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nomi--sunrider · 6 months

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⭐ for the fic writer's ask!

Ah, a behind the scenes for Then, Now, and Always. Let's see....

Oh I know! I'll unpack the scene that got me the most negative feedback I've ever received on anything I've written: The Duel from Chapter 25: Battle of the Goddesses.

(I haven't talked about Then, Now, and Always in like a month, so be prepared for an essay.)

I thought up the silent Tally/enraged Alder epic duel very early on in the drafting process. Literally, it's in the first, very very rough draft in my docs, which is about 15 pages long and half-summary, half- little bites of scenes.

The reason I wanted them to have The Duel is twofold:

It's genuinely the most tragic thing I could think of for two people who love(d) each other. Y'know? Like Anakin and Obi-Wan on Mustafar. Badass scene, but you're fully aware of the tragedy all the way through. It's supposed to hurt that these two women who once loved each other are now on opposite sides of a war and forced to do battle.

2. I thought it would be fucking awesome.

Part of the inspiration of Then, Now, and Always was this scene:

Tally Craven's hottest scene in the whole show imo. What was I gonna do, give her an enhanced witch baton and not let her use it to full effect? And who else was she going to fight who mattered? It had to be Alder.

Also, Alder's headbutt was dumb. You can quote me on that.

Look, if nothing else, Alder and Tally fight in the actual show. And that fight is important, it does have narrative and thematic relevance, and there is a damn good reason it happened. Unfortunately, that fight is also LAME. Seriously, it is the lamest thing ever! And not even because Tally gets her ass kicked in seconds! The scene is shot cleverly, with perspective shifts and quick camera cuts to veil the fact that the actors and stunt doubles aren't really doing that much. It's the only time we see an actual scourge battle that might have given some indication as to why it's the weapon of choice for witches and why witches make such deadly soldiers. And then it's five seconds long and nothing special.

So I wanted to write a cool fight scene for the fic. Not a spar, by the way. Sparring scenes are popular in fiction, but I personally think they're pointless (unless the author is trying to accomplish something unserious). Literally, a spar is a fake fight. A fascimile. It isn't real. I wanted to write something very, very real. And that led to a lot of the narrative wrapping around making Battle of the Goddesses possible.

Someone on Discord posted during a TNAA discussion "Oh Alder would never hurt Tally." The thing about that is a.) canonically, she can and she has, and b.) For Then, Now, and Always, that's actually not an unreasonable assertion to make. Alder is carrying one hell of a torch. Therefore, I had to make Alder angry enough to actually fight Tally with no holds barred and every intention of beating her.

And that ended up making Chapter 24: Judgment, what it is. In that same very early doc, I had this Petra line.

Literally, that's all. I had no idea where I'd put it or for what reason, but it felt important. I knew about the Ozarks twist from the start, so I knew that someone had to call out Alder for her judgment eventually. Then I realized that, since my plan when I started drafting TNAA was to fix everything, including mandatory freaking conscription of a persecuted minority group, I had the perfect, perfect opportunity to make Alder vicious enough to kill.

Tally's trying dissolve the Salem Accords. That was her endgame the whole time.

Now Alder's angry enough to fight to the death and make the duel truly epic, Tally's goal is much broader, the fic has the chance to move into deeply philosophical, big-picture territory, and I get a pair of dope-ass chapters out of it. Eight birds, one stone. I was so happy.

Zooming back out, I think part of the reason a lot of folks were upset by Battle of the Goddesses pertains to my theory that fanfiction is like ice cream. Easy to eat, requires no effort, delicious and instantly satisfying. The main romantic pairing isn't supposed to fight each other to the literal death, even if it's fucking awesome and deeply symbolic. Duels/battles/wars between two love interests are common fare in sci-fi/fantasy because of their intense thematic and narrative heft, but not in fanfic. That's serving roasted sweet potatoes and kale at an ice cream parlor. It's too much for a lot of readers.

Finally, I think a lot of readers were upset about Alder losing the fight. Here's the thing:

It's not interesting if she wins.

Just like it's not interesting if Goliath beats David or if Jamal doesn't win the jackpot in Slumdog Millionaire. It's a story. The underdog has to win against all odds by their cleverness and mettle. Yes, I too, am sad that Sarah Alder's trauma was never addressed. She's a traumatized, damaged victim of the narrative and her story is a tragedy, start to finish. I think a big draw of the Talder ship is that it allows us to protect and humanize Alder in a way the show never did. Few people want to see her be the victim of even more pain in fic.

