#the best stories about grief are told with humor | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lululawrence · 1 year

Text

lululawrence's February 2023 Fic List

Previous Fic Lists / Lulu’s List Podcast Masterpost

Happy 28th! It's totally still the 28th... in some time zones... lol I am still working on the amazing Christmas fics that posted this year, but I also read some non-holiday inspired fics as well! And all of them were fab. As always, be sure to show your love and appreciation with kudos, nice comments, and (when applicable) reblogging their fic posts!

syrupy sorrows and gingerbread grief by @adoremelikeasunflower19 / adoremelikeasunflower (68k, NR, Harry/Louis, Christmas fic, friends to lovers, teachers Harry and Louis, coworkers and best friends, jealousy, pining, divorce, emotional hurt/comfort, secrets, pay attention to the tags because there are some abuse, gaslighting, and cheating aspects to the fic that might be triggering, but overall this fic is so cute and sweet and the way their friendship is so perfectly supportive is lovely)

The Top of Your Lungs by @zanniscaramouche / zanni_scaramouche (32k, M, Harry/Louis, sequel/completion of part 1, werewolves, pack fic, omega Harry, alpha Louis, angst, slow burn, violence, fighting, scenting, magic, listen okay the first part of this was impeccable and had me thinking about it regularly for MONTHS until this part could post, it was the perfect ending to the story, SO much pining and angst, and it was just so lovely and wonderful and I love love loved it)

Stole My Heart by @haztobegood / haztobegood (3k, NR, Harry/Louis, meet ugly, humor, chicken nuggets, awkwardness, this fic was SO hard to read but was also so funny I couldn't stop giggling the entire time I was reading it, I had to take a break though because the beginning was written so well that I almost died of secondhand embarrassment lol, so great)

(not) driving home for christmas by @justanotherghostblr / BeautifulWisdom (3k, T, Harry/Louis, Christmas fic, meet ugly, shifter Louis, snowstorm, snowed in, Harry accidentally hits Louis, but he doesn't realize it's Louis, lololol, this fic is so funny and fast paced and the emotions Harry flips through along with the bantery dialogue is fab)

Give it to someone special by @djtommotomlinson / yourlionheartx (10k, G, Zayn/Liam, Christmas fic, meet cute, lonely Liam, sad Zayn, clueless Larry, ot4 celebrating Louis' birthday who invited Liam to join, emotional hurt/comfort, this fic was so SOFT, the love and friendship between ot4 is so wonderful and they welcome Liam in so fully, it's so perfect and wonderful and a lovely ending for all of them)

12 Days of Courting by mission2feelike (23k, E, Harry/Louis, Christmas fic, A/B/O dynamics, alpha Harry, omega Louis, friends to lovers, secret courting, friends with benefits, pining, scenting, nesting, heat/mating cycles, this fic was just like a massive mix of everything that I love in a fic all thrown together, and it was done so perfectly, I loved how clueless Louis was but how much he WANTED it to be real, and just it made me squee a little bit when it all turned out in the end honestly, I loved this fic so much)

From Dust to Lust by @jacaranda-bloom / jacaranda_bloom (45k, E, Harry/Louis, Big Bang fic, road trip fic, enemies to lovers, more like miscommunication to friends to fwb to aching longing messes to lovers, lmaoooo you know whatever works to get you where you gotta go lol, so much banter, flirting, cute old people, dust, bonding, and there's a legit fist pumping moment!, it's so great I love it so much, this fic was so fantastic and had me dreaming of those tiny places in Australia, such a great fic to fall into)

Loved and Lost by @princelyharry / princelyharry (44k, M, Harry/Louis, Big Bang fic, Famous/Non-Famous, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Exes to Lovers, Amnesia, student Louis, Broadway star Harry, angst, happy ending, this fic was a RIDE, I had forgotten it was an amnesia fic by the time it got to that, and it's told in a switch of POV, which is SO powerfully done, it hits so hard and hurts so bad, and you're just SCREAMING for it all to come together and it just, yeah, anyway, SO GOOD lol such a ride too like wow)

Oh Little Town of BATHlehem by @londonfoginacup / LadyLondonderry (2k, G, Harry/Louis, Christmas fic, crack fic, humor, meet ugly, fighting over a plastic bath, this fic omgosh you guys, I could hardly breathe, I screamed in the tags of my reblog, and the comments, and then again at Emmu once I'd finished it, because it might just be my new fav fic by her, it's so funny in genuinely every way, like what even?, and it's so sweet too, I cannot fully explain my love of this fic, just know it is GREAT)

Here where you should be by @lunarheslwt / lunarheslwt (19k, G, Harry/Louis, Christmas fic, A/B/O dynamics, alpha Harry, omega Louis, strangers to friends to lovers, the friends part is... short admittedly but still there lol, the way they both save each other in small but important ways, is so lovely, and such a great basis for their friendship and then SO much more, idiots to lovers, these two are so wonderful I love them)

A Life Turned Upside Down by @chelsea-frew / Chelsea Frew (chelseafrew) (29k, E, Harry/Louis, Big Bang fic, canon divergent, previous mpreg, exes to lovers, deaf character, post-hiatus, kid fic, the way this fic is constructed and how it revolves around the kid and their reconnection, getting past their differences, all of that, it is just, SO wonderful, such a soft and lovely and hopeful fic)

Wake Up! It's Christmas by @megz1985 / Megz1985 (6k, NR, Zayn/Liam, Christmas fic, established relationship, kid fic, adoption, past trauma, healing, domestic fluff, parenthood, beautiful and lovely and so real)

All I want for Christmas is You by @sparklebootsandvans / hlftanna (43k, NR, Harry/Louis, Christmas fic, A/B/O dynamics, alpha Harry, omega Louis, miscommunications, friends to lovers, jealousy, pining, flirting, scenting, dropping, touch deprivation, nesting, fluff and angst, happy ending, this fic is a wonderful mishmash of confusion between characters while trying to get to know each other, pining, the best parts of A/B/O dynamics, and just so much goodness, it makes you wanna shake them but also wanna force them into a closet to kiss and figure their shit out, in the best of ways, lmao it's such a thoroughly enjoyable read)

Once The Dark Divides by @zanniscaramouche / zanni_scaramouche (15k, E, Harry/Louis, childhood friends, friends to lovers, kink exploration, dom/sub dynamics, pwp, this fic, let me just... holy hell y'all, I didn't even mean to read it, not right that moment, I only meant to mark it as to read, but then I wanted to read the author's note, and then I kept reading, and never stopped because I was so immediately pulled in, and it's so hot but it's so much more than just that, it's so emotionally real, and the power struggle, and figuring it out, like Louis' experiences and feelings and confusion as a submissive for the first time feels SO REAL, it's incredible, so sexy, so intimate, I just still don't really have words for it but it's an entire experience, and honestly I feel a little too seen after reading it so I'll stop there lolllll)

The Holes of My Sweater by @harrysmaison / yourdelicatepov (31k, NR, Harry/Louis, Christmas fic, primary school teachers, friends to lovers, Harry is the new teacher, lives quite far from everyone else, he's quite an idiot really but who doesn't love a good idiots to lovers story?, obiously I do based off this rec alone lol, it's a fun story and fantastic pining)

falling in love with the stable boy by @sup3rbloom / haveufoundwhaturlookingfor (6k, G, Harry/Louis, Reverse Bang fic, Royalty AU, Prince Liam, Prince Zayn, Prince Louis, Stable Boy Harry, love at first sight, basically, this fic is so fascinating to read because it is so clear that there's so much world building and story that we don't get as an official part of the fic, but you only get enough to keep going, and i want to know so much about the family dynamics now lol, ANYWAY, an interesting and cute read!)

An Extra Surprise by @beanno28 / Beanno28 (7k, M, Harry/Louis, Christmas fic, established relationship, kid fic, mpreg, mpreg Harry, domestic fluff, the funniest part of the entire thing was how Zayn and Liam so openly teased Louis about his need to claim some of the holiday celebrations for his birthday, and the rivalry between them for the gingerbreads, but also the way they help with the kids etc was so lovely, but all of it was so fluffy and tender and sweet)

Grow as We Go by @larryatendoftheday / larryatendoftheday (7k, T, Harry/Louis, Reverse Bang fic, established relationship, the Ultimatum AU, proposal, angst, angst with a happy ending, this fic holy mother, the way they hit the reason for the breaking point, and how Louis is just so caught off guard and so hurt, and then his realizations that he wasn't perfect either and how he wants to fix it, and just all of it, it is so heartwrenchingly painfully perfect, it feels possible and real, if that makes sense?, but the ending is perfect for that too)

#28th appreciation #fic rec #my fic rec #fic list #february 2023 fic list #fic writer appreciation #i know i know it's late #i'm so sorry #but i got it out before it got too late right #so i'll take it #lol

83 notes · View notes

fallenclan · 8 months

Note

FANFIC ANON LIVES!! PART 2 OF THE OTHER FANFIC WILL COME... but... lil something different for now since you wanted to hear about it >:)

Believe it or not, warriors are not always on their paws. The dream of every busy cat can be surmised by two words: to relax. As the sun falls from the sky and the moon ascends, Henryclaw sits in front of a group of cats - some are young and old and others are energetic and exhausted - with a wide smile. His tail curls as his mind dances with memories. He's traveled many places and met many cats within his life. A few told him the tallest of tales and others spoke of stories that bewilder him to this day. Perhaps the forces those cats spoke of are real and he was a fool not to believe them then.

But that doesn't matter now as the crowd gathers before him. Even the leader decided to humor his storytelling today. They came to hear whatever he was to say.

Whiskers twitching, Henryclaw casts his gaze up towards the slow arrival of stars within the darkening sky. "Our story begins on a day like today." He begins, gesturing up to the gradient of grayish-purples, hints of the typical sky blue, pink the color of salmon, and yellow as vibrant as a daffodil. "The sun was tucking itself away from our view, going off to another land to gift it life. Meanwhile, the moon rose to raise the dead into its ranks."

There was a cat with long rabbit-like ears some moons ago hailing from a place called BlossomClan. He forgets if their home still remained, but as they ate beneath the marbled sky of blues and purples, their tale weaved between his ears. They spoke the strangest story. One unlike any he had ever been told before. When he awoke the next morning, there was not a single trace of the odd cat. Ah...

His gaze settles back onto his crowd and he gently nudges the memories aside. Taking in a deep breath, he continues. "There once was a Clan that lived out in gorgeous meadows. Never once did they find themselves ill as every herb they could wish for blossomed. Their bellies never rumbled as the rabbits were plump. These cats did not know of hardship. They only knew of the sun's warm embrace." A few murmurs of jealousy weasel out of the cats listening, but the best he can do is silently advise them to hear the story in full.

"Endless peace was a disdainful sight to the old stars within their Silverpelt. The warriors never did their namesake. To the deceased who had fought fang and claw to achieve happiness, it was a bitter and unfair sight. So many moons since their plights had passed that they did not think about how they had spared their kin from the heart-shattering fights they had endured." Henryclaw's tail curls as he slowly shakes his head. StarClan truly was such an odd place...

While this all could be mere fiction, he could and would never know unless that cat returned to confirm it. Alas, the world is no small place. By now, that cat could have traveled to places far beyond his knowledge. "Watching as their traditions died off, the language they used fade away, and rules begin to shift, the ancient cats of Silverpelt had enough. Fueled by hatred - the same hatred they advocated against all their lives - they tore a hole open within Silverpelt."

