebou Dar, he and Rand talk about Rand's LTT memories and Rand confesses to Mat that he believes that he genuinely is insane but that he has control of himself (basically shift over those two conversations that Perrin had with Rand earlier, the ones that felt like they had zero relevance to Rand and Perrin's friendship). This would bring Mat's arc re: Rand and the role of the Dragon Reborn to an appropriate emotional conclusion.

And this would mean that the Emond's Field Five actually all get to reunite before the Last Battle kicks off!

27. "I see what you're trying to do, Rand, and I love you for it." This is the wtf moment that kinda throws the 'what DO all the various random rulers know about Rand's relationships?' question into the pot. Visibly pregnant Elayne saying this to Rand while another woman was desperately clinging (silently) to his arm only minutes ago should be raising so many questions and red flags for the various rulers who are present here. Especially since Rand doesn't publicly reciprocate her affection here. I feel like just having Elayne say, "I see what you're trying to do, Rand, but that does not remove the fact that this document is fundamentally untenable" would have made a lot more sense here. There's no point to Rand and Elayne avoiding spending time with each other if Elayne is also throwing out 'I love you's in public. Pick a lane, essentially. But Rand agrees to add the provision that if the Seanchan do not sign to the treaty, then the document as a whole is void.

28. Elayne says that only addresses the problem of the Seanchan and not the issue of how to enforce the treaty, which is what leads to Aviendha speaking up and telling Rand that she wants the boon that she'd requested earlier -- that the Aiel be treated the same way as the wetlanders in the treaty. Rand says that leaving them out of the agreement was meant as an expression of his trust and Aviendha tells him that it is an insult instead.

(and it is not the Aiel themselves who say that war is their purpose or that they are tools; they actually respond negatively to the suggestion -- it's Rand and Perrin, wetlanders who both canonically have the bad habit of using their people as tools, who make that comparison)

But anyway, the Aiel are written into the document as the official enforcers of the peace.

Hmm, we do get this cute moment from Perrin here that Elayne 'smells' proud of Rand even as she continues to 'stare daggers' at him, lol. But just like Egwene, Perrin has no thoughts on the whole "Rand has multiple girlfriends" situation.

Moiraine asks Rand how he plans to lead the armies if he's going to Shayol Ghul, so that's now an open question.

29. I do feel the need to point out: Aviendha is here spearheading the Aiel & the Wise Ones; Elayne is here representing Caemlyn & Cairhien; and they are both vocal in this meeting and actively facing and talking with Rand as equals. Min... is silently clinging to Rand's arm. And the saddest thing is that this is perfectly representative of them in the series as a whole, too. Aviendha and Elayne both have other things going on and get to be fully-realized characters and people, while Min... not so much, and the story has to keep trying to manufacture ways to occupy her time* because once she leaves Salidar, she has literally nothing else going on in her life but clinging to Rand.

(*hilariously, it's usually something that someone else had already discovered or realized earlier in the series -- ex. Rand himself has the realization about needing to break the seals all the way back at the start of Lord of Chaos, long before Min arrives in Caemlyn; or there's that time she uncovered the flaw in Callandor... that Cadsuane had already told Rand about in an earlier book)

30. As Faile brings up some pertinent questions about the Seanchan, Mat not being here at this meeting feels so weird and jarring. It makes zero narrative or purely logistical sense.

The question: if the Seanchan sign this document, does that give them formal permission to keep all the people they've enslaved and the lands that they've conquered? And are they allowed to kidnap and enslave anyone who crosses their borders (women who can channel in particular)? Very important questions and ones that Mat needed to hear being brought up. Shielding him from any of this, like he's a toddler who is too young to hear the truth about the world, doesn't help anyone, especially not him.

31. Rand says that he will go to the Seanchan after this meeting, either to find a way to get them to sign this treaty or to find a way to destroy their ability to make war (guessing this would be something to do with the damane -- maybe springing all their collars with the Power all at once?). So Rand still considers fighting the Seanchan to be a very viable possibility for him at this time.

Here is the point in the meeting when Mat (who should be here) would speak up and say, "I'll go and talk to her first" because he's just found out that the other option is Fortuona getting killed by his best friend and/or Fortuona attempting to kill his friends & people.

"We cannot have them striking at our backs when we attack the Shadow."

lol, Min silently takes Rand's arm again as the rulers proceed with the treaty signing.

32. When it comes time for Elayne to sign (she's last), she notes that it's a difficult thing that Rand is asking of her, and he gives her the control of the armies of the Last Battle. Though some of the leaders push back against the idea, none of them do so based on the whole "you two are romantically linked" conflict-of-interest idea, so I once again have to wonder what exactly all the random rulers know about their relationship (maybe they just assume Elayne is very free with her 'I love you's).

33. The question of the Seanchan is brought up again, and Rand says that he will see what he can do about trying to trade with the Seanchan to get their people back (from what we saw in Aviendha's visions, this is a trade that Fortuona and her successors refused in the alternate future) and try to persuade them to return back over the sea but if worst comes to worst "if forced to it, I am content to allow them the lands they have, so long as they do not spread further".

"Thousands are enslaved," Egwene points out.

"What's done is done," Rand says. Yikes. He does follow this up with, "Let us worry about the world first, then do what we can for those held captive" so again, he's not letting the Seanchan entirely off the hook here -- he's leaving an explicit opening for the leaders to push the Seanchan on this in the future. But, you know, saying "what's done is done" about people being kidnapped into slavery is extremely Yikes.

We also get the pro-'strongman' yikes argument of "the lands they have taken have benefited from strong leadership", which is something that Jordan first brought up in TPoD as propaganda that the Seanchan were spreading but wasn't actually true (as we heard stories about how violent the Seanchan mainland still was, with uprisings and civil wars), was treated as an article of faith by Fortuona in CoT & KoD even as we were cut off from hearing any counter-arguments, and now is basically taken as literally true.

And, once again, I feel the need to point out that the 'strong leadership' that Rand is praising is mostly the work of Darkfriend Suroth and Forsaken Semirhage, as Fortuona was ~under the veil~ during her first weeks in Ebou Dar and so in a weird in-between place as far as her authority went, then kidnapped and missing for at least a month and maybe closer to two or three months, and has only recently been returned to power. So this is more an argument in praise of the Dark One than the Seanchan, though Rand (and I guess Sanderson) doesn't realize it.