This doesn't change the fact that General Sarah Alder is brutal, unyielding, and violent. She's a three hundred year old soldier and her entire existence is war. She is not a good person. To defang her without earning it would be OOC. Trauma doesn't make good people. Healing makes good people. And there's no indication in canon that Sarah Alder has healed in any way, shape, or form.

If you've read this all the way til the end, that's very kind of you. Thanks for letting me ramble!

Why her character arc in Then, Now, and Always really doesn't start until Arc III lmao. When Alder is on her knees, defeated and disgraced, but instead of Petra and Tally going for the kill like they did in the show, they both offer a hand to help her back up. Alder heals because she's given the chance to do so by the people around her. Because I chose to not, y'know, immediately kill her off after tearing her from her pedestal. Genuinely, I have lost so much sleep over all of the amazing, transformative character work the show had in its damn lap and chose to ignore.

#talder #fanfic #nomi--sunrider #then now and always #tally craven #motherland: fort salem #sarah alder #asks

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uselessgayshit · 10 months

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I don’t remember what episode Sarah Alder showed up in Tally’s bedroom like that was a normal thing to do but I started writing this all the way back then and never finished. So if the latter half sucks that’s cause I made myself finish it just to get it out of my notes app.

I Came For You

She opened her door into her dimly lit room. Just one lamp shining a low, warm orange glow against the wall. She hadn’t realized how much stress she had been holding onto when it came to Raelle until she saw her face and took the first deep breath she’d taken in a long while.

It was the exhaustion that made her miss the shadow in the room at first. But as she blinked, hand rising to the light switch, she saw the outline of a figure against the window. Her heart jumped in fear at first until she recognized it. They had been linked once after all.

She flicked the switch and the lights illuminated the dreary room. She stared at the woman, meeting dark eyes and her heart beat hard in her chest as if it was trying to get out, to find its way to where it belonged.

She was taken aback, surprised. She hadn’t thought she would see Alder so soon and the burst of serotonin made her almost woozy. She swallowed past the growing lump in her throat, refusing to let any of it show. She pressed her lips thin. “Well, you really know how to make an entrance.

She shut the door behind her. “Are you here ‘cause Rae’s back?”

“I came for you.”

Her breath hitched in her chest under the intense scrutiny. There was a dark fire burning in those eyes.

Alder stepped closer.

Water welled in Tally’s eyes, and she put a hand out, pointer finger up to stop Alder from moving any closer. “No. No, you don’t get to do this.”

“Tally…”

“No, you made me feel crazy.”

“That wasn’t my intention.” Alder hadn’t taken Tally’s gesture to heart. Her hand reach out, entwining with Tally’s, as she stepped into her space, brushing a piece of her hair, that had fallen in the three witches reuniting, behind her ear. “You’re not crazy.”

Tally couldn’t help but lean into the touch as Alder rested her hand against her cheek, long fingers brushing against her skin. “There is just… so much to do. And we don’t have much time.”

She sucked her teeth between her cheeks and diverted her eyes from those that seemed to look deep within her. “So, let me guess. You need my help to find another piece of the First Song.”

She tried to step around Alder but the woman grabbed her wrist so she couldn’t completely escaped.

The air felt hot.

She stared straight ahead at the window. She wasn’t sure she would be in control of herself if she looked anywhere else.

“Tally.”

“Don’t.” She turned around in a huff, stripping off her sweater and throwing it on the ground.

“Listen to me.” Tally glanced up. Sara pressed her finger under her chin, lifting i up even further. “I came here for you. Not for the first song. For you.”

Tally’s eyes glanced to Sara’s lips and saw the slight upturn, almost mocking as of Sara knew that she’d melt immediately.

Sara stepped forward which was an almost impossible feat seeing as they were already chest to chest. Tally stumbled backward, back hitting the chest of drawers behind her.

Sara’s eyes raked down her body. Tally gulped, eyes wide, full of disbelief that any of this was happening at all. “You came here for… this?”

Tally gasped. Sara’s hot breath ghosted across her neck as her lips trailed down Tally’s neck, leaving wet marks all the way to her collarbone. “Hmmmm. You are a prophetess, after all.”

