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secret-diary-of-an-fa · 3 months

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The Very Belated 2023 Awards!

Ha! I bet you fuckers thought I’d forgotten about the End of Year Round-up from 2023. Nope! I was just lulling you into a false sense of security. As though I’d miss the opportunity to take a massive, steaming shit on an entire year’s worth of human culture. So, what can we say about 2023? It definitely fucking happened, we know that much. But was it good? Was it bad? Was it a little bit of both? We know from my previous blogs that it produced some real cinematic and televisual gems, but are these a sign of culture self-correcting after the wilderness years or just aberrations bobbing about in the usual sea of viscous dreck? Well, 2023 is dead now, so if we want to find out, the only way is to split open its bloated carcass and start rummaging around in a bleak parody of the autopsy process. As always, I’ll be handing out gongs to things, artefacts and events from 2023 itself, but also just to shit I discovered in the relevant year. Here we fucking goooooooo!

The Birthday Cake Full of Puppies Award for Loveliest Surprise… … Goes, jointly, to Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle, the two Doctor Who specials that weren’t the fucking Star Beast. See, after The Star Beast, I was thoroughly disappointed. A virtue-signalling, nonsensical mess that, while briefly entertaining, failed miserably to reach the giddy heights of Russel T. Davies’ initial run on the show and desperately needed a strong editorial hand to stop characters repeating themselves or needlessly referencing the hot pile of garbage that was the Chibnall era. I wasn’t expecting great things from the two follow-ups and only really watched them because I thought RTD had earned himself more than one chance to impress me. And whaddaya know? We got two fucking perfect Who episodes- one a big, genuinely unsettling slice of cosmic horror and one a bombastic, energetic extravaganza that resurrected a lot of fan-favourite characters, introduced a new threat for the upcoming Gatwa-era and just generally fucking rocked. Yes, I know the Xmas Special that followed was a bit crap (nautical-punk Goblins in Doctor Who? Piss off.), but it’s not fair to judge any season of Who on its associated Xmas Special, so we’re just going to let that slide.

The Throwing Keanu Reeves Down a Lot of Stairs Award… … Goes to John Wick 4, which threw Keanu Reeves down a lot of stairs. And was also a very good movie. But mainly this award is about the stairs.

The Blind Archer Award for Missing the Cocking Point… … Goes to the whole bloody stupid debate around A.I., which is broadly divided into two equally slappable camps. In the Soulless Silicone Silver corner, we have a bunch of hooting tech bros who think that they’ve invented a tool that obviates the need for talent and spirit and artistic vision because it (technically) allows any yeehaw with an internet connection to vomit out ill-conceived content ordered up from a computer terminal like the intellectual equivalent of an underwhelming drive-thru burger. Meanwhile, in the drippy, wishy-washy grey no-colour corner, we have a swarm of whiny, for-profit ‘creatives’ (and I use that word with enough sarcasm to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool), terrified that their soulless, talentless content will be replaced by the equally soulless, talentless content of fucking Skynet, thereby doing them out of a revenue stream they don’t bloody deserve. Nobody seems to be talking about how the new technology can be leveraged to create actual, meaningful art, not just content. Case in point, I’ve always fancied creating a TV series or film, but I don’t know any actors and can’t afford to pay professionals, nor can I afford the filming equipment and green-screen studio rental I’d need to bring one of my sci-fi or fantasy concepts to life. AI allows for the creation of virtual environments and actors based on original ideas, sketches and descriptions plugged into machine-learning-guided rendering software. These can then be assembled using a human-provided script (mine, duh) to create footage which can be edited into something cogent and compelling. It’s a terrific amount of work involving a wildly steep learning curve, but it’s an example of how AI allows working class creators without the resources of our middle-class wanker peers a way into visual mediums that we simply haven’t been able to access or utilise. Incidentally, I hope to start uploading short films made using this method sometime in the next month or two. Pluuuuuuuug!

The Award for Special Services to Doom… … Goes to the impending collapse of AMOC (or Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation), which includes part of the Gulf Stream and several other important ocean currents. It’s due to cease functioning within the next 100 years due to man-made climate change, most probably by the year 2100, when many of us will still be alive (albeit old as balls). Once it goes, the northern hemisphere will become colder, making agriculture functionally impossible in parts of Europe; the ocean-level will rise up to a meter in some places, drowning many coastal cities; the wet and dry season of at least one rainforest will flip, with the result that said rainforest may die, unable to adapt quick enough, which would make climate change even more extreme. Basically, if you’re rooting for the collapse of civilisation in the not-too-distant future, you can start polishing your Mad Max cosplay outfits, because shit’s about to go doooooown, boi! I mean, unless governments actually listen to climate scientists for a change and somehow avert this looming catastrophe. Ha! Yeah. Dream on.

The Lex Luthor Award For Pure Fucking Evil... … Goes, once again, to the Tories, who are always evil, but seemed to make a special effort to ruin everything for everyone forever in 2023. Aside from engineering a decline in the NHS so severe that people with agonising mouth infections can’t access dentists at short notice, they also tried to pass a bill that would allow them to monitor the bank accounts of people on benefits as a matter of course and continued to allow the dumping of waste directly into the sea, turning the coast of Blackpool brown with human excrement (it was, of course, they who repealed the environmental protection laws that used to make this sort of thing illegal). You really couldn’t make these people up. It’s like someone drew the word ‘CUNT’ on a whiteboard and then got a whole room full of cunt-experts to make a mind-map around it. Then they loaded the results into ChatGPT and the result was the Tory Party of Great Britain.

The Confused Mountaineer Award for Picking the Wrong Hill to Die On… … Goes to Disney, which spent 2023 losing money hand over fist. Even when its films and telly shows technically made some money, they represented such a reduction in the value of the associated IP that the company might as well have time travelled into the future, stolen all its own shares, and flushed them down a giant toilet. Obviously, I hate Disney and I’ve always hated them- I didn’t just jump on the band-wagon when the Internet collectively realised they were a bunch of tossers. I’ve hated them steadily and continually for most of my life for the very simple reason that they use fucking slave-labour. Their merch is made in fucking sweat-shops! Which is why it’s particularly hilarious that their loss of relevance as a producer of culture owes so much to their flimsy pretence at wokeness (which manifested itself as a series of interchangeable, tedious girl-bosses photoshopped inexpertly into franchises like Star Wars and Marvel whose profitability largely came from grumpy nerds who were never going to fall for that shit). Shoulda stuck to making family films for people with very low expectations, Disno! It’s what you’re good at! And yes, this award does only exist so I can laugh at the slow death-by-a-thousand-cuts of some dipshits I dislike. It’s just so fucking dumb! Like, these are people who regard anyone from a developing nation as a disposable component in a big machine for making underwhelming crap- an interchangeable cog to be instrumentalised and dehumanised until death. And yet the hill they chose to fucking die on was pretending to give a shit about inclusivity. Yeah. Disney are real fucking inclusive… they want everyone to buy their ill-conceived swill, not just pasty, dick-owning Americans. Brilliantly, in their mad scrabble for new audiences, they seem to have lost the one they had… while utterly failing to convince anyone else to jump on board. Because, let’s be honest, if you want to watch a film about the black experience in the US or about smashing the patriarchy, you’re probably going to go to Jordan Peele or re-watch The Perfection (not just a great feminist film, by the way, but a fucking balls-to-the-wall brilliant film full stop). You’re probably not going to rely on a string of bland, cookie-cutter studios owned and operated by the arsewipes still desperately still trying to wring the last few pennies out of pissing Star Wars.

The Greatest Sentence I’ve Heard All Year Award… … Goes to my wife, who recently went to see that Barbie movie that people inexplicably decided to shove in the same bracket as Oppenheimer. I don’t really object to the existence of this flick in and of itself, because it’s not really taking anything away from me- it’s just not for me, and that’s fine. Obvs, I did think it was slightly icky that Matel were putting so much effort into re-framing their plastic Anorexia Generator as a feminist icon and it was super weird that the message it ultimately lands on is ‘sex-based oppression is fine if you gender-flip it’, but I don’t have to care so, for the most part, I don’t. I certainly didn’t have any problem with my missus taking her daughter from a previous relationship and her/our kinda-sorta adopted daughter to see it. Because I’m not a sack of shit who demands that other peoples tastes precisely match my own. However, I really didn’t like the hype around the movie. I don’t like brightly-coloured, disposable dreck that only exists to sell toys giving itself airs and graces, especially not when that means 1-for-1 comparisons to, say, a really important film about the invention of the nuclear bomb and the political scheming and manoeuvring that surrounded it. Which brings us to the Greatest Sentence I’ve Heard All Year. After returning home from her cinematic excursion, my wife had this to say about Barbie: “I don’t understand what all the fuss was about- it was a pile of shit, really.” Bonus points for the fact that she still quite enjoyed it and this wonderful piece of commentary was delivered, in musing tones, as an assessment of its objective merits rather than a statement of personal preference. I married the right woman.

The Circus Midget Genocide Award for Gratuitous Punching Down... … Goes to the song ‘What Have We Become’ by Paul Heaton, who I usually like. The Beautiful South are one of my favourite bands (despite the fact they no longer exist), but ‘What Have We Become’, one of Heaton’s subsequent solo efforts, makes me genuinely uncomfortable. In tackling the Americanisation of British culture (which I agree is a problem), Heaton seems to take aim as much at the ordinary folks on the receiving end of this neo-colonialism as at the phenomenon itself. I don’t think that whether or not something ‘punches down’ is a meaningful criticism relating to a cultural artefact’s artistic merit. Sometimes, it’s necessary to call out the bumbling normal on their slack-jawed bullshit. But this just feels mean-spirited and indiscriminate. Yeah, Heaton, people enjoy the convenience of US-style fast-food chains and, as a country, we’re probably a bit addicted to the cult of needless enthusiasm that started in the States, but I’ve never met anyone whose more of a miserable cunt for eating a takeout pizza while watching a happy-go-lucky comedy like My Name is Earl, so maybe get off your high horse for a minute. Your music’s great for the most part, but I think I can answer the question ‘What Have We Become?’ based purely on the song itself. A prick. You’ve become a prick.

The Pluggity McPlugface Aware for Most Exciting New Press… ... Goes to X Press, which is technically the new fiction imprint of Poetry Bus Press, I think. They’re still getting established and the name is subject to change, but I met the couple behind it at this year’s T.S. Elliot Prize and… er… okay, this is the bit where I have to admit I have a horse in this race. See, the reason I’m so excited by this new press getting off the ground is that I’m kinda the reason it exists. I pitched the publishers a sci-fi novel I had loaded and ready to fire off, not really expecting anything to come of it since they’ve only done poetry collections before. But hey, it’s not every day you meet someone in the publishing world while surrounded by gold-leafed rococo architecture and canapés, so I felt I had to go for it. Anyway, just a couple of months later, they’re putting together a whole new imprint and my novel, Warning: Infohazard is going to be first thing to roll out of it! So yeah… I’m chuffed about that. Stay tuned for further updates.

The Nick Clegg Award for Accomplishing the Square Root of Fuck All… … Goes to the AGA and WGA strikes that swept through Hollywood like a damp breeze this year. I’m usually on the side of striking workers, even when I’m being personally inconvenienced. Tell me the bus drivers are going on strike and, even if I need to catch a bus that day, I’ll pretty much root for them to win the battle- the poor fuckers are woefully underpaid for a tedious and demanding job. Teachers’ strike? Abso-fucking-lutely: these people work hard to ensure the next generation actually know things and deserve far more respect and accolades than they’re accorded (except the fuckers who worked at Marpool Primary during the 90s- those loathsome reptiles can choke on dick for all I care). NHS Doctors and nurses? Yup: they literally save lives and we, as a culture, still fail to give them their due. Dustbin men? Fuck yeah. Warehouse workers? Definitely (if anyone ever lets the poor fucks unionise). You get the idea. But I have my doubts about the Hollywood Writers and Actors Guilds mob. At the end of the day, even the working schlubs of Tinsel Town mostly deserve a thick ear more than a raise. We’re talking about people who drive past Skid Row (the most impoverished ghetto in the States, the lives of whose citizens they could actually improve) on their way to work, then get there and, as part of their social media management, tweet a load of shite about the Cause of the Week in order to look switched on and progressive. We’re talking about people who will do long-winded interviews about how important their casting or hiring is for the direction of our society while, two blocks away, a homeless dude overdoses on smack because it’s slightly quicker than starving to death.We’re talking about people who sold out their souls to a studio system that only wants and only seeks to produce derivative dreck when it was paying them well and only seem to have noticed it’s fucking them in the arse with a strap-on the size of the Empire State Building now that it’s no longer scattering coins in front of them. Of course, there are good, honest people working in La La Land who absolutely don’t deserve the fucking the studio system is giving them and who don’t walk around thinking they’re Zod’s Gift to the Enlightenment, and- for their sake- one slightly wants the strikes to succeed. The problem is that it’s very hard to spot them, obscured as they are by an ocean of absolute raging bell-ends. All of which is slightly by the by, because this award isn’t about whether the strikes deserve to succeed… it’s about the fact they made no appreciable difference to the media landscape of 2023 whatsoever. We still got Oppenheimer; we still got John Wick 4; we still got Luther: the Fallen Sun over on Netflix; we still got that unexpectedly fucking delightful Slumberland thing and a whole raft of really excellent, joyous family films; we still got some pretty ace telly. Basically, the only thing there seemed to be less of was absolute shit-swill, but it’d be a poor lookout for the strikers if that was their doing and not just a statistical anomaly. Imagine that on a placard: “We fucked off and culture improved by 150%!” So yeah: sorry WGA and AGA- as much as my socialist principles want any strike against a large, corrupt corporate system to succeed, you’re just not very sympathetic and you’ve done the square root of fuck all to help yourselves here.

The Special Award for Unbridled Excellence... … Goes to What We Do in the Shadows (the TV series- there was also a movie that was pretty good, but that came out ages ago). Technically, the telly series started in 2019, but it was still going in 2023 and that’s the year I finally got around to watching it, so I think I can justifiably slap it on this list. A mockumentary about three vampires, an energy vampire and a familiar flat-sharing on Staten Island, its one of the most hilarious, off-beat, filthy, brilliant things I’ve seen in years. It’s also surprisingly well-meaning and, mixed in with all the really, really funny jokes (which I’m not going to spoil), the violence and the gratuitous fucking, there are some genuinely sweet, heartfelt moments about found family, the bonds of love and friendship and the redemptive qualities that can sometimes surprise us in the darkest of people and places. I’m not saying it’s high art or anything like that- it’s as daft as a brush and any stab it takes at greater, more grandiose meaning is somewhat undercut by all the other shit that happens in it, but it is one of the most entertaining things on telly and deserves your attention. Just don’t tell the normals, they’ll only fucking ruin it like everything else. Let’s keep this one just for us freaks, okay?

The Smurf Viagra Award for Bluest Balls... … Goes to Dune: Part 2, which was supposed to come out in ‘23 and didn’t. Which is a shame because it the first part was a fucking banger. Maybe we could credit its delay to the writers’ and actors’ strike? I mean, that probably had nothing to do with it, but it’s important to boost the self-esteem of the simpler members of the international community. Great job, guys! You got one!

So that was 2023, then: a year of malice and incompetence just barely redeemed by a few shining cultural gems. Now we’re two months into 2024, and it’s time to look forward before we collide with a brick wall. Until next time, I’ve been Secret-Diary and you haven’t. Bye-bye.

#secret diary of a fat admirer #awards #movies #tv series #John Wick 4 #Other films too #I guess

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lazyliars · 3 years

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/rp

DreamXD actually slots very nicely into a working theory I've had for about two or so months now, mainly centering around one question:

What happened to Dream?

Namely, why did Dream change, when exactly did it happen, and was it solely an internal change, or was there an external force at play, specifically a preternatural one?

I think with DreamXD, we might finally have an answer.

Or at least some clues to follow. DreamXD presents a shift in every single paradigm the Dream SMP has had. Like, I think most of it is just being so utterly blind-sided by George Lore Real, but part of it is the massive ramifications of an Actual God* being present in the storyline.

((*On the other resident god of the server, Foolish:

DreamXD is different than Foolish, in that his characterization is so dramatically inhuman - Foolish talks and acts like a (somewhat eccentric) person, and his powers are, as far as we know, limited in comparison to the creative-mode godhood that DreamXD occupies. And whether that is because Foolish is not a "full" god (having been referred to as a demigod) or simply because he's spent so much time around humans, we don't know, but we do know that either way, DreamXD is NOT that.

DreamXD's voice is marked by glitches and dramatic shifts in tone, he seems to lack control over the different aspects of his personality, like the more "Dream" part vs. the darker one that threatens to eat peoples souls. The "normal" part even displays confusion when George references things that the "darker" part said, implying that it may not be fully aware of itself.

TLDR: Foolish acts more human than DreamXD, who has a very eldritch personality.))

To get right to the point:

The Dream we knew before November 16th, and the Dream we know now are not the same. Something changed, and it changed for the worse.

Consider: Dream was always antagonistic to the L'manbergians - he was always imperious to them, and he was responsible for starting a number of fights between his faction and theirs, just as many if not more than they were.

But, he was also not... evil. He'd pick fights with Tommy, the disc wars were still a thing, but the gravity of the spats they had weren't dire. They were fun. They were... actually a game. He wasn't like the way he is now. While in hindsight we can look at these events and detect a serious undertone knowing what's to come, at the time they were far from it.

There is an argument to be made that he had the same tendencies as now, just not expressed as loudly, and while I believe it's a valid argument, I disagree that it's proof of Dream always being the way he is now.

Sapnap, Badboyhalo, Sam. They all remember Dream as their friend - they remember someone who was, maybe a little aggressive and a lot competitive, but not cruel. Not needlessly murderous. Not someone who steals sentimental items and lines the walls of a disgusting museum to use against them.

Dream cut them out. Sapnap was totally blindsided. Bad doesn't seem to fully believe it. Sam blamed himself for not realizing and tried to take the weight of that crime on his own shoulders by becoming the Warden.

There's also the competing theory that what happened to Dream was purely psychological - either the circumstances slowly isolating him from his friends driving him to the do things he's done, or a desire for control that started early and continued to fester until it overshadowed everything else, or any combination of both.

And those theories are still valid, they could still be the case, but I haven't been able to shake the idea that there is something deeper at play. I can't overstate how the exile arc and everything after it have been so inhumane, so cruel, and... not exactly out of character in the sense that I could never see Dream doing them, but in the sense that I could never see him doing them for no reason.

And there really doesn't seem to be one. Dream says himself, it's like a game. He sees people as toys, puppets. And there just doesn't seem to be an inciting incident that could explain how he made the leap from semi-authoritarian leader who, despite being a warmonger, does love his friends, to heartless murderer who wants to reduce everyone he knows to dolls.

There's... ways, he could get there, but nothing that we've seen makes sense. There is a missing piece, something that must have happened from his POV that we didn't get to see because he doesn't stream.