34. Things are getting bad in the Borderlands, we find out, as we check in with Lan.

Yeah, I feel like this section here would have been enough to illustrate how bad things were getting without us needing the attack on Caemlyn. Too many battles, not enough character moments! (especially if Mat isn't there to face his failure with Caemlyn and Verin's letter, making it all feel much more pointless and 'battle for the sake of battle')

Right when Lan believes that he's facing his last stand, Gateways open up and reinforcements pour in from Merrilor. And Lan is relieved that what he thought was his death becomes "a promising battle" instead.

This is a pretty nice, upbeat moment to end this section of the reread on, I think, since I feel like it's gotten long enough. I had a lot to say about the big meeting, lol.

#wot reread #wot #wheel of time #wot book spoilers #wot spoilers #elayne trakand #rand al'thor #perrin aybara #moiraine damodred #egwene al'vere #mat cauthon

[paperback-rascal]

From the outside Calm and Rascal appear to know each-other very well - some even assume they are batchmates.

They are not.

For most of their lives they didn't know the other even existed just to meet each-other few weeks before they were transferred to the regiment.

Calm was a hematologist at Kamino cloning facility. His work there was extremely mentally taxing - he was forced not only to work very long, irregular shifts back to back but also had to falsify many results and rapports so the data would look presentable not only for Kaminoans but for current and future investors.

Since Calm has OCD tendencies, the hectic, extremely long schedules, working under pressure, cutting corners during testing and being forced to outward lie in the rapports made him have a breakdown at the mess hall where he met Rascal.

Surprisingly working at 347th with all risks and chaos involved with post-battle environment is less stressful for Calm than the "cushy" job with state of the art equipment at the Kaminoan cloning facility. If anyone ask Calm about it, it's mostly due to fact that at 347th there is a sizable hematologist team (mostly thanks to Mercy having a soft spot for them as his first master, Hypatia, was a hematologist alongside being a healer) but also that at 347th properly done testing is more valued as it's a matter of life or death.

Not to mention, Mercy understands the gist of the lab work flow thus allows 347th specialists to arrange their schedules to be the most effective in such harsh environment,resulting with them rarely having to rush things unless the situation is extremely dire.

As for Rascal, just before he was about to be deployed from Kamino, Kaminoans re-arranged whole training structure and chunk of clones were given non-combatant, almost administrative roles. Due to the restructuring he was "demoted" (in his mind) to an instructor position. On top of that he was also tasked with more of a "home-room teacher"-type of task: He was given a quite sizable group of adolescent cadets to supervise. He handled rapports from other instructors, tracked his charges' progress, resolved issues within the group and listen to complains more than praises about the cadets under him. All of that equaled to insane amount of paperwork - space!Excels, tables, lists - you name it, Rascal had to fill it at some point or the other.

Rascal came to loath his position which gave him a lot of anxiety. When he asked about the transfer or at least, change of responsibility he was threatened with decommissioning.

When he finally was transferred and joined 347th, 40 suggested he'd be perfect to take care of kids/orphans when stationed at war torn areas, Rascal almost broke down, begging the major to give him ANY job but that. Flabbergasted by such a visceral reaction, 40 promised it won't be his main job but in dire situation he won't hesitate to use Rascal's skillset and experience.

However Rascal's issues are not with kids/teens themselves - working with his younger brothers was the best part of his instructor job (also that's when he got his nickname - "Rascal") but the fact that he is afraid to be potentially forced back to all the paperwork and responsibility that comes with taking care of underage people that crushed his soul the first time around. Also he hates to admit it, but despite clones views on death for Republic/at the battlefield as anything but heroic, he is aware that some deaths are more heroic than others and hearing stories how troopers that just few weeks before were under his care succumbed to their injuries, made his chest tight and his task seem more grim and daunting.

At 347th, Rascal mainly does odd jobs that require to be taken care of at night, as he prefers to be a part of the "graveyard shift crew". He also prepares and gives (mandatory) lectures about variety of topics because well... he WAS an instructor at some point so he knows how to prepare and pass on information in a cohesive way.

TL;DR: Calm's and Rascal's issues weren't combat-related. Both of then suffer severe burn-out at their respective jobs at Kamino training/cloning facilities.

---

See more posts about 347th regiment here -> [LINK] <-

===

STAR WARS: The Clone Wars/The Bad Batch © George Lucas/ Dave Filoni/ LucasFilm/ Disney

#star wars #star wars the clone wars #the clone wars #clone wars #TCW #347th regiment #clone trooper OC #clone medic OC #fanart #fancomics

[tiannasfanfic]

Blood Doll: Part 2

VampSteve x VampReader x VampEddie (Angst)

Summary: Humans are such fragile creatures, a fact Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson don't fully realize until they're not human anymore. They realize this after they accidentally hurt their favorite human: you. [Part 1] [Crossposted to AO3]

Rating: Explicit - 18+

Author Note: Gender neutral reader, they/them pronouns used, part 2 of 3. More stuff that wouldn't get out of my head until I wrote it out. Enjoy! 💜🖤

CW: Reader has effects of severe brain damage (little cognitive function, motor skills and speech capabilities); vampire stuff (resurrection, blood drinking, daylight sleeping, healing factor); light descriptions of severe injuries healing (no details, only the parts that are healing, everything else is left to the imagination); discussion of mercy killing.

Word Count: 2,123

The change is a complicated process. While it’s a similar experience that every vampire shares and can bond over, the process can differ wildly from person to person. This seemed based on the state a person was in at the time of the turning. Steve and Eddie had been, for the most part, whole and healthy when they were bitten the first time, despite the further bat attacks that happened afterwards. There had been very little in need of repair, just a little restructuring at the cellular level was needed.

You though? Not so much.

Your body had been broken when Eddie fed you his blood around the ventilator. Your body was still broken when they snuck you out of the morgue, your form trembling in unimaginable pain as Eddie carried you through the empty halls. He clutched you close to his chest as they hurried out to Steve’s car, cradling you in his arms with his leather jacket wrapped tightly around you like a blanket.

The boys never left your side as the damage from the wreck healed, giving you regular drinks of their own blood to help ease your pain. The simpler structures healed quickly, like your skeletal system, the breaks and sprains knitting back together easily enough. Things that were more complicated took longer, such as complex webs of muscles and tendons that held everything together, as well as other soft tissues such as your skin. Your nervous system was the last thing to repair itself. Within a few days, you were whole again.

Physically, at least. Your brain, however, was a completely different story.

The brain was a very delicate thing. A very, very delicate thing. So delicate, in fact, a hard bump on the head just right can completely change someone’s personality. But you’d gotten more than just a hard bump on the head. The wreck had left you with severe, life altering damage.