A few younger cats began whispering amongst themselves. He couldn't catch what they were meowing, but it appeared that they were attempting to spur fear into one another based on the sly grins being exchanged. "Their spirits were turned into the dark emotions coursing inside of them and they overtook the idyllic meadow. Despair befell the thriving Clan. Cats died in troves from illness, attacks, and starvation. Even their own grief was a factor in their demises. They lived knowing they would one day join StarClan, but they never expected to watch their beloved Clanmates to go before them."

The strangest, yet his favorite, part of the tale was next. "One day, a warrior, reeling from heat exhaustion and starvation, finds a rabbit. Unlike normal rabbits, this one had slitted pupils, fangs instead of squares, and claws that functioned like a cat's. This abnormal rabbit did not stop surprising as it stared at the bony cat and said, 'I wish to save you.' The cat rubbed its eyes, dumbfounded. A rabbit meowed like a cat! A rabbit!" He leans forward, dramatics getting the best of him, and grins at his audience. A cat or two groan and leave, though it's no problem of his if they wish to grouch about such a thing.

"As the cat blinked slowly, the haze in their mind dissipated. No longer did the scorching heat burn the cat's back. Rather, a coolness seeped into their body and filled them with relief. They settled their gaze onto the rabbit and warily asked, 'Who are you?'

"For several moments, the rabbit did not answer. The warrior wondered if they were losing their mind, but the rabbit's puzzled expression made them think twice. At long last, a sigh parted from the rabbit's jaws as it said, 'I believe they would call me a witch.' The rabbit did not break eye contact with the cat, though it appeared remorseful. As though something had fractured within its soul.

"The warrior hesitated, but it pleaded with the odd rabbit to help them. It was the rabbit that had gotten rid of their mental fog, was it not? Surely this rabbit could save everyone else. All that met their ears was silence. Desperate, the cat cried, 'I promise we will repay our debt! We will do right by you, I swear it to you!' Still, the rabbit remained silent and appeared perplexed.

"That was until it said, 'Give me a name. One that is reminiscent of your own. If you do that, then I will do everything to help you and your Clan.'

"A warrior name is a special gift. To ask a warrior - no, a cat who is so scrawny that they could die in a few days - to name it was shocking. Appalling even. The warrior stared and stared, knowing they had to answer with a fitting name, but could they truly answer...?

"Seconds turned into minutes. The heat began to sear the warrior's back once more. Their head was spinning. Nothing was making sense, not as though it could when a rabbit was talking to them. 'Strangehope.' They heaved out. As offensive as the name could sound, there was nothing but gratitude in the cat's trembling voice. 'Please, save us, Strangehope.'"

Henryclaw's chest tightens as his lungs ache due to speaking for so long. Taking a moment to rest, he directs his gaze to the darkening sky. The yellows had faded and were replaced by darker pinks and oranges. "Strangehope, huh?" He murmurs, laughing slightly at the name. Was that really the name that cat had told him? Or had he mixed in some of his own fantastical thoughts?

Shaking his head, he focuses onto the cats still listening. "The rabbit then stood on its hind legs, smiling at the cat as it pressed its paw against their head. In a flash of light, the rabbit disappeared and left a rabbit-shaped puddle of fresh water. Within the glistening water, they could see their head had a strange mark and even stranger ears while their legs had grown stronger and longer than before. Perhaps stranger than the changes to their body was the energy coursing through their veins.

"This small bit of water could bring hope to their Clan through this horrendous drought. It could save a few lives. As the realization set in, the warrior began running. The grass beneath their paws crunched, but they didn't care. Driven by hope, the cat found some moss that, perhaps by a miracle, was able to soak up the water. They rushed to camp. No cat stopped them to ask what had happened to them, all too weak from exhaustion themselves. Skidding to a halt at long last, they dropped the soaked moss in front of the weakened kits. 'Drink,' they edged, nudging the kits' maws toward the moss, 'You need to survive.'

"The kits didn't look up at them or say anything in return. Desperately, the kits lapped up the water and slowed the pain within their sore throats. There wasn't a drop remaining, but, so long as the sun hadn't stolen it all yet, there was some left in the puddle. Once more, the warrior ran. The sun hadn't taken anything from them. It was as if it couldn't. The logic of it all was beyond the warrior's questioning. All they knew was that their Clan needed this strange puddle of water.

"After several trips, every cat beside the warrior had something to cure their parched and overheated selves. For the briefest moment, the cruel season felt survivable. All thanks to the warrior." Come to think of it, Henryclaw doesn't remember the warrior's name. He should have remembered such a core detail, but... alas. Perhaps later, he can come up with one. For now...

He smiles and closes his eyes. They sting at first, but they settle down and accept the comfort of closing. "Unfortunately, the blight consuming the land did not take well to the inference. The few remaining herbs wilted and a rabid wolf was now amongst the threats the Clan had. However, the warrior's strength and, more importantly, hope had not dwindled. Even as cats continued to be picked off and others lost the slivers of hope that they had found, the warrior held their head high. Every day, cats were still able to drink and, while gruesome battles ensued, they ate the predators that wanted them dead. They could survive. It was plausible.

"The Clan's size dwindled until only twelve cats remained. The once bustling Clan with a multitude of camps and bright-eyed cats was reduced to a mere shell of itself. Heaving, the leader of this desolate Clan, Wishstar, summoned the hopeful and strong warrior to her den. With trembling paws, she stood and demoted her deputy, who was at StarClan's borders, before appointing the warrior with her last breaths. She crashed onto the ground, life leaving her body, and the star on the warrior's head shined brighter than the moon outside.

"Light overtook the warrior and they found themselves within a realm that the eyes could swear was a fractal. Nothing made sense. Chunks of earth floated within the air and dirt crumbled off of their surfaces. Though, their eyes could not linger on the mutilated world for long as nine cats approach them. Several cats, most notably the leader and deputy of their Clan, were familiar. The rest they knew nothing about.

"A strange tortoiseshell stepped forward first. Sorrow dug into her gaze as they made eye contact. She then pressed her nose into the star on their forehead. 'Save those that remain with this life.' She pleaded.

"Phantom pain did not rush through their body, but the urge to break down into sobs coursed through them. Despite this, they managed to only let a few tears fall. Tears were healthy in times of respite, but the drought would punish them for such feelings.

"Next came a small and wiry black cat. Hidden within the whites of their eyes were two black pupils. They motioned for the warrior to bow its head and, once they did so, they pressed their nose against the star. 'Let the fear turn into instincts. Fear that beast so you can survive it.' Their voice trembled as they spoke, but a seriousness was embedded deep within.

"Horror crept through their veins as though it were thousands of cockroaches wriggling inside of them. The disgusting sensation made them shrink into their own fur and their body trembled furiously.

"It only abated when a paw gently tilted their head up. The silver tabby smiled softly at them, a breathy purr following. 'It's okay.' He soothes, pressing his nose against their forehead. 'Remember that you'll be okay and believe in yourself.'

"As if the bountiful streams had returned, a calmness claimed their mind as they watched the regal tom slip back into the crowd.

"Bouncy and wide-eyed, a small cat approached. Once again, the warrior had to bend down so the cat could press their nose against their head. 'I dunno much about talking.' The young cat meowed shamelessly, but a smile was so wide on his face none could chide him. 'So, uh, beat those evildoers up!'

"Euphoria poured into their body and they could envision the three struggling kits who lingered on becoming six moons old. They were not able to wear a smile like him. Their cheeks were hollow and ribcages showed. It was pathetic that kits were subjected to so much suffering due to merely being born at the wrong time...

"They were taken out of their thoughts when they saw a familiar face. A speckled brown cat approached and she buried her head into the crook of their neck. 'Oh, my darling kit...' Their mother's voice was as raspy as they had last heard. It was nothing like the jolly and honey-sweet purr she had when they were a kit. 'Take care of yourself, please.'

"Warm love filled their heart and they buried their head into her fur. She still carried the stench of sickness, but they tried their darndest not to pay it any mind.

"Eventually, their tender moment flickered out and she slunk back into the crowd. After her came a tired-looking ginger tabby. She stood a distance away from them, laughing wearily. 'Never expected a cat-rabbit to breach StarClan's borders.' She sneers, though the jeer crashes into the ground as her head hangs solemnly. Her claws dig into the ground and a hiss tears from her scarred lips. 'Keep Soaringkit and Gingerkit alive for me.'

"No emotion ran through them. Instead, they were forced to watch as the ginger tabby strayed off from the group and plopped down. An illusion sparked around her, showing off a time where she could have been playing with her grandkits. The bitter expression she wore was nonexistent and she purred louder than his own mother had. Though, reality crushed the sight. She could only watch them from beyond the grave and wish them the best.

"A grinning cat sauntered up to them and shoved his paw against their forehead. 'Win,' was the only word that came out of his maw, but they understood what the word meant. Competitiveness bled into them, merging with their desires and lighting them up like wildfires. They had to win. It was the only way to survive. The only way to provide a future...

"Shortly thereafter..." Henryclaw went to continue, but - at long last - it seems that someone else felt like speaking.

"So," a cat yawns lazily, "Could we speed this up?"

Honestly! How much rudeness can one fit into a cat? Huffing, he scoffs and meows, "I warned everyone this would be a long story. You're free to leave whenever you please." The cat makes eye contact with him for a brief moment before adverting their gaze. A few seconds of silence pass by, prompting him to carry on.

"Shortly thereafter," Henryclaw starts and, upon hearing no interjection, continues, "The deputy of MeadowClan stood before the warrior. Her striped black fur was not as glossy as it once was, but she laughed louder than she was able to in life and pressed her nose against their forehead. 'I had a hunch when my sister was mentoring you that, one day, you'd climb your way up.' She told them before she shifted back.

"The life was not overwhelming. In truth, it left them smiling and proud of themself. That smile carried as they looked at their leader. She did not tremble as horribly as she had in life, but her body lurched forward with each step like she would come crashing down again. 'I believe in you.' She said, her conviction clearer than a cloudless starry night. Pressing her nose against their head, they felt the final life slam into them.

"Happiness and pain danced like joyous birds inside of them. A caterwaul tore from their lungs. Every fur on their body bristled due to the agony, but they endured for the sake of those that believed in them... For the sake of the hope still within them. Their eyes screwed shut and they told themself that it wouldn't be much longer. The warring emotions would subside soon enough.

"When their eyes flung open, they found themself standing in the leader's den with the medicine cat by their side. They told him what had happened and, while they mourned, the warrior-turned-leader knew what they had to do. Standing above the Clan, the cat cried, 'We cannot cower any longer! The blight cannot be our fate! There has to be more to life than endless death. Raise your heads and rekindle your will!'

"No cat responded. Wallowing in their despair and misfortune as their stomachs rumbled, no cat tried to aid the hopeful soul. None dared to even lift a paw. In fact, now that they thought about it, no one other than Strangehope had ever offered to do so. The burden always laid on their shoulders. Despite that cruel fact, the strange-looking cat stood tall and proud. Leaping off of the Serene Oak, they steeled their heart. It was their battle now, as unfair as that was.

"Emotion overcame reason. No more could die to the blight now that they were leader. They sped out of camp, running until the sky was as dark as it is now. Pants heaved out of them, but they had found the beast they were looking for: the rabid wolf. White foam poured out of its mouth and the creature staggered as it prowled. Regret bubbled up inside of their heart, but they couldn't leave now. Their spur of the moment decision was permanent.