And DreamXD could be it. This godly entity that claims that it is "a part of [Dream]" but that it isn't him entirely. That seems to share the lack of understanding of humanity that Dream has been displaying like when he asks if resurrecting Tommy was “cool.” But that still loves George. He still, despite apparently not having the same history as Dream, desperately wants to be George's friend.

If I had to pinpoint the moment Dream changed, it would be the day that he revealed that he switched sides, and was going to be fighting against Pogtopia. He was paid for this betrayal in the Revive Book.

I mark this as the turning point in my theory because it is the first time Dream mentions his affinity for chaos in the context of hurting others. However, we also know that this likely wasn't the day he actually made the decision to betray - as he revealed that there was a traitor among the Pogtopians, a fact that he likely would have learned before this.

Now, I mark George's lore stream as the introduction of DreamXD proper, and I want that on the record because it isn't technically his first appearance on the server.

Most people will remember him from Techno's stream, where he logged on to break the End Portal in a panic. I doubt the character was properly written into the lore at that time, but it fits neatly with the rest of what we know about him - a guardian of the server, and the keeper of it's rules. No contradictions.

What less people might know, is that DreamXD has made an even earlier appearance, and it's this one where things begin to get... interesting.

Around roughly October of 2020, Tubbo and Fundy did some improv'd streams centering around Demon Hunting, or rather, "Dreamon" Hunting, and it's during the first of these two streams that DreamXD makes an appearance.

The bare bones of it was - Tubbo is an experienced "Dreamon Hunter" and teaches Fundy his ways. They find Dream, and realize that he has a Dreamon inside of him, which is basically an evil version of him. They attempt to exorcise the Dreamon from Dream via various shenanigans, and eventually, they do a ceremony to free Dream. However, they apparently botch it, and unleash the Dreamon within. After more shenanigans, one attempt to fix it utilizing Fundy and Dream's wedding appears to work, but then DreamXD logs on, flys around at Tubbo and Fundy threateningly, and they end stream on the idea that there are probably more Dreamons to hunt.

Now. There's a lot to unpack here. I'm not gonna go into the nitty gritty details in this post, but I do recommend watching the Dreamon streams, as they have A LOT of details that, if this is getting incorporated into the main story line, could be important - especially the focus on duality, having TWO versions of Dream, which end up being potentially separated from each other.

(Also, they're just really funny streams. Tubbo and Fundy are at PEAK chaos and Dream plays along with their inane bit perfectly, it's just good content.)

At the time of the Dreamon streams airing, they were explicitly non-canon. IIRC Tubbo and Fundy referred to them as taking place In an “alternate universe,” which makes sense considering they would have been on opposite sides at the time (Manburg and Pogtopia.)

However.

And this is where I show you my wall of red string and newspaper clippings.

My singular piece of evidence for this comes from one line DreamXD drops. He simply says: “At least you're not hunting me.”

The Dreamon streams take place around early October. Dream reveals his betrayal of Pogtopia around November 6th-7th. The timeline of the Dreamon streams would line up perfectly with the idea that there was a catalyzing event that put Dream on the proverbial path to hell.

I do not believe that they intended the Dreamon arc to be anything other than a side story at the time, but considering that DreamXD himself was barely canon until now, I don't think it's out of the question that they took a look back at a fan-favorite minor arc, saw an opportunity to co-opt it into the current story line, and potentially fill in some holes regarding Dream's characterization all in one move.

On the question of whether this would be a GOOD storytelling move?

The Dreamon theories were prevalent during the exile arc, and I've got to say, I was never a huge fan. The detachment of Dream's actions from his intentions, and by extension his morality, never sat right with me. It feels cheap to make him a victim and say “a Dreamon did it!” in regards to all of the horrible things that he's done. It strips his agency and makes everything that happened less impactful in my opinion, and I stand by that reading.

BUT. With DreamXD introduced, I feel like it's necessary to look at this from all angles. And with the way DreamXD was characterized in George's stream, I don't think it necessarily ruins Dream's character to say that an external force was involved with his descent into evil.

Namely, the idea that whatever happened to Dream was not really a “possession” so much as a gradual loss of humanity, could be an interesting way to look at this. It implies that Dream was always capable of his actions, but grants us understanding as to why he would actually perform them, and why he might have become isolated enough from his friends that they would let this happen.

The Dream we know now could be an expression of his “worst self” brought to the surface by a Dreamon/DreamXD/other. It also begs the question of what would happen if that force were to leave him, and how it might cause yet another shift in character, especially if it were to be portrayed as less of a switch being flipped, and more of a withdrawal, with a gradual process of realizing how far gone he was.

To close this out, I've been stewing on the idea that Dream hasn't entirely been himself since the climax of the Exile Arc.

I think this theory holds water, but it's also not waterproof... there are plenty of holes, and a lot of that comes from the fact that Dream doesn't stream. We're left in the dark when deciphering his character, and what might appear to be the key, could just as easily be revealed as a red herring, or even nothing at all.

Regardless of the validity of the Dreamon theory, I think that DreamXD is one of the most interesting developments we've had on the SMP in a long time, if simply because his arrival coincides with fucking George Lore Real. God. I still don't know how to deal with that.

I always appreciate people adding to the discussion by the way! Feel free to reblog with additions if you like or leave them in the replies.

And if a single one of you comes to my blog on THIS. THE DAY OF MY DAUGHTER'S WEDDING. And calls ME a c!Dream Apologist to MY FACE..... I will be v sad.

#Dream SMP #DreamXD #Dreamwastaken #c!Dream #georgenotfound #dream smp analysis #dream smp theory #lazytext

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savethelastdan · 3 years

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Yashahime Is Over Party: Contribution #2

“All right, all right!”

The crowd of villagers quieted (some with a wince) as the high-pitched shout rang around the village entrance. Ten-year-old Moroha gave them one last warning glare for good measure.

With, as her Great-Grandpa on the other side of the Well would say, “more gusto than should be necessary”, she then leapt upon the nearest height-offering surface - one of the tourists’ suitcases, emblazoned a dozen times on every side with “FRAGILE” - and began her welcome speech.

“Shut your mouths and hold onto your butts, folks, because this is a real treat! The coolest village ever to exist in any timeline, on a sunny day! Since my big brother is at kitsune academy today, you all have the honor of yours truly acting as escort around this prime piece of feudal real estate!”

Dramatic pause for emphasis. (Yes, she’d taken some liberties with the script that Shippo had left, and she didn’t quite know what ‘prime piece of real estate’ actually meant, but her cousin Towa agreed that it sounded fancy and fancy always worked with humans.)

A soft-faced young woman glanced around the crowd self-consciously before raising a hand. “You mean, this is the village where priestess Kikyo - “

“Ahem!” Moroha held up the wooden sign hanging from her neck, tapping the carved-in letters spelling ‘Village Tour Guide #2” with one nail. “Are you wearin’ the sign?”

“Oh. Uh, sorry.” The woman blushed.

After a moment, Moroha cleared her throat. “Okay, yeah, it is. But there’s a bunch of other super-cool people here, too! If you wanna meet them - follow me!” With that, she jumped from the suitcase to land solidly in the dirt. A few tourists reared back from the cloud of disturbed dust, putting them at the back of the moving crowd.

“First up, the sister of the blah-dee-blah-famed-priestess-blah-dee-blah Kikyo - Lady Kaedeeeeee!” She swung both arms in a dramatic half-circle towards the healer woman’s hut; the crowd ooh-ed and ah-ed appropriately. “On days like these, she’s either healing a sick patient, birthin’ a new baby, or taking a long nap! Since she’s awfully old, the napping’s more frequent.” Hooking an arm around a teenage tourist’s shoulder, she hissed in a spooky tone, “Some say she’ll live forever, getting older and older until she’s like a living zombie-”

“I heard that.” With a cross expression, Kaede leaned out of the window.“Don’t think I won’t curse you for those bad manners.”

Moroha waved the group on with a nervous chuckle.

“And this is the home of the most famous demon slayer known to womankind - Sango!” Cupping both hands around her mouth like a bullhorn, Moroha drew out the last syllable of the woman’s name to emphasize her coolness. Several of the humans perked up with excitement; it wasn’t hard to imagine that they had themselves benefited from some of the woman’s work.

“Her husband Miroku lives here too. He used to be a monk, but now he’s a family guy! My papa says -” She straightened, putting on a deep, gruff tone - “it’s a damn miracle -” Dropping the tone, she grinned cheerily at the group - “nobody will tell me why!”

As if on cue, the door to the house opened to reveal a group of tall, bickering young adults. The loudest were two women with matching features, the only visible difference to a stranger being that one’s slayer outfit was trimmed in pink and the other’s in green. Behind them trotted a younger boy, also wearing a slayer outfit in red.

“I’m taking the kusarigama, you’re taking the wakizashi!” The green-outfitted slayer said, ignoring her sister’s attempts to talk over her. “Otherwise you and Mom will have two long-range weapons, and that makes no sense!”

“Plus that’s Uncle Kohaku’s specialty!” Their brother piped up; he dodged the twin elbows that swung back at him as easily as if they’d warned him. “She wants to impress him with it so he’ll take her on his trip to the mountains with Rin this summer!”

Through the left-open door, came the sweet smell of treats baking - one of the many hobbies Miroku had taken up with his time, now that he wasn’t going to up and die (Moroha knew she wasn’t technically supposed to know about that. Or probably phrase it like that… But if her godfather Koga said it that way, why was it any different for her?)

The group of slayers stopped short upon seeing the crowd; with awkward bows, they quickly skirted their way around the gaping tourists.

““That’s Sango’s kids; every one of ‘em demon slayer prodigies.” Slinging her arm around the same teen from earlier, Moroha shook her head with a dramatic sigh. “Makes me almost want another sibling. Except then I’d have to share my room, nooooo thank you!”

“Excuse me.” A mustached man in the middle of the group raised one arm curiously. “I heard one of those women mention Rin - is that the human who died twice and was resurrected by the sword Tenseiga?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. That’s Rin.” Moroha tapped her own head thoughtfully and muttered under her breath, “Was it really only twice…”

“Does she still live here?” The man’s mustache drooped in a frown. “Or did she go to live with that dog demon?”

“Dog demon? Ohhh, you mean Uncle Sesshomaru!” A smile stretched across her face. “I almost forgot about him! Nah, after she got married she decided to stay in town -”

“Married?!” The group erupted in murmurs of horror. One kerchiefed mother clapped her hands over the ears of her daughter; the mustached man turned green.

Moroha’s face fell. “Well, yeah. She wanted to keep taking healer lessons from Kaede, and even though he travels a lot, she wanted to stay by Kohaku’s side when he comes home. Be a team, and all that.”

“Ohhhh, so she’s Kohaku’s wife!” The human mother’s shoulders slumped with a sigh. “How lovely and age-appropriate.”

Moroha wasn’t sure what that meant, but if it made the negative energy go away then she was all for it! “Rin’s super cool, anyway. She knows how to heal demons, not just humans, and she tells really good ghost stories, and she’s actually really good at arm-wrestling -”

Suddenly she ducked her head to whisper, “She’s probably my favorite cousin, if I’m bein’ honest with ya.”

“Do you have other cousins?” A man who appeared to look a thousand years old squinted in her direction. Perhaps in confusion, but it was hard to tell with all the wrinkles. “I doubt a full-blooded dog demon like that Sesshomaru fella would leave his legacy in the hands of a human girl.”

“My mom would say that’s prejudiced,” Moroha said helpfully, causing the old man to blanche. “But Rin’s got two little sisters, who you can see riiiiiiight now!”

With a dramatic twist, she whirled around to point in the opposite direction with both hands, adding a low growl that was meant to mimic the roar of an excited crowd.

The moment was slightly underwhelmed by the confused looks of the tourists as they took a moment to figure out where exactly to look. That’s okay; she’d work on it.

Down the road, her twin cousins leaned against the wall of a house (Moroha’s house, which she was saving for last because you always save the best for last). Towa was smiling and pointing out something up in the sky, while Setsuna wore a very predictable scowl. From this far away, the red streaks in their hair were little more than smudges.

The extremely old man with an attitude problem made a weird hacking noise, most likely in surprise.

“Did he adopt them like your other cousin?” asked a teenage girl.

“Kinda!” Both hands landed on her hips; Moroha then modeled her expression on her Uncle - stoic, dismissive, oh-so-cool. “On a cool spring night, Uncle Sesshomaru walked into the darkest, deepest forest on the planet, waved his sword over a really old and creepy tree, and when he cut it open - there they were. Two lil’ hanyou babies.”

Dramatic pause.

“Just kiddin’.” Laughing loud enough to bring back the wincing from the group, Moroha slapped her knee. “They’re full demons. I can still take either of ‘em in a fight, though. Oh!” She pointed up in the air with a wide, excited smile. “There’s their mom right now!”

Murmurs of confusion filled the air as the tourists moved their heads this way, that way; only when a chilling breeze morphed into flesh and bone, right before their eyes, did the group exclaim in collective understanding.

Moroha waved. “Hi, Auntie Kagura!”

“Yo.” Clearly taken aback by the crowd, the wind demon gave a tiny salute. The side of her neck bore a half-moon symbol tattooed on the skin; Moroha thought it was neat, even if her dad thought it was a dumb, archaic wedding ritual. “Do your parents know you’re doing this?”

“Uh, duh!” She held up the sign with a cheeky grin.

“Fair enough.” Upon spying her daughters across the way, Kagura’s expression softened a bit. “Well, I’ll see you later.”

“No, wait! We’re actually heading the same way.” Gesturing to the not-moving crowd, Moroha repeated, “The same way. Meaning the best part of the tour - come on, folks, work with me here -”

Kagura snorted, walking quickly as though to avoid the gawking humans and their nosy questions about how she had been resurrected or could still live now that Naraku was dead or got Sesshomaru to admit he had feelings much less have kids with her. A curt “none of your business” was all they’d get, no matter how much Moroha tugged on her sleeve and whined about “giving people their money’s worth.”

Luckily, once they reached Moroha’s house, it was easy to escape. After all, a much more awe-inspiring attraction awaited the group of lucky, lucky tourists.

“And now! The Greatest Love Story Of Our Time!” With a winning grin, Moroha landed a kick on the door, sending it slamming open.

“Oh.” Kagome blinked at the group from where she sat on a futon in the middle of the house, surrounded by magical artifacts. A scroll marked with ink rolled from her lap all the way to one side of the room. Behind her, halfway through helping her put her hair in a bun, Inuyasha froze “Uh, hello?”

“My parents! Dumdedumdummmmm!” The warmth of her pride felt like it was going to burst in her chest. It was the absolute best to come home to people who loved her! Whether it was tickle fights before bed, or her dad taking her and Shippo out on demon-tracking trips, or her mom humming a lullaby if she felt sick on the full moon night, Moroha was certain her family was the best of anybody’s anywhere. “One fell through time, and one fell -- fell, uh, for her -- sorry, I’ll work on it.”

Inuyasha huffed in the way that meant he was going to complain later. Kagome just chuckled and waved.

For once, the humans reacted exactly the way Moroha wanted them to - smiling, clapping, appreciating the wonder of her super-beautiful-and-also-hella-powerful mom and grumpy-but-still-amazingly-brave papa. She launched into the story she knew by heart, of how they had come to be together and saved the whole world while they were at it. Some parts were probably missing or misrepresented, from the laughter in her mom’s eyes, but she had enough of it right that half the tourist group was in near tears by the time she was done.

“And now, they have one more accomplishment to add to the long list - parenting the greatest warrior this world has ever seen. Moro-uh, Beniyasha!” Swirling the ends of her fire-rat robe, she twirled. “The Crimson Slayer!”

“Slayer of my patience, maybe,” Inuyasha snapped, though he was unable to hide his smile as he marched over to grab her by the collar. “Come ‘ere, kid. You’ve got chores to do!”

Tossing her over his shoulder, he waved dismissively at the group of humans. “Sorry folks, the show ends here. Yeesh...”

Moroha cupped both hands around her mouth, screeching to be heard over her parent’s laughter before the door shut.

“Make sure to leave your comment cards in the box at the entrance!”

#moroha #setsuna #towa #kagome #inuyasha #miroku #sango #kinu #gyokuto #hisui #sesshomaru #rin #kohaku #kagura #yashahimeisoverparty #hnyisoverparty #yashahime #shespitsfire #savethelastdan

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ohifonlyx33 · 3 years

Text

it’s wandavision meta and speculation time

When Vision confronts Wanda at the end of the episode, they have a really interesting exchange that I want to look at a little deeper.

Remember, this is after she’s started to realize she can rewind and re-script the show, after she’s seen Vision as a reanimated corpse and been reminded of his and Pietro’s deaths (Monica mentioning Ultron, when the twins asked about their Uncle, when the dog died). And after she took out a drone, knowingly marched outside of Westview, and confronted SWORD outside of Westview. At this point, she’s more self-aware then she’s been.

He says, “You can’t control me, like you control them, Wanda!” And Wanda’s chilling response? “Can’t I?”

The question of Vision’s free will as a robot inside Wanda’s Westview is a curious one. And that’s not even considering the question of a robot with free-will to begin with. And if Vision is resurrected by Wanda, does she control him? She seems to think she can, or at least that she believes that she can. And in fact, we have seen her control him... in episode 3, when he starts questioning Westview, there is a jump cut and he says a different line about being anxious about the babies. But just judging by his self-awareness and mental resistance to the sitcom world they inhabit, it would appear that she doesn’t always control him even if she can. We have seen him work against Wanda, even.

Unless... What if Wanda brought back Vision with her powers, and gave him new life, but she was only able to bring him back as a mimicry of himself? So in a way, he has the appearance of free will, and yet he’s still just living because Wanda is in his head giving him a script that basically says “ad lib acting like my husband Vision." In which case, Wanda’s technically in control, but her subconscious is filling in what Vision would do if he had free-will, thus giving him agency to act like Vision normally would have... including investigating SWORD’s Message.

You know the trope when the hero seeks revenge for the death of the loved one, but someone or something reminds them that “this isn’t what she would have wanted, and you know it!” and that memory of the deceased loved one stops them? Yeah, basically that is what I think is happening. Except this time the “memory of the deceased” is physically reanimated and just as confused as everyone else.

Think about it though. It makes sense.

Vision sees the email and investigates around the same time Wanda sees the drone and confronts SWORD... Yeah, that could be because SWORD is sending the drone and the email at the same time, or maybe even used the drone as a way of distracting Wanda while they snuck a message to Vision. But the thing is, Vision doesn’t confront Wanda until after she becomes self-aware enough to feel guilty. And I get that it’s a timing thing... the boys lost a pet and probably had to go to bed before he could talk to Wanda, etc. But my POINT is that she could rewind any moment. She tried to roll the credits and it didn’t work. So Vision wouldn’t be able to confront her unless Wanda either 1. Can’t control him or the sitcom they are inhabiting (which, unless she’s never been in control or at some point lost control, we know she seems to be bending reality to her will, including rewriting Vision’s lines at least twice) or 2. She subconsciously wants him to confront her because she knows that Vision would wouldn’t be okay with this.