Your cognitive capabilities were nearly shot, you could say very little outside of their names, simple sentences, and simple questions. Asking where the hell you were when you woke up was about as complicated as you could manage. So much of your memory was gone that Steve and Eddie were thankful you even knew who they were. You couldn’t get around the trailer or do anything without help. You never really tried too either. If they didn’t try to interact with you, you just stayed sitting wherever they put you, staring off into space.

Weeks went by with little change. Eddie grew more depressed and anxious as the time went on and Steve couldn’t blame him. You hadn’t shown any changes mentally since your body had healed. You were a blank slate almost, like you were awake yet still unconscious at the same time. It was no way to live, Steve knew that. But he pushed that out of his mind. He wasn’t going to think about that, couldn’t bring himself to even get near thinking about that.

Even though they kept feeding you their blood and it seemed to do just fine at holding off your hunger, neither of them fed from you. They didn’t discuss it; it was just an unspoken agreement. Things had really changed between you all now and they didn’t want to assume they still had your consent. Asking you for it now would do no good since you weren’t fully informed of what was going on. You barely seemed to know where you were most nights much less understand what you are now.

That wasn’t to say it wasn’t hard to restrain themselves. Far from it. For some reason, you smelled even more delicious now than you did as a human. It confused Steve since no other human smelled like you. He had noticed that fact immediately once he returned to the normal aspects of his life, like working a job. Bills still needed to be paid even when you were a vampire.

But, on the other hand, you didn’t smell like other vampires either. To be fair, Eddie was the only other vampire he had to compare you to, and Eddie didn’t have much of a scent to him anymore since he turned. Plus, Steve could tell he wasn’t the only one experiencing it. While he never brought it up, he could tell just by way Eddie acted fidgety around you that he was feeling it too.

They tried to keep things as normal for you as they could while they gave you more time to heal. They’d help you move to the living room and put the tv on so you would have something to watch. They tried to always keep it on programs they knew you liked or thought you might like. They took turns taking you for short walks outside around the trailer like you sometimes did before. At sunrise, they’d curl up on either side of you on the small bed, the three of you pressed tightly together since neither of them was willing to sleep apart from you, even just in the next room. They both had trouble sleeping these days, but you always knocked right out, always turning to cuddle up into one or the other.

One day while Steve was trying to sleep, it dawned on him that it seemed like you were giving each of them a turn to curl up with you. He started paying more attention, and discovered he was right. Every night, you started out the night by falling asleep turned in the opposite direction from the night before. Last night, for instance, you had curled up into Eddie. Tonight, you were curled up into Steve. This gave him a flutter of hope. Somewhere in your brain, you still knew they both needed you and you wanted to be there for both of them. Maybe it also meant you needed them both too.

That’s how Steve was choosing to take it, at least, but Eddie was so depressed he was highly doubtful. There wasn’t much hope left in the metal head, so Steve chose to have enough hope for all three of you.

A few days later, Steve felt validated in his hope when you suddenly sat upright in bed, ripping yourself from his arms in the process and scaring the hell out of both men. They were up in an instant, trying to figure out what was wrong. You’d never done anything like this before.

You were quiet, but most importantly calm, your eyes slowly sweeping the room. Your brow was slightly furrowed, as if you were trying to remember something. There was a small spark of life in your eyes that had been absent ever since you woke up in the morgue.

Steve suddenly recognized your expression. He grabbed Eddie, pulling him back from you slightly so he would let go of your arms and stop trying to talk to you. Eddie looked like he wanted to punch Steve until he pointed out what he was seeing.

You looked like you always did when you’d taken an extra-long nap after they’d fed. It usually only happened when they got too carried away and accidentally drank too much from you, resulting in naps in the ten-to-twelve-hour range. You’d have this period of time upon waking where you were still far from conscious, the fatigue from blood loss completely slowing your mind down to levels where you acted almost drugged out. When you woke up in that state, you would always sit up and look around the room for a while like this, as if to remind yourself of where you were. Then you would curl back up in the arms of whoever had fed from you and they’d hold you until your head cleared.

It wasn’t long before the spark faded from your eyes and was gone, replaced by the blank look that had become your normal expression. You quietly laid back down, turning towards Steve again like you had earlier. He immediately laid down with you, taking you into your arms. It didn’t take long before you were asleep again.

Over the next few weeks, this became a frequent occurrence, getting to where it was happening a few times a week. It wasn’t just at night, either. Sometimes you would just look around the room from your spot on the couch, and sometimes you would stand up to do it. You really made progress one night when you wandered from room to room, looking at and touching random things as you went. Your face was that confused expression, which spark back in your eyes. Steve and Eddie could barely contain their excitement. It was the first time you had walked unguided since you came back. After a while, you meandered back to the couch and didn’t move again.

While they hoped it was a major sign of progress, instead you seemed to regress after that.

The moments of attempted recognition ended. You virtually stopped talking or doing anything, even when prompted. They had to pick you up whenever they needed you to move you somewhere. It was as if you were an actual living doll now.

Close to the eight-month mark after your turning, with a long time since the last sign of life from you, they had the conversation Steve had been dreading. Surprisingly, it was Eddie who initiated it.

“Steve are we being selfish assholes?” he asked.

It forced them both to think about it. Clearly turning you hadn’t brought you back. Physically, yes, but everything that made you who you were as a person was long gone. Eddie said you reminded him of a zombie, only without the eating brains. The only reason Steve could figure was, you had actually died before they attempted to turn you. Brain death was as real as body death, and you can’t bring something back from the dead. They both knew what they had to do.

But how do you kill the person you love, even out of mercy?

That’s exactly what they hadn’t figured out a few days later when a series of major storm fronts swept through Hawkins. It was a nightmare for Steve and Eddie. The high winds, thunder and lightning reminded them a little too much of that night in the Upside Down. It left them both riddled with anxiety, unable to sleep properly for days. Once it was all over and they finally could sleep, they slept hard.

Even though they had gone to sleep shortly before dawn, it was a couple hours after nightfall when they awoke. Normally they got anywhere from five to eight hours each. Now Steve understood part of the reason why you were always so disoriented from your really long naps.

After Steve groggily sat up and saw the time, he felt a pang of guilt. He knew you had been awake for some time now. You usually woke up before either of them. Since you would just lay there until one of them moved you, neither of them liked to just leave you waiting on them like that.

Just as he was about to turn to you to wish you good morning like he always did, Eddie cried out with surprise.

“Where’s Y/N?!?”

Steve whipped around. Sure enough, you weren’t laying between them anymore. A frantic glance around the room told him you weren’t anywhere in there either.