"Knowing this, they crept over to one of the few trees in the meadow. It was a rotting weeping willow, believe it or not. Previously, a river had ran beside it, but it was as dry as sand now. Upon perching themself in the tree, they began to make a racket. Of course, it drew the attention of the predator. Once the creature was beneath them, it began hurling sticks at it. The rotten and fractured wood pierced the wolf's sagging hide, but, in the grand scheme, that was as useful as a bear getting a splinter.

"Then they heard a sickening crack. The branch they were standing on began to break off from the tree. Luckily, they were able to leap to another branch before it fell onto the ground, but their heart was racing. Truly, this was a stupid decision. There was no going back now though. They had to...

"Then... Hck!-" Henryclaw's throat dries, causing him to slump and wince. Furiously gulping, he steadily can feel his throat be moistened again. Goodness, these stories really do wind a cat. Taking a moment to scratch behind his ear, much to the chagrin of his audience, he aligns the plot points. Right... "Then a hulking beast with three heads stalked out of the distant shadows. It was cat-like, but was the size of a bear, had the horns of a buck, and the wings of an osprey. The creature approached the wolf and, before they could blink, ate it whole. Blood stained its maw and, as it licked its lips, they could see the wolf's fangs.

"Horror grasped them. This was not something cats could hope to defeat. It was a monstrosity beyond the imagination! But what could they do? Strange hope was the best they had...

"Their eyes settled onto their long, rabbit-like legs. Perhaps it was for this exact moment they were given these. If they aimed and timed their leap perfectly, they could try to get onto one of its faces and try to blind it. At worst, they'd all die to the hideous creature... But they had never tried to give up before. Not even when their mind was filled with fog and dreary from hunger.

"So they leaped. Their claws tore into anything it made contact with while their fangs ripped at the beast's ears. Bloodshed ensued immediately... Power surged through their veins as they did everything in their power to make this creature suffer. Adrenaline made them press onward and they did their darndest to achieve their goal. Brutally, their plans came screeching to a halt when they lost a life as their body was crushed and thrown into the decaying willow.

"When they came to again and saw the beast looming overhead, they swore it was the end... That was until they heard battle cries. Their Clanmates, who resembled the prey animals that once thrived in the meadows, had rallied together after a revelation struck. Now in a seven against one, there seemed to be hope. All that was left was to win.

"The beast was a fearsome opponent, but utilizing their skill and determination, the cats eventually got the edge on it. Finally, it was time to kill the beast... and that was when they heard it. 'You finally learned!' The beast shrieked. Its morbid warble made them flinch and they stared up at it. Despite seeing their determination to kill it, the monster wore a sickeningly sweet smile. 'Despair... You understand it now, don't you? You aren't weak, soft cats anymore.' Its cheery chirps made their ears pin against their skull.

"They wanted to wonder what the creature was saying, but their claws unsheathed as far as they would go. Snarling, they lunged at the middle neck. Light poured out of it as their fangs dug into its neck. Rather than fight, the monster threw its heads back and maniacally laughed. Blood cascaded from the open wounds, but that did not halt the beast's amusement.

"When the beast crashed into the ground at long last and victory stood by them, the new leader felt their paws tremble. The last thing they saw was the beast's body turning into golden flecks of light.

"Soft birdsong trickled through their ears when they awoke. Dragging themself to their paws despite their insistent headache, they saw one of their Clanmates who had wings similar to a canary's singing for the younger cats. The grass was still dead and the heat was immense, but they swore they could see vibrant green amongst the dull colors and that the sun felt nice today.

"Upon noticing their leader awake, the cats gathered around them with wide smiles. Purring and throwing their heads toward the starry sky, the cats cheered..."

Ah, he remembers it now. That strange apparition that smiled warmly as they sat out on the meadow, watching far off cats go about their lives. They had a rabbit-like appearance, but it gave them charm. When they met, he found the cat to be quite an oddball. How often do you meet a cat so optimistic? Their smile was so contagious that, as he thinks of them now, he can't help but smile just as wide as their Clanmates must have.

"Bunnyspring!"

HOLY SHIT???? THIS IS INCREDIBLE WHY ARE THESE GOD-TIER WRITERS THROWING THEIR ART INTO MY INBOX HELLO

#im stunned #this is incredible holy fuck #im gonna have to come back and read this like. four times today at least #fallenasks #fallenfic

24 notes · View notes

barb-l · 5 months

Note

A, R, U?

(🫶🏽 thank you for your support)

Oh man. I dont wanna sound like I'm tooting my own horn, but I genuinely find it hard to choose because I love my fics dearly. I enjoy writing so much, almost as much as I do drawing.

In no particular order, one of them is my Power Rangers 2017 fic Code Yellow. Idk if I've told her this(probably not cuz i dont much like to talk about my feelings) but the premise of Kimberly and the rest of the OG's being much older than the next rangers, with Kimberly serving as the next Yellow Ranger's mentor was inspired by my friendship with another PR fic writer(if you know unicorn affair then you know she's a legend). We became friends when I was like 17 and still relatively new to accepting my queerness, so getting to be friends with an older sapphic woman who was very kind, into the same things I was, and was in a loving relationship with another woman? It was very comforting and filled me with hope. Kimberly and Aisha's dynamic aren't the same as my dynamic with that person, but I can say that I projected a lot of my feelings over the warm comfort of having a friend that was like an older sister to Aisha.

I haven't made myself finish it yet, but I have hope I will even now years later. This is a snippet from my drafts

Another one is "Courtship Woes", the second part of a fic series for probably the craziest ship I've ever shipped, Wednesday Addams and Lydia Deetz from the musical version of Beetlejuice. It's a very different Wednesday from what a lot of you are probably used to in my Wenclair fics tho, as it's characterized as a mixture of Ms Ricci's version in the 90's movie and the animated version voiced by Chloe Grace Moretz. While I like to think of Jenna's Wednesday to be more like Morticia, I wrote this Wednesday to be a lot more like Gomez. So I guess I already have written a Gomezified Wednesday. Huh.

And, predictably, the other one is "raven in the den, wolf in the nest". I'm still really proud of what I've accomplished for this fic. The final chapter was especially very healing to write with Wednesday's confession affecting Enid's confrontation with Esther in the climax of the fic. The whole point of the Addams Family isn't the gothicness necessarily, but that they were supposed to be the topsy-turvy of what is conventional. It was one of the main points of that fic, with Morticia fainting over the thought of her wonderful spawn dating an adorable rainbow being the topsy-turvy version of the disapproving parent trope. That confession was supposed to go along with that theme too. In typical stories that involve monsters, the crux of that romance is the person's love of the other person despite them being a beast. But Wednesday isn't a typical girl. Loving a murderous beast would be what's expected of a grim girl like Wednesday, but the best thing about Wenclair is how they still keep the topsy-turvy theme for Addamses. Enid is insecure about not being the ferocious monster she's supposed to be, yet despite all odds Wednesday loves her regardless. She grew so dang attached to her even before Enid got the chance to shift and that's both so unexpected but makes so much sense of Wednesday Addams.

Fredrik Backman is my absolute favorite writer. The way he writes grief and loneliness alongside humor and love in his works is just phenomenal. It just saddens me that I do not understand a lick of Swedish and can only rely on the english translated copies, so I can't say that I fully know how he writes his prose as translations can only go so far. But I can say that the emotions he evokes in his writings is what I always try to strive for. To make my readers tear up as much as I could make them laugh. Or maybe more of the latter. Like a warm hug.

(also wow that's very wenclai--)

I apologize for cheating and choosing my OC's, but I think I'd want to actually write a fic with Vega and Sora someday.

#asks #this became a monster sorry

11 notes · View notes

hellsbells88 · 3 months

Text

A Fool’s Grief

Micah encounters Lenny by the river, grappling with sorrow and the bottle, and in the heavy night air, he offers his own brand of solace — cold, hard truth.

It was a loud, sticky night in Lemoyne. The heat and the cicadas made for difficult sleep. By the river sat Lenny—his figure a silhouette gripping a whiskey bottle, something he wasn’t known to do.

In the shadows behind stood Micah, cigarette in hand as he narrowed an eye at young Lenny. The ember of his cigarette glowed in the darkness, casting a faint light on his rugged face. Micah rarely slept and patrolled often, he wasn’t used to finding anyone awake with him, especially in such a state.

Micah’s boots crushed the underbrush as he approached from behind, ashing his cigarette in the air. The sound of his boots on the dry leaves broke the stillness of the night. “What's eatin’ ya?” He asked, his gruff voice cracking through the atmosphere, a trail of smoke curling up from his mouth.

Lenny looked up, his eyes flickering with surprise, fading with a scoff. “What do you care?” he retorted, his voice laced with a mix of bitterness and sorrow. "Don't pretend you care, Micah.”

Micah grinned, taking another slow drag from his cigarette, the smoke mingling with the humid air. “Didn't say I cared,” he replied. “Just came to my usual spot, and here you are… ruinin’ my view.”

There was a pause. Lenny's shoulders slumped with the weight of grief.

“It’s… Jenny,” he spoke quietly. “I… never told her—” He stopped, wiped his nose. “There’s.. many things. I loved her, Micah.”

Micah was quiet, his eyes sharp on Lenny. Jenny's name hit something in him, but he didn't show much. Then he spoke, voice hard and unfeeling.

“Well, listen. Can’t expect no wise words from me,” he said bluntly. “Everyone dies. But you? You’re alive, so best act like it, while you can.” He sniffed. “You're young. You'll get over it.”

His words were stark and harsh; Jenny meant nothing to Micah. She was just one fleeting encounter among many. His empathy was absent, stark against Lenny’s obvious mourning.

Lenny gazed at Micah, his eyes showing anger and grief. “Sure. You would say that,” he muttered, fingers tightening on the bottle. “You never cared for no one but yourself.”

Micah’s grin returned, but there was no humor in it. “You’re a damn fool to care like that, and I ain’t trying to be hard with ya—look at yourself.” He gestured to Lenny with his cigarette between his fingers, the ash falling to the ground. “Learn from it.. or die from it.”

Lenny's gaze followed Micah, his voice tight and bitter. “And what do you know about love or caring for anyone?”

Micah's smirk became broader, showing a past Lenny could never imagine. Young Micah was a magnet for women, their eyes curious and wanting. They followed him in towns. He engaged in short-lived love affairs, window hopping to escape in the late hours, often having to physically peel these women off of him—viewing their affection more as an irritation.

“Wasn’t much for courting, true enough—never appealed to me,” he voiced, nonchalant, the cigarette bobbing between his lips.

Micah’s eyes wandered, taking on a distant, almost longing look. He absentmindedly twisted the cigarette between his fingers, occasionally brushing his lips as if recalling a memory. His tone softened. “Let me tell you about this young girl,” he began, voice briefly faltering, pausing to clear it. His hands lifted in a gesture of confession, “She was too young for me to be playin' with, I can admit that now—“

He cleared his throat again, as if to underscore his admission. “I was about your age, 'workin' with my daddy on a ranch.” His smirk suggested darker, possibly illicit undertakings. "She was the rancher’s daughter.”

Micah emitted a low groan, his mind visibly awash with vivid memories. He took a moment, lost in the recollection of the young girl watching him work. Resuming his story, he said, “Oh, her intentions were clear enough. She was always there, waitin’ at her window, as naked as you please, knowing exactly when I’d walk by.”