Wanda doesn’t want to admit to what she’s doing because she’s lying to herself. But she’s also lying to Vision. When he tells her to stop lying to him, he is telling her to stop lying to herself... Like, SHE is telling him to tell her to stop lying to him and, by extension, she is telling herself to stop lying to herself, and using the conscience of her dead robot boyfriend to give voice to her own conscience.

And when Wanda sits down on the couch she seems all tangled up. And I’m not convinced she even knows entirely what is going on. I’m almost positive, she’s being influenced. Hence all the subliminal messages in the show. She knows that she can control things, and that this is all wrong... But she also seems confused. Like she’s been having an argument with her amnesiac robot husband... but also like she’s been having an argument with herself about whether or not she actually did all this. Here, Vision is not only the metaphorical representation of Wanda’s conscience, but in this case also the literal, physical manifestation of Wanda’s subconscious telling her to stop.

But, I do believe there’s another player who has been manipulating Wanda... Probably Agnes and Ralph... maybe the mailman? Or Herb? Or Dottie? As for no children? what do we think? Is Westview the sword facility? That’s why there are no children? I have so many questions.

#wandavision #wanda maximoff #wandavision meta #wandavision theories #wandavision spoilers

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jasontoddiefor · 3 years

Text

As Lightning to the Children eased Chapter 14

Chapter 14 is out! Read on AO3!

Padmé did not call Anakin out when she found him hiding in her living room, arms tugged beneath his knees, his chin resting on top of them. He didn’t look like he had gotten any sleep lately and she was not about to stop him from getting at least some rest.

Instead, he merely put a cup of tea in his hands and went about her work. Halfway through midday, she got the call she had been waiting for.

“Senator Organa,” she greeted her ally and friend. Bail Organa was a good man, friendly and charming on top, and Padmé wondered what would happen if she were to let him meet Obi-Wan sometime. The two seemed like the kind of people who’d get along like a house on fire. “How are you?”

“Quite well, thank you,” Bail replied. He glanced at Anakin once but didn’t further react to his presence. “And yourself?”

“Exhausted, if I’m honest,” Padmé said. “The war hasn’t even truly started and I already feel as if I’ve aged years, but let’s not linger on that. How is your charge?”

“Adjusting,” Bail said. “I offered to take him home to Breha, but he decided that he wanted to stay on Coruscant. I’m not sure whether it’s the proximity to the Jedi or if it’s because he has to protect me in turn for keeping him safe, but I decided it would be beneficial for his health to remain at my side.”

Padmé smiled at him, honestly and truly happy. “I’m relieved to hear that.”

Finally, some good news during this catastrophe. When the Jedi had taken them all back to Coruscant, nobody had been too sure what to do with little Boba Fett. Technically speaking, his father – no matter how undeserving Padmé thought him of the title – was a deceased criminal and there were enough people who wanted Boba to pay for his father’s crimes. Hi status as a clone also didn’t really improve his situation. Padmé would have taken Boba in himself, as would the Jedi, but neither was quite the right fit, and when Bail Organa had offered to take him in, then that was just good fortune.

“If you ever need someone to babysit, I can jump in last minute,” Padmé joked.

Bail smiled and nodded. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, Padmé, but I believe Boba would protest quite heavily against being babysitted.”

“He can be part of my protective detail then,” she amended. “I’m sure he will do excellent work.”

The Council room was dead silent.

“You’re joking, aren’t you?” Qui-Gon asked, allowing disbelief to seep into his voice.

Whereas some of his fellow Masters smiled in tired exhaustion, others only rolled their eyes.

“A new member this Council needs,” Yoda said. “Wise in the Living Force you are and raised a brilliant Padawan you did. A new member of this Council you may be if you accept.”

Qui-Gon wondered what Dooku would say about this. His Master had already departed with his own clone battalion, heading straight to the Outer Rim and into the zones that promised the most gruesome battles. Dooku was a brilliant talker and given his relationship with the Senate, he’d probably be more useful on the Council than Qui-Gon. He had already been on the Council once.

Qui-Gon knew he was stubborn and thick-headed and unlikely to change his mind unless proven wrong. Both Dooku and Obi-Wan had told and shown him so often enough. Qui-Gon wasn’t chosen for delicate and amicable peace talks. He usually went to do the negotiations where they expected things to blow up, and more often than not, they did.

He was not the best option for a War Council, especially when he struggled to wield the Force as he used to.

“Why me?” he finally asked when he didn’t know what other question there was left to voice.

“Love this Order more than anyone else, you do. Had Knight and Padawan Skywalker not found their way here, found your way to them, you would have. Listen well to the world, you do. Not afraid to speak your words, you are. Ready for this, you are.”

Not yet. Speak first. Right a wrong, my dear child, explain your scars—

“I have to talk to Anakin,” Qui-Gon said, his heart hurting at the thought of the youth, yet rejoicing at finally getting a glimpse of the Force again. “I cannot give you an answer before I spoke to him.”

The Masters nodded and Qui-Gon left.

Anakin was easy to find, hiding away in one of the lowest accessible levels of the temple. These days, he was either at Obi-Wan’s sickbed when Obi-Wan was asleep, at his mother’s when she wasn’t telling him to finally go talk to Obi-Wan, hiding away in Padmé’s apartments or down here. Qui-Gon had first thought that Anakin would try to go deeper, search for what lingered beneath the warm marble of their temple, but he never moved from his spot.

“Anakin.”

The Padawan winced when his name was called, then slowly turned his head only to return to staring blankly at his hands. He looked absolutely miserable, tired too. Qui-Gon sighed.

“Do you remember the mission to Naboo? When we accompanied Padmé back to it?”

Anakin gave no sign that he was listening to Qui-Gon, but he decided to keep talking anyway. “When we entered the ship, you collapsed. Something set you off, something incredibly dark and harmful, and, best I could tell, it flipped a switch for you. Revealed something it shouldn’t have.”

Anakin’s hands curled to fists as Qui-Gon sat down next to him. “Obi-Wan and I didn’t know what to do, so we- no, I decided to do what I thought was best. I blocked those memories, dressed them up in kinder images.”

Even now, so many years later, Qui-Gon remembered it so clearly. The chains wrapped around Anakin’s entire body, the sun burning him, reminding him that he was not supposed to be there.

“And then, when you tried to heal me later on, you needed the knowledge that I had hidden from you to do better.”

“To let you die, you mean,” Anakin said. His voice was hoarse as if he hadn’t spoken in days. “It would have stopped me from resurrecting you.”

“Yes,” Qui-Gon agreed. “I would have died and it would have been alright because it was my time. My actions took away something you should be able to recognize subconsciously and I want to apologize for it.”

Silence followed Qui-Gon’s statement as they let his words linger. It was true. That he realized now. Whatever he had done, it had shifted something within Anakin that wasn’t meant to be shifted sideways.

“I think you made me human,” Anakin replied, wings unfurling as bones cracked. “I don’t think I was meant to be human.”

His eyes were still closed, but Qui-Gon could still fill all of them watching him, waiting for a reaction, a confirmation.

“No, you were not,” Qui-Gon replied. “And I’m sorry I made you something you weren’t supposed to be in my fear of what you might have become in that moment.”

“I want to be human,” Anakin muttered. He stretched out his fingers, sharp claws, golden like his teeth, bleeding as if from scratching his arms raw, trying to dissect himself and sew his flesh back together in the right way, anything less hurtful. “I don’t want to be like this. Everything is so loud and I’m always too much and if I get angry, I break the world apart. It isn’t fair that I can feel so much, but I’m not allowed to embrace it.”

“Oh, Anakin.” All thoughts of logically expressing this to his Grandpadawan were forgotten. “Who told you that you can’t embrace your emotions? You just can’t let them become too much. You can’t let them consume you. You need to find your balance again.”

Qui-Gon knew it was a cruel demand to make when he had been so afraid of what would become of Anakin almost a decade ago now. There was no telling whether Anakin would still exist once he found that balance again or whether he’d return to his silent parent. After all, what parent would abandon their child if not because they knew they weren’t needed anymore?

“I’m scared,” Anakin admitted. “I was afraid my mother would be put back together again wrongly if I healed her so I lashed out and murdered all of them in cold blood and then I was scared to lose Obi-Wan and instead he lost his arm because of me and I’m scared that if I try to fix me, I won’t be me at all. I know I can do it. I’ve been looking, I can see where you used your paint on me, but I just—”

Anakin looked up, bright blue eyes staring at Qui-Gon as he cried and wrapped his arms around him, hiding his face in his robes.

“I don’t know what to do.”

Gently, Qui-Gon held onto Anakin. How strange that a being as bright and strong as him needed an anchor as fragile as Qui-Gon. He ran his fingers through Anakin’s hair, humming a melody under his breath he’d been taught years ago on a small Mid Rim planet.

Minutes passed, hours without either of them moving until Anakin’s shoulders stopped trembling.

“I can’t tell you what the right path is, Anakin. You have to decide that for yourself. The only advice I can give you is this question: do you love the Jedi?”

“What?” Anakin’s confusion was painted across his face in broad brushstrokes.

Qui-Gon smiled. “I asked if you loved the Jedi?”

“Of course! You’re my home, my family! How could I not?”

“Good.” Qui-Gon nodded. “Then you will remind yourself of the fact that you love your family and that your family loves you every day and every action you take will be in this knowledge. Do not act against this love in your heart, Anakin, and may it ease the burden on your mind.”

May it guide you well.

Obi-Wan’s hand trembled. He hardly had any control over his new appendage and it frustrated him to no end. He was a perfectionist at heart, had spent hours training his fine motor control to become a Master of his form. He tried to keep his breathing under control, to focus, and not let the pain overwhelm him. If not for his own sake and to resist the temptation of just throwing his lightsaber halfway across the room, then for Anakin.

His Padawan already felt so guilty for Obi-Wan’s injury, he didn’t want to make him feel worse.

He couldn’t stand the thought of looking at Anakin’s sad eyes.

“Rough night?”

Obi-Wan turned his head around to find Shmi standing at the entrance of the training hall. Her injuries had healed well during her stay with the Healers, only a few faint scars across her face and shoulders revealing what she had been through. She was dressed ready for battle, wearing the new armor the Jedi had been given. Obi-Wan had tried it on once and immediately wished he could message Satine and ask her whether he could borrow one of hers for the war. Mandalorian armor was so much more comfortable.

Not that he thought the Jedi should wear any at all.

“Are you shipping out?” he asked.

“Yes, Dooku asked for backup. Apparently, he’s been dealing with a Sith apprentice – a different one than the one you encountered on Geonosis – and intends to chase her down. Someone must take over his battalion. Since he dragged me back home from Tatooine, I’ll return the favor.”

“Take Anakin with you,” Obi-Wan heard himself say. “He needs to get out of the temple.”

“You haven’t talked yet,” Shmi stated, her tone not allowing for any disagreement.

“No,” Obi-Wan agreed. “And I don’t think Anakin will talk to me as long as he hasn’t gotten a proper break. So, please?”

Shmi studied him for a moment, then she sighed. “Alright, but the moment you’re fit for duty, he’s your Padawan again.”

Obi-Wan managed to crack a smile at that. “Of course, I’d never trade him for another.”

#star wars #anakin skywalker #obi wan kenobi #qui gon jinn #shmi skywalker #fanfic

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adozentothedawn · 3 years

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Caduceus for the character ask? :)

Ah, not a Pillars character, I am intrigued! :D

Ask is here.

First impression

Truth is, I've always been thouroughly spoilered about chritical role, even when wasn't watching it yet, so my first impression was mostly, "Uh, pink cowman!" Followed later when I started by "I'm excited for the fluffy cowman, but also Mollyyyyyyyyyyy".

Impression now

I love him. Just. So much. I want to hug him. I want to drink his tea. I want him to tell me it's gonna be fine. Just. Give me more of him please. Taliesin, how do you keep doing this to me? Caduceus is also literally the only representation of an ace character I have ever seen and it makes it so much better I just can't love him. I don't care if some people think it's word of god. (Though there might be a talk about it some point? Maybe? I don't know I'm only at episode 80 something.) And it's such good rep too! I'm so excitded for his Trent talk.

Also how has no one made art of blowdried Caduceus yet? He is a cowman! Give me a fluffed up Caddy! There is a fic though which very is cute. (Nevermind I found one! I need more though 👀)

Favorite moment

I don't think I can choose, he has so many good lines. "I only have like, three cups." "He'll be dead eventually." "Sleep well with your bad decisions." "I met a ghost who I didn't want to punch. " "I'm always happy when they're here." I'm always a sucker for angst so him getting resurrected was also great. Also the Trent speech of course, but technically I haven't seen that one yet.

Idea for a story

Not really any to be honest. You'd think I'd jump to write fics about him but I don't really have any inpiration for that. Maybe once I'm done with the show I'll get to filling eventual needs I still have.

Unpopular opinion

I'm not really in fandom so to speak, so I don't really know what's popular and what not, I just personally wish people wouldn't write romantic ships with him. And no, I don't care if you try to justify why this aroace character is now in a relationship or having sex or whatever, you have so many characters to ship, you can leave this one alone. I'm not gonna start any fights with someone or anything, and Ao3 let's you filter tags for a reason but I do want to put it out there. Also, I want these people really think about how they would react to someone writing straight fics for a gay character. Just really think about it. Yeah, taking away rep suddenly doesn't seem so nice, does it? So please leave mine alone.

Okay my rant is over now, I just had to get this out of my sytem. I haven't a lot ship fics anyway, but there are a few and I'm dissapointed every time.

And I guess I'd also wish for more fics of him? Just without shipping. And there are some good ones, don't get me wrong! But it really seems that some people have decided if they can't ship him they're just not gonna write him. I'm not judging anyone in perticular here and nobody has to feel called out or anything! Nobody has an obligation to write a character or anything they have no interest in writing. It's just a larger trend that makes me personally kind of sad.

Favorite relationship

I love his realtionship with every one really! I feel like Fjord would be the basic answer, but if I really have to choose I'll say Melora. I'm always a sucker for cleric relationships and there are so many lovely takes and art out there. Also "Mom, put it back!" is one of the greatest comics I've ever seen. xD

Favorite headcanon

Not sure I really have one. Aside from the fact that he definitely gets fluffy when properly dried. That is fact though, no one can deny me this. Fluffy cowman for the win!

(As a side note for anyone reading this, if you have some angsty comfort fics for Caduceus, please feel free to send me the link, I need some more therapy for this man. He alwas tries so hard for everyone else, he deserves some attention too.)

#response #thanks for playing!^^#critical role #caduceus clay

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the-lincyclopedia · 3 years

Photo

* adapted from @librajiminn on twitter

A fun game to celebrate 2020 ending! The rules are simple: recommend your favorite OMGCP fics so everyone can enjoy them, while trying to fill in enough slots to get a bingo!

This is going to get long, so I’ll put it under a cut. Also, I’m too orderly to try to shoehorn my favorite fics into these particular prompts, so I’m just going to go right to left, top to bottom, taking the prompts literally, until it’s bedtime.

1. first fic you bookmarked: “Here Comes the Sun” by @doggernaut, 19k, G, no warnings, Zimbits

For the past month, the man with the baby and the sad blue eyes has been stopping in for a cup of coffee an hour before closing. He always sits in an overstuffed chair in the corner and drinks his coffee while his baby sleeps next to him in the stroller. Sometimes he pulls a book out from the diaper bag he carries with him; other times he just stares straight ahead as if in a daze. He never asks for a refill, always respectfully gathers his things and leaves ten minutes before the shop officially closes. Eric desperately wants to ask him what his story is.

My notes: I read Check Please over the course of two days in June of 2019. On the second day, right after catching up, I looked at @peppermintfeminist‘s AO3 bookmarks and found a fic by @doggernaut. Then I read just about everything @doggernaut had ever posted. It was glorious. This fic in particular is so cute.

2. most recent fic you bookmarked: “Flight Check” by @edgarallanrose, 15k, E, no warnings (though there is a creepy/handsy guy at a club to watch out for), primarily Zimbits with most of the other popular pairings in the background

Flight attendant Eric “Bitty” Bittle has been working his way up at Samwell Airlines for the past four years, and his new promotion has provided him the opportunity to work with a brand-new crew. Unfortunately for Bitty, that crew includes an incredibly handsome but equally grumpy pilot, Captain Jack Zimmermann, who seems to want nothing to do with Bitty. Even worse, Jack refuses to eat any of Bitty's baked goods. Will Bitty be able to win the captain over? Or is there another reason Jack has been avoiding Bitty?

My notes: There are a lot of great things about this fic--Jack’s character arc, Lardo’s dialogue, that scene in Seattle--but the reason I bookmarked it is the scene where Bitty’s basically slut-shaming himself and Jack gently but firmly tells Bitty not to do that and that it was the creep’s fault.

3. a fic that made you cry actual tears: “a little bit more” by @ivecarvedawoodenheart, 14k, T, no warnings, Holsom

“I just wanted,” he says, “a perfect day. With you. Because it’s our last day together and our last day being here as undergrads and we’re kissing the ice tonight, and the weather’s supposed to be beautiful, and you’re moving tomorrow and Holtzy I just — I don’t want to be missing you already.” Holster wipes his eyes before he even realizes he’s crying. Behind him, Ransom sighs. “One more day where everything’s the same,” he says, feeling around blindly for Rans’ fingers. He feels Rans nod as he laces their fingers together. “Yeah. Yeah, Rans. I’d like that a lot.” __________________________

Holsom after graduation and throughout the subsequent six months after Holster signs to an expansion team in Oregon, and realizes his feelings for Ransom too late. Holster's POV :) kinda angsty, but there's a happy ending :)

Inspired by shitty-check-please-aus: "Holster moves to Oregon while Ransom stays on the east coast. The time difference makes it difficult to talk and one day they wake up and realize they aren’t best bros anymore."

My notes: I almost never cry at fics. I searched “tears” in my fandom email account and only a handful of my fic comments came up, but Syd is a literal master of Holsom angst, always.

4. longest fic you’ve read: “Like Real People Do” by @xiaq, 153k, M, No Warnings, Kent Parson x OC

Parson gestures with his spoon toward Hawke. “So am I allowed to ask about the service dog or is that not PC?”

“My medical history is more of a 3rd date conversation," Eli says.

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Because. No one sticks around afterward and I like to live in glorious denial for a short period beforehand.”

It comes out more self-deprecating than he intended.

Parson looks…thoughtful. “Well, does this count as one or two?

“Pardon?”

“This. Ice cream. I mean, technically it’s a second location, but still the same night. So is this one date or two?”

“One,” Eli says firmly. “If it’s happening within the same three-hour period.”

“You’re the expert,” Parson says, which, he’s really, really, not, but ok.

“So still two dates to go then?” Parson continues.

“I—what?”

“We’ve got a roadie coming up but then we’re home for almost two weeks. When does your semester start?”

“You want to do this again?” Eli asks.

Parson stops idly twirling his spoon.

“You don’t?”

He does, Eli realizes. He really does. Because apparently he actually likes Kent fucking Parson.