Steve and Eddie frantically scrambled out of bed and made for the main part of the trailer. As they reached the living room, they both skidded to a stop. They didn’t move, would’ve stopped breathing if they still did such a thing, and gawked at the dream they saw before them.

You were standing in front of the open refrigerator, peering inside of it with one hand resting on the open door, the other on your hip. It looked like you had just gotten out of the shower, your clothes exchanged for a long towel that was wrapped around your body. Your hair had been towel dried, but was still wet, dripping water down your torso and arms.

Steve heard a loud whimper next to him from Eddie, but he couldn’t bring himself to tear his gaze away from you to look at his friend. You might disappear if he did.

Instead of disappearing though, the sound drew your attention, and you looked over. A smile came to your face when you saw them. Steve looked into your eyes and his heart soared at what he saw.

You. You were in there again.

“Morning, sleepyheads,” you said, then turned back to the refrigerator. “I’m starving but absolutely nothing sounds good and everything we have is expired. Didn’t we just go shopping last week?”

(To be concluded in Part 3…)

#vampire!steddie x reader #eddie munson #Steve Harrington #eddie munson fanfic #steve harrington fanfic #eddie munson x reader #steven harrington x reader #steddie x reader #steddie #vampire eddie munson #vampire!steve #vampire!eddie #eddie munson smut #steve harrington smut

[nateofgreat]

I think they missed a big opportunity with Ahsoka for her series. Someone in her position, whose mentor sacrificed the Galaxy to save a single person, could go one of two ways (if they don't recover from it). Either she follows the same pattern, or she could go to the opposite extreme of only caring about the Galaxy as a whole and not the individual people in her life.

If we go with the latter a lot of her actions could be explained through this.

-Why did she ditch the Rebellion after learning who Darth Vader was? She decided she was compromised by her attachment to him and that the Rebels would be better off without her.

-Why did she abandon Sabine after starting to train her? Both out of a sense that she's wasting time on an individual when the Galaxy needs her and maybe also because she's paranoid about forming an unhealthy attachment herself.

-Why did she refuse to help Din with Grogu? Same thing: paranoia about potentially forming an attachment and a sense that she needs to help the whole Galaxy instead of two people.

-Her behavior in BoBF would also make sense now because her insisting to Luke that he press upon Grogu that he can never see Din again could be seen as an extension of her mindset. Same for why she leaves Luke and doesn't talk about him; she's scared she'll start to value a friendship with him over the rest of the Galaxy.

From there, you could restructure the plot of Ahsoka a bit. Make it so that, while risky, getting Ezra back without dooming the Galaxy is very possible, so Sabine's decision to save him makes sense. Make it so she's only risking her life for his, not millions of others.

Ahsoka, who's still stuck in her mindset of only caring about the needs of the whole Galaxy and being afraid of the idea of Sabine becoming like Anakin, could strongly urge her against this, but throughout the show, can slowly realize that she's become the opposite extreme of Anakin. That she's willing to sacrifice everyone in her life needlessly in the name of helping everyone.

Fast forward to the World-Between-Worlds, and she and an actually repentant and regretful Anakin can hash things out. Anakin admits that he was wrong to place Padme above the Galaxy, but through the Force visions he also shows her the value of healthy relationships with people in her life while explaining how his unhealthy obsession was different; maybe he even shows her Luke managing to see the good in him and how that brought about the end of the Empire.

Ahsoka's conflicted because she starts to see what he's talking about. In the process, Anakin can also highlight how his actions led to her current mindset and encourage her to let go of her guilt and the pain associated with him. She's not fully there yet, but she starts on the path to finding balance.

Baylan Skoll or Thrawn can highlight the extreme mindset of "Galaxy over people" through the desire to bring "order" or "end the cycle" and so on. Finally, Sabine's rescue of Ezra would be done without endangering the Galaxy. It could lead to some minor good, like being able to warn the New Republic before the invasion happens. Thus highlighting the strength of a healthy relationship.

That way when Ahsoka praises Sabine and says she did the right thing, it would be a way to show that she's recovering from the pain. Not that she's following Anakin's path.

#Star Wars #Ahsoka Tano #Anakin Skywalker #Ahsoka series critical #anti Ahsoka series #World Between Worlds #anti Ahsoka #Ahsoka critical

[crushingcasanova]

To have someone love you the way Jay Gatsby loves Daisy.

Quite honestly, he is the most obsessive man ever. He restructured his life after the war and during his days in the army just to become what he believed Daisy craved or needed. He gets back from the war and immediately establishes a house--a castle, the place she had always wanted to live in--across the bay from her house so he can always see the little green light of her dock. He stands at the edge of the water reaching out for that light and for her, and he throws extravagant parties in the hopes that she'll one day come to one. He plays their song every night, cast across the water, in the hopes that she will hear it. He puts endless amounts of thought and care into everything he does to secure her and fit into the world of her dreams.

He is obsessed with the way things used to be and the stubborn refusal to let go of the past continues to carry him towards getting her back. In some senses, she signifies what he lost from before the war and he needs her to have some semblance of his old life back. He even creates an entire recreation of their famous party together and attempts to sweep her off of her feet again. He brings back the willow tree, their old outfits, the same singer from at their party. Even before this, when he has a tea party in the hopes of seeing her again for the very first time since they were separated, his attention to detail shines--he puts so much effort into gathering everything and anything he thinks will make the gathering better so she likes him again. He brings her to his house and they reminisce on older times; times he admits he has never let go of. He never waivered, he always waited for her to come back, even when she was married.

And in the end, they almost run away together. He refuses to believe she ever could have loved anyone else--why would she, when he is all she had ever needed--and he drops her off at home to get her things before they run away. And he waits.

He sits and waits for her, for hours. And she never shows up.

All his life was crafted by her design, in a way--he notes that everything since they met has always been for the goal of securing her and giving her the world of her dreams. Time after time he repeats it, his own mantra of sorts:

"It's all for her."

And those words--the obsession that drives him--become his downfall. She is his weakness and his strength at the same time. He cannot live without her.

How wonderful it would be to be loved so wholely and recklessly like that. To have someone so devoted that they mold their life to your needs... it would be an honor.

#sorry if this is not cohesive im emotional as hell #casanova's posts #great gatsby #great gatsby musical #irl yandere #obsessive thoughts #casanova's writings #jay gatsby

[hollow-keys]

I often see fans say that Bruce slicing Jason's throat in Under the Red Hood was out of character, an accident or was on purpose but meant to be dodged, but I disagree, here's why.