A deep sigh escaped him, his eyes shimmering with a mix of fondness and regret. He cleared his throat, seemingly trying to anchor himself back to the present. “We had many a hidden, heated night there, sneaking around that damn property.” He flicked ash off his cigarette as he spoke, a subtle reminder of his habit.

He quickly shook off the momentary lapse into sentimentality, making his voice louder, gruffer. “But—all in the past,” he added briskly, regaining his usual composure. “Fleeting moments, nothin’ more.” As he spoke, he took a final drag of his cigarette, the smoke briefly obscuring his hardened expression before he casually tossed the remainder into the lake, watching the embers hiss and die out in the water.

Lenny watched Micah, a complex mix of emotions playing across his face. Despite his disdain for the man, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for him. “What happened to her?”

Micah hesitated, an unusual occurrence for him. He sniffed dismissively, as if to maintain a casual front while he gathered his thoughts. “She kept comin’ around, more than she should’ve. I’m a man, ain’t I? I couldn’t resist.” There was a pause, a rare moment of introspection. “We were s’posed to clear out by spring, but I hung around. Oh.. I wanted her.”

Micah's next sniff was more pronounced, his expression hardening against sentimentality. His voice gained a defensive sharpness. “It made me weak. All that ‘caring’, wanting... it’s for fools. My daddy, he was hard as nails—he made me deal with it.”

Lenny's eyes narrowed, intuiting that there was more beneath the surface. “So, you just... cut ties? Just like that?” he pressed, sensing a darker truth.

Micah's jaw clenched, a shadow briefly passing over his features. “No. Weren’t as easy as that," he growled lowly, his breathing becoming rougher, the night air amplifying each sound. “The rest is none of your damn business!” His words came out almost like a hiss. “She’s gone. I took care of it, end of story.”

A cold shiver hit Lenny, realizing the full extent. Micah hadn’t merely broken off a relationship; he had taken a life, at his father’s bidding.

Micah’s face went emotionless, all feeling masked by a show of grit. He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, a small testament to the humid night. “Like I said.. You’ll get over it.” His tone was final, echoing in the stillness, as he turned away, leaving Lenny with the heavy silence and his own turbulent thoughts.

#red dead redemption 2 #micah bell #lenny summers #oneshot

8 notes · View notes

tchallasbabymama · 1 year

Text

How Ramonda Got Her Groove Back: Part One

Hey, y’all! It’s been a while since I last posted a story on here, but I’m trying to get back into the routine after taking a new position at my job. So, without further ado, here’s the first chapter of my Ramonda story. Please leave feedback in the form of comments and reblogs, and let me know if you want to be tagged in anything! Here’s a link to my masterlist so you can read my other stories as well. Enjoy 😘

Word Count: 5,594

Queen Ramonda didn't shed a single salty tear when the news of her husband’s death reached her ears. She had always been known as a fierce and unshakable ruler, and she refused to allow T’Chaka’s departure from this plane to tarnish her reputation. After all, despite the loss, she felt a tiny bit of relief knowing her reign had ended.

Ramonda never wanted to be queen, but what other choice is there when one falls in love with a king? She had entered T’Chaka’s life at the precise moment when he had finally let go of his departed wife, and she took to him and his young son, T’Challa, immediately. Shortly after, they were married, and a few years later, Ramonda found herself carrying his secondborn. Though Ramonda wouldn’t give up being T’Challa and Shuri’s mother for the world, there were many days when she longed for freedom from the palace. She often stared at the far-off Jabari mountains and wondered what mysteries they held. Whenever T’Chaka would take her with him on diplomatic trips out of the country, Ramonda gladly went with him, just happy to get out of the confines of her home.

However, Ramonda would never forget the first time T’Chaka left the country after they met. At the time, she believed him to be hunting down Klaue for his thievery, but now she knew the truth. Now, she could no longer think of her husband without bile rising in her throat. His actions that day resulted in a decades-long grudge against Wakanda and the Udaku clan by one of their own. One who had been abandoned by his own family, by T’Chaka. The king had killed his brother, N’Jobu, in cold blood and left his young son behind to fend for himself. Never mind that he had a son himself, and never mind that the child he abandoned was family… apparently, none of that mattered.

T’Chaka took the secret of what happened that night to his grave. He had N’Jobu declared Missing in Action and went about his life as if everything was normal. It wasn’t until after T’Chaka’s death that N’Jobu’s son arrived and turned Wakanda on its head. N’Jadaka was the name his parents gave him, but the U.S. military called him “Killmonger.” A horrible name for a man capable of doing horrible things.

When Killmonger challenged T’Challa for the throne, Ramonda felt her gut twist in the way it usually did when something didn’t feel right. She had all the faith in the world in her son, but the hatred in Killmonger’s eyes told her everything he needed to know: the man was dangerous. Though he certainly wanted power, he wasn’t fighting because of greed. He was fighting out of grief and hatred, which made him destructive. Killmonger didn’t just want what T’Challa had; he wanted to make him and all his loved ones feel the same pain he had felt for years.

The unshakable queen shattered into pieces the second that Killmonger lifted T’Challa’s limp body onto his shoulders and tossed him over the falls. She held on tight to her daughter as Nakia ushered them to safety in the Jabari mountains. The very mountains Ramonda had longed to visit one day under different circumstances.

Bast had been looking out for her that day because when they arrived in Lord M’Baku’s throne room, he was not the dreadful man she assumed him to be. He had a sense of humor about him, but more importantly, he was an honorable man.

As it turned out, T’Challa’s body had washed ashore just beyond the Jabari’s borders, and M’Baku had his healers taking care of him as best they could. Ramonda resuscitated him using a heart-shaped herb that the king’s paramour Nakia had snatched before they went on the run. Not even an hour later, T’Challa was already planning his march back down the mountain. He expected Ramonda to leave Wakanda for her protection, but she refused. Instead, T’Challa settled on ensuring his mother’s safety within the walls of the Jabari palace.

“Mama, I need you to stay here. To stay safe,” he said, throwing off his hooded blanket and allowing the dark fibers of the Black Panther suit to escape from his necklace, covering his body.

Ramonda pursed her lips disapprovingly but held her tongue. She was no longer in the fighting shape of her younger years, so Ramonda decided to heed his word.

“Very well, then,” she conceded with a sigh and placed her hand against his cheek. Her eyes were weighed down with grief and fatigue but still so full of love for her only son. “Send for me the moment you unseat him.”

“I will, mama. I promise.” T’Challa kissed her hands before reaching out for his little sister and his love to join them. Nakia’s hand found its way into his, and their fingers naturally intertwined in the way they had for years.

Shuri squeezed in between her loved ones and held them close. Ever the optimist, she sent words of encouragement into the universe, knowing deep in her heart that her brother would be victorious this time, “This will all be over soon.”

---------

Ramonda stood at the wide open doors of the Jabari palace and waved her children goodbye. She held the Border tribe blanket close to her body as she watched them travel down the mountain until they disappeared out of view around a rocky ledge. Even then, Ramonda stood there, her eyes glued on the sight of her home in the distant valley as she prayed for peace. Peace for her people, peace for her family, and peace for herself. The latter was already in short supply and became downright scarce when she heard a throat clear behind her.

“Queen Mother Ramonda-”

“You hypocrite,” she spat, whipping around on her heels and facing M’Baku.

Her tone gobsmacked the near-giant.

“Excuse me?”

“My son went to you for help, and you refused him.”

“I have helped enough.” He waved her off with a roll of his eyes. “The Black Panther lives, does he not?”

“Three days ago, you wanted Wakanda for yourself, and now you pretend you do not care about what happens to it. You are just throwing a tantrum because you failed!”

M’Baku glared down at Ramonda, standing almost a foot shorter than his massive frame, her finger pushed into his chest accusingly.

“Show the queen to her quarters,” he hissed through gritted teeth before storming down the hall towards the throne room, barking orders at every guard he passed.

A broad-shouldered man with a hefty build stepped forward from against the far wall, his grass and leather skirts rustling with each step he took. Ramonda recognized him from Challenge Day, but his eyes were softer this time around. The first time she saw him, he wore the hardened facade of a warrior ready for battle, but this time with his brows relaxed and a soft smile on his face, his warmth shone through.

He wasn’t warm enough to melt the icy daggers coming from Ramonda’s eyes, though.

“Right this way, Queen Mother.”

He gestured for her to follow him, and she stared blankly at him. Just as his eyebrows creased and he began to speak up, she stepped forward, passing him by as she hastened towards what she now knew to be the residential side of the palace. Her speed took the guard by surprise, but he caught up to her quickly with his long strides.

Ramonda held her blanket tight around her shoulders and unsuccessfully willed her body to stop shivering as they walked through the winding palace halls. Artisans had carved the impressive structure out of the mountainside long ago, and she distracted herself from the chill by admiring the architecture. Jabari wood featured prominently in the palace’s design, and she wondered if all of Jabariland was so beautiful.

“There will be furs waiting for you to change into,” the guard remarked, breaking her train of thought. “Much warmer than that flimsy sheet.”

Ramonda pressed her lips together and cut her eyes at him.

“How much farther?”

He fought a smirk when he noticed her nose was beginning to run.

“Too cold for you?” he asked teasingly.

“This climate is uninhabitable for humankind,” Ramonda huffed.

The guard chuckled, and the sound grated against Ramonda’s eardrums. Rather than continue their back-and-forth, she chose to conserve her energy and focus on not freezing to death before she could see her children again. She thought of the sun and imagined its warm rays beaming down on her skin. Memories of taking Shuri and T’Challa to play in the river when they were young filled her mind and brought her physical and emotional comfort.

Ramonda was lost in her thoughts when moments later, she noticed they had begun climbing a winding wooden staircase with massive glass windows along the side so they could view the entirety of Jabariland during their ascent. Her breath hitched in her throat, and her eyes grew wide at the soft blanket of white that covered the entire territory.

The guard chuckled again, and she tore her eyes away from the wintry wonderland outside, only to see a sly smirk on his face.

“And just what is so amusing?” she asked, making his smirk spread into an almost smile.

“I have never before seen Jabariland through the eyes of an outsider.”

Ramonda’s defensiveness slipped away. She understood what he meant. After all, Wakanda had been an isolationist nation as well, and although she never got to share her homeland with anyone from the outside, she often thought about what it would be like to do so.

“I must admit, you have a beautiful homeland… though the frigid temperature leaves plenty to be desired,” she complimented him backhandedly as she continued up the stairs.

“I prefer it to the suffocating heat that you lowlanders live in,” he retorted, taking a left at the landing and leading her down yet another hallway. Ramonda’s face scrunched up at his words, not liking how derogatory they sounded, but before she could comment, he continued, “Well, here we are.”

The guard reached out his massive hand and turned the knob on the intricately carved wooden door, and Ramonda was shocked again. Being a queen, she was used to luxury. However, she was pleasantly surprised that her definition of quarters fit for a queen matched the Jabari’s. A large canopy bed covered in warm-looking blankets called to Ramonda, but the centerpiece of the suite, a raging fireplace, had her moving on auto-pilot toward the heat.

“A guard will be stationed outside your door if you need anything,” he said, and she turned around to face him, her hands warming by the flames.

“A different guard?” she asked.

“Yes. This was my final duty for today.”

Ramonda nodded.

“Very well then. Enkosi…”

“Kodjo, your highness.”

“Enkosi, Kodjo.”

“You are most welcome.”