My notes: Okay, this fic has my whole entire heart. I’ve read it multiple times in its entirety, and it’s almost twice as long as the full-length novel I’m querying. Eli is one of my favorite OCs I’ve ever seen in a fic (probably tied with Damian Navarro and Ari Paxton, both brainchildren of @fozmeadows). Anyway, this is probably going to be the next thing @themeaningoflifeischeese and I read out loud to each other.

5. a fic you almost didn’t read: “when all else fails (i’ll still be right here)” by @whoacanada, 6k, T, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings (and I don’t remember if I think there’s stuff to warn for, sorry), Zimbits

The National Hockey League is resurrecting the Quebec City Nordiques, and the expansion draft hits the Falconers much harder than expected.

My notes: Given that this was for @omgcpheartbreakfest, I was worried this would be all angst--all hurt and no comfort. Which made me sad, because I love @whoacanada‘s writing but I wasn’t up for reading unresolved angst. But @doggernaut reblogged the fic, so I asked if the ending was sad, and it’s NOT! There is quite a bit of angst but the ending isn’t sad.

6. a fic that convinced you on a ship you didn’t ship before: “it drops with the gravity of rain” by @geniusorinsanity, 16k, T, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings (attempted sexual assault by an OC), Nurseydex

It happens like this:

“I don’t--this is a bad idea,” Dex says, his lips still tingling, his hands shaking on Nursey’s hips where he’s shoved him away. “This is a really bad idea, Nurse. I can’t--We can’t do this.”

And there’s hurt in Nursey’s eyes and his bottom lip is swollen from Dex’s teeth, but he says, “Okay.” And then, “It’s chill, Dex. Just friends, then.”

It happens like this:

“Actually,” Nursey says, talking more to his granola than to them, “I kind of have a date.”

It happens like this:

When Nursey calls, Dex almost doesn’t pick up the phone.

My notes: So I was really confused and a little disturbed when I first found out people shipped Nursey and Dex. Like, Dex just wasn’t someone I trusted. But then I was moving out of the house I’d been living in, and I needed stuff to listen to as I packed and cleaned, and @khashanakalashtar‘s podfics came in clutch. I gave this one a try even though I didn’t like Dex, and @geniusorinsanity blew. My. Mind.

7. a fic from an unusual POV: “Excuse Me While I Kiss This Guy” by @porcupine-girl, 8k, G, no warnings, Zimbits

Jesse Snowden knows all the best restaurants and gourmet food shops in Providence, so when Jack Zimmermann starts bringing in incredible baked goods, he's eager to find out where the new bakery is. When he meets the man behind the pies, he decides that there's no way Jack could really appreciate this guy's talent the way he does, even if they are friends. He starts hiring Jack's chef on the side, in the hopes that maybe once Bitty's done with college he'll come work for Jesse.

Good thing there is absolutely no way whatsoever that Jesse could possibly be misinterpreting this situation.

My notes: Oh my gosh this is so funny. The secondhand embarrassment factor is huge, but like, the hilarity.

8. a comfort fic: “Don’t Need to Compromise” by @khashanakalashtar, 11k, E, no warnings, PB&J

“Hey,” said Kent, unknowingly setting off a chain of events that would change his entire life, “you said that like you know from experience. Have you done this before?”

Jack and Bitty have not done polyamory before, but they do know Ransom and Holster’s polycule, which contains March.

And March?

March is trans.

My notes: I’m in love with @khashanakalashtar‘s entire Directionverse series (and honestly a lot of their other writing), but “Don’t Need to Compromise,” which is the second fic in the series, just makes my heart swell especially much. The gender feels are so good, and all the characters are so good to each other, and when I listen to this on walks I have to actively try not to arm-flap.

9. a fic you wish could be a movie: “Ice Crew Please!” by @petals42, 61k, T, no warnings, Zimbits

Jack Zimmermann was drafted first by the Providence Falconers when he was eighteen years old. He is good at hockey. Very good. His team won the Cup his second year and now, in his third year, they are looking good. Jack should be on top of the world. And some days, he manages to convince himself he is.

He’s not, of course.

Enter the Ice Crew.

AKA: The Ice Crew AU

My notes: This fic has its tender moments, but what I love most about it is the sheer goofiness. Ransom and Holster and Shitty are HILARIOUS in this one. I’d love to see their shenanigans in movie form.

10. a WIP you read as it was updated: “Something Borrowed” by @fozmeadows, 48k, M, no warnings, Kent x OC

All things considered, Ari did his best to prepare himself for the advent of Kent Parson, Potentially Difficult Housemate and New Star Liney. The problem was that his best was an idiot.

My notes: So technically I didn’t start reading this until the first 19 chapters were posted. But there was still plenty of anticipation for the final few chapters. And like, @fozmeadows (as mentioned above) makes EXCELLENT OCs. And I love how their fics consistently convey that having bad things happen to you does not mark the end of your story.

Okay, it’s bedtime, so have 10 excellent fics. I got bingo twice, because I went straight across on the top two rows.

#mine #omgcp #omgcheckplease #check please #fic recs

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nellie-elizabeth · 4 years

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Queliot Fic Recs - Master Post (March 11, 2020)

Hi everyone! I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, but now that we’re staring down the barrel of the show’s official ending, I thought I’d finally take the time to post a master fic rec list!

A couple of notes:

This is by no means comprehensive; I’m sure I’m forgetting several lovely fics, and will be updating this list as I remember/find more.

This list will not include WIPs (the only exception being where I rec a completed story that is part of a series, and mention that sequel(s) are still in progress). I will add the WIPs I’m reading once they are complete!

I am open to suggestions from others, so please reblog and add your own recommendations! I would love to add to this and make it a one-stop-shop resource for people looking for something new to read.

When I know the tumblr handle of the author, I have included it. But in several cases I don’t know the author’s tumblr, if they have one - if you have this information to fill in, please let me know and I will update the master post. (Also, if you notice any broken links or mistakes - I did my best, but this thing is hefty and I’m sure there are errors!)

This took me… forever to put together, so if you find it useful, please reblog - and more importantly, please leave comments & kudos on the stories you read!

Link to the Google Doc, if that’s easier for you to read.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sIUMZcIcpnZ1_9T3o7dkqUaqEw0miwNTfTuZjvjGto4/edit?usp=sharing

Hefty rec list under the cut.

Season Three Gapfillers/Deviations from Canon

These stories usually deal with the aftermath of the mosaic in some way. Many of them were written before the revelations of 4x05, but some were written later, and either comply with canon, or deviate from it from that point.

shipping it by Mizzy (@mizzy2k). Mature. 16,344 words. The Muntjac “ships” Queliot and is trying to help them along. What else can I say? There’s angst, there’s love, it’s silly and it’s sincere.

Sense Memories by mtothedestiel (@summersteve). Explicit. 2,616 words. This is an ABO fic, which is not something I would typically read. But I love this author so much that I decided to give it a try. The thing I like about it is the idea of the mosaic timeline leaving a tangible, physical impact on Quentin and Eliot, and how they might deal with the fallout in this more extreme scenario. If ABO isn’t for you, though, proceed with caution.

throw your shadow over me by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 8,187 words. Okay I’m going to recommend basically everything peacefrog has written, but this one is probably my favorite. It’s a super angst-y sex scene between Quentin and Eliot during season three, where Eliot believes this is his last chance to be with Quentin, and is basically dreading the emotional fallout even while it’s happening.

i start spinning (slipping out of time) by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Teen. 2,570 words. Before Eliot goes to Margo to discuss the god-killing bullet, he and Quentin have a conversation about Quentin’s choice to stay at Blackspire. Features a heartbreaking memory of their life together at the mosaic, and just generally gorgeous canon-compliant angst.

Promises by Rizandace (@Nellie-Elizabeth). Explicit. 7,751 words. Eliot and Quentin have it out about Quentin’s decision to stay in Blackspire, and hash out their feelings for each other. This one is canon-divergent (and is probably the one-shot I am the most proud of!)

Overthinking It by Rizandace (@Nellie-Elizabeth). Teen. 3,581 words. Eliot finds out about the abyss key, and it prompts a discussion about Quentin and Eliot’s relationship.

Honey You’re On Fire, Let Me Help by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 5,857 words. Quentin accidentally picks up the abyss key… Eliot finds him and does what he can to distract him. This is hot, of course, but also so desperately full of feeling and love. As the summary implies, there is a good deal of depression and talk of suicide in this story, so take care.

Can’t Let Go by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 5,384 words. UGH. This is what SHOULD have happened after Eliot and Quentin remember the mosaic time-line. This is so satisfying and gave me some catharsis in the aftermath of the direction the story has taken in canon.

~~~~~

Post-Season Four Fix-Its

These stories maintain the canon of season four, and continue on from there. They generally involve bringing Quentin back from the dead.

What Matter Where by achray. Explicit. 28,782 words. Eliot becomes Prince Consort of the Underworld. He gets to be with Q when he’s back home, though. This is almost tough to read, because my brain doesn’t want to accept any half-happy endings, any reality where Eliot can’t spend all of his time by Quentin’s side. But on the other hand… Eliot has to make a big, big sacrifice to bring Quentin back, and you definitely feel the gravitas of that.

life ain’t fair (so i guess we’d better cheat) by micksgotkicks (@lovelyquentin). Teen. 1,137 words. This is more of a pre-fix-it. Eliot rages against the heavens for taking Quentin from him, and resolves to get him back. Short and painful. Cathartic.

Being Alive by miss_whimsy (@bambiesque). Gen. 7,022 words. Eliot sends the letter to Quentin with the magical stamp. And when that doesn’t work, he sends a bunch more. This is one of the very few fics on this list that has any connection to season five canon, which I’m not watching. I did watch 5x03, however, and this fic is borne out of Eliot Waugh never giving up - the way we all know it should have gone.

What kind of man (loves like this)? by destielpasta (@queliotpasta). Explicit. 3,160 words. Eliot and Quentin go out dancing. This fic has a certain quality about it that’s difficult to describe - I could just really feel their love for each other jump off the page, specifically in how badly they clearly want to care for each other. This fic also straddles the line between categories - the author describes it as a “fix-it” and it does deal with Quentin’s resurrection in a more immediate way, but the subject matter itself is much more about the aftermath, rather than the actual “bringing Q back from the dead” part.

You’re a Story (I Can Follow) by Page161of180. Mature. 19,695 words. I think everyone’s read this, but how could I not include it? This technically isn’t a fix-it, because it was written before the season four finale confirmed the theory of Quentin’s death. This author, like the collective fandom, assumed that death would be temporary… and thus, this is the story of Eliot being the Orpheus to Quentin’s Eurydice. It is stunning - a gold standard in writing intense grief with a happy ending. Eliot is undone by Quentin’s death here, and has to fight through obstacle after obstacle to get him back - the biggest one being, his own lack of self-worth. There’s also a somewhat-connected sequel/prequel called And Remember What You Were Before (Not Rated, 6,998 words), which is completely worth the read.

(like a perfect picture) in a broken frame by PanBoleyn (@eidetictelekinetic). Not Rated. 20,631 words. Another resurrection/fix-it fic… Really great group dynamics as everyone works on bringing Quentin back, but also a focus on Eliot’s despair. Kind of your standard fix-it, exactly what the characters should have tried to do, in a world where canon hadn’t betrayed us so badly.

life fades (but you remain) by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 62,735. Stunning. STUNNING. Eliot finds a way to get Quentin back, but it comes at a cost. The two of them have to work it out. This features some incredibly good angst with a happy ending, scorching sex, a really intriguing OC in an early chapter, and some nice screen-time for the lovely Alice Quinn, to boot.

as it was by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Mature. 3,913 words. Short and sweet - Penny-40 leads Quentin to where he needs to go, and that’s back home to Eliot.

In the Woods Somewhere by pineapplecrushface (@pineapplecrushface). Explicit. 15,528 words. This is the most creative take on a fix-it I’ve seen! The summary outlines the premise best: “Alice being unable to wipe younger Quentin's memory during the timeshare spell had a ripple effect.” Eliot is so desperate for Quentin in this one, and Quentin, from the afterlife, is having to work out how he feels and where he wants to be.

In Which We Grieve by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Teen. 3,413 words. I hesitate to call this a “fix-it” really, since Quentin doesn’t come back to life. But despite that, he and Eliot make it work. This is sad, but cathartic too.

(this is not a) Temporary Love by rizcriz (@sadlittlenerdking). Teen. 20,684 words. A fix-it that includes some intense mosaic feels too, as Margo and Eliot read over some letters/notes written during the mosaic timeline. I also like this one for how the rest of the gang finally notices how sick and worn-down Quentin is, and forces Q and Eliot to take a mental health vacation once Quentin is back in the land of the living!

~~~~~

Post-Season Four/Post-Possession - Not Fix-Its

These stories take place after the events of season four, or, in some cases, after an imagined ending of season four (written before the series finale aired), ignoring season five canon. They are not fix-its in the sense that either a) they ignore Quentin’s death in canon and proceed like it never happened, or b) Quentin’s resurrection happened “off-screen” and is not the focus of the story. These fics often deal with the aftermath, both physical and psychological, of Eliot’s possession. They also usually deal with Quentin and Eliot’s reconciliation after the events of seasons three and four, and sometimes continue through their time as an established couple.

your body (your heart) in his hands by Allegria23 (@allegria23). Explicit. 18,636 words. This fic follows Eliot and Quentin into their future. I’m recommending it specifically for the way it deals with Quentin’s discipline - I’ve never seen a fic tackle the subject in quite this way, and with so much care and gentleness. If you are not a fan of kid!fic, don’t be put off by the premise - Eliot and Quentin are great fathers with amazing kids in this future universe, but the focus really does remain on their romance. This story is part of a series called second time around which is all worth a read, especially the latest part, entitled The Special Dish. The whole series really embodies the romance of effort, and how putting in the time to nurture and grow a relationship is what makes it work.

Be still my foolish heart (i’m almost me again) by Butterfly (@butterflydm). Explicit. 3,754 words. A birthday fic for Quentin - he’s a little overwhelmed by the party held in his honor. He sneaks off to be alone, Eliot follows him, and Q tells Eliot about his discipline.

Living Room, NY by cartographies (@honeybabydichotomy). Teen. 11,254 words. Eliot goes to therapy. I’m recc’ing this specifically for Eliot’s rambling confession of love to Quentin in chapter two. The whole thing is lovely, but that part really knocked me the fuck out.

Imagine being loved by me. by destielpasta (@queliotpasta). Explicit. 11,225 words. Holy moly. This is a top-tier fave for me. It’s about sex, it’s about love, it’s about working through a relationship after trauma. Eliot is touch-starved but can’t be touched - so Quentin and Eliot must get creative.

Yes and Yes and Maybe Yes by hetrez (@hetrez). Mature. 5,542 words. The author describes this as “consent porn, with feelings,” and that’s a pretty good descriptor. Quentin has PTSD because of the Monster, and Eliot’s touch can be triggering for him. They work together to get through it. This is hot, yes, but it’s hot specifically because of how badly Eliot wants to take care of Quentin and make him feel safe.

The Dreamers by hetrez (@hetrez). Teen. 10,143 words. Post-possession, Quentin and Eliot are together but things aren’t smooth sailing. The scene from this story that always sticks in my head is Quentin asking Eliot if he wants to have a family again, like they did before with Arielle and Teddy - and Eliot’s horrifically wrong-footed response: “You’ll get a wife again and we’ll have another baby.” As might be predicted, Quentin doesn’t take that very well… and this story is at least partially working out where they stand, what they both want.

The Drum Beats Out of Time by HMGFanfic (@hmgfanfic). Mature. 68,605 words. This series features two stories: Suitcase of Memories and I Fall Behind. Both are amazing, but I Fall Behind in particular is one of my top-tier favorite fics in the whole fandom. This fic does not pull its punches in terms of the effects of Eliot’s possession, and it makes things really rough for Quentin and Eliot’s relationship. Quentin does a reckless thing, Eliot panics, they hash it out - but it’s not easy, and it’s not so clear-cut. These fics also features glimpses of their life together at the mosaic, and a lovely epilogue that shows how they’ve made progress and are still healing as a couple.

the right time and place by impossibletruths (@impossibletruths). Teen. 3,675 words. Eliot trying to propose to Quentin. It’s sweet and fluffy and good for the soul.

hearts like houses by impossibletruths (@impossibletruths). Explicit. 11,888 words. Quentin and Eliot celebrate Eliot’s birthday, post-possession. They get away for a trip, to try and put their worries behind them. This story is full of so much intimacy and gentleness that it just melts my whole heart.

five times my writing was better than the magicians by micksgotkicks (@lovelyquentin). Teen. 6,019 words. These are just… soft. It’s five different short fics, all with slight variations on the simple concept of Quentin and Eliot reuniting post-possession. There’s no intensive deep-dive, nothing too grim or challenging. It’s just the two of them finding their way to each other again and again. Very healing to read, in light of canon’s (inferior) version of reality.

struck from a great height by mtothedestiel (@summersteve). Explicit. 4,517 words. “Life affirming sex” is the most telling tag on this thing. Post-possession, Eliot and Quentin find their way into each other’s arms. Really hot sex, lots of feelings… everything we deserved at the end of the Monster story-line.

And So Lift Your Spirits by OrchardsinSnow (@orchardsinsnow). Explicit. 3,437 words. This was one of the first fics I remember reading in the aftermath of my desperate post-season four feelings, and it hit the spot in the best way. Eliot’s POV - he loves Quentin, but has doubts that he’s actually deserving of something so wonderful, that Quentin could really reciprocate and want to stay. Quentin finds an insanely hot, insanely romantic way to reassure him.

Ten Twenty-Eight by Page161of180. Not Rated. 5,974 words. This is slice-of-life about Quentin Coldwater and how he’s spent Eliot’s birthday, October 28, over the years. It’s told through notes from the Library branch of the Underworld, with added comments from Alice and Penny. It’s weird, but rewarding. I love the record-keeping aspect. This author has a real gift for outsider POV, and this is one of my favorites!

Nights and Mornings by Page161of180. Mature. 6,734 words. Two connected stories, in the aftermath of possession. Quentin doesn’t die, but he does still get back together with Alice, a la 4x12. These stories deal with Eliot’s thoughts on that, and… spoiler… Quentin/Alice is just not meant to be. Quentin makes a different choice.

The Honor of Your Presence by Page161of180. Mature. 18,117 words. Quentin and Eliot get married, and we hear the story from three different POVs… Todd, Rafe, and Marina 23. Random? Yes. Brilliant? Also yes. I love how each POV has a different and distinct literary style. And how even the people who aren’t closest to Quentin and Eliot can see how insanely in love they are with each other.

The Wanting Then, the Needing Now by Page161of180. Not rated. 3,799 words. Alice’s POV, as Eliot is saved from possession, and Quentin falls apart. Basically, Alice realizes where Quentin really belongs. I love the way this author does justice to Quentin’s love for Alice - it’s not a footnote, it’s not an insignificant blip. It’s real, and that doesn’t invalidate the fact that Quentin chooses Eliot. This has a much longer sequel which is also very good - but that story is more Alice-centric and not really focused on Queliot as much, even though they definitely play a part.

