#in my head i want to reread warrior cats but i have this feeling that i wont like it nearly as much as i did when i was 10

[lildoodlecat]

I check back in the scum villain podfic tag occasionally bc as is the nature of listening to a fuckton of podfic I must continuously acquire more and I just. Realized. That I'm kind of an idiot sjxkdk

I didn't realize I was continuously filtering for the mp3 audio type tag and uhh would you believe it not everyone tags file type. Also there's such a thing as right click download on embedded audio. Sigh. So turns out there was approximately 4x as much sv podfic as I thought there was ✨✨

#good for me bc i was starting to hit a wall on what i felt like listening to #but you're telling me i couldve had this THE WHOLE TIME #man. MAN #sometimes i am smart but sometimes i am fuckin stupid sjxkdk #jay yells #so yeah time to download more <3 #maybe one day ill find a publiahed audio book i also feel like listening to.. #in my head i want to reread warrior cats but i have this feeling that i wont like it nearly as much as i did when i was 10

[bonefall]

I’m rereading Po3 and despite its flaws I really enjoyed the introduction to the three. Jaykit isn’t mentioned to be blind in the first few chapters and instead they chose to show how much MORE capable he is compared to his littermates; until at the end of chapter 3, he brings up his blindness on his own. It makes forcing him to be a medicine cat SO much more frustrating because it really feels like they’re setting him up to be a warrior and choose his own fate (note i haven’t finished the reread this is just my first impression)

I like how you seem to take that path in BB regardless! It makes his arc so much more enjoyable

His arc in canon is super frustrating because he's such an independent character who clearly wants to make his own decisions in life, but then he just gets shoved into the medcat den. I LIKE that he ultimately goes there and that he enjoys it; but it was still really fucked up that they stripped away his autonomy in the process.

Re: they are not real, they are writing choices. Taking away the choices a disabled character can make over their own life, forcing them into a celibate nun role, and then going "awwwww dont worry see? he likes it! This was the best thing for him :)" was fucked up.

And imo it didn't have to be that way! You wouldn't have to go the FULL route I did with big changes, he could just be more involved in the descision to stop being a warrior apprentice and it would be fine. Minor change that would make a world of difference.

I do also have to interject to say though... blindness should really not be an extremely severe impairment for a ThunderClan cat.

I'm dead serious.

Whiskers are built-in sensors that tell you the exact position of everything within several inches of your head, ears swerve to pick up sound, and the jacobson's organ provides a sense of smell so keen that I have an entire Clanmew expansion draft because I needed to make WORDS describing the power of this sense that humans do not have. I cannot stress enough how delicate their other senses are, felines do not rely on their sight like primates do

ThunderClan lives in a mixed-oak woodland, where sight is already often obscured by foliage, objects are close together (for whiskers to feel), and nearly every movement makes noise against the leaf litter. RiverClan and (moor-running) WindClan cats would have a harder time with this disability than Thunder or Shadow.

Cat sight SUCKS to begin with. It sucks BADDD. They don't have color vision, they're significantly nearsighted, and they can't track up-and-down movements well. WC doesn't write realistic cats (more like small fuzzy people really) and I also work with more humanesque eyesight, but the only thing Jay should really lose is an ability to rapidly track a small animal swerving fast. Blind cats are often still excellent hunters in spite of that!

So it's an extra big waste that they railroaded him into a position he didn't choose, saying he couldn't be a warrior. This is the perfect disability to write, if you want to explore how ableism can impact the characters in this society who ARE legitimately still capable of nearly full independence, but still need to find accommodations for what they can't do.

In the same arc they're doing the dumb Cinder Reincarnation Plotline, no less!! Where SHE is also feeling like she has no choice over her "destiny," and gets a conflict over a potentially disabling injury

"Oh nooo if cinderpaw breaks her leg she wont be a warrior!"

"What the f-- Im Jaypaw and im reporting live from the scene where a Category 1 Idiot Moment is taking place. Woman breaks leg, suddenly everyone believes she is a horse, more at 11."

One of these days I should really make "herb guides" just covering how various sensory disabilities impact the lives of Clan cats and some tips for writing them as warriors, especially between Clans. Stuff you wouldn't usually consider, like how much noise deaf cats tend to make, how RiverClan would get a ton of sinus infections and lose their sense of smell, being blind in Sky vs Thunder, etc.

#I once saw someone say offhandedly 'well what if someone snuck up on jay from behind and attacked him. No whiskers there' #NEWSFLASH! YOU ALSO DONT HAVE EYES IN THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD #He doesn't have short whiskers either they're normally sized #Something like 4 - 5 inches on a cat like him. About double the size of the head foward and sideways #Once you're talking about close combat like the cats usually do there's no way that you can stay back far enough to avoid them #I want to rewrite owl and jay's fight or make a rematch where jay realizes owl is being a coward #Hanging just out of his range and jabbing at him #But once he realizes it's just a coward's strategy it clicks that the counter is to be aggressive #And not let his opponent out of his 'range' #Also give him a neat little scene where they're grappling next to Black's dam project where it's super muddy #And Jay is like 'YOU WANT TO PLAY DIRTY? LETS GET FILTHY' and dunks Owl's face down into the mud #Because Jay can fight without his sight but Owl doesn't know how to continue while there's stinging gunk in his eyes and nose #I like thinking about what I'm going to do for BB!Jay's matches because his fighting style is really fun to write #1. Be aggressive and proactive 2. Don't let them out of range 3. SCARE THEM #From the Mud Match he learns that the best way to end a fight quickly is to absolutely terrify them #Because they're usually not expecting the fight to be difficult nor are they expecting to feel like theyre in danger #So if you surprise them it breaks their willpower real fast #And as he gains a reputation for brutality he faces less opponents until he's practically known as the Cleric Without Mercy #Bone babble

[justreadertings]

“Promise”

Ok so I was writing Sweet Understanding but I cannot stand Rowaelin seperation so I NEEDED to write this. I think I reread it once? So if it’s iffy that’s why. Beisdes this is more the “I’m zoning out in class and want to think of a Rowaelin hurt/comfort situation” typa thing. This is also my way of saying maybe? another Sweet Understanding chapter this weeked? I think! I’m making progress! Ok I’ll stop rambling, here a canon Rowaelin oneshot for ya- Magee

Masterlist

TW: nightmares, PTSD, slight mention of blood.

Aelin bolted up from bed. Darkness caked their room, but her shaking hands could not light the candles next to their bed. Rowan was immediately up next to her, his reflexes quick as a cat. Light festered in instantly, the matches already discarded by their bedside table, his hands rubbing up and down her back. 

Sweat poured down her face, and she kicked the blankets away as she tried to breathe. Rowan grabbed one of her hands, and placed it on his solid, steady heart. It helped her, even if exhaustion was starting to play tricks with her mind. She could still taste the blood in her mouth, still felt dirty with it.

Her fingernails dug into Rowan’s forearm. “Get him out of here,” she gritted, eyes shut tight.

“Who, Fireheart?” he asked her, voice level. When she felt entirely herself, she would have taken time to appreciate her stony warrior, not fazed by her insanity. But she felt too far from herself. Too out of it. And she could literally smell him from across their bedroom. How did he even get in here?

Nausea crept up in her. “Rowan, get him out of here.”

“No one is here but me and you.”

Tears clouded her vision. “No, Rowan. He’s here. I need-” her voice faulted. She didn’t feel angry anymore, she was just… scared. And she hated being scared but gods, she couldn’t do it again. She couldn’t go through it all again. She wasn’t strong enough. Aelin began crying in earnest. “Rowan, I can't do it. Please get him out of here.”

Her mate’s hands rubbed soothing circles on her back, and she wished she could sink into the comfort of it. “Who is here, Aelin? Tell me and I’ll get rid of him.”

She shook her head, frantically. It was like her past and her present weren’t catching up to her, like she woke up but not quite right. “Cairn,” she told him. “I can smell him- I- I can feel him.” Aelin gagged at the scent clogging up her nose before it was replaced by the intense smell of her mate’s rage. 

It was enough to pull her to open her eyes. She stared at him for a moment, chest still heaving. Aelin placed a hand over her mouth before a wash of calm and exhaustion spread over her. Tears fell from her eyes. The world came back into focus.

“Rowan,” she sighed, leaning to rest her forehead on his shoulder.

Rowan’s fingers drifted through her hair, giving her both the comfort she craved and the space to think. 

“I could have sworn he was at the foot of our bed,” she finally whispered. 

His fingers worked her tense neck. “I know, Fireheart.”

Pure exhaustion weighed on her. “I’m so tired,” she told him.

“I know,” he whispered back, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Her cheek. Her neck. Even if she was damp with sweat.

“I hate him,” she gritted. “I hate that I can even conjure his face. I hate that he has that power.”

Rowan spoke against her forehead. “He’s long gone. Far from this world. Rotting in a hell somewhere.”

She nodded, still trying to catch her breath. Rowan laid back on their pillows, and she crawled onto him, resting her head over his beating heart. Aelin intertwined their legs, not knowing where she stopped and he began. 

“Do you think there'll ever be a night where we’ll just… sleep?” She asked him, breath ghosting his chest. 

Rowan continued to stroke her hair, his other hand banded around her middle. “One day, Fireheart.”

Aelin’s eyes fluttered closed. “Promise?”

The last thing she heard before falling back to sleep was her mate’s soft voice, her comfort in her worst moments. “I promise.”

Taglist

@leiawritesstories

@tomtenadia

@fireheart-violet

@backtobl4ck

@morganofthewildfire

@rowaelinismyotp

@aelinchocolatelover

@thegreyj

@foughtconquered

@swankii-art-teacher

@booklover242

@stardelia

@numbers-colors-fashion

@bookcide

@viajandosinalas

@rowanaelinn

@elentiyawhitethorn

@emily-gsh

@athena127

@captain-of-the-gwynriel-ship

#rowaelin #tog #sjm #throne of glass fanfiction #throne of glass #sjm fanfiction #tog fanfiction #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius

[thornquillthefiendish]

oohh how bout,,

ashfur for the opinion thing?

We’re starting with a b i g one for me. Since you like this dood (which is perfectly fine!) I wanna be nicer than I usually am about him as to not seem like a huge dickhead- (sorry if I still do I’m just another dumbass on the internet man)

Sexuality headcanon

bisexual

Gender/pronouns headcanon

Cis male he/him/they

Rate them out of ten

God that’s hard. On a writing standard 7/10 he’s probably one of the most consistently written characters in the books. Based on how much I like him (not as a villain just in general) 2/10

Favorite thing about them

Best villain in the series hands down. I’m sorry nobody else comes close in what ashfur makes me feel when he’s on screen/in the pages and it’s this intense unease and distaste that comes from his actions and character and not poor writing which. I’m not sure how they did it??? He’s a great villain and genuinely intimidating later on. I’m constantly brought back to thinking about him while rewriting because of how interesting he is, how honestly? Good he is as an antagonist. Like, I show off my hawkfrost love a lot, but I think he is overshadowed by hawkfrost when they’re out side by side. Hawk did some shit — but, ashfur was harboring the manipulative tactics to make all of the clans run amok trying to figure something out. Let’s be honest, ashfur was the better antagonist of the two.

Least favorite thing about him

I’m sorry it’s the whole guy he’s not a good guy he’s. He’s too foul. Ashfur is a character who if he were a protagonist you wouldn’t like being in his shoes, but you cannot lie and say it wasn’t interesting or pulling to be there.

Why I first started liking/disliking them

Ohhhh boy. Ok so. To keep this kind of short, I used to be a really big ashfur fan, but it stopped around 14 and around 15-16, I was getting back into the books and kinda having wisened up a little rereading ashfur was. Idk it was unnerving especially after being able to clearly look at my own experiences. I think it definitely hits different because I was really interested in ashfur when I was younger, now I feel like slight tinges of annoyance when thinking of him — clarity wise this is just me, he’s a cat in a fictional series of books and I definitely get why people still like him! It’s just this weird case of — I don’t hold any sympathy for his character nor any like, I think he’s interesting and I try to detach my own biases while working on rewrite stuff with him, but tbh? A double death well deserved.

Do I relate/project onto/kin them?

Nope.

Favorite quote/moment

The utterly terrifying moment where he drags squirrelflight to fucking hell what the fuck

My fav ship

Hawkash

My fav platonic friendship

I can’t see him with many friends tbh…idk, maybe Cloudtail, but he is his brother-

A ship I hate

Legit hate? Ashsquirrel it freaks me out

Funny hate? Hawkash I’ve got a love hate relationship with it for reasons previously stated (hawkfrost deserves a better boyfriend, but he has shit taste in men)

Do I prefer canon or fanon?

Tbh, canon? I guess when compared to most fandom rep that is. Personally I’ve never really loved emo ashfur. I’ve made him up in my head (so I guess my version of fanon) to be vindictive of course, but a lot more adept in planning a course of action while also remaining solidly unhinged. I kinda like the idea that he was kind of a well regarded warrior at the time, I like the idea that he was notably muscular - I like how on the surface he might’ve been nice, but underneath it all he was dangerous it was just nobody ever considered he could do harm because he’s ashfur, of course he couldn’t, we know ashfur. I like how up front you can see signs of how this can go wrong, but you ignore it for whatever reason, and then it does go wrong. Makes him a bit more real as an antagonist.

Random headcanon

Ashfur has a control problem, largely the reason he can’t let squirrelflight go. He doesn’t want to give her up, he doesn’t want to lose - he cannot lose, he won’t let himself.

What color do I picture them as?

Desaturated, muddy blue

Cat breed headcanon

Oriental likely? I’m not fully sure — likely a breed with a really defined face

Unpopular opinion

Likely that ashfurs the best written villain, but also. Out of all of them the most pathetic, but? Most intimidating. Because he got more done than half of our villains because of an obsessive fixation over his ex. Tigerstar should be rolling in his grave.

Things I associate with them

Leeches, every sad love song/breakup song at one point has reminded me of him, Dennis from always sunny (they are. The same person), there’s a lot of different poetic esc imagery that makes me think of him, but if I had to think of something really poetic and jazz I’d say the story of Apollo and Daphne, whom Apollo, by Eros was struck with such an insatiable desire for while in turn, Daphne had grown disgusted with romance. He’d chase her until Daphne, too tired, pleaded for her father to help her, and thus he turned her into a laurel tree. Even in this form, though, Apollo never halted, decorating himself in laurels and proclaiming them his icon.

Song I associate with them

Welcome Home by Coheed and Cambria. I actually have a smol playlist for him that helps when I’m writing for him.

Favorite MAP/PMV/AMV with them

The Rory map (the part where he’s screaming is perfect)

#warrior cats #wc #ashfur #the cat ever

[mxgicum]

Looking for a Warrior Cats Rp

Looking for a Warrior Cats Rp 1x1, no groups.

Must: 1x1, 18+, literate, 3+ paragraph replies, lgbt friendly.

Hello! I am 25, enby, and have been a fan of warriors since middle school. I used to write roleplays in a notebook and pass it between classes.

Important to Note: I’ve read up through the Power of Three, but remember very little. Currently rereading the whole series, on the first book of The New Prophecy

Info on what I am looking for / have prepared under the read more:

I have the territory and clans if we need, or if you want someone writing in your world I’m your guy. I have cats names, and am wiling to work with whatever you want.