Any effective strike would have to hit without warning, so that Jason couldn't simply dodge and pull the trigger, and incapacitate immediately, again, so that Jason couldn't shoot, meaning he would have to seriously injure Jason. Compounded by the fact he doesn't seem to have any problem with injuries as long as they're non-fatal* and that he only had a few seconds to plan, and the neck, from his point of view, becomes a logical target.

If Bruce wanted Jason to dodge he would have thrown it directly at him to give him time to dodge rather than sneak attacking. If it was an accident that would be addressed because Bruce is an expert marksman to an inhuman degree and this means him missing would be surprising and commented on in text. Instead, Bruce shows no surprise or remorse and Joker says he found a way to win (meaning he didn't kill), implying it was purposeful.

*Since Bruce doesn't seem distraught at Jason's injury and Joker says he won, I assume that somehow the massive blood loss wasn't inherently fatal and he would survive. But given how severe the injury was, only if given immediate medical attention. Bruce only becomes distressed when Joker sets the bombs off and the universe restructuring sends him into the cosmic void (Infinite Crisis, it was a whole thing) because now Jason was gonna die.

Which is why the final confrontation in the movie is so hollow to me. It tries to avoid this brutality (and any reference to Infinite Crisis), so instead it has Jason try to kill Bruce when he walks away, where comics Jason only threatened the Jokers life, and Bruce goes for the gun, injuring Jason's hand in the process instead of cutting his throat, which is much nicer than the comics. Jason looks worse, Bruce looks better.

However, this wouldn't actually work because Jason wasn't incapacitated and would have simply discarded the broken gun and got out a new weapon to kill Joker or snapped his neck. Bruce also threw it directly towards him so he could have and would have dodged if the movie wasn't trying to sanitize the ending so much to make Bruce look better.

#jason todd #bruce wayne #red hood #bruce wayne hate club #<- i think this belongs here #meta #📨

[tojisun]

Hi, I don’t know if you’re still writing for how we break, but I was wondering if you could write a blurb or one shot about what it’d be like if reader ended up with nanami instead? and what if yuuji was their son (reader and nanami adopted him) and that’s how megumi and toji found reader again? anyway this was just a question so don’t feel pressured to write it or anything, have a nice day!

OMG!!! wait this got me scratching the walls???

unfortunately i dont write for how we break anymore sweetheart :((

how we break was written at the time when i was soooo into gojo (aside from toji) but now??? it feels like nanami is my the one that got away 😭

he wouldve been such a good partner; such a good dad. the way reader would still move on slowly, but idk. with gojo, there was a whole lot of gojo distracting reader from her heartache. but i think with nanami, he’d let her embrace her heartache and be there for her when she, uh, breaks.

gonna scream actually, my mind is envisioning and restructuring the whole series rn 😭

but also i butchered the jjk universe to make that fic make sense :(( yuuji n megumi were childhood friends in some parts; yuujis parents are also alive (bc dear gods that boy deserves a happy life)!! so idk if itd make sense for nanami to adopt yuuji hhhhhd

thank u sm for this food for thought and food for soul, nonnie <33 take care!!

#anon #ask #how we break

[annabtg]

I need to hear about The Long Game, please! 💓

You do, don't you! ;D

The Long Game is my Sirius/Lily prophecy AU, in which the prophecy is made just around the time James and Lily find out they're pregnant, so they decide to fake a break-up, have Lily move in with Sirius and pass her baby off as his. A similar setup to Scandalous, but multichapter and MUCH angstier. I've written about three chapters of this one but they need major restructuring and rewriting, and basically I need to sit down and plot down the whole thing from beginning to end because I have a few key plot points in my head but no idea how to connect them into a story that spans the length of time I want it to.

Here's a snippet I'd posted sometime ago, and here's another snippet that might or might not make it to the final version (though I wish it will!).

“My life is James,” Lily continued, her tone quiet, “and then you, Remus and Peter. Maybe a cup of tea with Alice and Marlene, sometimes – but they’ll be appalled to hear I dumped James. I don’t think I can count on anyone’s support.” “That’s not fair,” he said seriously. “People break up. You should have some people in your life who would help you through it if it happened.” “Would you help me if it happened?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re my best friend.” He looked at her intently, the hint of a smirk crossing his features as he picked up his mug and sipped. “James is my best friend,” he said, setting down the mug slowly. The smirk he was biting back appeared in all its glory. “You’re just collateral damage.”

WIP tag game here!

#wip tag game #my snippets #the long game

[gibbearish]

it is with a heavy heart that i must announce. the five nights at freddy's movie was really good

sorry for how much of a behemoth this post is im fnaf autism just bear with me also i can't keep my thoughts straight for the life of me so this will be a bumpy ride. as an additional note i got very lucky and had literally 0 spoilers whatsoever for this movie, i haven't even seen the trailer

so first of all: i thought all the changes they made to the plot to make it work for a movie were good decisions, altho some of them did take a minute to actually feel like good changes lmao. once i thought about em a bit more though they made sense.

one of the things i really liked was that they also did include a lot of the things i wanted them to, or more specifically things that you're like "you literally can't have a fnaf movie without these, it just wouldn't be right", like we got mike schmidt, we got fucking VANESSA??? altho she might be in the trailer so that might not be the same reveal for yall as it was for me but still. they heavily alluded to vanny? (altho that's a part i'm kinda sad abt is they didn't /actually/ include vanny, vanessa just makes an offhand comment about how she "wouldn't be much help" if she was around afton and then. comes to help anyways and doesnt have any issues? lame they shouldve had him hypnotise her and then she fought her way out to help mike and abby. or alternatively they couldve used the family restructuring to make vanny be a result of afton giving vanessa osdd-2, like thats kinda functionally what he does with the mask anyways but this would make it more obvious).

also swinging back to changes they made that i liked!! VANESSA AFTON?? like this is the one that took me a while to get used to bc it feels like such a cliche from an outside perspective but it also kind of Super Isn't considering what the original plot is? like all the family restructuring they did makes pretty good sense to me, i do think it loses a bit of the weight having michael be Just Some Guy Whose Brother Happened To Be Kidnapped By Afton Forever Ago and now coincidentally has this weird guy offering him a job as a night guard, but also the og lore. absolutely would not fit into a movie lmao. so i like that they kept the characters everyone wanted around while also rearranging it to keep the spirit of "learning about all of this for the first time through the eyes of a security guard" you get from playing the games. it's fun for people who don't know the lore because it's easy to follow and it's fun for people who /do/ know the lore because they can pull apart all the differences.