Lay Me Down (Pockets Full of Stones) by PanBoleyn (@eidetictelekinetic). Not Rated. 10,024 words. Post-possession, Eliot realizes how badly Quentin has been dealing with things. He’s angry at their friends for not keeping a better eye out - but all that matters right now is finding Quentin and making sure he’s alright. I love this story for how messy their reunion is - how all of their feelings just come spilling out of them without finesse.

(one kiss) it all comes down to this by PanBoleyn (@eidetictelekinetic). Not Rated. 6,391 words. True Love’s Kiss… the boys need to talk about their feelings, and a curse forces the issue. This is so entirely my jam.

box of chocolates by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Mature. 9,256 words. This short series begins with the Teen-rated for love (if it finds you worthy) and features Eliot asking Quentin to be his valentine. Because Quentin and Eliot are… Quentin and Eliot, it still takes them a little while to get their shit together, after that.

when lips and skin remember by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 6,163 words. This is for the monthly prompt challenge - “blindfolds” and features Quentin helping Eliot through some sensory issues, post-Monster possession.

an end (but the start of all things that are left to do) by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 2,388 words. Birthday smut! Q is alive and gets a blowjob, as the universe requires.

the one with the dog by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 80,517 words. If you haven’t already read this series, what are you waiting for?? It is IDEAL for soothing the soul. Eliot and Quentin deal with the aftermath of their trauma, both physical and mental. They hang out at the condo in New York, they take care of an adorable dog named Lady Desdemona, they have lots of hot sex of course. They heal. Every single one of the twelve stories in this series is worth reading, but my favorites are probably (this is) the beat of my heart (Explicit, 11,700 words), Five Card Draw (Explicit, 3,531 words), all the way home I’ll be warm (Explicit, 15,640 words), and Come What May (Teen, 3,352 words).

5 Scenes from a Road Trip by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 16,218 words. In the aftermath of season four (sans Quentin’s death), the boys need a change of scenery to begin healing and finding their way back to one another. I love how this fic shows their closeness, and how the boundaries of their relationship often defy description. They love each other beyond sex, beyond conventional romance - although they achieve those things, too, as they definitely deserve.

did you know my baby loves me? by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 7,776 words. Quentin tops Eliot on his birthday. What it says on the tin. But as always with this author, even something that should be ostensibly a PWP is filled with so much feeling and love that you could just drown in it.

To Learn to Be Again by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 18,295 words. “I don’t think- I can’t be anyone’s boyfriend right now, Eliot.” Eliot loves Quentin, Quentin loves Eliot, but that’s not always enough to give them a happily ever after. Quentin goes to therapy, deals with his trauma and his mental health, and Eliot is right there beside him with no expectations. This is so, so lovely and every ounce of their happiness feels earned and all the more precious for the pain that’s mixed up with it.

do not go gentle by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 10,260 words. This is almost a fix-it, in that Quentin imagines the events of 4x13, but they don’t actually happen. So be warned if any depiction of Quentin’s death is a trigger for you. I love the way this story deals with the Alice of it all, and also the way Quentin and Eliot talk through their situation and find a way back to each other once again. (Also shower sex happens). This author has written multiple versions of this same reconciliation, but each one is so lovely and I’ll never get sick of it.

the strange act of living by propinquitous (@propinquitous). Explicit. 13,632 words. So there are a lot of fics out there that deal with the aftermath of Eliot’s possession of course. A lot of fics that feature Eliot and Quentin slowly, painfully, finding a way to reconcile. This one holds a special place in my heart for this particular moment, where Quentin walks past Eliot without saying anything, grabs a muffin from the counter, and leaves the room. Later, Q finds Eliot crying in the shower, and Eliot asks him why he just left, taking the food Eliot had made for him, and then ignoring him. That one moment has stuck with me ever since I read the fic, and I keep coming back to it. In all, this captures a very specific kind of hurt that both Quentin and Eliot are feeling, and gets them on the path to healing. Gorgeous.

the safety of others by propinquitous (@propinquitous). Teen. 8,122 words. Quentin doesn’t die in 4x13, but he does get injured. And Eliot keeps vigil. This is - so powerful. I don’t even know how to describe it. Just read it, please.

Magic Curses by Rizandace (@Nellie-Elizabeth). Explicit. 134,886 words. This series includes six stories, each dealing with Quentin and Eliot’s relationship as they undergo external threats from creative and somewhat evil magical curses. It’s my attempt to write in some more hurt/comfort to the fandom, and also to indulge in some established-relationship goodness! The first story, Lover’s Touch (Explicit, 24,781 words), is summarized thusly: “Q gets cursed, and Alice can’t help. Magic forces Q and Eliot to cuddle and talk about their feelings.”

Coming Home by rizcriz (@sadlittlenerdking). Not Rated. 2,958 words. Short and sweet. The author succinctly describes this as: “Eliot gets to be brave.” And he does. He says the thing he wants to say to Quentin, and Q eventually believes him.

Enough by SabbyStarlight. Teen. 2,746 words. This was written just before 4x13 came out. If only if only this is how it had gone instead… basically just Quentin and Eliot talking about their feelings, negotiating their relationship.

Boyfriend by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Teen. 6,727 words. Quentin is sensitive about the fact that Eliot isn’t introducing him as his boyfriend. This is just… the sweetest. I love that there’s some jealousy and insecurity, but it’s a manageable, reasonable type - Eliot and Quentin are able to talk about it and get past this small bump in the road.

Hunger by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 4,327 words. Quentin gets a birthday blowjob. The end. :)

~~~~~

Mosaic Timeline

These stories are ones that take place almost or entirely within the mosaic timeline - both in keeping with, and in deviation from, what we see in 3x05.

help me hold onto you by ameliajessica (@ameliajessica). Explicit. 14,768 words. This one will hurt your heart, but it’s so rewarding. Featuring Eliot being ridiculously turned on by talking about feelings during sex… and Quentin loving Eliot while grieving for Arielle.

‘Cause my baby’s sweet as can be by destielpasta (@queliotpasta). Teen. 645 words. Tiny fic - maybe the shortest one on the list. Quentin and Eliot are bad at talking about their feelings. Who’s surprised?

flowing all this time by mtothedestiel (@summersteve). Explicit. 5,488 words. This is one of those fics where Arielle isn’t an obstacle for the boys… but rather, Eliot is an obstacle for Quentin and Arielle, in a way. It has some bittersweet moments, but I love how much Eliot loves Quentin here. This is also (spoiler) the rare fic where Arielle chooses to leave, rather than dying.

a cure i know (that soothes the soul) by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 4,857 words. Little snippets of Quentin and Eliot’s life through the years at the mosaic. Recc’ing especially for middle-aged Queliot, which we see all too little of in this fandom!

measure in love by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 51,827 words. This is a series about Quentin, Eliot, and Arielle’s lives together at the mosaic. I don’t know if the author plans to write more in this series or not, but each one can stand alone. I am particularly enamored with The Ways We Fit Together (Explicit, 11,661 words), which is summarized succinctly as “sex and love in the mosaic timeline”, and You Steer My Heart (Explicit, 25,217 words), which follows Eliot’s mindset as he watches Quentin and Arielle fall in love with each other, while Quentin and Eliot continue to love each other as well. It’s stunning, and probably my favorite take on the three of them and their polyamorous relationship. This series has everything - the best combination of smut and feelings you could hope for.

Running All This Time by Rizandace (@Nellie-Elizabeth). Explicit. 179,478 words.The story of the mosaic timeline, built on the foundation of love and communication. To my knowledge, the only completed mosaic long-fic in the fandom thus far! Includes Fillorian nonsense, a quest within a quest, plenty of sex, lots of hurt/comfort, a different take on Arielle, and happy endings for everyone.

Reciprocal by Rizandace (@Nellie-Elizabeth). Teen. 8,259. Eliot is an idiot about his feelings (what else is new?), and he tries to make things better in the worst possible way. This fic imagines a world where Eliot and Quentin find happiness together without Arielle as a part of their romantic/sexual lives.

my heart is thrilled by the still of your hand by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 9,586 words. This is the porn-iest version of “Quentin and Eliot don’t know how to talk about their feelings.” Basically, the boys keep jerking off next to each other in bed, and they don’t talk about it because they’re IDIOTS.

you know that’s my love (bursting loud from inside) by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 11,904 words. Another fic where Arielle decides to leave. Eliot is so good at taking care of his family.

tomorrow past tonight by vegansheilseitan. Explicit. 7,676 words. Okay - if you’re only going to read one gap-filler for 3x05, that’s basically just the missing sex scene and nothing else, make it this one. It’s hot, and it’s aching with everything Quentin and Eliot aren’t saying to each other. This is one of my absolute favorites.

~~~~~

Brakebills Alternate Universe / Season One

These stories are generally, but not always, pure relationship fics where the plot concerns of canon (i.e. the Beast, and time loops) do not exist, and instead Quentin and Eliot get to be magical grad students together, and fall in love.

Every Blessed Thing by achray. Explicit. 7,795 words. Quentin turns himself invisible. This fic is complex in how Alice and Quentin’s relationship is portrayed, and the resolution isn’t clear-cut. I really like this characterization of both Quentin and Eliot.

saturate the atmosphere (wake me from a dream) by Allegria23 (@allegria23). Explicit. 7,394 words. This is some good ol’ sexy times with a healthy dash of feelings. Eliot involuntarily levitates them while Quentin’s giving him a blowjob, so… that’s honestly all you need to know about this one. Go give it a read.

i feel it in my body, know it in my mind by ameliajessica (@ameliajessica). Mature. 11,817 words. Let’s pretend that this is what happened in 1x03, okay? Kady doesn’t interrupt when Eliot pours Q a drink, and sex ensues. I love how flabbergasted Eliot is by everything that happens - especially his reaction to the news that Quentin isn’t straight, and isn’t going to be squeamish at the thought of sleeping with a man. So hot, so cute.

if being him is who you are / say it loud say you know you are by ameliajessica (@ameliajessica). Mature. 5,293 words. Okay, holy shit. Mike’s POV - he decides that he and Eliot should have a threesome with Quentin, so Eliot can get it out of his system. Uh. Yeah, that backfires. Poor Mike. But also - the sex in this is the epitome of tenderness and love. Eliot is so careful with Quentin, so awed and desperate and shaky at the chance to be with him. There is a sequel in the works, too, so watch out for that!

Hedonism for Beginners by ceeainthereforthat (@ceeainthereforthat). Explicit. 20,730 words. A series of filthy sex, basically. Eliot is teaching Quentin about what he likes in bed. I don’t know if the series is abandoned or not, but in any case, each of these works on its own as a PWP but with a deep undercurrent of feelings.

Something Good by HMGFanfic (@hmgfanfic). Teen. 162,260 words. The Gold Standard slow-burn rom-com AU! Seriously, I know everyone’s read this, but if you haven’t for some reason… please do. The slow-burn is so slow you’ll be tearing your hair out by the end, but it’s all worth it when you get to the catharsis. How oblivious can Quentin be about Eliot’s feelings? This fic asks and answers that question, and the answer is - very. There are also two fics that accompany the main story: Someone Good (Eliot’s POV of the main story) and Somewhere Good (future one-shots of Quentin and Eliot’s life together). Both are on hiatus but the author plans to return to them. You can read the existing chapter of each without feeling like anything is unfinished, though.

Not Always Folly by HMGFanfic (@hmgfanfic). Explicit. 262,583 words. Another amazing romantic… comedy? but this one is from Eliot’s POV and is in some ways more a character study of Eliot Waugh than it is simply a romance. Although the romance… you guys… the pining levels are off the charts. Eliot ends up hurting Quentin, and really everyone else he cares about, in this story, but he puts in the work to make it right. I admire this fic for diving deep into Eliot’s psyche while also delivering on an amazing slow-burn of a different sort. Bonus points for Alice and Eliot getting to be friends like they deserve!

Be kind by longnationalnightmare. Explicit. 10,069 words. It’s the highest kudo’d fic in the fandom! I assume that means you’ve all read it? This is a PWP, but I love it specifically for how much Eliot loses his usual control when he’s with Quentin.

to be unbroken or be brave again. by milominderbinder (@disasterbiquentin). Teen. 14,135 words. Hey, it’s a 10 Things I Hate About You AU! Kind of! Josh asks Quentin to pretend to date Eliot to cheer him up after a breakup, so that Margo will go out with Josh. But Q tells Eliot what’s up right away - so they’re fake dating but real feelings happen. Super cheesy, of course, but it hits the spot!

in the world full wrong (you’re the thing that’s right) by Mizzy (@Mizzy2k). Explicit. 5,307 words. Eliot tries to hook up with Quentin Coldwater and gets more than he bargained for. I love this for how matter-of-fact Quentin is, about the fact that Eliot wants to seduce him… and then hpw he ends up doing some seducing of his own.

If You Haven’t Yet by OrchardsinSnow (@orchardsinsnow). Explicit. 5,828 words. Obviously we all love confident Eliot Waugh totally rocking Quentin’s world… but I have a soft spot for oddly confident Quentin who really knows what he’s doing, and this fic has the perfect blend of both dynamics. The best part is Quentin slowly and methodically undressing Eliot and not letting him help. It’s… whew. *fans self*

the heat that drives the light by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 9,296 words. Quentin and Eliot have an antagonistic relationship, until Eliot realizes Quentin might be what he’s looking for in a sexual partner. Sub Eliot, new-to-being-a-Dom Quentin. Super hot.

it started out with a kiss (how did it end up like this) by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 7,896 words. In the aftermath of a bad breakup, Quentin and Eliot find their way to each other. This is super amazing all on its own, but the author is also working on a sequel that I’m really enjoying thus far. Either story could probably be read without the other, too.

the bridge between us by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 16,201 words. Dom Eliot, Sub Quentin. Quentin and Eliot navigate their BDSM sex life, but also their feelings. Eliot is so tender and soft with Q, and Q learns to take care of Eliot in return. This is one of my absolute favorites from this author. Also, as a note, there’s a “prequel” to this fic called paint it red (Explicit, 7,197 words) that could totally be read as a separate piece, but is worth checking out as the origin story of how these two got together and started shaping their dynamics, sexual and otherwise.

(Everyone Has) That Drawer by ProofOfConcept and wilddragonflying. Explicit. 5,782 words. Eliot finds Quentin’s stash of sex toys. It’s enough to get him to finally act on their mutual, unspoken attraction. Hot!

Wake Me Up by rizcriz (@sadlittlenerdking). Not Rated. 4,000 words. Quentin has sleep apnea, but Eliot doesn’t know that… and he gets a little - alarmed. This is objectively an odd premise, but it’s incredibly sweet. rizcriz has about a million stories and I’ve read a lot of them, but I’m a fan of the ones like this, that take a specific concept and run with it, sort of like slice-of-life. Check out more of their work, though, I can’t possibly put them all on the list!

Migraine Mastery by SabbyStarlight. Not rated. 2,012 words. Short and sweet - Quentin has a migraine and Eliot helps.

Between Friends by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 15,019 words. This is the quintessential (Quentin-sential?) Brakebills get-together fic. It’s a party, Quentin and Eliot end up going to bed together… both of them are a little uncertain about what this means, but they work it out. Recc’ing for the hot sex, but even more for the “wake up in the middle of the night to have a tender round two without talking about what it means” sex.

Sex Magic by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 42,006 words. Uhh… what it says on the tin. Every one of these is scorching, but my favorite is probably the first one: How Easy You Are To Need.

All Of You A Verb In Perfect View by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 6,398 words. PWP where Eliot distracts Quentin while he tries to do his homework.

You Can Devastate Me by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 9,018 words. Marqueliot sex scene - Quentin and Eliot are a couple, but Margo is running the show. Just… hot, but of course Eliot’s love for Quentin still permeates the whole piece. So much tenderness, with so much filth.

~~~~~

Alternate Universe (No Magic)

So many of these seem so completely random in premise, but they’re all amazing!

Our Sublime Refrain by destielpasta (@queliotpasta) and mtothedestiel (@summersteve). Explicit. 233,929 words. It’s 1836, Eliot is a pianist. This one is Marqueliot, y’all, and let me tell you - it is a journey. If you are somewhat put off by the idea of an AU so far removed from canon, about a topic you know very little about… please give this a try. I was a little hesitant too, but I promise it will not disappoint.

Pretty Good Year by Hth (@spiders-hth-is-an-outlier). Explicit. 175,728 words. I’m not going to lie - this is a difficult fic for me. It’s stunning, but getting through it was an incredibly emotional, challenging journey. While many fics in this fandom deal with Quentin’s mental illness, I’ve never seen a fic talk about it quite like this one. That’s not to put you off from trying it if you haven’t already - this is one of the most achingly real stories I’ve ever read, and it will reward you for giving it a chance.

opening doors by impossibletruths (@impossibletruths). Mature. 52,230 words. Quentin is a playwright! Eliot is an associate director who used to act! This is a slow-ish burn, and the worldbuilding of the characters in a theatrical setting is so fun!

couch party verse by marcel. Mature. 33,725 words. These two stories feature Quentin, Eliot, and the rest of the gang at a non-magical grad school. The thing I love about these stories is how slow and realistic the escalation of the relationship feels. It’s not a hot hookup right away - they clearly like each other, but circumstances sometimes get in the way, and there’s also no big rush to the finish line. This is a softer, gentler universe that still has its own realism and trauma, too. I hope the author chooses to add to it someday!

Saltwater by mtothedestiel (@summersteve). Explicit. 35,560 words. It’s a pirate AU! What more could you possibly need to know? I love how all of the characters and locations are cleverly repurposed here - the Whitespire and Our Lady Underground are ships, Quentin is a ship’s doctor, Eliot is a captain, etc. And the slowburn between Quentin and Eliot is masterful. This is actually a series - part one is complete, and part two is in progress.

A (Gingerbread) House that we can Build by mtothedestiel (@summersteve), with art by eliotsvests (surprisegents). Explicit. 28,189 words. I am not a cheesy Christmas movie person, and I am not a kid!fic person. So I thought this might not be the story for me, at first. But I’m so glad I clicked on it - this is a story about second chances, and finding happiness when you aren’t even looking for it. And I love the way little Teddy is written here. He’s got all the sweetness of Quentin Coldwater’s son, without tilting over into being saccharine. This is just the right amount of sweet if you want to put yourself back in the holiday spirit.

I’ll Follow My Secret Heart by OrchardsinSnow (@orchardsinsnow). Mature. 17,613 words. I don’t really know how to describe this one… it’s weird! It’s a meet cute, Eliot gets in an accident, there’s a blizzard, bed (floor) sharing so as to prevent freezing to death, Eliot is kinda famous and Quentin doesn’t know. All I can say is, this is precious, and odd, and I got totally swept up in the world.

I Need You So Much Closer by OrchardsinSnow (@orchardsinsnow). Explicit. 14,436 words. I love this story. Eliot is a musician, he and Quentin are exes from years ago, who fell apart because of Eliot’s alcoholism. But he’s sober now, and he’s touring where Quentin lives - so they reconnect. Eliot calls Quentin the “smoke show love of [his] life” at one point in this fic, and that phrase just… stuck with me in the best way. Don’t miss the mini-sequel, You Need Me So Much Closer (Explicit, 3,874 words), either. I really hope the author writes more in this universe!

Experimentation by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 4,812 words. PWP where Eliot meets Quentin at a sex shop and Eliot teaches him what he’s into. Hot hot hot.

(i just might) remember that night by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 4,732 words. This might be crack, I don’t know. There are dick pics, and it’s silly, but also Quentin and Eliot feel this amazing connection to each other right off the bat, and that is honestly my jam.

and if tomorrow it’s all over (at least we had it for a moment) by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Explicit. 45,461 words. Quentin and Eliot were a couple in high school, but they haven’t seen each other in years. They run into each other again at Julia’s wedding, and everything comes rushing back. I like the fact that this fic features very little (if any) angst. The idea is that these two people missed out on their chance to be together, but they haven’t been desperately pining for years. But once they’re back in a room together… their connection is undeniable. Also, the sex is great.

hold me like a (liar) lover does by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart) with art by Doomkitty25. Explicit. 80,812 words. A holiday fic! Fake dating! Mutual pining! So tropey and excellent. Really hot sex, as is the norm for this author! Warning for Alice being something of a villain in this piece, although there’s a potential reconciliation implied right at the end. I love this fic for going beyond just the romance, and also telling a story about Quentin and Eliot’s careers, and what they want out of their lives - in terms of romance, yes, but in terms of their work lives as well.

Ask Me, I Won’t Say No by vegansheilseitan. Explicit. 22,616 words. A… pub trivia AU? Which is a thing I didn’t know I needed? Mostly this is about widower!Quentin, with a kid, meeting Eliot Waugh. They fall in love. The sex in this is incendiary, but the growing relationship between these two is what really makes it worth the read.