I am literate, and have been writing indie rp since the days of MySpace. I typically write queer OCs, anime, romance, and smut. Looking for someone mature to write with. 

I am looking for a warrior cats rp partner to write with. Must be 18+, although no there won’t be any sexual content. I am hoping to write a queer couple, something that is taboo, cuz the drama is good. I will write any position, clan, alignment. You tell me what you want, and I’ll write it.

If you’re like me, and you wanna write in my world, I gotchu. (the below are in my oc clans, but can easily be adapted. smokeclan = shadowclan. thrushclan = thunderclan. whisperclan = windclan. brookclan = riverclan. unmentioned is frostclan = skyclan i guess?)

Looking for a partner for Blacknight, rogue prince who was taken from the rogues as a kit by his mother to spare him the fate of his father. They are all sick when they come to Smokeclan, and Blacknight was the only survivor. He fought hard to become a warrior, and during his apprenticeship he killed a badger for killing his mentor, earning him his warrior name as a nod to his mentor, Nightheart.

Also looking for a partner for Loudsong, cheeky fun silver tabby with long fur. Got his warrior name for howling before he attacks. Young warrior deputy, to a greying and crazy leader, Stonestar.

Also would love a partner for Applewhisker, daughter of the deputy just trying to earn her keep as her sister becomes a medicine cat.

I also have Fogbreeze, a cat born to another clan, though his story is different. Abandoned by twolegs as a kit, his mother died giving birth and the twolegs didnt want to deal with him. Tossing him and his sister Morningkit in a box and on the side of the thunderpath. Riverleap, a Smokeclan warrior found the kits, and brought them back to camp. When Fogbreeze became an apprentice he knew that Smokeclans thick dense forest was no place for him. He longed for the water. With the approval of Brookclan, he left Smokeclan and became a Brookclan cat. Now he gets to hunt in the streams, and swim in the waters. Except he's got a very pesky crush on a clanmate, who everyone has their eye on as the next deputy.

Maplepaw, to be Mapleflight, is a little old to still be an apprentice in Thrushclan. He’s nearing his 18th moon, and still hasnt gotten his warrior name. Thats not an accident. You see, hes been receiving dreams from Starclan since his first night in the apprentice den, telling him of his future as a medicine cat. The problem? He’s head over tail in love with the medicine cat. You’d play the medicine cat, who maybe has gotten a sign from Starclan that Maplepaw is to be your apprentice, but feelings have stirred thinking about spending so much time with him, and now you wonder if its right. Medicine cats cant have mates, right? But what if its other medicine cats? Well, either Maplepaw needs to admit his interest either in the romance, or the med cat position before their leader realizes he needs his warrior name, and makes him promsie to fight for the clan, even at the cost of his life. Maplepaw doenst think he can answer that question honestly if asked.

Sparrowsong is the daughter of the leader of Whisperclan, Oakstar, her littermate shaping up to be a fine warrior. Too bad the young medicine cat will find herself pregnant with her secret mate's kits (a fellow clanmate but a warrior), and now has to face losing her place as a medicine cat. Gimme a warrior/deputy to be her mate, and he can teach her all the things about being a warrior, itll be so cute.

Lastly, flirtatious young Littlestorm, grandson of Blacknight (now Blackstar), is a medicine cat under Aspenleaf (Applewhiskers sister). He loves being a medicine cat, but he cant help but find interest in a young tom warrior. Gimme some cute flirting, "oh wont you help little ol' littlestorm fetch some cobwebs?" type shit. Like both obviously into each other and doing a piss poor job at hiding it.

Please feel free to send me a message, reply to this, or add me on Discord; 𝕗𝕝𝕦𝕗𝕗𝕪#5775

#warriorcatsrp #warrior cats rp #warriorcats #warriorrp #warrior rp #warrior cats #loudsong #sparrowsong #littlestorm #blacknight #applewhisker #aspenleaf #mapleflight #fogbreeze #warrior cats indie rp #warrior cats indie #warrior indie rp

[stagwhisker]

Actually off the top of my head here’s some small stuff I’d keep or change in no paticular order. Most of it is first arc since I recently reread that and its fresh in my mind.

Graystripe stays in Riverclan until PoT. He’d return to Thunderclan when he returns to the Lake Territory due to both of his kits no longer residing in Riverclan. Also just make him a better father in general as well as have his loyalties run around his family. I also wanthim to be a positive force in Briarlight’s life later. I do want to keep Millie behaving the way she does but have it clear that you know that isn’t a good way to react and have her develop past it.

Also the Spottedleaf romance plot simply won’t exist I have had it nope not doing it again. In fact I have a better role in mind for her in TNP anyway so I may have someone else take her place though I don’t think there IS anyone to hmm. I just know I want to change Spottedleaf REALLY badly.

I think I’d still “canonize” Longtail being Robinwing’s son with Frostfur and Brindleface as his older sisters. PERHAPS have Cherrypaw and Chestnutkit come from the same litter as him. Ravenpaw would also still be Robinwing’s son.

Speaking of Brindleface, I know for a fact I don’t want her to be Sandstorm’s mother. I want to try to limit relationships that are incestuous which honestly is a tall order but god Ashfur and Squirrelflight is bad enough as is they don’t need to be related. On that note, Runningwind would be her father instead of Redtail. I don’t know who her mother would be and honestly it doesn’t matter I don’t think she ever appears as a kit in the series.

I’m so torn on Cinderpelt because on one hand I let her become a Warrior because she is completely capable of doing so but then I’d have to pick a new med cat and I can’t think of anybody off the top of my head around the time Yellowfang dies who could take her place. Maybe Cinderpelt takes it temporarily before returning to her Warrior duties but that doesn’t feel correct either idk I know I want to change something about it.

I’d like the Warrior Code to begin being challenged in the first arc starting with A Dangerous Path. I want it to lead to the events of The Broken Code to be a massive world changing culmination of every flaw present in the code as well as the resolution to the years of questioning. I would also change Dawn of the Clans to come out AFTER AVoS so we can see the formation of the code and it’s deconstruction back to back.

I want to make Leopardstar and Blackstar's motivations surrounding Tigerstar more clear to the reader. Everything we hear is ideas from Firestar which normally is fine but the way these characters are forgiven so easily when all we see is compliance from them it's.... strange. I'm not going to make them any more sympathetic/unsympathetic but I want the reader to have a better understanding of these two leaders. Furthermore I want there to be resistance from their own cats and cats from other clans because of their past allegiance to Tigerstar (and Brokenstar for Blackstar).

Piggybacking off the previous point I want the rancid undertones of the way these cats view each other and outsiders to continue through all the arcs. The first arc feels so separated from everythibg else and Tigerstar's reign is treated a s afreak eventeven though he was just taking advantage of the mindset of clan cats that have existed for decades and continues to exist long after his death. There will be cats who pin the blame solely on Tigerstar while others can see Tigerstar was a PART of the problems that continue to exist. Maybe have that cause conflict between these two groups over the years.

I have no idea how to word this but I want Cloudtail's aetheism to challenge the idea that cats NEED beleif in Starclan to have morals like the books imply later in the series. And I want that to be expanded upon by Mothwing who beleives in an existance of Starclan but doesn't beleive they hold power over the lives of cats and could be untrustworthy. Just the idea that faith does not equate to morality or blind faith can be a detriment to those looking to abuse that power.

Making a more religiously complex series overall. I want the Tribe, The Guardians, and The Sisters to be treated with FAR more dignity and respect by the Clans and the Narrative. I want to have the clans reconized as flawed by the narrative and not as the "Correct" way to live in the series.

Uhh I want more buildup to Bloodclan. I want Bloodclan's existance to be known before The Darkest Hour and have there be foreshadowing to the pain train of death that Scourge would turn out to be. First mention would most likey come from Barley.

That's what I have off the top of my head I have more in mind but I have been fighting with this for 2 hours I need a break if yall want me to elaborate further (to the best of my ability) on anything specific then yall can shoot me an ask but for now that's all

#rewrite stuff

[smokeclan-oc]

Looking for 1x1 warriors rp - discord

Looking for a Warrior Cats Rp

Looking for a Warrior Cats Rp 1x1, no groups.

Must: 1x1, 18+, literate, 3+ paragraph replies, lgbt friendly.

Hello! I am 25, enby, and have been a fan of warriors since middle school. I used to write roleplays in a notebook and pass it between classes.

Important to Note: I’ve read up through the Power of Three, but remember very little. Currently rereading the whole series, on the first book of The New Prophecy

Info on what I am looking for / have prepared under the read more:

I have the territory and clans if we need, or if you want someone writing in your world I’m your guy. I have cats names, and am wiling to work with whatever you want. (see blog links for photos / clan info )

I am literate, and have been writing indie rp since the days of MySpace. I typically write queer OCs, anime, romance, and smut. Looking for someone mature to write with.

I am looking for a warrior cats rp partner to write with. Must be 18+, although no there won’t be any sexual content (unless maybe you want to). I am hoping to write a queer couple, something that is taboo, cuz the drama is good. I will write any position, clan, alignment. You tell me what you want, and I’ll write it.

If you’re like me, and you wanna write in my world, I gotchu. (the below are in my oc clans, but can easily be adapted. smokeclan = shadowclan. thrushclan = thunderclan. whisperclan = windclan. brookclan = riverclan. unmentioned is frostclan = skyclan i guess?)

Looking for a partner for Blacknight, rogue prince who was taken from the rogues as a kit by his mother to spare him the fate of his father. They are all sick when they come to Smokeclan, and Blacknight was the only survivor. He fought hard to become a warrior, and during his apprenticeship he killed a badger for killing his mentor, earning him his warrior name as a nod to his mentor, Nightheart.

Also looking for a partner for Loudsong, cheeky fun silver tabby with long fur. Got his warrior name for howling before he attacks. Young warrior deputy, to a greying and crazy leader, Stonestar.

Also would love a partner for Applewhisker, daughter of the deputy just trying to earn her keep as her sister becomes a medicine cat.

I also have Fogbreeze, a cat born to another clan, though his story is different. Abandoned by twolegs as a kit, his mother died giving birth and the twolegs didnt want to deal with him. Tossing him and his sister Morningkit in a box and on the side of the thunderpath. Riverleap, a Smokeclan warrior found the kits, and brought them back to camp. When Fogbreeze became an apprentice he knew that Smokeclans thick dense forest was no place for him. He longed for the water. With the approval of Brookclan, he left Smokeclan and became a Brookclan cat. Now he gets to hunt in the streams, and swim in the waters. Except he's got a very pesky crush on a clanmate, who everyone has their eye on as the next deputy.

Maplepaw, to be Mapleflight, is a little old to still be an apprentice in Thrushclan. He’s nearing his 18th moon, and still hasnt gotten his warrior name. Thats not an accident. You see, hes been receiving dreams from Starclan since his first night in the apprentice den, telling him of his future as a medicine cat. The problem? He’s head over tail in love with the medicine cat. You’d play the medicine cat, who maybe has gotten a sign from Starclan that Maplepaw is to be your apprentice, but feelings have stirred thinking about spending so much time with him, and now you wonder if its right. Medicine cats cant have mates, right? But what if its other medicine cats? Well, either Maplepaw needs to admit his interest either in the romance, or the med cat position before their leader realizes he needs his warrior name, and makes him promise to fight for the clan, even at the cost of his life. Maplepaw doenst think he can answer that question honestly if asked.

Sparrowsong is the daughter of the leader of Whisperclan, Oakstar, her littermate shaping up to be a fine warrior. Too bad the young medicine cat will find herself pregnant with her secret mate's kits (a fellow clanmate but a warrior), and now has to face losing her place as a medicine cat. Gimme a warrior/deputy to be her mate, and he can teach her all the things about being a warrior, itll be so cute.

Lastly, flirtatious young Littlestorm, grandson of Blacknight (now Blackstar), is a medicine cat under Aspenleaf (Applewhiskers sister). He loves being a medicine cat, but he cant help but find interest in a young tom warrior. Gimme some cute flirting, "oh wont you help little ol' littlestorm fetch some cobwebs?" type shit. Like both obviously into each other and doing a piss poor job at hiding it.

recent want: basically, Shoto Todoroki / Hanta Sero. Firefrost is the son of Flamestrike, a very demanding just Whisperclan deputy. Except he’s finally died on a tragic fall from a tree, and now young Firefrost doesnt have his fathers intense pressure forcing him to perform. Now he can admit that hes been head over tail in love with a rogue who wishes to be a warrior. (Sero’s warrior name I’m thinking Webwhisker, Stickyfoot, idk)

Please feel free to send me a message, reply to this, or add me on Discord; 𝕗𝕝𝕦𝕗𝕗𝕪#5775

#indie warrior cats rp #warrior cats indie rp #indie warrior cats #warrior cats rp #discord rp #warrior cats discord rp #warrior cats discord

[fuckit-hero-of-trains]

*slides into your ask box and lands on my face* Reread all the Tongs content, I am once again in love with her. Headcanons please and thank you

So even in the beginning of The Chain taking care of Tongs (when she is still very much a kitten and Four is still very much averse to cats) she gets into the habit of following Four around. The one who smells like a wolf and who sometimes is a wolf told her to make sure the little one was okay and Tongs takes this job very seriously. Besides just the job, though, she likes him. Likes that he gives her space and independence. Likes that he doesn't pick her up when she doesn't want to be picked up or try to pet her when she's not in the mood. She likes him. Wants to be his friend. And so she follows him around.

Four, meanwhile, is have A Time trying to figure out why this little cat keeps chasing him???? Can she smell the minish on him???? Does he smell like prey and fear???? Is she hunting him???? He would really like to shrink down and talk to the minish of this era to see if they have any info on these portals, but she's always there, just a few feet behind him. He hasn't seen her chase any minish (though, they also haven't crossed paths with any since she came into their care) but he doesn't want to risk leading her to an unsuspecting village. Doesn't look forward to what might happen when she encounters him at the size of a mouse.

And so they continue on like that for a while, Four barely managing to maintain an air of cool indifference to the little adoring kitten trodding along behind him. Until one day Four sees Tongs quite literally wrapped up with the others; Wind has the little kitten in his arms, Warriors scarf thrown over the both of them. They are valiantly evading capture from the captain while simultaneously getting cat fur all over his precious keep sake, which will no doubt make the Pretty Boy's allergies act up.

So in the commotion, Four slips away, allowing the pull of Minish magic to guide him deeper into the woods. It isn't hard for him to find portals anymore. Not when he knows exactly what he's looking for. And not now that he can feel the sugary-sweet fizz and bubble of warm, familiar magic growing stronger in his chest the closer he grows to one.

A chittering incantation sings from his lips as easily as water flows down a river and he can feel that warm fizz bubble crackle in his chest first expand to encompass his whole body and then pull in. In and in and in and in, the energy tugs at the magic in his blood and skin and bones until both it and he take up a fraction of the space they once occupied.

He turns to hop off the tree stump and down into the undergrowth below when a flash of gray and black bolts forward.

It's her, of course. Tongs. Though she is still a kitten, she is already large. She will be a very big cat one day. One day that Four swears he isn't going to get to see because here she is, standing on her hind legs, her front paws and head hooked onto the the tree stump as two wide green-orange eyes lock on him.