He lowered his head in a respectful bow and closed the door behind himself, leaving Ramonda alone in her palace quarters with views of the entire province. She tore herself away from the fireplace and stepped towards the floor-to-ceiling windows surrounding the space. Under different circumstances, the view would have moved her to tears, but she averted her eyes before any could fall.

To her left, she noticed a doorway and decided to explore what was on the other side. As it turned out, it led to a spa-style bathroom and walk-in closet filled with Jabari leathers and furs sure to keep anybody warm in the glacial temperatures. Ramonda ran her fingers through the fluffy gray fibers of a fur shawl before snatching it off the hanger and wrapping it around her shoulders, dropping the Border tribe blanket in one swift movement. She settled into the fur and inhaled deeply to ground herself in its embrace.

Without warning, Ramonda’s breath stuttered, and as her lungs began to feel full, tears flooded her eyes. She allowed them to fall since she was alone, and silent sobs wracked through her body as she fell to her knees on the closet floor.

The usually calm and collected queen allowed herself to feel the delayed emotional response from her head to her toes until her eyes ran dry, and she had no more emotion left to give. Ramonda slowly peeled herself off the closet floor and dragged herself to the rain shower. She removed her fur wrap, then her clothes, before stepping inside and letting the traumatic experience wash down the drain.

---------

As Kodjo made his way back through the palace, he couldn’t help but look forward to his night ahead. He’d have his loft to himself and already planned to take a long, hot bath to relax. His muscles hadn’t recovered from marching down and back up the mountain on Challenge Day, and he felt like he could collapse at any second. However, as he rounded the corner to the throne room, he surmised that his night wouldn’t go as planned.

M’Baku sat on his throne with his wife Tayesha standing in front of him, her hands on her curvaceous hips that had been spread by his offspring over the years. The chief’s head was in his hands, and the crease in his brow let Kodjo know he was deep in thought.

“My chief?” Kodjo asked, making himself known.

M’Baku looked up, but before he could speak, Tayesha whipped around.

“Kodjo, you should return to your post.”

“My chieftess, I was told someone else would take over.”

“Everyone else will be busy fighting alongside King T’Challa.”

Kodjo blinked in surprise and turned to M’Baku questioningly.

“My chief, you have changed your mind?”

“It seems I have,” M’Baku grumbled, pushing off from the armrests and standing to his full height.

“I would be more useful in battle, no?” Kodjo asked, looking between the two royals.

“We need you here protecting Ramonda in case the usurper tries to come for her,” Tayesha explained softly, her eyes regarding him with their usual warmth.

Kodjo held his tongue and nodded respectfully at his chieftess despite the disappointment filling his body. Yes, he was exhausted, but the prospect of battle re-energized the warrior. Instead, he bowed his head as M’Baku lumbered past, obviously disgruntled at the decision Tayesha had somehow swayed him into. Kodjo couldn’t blame the chief for falling for his wife’s charms; she was exceptionally beautiful, but her inviting aura and the way she wielded her words could get anyone to do what she wanted. Especially her husband.

Tayesha breezed by Kodjo and caught up to M’Baku as he waited for her in the doorway and wrapped her arm around his bicep before allowing him to lead her to their quarters. The two statuesque leaders disappeared down the cavernous hallway, and Kodjo sighed before dragging his feet towards his post.

Everyone Kodjo passed on the way to the other side of the palace seemed giddy with the prospect of war before the announcement had even been made. He trudged his way to Ramonda’s door and glared at it with contempt before sucking his teeth.

“Lowlanders just had to bring trouble with them,” Kodjo grumbled before turning his back to the door and crossing his arms over his broad chest. He ignored the way his tired legs wanted to wobble under his body weight and stood tall like the soldier he was.

On the other side of that door, Ramonda lay in bed, curled up under a pile of blankets and furs, unable to turn her brain off long enough to take the nap she so desperately needed. Her mind raced with anxiety as she pictured the worst-case scenario of what could happen to her children. She felt helpless so far away from all the action, but they couldn’t all be there at once for safety purposes.

Even as her eyes gazed out over the wintry wonderland, she felt none of her usual intrigue for the mysterious mountain range. The circumstances made it difficult for her to appreciate finally visiting the lands she had dreamed of since she was a young girl. She had traveled the world with T’Chaka, but this treasure in her own backyard amazed her more than anywhere else she had been.

A loud horn sounded and broke her from her reminiscing with a start. Her heart thumped in her chest along with the large drums that began playing from seemingly every corner of Jabariland, and the usually graceful queen darted up from the bed, nearly stumbling over the sheets on her way to the window. She could see drummers on top of just about every building in the city, and as they played their tunes, the people rushed to the streets.

Ramonda hurried to her door and swung it open with all the force of a woman on a mission. She fully expected to see a stranger but was oddly comforted when she laid her eyes on Kodjo leaning against the wall across from her door.

“What is happening out there?”

Kodjo heard her question, but his answer dissolved on his tongue. He was too entranced by the way her stark white locs hung wildly about her head, framing her fierce eyes and sharp cheekbones like the snow that fell in his homeland. His distraction didn’t last long, though, because a manicured hand snapped impatiently in his face, bringing his attention back to the situation at hand.

“Where is your replacement?”

“Busy.”

Ramonda narrowed her eyes at his flippant response but continued her line of questioning.

“The drums. What are they for?”

“They are drums of war,” he responded with longing in his eyes, longing for the sweet taste of victory and for something else he hadn’t had in years.

Ramonda’s gut tightened, and her heart lurched into her throat. She thought that surely, the worst had come of her children, and Killmonger had brought the fight to Jabariland. Fear cemented her lips together and creased her brow, but her silence led Kodjo to believe she was displeased by his answer.

“Our mighty chief has decided to aid your son in battle,” he explained further.

Little did Kodjo know his words had quelled an internal storm raging inside Ramonda. She took a breath to give herself time to gather her words.

“Yes, well… I would like to be kept updated on the situation.”

“All we can do now is wait.”

“Wait?” she snipped.

“Yes… wait.”

Ramonda narrowed her eyes at his casual tone, but he simply stared blankly in return which angered her even more.

“Do you have children, Kodjo?” she asked, her tongue laced with poison as she said his name. He sensed her displeasure and straightened his posture as he realized he had overstepped with the royal.

“Yes, I-”

“And would you be content with simply waiting while they risked their lives in battle?”

His round eyes drooped just a little, but his shoulders remained firm.

“I would not,” his voice softened.

“So, you see my problem?”

“I do,” Kodjo sighed, “but we will not know anything until the drums sound again when the warriors return.”

Ramonda deflated from his sincerity and felt for the kimoyo beads on her wrist. They would be her lifeline.

“Very well then.”

Ramonda closed the door and shuffled back across the room, picking up the blankets she tripped over and plopping down in the center of the enormous bed. She crossed her legs and straightened her spine, rolling her shoulders back and centering herself before pressing her tracker bead. A holographic map of Wakanda filled the air in front of her, and she used her fingers to zoom in on Mt. Bashenga, where she could see T’Challa’s and Shuri’s lifelike miniature avatars splitting up to carry out their parts of the plan. Shuri was heading into her lab with Nakia and the colonizer to hijack the Royal Talon while T’Challa was going to confront Killmonger.

Ramonda nestled into the covers and attempted to breathe her anxiety away with deep, cleansing inhales. She ended up getting too relaxed, and though she tried her hardest to keep her eyes open, the warmth of the furs lulled her to sleep.

Falling.

Ramonda felt like she was falling, so she jerked her body awake and found her heart beating out of her chest. She searched the corners of her mind for a memory of her dream, but there was nothing to hold onto—just the feeling of freefalling.

Ramonda wiped the sleep from her eyes and rechecked her beads to see if T’Challa and Shuri were alright. They were both still at Mt. Bashenga, but-

“That cannot be right,” Ramonda squinted her eyes at T’Challa’s location and wondered why he was in the vibranium mine. Her questioning was cut short by a rumbling in her stomach that reminded her she hadn’t eaten since breakfast with M’Baku and Tayesha.

Humming to herself to calm her anxiety, Ramonda crossed the room to the walk-in closet and quickly found a thick sweater made of the softest fibers she’d ever touched and slid it over her body along with a pair of tailored leather pants that were somehow just the right size and furry boots to keep her feet warm.

Making a mental note to purchase some clothing from Jabariland in the future, Ramonda took one last look at her children’s locations on her kimoyo beads before reaching for the doorknob. Before her fingertips could graze the brass, she heard a melodic baritone on the other side of the door singing a song she’d never heard before. She stopped in her tracks and silenced her own serenade to listen to Kodjo effortlessly sing like his vocal chords couldn’t be bothered with anything less than perfection.

---------

Kodjo had just noticed the sun beginning to set when the door opened again. He had spent the last hour daydreaming about his next day off and humming to himself to pass the time, dreading the moment when he would have to face Ramonda again after angering her.

That moment came and went when she regarded him with softer eyes than he had anticipated.

“You have a beautiful voice.”

He blinked the surprise from his face and shrugged off her compliment.

“Eh, it is alright.”

“It is more than alright. You sound like Mustafa Zaire.”

“Who?”

“He is a world-famous Wakandan vocalist,” Ramonda bragged.

“Never heard of him,” Kodjo shrugged again. “A favorite of yours?”

“In fact, he is.”

“Hhm.” Kodjo’s lips curled up in the smallest grin. “My apologies for singing so loudly, Queen Mother-

“Just ‘Ramonda’ will do, Kodjo.”

“Very well, Ramonda.”

Her name rolled effortlessly from his plush lips before wrapping around her like another thick Jabari fur, and she felt her skin warm up in ways she hadn’t felt since she met her departed husband.

“Did I bother you?”

“No. I took a short nap, and when I woke up, I realized it had been a while since my last meal.”

Kodjo’s own hunger was beginning to creep up on him, so he perked up at the mention of food.

“The chieftess takes her meals in her quarters with her children when the chief is away at war, so you will be dining alone tonight.”

Ramonda nodded.

“Come. I will escort you to the kitchen.”

“I remember the way.”

“Yes, but it is my job to keep you safe while you are in our care.”

“I am not some fragile old woman, Kodjo.”

“My apologies. I did not mean to imply-”

“That I cannot fend for myself.”

“Not at all. Only that if I were to leave my post, I would face the wrath of chieftess Tayesha.”

Ramonda cracked a sly smirk out of respect for Tayesha.

“She rules with an iron fist, that one?”

“Not as unforgiving as metal… more like Jabari wood.”

“Very well then. You may accompany me to the kitchen.”

Kodjo bowed his head with an accomplished smile plastered on his lips as Ramonda took off down the hallway toward the kitchen. He couldn’t help but notice how haughty her walk was when she wasn’t shivering beneath thin blankets. Her hips swished in the chocolate leather pants that she filled out more than he expected for a woman of her svelte frame, and she smelled of lilies.

The palace felt eerily like a ghost town to Ramonda. The halls buzzing with life just hours earlier were silent, and not a soul was to be seen.

“Did everyone go to war?”

“Most, yes. The rest are in their homes or temples praying to Hanuman for our warriors’ safe return.”

Ramonda nodded and wondered if Hanuman would hear her if she added her prayers into the mix. The more gods on their side, the better.

“The Jabari are a spiritual people, then?”

“Very,” Kodjo responded proudly, his chest puffing out just a little as he spoke.

“It seems we have that in common.”

“Yes, you lowlanders have your panther god.”

Ramonda squinted at his choice of words but kept her protests to herself.

“We do,” she replied. “I am sure that despite our separation for many centuries, there are many more similarities between our people than we realize.”