oh right back to things they included that i wanted them to. we gotttt chica's cupcake murdering people, we got FUCKING MATPAT? SAYING THE ITS JUST A THEORY LINE? SOUNDING THRILLED OFF HIS ASS TO BE THERE??? i dont like the man and his opinions vis a vis addressing nonbinary characters but. goddamn was that a funny cameo. why couldnt you include markiplier too you fucking cowards. who said that. anyways. oh we kind of tangentially have a canon name for crying child? aka garrett? like idk this one could go either way because like. yeah he's mike's younger brother that died tragically and scarred him for life, makes sense that theyd be the same character in function but also it is technically a different family so who knows.

umm what else. oh this doesnt rlly fall into either category i just really liked it, the intro sequence for all the animatronics? showing what they can /really/ do with the breaking and entering dudes?? that was such a cool sequence i really liked the whole thing honestly. chica being introduced in the kitchen and the dude finding the cupcake then looking back and it's gone? bonnie in the supply closet? foxysprint??? AND FREDDY!! THE BITE!!! in case anyones reading this before watching the movie so they know what to expect: youll know when this moment is coming and if youre watching it at home with friends i HIGHLY recommend having the "was that the bite of 87" clip ready to play right after, they WILL lose their shit. i had it queued up from the very beginning of the movie cause i was like. they can't not include it /somehow/, it's the fnaf movie there has to be A Bite. and sure enough. oh also it's not at the same time but the golden freddy reveal is really good too, they did a good job of setting it up so even if youre already aware of golden freddy conceptually you still go "oh freddy's here? i mean i guess that makes sense he's the leader and all. or wait what happened to his eye why's he only got one? oh. oh i see. ohohohohohohohoho" 100/10. also very funny that they just straight up. MURDER THE AUNT? AND SHE NEVER GETS MENTIONED AGAIN SHE JUST IS DEAD??? the kid isnt like. hey what happened to aunt jane?? i get none of them liked her and with good reason but youd think at least one of em would be like "damn she sucked but she didnt deserve that, rip jane"

oh and the springlocks of course the springlocks. like as soon as we saw aftons name in the cast list we all knew he was gonna get springlocked, it's such a cherished memory for so many of us and there's no way in hell The Fnaf Movie™ wouldnt include afton getting springlocked, they just legally can't leave that out. and they do it pretty well too like yeah if you know what's gonna happen you can see it coming way ahead of time and it's kind of a slow crawl to get there but like. idk i think it still works pretty well. i don't personally like how long the actual springlocking itself took, i think they couldve milked that a little bit less cause i was under the impression that if one springlock failed they All Would Instantaneously And Your Flesh Body Will Become Occupied By A Full Endoskeleton. but no we just get very slow rib beartrap. w/e though still cool and again the leadup to it was really good even knowing exactly how it would end, like just the really slow shuffling of the animatronics towards him? like yeah it's slow and kinda tedious but its also like. theres literally nothing you can do, youre surrounded and defenseless and theyre infinitely faster and stronger than you and now they remember that you killed them. and you just have to sit there and watch them slowly slowly get closer all while trying to talk your way out of it knowing youre fucked. 10/10 they did that part well

oh and that also falls under changes i liked, i liked that instead of "afton tries to escape intangible ghosts by getting into old decrepit suit which then fails and kills him" it was "afton was already in the suit to do murders in and has brainwashed the bots to follow him" wait omg point postponed i just realized that part is from security breach. i thought vanessa was the only thing they brought over from that i didnt even notice that they werent doing the theyre-attacking-all-adults-indiscriminately thing goddamn. omg wait and the fact that the restaurants already closed in this one, it really is just a blend of all the games huh. scott do you see how much more coherent your plot couldve been if there wasnt So much going on. anyways. back to what i was saying. instead of "afton tries to escape intangible ghosts by getting into old decrepit suit which then fails and kills him" it was "afton was already in the suit to do murders in and brainwashed the ghosts into thinking he was their friend so they would help him do murders while possessing the robots. then they get their memories back and the robots turn on him and.. i think deliberately? set off the springlocks, or were just aiming to regular kill him and the springlocks failing was a happy accident? then the robots drag him away as they keep slowly one by one collapsing into him", like the first one made a lot of sense for the game and the timeline and the second one just feels right for this too. it's still his hubris that kills him, still his springlocks, it's just in one version the hubris is "trusting his springlock design to still work after however many years" and in the other its "thinking he has conplete control over the ghosts he killed", plus the ghosts finally get a bit more direct participation in his death than in the other version lol.

one change i did not like. forced het romance. like i dunno i guess im happy for them, both of those characters have certainly earned happy endings by this point so its nice they can get something cutesy. but also. like cmon man it's vanessa and mike do we have to do this she just got stabbed stop holding her hand

oh also this change wasnt really good or bad i just thought it was funny, vanessas a full on cop now? like i get they prolly just dont wanna have two security guards or something but i mean. it wouldve been really easy to just say she was the day shift guard? thatd explain why she had more information on the bots and the place's history than him, why she's always Around, it wouldve even flowed into the vanessa afton reveal pretty well too because like. yeah obviously a guy doing murders would want his main security guard to be someone he trusts and who better than his theoretically brainwashed daughter yknow? as it was she just kinda Showed Up Knowing Stuff And Ignoring Questions and later afton's like "you were supposed to be keeping an eye on him" but like of course Mike was getting dodgy about the weirdo cop loitering nearby for no reason, thats sus as hell lmao. vs "experienced security guard here to show you the ropes" he would have a much easier time trusting that she actually did have his best interests at heart. idk it just seemed like a weird change to me lmao

ummm oh my roommate pointed out the fact that when they tried to springlock abby the suit they were aiming for looked suspiciously like circus baby and abby and baby are anagrams so thats fun. it's hard to tell though if shes intended to be a rework of elizabeth or if vanessa's filling that role now. cause like on the one hand, michael's younger sister whose name is v close to baby, on the other hand, vanessa is afton's daughter. so idk i feel like it could go either way. if abby's elizabeth i guess that negates the thing about garret maybe being crying child's name bc then theyd prolly just be keeping mike's name the same. w/e

oh my god i completely forgot when i was talking about changes to the afton springlock thing, they had him deliberately put his mask on after the other springlocks started releasing and say the "i always come back" line, i thought that was an excellent touch. like he's actively dying a horrific death and is like. no no. im not leaving this bot. this shit is going to suck ass no matter what so i might as well do all i can to ENSURE my soul gets locked in this fuckin thing, go on stab me in the brain lets do this. i will however also say that having him say "i always come back"... before he's even come back the first time? is a little bit weird, i know thats another one of the "we have to include this in the fnaf movie" things so im not mad but just in the moment it def flows a bit weird. like mf you don't even have one example of that yet much less several to be saying "always" about