Tally shivered. Sara’s lips spread into a smile against her skin.

Tally’s hands white knuckle gripped the wood behind her. Sara’s hands at her waist were firmly pinning her in place.

Sara pulled back enough for eye contact, dark eyes reaching Tally’s. “Unless I misread -“

“No,” Tally responded quickly, grabbing at the leather of her long coat. “No, you didn’t.”

“Then what happens next?” Sara said with a searing gaze and a titled smile that sent heat surging up from Tally’s core.

“I don’t need my Sight to answer that.” Tally surged forward, up on her tiptoes, and crashed into the feeling she had been striving to find ever since she was cut from the Biddies.

Sara wasn’t soft. She was hard edges, and rough touches. Her teeth bit into Tally’s skin, sending shivers down her spine.

The back of Tally’s knees hit the edge of the bed and she fell. Sarah dropped her long coat to the ground. “Tally Craven…”

There was no point in pretending that hearing General Alder call her by her full name didn’t affect her beyond propriety. It always had and she had always swallowed her reaction. This time she didn’t need to. She bit her lip, letting her legs part slightly, looking up into Sarah’s face, beckoning.

Sarah’s arms were twisted behind her back. Tally could hear the zipper being pulled. Tally leaned forward, reaching down to the edges of her t-shirt, and with her tongue licking at her lips, pulled it up and over her head. Sarah’s intake of breath was more of hiss than anything else as Tally revealed her bare chest.

“You are my ending.”

Sarah made a sound in the back of her throat and the lock on the bedroom door clicked shut. It hadn’t even occurred to Tally - she was completely swept into Sarah’s orbit. It was an issue she had whenever Alder was present. Everything else faded away.

Sarah dropped her dress to the ground. Tally didn’t know what she had been expecting. Black. Lace. Something along those lines. But Sarah’s underwear and bra were the same gray, taupe of her outerwear. There was nothing skimpy about it but as her eyes dragged up Sarah’s body, the only word that came to her mind was “sexy.”

Sarah stepped out of the dress toward the bed, bending, her hands sinking into the mattress on either side of Tally, bringing their faces within inches on one another.

“Do you want this?” Her emphasis on the “you” was impossible to miss. They had once been connected, mind and body, Tally used to strengthen Sarah. After she had left the Biddies, Tally had wondered herself if her feelings were a lasting effect of that or something more. There was still a part of her that wished to have that back, that closeness. But this was something different entirely. Her entire body buzzed with anticipation. Heat coiled in her belly and the wet warmth between her legs was impossible to ignore. None of that was part of being a Biddie. Tally had fallen in too deep with Alder in a multitude of ways.

“Please.”

Sarah’s head dropped and Tally’s fell back as goosebumps erupted on her skin under Sarah’s wet lips as she left open mouthed kisses across her chest. She kissed over the swell of Tally’s breast, tongue flicking against a nipple. Tally gasped as she pulled it between her teeth, gently biting it.

Her head snapped forward and she caught Sarah’s devious eyes, looking up at her from her ministrations. She kept the eye contact as she moved down, over Tally’s trembling and twitching stomach - she couldn’t tell if it was nerves, anticipation, or a bit of both.

Sarah’s tongue licked up the inside of Tally’s thigh, and she couldn’t suppress the giggle that escaped her mouth. She was ticklish and apparently the arousal wasn’t enough to overcome that.

“Hmmmm.” Was Sarah’s only response. Teeth nipped lightly at her skin and her fingers clenched, twisting the comforter between them.

“Tally, careful.” The vibration of her lips against Tally’s clit did nothing to help matters. She had never thought about it, her voice as her magic, what would happen if she used it unconsciously. But she did feel as if there was a liquid under her nails and look down to see a shiny silver stream of light flowing from her fingers.

The calmness in Sarah’s eyes didn’t seem to call impending doom, so she wasn’t concerned enough not to focus on where Sarah’s tongue currently was. A breathy, low, “fuck,” escaped her lips. This was nothing like Beltane.

Nothing against Gerit but that had been purely lust built by the atmosphere they had been engulfed in. Besides, remembering Beltane, she couldn’t help but remember Sarah with her hair down, her tight corset, her bare shoulders. Tally laughed, hand clamping quickly over her mouth.

Sarah’s ministrations paused. “Are you alright?”