“Perhaps.”

“We are all Wakandan, after all.”

“Hmph.”

Ramonda cut her eyes Kodjo’s way and took in his grimace.

“You disagree?”

He met her gaze hesitantly, and she could see the regret in his eyes for speaking out of turn.

“Speak freely, Kodjo.”

The guard cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

“It is not that I disagree, per se. I just think that you lowlanders-”

“You keep using that term.”

“It is not meant to be derogatory.”

“It feels as such.”

“I imagine you have much harsher terms for us Jabari.”

“You imagine incorrectly.”

Kodjo sucked his teeth.

“If you say so.”

Ramonda side-eyed him as they walked in step through the empty hallways. The smell of expertly-spiced food let Ramonda know they were closing in on their destination, and shortly after, they rounded a final corner and came face to face with the royal chef Sade in her element. She twirled around the large kitchen as if she were as light as a feather, and she moved with the ease of someone who had an intimate understanding of their environment.

“You have a guest,” Kodjo announced, and Sade turned around at the sound of his voice, beaming with an infectious joy that transferred to Ramonda almost immediately.

“Queen Mother, a pleasure to have you again!” Sade sang as she placed her ladle down on the side of her stew pot and wiped her hands on her apron. “Come, sit. It is not as fancy as this morning’s breakfast, but I am sure my son explained to you-”

“Your son?”

Sade turned to Kodjo with a hand on her hip, and he shrugged innocently.

“It never came up,” he said, making Sade roll her eyes.

“Your personal bodyguard is my son, so if he is not doing a good job, let me know, and I will straighten him right out for you!” Sade said, pinching Kodjo’s muscular arm.

“Mama,” he groaned, and his discomfort made Ramonda chuckle.

“I will do just that, Sade.”

“Come, sit.” The chef ushered Ramonda to the empty table, where she couldn’t help but admire the craftsmanship of the wooden furniture. The table top was made from a huge tree that had been sliced so that all its beautiful rings were visible, and Ramonda ran her fingers over the rings closest to her as she sat down. “I imagine you must be starving.”

“I did not notice how much time had passed since my last meal,” Ramonda nodded.

“One bowl of my famous vegetable curry coming right up.”

Sade shuffled over to the stove and stirred the fragrant stew thickening in the pot. She then fluffed the rice before turning to Kodjo with an expectant smile on her face.

“How is my Tayo?”

Kodjo’s expression soon matched hers, and Ramonda felt her chest tighten as she watched his face light up.

“He caught his first fish the other day at school. It was so big he could hardly lift it from the water.”

“Why am I just now hearing of this? I would have cooked it up with some-”

“Mama, he threw it back.”

“Eh?” Sade’s head whipped in her son’s direction.

“Your grandson let the fish go!” Kodjo explained.

Ramonda smirked at his accusatory tone while Sade shook her head lovingly.

“That boy is so sweet. A true gift from Hanuman,” the chef mused while she ladled curry into a large wooden bowl.

“That he is,” Kodjo sighed with a smile.

“How old is your son?” Ramonda asked him as Sade set the bowl down in front of her. Her eyes left her bodyguard and fell to the reddish brown stew, the steam floating up and filling her nostrils with the most delicious-smelling concoction.

“He will turn six next week.”

Ramonda hummed in response as she blew on the hot stew to cool it down. As she did that, her mind wandered to her children again, and she automatically felt for the kimoyo beads on her wrist, activating her tracking bead. Her eyes were drawn like magnets to the two figures moving around the map.

At least they were moving.

“What is that?” Kodjo asked, breaking the silence, and Ramonda looked up for a moment to see both of them staring down at the hologram in awe.

“My children.”

She zoomed in on Mt. Bashenga and saw that while Shuri was still out on the field, T’Challa was on the elevator, moving from the bottom of the mines to the panther statue. Ramonda sent another silent prayer to Bast and the ancestors before shutting down the hologram and picking up her spoon to taste her dinner. The second it breached her lips, her worries took a backseat to her astonishment at the new flavors she was introduced to.

“Sade, this is phenomenal.”

“Uh, t-thank you,” Sade stammered, still shocked by the technology she had just witnessed. When she looked at her son, she noticed his eyes were wide with wonder.

Minutes passed before anyone said anything. Ramonda ate in silence while Sade began cleaning the kitchen, but Kodjo was glued to the spot staring at the beads on Ramonda’s wrist. The technology intrigued him. He had never even conceived of such a thing before, and his entire worldview had begun to turn on its head with just one visit from the lowlanders.

That worldview expanded even more when, minutes later, one of the beads separated from the others and rolled down into Ramonda’s palm, the king’s figure appearing in her hand as if she had shrunk him down and carried him in her pocket.

“Mama, it is over,” he said. “You can come home.”

What happened next changed the trajectory of Kodjo’s life forever. Until that moment, he had no more than a minor infatuation with Ramonda, but as her lips peeled back in a wide smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes, he was overwhelmed by the intense need to make her smile like that every second he could.

Kodjo’s feelings caught him by surprise. So much so that he stayed silent while he escorted Ramonda back to her room to gather her things. Not a word was spoken between the two of them while they traveled to the front of the palace and stood in the snow while the Royal Talon descended from the sky. Tayesha stood next to Ramonda, gazing up excitedly at the ship while all six of her children watched with their mouths agape.

The moment the Talon touched down and the ramp hit the snow, Ramonda took off running, meeting her children before their feet could even touch the ground. The three of them stayed in their embrace while M’Baku and his warriors departed the ship, the chief’s brood of offspring tackling him to the ground before he could plant a kiss on his wife’s lips.

Kodjo watched the joyous reunion with a hint of jealousy, longing to feel his son’s little arms wrapped around his torso.

“Kodjo.”

He snapped out of his daydream at the sound of his name and stood tall as M’Baku and Tayesha approached him.

“You have done well. Thank you for your service today,” Tayesha said, and he bowed deferentially to the two royals. “Go, rest. And give Tayo our love.”

Kodjo smiled at her kind words.

“Yes, chieftess. Thank you.”

He bowed once more to them both, but this time, when he stood up straight, he caught a glimpse of Ramonda over Tayesha’s shoulder. She was looking in his direction at that moment and nodded his way before turning and boarding the ship. That small gesture sent his heart soaring, and the goofy smile that appeared on his face tipped off the chief and chieftess to his feelings.

“You know, the king has invited me to sit on his council,” M’Baku commented with a raised eyebrow. “I would like you to accompany me on our diplomatic trips down to the valley.”

Kodjo tried and failed to hide his excitement, but M’Baku and Tayesha noticed the twinkle in his eye at the thought of seeing his favorite lowlander again. They sent each other knowing glances before herding their children indoors to prepare for bed.

Kodjo stood outside watching the Royal Talon take off and disappear into the clouds, already plotting how he could make Ramonda smile again the next time he saw her. Thankfully, it wouldn’t be long.

Taglist: @maddeningmayhem, @theblulife, @motheroffae, @love-mesome-me, @toni9, @brihann, @impremenior r, @nahimjustfeelingit-writes , @brattyfics , @cecereads209 , @afriendlyblackhottie , @queengodiva619 , @musicisme333 , @nahimjustfeelingit-writes, @uzumaki-rebellion , @tallulahchanel , @muse-of-mbaku , @we-outsiiiide, @she-is-my-unrequited-love34 , @hoeseokcangetit , @unfriendlyblkhotti3 , @bornamiracle , @saltiestblkgirlofall , @goddessofmischief0711, @dashhoney25, @griot-of-wakanda

#cecewritessometimes #black panther fanfiction #ramonda fanfiction #ramonda smut #ramonda fluff #ramonda x black!oc #black!oc #Spotify

100 notes · View notes

miraakulous-cloud-district · 5 months

Note

*Gigi falls from the chimney like Santa Claus, but instead of presents, she carries ✨questions✨*

🍋: What is your OC's most painful memory?

🍍: Where does your OC feel most comfortable?

🍆: Does your OC have any favourite form of affection, physical or otherwise?

🍇: What sort of friend are they? Where are they in the group dynamic?

🍪: What is something that's sentimental to you OC?

🍹: Does your OC have any funny anecdotes told about them?

All for Hjaldir and Signe! 🥰

Christmas came early for me because WHOA! THAT'S A LOT OF PRESENTS! What did I do to deserve this? Thank you, so, so much, my dear!! 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

🍋: What is your OC's most painful memory?

Ooof, this hit me in the feels, but there are two for Hjaldir, I’m not sure which is more painful, but I’ll answer chronologically. Also, his story may change as I keep writing, but essentially, this is the backbone of it.

His mother’s death. Hjaldir and his mom were bards for a very wealthy family, but they were treated very badly, almost like slaves. They lived in the barn, while the wealthy family was sleeping delightfully in their manor. His mother was a single mom and she taught him everything about music, but she fell ill, and died shortly after. It really hit him hard, and the fact that he felt so incapable to do anything to help her was awful, because he did not have lots of money. He tried working overtime, and in her final days, he really thought about becoming a pirate and bring her all the wealths that he gained, but that never happened. But her death was what broke the chains for him and his old lifestyle, because she kept telling him that he should go and build a life for himself, but he stayed for her. Now, he was free to do whatever he wanted, and so he felt the sea calling for him.

The second one is Endryn’s death, of course. He loved his life at the Emerald Bar, and Endryn was his best friend. His life was a perfect balance of peaceful and adventurous. He was never away from the sea for too long, first of all, because Blacklight is a city with a big port, and secondly because he kept going on trips to different parts of Tamriel (Mostly High Rock) to resupply the Tavern. Ravonna very often accompanied him, and they were always up to shenanigans. Teldryn was a good friend and an even better drinking opponent, and his bond with Ravonna was the strongest one he felt in his life. And all of that died with Endryn. He knew nothing would be the same. Both Ravonna and Teldryn left, and he was left alone with his thoughts and grief. And unlike Ravonna and Teldryn, he is a very social person, being alone is not good for him.

For Signe, she doesn’t really have anything specific, her life is very dangerous with people constantly dying, and they’re all very sad. However, she doesn’t want to linger in grief and quickly shoves it away, even if she doesn’t fully process it. The sad part that left a constant sadness in her soul was leaving her dad behind in order to write her own story and pursue the life that she wanted for herself.

🍍: Where does your OC feel most comfortable?

Both of them feel comfortable at sea, or close to it, I suppose. Nothing beats the sounds of waves. Very cliché, I know, but they’re pirates :))))

🍆: Does your OC have any favourite form of affection, physical or otherwise?

I answered this for Hjaldir here!

As for Signe, her form of affection is not so physical. Gift giving is her jam. She grew up wealthy and doesn’t really care much for riches or treasures. The smiles on her loved one’s faces when she shows them with gifts is her favoured treasure!

🍇: What sort of friend are they? Where are they in the group dynamic?

Hjaldir is a teamplayer, he works best when he is part of a group, and he is very much a wildcard, too. You can never know exactly what he’ll do next. Not blindly loyal, either. He also brings humor and light-heartedness in the group, but I think that at this point, this is the default trait I give to my ocs :)))

And Signe is the leader of the group 100%! The legendary Deathbrand, most feared pirate, but also secretly a team player, because there is no captain without a crew. Still, she always had this leader aura about her.

🍪: What is something that's sentimental to you OC?