OH AND THE BIGGEST ONE. THE ANIMATRONICS. theyre so good. like im so glad they went all in on that, i think they probably knew that if there was one single thing they had to get absolutely 100% right to avoid a fan uprising it was those and by god did they deliver, theyre so big and so unsettling and so fun. chica's wink at abby was the best part of the movie no questions asked. or alternatively bonnie falling over after they built the fort. like theyre all just so good. OH MY GOD OR IN CHICA'S INTRODUCTION SEQUENCE WHERE YOU CAN SEE HER JUST. SCOOTING BY THROUGH THE VENT?? THAT WAS THE FUNNIEST THING OF ALL TIME HELLO???

god. but yeah i was honestly expecting it to be a lot worse than it was. also this mike is a bad brother/dad figure. but i guess in the games he also kind of is the pinnacle of bad brother so i mean it couldve been a lot worse. theres definitely some rough parts, i mightve mentioned this already but i felt like a few of the dramatic pause things were a bit too drawn out, like i said the springlocks locking is one good example of that but another that i REALLY found slow was like. in the opening we watch a guy get turbomurdered by the swirly blade mask and it takes. way longer than i feel like was necessary. also unnecessary: a jumpcut a second from scared eyes to swirly blades to hands fumbling and repeating during that. oh another thing that was weird to me, why was mike so insistent on sleeping specifically at night? to the point of deliberately sleeping on the job? like i get he wanted to revisit the kidnapping dream but like. presumably he could dream just as well during the day, no? done his night shift then once it was up rolled out a sleeping bag for a quick powernap before heading home? idk that just felt. forced to me

more random things, i am sad we didnt get a whiff of henry emily (my fringe theory was that their twist to change it from the games was they were gonna make henry be evil, rip to that idea) or the puppet/charlie, and kinda sad they changed the kid possessing golden freddy to be a boy like. we love cassidy and her Undying Rage Towards Afton's Soul smh why would you get rid of her. also loved balloon boy, kinda wish mangle had gotten like a similar level appearance but thats w/e. oh also while i did appreciate the low gore level there were also a few times where it was a bit weird how minor the injuries the dead people had were. like this man just had his face put in a blender mask and he just has like. some forehead gashes or whatever? he should look like someone stirred up jello

anyways with that gross thought i think i am out of things to say about the movie for now. if anyone else watched it already and somehow read all of this blease tell me your thoughts

#the stuff under the cut contains major spoilers so reader beweader #this post is also gonna be rambley as hell so like. strap in #update after finishing it: it is indeed very rambley and also long as hell so see again: reader beweader #fnaf movie spoilers #five nights at freddy's movie spoilers #fnaf spoilers #five nights at freddy's spoilers #fnaf #fnaf movie #my roommate said they heard they were aiming to make 3 moves total and if i had to guess #i would say the other movies will probably hit fnaf 3 and then pizzaria simulator #obviously with some massive changes to the plot regarding timelines and just resolving general world changes #but i do feel like those encapsulate the main big points of afton's arc #aka 1) getting springlocked‚ 2) being springtrap (potentially in fazbear frights and i think that would be a really cool movie #but really the location doesnt really matter so much as the He's Been Woken Up And Is Hunting Someone #and then 3) getting his ass sent to ghost hell by henry. frankly i would be happy if they just ripped his final monologue #straight from the game and didnt even rerecord it it's just so iconic #like id want them to include security breach too somehow but. the timelines gonna get real condensed real fast then #it already would be if they include 3 isnt there like 30 years between aftons death and that one? so the part thats #originally set in 2050????? yeah thatd take some serious rearranging #hmm although i am now in my head thinking of something. abt the location not mattering as long as #springtrap wakes up and hunts someone. what if they did that /in the pizzaplex/ instead of in a horror attraction #or maybe for a horror installation there #idk im just rambling more now but i think thatd be a cool way to combine those parts #oh sorry technically that thing abt afton getting springlocked is technically a spoiler #but i mean come on we all knew that was gonna happen

[spareparts-vn]

Hi! I'm really enjoying Spare Parts. I really appreciate how it has so much heavy drama, but it never feels oppressively dour or meaningless. There's plenty of more comedic or otherwise lighter moments that don't feel out of place, too. Can I ask as a wannabe writer myself, do you have any tips or processes for writing such effective drama?

thank you! i'm very bad at giving writing advice. i've written and deleted this post half a dozen times already. it's pretty hard to lay my thoughts out since my process is so tangled up in my brain's very specific eccentricities. so here's some extremely scattered thoughts that loosely connect to how i write "drama," which in my mind is just an extension of any compelling relationship between characters.

1) "iteration" is my main thing. write a bad draft, then edit it to be better, then edit it to be better, then edit it to be better, then erase the whole thing and write another bad draft that's slightly better, then edit that one to be better, then edit it to be better, then do that 100 more times until you have an epiphany that ties it all together. it's not very efficient but it helps me identify what works and what doesn't so i can hone in on what's interesting to me. in the context of drama, that means i can write out an argument between two characters and ask myself if it hits on anything compelling. if it doesn't, i scrap it, but if there's some feeling there that i want to flesh out, i can restructure it to pivot around that.

2) similar to the previous one, but i try to start broad and narrow my focus over time. taking two characters' relationship as an example, i'll start from the most generic interpretation of how they relate to one another and start adding nuance/complexity over time. i think of it like a life drawing, if you've ever taken a class for that. you want to start with the gesture of the pose first, then start to fill in shapes and values until the foundation is solid. you go around the whole drawing adding details in bits and pieces, rather than focusing on one body part and fleshing it out to completion first. you can slowly choose where to exaggerate shapes or darken shadows to add a little more visual flair to it. in telling a story, these details can often play out and develop through the course of the narrative.

2.5) this is an aside, but during my brief stint in art school, i once turned in a self-portrait for a life drawing assignment that i was really unhappy with. i spent so much time working and reworking it that it looked really smudgy from all the erased lines, but i was too stubborn to start drawing on a new piece of paper. i was very anxious about turning it in for critique, but the professor surprised me by saying that he liked the ethereal quality it had from all the eraser marks. that there was something interesting in how obvious it was that i'd redone it so many times, allowing the evidence of previous attempts to leave traces in the final image. that comment always stuck with me. i think of life, and art by extension, as additive in nature. you can't completely erase the past, so as time moves forward your canvas become more and more dense with information, even if it's been scrubbed away. relationships are the same, which i try to convey when writing my characters. the longer you write them, the more friction and drama will naturally fall out of them. so don't be afraid to start simple, you might surprise yourself with the sort of feelings that appear without you realizing it.