Her pupils dilate, going from slivers to dinner plates.

Literally, part of him whispers snidely as she opens her mouth and–!

"Oh, Little One! I left you alone for a few minutes and you got even littler!"

Four blinks.

Her voice is higher than he thought it would be. So much higher. So much younger.

None of the cats in castle town had ever spoken to him. Spoken at him, yes, their shrill caterwauling of "Come here come here come here, Got You!" sometimes still echoes in his dreams, but that was the extent of their conversation, if one could even call them that.

They had never really spoken to him.

He had almost forgotten that they could.

Or that he could speak back.

"Are you okay?" Tongs continues in that too high, too young voice. "Should I get Wolf? Or-or Armor?"

"No! No, I..." Four stumbles over his words. "I'm okay."

"Oh, okay."

He watches as she relaxes a fraction.

And then–

"Wait! You can understand me?!"

Maybe its the way her eyes go impossibly wider, more black than green-orange. Or the way she seems to stumble on her hind legs, as if this revelation has quite literally knocked her off balance. Or the way her fur puffs up, as if she has been literally shocked as opposed to only metaphorically.

Four isn't sure quite what it is, but something about her response jolts a laugh past his lips despite the fear that still hums through his veins.

"Yes, I can understand you," He forces out between chuckles. And then to clarify, "But only when I'm in this form."

"Oh, that's amazing!" Her voice is a purr and her eyes are so very very bright. "Now we can be friends for real!"

Before Four can correct her, that, actually, when he is this size he would mostly prefer her to be back at camp or literally anywhere not near him, she takes a step back, her paws and head leaving the stump as she sits back on all fours. She curls her tail around her paws and looks up at him.

"It's nice to finally be able to actually introduce myself to you," she says politely and Four wonders idly where she learned such manners.

He's not this formal, is he...?

"My name is Tongs," she says with a purr, interrupting his thoughts, "But you already knew that, seeing as you're the one who named me! I hope we can be good friends, Little One!"

And Four...

Something about hearing her say her own name, a name he had given off handedly, a name that she says with such pride makes Four almost feel breathless.

And it makes something like a hesitant smile pull at his face.

"It's nice to meet you, Tongs." He reaches a tiny hand out and is proud of the way he doesn't even flinch when she leans forward and begins to purr when he pets between ears that already dwarf him. "You can call me Four."

#this may have gotten a little out of hand #anyway #this is how I imagine their first talk #Tongs the Benevolent #lu four #train talk

[goosefeathercore]

hmm dovewing or ivypool?

bet I’ll do both >:3

dovewing

sexuality headcanon: bisexual

gender/pronouns headcanon: she/love/xe, demigirl

favorite thing about them: how she continues to hold so much love for everyone, even when they don’t appreciate it or offer love back to her. she’s also genuinely a good mother, I really appreciate how she loves her kids unconditionally and prioritized being a support system for shadowsight over the opinions of her clanmates and the warrior code. I also love how she’s found her place in shadowclan, and her relationship with tawnypelt!

least favorite thing about them: I guess the fact that she never really got to acknowledge how unfair thunderclan was to her at times, like i feel that she should’ve gotten to go off a little, but I understand that it’s kind of part of her character to be super emotionally mature and forgive others by recognizing that they’re hurting too. so not really a character flaw, more like a desire of mine as a reader! I do think that she popped off when defending shadowsight though.

why i first started liking them: I’m gonna be real with you when I first read power of three and omen of the stars i was like 13 so i didn’t exactly have the hottest takes and she was kinda disliked online until recently. so basically, i started liking her when i joined tumblr a few years ago and started reading long posts analyzing her character and defending her because that was how i realized that i had been missing a ton of nuance!

do i relate/project onto/kin them?: I guess I partially relate to her because i can empathize with the whole ‘i was put on a pedestal as a kid and it made other kids dislike me because i had opportunities they didn’t, but i also never asked to be this way’ thing. that’s kinda where the similarities end though and she’s way more chill than I am about it!

favorite quote/moment: I really liked all her moments with shadowsight in the broken code! she was such a good mom to him through everything.

my fav ship: idk tbh! i think she and tigerheartstar are cute but i’d love to hear about any wlw dovewing ships!

my fav platonic friendship: ooh i don’t really know tbh i don’t remember power of three and the first half of omen of the stars well at all T-T I did just reread tawnypelt’s clan though, and dovewing’s friendships with the tribe cats are nice!

a ship i hate: bumblestripe x dovewing of course, that’s clearly not a hot take lmao i think everyone hates him

do i prefer canon or fanon?: i think i’m somewhere in the middle, like i prefer reading about the fandom’s interpretations of canon dovewing based on the books

random headcanon: i’ve been designing a lot of cats recently, and the image of dovewing in my head has eyes that are a gradient from blue to green! not the most original, but I like it :3

what color do i picture them as: light gray and white

cat breed headcanon: maybe scottish fold or munchkin cat

unpopular opinion: this opinion is much more popular here on tumblr, but she doesn’t deserve the hate she gets.

things i associate with them: doves of course, and for some reason i also heavily associate her with angels and angelcore aesthetic, i have no idea where that came from!

song i associate with them: definitely evelyn, evelyn because of the MAP

favorite MAP/PMV/AMV with them: https://youtu.be/3MdnLGpZSw0 this one! i just like the song a lot in general

ivypool

sexuality headcanon: demiromantic lesbian

gender/pronouns headcanon: she/he/it

favorite thing about them: i liked her a lot as a kid, i guess i’ve always admired the balls it took to be a double agent in freaking hell. idk she was an angsty mood to 13 year old me and i always viewed her as a badass lesbian!

least favorite thing about them: i guess the fact that the erin’s never seem to keep consistent character development for her. i feel like she really reflects on her life and mends her relationships, but then the erin’s just kinda undo that when they want her to be super angsty again for the sake of drama in the plot

why i first started liking them: i liked her from the start but i recognize her flaws a lot more now and i think i appreciate her more as a whole because of it

do i relate/project onto/kin them?: yeah i definitely relate to her a bit, except i’m an only child. instead, i relate to her for the whole ‘getting caught up in a very toxic friendship and losing sight of your personal morals while searching for validation’ thing. she’s a badass though and i just sit in my room and read funny little cat books 💀

favorite quote/moment: again, i do not remember the middle arcs that well but i will always remember the scene where she confronts hawkfrost at the great battle and hollyleaf dies saving her. i will also never forget her in the end of a light in the mist.

my fav ship: i really don’t know, i’ve always seen her as a lesbian but never had a good ship. i know some people ship her with blossomfall but i’ve also seen people say that blossomfall kinda treated ivypool like shit and i can’t really join that debate because i don’t remember their relationship like. at all

my fav platonic friendship: HOLLYLEAF!!!! the 2 reject siblings with flawed morals and self esteem issues 🖤 i think it was so fitting for hollyleaf to die saving her it was angsty af

a ship i hate: not really a big fan of ivypool x fernsong, this girl has been a lesbian in my mind since day one

do i prefer canon or fanon?: fanon all the way!! my main way of enjoying ivypool lately has been consuming fanon content where ivypool basically just goes to therapy lmao

random headcanon: this isn’t really a headcanon but i have an au where she goes to live with dovewing for a while after a light in the mist, and dovewing and shadowsight help her overcome her grief. i also see her as a butch lesbian!

what color do i picture them as: gray and white, the gray bits have darker gray stripes on them

cat breed headcanon: don’t have one :3 i see her as short haired and kinda blocky though

unpopular opinion: i don’t really know..i guess just that i like both her and dovewing equally??

things i associate with them: thorns, train tracks, nightmares

song i associate with them: devil train because of the MAP!

favorite MAP/PMV/AMV with them: devil train!!!https://youtu.be/iZjb-ATaYVk

but i’m also still hyped af about the copycat MAP, the call was posted 3 years ago and it’s so close to being done!! there’s a ton of big names involved i think it’s gonna be awesome!! here’s the parts playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmTDc0x_Z-a_XA5LQujJ7qsx7PWxlYl4V

#dovewing #ivypool #wc #warrior cats #warriors #waca #warriorcats #thunderclan #wc headcanon #warriors headcanons #warrior cats headcanons #warriors ask game #warrior cats ask game #wc ask game

[shreddedparchment]

Pseudo Princess Pt.35

Sacrifices to Save the World

Pairing: King!Steve x Reader          Word Count: 9,582

Warnings: smut, LOTS of fluff, angst

A/N: (THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER! One more to go!) Here it is everyone! The moment I have been waiting for. I can’t really say much and I don’t want to give anything away so, I’ll just let the chapter speak for itself. I also want to say that I’m sorry that I haven’t been as diligent about responding to comments. Trust me when I say that I read and reread them often! I appreciate your thoughts and reactions so much. As always, if you happen to reblog, thank you so much for helping me spread my work!

Tags are closed!

Please DO NOT repost my stories. Reblogs are MOST welcome!

You bustle around the cottage sweeping cat hair and dust, mixing the white of the chalk dust with the crimson blood of Grandmother’s sacrificial cat.

Your attempts to tidy the space is wasted as you’re only making it worse, but rather than focus on her words you prefer to clean.

She watches you from the seat at her table where you placed her. A cup of water gripped in her withered hand, still trembling slightly.

“Stop cleaning, girl!” Grandmother chides, watching you with annoyance as you stop amongst the mess on her floor and throw your hands out to your sides in a clear indication of not understanding.

“What would you have me do?” You ask her, voice tight with distress. “You tell me that my husband will fight to his death and I am supposed to what? Dance?”

“Just sit down.” She points at the seat across from her, her finger crooked and weak.

You drop the broom where you stand and plop yourself down on the indicated seat while ignoring the creak of the weathered wood. The old woman would resist new furnishings though you’d managed to sneak in a new bed and kitchenware.

“You killed your cat.” You tell her, as if she doesn’t know.

“Yes.” She agrees and lifts the small cup to her lips to take a drink.

“Why?”

“I had to see.” She explains. “Something was…was there.”

“When I found you outside Steve’s office?” You check, though you know her answer.

“Yes.” With a sigh she captures your gaze and does not release it. “I have sensed a darkness growing in the world. Something elusive. Hidden. It has kept its face secret, behind that of puppets. It uses others to do its bidding and until today I had no idea what that bidding was.

“He is gathering six relics. Stones. Rich in magic properties. Richer than any other relics I have ever come across. Each of them with powers more terrifying than the last.”

“What kind of powers?” You ask her, voice feeble and wispy.

“Powers to control time. Power to manipulate the mind and the very fabric of space and reality.” She warns. “Powers to rule the world…or wipe it from existence.”

Your heart grows cold, slipping into the pit of your stomach as you picture Steve in his armor standing before such massive power. What could your warrior husband do in the face of such might?

“Who is he?” You ask her, eager to put a face to the threat.

“I don’t know.” She says, looking down at the necklace that always rests around your neck. The locket that is Steve’s insignia, with his picture along with your parents. “I cannot see his face. I can only feel him. He is stronger than the king. Stronger than many of those who fight here. Together they may defeat him, but I did not see them together. I saw only your husband, the bodies of those you love surrounded him, and he fell too.”

You get up, unwilling to let her convince you despite you having already accepted her words. “I cannot listen to this.”

“You must, girl. You must take heed of what I tell you and prepare yourself for what is to come. Take your daughter and go as far away from here as possible but even that may not save you.” She adds as an afterthought. “I feel this evil plans for more than death. He has such a will.”

Turning to her you consider her thoughtful expression and the way she seems lost to her vision. She believes it with every fiber of her being and your own heart is swayed into panic as you throw yourself onto your knees at her feet.

Gripping the hand she has resting on her lap, you raise it to your breast and hold it there to where your heart is pounding.

“There must be something you can do. Something that will save him.” You reason, pleading for her to see reason as if she held the very fate of Steve within her old hands. “Won’t you try?”

“I cannot.” She shakes her head. “Such magics are forbidden. I am no dark witch.”

Her insistence is fractured, her own eyes betray her as she eyes you up and then turns away.

Her fondness is clear. You know that she loves you despite the way she speaks to you at times. She has fought hard for your happiness. If you would beg for her life, you think she might give it up.

“Is there no way? Nothing? Surely there is a chance to change things without resorting to dark magics? Please, Grandmother…” Before you know what’s happening, you’re crying.

Tears flow freely across your cheeks but your voice is strong in the only way that it can be when you’re pleading for your husband’s life.

“I cannot live in a world where my husband is not alive. Please…help me. Help me save him. There must be a way. There must be…please. We just had our daughter…” You lay your head in her lap, overcome with fear at this future she’s seen. “Please.”

Her silence is heavy. You can feel her thinking, can feel her mind searching for a way to give you what you want.

You have always loved this old woman but until today, you had not considered how much she might truly love you as one would a true granddaughter.

“Give me time.” She sighs.

“You’ll try?!” You gasp, your heart soaring.

With an elated sob you drop your head onto her lap and with gentle, feeble hands, she strokes the back of your head.

“I will think on it. I will try. I cannot make any promises.” She warns you, reaching under your chin to draw your gaze up. “What you ask for will not be easy. Is he worth it?”

You blink, confused by her question because in your mind there is absolutely no doubt.

“He’s worth more. He’s worth everything.” You nod. “I love him.”

Grandmother’s gaze withers and she releases you, nudging you away.

“Go. Be with your husband and child. Let me ponder.” She orders and slowly you rise.

You’re so stunned you have to keep a hand on the table as you rise to keep your knees buckling.

“When will you know?” You ask her, sniffling from the tears you shed.

“Go.” She orders again, staring at the hem of your dress. “And change your dress. You’re covered in blood.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Standing still, you hold tight to the lower left post of your bed as your corset is laced again.

The copper tub by the roaring fire in your bedroom sits lukewarm, full pink and wine-colored peony blooms floating within its oiled surface.

“Why was there blood on your dress?” Natasha wonders, tugging tight on your laces making you gasp.

“It’s not important.” You tell her, then think better of keeping her completely in the dark. “There was a dead cat on the way to Grandmother’s and I didn’t realize it until I came upon it.”

Fuck, was that believable? Does she trust you enough to accept your words without doubt?

“You’re keeping something from me.” She counters, frowning as she ties the corset closed.

Apparently not.

“I’m not.” You argue, but after her silence pierces your soul, you sigh. “I’m worried.”

“About Hydra?” She asks, supplying you with an appropriate alternative to the truth.

“Of course.” You grasp onto this straw and lean your stress onto this very real threat. “The last time I was within their vicinity someone tried to kill me and Maggie.”

“That won’t happen again.” Natasha assures you, moving towards you with a long ivory gown. The slightly yellowish tinge to the flowing fabric is pretty, though you note this in the back of your head. You’re too preoccupied with the threats looming overhead to notice how pretty the dress is. “I should have stayed with you.”

“It wasn’t your fault Nat. Pierce knew what he was doing. He’d been to father’s many times and he knew that I’d be in that part of the castle. He knew that you’d all be focused elsewhere. He was going to find a way to me one way or another.” You reason, but you know that if Peter or Nat had been there with you, there would have been a better chance of getting away with greater speed.