~~~~~

Alternate Universe (With Magic)

These stories feature roughly the same worldbuilding as the show’s canon, but the character’s journeys deviate significantly. Maybe Quentin and Eliot don’t meet at Brakebills, or their journey to getting there is different in some other way!

fire and life by everytuesday. Teen. 7,060 words. This is a high school AU, where Eliot discovers his magic, and accidentally kills his father. Quentin helps him to bury the body. It’s a little bit dark, obviously, given that description… so take care.

First Year by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Mature. 11,957 words. Quentin is a Brakebills student, who also happens to be a sylph from Fillory. He has wings, and Eliot is more than a little intrigued. The author may have plans to write a sequel!

push me (further than i thought i could go) by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 15,036 words. Quentin and Eliot meet at a game of Push, and then have their own private contest later on. Mostly recommending this one for the sex, but also for Confident Quentin Coldwater, and for the fact that no matter the circumstances, these boys are gone for each other pretty much right away.

Hedges, Bitch by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 56,568 words. This series has four works, the longest “main” story of which, theón kai andrón, is another personal favorite of mine. It features Eliot as the leader of a coven of hedge witches, and Quentin as a magical novice who didn’t make it into Brakebills. I love the dynamic between Quentin and Eliot in these stories, as they fall naturally into a dom/sub relationship, but Eliot works to make sure the power differential between them doesn’t adversely affect things, either on the job, or in their personal lives. Eliot is just so soft for Quentin in these stories, while also admiring him and depending on him as the gang gets themselves caught up in a dangerous threat to hedges all over the world.

~~~~~

Fillory/Royalty

These stories are sometimes canon deviations, and usually deal with Eliot as the High King, and his relationship with Quentin from there.

oh this is us, this is love and this is where I sleep by buckybunnyteeth. Explicit. 4,360 words. Quentin is jealous of Idri! Eliot is way, way too delighted about it. Really hot. I probably shouldn’t be as charmed by jealous!Quentin as I am. But this is amazing.

Make a list of things you need by longnationalnightmare. Explicit. 10,264 words. Eliot and Quentin are getting married, but Eliot’s okay with keeping it platonic. Quentin… is not. Hot, hot, hot.

i’d be the last shred of truth (in the lost myth of true love) by milominderbinder (@disasterbiquentin), with art by gilestel. Eliot and Margo are made the High Kings of Fillory, and then later Eliot meets a cute Brakebills professor Quentin Coldwater, who is staying at Whitespire for research. There’s a truth curse! Eliot is set to marry Idri, but uh-oh, feelings happen! Tropey as hell, super cute.

and this is the map of my heart by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 14,033 words. Eliot is High King, and he is expected to marry. Quentin magnanimously offers himself for the position, and of course there’s angst about that. And scorching hot sex. And Eliot struggling to be emotionally vulnerable. One of my absolute favorites from the author.

whitespire by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 1,529 words. Eliot sits on his throne, Quentin drops to his knees and calls him “Your Majesty.” So… yeah. Yum.

~~~~~

Brian and Nigel

This is an area where more content needs to exist! Send me a note if there are some I’ve missed.

A Little Disguised, or a Little Mistaken by Page161of180. Mature. 17,807 words. Brian and Nigel find each other, and fall in love. This is gorgeous. Quentin and Eliot are recognizably themselves, but also just different enough that when their real selves start poking through the memory wipe, you can feel the change coming. Another story where canon comes along and steals happiness right out from under them. They were so close!

Shine Through My Memory by PanBoleyn (@eidetictelekinetic). Mature. 61,311 words. This one starts as a fic about Brian and Nigel meeting and falling in love… and then the Monster still possesses Nigel/Eliot, and the events of season four continue from there. But with memories of Brian and Nigel’s love in Quentin’s head, things play out a little differently. We follow the story all the way through to Eliot getting saved by Margo and Quentin, and the reconciliation/reunion afterwards. This fic has a little of everything, and it’s really the only re-telling of season four I’ve seen that covers the canon plot while adding something new and unique to the story!