She caught her breath, stomach twitching from laugher. “I’m sorry.”

“About?”

“Thinking about how sexy you looked at Beltane when you’re right here in front of me.”

Sarah smiled and wiped Tally’s slick from the corner of her mouth. “I remember your excitement from that day. How does it hold up?”

“It doesn’t.” And in a rare fit of daring, Tally reach out to press Sarah’s head back down.

She gasped loudly, breath sucking into her lungs. Everything was always ruined.

“Tally?”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

Arms snaked across her body, between sheet and bare skin. Lips dragged up her shoulder the back of her neck. Hot breath whisked against her skin. “Tally.”

“I — I can’t help you.”

“With the First song? You’re the only one who can help me, Tally.”

“Something is coming… with Raelle.”

Fingers pressed against her cheek, turning her face. In the darkness it was hard to see Sarah’s features. Her dark eyes disappearing in the night. There was a moment in which she was surprised Sarah was there at all; as if the night had been a dream. And then her shallow breaths caught up to her and she gasped again.

Sarah’s thumb stroked her cheeks. “What did you See?”

The vision had been enmeshed in a dream. It was hard to parse details. “A Witchbomb. The end of the world.”

She ran her hands through her hair, getting caught in tangles. Sarah took her hand and squeezed it in her own, kissing her knuckles.

Tally was frantic in Sarah’s calm. “I need to stop it.”

“We shall.” Sarah said, her voice a mix of what Tally had come to know. Alder now softened by being in bed. “I came for you for more than one reason, Tally Craven.”

“Oh.” Her heart dropped even lower in her chest. Her fear of what was to come mixing with what now seemed trivial. But it didn’t stop an emptiness from beginning to grow between her ribs and her heart.

“Neither more important than the other.”

Tally scoffed, for some reason becoming aware that she wore nothing. She could make out the hint of Sarah’s smile in the dark. What hurt the most was the it wasn’t hiding anything. They both knew that statement to be false, but the sentiment was understood.

“This really was real then.”

“You are the beginning and you are my end.”

The shift wasn’t lost on Tally. There was something of a sadness in the words, different from the night before. Tally wondered how much she could actually See, and what Sarah Alder already knew.

#my fic #motherland fort salem #talder #tally x alder #sarah alder #tally craven #talder fanfiction #talder fanfic

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nivalingreenhow · 8 months

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The Cradle of the Mother chapter 11

Sarah and Tally actually have a talk

#Talder #Sarah Alder #Tally Craven #Motherland fort Salem #My writing #Mg writes fanfiction #Mg writes fanfic

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kutekoolkat · 1 year

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Underneath the Mistletoe [ rating: T | words: 1883 ]

Though Petra genuinely believed she could ignore Alder’s gravitational pull, eventually she'd be at its mercy much like the planets are to the Sun’s.

[loosely set during 3x04]

art by @shinkomiii [ig • twitter] commissioned by me [posted on twitter & instagram]

literally this art had me on the floor before she even finished it. The sneak peeks she sent had me dying. like omfg these two just look so good together. I ended up writing this fanfic after seeing the art, idk the way she drew them inspired me dkjsgfa I adore her style

#fanfic #alweather #sarah alder #petra bellweather #motherland fort salem #lyne renée #catherine lough haggquist #idk how i like the formating of this post lmao

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makewithheartandsoul · 2 years

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a lot of wlw shows ended(were canceled) recently and im sure a lot of us survived this trauma reading ao3 fics but remember... the writers are people too, and they have feelings as well! so if u see that a fic is not updating anymore then is FOR a reason.

DO NOT SEND HATE

THEY SHARE THEIR STORIES BECAUSE THEY WANT not because they owe ALL OF YOU SOMETHING so lets share only support and forget about the hate people pls and thank u

hope u all have an amazing day :)

a reader

#ao3 #the wilds #first kill #motherland fort salem #and more #leatin #fatin x leah #fatin jadmani #tally craven #fanfics #fanfic #ao3 writer #ao3 stuff #ao3 reader #leah rilke

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marilynthornhilllover · 10 months

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Follow the sun

Witch Sarah alder x fem! Princess reader

Warning: sadness, grief, heartbreak, protection, spells use, depression themes, anxiety, mother & daughter relationship,fluff, song lyrics included in etc.