“I will never leave your side again.” Nat declares passionately but you huff a laugh and turn to look at her as she gathers up the skirt of your dress, hooking her arms through it to make ready for you to wear.

“Nat,” You smile. “I love you, and maybe you’re right and things would have been better if you or someone else had been by my side that night. But you cannot be beside me always. You’re a wife now. And even if you cannot be a mother naturally, there are many other ways to have children.”

Nat drops her arms, watching you with a concerned and furrowed brow. She’s clearly focused on you and not herself. You want to remedy that quickly. You love her, how can you allow her to only ever let you be her concern?

“You two must have discussed it?” You prompt, knowing that Bucky would not give up on giving Nat what she most desperately desires. “I know you want to be a mother. You love children.”

She seems to realize that you are not about to let this drop, so she sighs, relaxing a bit.

“I have thought about it.” She nods. “And yes, I do love children but I’m not sure if it’s right for me with the life that Bucky and I lead.”

Your heart aches suddenly, a renewal of Grandmother’s words reminding you that your daughter could lose her father. She so damn right about that.

“I don’t blame you.” You nod, sitting yourself on the end of the bed. “This life that all of you have chosen is one most unwelcome to the traditional family. But it is possible. Father and Mother have Morgana, Lord and Lady Lang have their daughter. Steve and I now have Margaret.

“It may not be ideal, certainly. But possible.” You offer in encouragement.

You don’t want her to give up. You want her to be happy.

Nat looks down at your stocking covered feet and nods.

“You don’t have to. Of course, it is entirely your choice and Bucky’s. I’m not trying to say that you should have children. But if you should you choose to have them, it is possible to live both lives.” You really hope that you’re not putting any pressure on her to raise a child when she might not want to.

Natasha’s inability to have children naturally should not be a hindrance on her desire to be a mother if she should decide to try. There are thousands of children in orphanages across the Kingdoms that would benefit greatly from a loving home that you know Bucky and Nat would provide effortlessly.

At the end of the day however, you know it is their choice.

“I appreciate your support.” Nat admits, gathering your skirts again and then holding them open for you to put your head through. “Truly. It means so much to me that you think I could do a good job. As a mother.”

You stand and stick your head through the dress and begin to pull your arms through the large puffed sleeves as Natasha straightens your skirt.

The neckline is ruffled, heart shaped, and low. The sleeves are also ruffled, small cinches that wrap around your arm mid-bicep leaving your shoulders and neckline exposed. Nat turns you and quickly laces up the back of the dress. She pulls it tight so that there is no chance of it slipping down.

“Isn’t this a little-?”

“You look beautiful.” Natasha smiles, fixing a long pink sash around your waist that she ties into a long loose bow above the curve of your bum. “Shall I braid your hair again?”

Natasha’s hands work fast, her fingers nimble and familiar with your hair’s texture and flow. The skirt is so long and flowing that you wonder if something special has been planned for you to attend as you feel that despite the somewhat casual look of the dress, it also doubles as pretty in that formal sense.

Your fingers find the embroidered pink and white peonies on the bodice that decorate your breast.

“Am I seeing someone special today?” You ask.

“No.” Natasha smiles. “Just us. Lunch is being served in the garden for you, Margaret, and Steve. Bucky and I shall be nearby. Peter will be close too. No one special.”

You huff a laugh as she lists all of the most precious people in your life. “So, only those special to me then?”

Nat chuckles and finishing tying off your hair.

“Lunch is for you, Steve, and Maggie. Steve expressed a wish to spend some quiet time alone with the two of you. He knows he’s been busy the past few weeks racing about chasing leads on this new Hydra weapon. He wants to make it up to you and I know he’d appreciate you in this dress.”

Her explanation makes sense but you’re successfully distracted from the dress by the mention of Hydra.

“How was the search?” You suddenly wonder, remembering Steve’s orders for her and Bucky.

“We’ve spread the word and will go out again tonight to search. I’ll tell you if anyone is found.”

“I’d like to know what’s happening with this.” You turn to her, adjusting within her grip as she reaches down to fuss with your dress. “I need to know, Nat. I can’t be kept in the dark again.”

Natasha drops her hands, placing them on her hips as she considers the look in your eyes.

“You’re not saying something.” She realizes. “What’s troubling you?”

“Nothing.” You say quickly, a shrug thrown her way just to brush off the concern. “I just don’t want any surprises. Not like before. This threat seems insignificant but what if there’s more to this mysterious weapon? I want to know what you’re all walking into.”

“Steve has promised to keep you appraised.” Nat promises you. “I will hold him to his word.”

Slowly, as the truth of her words shines through her eyes, a small smile stretches your lips.