3) i try to imagine a person who would become psychotically obsessed with every possible pairing of characters. what would they find interesting in this dynamic? how could i give them something to chew on? how could i surprise them, or entice them to think about their relationship deeper? in spapa's case, there's obviously a lot of interplay between the most central characters, but i have internal dossiers on every obscure pair of characters that most people won't think about. but that means i'm going to write more about them and flesh them out, so the web grows more complex and interesting. (i've developed a fixation on a secret ship that i'm hungry to explore, but probably won't get the chance to for a while. i'll leave you to speculate on what that is.) every character's growth and experience is shaped by their relationships, so tugging on those threads can reveal things about my characters i hadn't realized before. and sometimes those threads are connected to sticks of dynamite, which explode. and then you get lucy and melanie yelling at each other, even though their first interactions don't really suggest they'd end up there.

4) i'm the type of person who struggle to resist cracking a joke when i think of one, no matter how inappropriate the timing is. i've seen some critique of spapa that jokes occasionally feel misplaced in really serious scenes, but personally, i think they're important! people are complicated and can have multiple modes of thought/expression at once. sometimes when you're in the middle of the biggest sobbing breakdown of your life you'll think something stupid and mundane that snaps you back to reality for a second. sometimes you're having the best day of your life and you'll suddenly remember The Incident and have to just brush it off. i try to reflect those sorts of weird moments in my writing.

5) i lean a lot on my experience in writing fanfic/doing roleplay of characters/ships that i'm interested in. taking the dynamic that's presented in the source material and bending it to suit my interests more, or to flesh out ideas that i want to explore through them as a medium. every now and then it helps to take a step back and assess what parts of my story i've built i feel are most compelling or could use some more attention. what scenes i would write fanfic of, and how i can place them in the story itself or build up to something that paints those scenes in the reader's mind. i just love characters. they're little toys i can make do anything

6) i guess overall my approach is very naturalistic/holistic. i let characters develop themselves and create drama on their own, just by being complicated little animals and thinking about them a lot. then i can take those shapes they make and mold them into something more refined. i try to treat everything as a piece of the whole. let the threads get really tangled up and leave a lot of time for exploring what those knots look like and how you might try to de-tangle them. but meanwhile there's other knots forming too. there's no getting it completely organized but you learn a lot about the mess while trying to pull it apart. the process is essential. the end product should reflect that process in whatever ways feel appropriate. imo

i don't know if Any Of This Shit makes any sense or is helpful. like i said, i've rewritten this several times already, and i've gotta do other stuff today, so hopefully you could pull something useful out of it lmao

#ask #sorry for this mess of a post lmfao #i coast on vibes and mental illness don't be like me

[sapphosewrites]

For the ask game:

✦ what was your easiest fic to write & your hardest?

✿ did anything major change when you started writing [fic] to when you finished? - For 'Terok Nor AU'

▵ pick a fic and I’ll tell you my favorite line - choosing 'An Influx of Bashirs'

↻ pick a fic and a different ship and I’ll tell you how I’d rewrite it - 'Necessary Storms' for Kira/Ezri!

Thank you, friend! You know I love an ask game <3

✦ what was your easiest fic to write & your hardest?

The easiest fic for me to write was Whisper a Dangerous Secret, because all I did was come up with a silly little ficlet, and then ectogeo did all the work of turning it into a whole real story with feelings and stakes! My tendency historically has been to say that whatever multichapter fic I finished most recently was the hardest, but I think the award is still held by I Will Choose Free Will, because it cut deep to my own fears about mortality and what it means to make a meaningful life.

✿ did anything major change when you started writing [fic] to when you finished? - For 'Terok Nor AU'

For the whole series? So so much! It was supposed to end with the arrival of the Federation, but everyone kept leaving such delicious comments and giving me more and more ideas about how to keep it going. Julian and Garak were also supposed to have successfully gotten together already, but every time I sat down to write the scene where it was meant to happen (and it was meant to have happened multiple times by now), I found myself reveling in the tension and angst instead. Originally, I hadn't even decided if it was Section 31 specifically that Julian was running from, and now I've got Sloan running around in season 1! It keeps surprising me, but that's become part of the fun.

▵ pick a fic and I’ll tell you my favorite line - choosing 'An Influx of Bashirs'

Ooh, I haven't thought about this fic in a little while, thank you for inviting me to return to it. I'm going to go with...

Once he could have withstood it, but that was before Tain sent an assassin after him and Mila thought that Tain was the one who needed saving, before Tain dangled redemption in front of him along with Mila’s life, before Tain died finally and forever and Garak realized he would never return home and Mila’s face on a viewscreen was the only family he had left.

Which is really angsty, but I like the rhythm of that sentence for reasons I can't articulate.

I'm also delighted to be reminded of this fic in tandem with the Terok Nor AU series, because you reminded me that I had once intended to add a one-shot of canon Julian meeting his Terok Nor AU self!

↻ pick a fic and a different ship and I’ll tell you how I’d rewrite it - 'Necessary Storms' for Kira/Ezri!

Now this is interesting! Kira wasn't in that fic, so the first big question is how to get her there. It's possible she and Ezri are married, and she's become a Starfleet Spouse in parallel to Garak, but I don't see her easily agreeing to leave Bajor to join a starship. Unless, again parallel to Garak, something has forced her to leave Bajor, maybe a political push she couldn't agree with? Like a return to d'jarra? Or maybe her past ties to Odo or something have made her unpalatable to the masses, or maybe there's another isolationist movement and she's too close to the Federation... It's an interesting question to consider, but for these purposes let's keep her with Bajor and have something bring her to Trill. I could see her as already in a relationship with Ezri before the story starts, joining to investigate maybe because Ezri has gone incommunicado and she's worried? Or she also gets kidnapped like Julian because she was close to Dax and knows about the symbiosis commission's secret. Then she and Ezri are in captivity together, and maybe that could provide the space and push for them to admit feelings for each other... Or, if I were really going to restructure the story, maybe what I'd do is have the crew request Kira's help as an expert in resistance movements, to infiltrate or otherwise interact with the uprising, to help rescue Julian and Ezri. And then Garak and Kira have to team up to save their partners.

This is a really fun question to consider, thanks for asking it!