GNAWING AT THE BARS OF MY ENCLOSURE AND FOAMING AT THE MOUTH WHILE TRYING NOT TO MAKE HJALDIR HAVE A “PIECE OF FABRIC” THAT ONCE BELONGED TO HIS MOTHER BECAUSE THAT IS TOOO OFMD BLACKBEARD AND I’VE ALREADY MADE HIS STORY KIND OF INSPIRED BY IT, but maybe that. WHy is everyone in this family at least slightly inspired by Blackbeard 😭Definitely something to remind him of his mother. And also maybe something cute from Ravonna. A ring that she bought for him (with his own money lmao) when she was a kid because it was a ring with a skull on it and skulls are very pirate-y, at least in kid Ravonna’s eyes.

Signe’s not the type of person to get attached to material things, but when she received a letter from her father, informing her that he is finally [REDACTED, FOR SPOILER REASONS] she kept it in her inner pocket for the rest of her life.

🍹: Does your OC have any funny anecdotes told about them?

OOF WHERE DO I EVEN START WITH THIS ONE!!? Pirates who’ve known adventure and shenanigans all their lives have too many funny anecdotes, but I’ll go with the ones that first come to mind!

I’m not sure if this is canon yet, but I came up with it because I want Hjaldir to have more time and to be able to do a lot of badass stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I love it when I see elderly characters as well, and he will still have his badass old man moments and his very sexy gray hairs among his raven black hair, but I also want him to join the fellowship in their adventures, so I came up with this: on one of his adventures, he found a crypt with his crew and they robbed it. Turns out it was a mad alchemist who resided there, and he left a very strange potion on his desk. Everyone was wondering what it was, and Hjaldir, being the chaotic disaster that he is, just straight up chugged it. Turns out it was an elixir of elongating one’s life and a potion that the mad alchemist worked really hard on, which he failed to make again.

And another one for Hjaldir, because I find this very endearing and perhaps a bit of evidence that both him and Ravonna are a bit gray. On one trip to High Rock, they pretended to be fancy psychics that could foresee the future, they had a fancy bowl that Ravonna looked into and pretended to read and everything! They set up a tent and charged people and said *the* most generic bullshit ever. And people were eating. It. up.

Signe also has her fair share of funny anecdotes, some which we will see in HOTHS. For now, the one that I’m most excited about is the crew being abducted by a wild tribe in Valenwood, and them making her some sort of high queen and prophet because of a necklace that she looted. Turns out it was an important artefact for that culture, but they thought they were going to be a big soup because Wood elves and cannibalism. The tribe didn’t speak any language that the crew did, but they managed to find a translator. In the end, Signe was missing a necklace, but gaining a new crew member. It’s a bit vague, but I will develop this more as I write, I think it will be an entire chapter of HOTHS.

Well, well, well, this got extremely long, but a mere thank you is not enough! This has helped me immensely in bot Hjaldir and Signe’s characterization! And I had so, so much fun doing this. Gigi, thank you so much, my dearest <3 <3 <3

#ask game #oc: hjaldir #oc: signe #MY MIND IS LITERALLY FULL OF PIRATES ATM #not that I'm complaining tho

9 notes · View notes

lola-andheruniverse · 7 months

Note

I'd like to recommend "at sea" by inthesewords for #Your Turn Sunday!

It's a boat one-shot with a twist! ⛵

It's a series of letters written when Carol was away at sea.

I love it when fic authors play around with different forms of communication because the tiniest of details can be so revealing of a character's personality and headspace.

I have a soft spot for this fic. It's charming and I really like the idea of Caryl going old-school and putting pen to paper. I can hear their voices so clearly and the correspondence flows very naturally.

It's another one of those fics which has a little bit of everything. It's sweet and funny, while simultaneously being tender and emotionally resonant. The balance between all the different emotions is just right - inthesewords knocked it out of the park with this one!

Happy reading! ❤️

Hi, dear @notalkingbusiness! Always happy to have you here! at sea by @c0nnectingd0ts \ inthesewords is indeed a little gem of a fic!

Summary: Daryl and Carol write to one another while she's away at sea. Post 9x16/Pre 10x01, and after the story "home"

Rating: G / General Audiences Word count: 1929 Published: June 08, 2021

I agree on everything you said about authors using different forms of communication to reveal different aspects of a character. I remember when I first read at sea on 9Lives (also available on AO3) how I loved this little exchange: Carol: I hope this doesn’t come out wrong, but it’s so weird to communicate with you this way. You have such a distinctive voice and way of saying things, that I had to read it a few times until I heard you speaking it to me. Daryl: I’ll have you know that English was my best subject in school. (...) Just cuz I talk like a redneck doesn’t mean I write like one.

Brilliant, isn't it? There's our sassy and good-humored Daryl, admitting to be the avid reader the show often hinted he is. But there's also our grief-stricken Carol missing her soulmate so much that she longs to hear his voice again. Brilliant, endearing and so, so well done. Another missing moment expertly told by a talented member of our fandom. notalking, thank you for reminding me of this fic! It's a great way to end/start another week of caryl fic recs. Dear caryler, go give it a read, please. And, if you do, leave feedback, okay? Lets make our caryl fandom a better place, review by review. Love you all!

#caryl #caryl positivity #caryl fic rec #caryl on #caryl fanfiction #caryl fandom #your turn sunday #my fic recs #our fic recs

8 notes · View notes

j-morgan-fly · 1 year

Text

Samsa

So me and @fromtheboundlesssea talked a long time ago about who she would consider for Sansa outside of Jon, and she said Sam Tarly. And you know what. Yes! I thought that would be so cute so I have started writing something.

Here is a sneak peak.

Sansa finds a unlikely kindred spirit in Samwell Tarly. They find comfort and pleasure in many of the same things such as books, music, and even fabrics and dancing though Sam was a bit clumsy at the last. He’s fun to be with. The last person she felt she had any fun being around had been Margaery Tyrell for a short, blessed time. Sam brought out the girl she thought had been killed within her when Ramsay had bent her over their marriage bed and made Theon watch as he took the last bit of innocence she had left.

Sam is so very easy to speak with and she finds herself confiding in him things she knew was best not to trust anyone with and yet she unconsciously, slowly bloomed under his gentle, soft attentions. She told herself at first it was because he reminded her of a very large little boy, like Hodor, but that wasn’t true. Sam was very much a man. He was just very different from any man she had ever known.

He had a mind as bright as a burning star, but like a star, you did not often appreciate the value of it until all was dark and it was the one thing that could lead you home. And his heart, he had this great, big pulsing heart filled with love and loyalty. He had a sweet sense of humor too that made her grin despite herself. And he was so very kind and gentle. And where he had the mind of a scholar, he has the soul of a knight. He had loved stories of chivalry and romance as much as she had when she was a girl. But Sam was not a fool.

He wasn’t fast to admit it or take credit for it, but he had a large part in helping Jon win the votes for Lord Commander. Sam took advantage of Cotter Pyke and Denys Mallister hating each other by having them each back Jon as an alternative candidate over Janos Slynt. At the mention of Janos Slynt she had fallen quiet, sullen. Of course observant Sam noticed this and asked her what was wrong. She told him then of how Janos Slynt gleefully been the one to push her father down for Illyn Payne to behead and how she had prayed for a hero to cut off his head in turn for his part in her fathers unjust death.

“The Gods answered your prayer, be the old or new, my lady. Janos Slynt is dead. Jon himself was the man to take his head for insubordination at the Wall.” Sansa didn’t realize she was crying until she felt Sam brush a tear from her cheek and then offer her his kerchief. The silk had seen better days, worn and stained.

“You should tell Jon about Janos Slynt and his participation in your fathers death and share in this small justice for your father.” Sam had suggested, turning his face away for her to wipe the rest of her tears with his offered handkerchief.

Sansa had taken that advice. One evening, when they were sharing a meal together, Sansa opened up to Jon that night about the day their father was beheaded. About Janos Slynt.

“I knew he had a part in Lord Starks death, I just didn’t know how much. He was proud of it, calling me a traitors bastard and was always saying how he was ‘friends’ with the king and the Lannisters.” Said Jon and Sansa took his hand, giving his knuckles a squeeze.

“But you slayed him, you got justice for our father, even if it was just one participant in his death. Thank you, Jon.” said Sansa. Jon gave her a smile, a little strained with years of grief, but genuine. In his eyes, Sansa could also see some relief behind the icy grey. Killing didn’t come easy to Jon, Sam had told her. Each death, no matter how justified it may have been, was like a stone added to a bag on Jon’s shoulder. A heavy burden that Jon always carried with him.

Some days Sansa and Sam didn’t speak at all, they just sat in Winterfell’s library in comfortable chairs in comfortable silence. A plate of lemon cakes and mugs of hot cider would be on a table between them as they sat in front of a warm, crackling hearth a book in each of their laps.

#sam x sansa #sansa stark #samwell tarly #rare pair #asoiaf #a game of thrones #ficlet

24 notes · View notes

pink-bird-30 · 1 year

Text

Titans 4x09

SPOILERS AHEAD

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!

The fact we got an entire episode dedicated to Garfield Logan has me screeching into the void. Beast Boy has deserved his flowers for a long time and I am super proud of Ryan for standing his ground and making it a priority that Gar’s story was told.

Alright, let’s get into the thick of it!

First off, we start the episode off with a 10 year old version of Gar. When I tell you the motherly instincts within me(which are cat mom instincts) wanted to reach into my tv and give that baby a hug…I- fuck whoever made him cry (which we alllll know who did…)

I also liked the small touch of the Central City mention- “Central City Zoo”

When Gar wakes up, his reaction is what I needed from the other Titans when they woke up after Sebastian’s attack. Right away he was wondering where they were, where he was, and what happened. Gar is always asking the right questions.

I was really excited to see Freedom Beast and how they would tell his story. I think they did a great job talking about his background and how his powers work and where they originate from. Seeing the bat lion hybrid was insane.

“One with all beasts”

“I am your freedom”

I just really enjoyed how Freedom Beast was teaching Gar about himself and how to be free and accept the Red. There has been a lot of time spent with Rachel’s development, Dick’s redemption, and Kori’s acceptance of her destiny. But along the way, we forgot about Gar and that wasn’t fair to him. Hell, we even got an entire season of Jason before we got a single episode focused on Gar.

“Our shared grief fuels us”

There are a lot of great quotes from Titans, but this is top of the list for me. Freedom Beast was able to connect with Gar on a different level that I don’t think other people have even tried to on the show. Yes, he and Raven have a close bond, and Kori has always done the best by him, but there was something about Gar’s entire interaction with Freedom Beast that gave Gar purpose outside of the Titans. For so long Gar has been part of two different teams, but has he ever taken the time to get to know himself and his abilities?

In the midst of this, Gar keeps saying, “I need to get back to my friends” my heart was breaking for him. All I can think of in 4x07 and 4x08 is how little Gar was mentioned. Their concern did not reach the levels that Gar’s did when he woke up alone. Every other word from his mouth was asking where his friends were, when he can get back to them, that his family needs him. This hurt and I hope the Titans appreciate him a little more when they do meet up again.

I thought it was pretty cool how Freedom Beast explained how all those connected to the red share a bond and then name drop of Vixen! That was a big moment for me. I haven’t thought of Vixen since my Legends of Tomorrow days…god I miss that show…

I love even in serious situations, Gar can find the humor in them. Especially when Freedom Beast hands him the vile to drink, he says a quote that is a great nod to Alice in Wonderland.

Gar tripping was not what I was expecting from that scene, and I can only imagine the absolute fun Ryan must’ve had while filming this scene. The multiple different versions of Gar tripping was hysterical.