A/n: this is based on the TV series "the witcher" on Netflix. connections from : tissaia de vries, yeenfer and ciri. I highly recommend you watch the witcher it's a good show:).

♡●♡●♡●♡●♡●♡●♡●♡●♡●♡●♡●♡●♡

|Kiss me hard before you go|

"Please Sarah no" you cried as you tugged your arm away from her grip. You both stood there staring at eachother with tears in your eyes. You started hyperventilating, Sarah pulled you close to her. Hugging you tightly. Her fingernails slightly scratch against your scalp trying her best to calm you.

"You have to go my child, soilders will be showing up her soon looking for you" she whispered, her voice was scratchy but she tried her best not to make it break. "Y/n my love you have to go. protect yourself" she whispered holding your head with both her hands.

"But what about you" you said beginning to break down in tears. She pulled you back towards her chest cradling you like a baby. She mumbled a soft 'I'll be ok' but you knew too well she won't.

"Promise" you whispered as you leaned back to look at her face, she softly smiled at you before kissing your forehead. 'Promise' she mumbled.

"You are my light y/n, now go, run along, follow the sun" she whispered as she squeezed your hands in reassurance. You felt like crying again but you gaved her a soft kiss on the cheek before backing away from her.

Wiping your tears you spoke" I love you mother" before running off. You could hear Sarah break down as you did but she wanted what's best for you. Even if it means sacrificing herself for your safety.

|I just wanted you to know, that baby your the best|

You kept running and running and running. You've been running none stop. You finally took a break and hid behind a big tree trunk. You then began to have flash backs. Of how your parents were killed, the kingdom was destroyed. You ran far away into the woods and that how you met Sarah. She took you in. Clothed you, fed you, taught you, just like you were her child. She was a mother to you. She was the best.

{9 years later}

| nothing scares me anymore |

You were now queen of Many lands. Sarah made you stronger. You tried looking for her but you never found her. It's been years since you lasted talked to her. Since the time in the woods. You were really young. Now your older and stronger all thanks to Sarah. You never told anyone about your powers that she gaved you. That if you scream too loud glass breaks, can move things with your hands etc. You were a witcher, taught by the very best.

Everytime you went to war you'd always win. You had the biggest army in all of the kingdoms. You wish Sarah was here to see all your hard work, to see how brave you've become. She'd be so proud of you. Proud that you followed the sun. You were the light to her world. Everyday you'd pray that she was alive. That she was watching you from the side lines. That she still existed and that from that day in the forest she had made it out alive.

|Got that summer time summer time sadness|

You stared out the window of you room looking at the blue skies and the happy children playing in the village, people working- suddenly someone cleared their throat. You sighed as you turned around. It was apparently one of your message men. He bowed as he placed a note with a red stamp on your table.

He then bowed again began before leaving. You slowly walked up to the piece of paper, staring down at it in confusion. You picked it up and opened it. The letter read.

- you are my sunshine, the light to my world. You glow brighter than the sun ever has for those past 9 years. - love, ' your mother' . Inside was a small bracelet that you were wearing when the kingdom was attacked, the night of your coronation as a princess. It was a sliver bracelet with three pendants on it. The sun, the moon and the stars. You put the bracelet around your wrist and smiled softly at the letter, tears Started to blur your vision as you knew full well who it was from.

| think ill miss you forever. Like the stars miss the sun in the morning sky, later is better than never|

It was your first proper coronation since the attack, and instead of you being crown princess you were being crown queen. At the after party ball there was music, drinks and lots of delicious food but you couldn't fit the vibe. This was just history repeating itself for you. You were filled with fear, anxiety and depression. You excused yourself from the royalty table and went out side on the balcony to get some fresh air.

You went very far away. So far you couldn't even hear the loud music anymore. The cold air dried your tears but more kept coming. You missed your birth parents and you missed the one woman you had that loved and took care of you.

"It's not nice for a queen to be crying on her coronation day" a voice rang from behind you. A female voice, a familiar one. One that always brought you comfort, joy.

You slowly turned around to see Sarah, she still looked the same, beautiful and young, like she hasnt aged. You didn't know how to react. If to be happy, sad angry-, angry? God no. " well I'm not a ghost am i?" She spoke sarcastically.

You chuckled as you ran up to her, she smiled and opened her arms for you. You may have hugged her to hard making you both fall.