“Thanks, Nat.”

~~~~~~~~~~

As you approach your renovated pavilion, peony blossoms blooming all around in varying shades of pink, you adjust Maggie in your arms.

You’re careful with your own dress. Double-checking the top of your bodice to make sure for the tenth time that you are covered after feeding your daughter. Nat made sure it was tight again but you’re fretting is ceaseless as a mother now.

The corset you’re wearing made especially for you since you are nursing, makes it easy for you to feed her without much fuss. Steve seems to favor it too though you’ve told him to be gentle and he’s avoided enjoying your breasts while you’re focused on raising your little one.

Aside from a loving caress and gentle butterfly kisses when the two of you make love, he’s avoided touching them.

Reaching the stairs, you fix your daughter’s dress—changed to match yours with endless ruffles but the same peony embroidery pattern on her little chest and pink sash around her little waist.

Steve rises quickly, rushing towards you with his arms extended.

Maggie coos excitedly, her little high-pitched squeaks and goos nearly make you swoon as she kicks her little legs excitedly. She’s not exactly screaming yet, but her noises are long and eager.

“There’s my princess.” Steve says proudly, his eyes flooding with love as he takes her into his large arms and kisses her chubby cheek.

He turns her to sit with her little back pressed against his chest and smiles at you while your own eyes are glued to your daughter.

“And my beautiful Queen.” He gushes, pulling your attention away from Maggie as he leans down slowly until he meets your lips with a long slow peck. “How are you?”

His voice is soft and deep. “I’m very well.”

It’s almost a lie.

In this moment, here with Steve and Maggie, you are most definitely well. You’re happy and you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Your heart still weighs a ton with Grandmother’s news.

For a terrible moment as Steve walks away from you to sit down with Maggie on his lap, you remember her words and your knees almost buckle.

With him focused on the little one, you manage to sit yourself down before he can notice.

Rapid footsteps climb the stairs behind you. You turn to find Peter moving in to stand beside you both. He smiles excitedly as he watches Maggie. He, like everyone else in the castle, is head over heels for her.

No one draws a smile quicker than Maggie, even from the gentry that had so readily spread rumors about you.

This makes you happy. Your daughter accepted.

“Cook will be out with your meals shortly, your Majesties.” He informs you both.

“Won’t you join us?” You ask him, but Peter meets Steve’s eyes for a moment then reaches up to scratch behind his head, his cheeks flushing pink.

Clearly Steve had made it clear that he wanted to spend time with you and Maggie alone to more than just Nat. However, there’s something else in that rosy tint in Peter’s cheeks.

“I…I’m actually meeting Morgana in the libraries to help her with her studies. I will cancel with her if you wish me to stay?” He offers, though you see the disappointment in his eyes.

“No.” You hurry to assure him. “No, we’re fine. I just wanted to be sure you ate.”

“Thank you, your Majesty. I believe Cook is sending sandwiches to the library for us.” Peter bows and with an excitement in his step you watch him until he’s out of sight.

“They make a good match.” You smile, turning to take a sip of water from the silver goblet before you.

“Who?” Steve asks, confused. He bounces his leg to keep Maggie occupied while allowing her to hold his finger in her tight tiny fist. She drags it to her mouth and bites it with her gums, yet Steve doesn’t seem to notice.

“Peter and Morgana.”

“Peter and your sister?” Steve asks in shock. “But…she’s so young.”

“She’s fifteen, going on sixteen.” You remind him. “If they are engaged this year that will still leave them with two years of courtship before they’re married. That is the custom in Malibia.

She’ll be eighteen by then and Peter will be twenty-four. Some people would say those are two ages perfect for marrying.”

Despite the pleasant picture you paint, Steve’s frown only grows.

“What?” You chuckle, reaching into your skirts to find the pocket where you’d placed a few small towels for Maggie’s constant drooling.

You offer Steve the towel but he’s still frowning? No…he’s pouting! You get up and move around to wipe her chin before placing the towel in Steve’s hand.

“Why are you pouting?”

“I’m not pouting.” Steve grumbles.

It makes you laugh again. “Steve…”

“Maggie will not be getting engaged until she’s at least twenty.” He suddenly declares. “I’ll lock her up in the West tower until she’s that age and only then will I allow her to entertain the idea of a suitor.”

“Are you worried that you’ll only have her for sixteen years?” You chuckle, watching the worry in his eyes as he cradles Maggie closer, stroking her rounded cheeks with gentle thumbs.

“She’s mine right now.” Steve laments, looking down at her as she continues to chew on his finger. “I don’t want to part with her. I’ve waited so long for her for some boy to come take her from me.”

“Oh, my darling.” You chuckle but this time with full sympathy for his heartbreak. “We will have lots of time with her. And even after she marries, she will always be our daughter.”

Steve’s eyes are glued to her little face and he completely doesn’t notice Cook come up to serve your meal. A few roast chickens with potatoes and carrots.

You eat in silence but quickly. Enjoying the sight of him growing more and more enamored with your daughter. Steve doesn’t seem to notice the time slip by as he distracts her with the towel you’d handed him.

She chatters about nothing in her baby speak, drawing smiles and chuckles from your husband.

Finally, you eat your last carrot and slide your chair back.

“I’m sorry.” You tell him, rising to your feet knowing you have no reason to be sorry. He’s so in love with her. Luckily, you’ve still managed to eat fast enough that the food is still warm for him. “I should hire a maid to watch her when we eat.”

It’s true that you’ll eventually need to hire someone to take care of her when you must deal with kingdom affairs too. You’re so reluctant to let someone else care for her. Just as Steve claims her passionately, you feel just as he does. She’s yours.

“Not yet.” Steve counters, letting you take her from him. He adjusts in his chair, wipes his hand then proceeds to eat, stealing glances at both of you as you move towards the benches that line the inner edge of the pavilion.

Everything is so perfect. So lovely.

You’re almost content in this moment, with your little girl in your arms and Steve sharing a meal with you. You’re very nearly happy until you look at him and like a raging storm Grandmother’s words destroy your fragile peace once more.

Steve is going to die.

He turns to you and smiles. He smiles at Maggie. He confesses his love for you both with it pouring from his eyes and while your heart aches, you vow to do anything to stop this new threat from taking him away.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Come to bed.” Steve pleads.

You glance at him through your looking glass, a hazy image because of the distance from your small table to the bed. The silver is in need of polishing or perhaps replacing. You don’t dare speak this thought aloud though.

Knowing Steve, he’d simply buy you a wall full of mirrors and you can’t have that.

Even blurry he’s a vision, an absolute fucking sight to behold with your daughter at the center of your bed his fingers tickling her tummy as she kicks her little legs excitedly. Her little hands absentmindedly stroking his arm.

He’s on his side, shirtless. His lower body hidden beneath the sheets of your bed as he lays naked underneath.

Despite that delectable fact, your eyes are glued to his gentle smile as he takes his hand and gently strokes the length of Maggie’s little nose. He’s noticed how that lulls her to sleep and does it to her every night to send her off when he’s not busy in meetings.

You finish tending to your hair, braiding it back once again to keep out of the way for your little one. When you turn in your seat to look at them, you find Maggie’s movements slowed. Her eyes are closing, little rosebud lips left open slightly.

She’s already fed and content. Your happy baby, so protected and cherished.

Despite his attentions to your daughter that you’ve spent the last ten minutes watching, when you look at him you find Steve’s eyes on you.

“Come to bed.” He urges you, a small twinkle of desire hidden in the tranquility of these moments he spends with Maggie but stares at you.

“Are you trying for a second?” You ask him, teasing as you rise and move to the bed. You know that look well by now.

Steve’s expression suddenly shift, concern etched across his face.

“Am I rushing you?” He asks, reaching for you as you kneel on the bed and gather your nightdress up so as not to trip on it. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

He’s thinking of this morning, already having had you in his den.

Since you’d given birth, he’s been so careful with you. Even when you’d assured him you were ready to be intimate with him again, he’d hesitated. Worried about hurting you or rushing your body into doing things you should not be doing.

Your smile only grows, a small chuckle escaping your lips as you settle in on Maggie’s right. She doesn’t even stir. Steve’s hand remains around your forearm, fingers gently caressing your skin.

“Why do you laugh?” He asks, his mouth perking at the corners despite his worry.

“You are not like any man I’ve ever met or heard of.” You confess. “Some of the women in Bright Rise, when they still spoke with me, would tell me about their husbands. They were like you were at the beginning of our marriage. Worse, as they took without care for their wives’ wishes. Some of them were always pregnant now that I think about it. Always trailed by a line of toddlers and children.

“The men didn’t care about their wives’ bodies or how their need to satiate their hungers affected the other.” You shake your head. “Some of the women even confessed to me that they took on lovers to find the enjoyment in fucking again.”

“Something you would have been forced to do had I continued in my foolish ways.” Steve suggests, unphased by your still somewhat rural tongue.

“Maybe…in the future. It would have taken me years of neglect to get to that point.” You nod, “Even with Thor, his touch was…unwelcome. He didn’t force me, but I did not feel right accepting his affections. I’m married. Even unhappy that wasn’t something I took lightly.”

Steve’s hand moves up to the top of your arm then slowly he drags it down to your wrist.

“Were you always this considerate? I mean, before me?” You wonder, looking deep into his storm blue eyes. “Say with Margaret? Or, perhaps the other women you were with before we married?”

Steve turns, laying himself on his back.

He releases your arm and gently strokes the length of his chest, fingers dancing across the tuft of blonde hair that rails all the way down below where the blanket ends at his waist. His other hand he shoves underneath his head as he thinks.

You wait patiently for him to be ready to speak. You’ve never asked him about his habits with other women in bed.

He steals several quick looks your way which tells you he’s nervous about answering you. Wary, in case it should prompt a fight. You can see the moment he decides to give in. His lips part a little, they stutter, then he speaks.

“Margaret was strong.” He states plainly, as if that explains it all.

You wait.

“Not that you aren’t!” He rushes to say, sitting up as gently as he can to keep from waking your daughter.

Maggie still stirs and whimpers. You place your hand on her chest and soothe her until she stills again.

“Can you put her in her bed?” You begin to sit up too, ready to do it yourself but Steve is faster, rushing so that you won’t have to.

“Of course! I’ll get her.” He gently scoops her up into his arms then quickly moves around to your side of the bed as you follow them with your eyes, turning your body as they go.

Gently he places her in her crib and tucks her in, shushing and soothing her as she complains then goes silent once more.

She isn’t too close, but you can still see her from your spot on the bed. Steve double checks by looking at you to see if you can still see her.

When he’s satisfied that you can, he moves back to you, crawling over you and stopping to give the tip of your nose a kiss as he goes before plopping himself down on his side once again. This time he reaches for you, grabby hands tracing the shape of your curves as he pulls you a little closer.

“What I meant, is that Margaret was willful. She knew what she wanted, and she made certain that everyone else knew so too.” He clears his throat, suddenly nervous again. “In bed, she was just as certain of herself.

“Even though I made the first move, she was the one who took charge in our physical relationship. I knew that if something were to go wrong or if she was tired or too ill to be with me intimately, she would tell me.”

You listen without judgement and try to keep your face clear of all emotions other than the love you have for him. Even through this conversation, your heart pounds with dread as it repeats Grandmother’s words over and over, reminding you that every moment with Steve is precious.

“I never had to worry about Margaret’s body because she never had to compromise it for me. I did worry for her, but not in the same way.” Steve says, probably thinking about the risks that Margaret would have taken as part of the Avengers.

“And the other women?” You wonder.

“There weren’t many.” Steve assures you, looking down at your chest in embarrassment. “Only two.”

“You were grieving Margaret.” You nod, understanding. “That doesn’t mean you aren’t a man.”

Steve is silent for a moment, resting his head in his hand as he uses his elbow to prop himself up. With his other hand he traces nervous circles in the blanket between you.

“They were visiting ladies. Ladies who, like Margaret, knew what they wanted.” Steve sighs the lunges softly towards you, pushing you onto your back so suddenly it makes you gasp and then laugh.

As he settles his body halfway over yours, he smiles down at you.

His hands caress the sides of your face before he trails one hand along your sides, grabbing you with intent. You can feel the desire in his touch.

“Court ladies are all playing a game. It’s a language they speak that you don’t know.” Steve sighs heavily. “A set of rules that I’m glad you do not understand. You are nothing like them and I love you for it.”

“They had husbands?” You realize.

“Yes.” Steve nods. “Men who are too distracted by their own infidelities or too busy grasping at power to pay their wives any mind. With both of them it was only one night. It came and went so quickly I can barely remember them. I don’t even think I could tell you their names.”

His face grows solemn, sad as if remembering a painful memory that has since lost its sting but not the emotion of sorrow. “I didn’t enjoy myself. I was driven by lust, but I didn’t even…I made sure they were satisfied and left it at that.”

“Mm. You felt guilty.” You nod, understanding as you watch his full lips. The lower is so much bigger than the upper. You reach up and trace it, loving the soft plumpness of it.

“Does it not make you jealous?” He wonders, relaxing more of his weight onto you. “Does it not upset you?”

You meet his eyes again, a smile stretched across your face. You can see that he wants to know you’re jealous. He wants to know that you want him as much as he wants you.

So much progress…is this truly the man you married?

“Only as much as it would upset any wife to hear her beloved husband talk about his past adventures in fucking other women.”

Steve groans and buries his face into the side of your neck, wrapping his arms around you as you also wrap yours around his shoulders. You chuckle, caressing the back of his head.

“So, the concern is not normal?” You realize, feeling better but also worried that you’re not seeing the real Steve. That maybe he’s acting this way with you while acting a completely different way with everyone else.

Is this not who he is?

“No, the concern is normal.” Steve says, muffled against your skin, making you feel almost instantly better.

He pulls back to look down at you again.

“What I’m saying is that every woman that I have been with until you has never given me cause to be concerned. I didn’t hurt them the way I hurt you.” He frowns. “I didn’t take what they weren’t willing to give.”

You look away this time, the solemnity coming from you now. The shift of conversation making your heart ache. When you speak, your voice is quiet, subdued with the reminder of your wedding night.

“I wasn’t unwilling.” You correct him because you hadn’t been. Not that first night or any night after.

Your line was not one clearly drawn, certainly. You’d slept with him out of duty but that hadn’t meant you didn’t want to. He’s the most beautiful man you’d ever seen in your life. Of course, you’d wanted him.

You hadn’t told him no. You’d only told him to slow down. You know that for him, for Nat, for everyone who found out—that slow down had been enough. It should have been enough to stop him.

“You know what I mean.” Steve says, placing both his hands on the sides of your face to tilt your head back until you look at him. “I wounded you. I took something that was not mine to take.”

“But it was yours to take.” You correct him again, and he growls in his throat at you before shaking his head, the pain leaving his eyes to be replaced by admiration.

“I can still feel you, trembling and sobbing in my arms. I was disgusted with myself. I couldn’t believe that I could do that to anyone. And you were so…so kind and gentle. So eager to please and I took advantage of that.” Steve confesses. All of his thoughts spilling out of him like water. “I had turned this beautiful, sweet princess into a sobbing, fearful, and wounded creature. I was so consumed by my grief over Margaret and my anger at having to marry again when I wasn’t ready to do so that I wanted it over. In that moment, I didn’t care about the sweet woman beneath me.

“And even after I hurt you, when I came to see you, despite your fear your only concern was for the tears I shed.”

It takes a moment to find your voice, but you do. You swallow hard.

“I’d never seen a man cry.” You confess. “Much less a king.”

“I meant every tear.” Steve insists. “If I could take that night back, I would. If I could redo every night since, I would. I am concerned for you above anyone else, because in you I saw my darkest self and I never want to be that man for you again. I never want to hurt you.”

The two of you lapse into emotional but pleasant silence. Both hearts beating strongly against each other as his chest is pressed firmly against your own.

At last, you smile, a chuckle spilling from your lips as you reach up and tuck his hair behind his ear. It’s getting long again.

“Have you always made these long speeches? Or is that reserved for me as well?” You check, mostly just teasing.

Steve’s lips curl up, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “I make sure to give every pretty woman I see a lengthy speech. Whether they’re enjoyable is a different matter.”

You bite your lip, glaring at him but only in jest. Quickly he dips down to kiss your lips, letting it linger for a moment before he pulls back only a bit so that when he speaks, his lips are fluttering against your own.

“My declarations of love, however, are entirely yours alone.” He whispers. “Tell me to stop and I will obey, my Queen.”

His right hand moves down, searching until it finds the hem of your nightdress which he begins to tug up until he finds the top of your leg. He traces the dip of flesh there, tickling your skin in search of your already yearning core.

As his fingers make contact, you gasp into his slightly open mouth and it draws his attention back up to your face. He licks your lips, just a gentle flick of the tip of his tongue before he kisses you, sinking it into your depths where you meet his eager kiss with your own.

You moan quietly, a whimper of yearning as his fingers spread your folds and begin to explore you. The noises his hand makes absolutely sinful.

Eager for his touch, you bring your knees up. You spread your legs for him, and he pulls out of the kiss to slide down along your body. He does down, down, down until he’s settled between your legs.

He grabs one and throws it over his left shoulder, then the other over his right. He kisses your thighs, trailing his tongue in small circles before every gentle pucker. The anticipation curls your toes as he moves closer and closer to your cunt.

“Steve…” You whisper, aware of the baby asleep in her crib and your need to keep quiet so that she can sleep.

He dives in, his tongue making one long swipe of your dripping core.

You gasp, curling up towards him as your body is sent into shivers.

He grabs hold of your thighs roughly, pulling you hard against his face. Opening his mouth, he suckles on your clit, the gentle sound of his sucking filling your limbs with fire.

As much as you enjoy his mouth where it is, there’s an impatience that wages war within you.

After months of waiting to enjoy sleeping with him, now that you do, it makes you eager to have him within you.

“Steve, please…” You beg, reaching down and tugging on his hair.

He likes that, growling a little at the lusty whisper that is your plea.

Pressing kisses along the length of your body while he shoves your nightdress up higher and higher, he finally helps you pull it off before taking your breasts within his mouth.

His lips are soft against them, gentle in their suckling as he knows how painful you can find it now.

When you whimper from the soreness, he steals a quick look at you to make sure you aren’t in too much pain before he simply kisses them around the nipple.

You run your hand over his hair, a promise that someday he’ll be able to enjoy your breasts again. He reads your reassurance but dismisses it as he rushes to meet your lips in a demanding kiss.

Without warning he pushes into you. He stretches you, filling you up so pleasantly that you throw your head back but swallow the moan you’d normally release.

Fuck…Your mind supplies, nails raking along the scarred flesh of his shoulders.

“Fuck…” Steve groans into your ear, stopping once he’s buried within you. Great minds think alike, you guess.

“Don’t stop.” You beg and wrap your left arm around his shoulders while the other reaches down as far as it can to grab as much of his bum as possible and pull him close.

He starts slowly, letting you both relish in the silky way his cock slides out of you then back in.

“Kiss me.” You tell him, needing his mouth to silence the moans you feel bound to make.

He obliges, roughly meeting your lips with a frenzied and lustful kiss as he loses himself within you.

He doesn’t pound into you the way he did at the cottage. He knows he shouldn’t, so he doesn’t. Even though you want it, you’re grateful for his forethought and instead focus on the way he seems to know which angles to adjust so that his cock not only pierces you but presses against the most sensitive spots inside of you.

He moves faster, reaching down to massage your clit as he kisses his way down your neck.

The moment is sudden, and it surprises you when your body goes tense for a moment as your climax washes over you.

You pull Steve down against you, gripping him hard as you hold him tight while your body is overcome.

Steve continues to push into you. Faster as he realizes that you’ve reached your limit. He grunts as he picks up speed, tracing the shape of your back down to your ass where he takes hold of it, fingers digging into the muscle.

He pulls up a little, searching for your lips with his own, tongue delving into your mouth as you give him what he wants. Both of you moan into each other, muffled and needy until Steve’s body stutters and his heat spills into you over and over.

He thrusts with each burst of ecstasy that overtakes him. His groans grow lazy. His body loose. Your own is already numb and you go still beneath him as he trails lazy kisses along the misty skin of your neck and shoulders.

He sighs, laying his head against your clavicle where he relaxes on top of you, your hands gently stroking his back.

You steal a glance at Maggie in her crib, but she’s sound asleep. It relaxes you to know she’s unbothered and without meaning to, you and Steve both fall asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

A loud thumping makes you twitch. It sounds distant but it startles you anyway.

In your arms, something large moves.

Your sleepy mind reminds you that it’s Steve and you sigh in your semi-sleep as your hands enjoy the feel of his hot body still resting on top of your own.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The thumping returns, this time louder and clearer.

A quiet whine to your right wakes you more quickly than the thumping and like you’ve been stunned with Thor’s lightning, you spring up from the bed, quickly sliding out from beneath Steve who also whines at your moving but peeks up at you as you rise.

“Whereyewgoin?” He asks, still mostly asleep.

“Go back to sleep.” You whisper to him from beside Maggie’s crib.

BOOM! BOOM-BOOM!

The thumping, which is actually a knocking on your door you realize, repeats.

Maggie whines again and you frown.

“Who’s there?” Steve asks towards the door, his voice more annoyed then upset.

“It’s Agatha, your Majesty.” One of the guards outside speaks.

“Don’t speak for me.” Grandmother’s voice grumbles.

“I’m sorry, your Majesty.” The guard says nervously, probably worried about the knocking, which means that was Grandmother and not the guard.

You look at Steve as Maggie begins to wake, her cries soft but rising as you continue to try and soothe her but now only halfheartedly.

Fear grips you, stealing you of your voice as you stare at your husband. Your little girl’s cries grow louder as she wakes but you’re frozen in place, terrified of what Grandmother could not wait until the morning to tell you.

“What, my flower?” Steve suddenly asks, sliding to the edge of the bed towards you.

“I…I should see what she wants.” You whisper, afraid to speak any louder despite your daughter already being awake.

“Go.” Steve urges you, grabbing your nightdress and moving towards you. He offers it to you as he reaches you. “I’ll put Maggie back to sleep.”

You take the nightdress with trembling hands. If Steve notices he doesn’t say so, but you don’t think he does as he’s already lifting Maggie from the crib, moving back towards the bed.

You dress in a hurry, then move to grab Steve’s robe as it’s closer and pull it over your body.

You’re tying it closed as the door opens upon your approach and find Grandmother pacing the hallway behind the two guards assigned to keep you and Maggie safe.

After what happened with Pierce, Steve is taking no chances.

“Grandmother?” You check, voice stronger but still just as terrified.

“We must speak.” She tells you, her voice strong and her eyes full of severity.

With a tentative nod you have her follow you into Steve’s den next door, shutting the door securely before you move into the room and offer her a seat in front of Steve’s desk.

“No.” She waves your offer off, pacing as you take a seat because your legs are weak again. “I have found a solution.”

“So quickly?” You gasp, hands balled into tight fists on your lap as you watch her pace.

“The sooner the better I would think in this situation. This is nothing like I have ever done before.” She admits. “It will take all of my power to do it.”

“It…will it hurt you?” You wonder, worried for her withered body.

“Probably not.” She shakes her head. “No way to know for sure. But it’s something I’m willing to die for.”

“What?” You gasp, suddenly terrified of losing her.

Finally, Grandmother stops her pacing and moves to stand before you.

“This threat is greater than I first thought.” She admits, slowly sitting herself down in the seat beside yours, turning it so that she can face you. “We cannot allow this power to grow. We can either stop it here, right now. Or we can let your husband stop it later. If we allow him to do it, it will take his life. There is no doubt in my mind of that. There will be others. He will not be the only to perish.

“Stopping this threat now is for everyone’s benefit and if I must pay with my life to save many others, I will do so willingly.” She declares.

“I can’t ask you to do that.” You shake your head, your emotions already raw.

“You’re not asking me, girl. I’m telling you that I must do it. I have already made my choice, now the only choice left to make is your own.” She fixes her gaze on you and you find you cannot look away.

“My own choice?”

“You asked me to save him. To ensure that he will live, a great sacrifice must be made. Separate from my own. I will provide the power, the strength for the incantation. Something else must be given for it to succeed.” Grandmother explains.

Your mind springs into action, thinking of the one thing you have of worth to give. Your life.

“So, I’ll…I’ll die?” You whisper, already in sorrow for leaving your husband and child.

“No.” Grandmother says. “No, I’m certain you will live.”

“Then what?”

“The price is impossible to know. It could be anything.” Grandmother gestures at you, looking you over from head to toe. “It could be your sight. Your ability to hear. Your voice. Your ability to walk. Whatever it is, it will be a great price to pay. Only you can choose to pay it but unless you do, I cannot go forward with the spell.”

“C-can I choose? Can I decide what it is that I sacrifice?” You hope, but what would you choose? What do you possibly have that could be worth your husband’s life?

“No. The magics will choose what to take. It will be equal to what it is you ask for, but only the magics can choose what that value is.” Grandmother explains.

This is impossible. This is unbelievable. This is torture.

You have to pay a price without knowing what it will be?

You know that your answer is yes. You’ll pay it. Whatever the price, you will give it willingly if it will save Steve’s life.

“I will pay it.” You nod. “Of course, I will. Yes.”

Grandmother takes your hand and squeezes it, a knowing look in her eyes. “I knew you would.”

She rises and you follow. Your hands feel weak but with the decision now made, you now it’s right and feel settled that you know this will soon be resolved.

Before the old woman can make it to the door, you reach out and grab her wrist, stopping her before she can leave.

“Grandmother…” You begin, waiting for her to turn.

She doesn’t. “Don’t get sentimental.” She says, voice strong though you’re sure that you can hear a small sadness in her tone.

“I want to thank you…for taking care of me. For loving me. I know that you could not always be there when I was young but you’re here now. Thank you.” You whisper, scared to speak louder in case you begin to cry. “I-I just wanted you to know. In case I cannot say it later or if you-”

You can’t even speak the words. She won’t die. She can’t.

With one withered hand, she reaches down and places it over your own. She gives you a squeeze, her hands trembling but reassuring.

“I don’t know when the spell will take effect. Go. Sleep soundly. Hold them close.” Grandmother advises then pushes your hand off her arm and disappears into the sleeping castle.

The very short walk back to your bedroom feels as if it takes forever. The guard make no comment as they open your door for you and you wander in, eyes searching for the loves of your life.

You find Steve snuggled up close to Maggie, his head pressed against the side of her own, his hand on her tummy and his eyes closed.

Maggie is not sleeping. She’s staring up at the ceiling with her little legs kicking gently as she coos and babbles her baby speak. One of her little hands is closed tightly around Steve’s finger, holding tight. As you move towards them, you notice how her hand doesn’t even close around his finger completely. She’s so small still. So fragile.

What if you can’t hold her after paying the price? What if you can’t hear her babble? What if you can’t see her little face or the way her eyes light up and her toothless smile spreads across her face as she spots you?

Just as she does now, she lets out a louder “Goo…” as she spots you and her legs go into a frenzy as she flails her limbs frantically.

You don’t want to cry but you feel the rush of sorrow overwhelm you. Quickly, before Steve can see, you drop onto the bed still wearing his robe and pull Maggie towards you. You hug her and turn her towards you, burying your face against her tiny chest.

Her little hands grab at you, whatever part of your head they can, and she pulls your ears, tugs your hair, scratches against your cheek but you don’t care. You inhale her scent, memorizing it just in case you lose the ability to smell.

After you’re sure you could never forget it, you tickle her sides until she’s giggling lightly, small bubbles and whines of amusement. It’s not a full laugh. She hasn’t done that for you yet. What if you never get to hear it?

You memorize this one anyway, put it away and lock it up within your heart where you know you will always be able to recall the pure sound of her innocence.

It takes every ounce of will power within you to stifle your desire to sob. Still, you manage it and when you’re certain you can face him, you pull back a bit to look at your daughter’s beautiful face.

She’s all Steve. You hardly recognize anything in her looks of you. She’s gorgeous. Pretty blonde hair, just like Steve’s only slightly darker in shade.

Her eyes are a piercing blue. Lighter than Steve’s but just as observant. She watches you, reaches out for your face where she places a small hand on your nose then slides it down to your lips which she casually grabs and releases before her eyes find her hand and she brings it to her mouth to taste.

You watch her for so long, you’re sure that it must nearly be morning, but the sky continues to be dark outside the windows of your room.

You sing to your little one. A quit lullaby that you hope she’ll remember if you can never speak to her again. You tell her you love her and sing some more.

She drifts off eventually, her little mouth open as she sleeps.

Finally, you turn your eyes on Steve, yearning to see him almost to an unnatural amount. You have never doubted it but in this moment as your eyes find him staring right back at you, you realize how much you truly love him. How much he’s changed your life.

Your world has grown since you met him. He’s changed you forever.

Will the sacrifice be your life? Will you be leaving them behind? Will you be wounding him again, just as Margaret had?

Even though Grandmother said it wouldn’t be, you can’t help but wonder and worry that you might very well be spending the last moments you’ll ever have with him and Maggie now.

What if you close your eyes and they should never open again?

At least she would have him. Maggie wouldn’t be alone. She would have her father. And he would have her.

If by some chance her father should also leave her behind, she’d have Nat and Bucky. She’d have Sam and Peter. She’d have the entire team to care for her. Father and Mother would probably try and take her to Malibia.

She would never need to worry about her meals or whether she could survive frigid winter temperatures. She would be protected and loved even if you aren’t around to make sure she is.

Steve blinks slowly. He’s sleepy but he’s trying to stay awake because you’re awake.

You’re not sure if he can tell that something is wrong, but you push yourself up towards him. You’re careful as you hover over Maggie, reaching to hook your hand behind his neck as he also pushes himself up and towards you.

You kiss him, slow and smooth until your heart begins to ache and your hand squeezes around his neck.

You kiss him with a bit more fervor and though he returns it, when you pull away, his brow is narrowed in confusion. Subtle concern.

“I love you.” You whisper to him, reaching down to trace the shape of his bottom lip with your thumb. You kiss him again. “I love you, forever.”

It’s a promise you have every intention of honoring. Will he love you even if you can’t talk? Will he love you if you can’t hear? Will he still love you if you are not the woman you are now?

You know that you can overcome anything. You can embrace a new way of living so long as it means that Steve and Maggie are safe. But will he see it that way? Will he love you for the woman you will become?

“You’re my entire world, Y/N.” He whispers back almost as if he can hear your thoughts and he wants to put you at ease.

His lips curl up at the corns softly as he blinks even slower than before as sleep begins to pull him under. “You and Maggie are my life.”

Your lip trembles as his eyes shut and do not open again, his head falling to his pillow.

“I love you…so…” He trails off, his words lost to dreams.

You stare at him and then Maggie. All night you stare at them, memorizing the way they breathe and smell. If you’re going to be changed forever, you’re going to remember this moment and cherish it until the day you die.

You will never forget it.