Reaching in the Dark by sirfoxheart (@sirfoxheart). Mature. 53,040 words. Eliot remembers who he is, but Quentin thinks he’s Brian. Eliot and Alice work together to protect Quentin from the Monster. This is so complex and difficult and sad and challenging, and when you reach the end, you’ll feel so frustrated about how close they were to figuring their shit out. But ultimately, canon comes back to snatch that happy ending away.

~~~~~

Other

The few fics that I couldn’t categorize neatly into any of the above sections.

So It May As Well Be Me by achray. Explicit. 14,596 words. There was only one bed. Trapped in a closet. Sex pollen. Sex magic rituals. Every fanfic trope becomes manifest. Quentin seems oblivious; Eliot is freaking out. This is just the epitome of fun.

our place in the family of things by greywash, with art by yourtinseltinkerbell (@yourtinseltinkerbell). Explicit. 208,582 words. This is sort of a Brakebills AU, I suppose, but it takes place after Eliot has graduated. Quentin comes to visit over the holidays. So here’s the thing about greywash’s prose - they are stunning. They are dense, and complex, and almost hard to read - but I mean that as the highest compliment. This story, and really all of this author’s work, rewards careful study. This story has so, so much to offer. So if you haven’t given it a shot, or you’re intimidated by the length, please give it a try. Featuring Eliot’s complex relationship with his mother, with religion, with his sexuality, with Quentin, with Margo. Featuring a story of queer love that transcends time and convention. Featuring some excellent worldbuilding, especially as concerns Quentin’s family, and Eliot’s career. Featuring beautiful accompanying artwork. Featuring a proposal scene that knocked me the fuck out. Featuring love, in every way.

To Give You Hope and a Future by Page161of180. Not rated. 4,374 words. I couldn’t put this in the fix-it category, or in the mosaic category, or really even in the post-season four category. It’s all and none of those things. Eliot, in the aftermath of Quentin’s death, goes to the mosaic and talks to old man Quentin, who is grieving his husband. This is sad, y’all. But cathartic, too.

Cheat Day by peacefrog (@lizardkingeliot). Explicit. 1,624 words. Set during season four. Quentin misses Eliot, and does something sad and dangerous. Short and… well, sweet is the wrong word. This one will punch you right in the gut.

Movement by pineapplecrushface (@pineapplecrushface). Explicit. 17,036 words. These are three stories that are only loosely connected in that they are about sex, and introspection. They fit into lots of categories - parts of them take place in Eliot’s happy place, parts at the mosaic, parts in the aftermath of possession. All three stories in the series are scorching hot and full of so much feeling. I really admire how they weave through time, following the changing dynamics through the events of canon in a really unique way.

darkness, welcoming by portraitofemmy (@portraitofemmy). Explicit. 17,748 words. I almost put this in the Alternate Universe (With Magic) section, but this is not the same world as canon. Eliot is a vampire! He saves Quentin’s life and then… uh… well, they fall in love, and there’s some blood play. Eliot is super smitten, and it’s precious. Also really hot.

What Was and What Will Be by ProofOfConcept and wilddragonflying. Mature. 35,996 words. This is part mosaic-fic, part post-possession fic… it’s basically just another story of these two idiots being so bad at communication, but finally getting it right. A really satisfying journey, encompassing so many elements of what we all wished for in canon. I especially loved the long and difficult conversation they have during their reunion. The line that really punched me in the gut was: “fuck you for saying ‘I love you’ for the first goddamn time when you’re breaking up with me.”

kiss me harder, you’re better than you know by propinquitous (@propinquitous). Explicit. 4,633 words. This could easily take place in a nebulous post-season-four world, but it exists in its own little bubble and could really slot into any given universe. It deals with Quentin’s depression in a really direct, really devastating way, but also features Eliot being there for Quentin as best as he can. As the tags say, “not the healthiest of coping mechanisms.” But it’s filled with so much tenderness I can hardly stand it.

To Feel the Same by Rizandace (@Nellie-Elizabeth). Teen. 1,725 words. A small gap-filler at the end of the “I think you should probably hug me right now” scene in 2x01.

#the magicians #queliot #fic recs #my posts #this took me forEVER #so please reblog and add your own suggestions!#also yes i did put my own fics on here... i'm proud of them and want more people to find them!#117 fics & series (and counting!)#the links seem to be working on mobile #but not desktop #which is annoying?#but that's tumblr for ya

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zet-sway · 3 years

Text

@the-wip-project day 26:

Which character is an absolute pain to write and why?

Shepard. Is the biggest pain in my ass.

Because Shepard is practically intended to be a self insert.

I am NOT trying to piss on self-inserts. People can do what they want and I'm not mad about anyone writing self-insert fanfics. Literally do what makes you happy because that's why we're all here :D

The issue I have with writing Shepard is: the character fully customizable right down to their service and pre-service history. And I, like a lot of people, project a lot of myself onto Shep and that makes [my Shepard at least], very annoying to write.

I'm trying to create a definitive character that isn't myself, and the canon is so open-ended it makes it extremely difficult to not write myself. I'm not good at making characters. Anyone who's been reading my Shepard's dialogue knows for sure my Shep talks like I write - a lot of cussing, sarcasm, whatever. I can live with that but creating her background is much more difficult. At the end of the day, we all reach for our own experiences to understand the world around us.

And from a writer-reader relationship perspective, I try to be extra careful when writing Shepard. I didn't always write like this in the past but I try to be more conscious of it now. I deliberately avoid mentioning: hair color, skin color, eye color, and first names. Also scars, to a lesser extent.

My most recent upload is an outlier, I made the decision that since I'm actually trying to tell a story, I will give my Shepard some more character, which includes my first mention of Shepard's first name (second, technically, but I went back and revised that old first time to remove it. Also that time I did a holiday harbinger fill, but that was a gift for a specific person, and Shepard's name was dropped for the benefit of the recipient). And I do plan to continue this trend of personalizing her more because that's one of the goals I have - better character development. So I do apologize - I do mean to do more his/hers style fanfics.

NOW HEAR ME OUT because I'm NOT trying to point a finger at everyone who writes in first names or any of the above descriptors. People should write what they want to. Personally - because I used to fill a lot of follower prompts - I wanted to make Shepard more vague. I wanted people to be able to picture their Shep in those fills. Also I am lazy and it's easier sometimes to write smut of a vague character.

So for general prompt fills and stuff, I avoid mentioning the things that make Shepard unique because it can be immersion breaking for the reader. If someone is picturing a Black Shepard and suddenly there are lines about how the Shep in my story has light colored skin, that's immersion-breaking.

But yeah, I never really sat down and tried to figure out who my Shepard is. The pre-service history is very interesting. I chose spacer because growing up on spaceships sounds cool and interesting. But that's a wide open field of unknowns. How many ships did they live on? What is spaceship housing like? What's it like going to school on a ship? Where did they travel to? What's it like being a child on a military ship with military parents? What kinds of systems did they travel to? There are so many unknowns. On it's own, without exploring any of the open ends, spacer is kind of a boring background.

I'm pretty bad at filling in those blanks. I don't want to mary-sue my character. That's why most of my current writing has a heavy focus on the trauma of being resurrected and thrown back into a war. That's some canon information I can run with.

This answer really got away from me, huh. My head is full. I have to go to bed soon. I hope everyone is having a good night!

#zet vs 100days #im going to a doggo birthday party tomorrow its important #zet things

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sepublic · 4 years

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Belos and King- The Inner Titan?

Random baseless theory incoming, formed from an epiphany I had answering @larondareddamnxssd‘s ask, as well as discussion with @anistarrose; But you know all of the speculation about King being the Titan? And how there seems to be a disconnect between King and the Titan, as they’re treated like separate entities whom Luz and Belos can both talk/listen to…?

Going off of the thoughts of that previous ask, and into pure baseless speculation… What if King and Belos were the Inner-Selves of the Titan? What if these two were like what we saw in Understanding Willow; The concept of an ‘Inner Willow’, one who is older, dark, foreboding, constantly lashing out in rage and seeing herself as an unrecognizable monster…

…While there’s along a younger Inner Willow; The innocent child that she once was! What if this was King, while Belos was the dark version of the Titan’s psyche?

I’ve speculated before that Belos is like Luz, in that aside from the obvious Light motifs, he’s also someone who may have been lonely in the past, a person who parasitically clings to the Titan not just for practical reasons, but because he may have an emotional connection to it as well! King is also someone who’s afraid of being left behind, and even benefitted from the accidental opportunity to have Luz all to himself in Really Small Problems!

We don’t know if there are any other Titans, but so far Willow refers to the one we know of as THE Titan. What if the Titan was the only one of its kind, alone and dejected; And when it died, it gave life to others so it wouldn’t have to be alone? Maybe Belos is just a dark reflection of the Titan’s trauma, the desire to spread the gift of magic to those who are interested, while making sure everybody is included; But this desire and view has been warped and distorted by whatever happened to the Titan… Perhaps the cataclysm incident that killed it? Either way, him not quite reflecting that the Titan is truly like could be similar to how Inner Willow was much more rage-filled and wrathful than the Willow we saw!

On the other hand, while Belos is the darker, mature Inner Titan… King is the Inner Titan that still retains his childlike innocence and mentality! And it’d explain why he’s someone who acts experienced, but also often defaults to the mindset of a kid (which he probably is in all honesty)! He’s still fundamentally the representation of the Titan as a child, and so that’s essentially his ‘default’ state!

After all, there ARE the small physical resemblances between King and the Titan, and the Titan and Belos! This does beg the question though… When the Titan died, did it deliberately give its Inner-Selves their own bodies to interact with it? Did what was left of it begin interacting with itself, kind of like Father from Fullmetal Alchemist, except way more benevolent?

(I mean there’s already been comparisons between Belos and Father with the haphazard pipes in their lairs and body horror-motifs going on…)

This could potentially still tie into the idea of Belos being a counterpart to Luz, especially with their Light motifs, and the imagery of Light within Darkness within Willow’s mindscape! It also reminds me of my earlier speculation, on the idea of trauma and one’s identity; If maybe Belos sees himself as someone so twisted and changed that he’s less a continuation of the person he once was, and more a separate individual who was spawned by the death of the predecessor?

Which, remember what was ALSO hinted at in Understanding Willow? That one library book titled, “The Titan and his spawn”…? And maybe I’m overthinking this, but remember when King called the Trash Slug his ‘baby boy’ in Episode 3, only to renounce it by crying “I have no son!” Could this be yet another example of the rejection of blood family, in favor of found family?

(I mean technically the Trash Slug was found family, but you get the idea; The Titan and/or Belos rejected King or left him behind)

What if the Day of Unity was more a Day of Reunion, Belos reuniting himself with the Titan’s body in full control of it, to spread what HE feels like is the Titan’s true mindset and goals; And he sees himself as what the Titan is, or became, really… Which does beg the question if he knows of King’s existence, and if we’ll see them react to one anothers’ presences in the season finale…

Perhaps like with Willow, Luz will once more act as a Light in the darkness, illuminating the truth of who a person still is… Maybe she’ll help Belos come to terms with himself and his trauma, and still see himself as the Titan… Or at the very least, remember the kinder person he usedto be.

Obviously this DOES confuse into the idea of whether or not it’s King-Kikimora and Hooty-Belos parallels, or switched around! Maybe it could be BOTH…? Regardless, the idea that the Titan, just like Willow, also trusted Luz to go into its ‘mind’ and heal the darkness and trauma within…? THAT would be quite the callback…

Of course this leaves the question of what would happen to King and Belos should there be a reconciliation? And if I had to guess… If I AM right in that Belos wants to resurrect the Titan, obviously doing so would cause massive destruction and basically destroy the Boiling Isles as we know it! So I can see the show briefly bringing the Titan back, only for it to die again… And King and Belos still get to be their own separate characters, OR Belos goes back to become one with the Titan to properly ‘heal’ this time… It’s worth noting that at the end of Understanding Willow, the young and mature Inner Willows still exist within Willow’s mind as seemingly-separate entities! And I’d hate to see King be separated from Luz…

I just think it’d be neat; Especially given my speculation before on parallels between Willow and Belos and a trauma-induced identity crisis, while obviously the evidence tying the two together initially proved incorrect… It would be a fascinating callback to have Belos start off as an unrecognizable, masked monster; Just as Inner Willow did, taking the form of a Flame Monster! And Belos ALSO has destructive fire motifs…

And I COULD be overthinking it, but maybe there’s another connection between Belos and King, with the former referred to by Eda as a ‘bonehead’, while, as @cartoondiscussion reminded me, King has been called ‘boneboy’...

#the owl house #owl house #the owl house belos #emperor belos #the owl house king #speculation #theory

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toomanytakennamesagh · 3 years

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TSC Villains: Ranked from Most to Least Favorite

Listen, I adore The Shadowhunter Chronicles, but the villains have always been iffy for me. This list is purely opinion based, not factual at all.

Note: I havent included Samael or Janus. Samael, cuz I havent reached his parts yet in TLBOTW; Janus, cuz I wanna see how he is in TWP first before making any opinions of how he is as an antagonist.

1. The Cohort- Probably makes me a hypocrite since, much like the others, they're also cartoonishly evil with no redeemable qualities at all. But! Theyre memorable! This is villainy at its most entertaining! Every scene a Cohort member (cough cough Zara cough cough) was in, I kept wanting them to die, get smacked around, have their spine get ripped out and crunched. I felt something more than apathy or vague disappointment!

2. Shinyun Jung- In the spin-offs but she still counts! I didn't like how cartoonishly evil she became in the second book. Like, at all. Still way higher cuz of her portrayal in the first book, her interesting relationship with Magnus, and having a lot of good lines. Bigger bigger disappointment than Annabel and Malcolm, but at least I enjoy her more. Heck, one could even say I liked her.

3. Annabel Blackthorn- An even bigger disappointment than Malcolm. We did not get to know her very well, but at least some of her scenes were memorable. I appreciate Cassie's efforts in trying to write a non-evil villain.

4. Malcolm Fade- Truly disappointing villain. I thought I'd put him higher, but at a reread I realized he wasnt there that often. I really did like his absemtminded persona in the beginning, and he was actually close to killing Tavvy if it weren't for the Blackthorns finding hom out in time. He even got to resurrect Annabel successfully! Even if it ended horribly for him, he technically won in the end. Also. The diary entries in the cottage. Breaks my heart for what could have been, and makes me want to see a short story about their doomed romance.

You know what, maybe I put him so high cuz Im a sucker for a tragic romance. I did say this list was purely opinion-based.

5. Tatiana Lightwood- Putting her around the lower middle cuz so far I don't really...feel anything for her? I like her feelings and relationship with Jesse and Grace? The dress parrallel with Miss Haversham makes a super cool image? I'd have liked it more if we got to see some complicated feelings towards her brothers, cuz really all I saw was blind hate/willful ignorance towards their father's death, and some annoying complaining about them not giving her enough. Just /some/ sign of attachment, or grudging fondness towards their childhood. Maybe we'd hear more about the relationship with their father? Idk, her scenes in the books/extras dont even fill me with dread. She's just kind of...there for the conflict. But who knows? She could get better later on, we're only at one book for now anyways.

6. Sebastian Morgenstern- Don't care about this guy at all. Nope. He at least got some cool lines and sympathy points, where you actually got to see him in a casual setting, and his death and backstory were nice. Otherwise I hate him, demon blood!Sebastian was an irredeemable monster. Idk, I know that a villain can have no redeemable or human side whatsoever (ie Joker) and still be good. But I also know that I don't feel this way about him. Who knows? It's been a while since I've reread the whole series, so I can't really articulate the exact scenes or reasons why I put him this low, I just know what there's a reason.

7. Valentine Morgenstern- Would honestly been eighth place if it werent for his appearances in the spin offs, where you got to see him deal with the other Circle members. I didnt care about this guy much.

8. Axel Mortmain. I mean this one was obvious??? TID hada lot of good stuff in it, but it was definitely not the villain. I dont even... remember him?? Or a lot of his actions?? The only thing I found noteworthy was his backstory (10/10 good motivation) but it doesn't even do anything cuz a lot of the sympathy that can be gained there wasn't done correctly. I think I remember him finally being able to talk to his dad, and instead of being sad or touching-you know, cuz he finally met the father he lost- I didnt really feel anything of that? I dunno, I could be wrong. It's been a while.

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lizardrosen · 3 years

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@eirenical also asked "..and omg is it terrible to want to know about literally all your Les Mis, Narnia, and Star Wars WiPs?? Because I kind of want to know about all of them. XD" on my wip post

Les Mis

SINGING THE SONG OF ANGRY MEN is just my catch-all les mis doc from before I transferred everything from Word to Scrivener, meaning everything in there is before reading the book. I was probably really unfair to Cosette because i thought of her as competition for Eponine's happiness. Anyway, have a e/R fic i wrote based purely on dash osmosis, and complete with misspellings!

resurrection? was just a really strong image i had to write out and was always curious what the larger story would be. Basically Grantaire is smiling soppily at Enjolras and then thinks "That was before they died" and is sad and thoughtful about The Ideal.

Gray Is Okay - turns out I've already posted this one on tumblr! Grantaire and Enjolras talk about pronouns and convictions and uncertainty!

brietbart online - short fic where Enjolras gets himself worked up over right wing newspapers because “It’s good to know how the enemy thinks” and Grantaire helps him calm down. (Pretty sure this one was inspired by someone being Very Extremely Wrong about one of my favorite episodes of star trek, and then I noticed the source) This wasn't very good writing and it wasn't really going anywhere, so I'm never going to post it.

“Please Come Inside” - Enjolras is greyromantic and mostly he just loves all his friends, but he has a queerplatonic relationship with Courfeyrac which slowly develops into (possibly?) romantic attraction, and he's very confused and upset by this internal change and has to Process.

from my vague notes:

at some point they end up at a chinese restaurant because courfeyrac calls it "the ultimate comfort food" enjolras always makes a token protest when they go, but he secretly loves it just as much or more because salty foods are his weakness "we don't need to change anything we're doing," courfeyrac says as he stabs at an egg roll with a single chopstick, "or we can. Uh, your choice. But no matter what I won't be ashamed of you, and i'll trust that you aren't ashamed of me." (courfeyrac is not aro-spec, but he did introduce enjolras to the term) and they talk about their feelings and enjolras's main fear, besides that he's not aromantic at all, is that he'll be forcing courfeyrac into the closet, because even if whatever-he's-feeling is close to what someone else might call romantic, he still Can Not bear to have himself called a boyfriend courfeyrac mostly just wants enjolras to be comfortable, and he's willing to take whatever form their relationship eventually comes

Friendlier Skies - this one's my les mis space au, with a bunch of shorter stories that all fit into the same solar system. One of my favorite elements is that the Gorbeau Building has been remixed into a ship that accepts literally anyone as passengers with no questions asked.

And the Narnia and Star Wars are going under a cut!

Narnia

Gallivanters is an AU where instead of being from Narnia, Caspian is just a Spanish transfer student at the boarding school where Edmund and Peter are, and they have a bunch of nerdy adventures. I'm pretty sure Caspian/Peter was endgame in my head, but i never got that far.

once a king or queen was just my catch-all Narnia doc. Lots of Edmund, lots of Susan, and one ficlet where Susan Pevensie and Carrie White talk about the family they've lost and the girls they don't need to be anymore. I swear I remember writing a lot of Jill and Eustace too, but it must have gotten lost when transferring computers.

Theory of Narnia - technically not a WIP anymore, but I used the plot of Narnia to write an essay explaining different Theory of Knowledge concepts for extra credit in high school. It had footnotes and everything!

To Fill Different Lives was a passion project for several years! It was supposed to be for a fic exchange in 2010 but it got too big for me and I had to drop out. It's Jadis after the Last Battle, recounting her history to no one because there's no one left. Many things about it make me cringe looking back at it, but I still looove this opening:

I have lived for a long time, long enough to fill several different lives. Looking back, I begin to realize just how similar all of these lives have been. Each time, I had power, but needed more. Each time, I chose a color and assumed it as a part of my identity. And each time, there was a boy.

Star Wars

There Will Be Light - oops, I already posted this one on tumblr too! Luke has bad dreams after Obi-Wan is killed, and Han comforts him. Not meant to be shippy but it definitely could be!

Qui-Gon lives (and somehow everything is worse??) - never got past the "vague chatting" stage, but our conversation started with this

lizardrosen: you know how qui-gon tells padme something like "i can only defend you, i can't fight a war for you" ? and then the jedi order DOES fight a war for the republic eirenical: YES. lizardrosen: how *pissed* would he have been if he'd lived to find out about kamino and the clones and all of that eirenical: *nodnodnod* I think about that a lot, actually. About how Qui-Gon would have dealt with the war. Somehow, I think it would have either broken him completely... or broken his compassion for others. AND I'M NOT SURE WHICH WOULD BE WORSE.

and then we talked about how qui-gon and obi-wan and anakin are a really solid trio for a long time, so it takes a long time to break qui-gon's compassion, but it happens hard, and "obi-wan and anakin are never quite able to be the dynamic duo; they'll always be three minus one but they try, they try so HARD"

Obi-Wan after Revenge of the Sith is just what it says on the tin. He's sad and alone and trying to connect to Qui-Gon, but not quite ready for him even when he does finally show up. This one also has a really good opening paragraph!

Everyone Obi-Wan loves is taller than him. Everyone he has loved? Used to love? No, he loves them still, even those gone from the world, or out of his grasp. He would have grown to love Luke and Leia too, tiny as they are, if given half the chance, which is exactly why he cannot allow himself to take that chance.

#eirenical #les mis #narnia #star wars #my writing #friendship is great!

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dailyaudiobible · 3 years

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07/23/2021 DAB Transcript

2 Chronicles 8:11-10:19, Romans 8:9-25, Psalms 18:16-36, Proverbs 19:26

Today is the 23rd day of July welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is a joy and a privilege and an honor to be here with you today around the Global Campfire as we come in and take the next step forward together. Right now, this part of the year, this part of the month, we find ourselves in the book of second Chronicles. We’ve been reading for the New Living Translation this week, which is what we’ll continue with today. Second Chronicles chapter 8 verse 11 through 10 verse 19.

Commentary:

Alright. So in the book of Romans we had been discussing the law, its role, its function, its revealing of our failures and how it showed us what sin was and we’ve basically been talking about sin since for the last couple of days. And we get a really good picture of what we would…what we would call the now and the not yet, which is something that's described about Paul's writings, where there is a now. And, so, Paul was very confessional about his own struggles. Now he does the things he doesn't want to do. And he does the things that he doesn’t want to do, and who…who can free him, and only Jesus can free us. But we have this kind of squatter, sin, who has no claim, but if we obey then we become a slave. And, so, we always have this choice. And, so, it's essentially Paul's conviction that sin will get us in the end, in this mortal body. In other words, we will die in this mortal body, but sin has no claim to our Spirit and day by day we are being transformed into the likeness of our Savior. In fact, it's the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead that's with in us. And if the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, raised Christ from the dead than we can expect the same things, that we will experience resurrection as well. So, that's kind of a summary of what we are reading today, but let's just put it in Paul's own words. “Christ lives within you. So, even though your body will die because of sin the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead. He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” And, so, Paul’s saying this is a…a current state of reality for us, but we’re in the in between. This is a process, and this is where we are. Our bodies in a sinful world are going to wear down but our Spirits will be renewed every day. And ultimately the not yet will be the now and we will be restored to complete perfection as it was intended to be. Paul says it like this, I quote, “yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later for all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who is children really are, for we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time and we believers also grown even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We too to wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.” Okay. So, that's the not yet. That is what we are hoping for, a time when sin is no more, and death has died, death has been swallowed up in victory. So, essentially if we had a boil down what we've been saying over the last few days it is that sin is a thing and sin, even though we are free from its claims to us is something that we can still choose to obey. We can still choose that kind of slavery if that's what we want. We’re just not perpetually in that state. It doesn't have a claim to us anymore. We died to it and we’re resurrected spiritually. We have right standing before God. We have been grafted into his family. We can call him Abba, Papa, Father, Daddy. We don't have to be afraid. I mean, I have a little boy, his name is Ezekiel. He’s gotten really popular around here this year for reading Daily Audio Bible Kids and he’s doing a great job, but he’s a little boy and he does things that are wrong from time to time, and he does things that he knows are wrong from time to time. And if he has to come and confess or acknowledge because something's been discovered that he has done, something that he knows is wrong he doesn't come to me in terror. He’s not afraid of who knows what I might do to him. He comes and he knows he's done wrong. So, he already knows it was wrong. He's already learned. He may have punishment. He may have consequences that have arisen out of his own actions, but he doesn't have to have terror. He's my son. I am his poppa, his abba, his daddy, his father. So, we may wrestle with the things that we struggle with that we’re trying to medicate or soothe or fill or whatever. We may choose things that ultimately separate us from God or are sinful but we don't have to live in terror of our Father. We need to run to our Father, confess our ultimate and utter dependence and kick the squatter out of our lives. This may be theological, even technical in some ways, but this is the good news. God wants you back and will never stop wanting that for everyone. And, so, let's carry that forward into this day and into this weekend.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, come. May we rest in the knowledge that You really do love us, that maybe we exasperate You at times because of our foolishness, but You really love us deeply, individually. You know our stories. You know who we are and where we've come from. And, so, we come to You. There is no other place to go. Even when we choose things that are destructive in our lives, help us Holy Spirit to rapidly recognize what's going on and rapidly return to our source of life itself. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, it’s home base, it’s where you find out what's going on around here.