" wow, easy tiger" she cooed wiping the stray tears from your cheek. You both got lost in eachother's gaze for a moment before embracing eachother in a warm but loving hug.

" I miss you" you whispered getting up and pulling her with you.

" I know. But I've watched you grow into this brave strong fearless, your majesty" she spoke before bowing, you laughed as you slapped her hand playfully.

" you followed the sun y/n, you went through so much darkness in your life but your still shining my love" she cooed as tears filled her eyes as fast as it did with you.

" remember when that day you said you couldn't do it?" She asked as you hummed it response.

" Well look at you now sweetie, you did it, you survived " she said as she whispered the last two words. You started crying more as she held you against her chest as she did that day. You soon realized how much you've missed being held in her arms.

She kissed your forehead as you pulled away.

" there's so much I wanna say" you said as your voice broke. She pouted as she kissed your nose and squeezed your hands.

" and you will darling but for now enjoy your coronation, it was taken away from you once so this time don't take it away from yourself" she whispered kissing your cheek.

She held you close to her as you both walked back into the castle. You danced and ate and sang and you had a good time with everyone.

Sarah got a room in the castle and became one of your heir, Sarah also opened a magic school to teach young kids about magic and make them as powerful as you. So that in anytime of war the kingdom won't fall, and if one day you passed you leave behind and army of strong, brave people to fight for your legacy.

#fypシ゚viral #fanfic #the witcher #witch #power source #grief #motherland fort salem #sarah alder #princess #queen #fluff #movies #hulu tv #love #cute #marilynthornhilllover #Spotify

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godandmonsters1996 · 2 years

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Ok let’s start a Talder fic and see where it goes

“We are connected ” Tally yells “and it’s so so painful,”

“I’m sorry,” Alder whispers and motion for Tally to sit down.

No biddies has even had to suffer the years of glory and wars alone, they all had each other to share the pain with but now, now Tally had to manage years of memories, war, suffer, loss all on her own. All because she was good. Too good to exist. Too good for carrying this baggage.

“Time should make it easier,” she promise but she isn’t sure. She never been untied from a biddie before.

Never have a biddie also been physically hurt by her memories before.

“How?” Tally asks and she looks so broken right now, so unlike the happy Tally she used to know.

“How what?”

“How do you breathe with all this pain,” she says and stands up “It’s .. “ her voice breaks as she takes two steps toward her General she takes her hand and placed it on her heart “I can’t breathe”

“Tally,” she says her name for the first time, and she could feel the shiver down the redhead spine through the hand that was still tucked safely on the young heart. “I can ask Izadora, maybe she can give you something-“

“Is this how you feel all the time?”

“I’m used to it,”

#talder #tally craven #tally x alder #sarah alder #motherland fort salem #fanfic #talder fanfic

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psychic-refugee · 11 months

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Xavier Thorpe was the last of a spent bloodline. He had no sister as his mother died shortly after he was born, leaving the Thorpes without a witch to carry on their song.

Although men were seen as lesser, the Imperatrix still deemed his blood worthy of matching amongst the High Atlantic Elite, pushing him towards Bianca Barclay and Divina Fisher, both the most sought-after matrilines and expected to take on three or more husbands each.

He didn’t want to seem like a civilian, but he had no desire to be one of many husbands, even if the witches could turn mountains into dust with their songs.

He was seen as odd and soft, by army standards. His song was unique, able to animate his art. It wasn’t seen as particularly useful, but then again men didn’t have to be useful beyond fathering more witches.

Although his father Vincent and the Imperatrix insisted it was his duty to handfast to whichever matriline they deemed worthy and would have him, he would marry no other than Wednesday Addams.

The Imperatrix was a stern and intimidating woman, but even she got nervous around the most famous necro matriline the world had ever seen.

Necros always stood out amongst witchkind, but Addamses were a cut above the rest as their powers always ran true. No matter who married into the Addams matriline, the children were always mistresses of death currents which allowed them to speak to the dead; wielders of decay, which allowed them to create bombs that cause a perfectly healthy body to rot in seconds; or daughters of Mother Mycelium, a mysterious specialty that could create new work and seedsounds.

Wednesday was special in that she could do all three, as well as weatherwork that could flatten towns and seedsounds that could blast out windows.

Although people feared Addamses, it didn’t stop many fathers from trying to foist their sons into the matriline.