~~~~~~~~~~

1 Year & 3 Months Later

The sun is beaming. It’s strong. July is hot, even more so than normal. You groan as you look up to the sky and shield your eyes from the blinding light.

For a moment your mind goes hazy, full of fog. Something changes as it always does. Something shifts.

Something tugs at the corners of your mind. Something blurry and demanding. You get this way every single time you come here.

Every time you fill the wooden bucket, there’s a flash of something familiar.

You focus on the tug, allowing it to unearth the secret that eludes you.

There’s a quick flash that you don’t quite see. A golden hue. A storm blue circle.

Then your bucket overflows and the water splashes your feet, drenching your newly mended shoes.

They’re too small for your feet but it’s all you have.

“Damn.” You sigh, grunting as you lift the bucket and place it on the damp bank of the river.

Across the barren field, your little hut just at the opposite edge nestled into a grove of forest trees, Bright Rise begins to wake.

Another day, another scramble to find a way to keep your belly full.

“Time to check the traps.” You sigh, groaning as you lift the bucket and begin the trek back to your little hovel in the only village you’ve ever known.

The place you were born, but most definitely not home.

Your heart tells you that somewhere out there…somewhere else, your true home waits.

(THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER! One more to go!)

#steve x reader #king!steve x reader #captain america x reader #medieval au #royalty au #medieval fantasy au #marvel fanfiction #steve rogers x reader #king!steve rogers x reader #avengers x reader #pseudo princess #king!steve x you #steve rogers x you #steve x you #captain america x you #pseudo princess pt35

[ultimatetornshipper]

Daminette December Day 3

@daminette-december2019-2020

Princes and Pedestals

Chapter 3 – Legend

Previous

Next

Marinette closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The breeze softly danced through her hair as she sat in the windowsill of her room. She opened her eyes and stared at the parchment resting on a book on her lap, her little bottle of ink sat next to her on the ledge. She fidgeted with the quill in her hand, frustrated.

She was trying to write a letter to Luka to let him know that they'd arrived safely. He was her right hand man and their friends were most likely bugging him on whether he'd heard from her or not. She needed to give them an estimate on how well the whole thing was going but she barely had a feel for these people. She was pretty certain they wanted this alliance just as much as the Order did, but she didn’t yet have any idea what exactly they’d ask for.

She sighed and dipped her quill in her ink, maybe if she started the words would come.

Dear Luka

I hope you are well. How is everyone doing? How’s Alya and the baby? How’s Nino dealing with her pregnancy hormones? How’s she dealing with his overprotectiveness? Has Chloe returned from her mission? How did it go?

I miss you all, I hope everything is alright back home.

We arrived safely at the Gotham Royal family's Summer home. They have treated me with kindness and respect.

She took a breath. Should she tell him about Prince Damian? He would in all likelihood be the next Black Cat. He was her match. She didn’t know him, but the Destruction radiating off of him was on par with the Creation that followed her. As much as she didn’t want to replace- She shook her head, moving on was inevitable, she needed someone to rule by her side. She needed to tell her court the truth.

I met him. It all feels too soon after everything that happened last year. The Destruction coming from him was incredible. Plagg would kill me if I didn’t introduce them. Please have Pegasus deliver the ring when you receive my letter. He can deliver it to my exact location, I’ll explain things to any witnesses. I’ll disclose more information on who he is if he accepts my offer of the ring.

Yours sincerely,

Marinette

She tapped her chin with the end of her quill as she reread her letter.

A soft mew made her look up, sitting next to her little ink bottle was a beautiful calico, staring at her curiously.

“Hey girl,” she replied softly, holding out her hand, the cat sniffed it then pressed her cheek against Marinette’s hand. She scratched the cat's head softly, smiling.

“Her name is Legend,” a voice said from her doorway. She looked up and recognized Lady Stephanie standing in her doorway. She was about to greet her when the girl kept talking.

“Oh sorry, your door was open, I didn’t think it'd be a problem, we’re just pretty casual around here and it slipped my mind, Your Majesty,” she said, quickly, her hands gesturing as she spoke.

Marinette smiled at her, standing and placing her letter, book and quill on a nearby table, “It’s quite alright, Lady Stephanie. My court and I are quite similar to you that way, and please do call me Marinette,”

“Only if you’ll call me Steph,” she replied, shifting from foot to foot in the doorway.

Marinette saw the movement and invited her in. They sat at the table she’d put her letter on and she folded it as they made small talk.

She melted some wax onto her envelope and pressed it with the Miraculous Court's seal as she listened to Steph detail a story about the time she and Jason had snuck into the kitchen to steal some of the pastries before a big event when she’d first arrived at the castle back in Gotham.

“It seems you are all quite close,” Marinette commented after Stephanie wrapped up her tale.

“Yeah, we’re family, you know?” she replied. Stephanie wrung her hands together before meeting her gaze, “Can I ask you something?”

Marinette could feel the girl’s unease, so she tried to appear reassuring, “Yes,”

“Yesterday,” she started hesitantly, “In the throne room, the older man who came with you did most of the talking. I don’t know much about the Order of the Miraculous, but I was pretty certain you’re their leader but you didn’t really talk so...” she left the rest of the question unsaid, clearly hoping Marinette would understand hat she was trying to say.

She could tell the girl didn’t mean any disrespect, she was simply curious and she couldn’t blame her. So she gave her a smile, “Master Fu is my teacher, I’m still learning to lead and he’s helping me through everything, until my training is complete he makes the important introductions and still does a lot of the talking. I will be voicing my thoughts a lot more during negotiations though,”

Stephanie nodded slowly, “That makes a lot of sense actually,”

They spent the afternoon together and had tea in the garden.

Marinette was listening to Stephanie ‘s retelling of how she and Tim first met when she recognized Prince Jason heading towards them.

Stephanie spotted him too so she paused when he got close. Marinette nodded her head at him, “Your Highness,”

He nodded back, “Your Majesty,”

He sat down on the open chair at their table and Stephanie quickly continued her story.

She listened politely, but she was aware of the Prince who had joined them studying her discreetly, if she hadn’t been trained to notice, she would’ve missed it.

He noticed her noticing him and she was impressed by his ability to read body language. He, if her training was correct, was growing more and more curious about her by the second.

Somehow managing to miss the tension Stephanie kept telling her story.

“We were both so incredibly oblivious to the other’s feelings and denying our own. Months of pinning and so many misunderstandings. Apparently it was an incredibly frustrating debacle to watch,” she said laughingly, giving Prince Jason a pointed look.

He groaned, playing along and ignoring their silent sort-of conversation that had transpired earlier, “Don’t remind me, it was torture,”

They all laughed, and a comfortable silence followed.

Well that was until Tikki appeared and the other two almost fell of their chairs. She turned to her kwami and decided to explain later.

“Guardian, Queen Bee is attempting to contact you,” she quickly supplied, ignoring the two royal siblings who were staring in shock.

“Put her on, these two can be trusted,” she replied, sipping her tea.

Tikki put down a device on the table and the familiar image of Queen Bee appeared shining in the air in front of her, it was nothing new to Marinette but the other two stared in shock at the moving image of a blonde girl in armor unlike any they’ve ever seen.

“Bee, this better be important, you know how much it takes out of the kwami to do calls (a/n I’m not gonna figure out a new name for it, calls make sense sorry not sorry °3°),” Marinette said sternly.

Chloe looked grim but stood up straight, confident in her choice, “I’m afraid it’s rather urgent Guardian,”

Marinette felt chills, Chloe rarely looked that grim, it was even rarer for her to address her by her title, “Queen Bee, what is it?”

Chloe grimaced. She gave her a meaningful look softly replied, “It may bring back a few unpleasant memories, Mari,”

Oh

It felt as though the wind had momentarily been knocked out of her.

The familiar green eyes that haunted her at night flashed through her mind. Immediately followed by a darker, newer pair. She pushed both images away, she’d deal with that later, now Chloe needed her to be the Guardian.

Marinette took a deep breath and tightened her grip on her cup, “I can take it,”

“It’s Gabriel, he has the butterfly, he wants -,” Chloe swallowed, looking at Mari with pity, she lowered her voice, “He wants to bring him back, Mari,”

Her grip around her teacup was deadly, it was a shock it hadn’t broken yet. She was certain her knuckles and face were both as white as a cloud.

“I -,” her voice cracked and she took a deep breath, she was in the presence of strangers, she couldn’t break down, she pushed her emotions back and went into her Guardian mode, “Tikki add Carapace, Viperion, Tigress, Rena Rouge and Paon to the call. Now. I want it taken care of quickly,”

Chloe’s eyes widened, “Those are all our top warriors,”

“Like I said, I want this taken care of quickly,” Marinette replied briskly.

The others were quickly added and they all switched to the language of the Guardians. If the two royal siblings could speak French, her and Chloe’s previous conversation had already given enough away. Chloe explained the situation while Marinette quickly pulled herself together, she could fall apart later. Right now her Court needed her.

Carapace looked on edge and she knew why. Rena was on the call and she was pregnant, he was scared that she’d have to fight.

“Rena,” she said after Chloe finished explaining, all eyes turned to look at her, “You’re not fighting, but your strategizing capabilities are too valuable to have you sit out completely. You’re on the side-lines for this one,”

Carapace looked relieved and Rena nodded, understanding.

She looked at Viperion, while half her letter turned out to be written in vain, at least she could get this done quicker, “I need you to send Plagg and his ring with Pegasus as soon as you guys finish discussing details,"

She took a deep breath, "I found my match,”

(a/n did I totally just only put the prompt as part of a single paragraph? yeah i did. Do I have any idea where this is going? No i don't. Is the fact that I don’t listen to my outline and do whatever the hell I want gonna stop me? Nope, not at all)

(fr tho I’m just as surprised at this plot as yall are ngl, also, look at me doing a cliffhanger hehehe)

Taglist:

@animegirlweeb

#daminette #daminette december #i know it's taking long just gimme a chance fluff to come I promise there'll be some next chapter #damian x marinette #maribat #damian wayne #batfam #batman #jason todd #stephanie brown #I'm sorry i promise interaction I just need to set up some plot man #medieval au #a whelming chapter if I do say so myself #lol jk #hope everyone enjoyed and thanks for reading!! #utp writes

[cat-in-a-basement]

Main Character Opinion Piece

Ah, opinions. That old chestnut. I do want to get back to sharing thoughts on this cursed series but sometimes lack Motivation (trademark pending). So here’s a list below of the main characters in the main book series and how I would rank them. 