While on his trip, we see Gar interact with Rachel and Jinx. I was expecting Raven to be someone he saw, but this is not how I expected to see Jinx again this season.

Now for that fight scene:

Gar turned not into 1

not 2

but THREE FRIGGIN ANIMALS?!?!?!?!??!?!?

IT TOOK 4 SEASONS BUT WE FINALLY GOT A GREAT FIGHT SCENE WITH GAR TRANSFORMING MID FIGHT.

We dreamed to see Gar change while fighting, and it finally happened and I’m so excited that it was amazing. Whoever choreographed that fight deserves an Oscar, bravo!

I knew Freedom Beast had great power, but seeing him merge the doctor into the monkey…I- that was terrifying.

Freedom Beast casually dropping both of Gar alias’ “Beast Boy, Changeling” we ate so good this episode, my god.

“Protecting the red is your destiny”

There is a wholeeeeee lot of destiny being thrown around this season, but hey, I’m all for it if it means my Titans are content in life and no one dies an unnecessary death.

The entire scene when Gar finally gives into the red was really cool. We saw so many cool easter eggs that I got whiplash.

Shazam

The Flash

Grant Morrison

Stargirl

Listen, I am a grown woman, but seeing Courtney Whitmore grace my screen after saying goodbye a few months ago, I’m tearing up while writing this. Her interaction with Gar was brief, and I’m not sure how a real crossover between these shows would have panned out, but maybe I’ll write a fic about it?(winks) But regardless, the short interaction alone really solidified how much family means to Gar and Courtney, especially when it comes to your found family.

The second time we are in the red, the easter eggs get even crazier

Swamp Thing

Joker

Teen Titans Go! Beast Boy?

That last one really threw me for a loop

And then finally, the best thing to ever happen and I can’t wait for 4x10:

Cyborg and Beast Boy finally meeting

My childhood dreams coming to my screen.

I hope it is everything we have waited for and more.

I can’t wait to see how the Doom Patrol will fit into the storyline, I kinda figure it has to do with Gar needing to face his demons and the truth that has evaded him this entire time.

Until next time guys, let me know what you think about this episode!

#dc titans #garfield logan #ryan potter #freedom beast #titans 4x09 #titans spoilers #beast boy #changeling

10 notes · View notes

trashywormeateroffics · 2 years

Text

The right universe.

Summary: After Y/N's life turns upside down, she's full of grief. Somehow, one day, she manages to travel to the MCU, where she meets her favorite characters, including a certain god who seems willing to establish a friendship with her. Suddenly she's enwrapped in this new world, where everything she loved in a screen is now reality. How will she react? Will she be able to deal with the ghosts that haunt her? Or will she let them consume her? Will she be open to accept the love she is offered? Read to find out!

Read this on AO3!

Category: F/M.

Relationships: Loki/reader.

Characters: Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff, Sam Wilson (Marvel), James "Bucky" Barnes, Vision (Marvel), Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Stephen Strange, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Bruce Banner, Thor (Marvel), Clint Barton, Steve Rogers, Peter Parker, other minor appearances of other characters but these are the main ones, Pepper Potts, Loki (Marvel).

Additional tags: Loki/reader - Freeform, Avenger Loki (Marvel), Loki & Tony Stark Friendship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Fluffyfest, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Pining a lot because we love to suffer, Domestic Avengers, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark is a parental figure, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Everyone is a good bro, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, y/n, After Infinity War but no one died and the purple bitch was defeated, Missions, Y/N is a universe traveller, Grief, Therapy, Protective Loki (Marvel), Loki in love.

MASTERLIST OF THE STORY

Chapter 10: Do you think I'm cool?

Y/N was currently walking down the street with a nervous god by her side. They were heading to Peter's high school to pick him up, since she had asked him to join. It was the first time he was out of the compound since he arrived, and some people were staring, unable to let go of the events that took place here under his army's force a few years ago. It had been a few weeks since their first training session, and they had gotten more close.

“I told you this was not a good idea.” He said, glancing at her. She was about to say something, but thought better of it. It was probably hard to have so many people hate you for a mistake of your past, one that you didn't completely choose. So what she did was the best idea she could think of. Loki was surprised when she took his hand, but didn't pull away, instead interlacing their fingers together. She gave him a squeeze, letting him know that she was there, that he wasn't alone facing this, and when he looked at her, Y/N smiled softly at him.

Soon enough they arrived at the school, right when the kids were pouring out of the big doors. Peter saw them and started running towards them, but he fell to the floor due to a leg getting in the way.

“You should be more careful where you step Penis Parker!” A boy said, surrounded by his friends, who were all laughing at a humiliated Peter.

“Hey!” Y/N came closer to them, letting go of Loki's hand and helping the spider-teen up.

“Ooh, looks like Penis needs his girlfriend to protect him.” The boy said mockingly.

“I'm sorry, do you think that you're funny? With what? That 2010's humor?” She asked him, her tone getting more angry by the second. “You're a poor excuse for a bully, not even good jokes...” She said, shaking her head.

“And who are you?” He said, frowning in annoyance.

“Y/N,” she answered.

“I don't even know who you are.” The boy said, dismissing her.

“Keep being an asshole and you will.” Y/N said, a sickening sweet smile on her face.

“Am I supposed to be scared?”

“You can do whatever you want, all I'm telling you is that if you continue to test my patience and bother him, I will not hesitate in gutting you like a fish and stuffing your mouth with the remains of your organs.”

“Ooh, an empty threat. So scary.” Grabbing the knife she had strapped on her hip and looking straight into his eyes, she threw it, the knife sinking exactly into the toe of his shoe, brushing his fingers.

“Is that a tangible enough threat for you?” She asked, smiling sweetly.

“H-hey! We were just kidding…” He raised his hands in surrender and when Y/N didn't make a move towards him, he signaled to his friends with his head, all of them leaving.

She turned around to a shocked Peter and, surprisingly, an equally as shocked Loki.

“That was so cool!” The spider-boy said and she laughed breathily.

“Come on, I'm hungry.” She told him and the three of them headed to a place she knew all too well.

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

“And did you see Flash's face when the knife hit his foot? And the way she threw the knife, it was awesome!” Peter said to Loki, who just stared at him agreeing but silently, not that he needed to speak, since the spider-child was doing all the talking while Y/N was ordering their shawarmas, a vegetarian one for her.

A few minutes later, she arrived at the table with a tray.

“This one's for you, Itsy Bitsy…” She said handing a wrapped paper with something inside to Parker, “This one's for you Lokie Dokie, and this one's for me!”

“Lokie Dokie?”

“Your name is so great for nicknames, I can't help myself!” She said, making him smile and roll his eyes.

“Can I call you Lokie Dokie too Mr. Loki?” Peter asked but before he could deny the kid, Y/N interrupted him.

“Of course you can, he would love it!” She knew he wouldn't love it, but she loved teasing him and he knew that, so he didn't say anything. “So, what were you two talking about?”

“The spiderling here has been gushing about how cool you are.”

“Ooh,” she sang. “Do you think I'm cool Loki?” He rolled his eyes.

“Beyond the fact that the word is not a part of my daily lexicon, yes, you were very cool.”

“Ha! He thinks I'm cool.” She said to Peter, who laughed with her.

“I said were.”

“Yeah sure Lokie Dokie.” Parker said, making Y/N laugh and eventually making Loki, reluctantly at first, join in too.

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

Loki decided to join dinner with the team, the word decided loose, since Y/N dragged him there much to his annoyance.

“I'm tired of you eating alone in your room every day, you are coming to dinner with the rest of the people!” She had said.

“I do not eat alone, you are there.”

“Yeah yeah, you are not going to sweet talk me out of this Lokes.”

And that's how he found himself in this situation. Eating in an uncomfortable silence next to Y/N, with the rest of the Avengers, who suddenly were as quiet as if a mouse had eaten their tongues.

“Okay everyone, I was thinking,” Y/N began. “What if we get a dog? Or a cat? Ooh a cat would be lovely! So tiny and adorable, little meow meow.”

“Absolutely not.” Tony said.

“But guys…” She drew out. Everyone else chuckled.

“Y/N, with all the missions, who is going to take care of the animal?” Bruce asked.

“Well, I still don't go on missions, and we are a lot of people, but if the situation ever presents itself where no one is here to take care of the cat, Fury will. Or Maria. Or May, Peter already told me she has no problem.”

“You already asked?” Tony inquired.

“Um, yes and I may have also called a vet and I may have also booked an appointment after we adopt the cat for tomorrow at five pm.” She said, sheepishly. “But, of course, if it's a definite no, I can cancel it. But I would really love it if it was a yes.” Y/N added quickly.

Everyone seemed to think about it and she did the puppy dog eyes, which always cracked Tony out of all of them.

“Stop that.”

“I'm not doing anything…”

“Tony,” Nat said, “cats are great company, and Y/N will be responsible, you know that.” She looked at her friend with a wink and she smiled. Tony sighed in resignation.

“Fine. But you take care of it.”

“Yes!” She put a fist in the air in celebration. “Thank you GeniusBillionairePlayboyPhilanthropist!” She said, putting all the words together and making everyone laugh and roll their eyes.

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

Walking down the hall with the god, she told him:

“I'm getting a cat Loki!” He smiled at her, only because he found her excitement adorable, even though he did not understand what all the fuss was about for a simple midgardian pet.

“Do you have a name for it yet?” He asked.

“I don't know, I have names but I think when I see them I'll know.” He hummed and she turned around to face him, since they arrived at her door. “Will you come with me?”

“Me? In a shelter... of animals?”

“Yeah… you, the fearsome God of Mischief in a shelter, adopting a cat. How does it sound?”

“It sounds… nice.” He said truthfully. It did, it was a normal thing, a kind thing to do, to adopt an animal in need of a home. And to do it with her, the first real friend he has had in more than a millenia, a wonderful friend honestly, was just… perfect. “I'm looking forward to it.”

“Me too!” She responded excitedly and in the heat of the moment wrapped her arms around him. He stilled and that's when she realized what she had done. “I-I am so sorry Loki. I didn't mean to-”

“It's alright.” He interrupted, he was not angry, but was too shocked to even think about saying anything more. “I will see you tomorrow mortal, sleep well.” And with that, he turned around and left.

Once in his room, his thoughts were overwhelming. He did not despise the hug, it was just strange. The only one who hugged him was always his mother and it had been a long time since he last saw her, and Thor perhaps, but it was that bone-crushing embrace that he hated. Y/N's embrace was soft, but tight. She was hugging him with intention, but not enough to hurt him. Would she think that he did not like it? Or perhaps that he was upset with her? That was what worried him the most. He had known Y/N for a bit now, and even though they didn't tend to talk much about it, she was a very apologetic person. Sometimes much much more than necessary. And it was just as hard for her to express her emotions as it was for him, their difference lying in her being more open with people and him being closed off. So her hugging him was a lot for Y/N too. And instead of reinforcing that, he ran away like a coward. Tomorrow he was going to make it right.

~taglist~ @mischief2sarawr @midnights-ramblings

#loki x reader #loki x you #loki x y/n #loki x yn #loki #loki fanfiction #Loki Laufeyson x you #Loki Laufeyson x reader #Loki Laufeyson fanfiction #Loki Odinson x reader #Loki Odinson x you #avengers #the avengers #avengers x reader #mcu #mcu x reader #mcu fanfiction #avengers fanfiction

52 notes · View notes