Addamses were further set apart in that they traditionally never took counsel from the Imperatrix, never arranged marriages for either their sons or daughters, and loved sons as much as they loved daughters.

In any other matriline, Morticia Addams would have been seen as a failure as she only produced one daughter, although she was a particularly powerful daughter, and had two sons. She also insisted that her eldest son Pugsly make a love match, rather than sell him to the highest bidder from the High Atlantic.

Sons could not pass on their songs, but they did create ties between matrilines. Everyone wanted to be linked to Wednesday Addams, who was favored and exalted by none other than General Sarah Alder.

Xavier didn’t care about matrilines or having powerful children. He was more interested in Wednesday’s respect and kindness towards her brothers and father. She was unafraid to stand up to Bianca, the Imperatrix, and anyone else who would deride her family, try to tell her what to do, or sneer at those who told her how to be a “proper witch.”

Call him a romantic or an idealistic fool, but he would rather have a partner that would love any child they had, and not someone who would toss him aside after five years if he couldn’t sire a girl or would love their sons less than their daughters.

Luckily for him, Wednesday Addams was rather fond of moss green eyes and was charmed by his songs that could animate his drawings of giant spiders.

#wednesday netflix #motherland fort salem #fanfic inspo #wenvier #wenvier moodboard #I'd say watch motherland but I don't know if its on any streaming network!#wednesday addams #xavier thorpe

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jennysparksandtheauthority · 1 year

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Chapters: 6/6 Fandom: Motherland: Fort Salem (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Raelle Collar/Scylla Ramshorn Characters: Raelle Collar, Scylla Ramshorn, Tally Craven, Abigail Bellweather, Adil (Motherland: Fort Salem), Nicte Batan, Thelma Bearkiller, Alban Hearst, Edwin Collar, Anacostia Quartermaine Additional Tags: Panic Attacks, Unplanned Pregnancy, a Scylla character study if you squint, Angst with a Happy Ending, Self-Doubt, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Soft Tally Craven, BAMF Abigail Bellweather, Season 3 Spoilers, Canon Divergence, Found Family, Implied/Referenced Torture, Canon-Typical Violence, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Angst and Fluff and Smut Summary:

How Scylla Ramshorn went from Agent of Death to Agent of Love. Set in season 3, canon divergent.

PS- There's a cute little Spotify playlist now: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1SRPwNjiABEybIDsDL7Zj4?si=5287104df5634974

My first raylla fic is done. I enjoyed this sooo much, playing with this characters is one of my fav things now. I’ll come back to them but I’m gonna let them rest for a while. Now working on finishing Blackhill and Supercorp wips ❤️

#fanfic #my fic #raylla #motherland fort salem #motherland fort salem fanfiction #raelle collar #scylla ramshorn #raelle x scylla #finished #save motherland fort salem

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nomi--sunrider · 5 months

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I’d love the ⭐️ director’s cut⭐️ of literally any scene you’d like to talk about from TNAA!! Your last notes are so fascinating. (Don’t know who complained about the fight scene- it hurt me in the same way the Anakin/Obi-Wan fight hurt me and it was so so good)

Any way I literally haven’t stopped thinking about your incredible fic!!!

Oh Stars, many people complained 😅 just read through the comment section on Chapter 25. Some are quite mean. It's okay though. If what I wrote was complex enough to challenge people, that's a good thing.

Another behind the scenes for Then, Now, and Always....hm. God, I feel like I gave my best in the first one. Oh, I know! I'll tell you about an early version of the plot I had.

I'm remembering stuff while reading through my first, very early drafting document. In this one, the Witch Plague vaccine I mention in Chapter 10: Jem's Gift, was much more important. Like, Raelle and Scylla actually crack it, they figure it out. The problem is that Alder can't do vaccines, the Biddy bond makes them not work. I actually had this whole subplot, like a big press-conference thing where General Alder is photographed getting the first dose of the vaccine to comfort the American witch population and assure them it's safe.

But of course, it's a dose of saline.

That was going to be the Chekhov's Gun of Arc III, instead of Hearst finding Alder's blood after the big duel and making Blood Plague from it. It's this big, classified-above-top-secret fakeout where Alder's actually deeply vulnerable to Witch Plague, really the only witch who is. This, rather than the Biddy bond, is why she's the only one who can stop the big explosion of plague from Silver's Fountain.