Note: aVoS and DotC are excluded because I have not read them yet. I don’t want to give thoughts on something I have limited knowledge of.

Hollyleaf: 9/10. The perfect storm of everything I like combined with a dynamic story and complex character. She's not perfectly consistent and I recognize those faults but no other warriors character captivates me in how strong a presence she has. 

Squirrelflight: 8.5/10. What I like about her is her growth from annoying apprentice to headstrong warrior. I love she doesn't filter her thoughts and she'll break rules and the societal norm to do what's right. She's selfless, compassionate and complex, and really, really needs a break.

Ivypool: 8/10. I do believe rereading my opinion on Ivypool might lower since she's underutilized in OotS. But more so I love the idea of Ivypool, what she could have been. And that concept colors my perception of her in an ideal world where that happened.

Rootspring: 7/10. Rootspring is very good, until he isn't. Like Feathertail he's very likeable when he's taking on an active role as Rootpaw, but when he becomes a warrior he loses some of the dynamic-ness and personality he had as an apprentice. Come TPoNS, he's become a window reacting without any flair of the personality he once had.

Dovewing: 6.5/10. I used to dislike Dovewing, finding her hard to read about in OotS because she acted like a child (as children are want to do). While now I've grown to appreciate her more, she doesn't leave a big impact on me. I don't have a lot of investment in her character, and so I am indifferent to her in the books.

Jayfeather: 6.5/10. Jayfeather I have complex feelings about, because while I do think he's a good character, I for the life of me cannot make myself like him as a person (er, cat). I have settled on indifference towards him because he has settled into his role as gruff medicine cat and I just sort of mentally check out.

Firestar: 5/10. Firestar...is a warm bowl of soup. Not bad, not amazing, but it fills the belly. I don't gravitate towards him as a character because he's a very safe, very mild character who acts as the typical hero in a young adult/children's novel. I can't say I hate him, but I don't particularly care for him either.

Bristlefrost: 4.5/10. Bristlefrost being so low here is a crime I'll never forgive. She started out so strong, with sound character development, hopes, dreams, ambitions. But it unraveled so quickly, with some of the worst character regression I have ever seen. We need to be going up, not down!

Leafpool: 4/10. Leafpool never started out strong for me, but I actively began to dislike her after how she treated her apprentice/son, and especially after her actions in Leafpool's Wish. She's selfish and bitter all without the intrigue that would bring. I find it hard to accept what the books say as her being a gentle and kind figure when she doesn't act like it in my books.

Lionblaze: 3/10. Lionblaze in PoT was angry hot head guy. Okay, not as good as his siblings but not offensive. Lionblaze in OoTS does nothing but mope over Cinderheart or act as a window. Boring, lazy. Where did his personality go? It's like an incline where he somehow keeps getting worse. By TBC he's at the worst he's ever been and even with his shitty behavior he is continually rewarded for it. You want to get on BC's bad side? Be terrible with no intricacy and get rewarded for it.

Shadowsight: 3/10. Of the three PoVs for TBC, Shadowpaw had been the weakest for me. But it became apparent the writers really wanted him to suffer, even is the injury was literally falling off a cliff. What is so infuriating about Shadowsight is he actively warps the story so he can be painted in a sympathetic light and he does not grow, he does not learn, we're expected to watch him suffer and go 'yep that's a character.' It's especially awful he warps other characters around him for the sake of his suffering.

Bramblestar: How did we get from sweet, brave, dynamic Bramblepaw...to this. As Bramblepaw he was good, very good. He had a great arc denouncing his father and teaching Firestar to not judge him for his father's crimes. Bramblepaw is a 7/10. 

But Brambleclaw completely regressed in character to suddenly need his father's approval, and was a moron who didn't listen to Squirrelflight’s concerns 'hey, uh, your brother is kind of evil', and — oh, found it difficult to decide whether or not to kill his leader and commit treason. Firestar should have not made him deputy. I imagine Bramblepaw wouldn't want to be deputy after that if he was still that same character. But no, he gets rewarded for his character regression and idiocy. 2/10.

Bramblestar? He went from idiot rewarded for bad ideas to emotionally abusive partner. His cold shoulder to Squirrel in OotS is manipulative, his actions in SqH are disgusting and gaslighting, and to top it off, the narrative treats him as a good and kindly high king when he clearly has not earned it at all! GOD, I hate Bramblestar. 1/10.

Stormfur: 1/10. By all rights, Stormfur shouldn’t be considered a main character here. But he is so very bad I felt it was my civil duty to include him. If there's one thing worse than being actively shitty, it's doing nothing at all. Stormfur is a dead fish and even then the dead fish probably has more personality. He's the lowest because I cannot think of a single good thing about his character or story. He's bland and boring, does absolutely nothing and gets rewarded for it.

#warrior cats #warriors #hollyleaf #squirrelflight #ivypool #rootspring #dovewing #jayfeather #firestar #bristlefrost #leafpool #lionblaze #shadowsight #bramblestar #stormfur #swearing

[birlcholtz]

Fic Questions

tagged by @the-lincyclopedia thank you!! (fun game: watch my writing get progressively less formal as the post continues. by the end it’s like what is capitalization)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

77!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

434,378 as of this week but it does go up quite regularly

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Okay so in terms of what’s on my AO3, I have Check Please, All For the Game, Sharp Zero, HP, and Miraculous Ladybug. I also have The Forbidden LOTR and PJO Fanfiction (as in, I’ve written it, but it’s never seeing the light of day)

(technically there is a PJO fic out there that has seen the light of day but I orphaned it because I was tired of getting comments asking about when it would be updated)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

and then i met you (and the whole world changed)

for the better

Knew It Was You

come home (to you, to us)

sin bin schematics

All of these are Check Please and all of them except Knew It Was You are part of my Zimbits Airport AU!

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do! It’s actually a very recent thing that I’ve started not responding to literally every single comment. Mainly I respond because I love talking about my writing so I am going to seize that opportunity when it comes up

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Oh, DEFINITELY Happy Birthday (HP). Check out that MCD tag ahah. (I say HP but what I really mean is that I write fic about Regulus Black. The Regulus Black-centric tag is my home in the HP fandom)

fun fact: this is a very short fic that I wrote when I was 15 and basically forgot about until recently, and then I reread it recently and went holy shit?? I pulled NO punches????

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the wildest one you’ve written?

Not a ton? I think a lot of the fandoms I write for don’t really mesh that well. That being said, the aforementioned orphaned PJO fic is actually a PJO/ML crossover, so there’s that

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Nope! Sometimes I get comments that are just.... really confusing? And a more common thing is that in my AFTG fic I’ll get comments from people who are so focused on Andreil (or the most common ships in general) to the point that like. they miss the point of what I actually wrote. Those are annoying but they’re not hate, they’re very enthusiastic, they’re just... enthusiastic about a story I’m not writing? So it’s a bit frustrating.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

No sjflskgjhgf I struggle enough to write kissing, I think if I ever tried to write smut my brain would just shut down. I’ve managed some fade-to-blacks (which are mostly in WIPs that haven’t been posted) but they rely HEAVILY on the powers of implication

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, although I have occasionally made a brief go of it, not to post, more as an exercise for myself in a language that I’m learning. Anyway I never finish them so I’m gonna say no

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not really? I’ve definitely group brainstormed fics and then written them (the best example of this being Q&A (AFTG), which was the product of a truly off-the-walls group chat), but I tend to do all the actual writing myself. I think the way I write would drive a co-writer up the wall since it’s very disorganized and I don’t write stuff down because ~I know what’s gonna happen I don’t need notes~ and it would infuriate me if I was co-writing with me lmao, so I won’t inflict that on someone else

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I regularly move through ships I’m SUPER focused on, like it’s kind of a rotation. I will forever and always ship Percabeth though.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Okay so if you follow me at @birlwrites you may know this already, but i have this ‘warmups’ document that is just like, random ideas i get that i don’t necessarily want to finish but i just want to try out for a bit? and i have a rule that once a ‘warmup’ is more than 10 pages long (so 11+) then it has to be moved to its own document, just to make scrolling through the warmups doc easier. but usually, a warmup only passes 10 pages when i’m INTO it. so i have a bazillion wips i will probably never finish. i complain about this a lot. i have so many wips. i don’t need more.

here’s one: it’s titled ‘interrobang doesn’t know they’re dating’, it’s basically a full outline for a chowder/tango fic and it would be SO cool if i could ever like. get around to writing it. but i am constantly swamped with writing projects, so it’s probably not gonna happen. if anyone’s interested in adopting it though i’d be down for that!! i think it’s a fun idea i just almost def won’t write it myself

15. What are your writing strengths?

SNAPPY DIALOGUE AND SNARKY INTERNAL MONOLOGUE. my writing is COMEDIC, 90% of my ideas are based on a funny snippet that popped into my head, a lot of my worldbuilding is based on ‘hey you know what would be hilarious’ (whenever i explain how larai selects a chosen one in the rainfall universe i start laughing, which is a STARK contrast to how it plays out on the page), i love writing funny stuff!!

also i think my writing sounds nice, a lot of the time i pick words/syntax based on sound and flow so there’s that too. and i have lots of ideas! i don’t struggle much with writer’s block because a) i have a lot of strategies to deal with it and b) i have a lot of ideas to help get around it/work with it

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

PHYSICAL INTIMACY LMAO, sometimes in my end notes on shippy fics you can see me complaining ‘it took me literally 4 hours to write that very brief kiss’. also sometimes the humor in my writing gets in the way a bit, i have to very consciously put it away so characters can actually have serious, genuine emotions. also i don’t like outlining and i tend not to get betas for fanfiction so like..... i do my best continuity-wise but having really tightly plotted stories is just not my focus lol. (and i do put more effort into that for original stuff, it’s just fic where i kind of go wild)

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

If the reader’s supposed to know what it means, then writing it in another language is iffy for me. (stuff like terms of endearment which come up a lot in fic are fine imo, you can just put a note in to translate them and your reader will prob remember)

If the pov character isn’t supposed to understand it, and it doesn’t matter if the reader understands it, then ig it’s fine? but unless you already speak the other language (and i am NOT confident in my ability to translate english into literally any other language), then i think it’s way easier to just note that a character’s speaking x language and provide tone indicators, body language cues, etc. so the reader understands as much as the pov character.

That being said there are def times when it’s used super effectively--the dialogue in spanish in cemetery boys comes to mind! that’s not fanfic but it’s still creative writing so w/e

so i guess it comes down to: does actually writing out the dialogue in the other language serve a purpose? if it doesn’t, then you’re filling up the screen with words your reader isn’t likely to understand, which i try to avoid doing

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

so the first fandom i actually *wrote* for was PJO, but i distinctly remember creating warrior cats OCs when i was little. i never actually did anything w them but i had them and my favorite was a riverclan warrior named shellstream i remember this VIVIDLY

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?

oh boy. okay so this is hard because i feel like i’m continuously improving as a writer. like in the sense that my writing is getting closer and closer to really matching my own taste? my favorites tend to always be my current projects as a result. and i do really love set those ghosts alight (HP) but it feels a little like cheating to say a fic i haven’t even finished writing yet. even though it’s def not cheating, that’s just the direction my brain is taking it.

i’m gonna say and then what? (OMGCP) because i’m super proud of the prose (especially ch 2 aka the first actual prose chapter), survived by (HP) for SUCCESSFULLY WRITING AN EMOTION and making readers cry :), and Q&A (AFTG) because i’m literally the one who wrote it and yet it still makes me wheeze. those are all fics i reread occasionally, because i’m big enough to admit i enjoy rereading my old stuff! (just like. to a point. some of my old stuff i can’t look at anymore because all the mistakes stick out to me like they have spotlights shining directly on them)

this was fun!! i’m gonna do an open tag because i just started my fall semester and brain tired. i know sometimes people see open tags and assume the op didn’t really mean it but I MEAN IT, PLEASE DO THIS AND TAG ME!!!!! YES YOU READING THIS

#tag games #long post #birl talks

[mallowstep]

I wanna hear about the PO3 au's the anon left out! skyclan, loner, po5. Im guessing loner is Crow/Leaf raising the 3 outside of the clans. I love hearing you talk about your au's!

aww thanks! okay, same plan as before, details below the cut.

skyclan po3: it's, uh, pretty on the nose. crow and leaf run to skyclan with their kits.

loner po3: this is a catch-all term for three aus with similar premises, but i don't have a clear/short title to differentiate them. one is leafcrow, one is mothpool, and one is just leafpool. i'll talk about each of them.

po5: this is my internal name for the jaywing au. this, if you don't remember (and why would you), is a bit of a parallel to the dovefeather/med cat dovewing au where jaykit and dovekit are siblings.

skyclan po3: "they move on tracks of never-ending light" (title song)

the au title for this in my notes was "whitewater," but i think i'm going to save something else for that. (if you're confused why i have two titles for all of the aus: when i make a big au, it usually gets a temporary title that's short and easy to search, but i replace it with a permanent title later. sometimes they stay the same, like ashes, but usually i change it.)

so my only notes on this is

crowfeather and leafpool make it all the way to skyclan with a trio of newborn kits.

and like yeah, that's basically all i've figured out.

uhhh i know skyclan will come to the lake sooner, obviously, and i know that jay's character arc plays out really differently because there's less ableism.

(even in the windclan au, jay is intertwined with ableism: in that case, it's "either you're the same, or you're not capable." but leafstar is a sensible leader who doesn't have that problem.)

otherwise, yeah, i don't really know where i'm going with this, other than i think it'll be fun to explore, since leafpool is firestar's daughter and named after leafstar.

loner po3: the common thread in all of these is what happens to thunderclan's medicine cat after leafpool leaves?

(tbf, that's a common question in quite a few aus. but it makes itself a central conflict in these three.)

loner po3 I: leafcrow. "on and on we run in loops"

uh, yeah. they run away, and stay away. this one isn't supposed to focus on the kits that much, but rather, leafpool's struggle with duty and desire.

i've got this:

“There’s a loner,” the kittypet said, her voice languid, claws extended, but with an air of ease, “named Leaf. She’s been helping out loners for, oh, a season or two.”

as a quote from it. it's my least favorite of the loner po3 aus.

loner po3 II: single mom leafpool. "between us, i'd trade you for them every time"

i've talked about this one actually quite a bit, but it's probably going to take me a while to write it. it's inspired by "butterflies and hurricanes," but instead of leafpool dying, crowfeather dies.

also, the chapter titles come from "marjorie" which is basically 90% of why it's going to take me a while to work on it, that song makes me cry a lot and uh, things are a lil Much right now.

i've got a few scenes sketched out, from holly running away, and leafpool panicking, to leafpool worrying about bringing her kits to thunderclan.

loner po3 III: mothpool. "to make a choice in all this mess"

this is the au competing with divided po3 for next po3 au to write, and i'm...i love it. (as a note, i won't write two aus for the same time period at the same time. that's why i was waiting to finish wfmisus before i got back on doahins. now it's all messy. but i get confused lmao.)

anyway, i have the least written for this, but i'm very excited. in my first warriors fic ever, "if you love me any, let me know it now", leafpool thinks this:

(Leafpool should have left. She should have found Mothwing and told her and left. Maybe pause to say goodbye to Squirrelflight. Mothwing would have gone with her, and things would be alright. Not like they are now, all tangled and impossible.)

and well. i'm weak.

i don't have a ton of concrete stuff to say about it, especially considering it's so high on the list, but i mean, i'm excited.

po5: "wing and feather"

alright, this is an old one. since it's also high on my list, i want to explain where it came from rather than what it's about, because that will cover what it's about in a broad sense, without tempting me to give away the details.