But I kept running into "oh then why would this happen? why would that happen? why would this be important?" sorts of issues. Eventually, I realized they all stemmed from the fact that if there's a Witch Plague vaccine, Witch Plague stops being a threat. And this completely undercuts the death factory as a plot device. This source of the Camarilla's power that the army is so desperate to find, that Tally breaks into a top secret government facility to find, that she commits high treason to find, that Nicte murders the Secretary of State over, is now sort of irrelevant. The stakes of Tally and Alder's death factory infiltration in Arc III are much lower. Not only that, but it blunts the Ozarks reveal in Chapter 28: Alder's Folly significantly. And given the first 27 chapters, that scene had to come down like the hand of God.

I realized that if I wanted the death factory to be a major plot device, I had to keep Witch Plague in the game as a big, terrifying weapon of mass destruction. Not only that, but I had to up the ante in order to make the death factory as critical as possible. So I leaned harder into Blood Plague. An even more dangerous Witch Plague that ended up introducing all of the DNA/eugenics/technology stuff, which brought thematic depth to the fic. Not only that, but the development of Blood Plague as an unstoppable weapon of war added a ticking clock, which every action-thriller needs.

The only real bummer is that I didn't realize all of this until after I'd written the first seven or so chapters. So Chapter 6: The Nightmare Bat was already done. If I was going to write Then, Now, and Always again, I'd have Alder and co. go up against Witch Plague during the Idaho extraction.

I actually feel quite silly for not doing that. Like, I wrote Raelle into the scene initially because I knew the Unit wouldn't be getting much screen time and she made more sense than Abigail, given she's a Fixer and Tally might have been injured. But looking back on it, why would Alder risk the army's most valuable asset by bringing her into the field if they didn't need the Witchbomb, specifically?

(This ties into my whole rant as to how dumb it was that Alder let Raelle off-base in Season 2, even with the protection detail.

Why??? The fuck???? Would you allow a priceless, one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable, war-ending asset to leave Fort Salem during an escalating conflict???? I know it's another Make The Plot Go decision so Raelle could be captured by the Camarilla, but come the fuck on, there's other ways that could have happened.)

Not only that, but I'm a big believer in Show, Don't Tell. Then, Now, and Always does a lot of Telling about the massive threat of Witch Plague, but not a lot of showing. In Chapter 10: Jem's Gift, Raelle tells Tally "Oh, it's weirder to not encounter Witch Plague in the field," after they pointedly don't encounter it in...really the only military field mission in the whole fic. That would have been the best time to Show, Not Tell.

They're trapped on the Idaho alpine plateau. Witch Plague is swarming in from all directions. It's a big black sea. A flood of pure death. No one can see the trees for it. Raelle's trying her best, there's glowing Witchbomb explosions everywhere, Alder's pouring torrents of lightning into the plague, Nicte's bombing the hell out of it with her jars, but it's not enough, not enough--

Until Tally puts her hands on the Nightmare Bat's console and gets it airborne.

In my defense, I started writing Then, Now, and Always before I'd really seen the show, so putting Witch Plague into the scene wasn't instinctive at that point. It's still a dope-ass scene and I'm proud of it. Just saying....y'know, if I was gonna do it again.

Fun additional fact: Tally mentions in Chapter 18: Hopi Cession that Witch Plague is being deployed more and more, becoming more dangerous, more aggressive because Tally's efforts in the mediasphere are working. A a few weeks ago, I started drafting a screenplay version of Then, Now, and Always as an alt-Season 3 and quickly realized I was going to need to actually show that action, versus just alluding to it. I came up with the coolest, most suspenseful, tragic, action-packed, badass, deeply allegorical episode of Motherland: Fort Salem ever.

And then I realized I couldn't write a Then, Now, and Always screenplay. It would be like composing a symphony, but never hearing it. A screenplay is just instructions. The medium is film. I could make a bangin' screenplay of Then, Now, and Always as the amazing, heart-stopping, transcendent final season of M:FS, but it could never be shot, and that would kill me. I'll save that idea for an original screenplay.

Thanks so much for the ask and for reading and enjoying the fic! I love all you guys very much.

#talder #nomi--sunrider #fanfic #then now and always #tally craven #motherland: fort salem #sarah alder #asks

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