(also, w&f is a working title. much like "feather take flight," i may change my mind.)

anyway. i started getting into warriors with "cloudtail's daughter," an au where dovewing and ivypool are brightheart's kits.

in a post so old i had to go to my main blog to find it, i said this:

i also want him to be dovewing’s brother. but the au where brightheart gives birth to dovekit, anxiety child, and jaykit, blind, and feels like a failure despite the fact that its not like her half-blindness is genetic, is not this au. that is another au.

and the seeds were planted.

so right, i'm writing up ctd around when i'm first reading "flightless dove, poison ivy," which will go on to inspire dovefeather (med cat dovewing au, but as you'll see, dovefeather is the assigned working au name. after i decided i didn't like feather take flight, i reverted back to its initial working title, dovefeather.)

so i've got these two things rolling around in my brain.

dovefeather comes first, because i reread fdpi so many times and i just. i want dovepaw to stay in riverclan. i don't want her to leave. i want her to be happy. (also please! i'm still finishing ch 2 of fdpi no spoilers it's taking me embarassingly long to finish.)

but anyway, consider this a bonus au talk because explaining what po5 is, imo, requires me explaining what dovefeather is. like, in an au talk scenario. they're unrelated aus, from a reader perspective.

so i come up with this list of "things i want to be different in oots":

dovewing should be cloudtail's daughter

dovewing and jayfeather should be siblings

dovewing should be a medicine cat

dovewing should go to riverclan

ivypool should be the fourth cat (but i'm not revealing which aus this applies to bc big time spoilers)

and this creates a bit of an au matrix. pick and choose, you know? ctd is (1).

dovefeather is (3) and (4).

but i still wanted (2), and so it seemed pretty natural to make a (1), (2), and (3) au.

but that's a retrospective analysis, what really happens is, i get like fourteen "what ifs" deep, until i'm writing fic for my fic for someone else's fic. kind of.

dovefeather diverges pretty sharply from fdpi, especially based on what i've read of ch2. it takes the same core idea, and because my idea of riverclan was inspired by fdpi, there are plenty of similarities, but i think it's functionally very different, and superficially similar.

(also, hollowflight ends up in a completely different trio lmao dovepaw hangs out with rushpaw, troutpaw, and mossypaw.)

but anyway, i'm trying not to write another au of the same time period, but i just finished writing out the full outline for ashes, and the next chapter (i.e., ch 12, which i'm hopefully posting today if all goes well) gets me thinking, and i can't let it go: i want (2) to happen.

so i look at my outline for dovefeather, because the rule is, it has to be very different from this.

since dovefeather is like 70% drafted (altho that number seems low, because i suspect i'm going to end up adding a lot into the fourth chapter), i now know that was never going to be an issue, but at the time, i was very worried.

so i was like! well, that means i'm going to fuck with every part of po3, and we're going to get ivypaw and hollypaw roped in, and jaypaw is always going to be a warrior, and i think i made squilf his mentor? or maybe sandstorm lmao.

either way, it ended up being defined by jaypaw, which i didn't initially plan on. but that's po5: squilf's litter lionkit, hollykit, ivykit & brightheart's litter dovekit and jaykit grow up together.

it's got a similar vibe to ashes IMO.

okay wow that ended up being a lot i've been hyperfocusing on dovefeather all weekend, and in my head, it's inextricably linked to ashes, ctd, and jaywing/po5, so uh. yeah.

hope this was what you were looking for?

<3

#ask #anon #talk #au talk #mine #txt #dovefeather #jaywing #po5 #au drop

[acciostorian]

mae reads the kane chronicles: the serpent’s shadow the red pyramid

(aka we see mae go through many emotions in the space of 2-3 days)

holy fuck ive only got to the contents and the chapters have those classic pjo click bait titles i’m so happy rn

WAIT IM SUCH A FUCKING IDIOT- the serpent’s shadow is the THIRD BOOK. uh-oh i almost fucked this whole series over lemme change the book real quick....

i’m literally on the first page and i’ve already been sent on a mission, so the kanes are THOSE bitches

SADIE AND KANE ARE BRITISH???? omg yes please

THEYRE IN LONDON MY HOME

never fucking mind they’re from LA

oh wait sadie was raised as a british kid. that’s very sexy of her.

carter be like, “you wouldn’t be interested in my dad’s lectures.” SHUT UP CARTER I WANNA KNOW MORE ABOUT EGYPTIAN PUNISHMENT

so sadie was raised in east london???? THATS SO SEXC BECAUSE ME TOO BOO

sadie has a british accent. a b r i t i s h a c c e n t.

FIT

“six years in london and she thinks she’s james bond” LMAO

sadie’s so emo/alt i love it. does rick always write his characters like this??

sadie pronounces it “mum” and carter says “mom”

it’s so refreshing to read mum ngl

sadie said bloke omg

i’m feeling carter’s pain. little sisters are shits and honestly sadie has the same vibes as my little sister and me and carter are quite similar. i hate this.

oh wow they really said sadie was too white for their family...

sadie did not HESITATE to be like, “yeah dad we’ll lock that guy in his office. mint.”

sadie telling the story is an experience

sadie said “maths” and “mates” in the same sentence. this is some refreshing shit.

sadie’s friends saying carter is hot is fucking hilarious. like it’s a classic piss-off to thirst over your mate’s sibling

THEYRE GETTING DEPORTED????

LMAO AMOS WAS LIKE, “yeah we don’t talk about manhattan. they’ve got their own problems. *cough percy jackson cough*”

i read thoth the god of knowledge as thot the god of knowledge

carter is right, amos has undeniable swag

philip of macedonia. the crocodile. cool.

i love how the greeks and romans be like “if we don’t honour the gods we’ll get SLAUGHTERED” and the egyptians are like “you know what? fuck the gods me and my homies hate the gods”

sadie kane would stab you in a back alley and dance to mcr as you bled to death and carter kane would take you to a museum, tell you everything about everything and then commit a terrorist attack

amos really went “don’t touch anything, the cats in charge and peace out bitches” and then fucking jumped off the balcony of his five storey mansion

sadie made that door go BANG

that fucking clay statue came to life and not one of them screamed. I WOULD SHIT MYSELF.

i’m giggling, all the greek/roman gods have really long/scary/cool sounding names like tartarus and chaos and nyx but the evilest guy in egyptian myth is called set. S E T.

please make muffin some crazy badass animal like crookshanks or swiftwind.

WHO DARES THROW HANDS WITH PHILIP?????

THE SHABTI FUCKING STOLE AN ARTEFACT THATS AMAZING

i love carter sm, even tho he’s scared as fuck he still picked up that ancient sword and was like “ig i’ll bash some heads in whilst sadie holds the cat”

MUFFIN JUST TURNED INTO SOME WARRIOR CAT LADY AND SHE INSTANTLY GAVE ME CATRA VIBES

every cat in new york is helping them

bast jacked that car like it was nobody’s business

i used to think the greek gods were stupid for having so many things to control but honestly the egyptians are taking the piss, do you really need a whole scorpion goddess?

the kane siblings are written so well. like i actually BELIEVE they’re siblings

i think carters gonna become a comfort character now... like i relate on another level. little siblings always take the spot light and you have to act level headed and calm because the younger ones start shit and you’re like “i gotta be the good one because my family would fall to shit if i didn’t behave.” so big kudos to carter, i love you

so carter’s a king huh? I DIDNT NEED YOU TO TELL ME THAT RICK I ALREADY KNEW HE WAS

zia was like “king tut?? ugh he was such a boy, there were waaaaay cooler tombs out there x x”

i read “nectanebo II” as “nintendo II” and i was like ??? when was that a thing

i drinking camomile tea whilst reading this and i feel so peaceful uwu

sadie really can do magic like THAT like bitch be like “i just copied what zia did and yeah it worked lol”

okay so i’m sorta feeling bad about sadies life rn but i’m still very pro carter

set’s laugh makes me uncomfortable. because when most villains laugh it’s usually described like “their laugh was like a knife, cold and sharp. i hates it.” but when sadie discribed set’s laugh she was like “it was warm and friendly. beautiful.” LIKE AAAA THATS A RED LIGHT

set: the god of theatre because gods dam is he a good actor

sadie saw some hot emo guy and was like “omg marry me”

iskandar be like “lmao imma speak in alexandria greek all the time but this girl bouta die? i switch to perfect english for dramatic effect”

woooOooaaaah SLOW DOWN THERE BUDDY, tongue tattoos???

zia: you guys will probably suck at this at first but oh well we all can’t be great

sadie: *makes fire first time* wooosh

sadie and kane: *doing cool shit* me and my tea: sluuuurrrp

bast is so sassy i love it

me when it’s a sadie chapter: okay ig :/

me when it’s a carter chapter: HOLY SHIT CARTER HEY OMG YOURE DOING CRAZY STUFF???? COOL. i love you.

bast: so yeah, you’d be stupid to teleport to paris, this is desjardin’s home territory

sadie and kane, lying in the streets of paris: oh cool cool

sadie: like i might die rn but i don’t care, as long as it doesn’t get filmed and put in youtube, that would be embarrassing

like ???? sis get your priorities together smh

sadie: *sees hot emo guy again in her spirit adventure, he hints that’s he’s dead or something*

also sadie: so will i see you again?

“no, an egyptian drink. you’ve heard of hot chocolate? this is rather like hot vanilla.” dam now i want some.

carter is an amazing older brother. he’s written perfectly and he’s a great character to relate to for me. even though sadie can make his blood boil, he dropped everything to calm her down when she was panicking about not being able to change back from a bird. i too have to do that for my little sister - sadie and ava are ironically the same age - so i find that very comforting that there is someone like me to relate to!

‘a businessman with a rolling suitcase was waiting by the doors. his eyes widened when he saw me. i must’ve looked pretty strange — a tall black kid in dirty, ragged egyptian clothes, with a weird box tucked under one arm and a bird of prey perched on the other.

‘“how’s it going?” i said. “i’ll take the stairs.” he hurried off.’ LMAO THIS IS WHY CARTER BABY I LOVE YOU

highkey pissed that carters like “i’m always edgy around the police. once i turned eleven they started giving me the Look. when it doesn’t happen it’s always a pleasant surprise.” LIKE FUCK NO HE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO WALK AROUND UNHASSLED WHATS WRONG WITH HIM

lmao bast be like “imma jump off this national monument. see ya at the airport in my finest clothes and jewellery x”

FOOD UPDATE: i’m eating a chocolate covered waffles and having some tea and i feel so happy rn sorry i know you don’t care but like aaaaaaa

bast called carter her little tomcat and my heart exploded

bast really likes convertibles huh

thoth: i hate rereading my old writing, my present self would never write like this now!! SOMEONE GET ME A RED PEN

are they... are they going to dig up elvis presley?

might put some elvis in for this part, y’know, to set the mood?

i cant stop reading ‘thoth’ as thot even though i know how to pronounce it

the captain with a axe for a head: my name is bloodstained battle axe 😸

yuh bast did some shit ...

imma stop now because spoilers, GO READ THE KANE CHRONICLES THEY ARE THE MOST UNDERRATED RIORDANVERSE BOOKS X X

#the kane chronicles #tkc #carter kane #sadie kane #tkc bast #mae waffles #rick riordan #riordanverse #did someone say queued?

[kimberlyannharts]

I’ve been thinking about the Knight alternate universe (mostly because I’m imagining Princess Kim and outcast Knight Tommy Tomberly) and I’ve come up with a pitch:

The first issue focuses on Jason, Zack, and Trini (Kim’s personal guard) receiving their powers from their Zordon counterpart. Standard Power Ranger fare from here. Sets up Rita and her court. Billy approaches Zordon at the end of the issue asking to help protect Kim. In this pitch Kim and Billy were raised together because Billy was the former Royal advisor’s son.

Issue 2: Billy on a mission with the team. Not his first mind you, but he’s still fairly new. During this battle a “mysterious” pink knight shows up to help. With no point in keeping it a secret, after a brief scene of the team discussing her potential identity we get a flashback of Kim approaching Zordon. She essentially says “if you think I need protecting FINE but let me have a hand in protecting my home and my people.” She reveals herself by the end of the issue, no need to drag it out any longer than it needs to be.

Issue 3: This issue is the one where we focus on the team dynamic and interpersonal relationships. Asks questions like how do JZT feel about Kim and Billy due to the differences in how they were raised? How does Kim feel about Billy, him essentially having been her only real friend in childhood? We get the Zord equivalents in this issue. At the end we jump to the outskirts of the kingdom, to a cabin. Here, we see Tommy, packed, ready to head into the kingdom. What could he want?

This for the most part sums up the pitch. Issue 4 focuses on our villains so we get some more context for them. Two disclaimers: the characters here might be a little younger that we could estimate based off Knight Zack’s in morphed appearance. I also don’t intend to make Tommy the green Knight immediately, I just wanted to introduce him to establish his relationship with the others. Since they’re younger it may have been his family that did something to get him exiled, so that’s a whole other can of worms. Future concepts include: Rocky, Adam, and Aisha showing up as knights (with Rocky and Adam having blue and green accents on their armor, respectively) and an assassin sent after the Princess, clad in pink armor. Also I know this concept is mostly for the tomberly angst but can you imagine figures of these guys set up fighting the red sentries? I am so sorry this got so long

phew sorry i left this in the inbox so long but i have been thinking about it constantly

it’s SO GOOD!!!!!!!  ugh it really makes me wish we could have annuals or something again so we can see this sort of crazy experimentation in the books again, if only a little bit.  i feel like nowadays everything is almost......TOO connected, especially with the Unlimited books directly being a part of the PR book’s story; i just want something completely off the wall like this.  as well as something that has so much tasty character-driven plots that i’m so desperate for rn.  MMMMM  

Kim being like fuck y’all i’m a knight now despite being a princess is too good.  i just reread the Back to School special with Kim sneaking out to do ranger training so that whole concept of Kim being a rebel to be a part of the action is so fresh in my mind rn.  LOVE my girl.  (also i love the slight shade with your “no point in dragging out the secret” comment, if that was intended as shade)

Tommy being an exiled knight makes me 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀 because i grew up with Warrior Cats so i am absolutely shameless about my love of forbidden romances.  i eat it up.  i slurp it like soup

#transmission #anonymous