And it's where you find the Prayer Wall and pray for one another around here. That's in the Community section. And of course, all this can be accessed on the web at dailyaudiobible.com or using the Daily Audio Bible app by pressing the Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner. So, you can find the Prayer Wall in the Community section.

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If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that on the web or in the app as well. On the web there's a link on the homepage. In the app there’s is a give button in the upper right-hand corner. Thank you. Thank you humbly and profoundly for your partnership as we continue our journey, the voyage of a lifetime across a year and through the Bible together in community. If that is life-giving to you than thank you for your partnership.

If you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, the little red button at the top or there are a number of numbers that you can call depending on where you are in the world. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to dial. In the UK or Europe 44-20-3608-8078 is the number to call. And if you are in Australia are the lands down under 61-3-8820-5459 is the number to dial.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family God bless you God bless the Hardin family and the reading of the scriptures. I am Lauralee. I am 16-year listen her. I am 16 years old…17 years old in Christ and I'm just calling. I came to work to this morning and got news that Adrian Lubetkin died last night. Father your word says it's appointed to man once to die and then face judgment. We have prayed for Adrian, that her own understanding about death would be changed in the last couple weeks, that you would perform heart surgery on her. And I have great faith because I saw you do it for my dad. I witnessed it, I saw it. So, I have great faith, that even though I didn't see it that you answered our prayers for Adrian according to your will because you don't delight in the destruction of the wicked and you want everyone to be saved. So, we asked and I trust you that I will see her and that you performed a miracle because you are God of miracles and You're good and You love your creation. I pray that You have made her one of Your very own and we’ll see her later in the name of Jesus. Thank you have a good day.

Hello DAB family this is the Disciple that He loves in Ohio. I've been listening for years now but have never called. I just desperately need prayer for my daughter. She's 15 and has been battling depression since she was 11 or 12. She has such a good heart and at times I just see glimpses of the person she's supposed to be but she's stealing and lying and is so far away and she just says all the time that she doesn't see a point of living and she wants to die. It just breaks my heart. I've prayed over this girl and loved her and asked angels to protect her her whole life and it just, I'm just worried. I'm afraid I'm going to lose her. She talks about dying and wanting to be dead all the time. I'm doing everything I can to get her the help but she just seems like she's getting worse instead of better. I just ask that everyone can come against the spiritual powers of wickedness and that are taking over her and that she would turn back to God and she would be healed over depression and her suicidal ideations. Thank you so much. I love you.

Hi this is Micah in Awe in Kansas City MO. I wanted to pray today for people today that are struggling with mobility issues. Shandra from Maryland you really touched me with your encouragement. And I tasted just briefly what it's like to be immobilized for…for about six months. I was on a knee scooter and kind of hurt to use my other foot to push the knee scooter but I still was able to. And I remember thinking of how…how much of a struggle it would be for someone in a wheelchair and how inaccessible certain places were like just different stores and I wanted to make a change but I just never did but I still want to and today I'm asking all of you out there whether your mobile or immobilized to pray for people that feel or are physically immobilized and not able to get around to where they want to go and feel like they're trapped. Let's pray. Lord today I ask for people all over the world not just DABbers, not just listeners, but everybody who struggles with immobilized…that are immobilized that you can help them feel free even when they are trapped, that you can help them with quality of life and joy when they can't do the things that they once were able to do. We ask for assistance with machinery and equipment that can help them, like if someone wants to get out on trails, some sort of like wheelchairs type bike or something. I don't know what it is but Lord you know what can be done. And I ask for changemakers, like…like make me a changemaker in the mobility area, that these people can have better quality of life and freedom Lord. But we know that our real freedom is in you Lord. Set them free internally and give them great joy. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Hey DAB family this is Sam in Seattle. I haven't gotten on to do a voice recording in a while but have kind of posted on the DAB friends and I’ve been keeping up there. I am coming to ask for prayer for people that are involved in family court. It's torturous. It's downright disgusting the things that are happening and how people with mental health conditions are allowed to use the court system to inflict wrongdoings upon the people that they have abused before or people that have been charged with domestic violence or assault on people, right? They are allowed to use the family court system to attack people's character, their jobs. So…and I…I've heard a lot of single parents on here before, you know, asking for prayers considering their kids and custody things. I even know there's somebody down South from me, I think you're in Kent, maybe you're in Tacoma, but a man that has been going through a lot of custody stuff too. So, I just…I want to ask for prayers for people that are involved in family court and the children…the children that are getting abused through this. Thank you.

Good morning Voice the bass player calling in from northern Nevada and I wanted to call and pray for Joe the Protector Who called to pray for someone else and…but mentioned that he started a new job recently and he's…he's having problems with other guys on the job not being believers. And, so, I pray for…I’m praying for Joe, that…that he could just keep a good heart, a good amount of positive thinking and thinking of the Lord and His goodness during his workday. But he also mentioned that he has three daughters or four daughters I think he said and none of them are walking with God. And I can relate to that because I have four children also and there's only one that I would consider to be walking with a Lord Jesus. And, so, I wanted to pray for all the people out there that have kids that are…that are not saved. You know, our children are the biggest blessing that we have from the Lord. A pastor friend of mine said having children is like having your heart outside of you walking around. And it's true. So, Lord Jesus I just pray for everyone who has children that need to be saved, that need to know you, that need to have their hearts changed by the Holy Spirit. I pray for all of them in Jesus’ name. And everyone have a great week. God bless.

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howlingday · 4 years

Text

REAPING OF ATLAS 3/3

RWBY Characters Are Created And Owned By Rooster Teeth And Monty Oum.

Team REAPS And All Original Characters In It's Universe Are Created And Owned By @dark-chocolate-fudge-sweetracer

"Are we there yet?" Sandy whined as she and her team were led down the mantle sidewalk. She shivered as another of Solitas' famous tundra winds blew down the street. Sure, the streets were Dust-heated, but that provided little comfort to the girl. "We've been walking for hours!"

"Not yet, just a few more blocks!" Prism cheerily answered. "And we've only been walking for twenty minutes."

"Well, it feels like hours!" Sandy complained again.

"Sandy, do us all a favor and stop whining." Acacia groused. "You think you're cold? I'm part snake! So unless you're secretly a frog faunus, I suggest you stuff it!"

"Acacia, stop yelling at Sandy!" Echidna scolded, to which Sandy responded by sticking her tongue out at the chastised girl. "And Sandy, stop acting like a child. We're Huntresses in training. Show that you deserve that title." Sandy shrunk back at her chiding.

Reizo chuckled at his team's antics. "I'm glad to see everyone else is excited about today. Prism is finally showing off her upgrades."

"Not just mine, but ours! I also took the liberty of bringing your weapons in already."

"You took our weapons?!" Sandy shrieked. "When?! How?! Why?!"

"To answer in order," Prism began, holding up her index finger, "1, a few weeks ago; 2, I used the teleporter in our bathroom; and 3, to make some much needed improvements."

"Improvements like what?!" Sandy barked. "My weapon is-"

"An outdated piece of tech that was only improved by a forge, not a lab." Prism finished. "I can't make improvements to our gear with fire and stone by itself."

"You could have asked." Reizo commented, stopping to wait for the street barrier to come up.

"I did ask!" Prism defended.

"Who?"

"Acacia! She said she was cool with it!"

"I did." Acacia admitted. "She asked if she could make improvements to my gear, and I said yes."

"See?!" Prism stated as the street barrier came up. She walked backwards to defend herself face-to-face. "I asked!"

"Did you ask all of us?"

"Erk!" Prism almost fell over the curb, but Reizo caught her. "Phew! Thanks, I-" prism stopped as she noticed how close to him she was. She blushed as her heart beat a thousand miles a minute. She jumped back once she was steady. "Sorry, I-"

"Try to be more careful next time." Reizo said, walking past her. "And ask all of us next time." Echidna gave a quick glare as she passed, while Acacia and Sandy giggled between each other.

"Oh, shut up."

Ten minutes later, Team REAPS arrived in front of Doctor Polendina's front door. Prism knocked on the door three times, then stepped back. A few minutes later, a screen above the door came to life. On it, the wrinkled face of gray-bearded man appeared. "Hello?"

"Hi, Pietro! It's me!" Prism waved at the screen. "I brought my team, like I said. Are the weapons ready?"

"Oh, yes," he replied with a smile, "they just got done going through the polisher."

"They are combat ready!" A voice off-screen shouted.

"Uh, who was that?" Reizo asked.

"Uh, nobody! Don't worry about it!" Prism shouted defensively "Uh, we're coming in, Doc!"

"Alright, I'll meet you inside!" The screen turned off, and there was a click at the door. It slid up, reaveling a dark corridor into the unknown.

"Right this way!" Prism bravely stepped forward, into the darkness.

Reizo let out a sigh. "No way through it, but to do it." He stepped forward, followed closely by Acacia, then Echidna, ending with Prism bringing up the rear, shivering from the cold. And nothing else.

The building smelled sterile, like a hospital, but strangely with less life in it. Prism rounded one corner, then another, and then down one final corridor with bright light at the end of it. As they neared it, they finally saw a room bathed in white, fluorescent light, with shelves of dozens of technical manuals and mathematical textbooks. In the center "stood" a large, elderly man in a seat with six legs.

The legs walked forward, surprising everyone but Prism, who continued forward to stand beside the man. "Everyone, meet Doctor Pietro Polendina, my personal hero, lab partner, and robotics expert!"

"Oh, I wouldn't say expert, but it is a pleasure to finally meet all of you." He reached his hand forward. "Please, call me Pietro."

Reizo shook his hand. "Reizo Yamato."

Echidna followed suit. "Echidna Bluewaters."

Acacia just stayed back, half-saluting him. "Acacia Evergreen."

"Sixy Mythleg-" Sandy gasped. "I mean, Sandy Mythril!" Pietro laughed. "I'm so sorry!"

He waved it off. "No need to worry. This was just the result of an unfortunate circumstance, much like your slip-up. But, if you don't mind, I'd like you all to meet my daughter."

"S-So soon?!" Prism yelped. "B-But she's not-"

"She is. I trust her, but more importantly, I trust your team." He pressed a button on his seat, talking into a speaker. "You can come out now, dear."

The team turned around at the sound of footsteps approaching from the dark, and saw piercing green eyes. As they got closer, Reizo squinted past the light and saw the figure's silhouette form. The figure became clearer as they approached, taking the shape of a teenage girl with long hair, a large skirt (or wide hips), and a bow atop their head. The team gasped as they saw her.

"No way..." Echidna muttered.

"It can't be..." Acacia gawked.

"It's you..." Sandy said.

"But I thought you-"

"Sal-u-tations, friends!" Penny cheered. Everyone in the room was silent. Pietro had a simple smile, Prism a nervous one, Reizo and Echidna gawked with mouths agape while Echidna covered her mouth. Sandy, however, made the first contact, leaping into Penny. "Greetings, Sandy!"

"Penny!" Sandy wailed through her tears. "I missed you!"

"I have missed your presence as well, Sandy!" Sandy wrapped her arms around Penny's waist, to which Penny reciprocated by wrapping her arms around her. The others approached and joined in hugging their resurrected friend. Penny shut her eyes with a soft smile. "I have missed you."

After countless questions answered and stories swapped, Prism stepped forward and cleared her throat. "All right, everybody! Listen up!" She barked. "I'm just as glad Penny is back as much as everyone else, but she's not why we're here." She recieved a few angry glares from her teammates, and a dejected look from Penny. Prism coughed into her fist and corrected herself. "Though she is an added bonus." Penny looked up with a wide smile. "We're here because our weapons weren't going to cut it anymore. Beacon was a colossal failure on all fronts. Especially our skills. We've had our victories because of luck, and nothing else. That's why we were long overdue for an upgrade, one that requires more than just a forge."

A screen descended from the ceiling as a table rose from the center of the room. On the screen was an image of the real deal on the table: Reizo's katana. It's grip looked cleaner, the old and worn leather and fabric replaced with newer material. The blade remained unchanged, but there were holes added into the hilt. Reizo walked forward and picked it up, giving a few practice swings. He noticed the grip was extended as well.

"Your katana was a tricky task to overcome, since you value the blade so much." Prism explained. "So I removed the blade while I worked on the hilt and grip. The leather and fabric have been replaced with a hide that is seven percent more resilient, and a wool more durable than any linen made in Mistral. The added holes in the hilt allow you to load dust coins into your blade more easily, and if you flip the switch on the bottom," Reizo did so, allowing an empty cartridge to fall out, "you have twenty-five percent more storage space than before!" Prism beamed with pride. "So, what do you think?"

"Well, the grips a bit too long for me."

Prism frowned. "So?"

"I'm not used to long grips. It makes it more difficult to handle with one hand."

"Well, look at it this way," Pietro stepped in, "you're still growing, and this give you more room to improve as your body grows. By the time you're a Huntsman, that long grip will fit nicely into your one hand, and you'll be more adept in the event you need a longer grip."

"Like so!" Prism pressed a button near the hilt, and the grip doubled in length, sliding out an additional length hidden within. Reizo almost fell over. As he fought for balance, Prism walked over to the next screen and table that appeared, showing off Echidna's staff. Her staff's half-moon blade shape now had a smaller blade, shaped like a diamond, between the two originals. Strangely, however, there were five bottles set in a row around the staff. "And here, we have Echidna's staff, equipped with an extra blade, a longer chain, and a few other things I'm sure you'll want to try out!"

Echidna picked up the bottle, though jar was probably more fitting, since it more resembled a soda can, with her small, delicate hands struggling to grip half the jar. It had two metal rings forming borders. "What are these?"

"Put it on your hand, like this!" Prism demonstrated with her palm open and facing up. Echidna took the bottle-can and placed it in Prism's palm she winced and exhaled as the device began filling with a strange, yellow liquid. Prism hissed as she held up the bottle, visibly tired. "Ta da."

"What did you do?!" Sandy asked, worry clear on her face.

"W-Weaponized aura." Prism blinked hard, shaked her head, and began to slowly recover. "After your fight with Bree, I figured you'd want to be able to trick her again without using up so much of your aura." She looked at the bottle. "Of course, mine is just heat, so tossing it would just make a small explosion. Great for a distraction, but unfortunately, my aura reserves aren't the highest."

"Thank you, Prism." Echidna grabbed another bottle. "Are these easy to make?"

Prism carefully walked to the next weapon set. "Yup, but don't go throwing them away after a fight. I might be able to remake them, but they won't be cheap!" On the table, with diagrams flashing on the screen overhead, sat Acacia's tonfas.

"They look the same." Acacia tilted her head as she lifted one of her tonfas, examining it for anything significantly different.

"Yeah, there wasn't much to improve," Prism admitted, "not externally, anyways."

Acacia gave her a look. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the only thing I improved was it's firepower. Shooting this thing redefines the term "handcannon" now!"

Acacia chuckled. "Nice!"

"Of course it's most vital function is still hidden." Prism whispered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Prism scurried to the final table, which held the dual-blade boomerang of Sandy's weapon. "Now this was my toughest challenge yet! Mostly because I had to make a lot of upgrades."

"What? My weapon is perfect!" Sandy defended.

"Maybe for a beginner, but we're third years now. We need stronger weapons, and I'm the smith to get it done!"

"What could you have possibly improved on?" Sandy crossed her arms indignantly.

Prism gave a haughty laugh. "You really think you weapon was the best, huh? Well, let me show you better than that!" Prism unloaded upgrade details on rapid-fire at Sandy. "The blade is now sharp enough to cut through steel; the bow string now has a tensile strength of over a thousand pounds per square inch; the hilt is made of a finer fabric that not only resists moisture, but is soft to the touch; the boomerang operates on an anti-gravity matrix-"

"Wait!" Sandy shoved a hand into Prism's face. "What was that last part?"

Prism removed Sandy's hand. "The anti-gravity matrix?"

"Yeah, what do you mean by that?!"

"This." Prism tapped a button on the boomerang. It clicked as a light humming was heard from it. Sandy stared with wide eyes as Prism lifted her hand, and the boomerang followed. "I've been doing research on Atlas' anti-gravity formulas. I couldn't find anything for the city itself, but what I could find led me to the invention of my own anti-grav dust crystal!" She showcased her creation by having the boomerang turn to on it's side, giving everyone a peek into the thin slots where the dust crystals were stored. "They last longer and give off more power than anything the SDC makes!"

"Will you sell it to them?" Echidna asked.

"Pfft! As if!" Prism rolled her eyes. "As if any of those Schnees could appreciate such fine craftsmanship. They'd just cut corners and blame their failures on me, like they always do with geniuses." Prism crossed her arms. "It's like my grandma always said, "Never trust businessmen like the Schnees."

"Oh, and what of soldiers?" Winter Schnee asked, casting a cold glare over Prism's shoulder. Prism slowly turned her head with a shiver, then turned back forward when she met her icy gaze. "Well? I'm waiting."

Uh, I, you see, that is, um..." Prism shrank as she failed to articulate her argument. "I'm sorry?"

"Don't be." Winter said. "Businessmen like Jacques Schnee can never be trusted. However, not all Schnees are terrible. I can think of three in my family who excelled in their fields." Winter stepped forward toward the rising center table, which had nothing on it but a keypad. "For now, however, let us return to business. You said you had something to show me?"

"Uh, yeah," Prism immediately straightened herself to appear more professional. "I mean, yes, ma'am!" Prism stepped up to the keypad and pressed five numbers in a specific order. The table flipped, revealing three rolled-up blueprints, and Prism unrolled the center page. On it was the design of some sort of cannon. "As you can see here, I'm designing a super-weapon of sorts, capable of taking out a Goliath in one shot, and still be used to take out multiple Grimm surrounding it."

"Interesting," Winter rubbed her chin with her index finger, "but what are the components of this "super-weapon," as you call it?"

"W-Well, it's, uh, us." Prism gestured to herself and her team. Winter raised an eyebrow, and Prism nervously cleared her throat. "So, uh, as you can see here, the weapon will use Acacia's tonfas as the stand, with Sandy's bow acting in tandem with Reizo's katana as both a guide and a containment field, and Echidna's staff will act as the sights and an additional containment field component. Meanwhile, my chakrams will act as the guide, or more like a barrel in this case."

"And what type of weapon is this "super-weapon," Miss Asagiri?"

"Um, it's a rail gun, ma'am."

A cold, evening wind blew over Arishna Dawn as she stood on the rooftop of Atlas Academy. She shuddered, wishing, for the hundredth time, she hadn't agreed to teach in an academy miles above the frozen tundra. She liked to be alone while she looked through her scroll image gallery, smiling as she gazed on pictures of her lover. She felt a warmth in her heart grow with each smile she found.

Before her memories of warmer nights could settle in, they were interrupted by the buzzing of her scroll. The default silhouette of the caller drew a sigh from her lips. She answered the call on the second buzz. "Professor Arishna Dawn of Atlas Academy. How may I help you?"

"Good evening, Professor," the dignified voice that invaded her ears brought a scowl to her lips, "I hope I wasn't interrupting your evening."

"What do you want, Arthur?" Her voice wasn't angry, but it was definitely not happy, either.

"Straight to business then. I am in need of information on our mutual acquaintance, James." Arishna sneered at his request. Well, not really a request, since she knew Arthur Watts was not a man of requests.

"There's nothing new to report. The schedule remains the same, just like last week, and the week before that, and the month before that."

He chuckled. "Really? So you are unaware of a stolen Atlas air-ship enroute to Mantle?"

"What?!" Arishna eyes widened as she turned away and ducked her head from any prying eyes, though she was alone on the roof. "When?!"

"Oh, my! Could it be the great Atlas military is unaware of it's incoming intruders? How interesting, if it weren't woefully predictable."

"Shut up, and tell me everything!" Arishna growled.

Watts harrumphed. "I see you still don't understand how this relationship of ours works. I suppose I could send my friend to visit yours. See if they could become better friends than we are."

"No!" Arishna shouted, this time not caring who heard. "Don't hurt her! Remember our deal!"

"I remember our deal, Miss Dawn, but it is not my memory that is the issue here." Arishna swallowed an empty mouth, shaking with anticipation, anxiety, over what her current benefactor will say next. "I'll take your silence as an understanding." Arishna let out a sigh of relief. "I don't believe you need to worry about the air-ship. It's piloted by an elderly woman, and it's cargo are only passengers: an adult male and eight teenagers, ages ranging from twelve to nineteen."

"Talk about a big family." Arishna joked.

"Indeed. If there is nothing to report, I shall conclude our conversation until next week."

"Wait!" Arishna called out, extending her arm as though she could stop time. Not hearing a click, she continued. "Remember: nobody dies."

There was a minute of silence until Watts spoke. "I promise I will not harm anyone."

He hung up with a click, and Arishna let out a heavy sigh. "How do I get myself out of this, Glyn?"

Reizo fell out of his bed as the alarm blared screamed in his room. He hissed in pain, groaning as he slowly stood up. He looked around. The room had a flashing red siren above them, a red bulb with a revolving reflector spinning around the light. The wail of the siren rose and fall intermittently.

"What's going on?!" Echidna shouted from her bed, covering her ears with her pillow. Her bedhead apparent as her hair was disheveled and unkempt, static causing a few strands to hover vertically.

Reizo looked to the rest of his team was on the floor, having jumped like her leader, with the exception that her fall was from the bottom bunk, not the top. However, Acacia fell onto her from the top bunk, and now both were on their stomachs on the floor, groaning in pain.

He looked at the time from the clock on the wall. It was only a few minutes into midnight. Was Atlas under attack?

The door opened, drawing their attention as Professor Yamato hurriedly stepped inside and opened a keypad by the door, pushing buttons into it, and the siren died with the light. Sighing, she turned to her son's team. "Is everyone all right?"

Sandy and Acacia gave a weary thumbs up and groaned.

"What's going on, Professor?" Echidna asked from her bed.

"I don't mean to alarm you, but," Professor Yamato had a nervous look, "some intruders flew into Atlas air-space and Grimm broke through the Mantle defenses. After the Fall, Atlas won't take any chances that could harm their students."

"Great." Acacia groused as she stood up, pulling Sandy up with her. "About time something went wrong."

Professor Yamato looked around. "Where is Prism?"

The team shared a look between each other before looking back to her, Reizo answering for them. "She's probably at Doctor Polendina."

"What?!" Professor Yamato became very worried.

"It's okay, Mom, Prism can just teleport back in." A flash of light from the bathroom startled the professor. "See, there she is now."

The bathroom door opened, and Prism stepped out, her eyes glued to her scroll. She walked over to the desk nearby and set her scroll down, taking a seat without removing her eyes.

"Pri-"

"Shh!" Prism hissed, holding up a finger. "Not now, our test run is almost complete! There's only one more district left, and I need to make sure no data is left undocumented."

"See? She's fine."

"Well, if you say so." Professor Yamato opened the door and stepped out. "Please, for the remainder of the night, stay in your dorms."

"We will, Mom. I love you."

"I love you, too, Reizo." The door shut. Reizo sighed as he looked back to his team. Echidna had already laid back down to sleep, covering her entire head with her blanket. Acacia climbed back up to her bed, rolling herself into a burrito style to guard against the cold. Sandy crawled into hers, double-checking her glasses case, ensuring it still nestled safely between the mattress and the rack holding it in place. Prism continued to watch her screen. Reizo yawned and placed a foot into the foothold to climb to his bed. He hung precariously over the ground, ready to swing up into his bed.

"IS THAT TEAM RWBY?!" Prism cried, causing her other team members to immediately awake, and her team leader to fall on his back.

The next morning, on their way to class, Reizo yawned as Prism played and replayed her footage. He glanced over, seeing through Penny's eyes and watching as Grimm are decimated by her new skillset. Once gone, Penny landed, then turned and crouched, before literally launching herself at Ruby Rose of Team RWBY.

He smiled to himself. He hadn't seen them since the Fall, which caused his smile to fade. After the Fall, Team RWBY scattered. Last he heard, Ruby Rose had left on a journey to Haven Academy with the remains of Team JNPR, while her sister, Yang Xiao Long recovered from her near-fatal encounter with the White Fang. Weiss Schnee came back to Atlas with her father, although he heard rumors of her running away. Blake Belladonna was a mystery, as she fled during the Fall.

The video ended when Penny flew away to tend to another district. Or at least, it ended for him. After the surprise encounter with Team RWBY, he lost interest in anything else from the video. Team RWBY was in the city, but where? It wasn't like they were going to show up around the corner.

"It'll be just like Beacon again!" Reizo stopped to see where Penny was shouting from, and found her, the Ace-Ops, and Team RWBY show up around the corner. "Oh! Greetings, again, Reizo Yamato!" The group turned and stared in each other's directions.

"Aah! Such a great meal!" Raizo Yamato sighed as he patted his toned belly, pretending it was fat. "You really outdid yourself, babe!"

"Actually, that was me, Dad." Reizo corrected. "I made dinner tonight."

"Oh, uh, right." Raizo scratched his cheek. Reizo and his team visited his family once every other weekend. It had been a few months since he first arrived, but this house never stopped feeling like home to him. Prism and Sandy were washing the dishes, though the latter would rather keep reading the manga her leader let her borrow. Echidna and Acacia were sitting on the couch with Evangeline, watching the news. The two teens were excited to see the results of tonight's campaign.

He saw Ruby Rose, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren standing watch over the Robyn Hill celebration with Marrow Amin, Penny, and the Happy Huntresses. He was surprised to hear Team RWBY and JNPR were now all licensed. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little envious.

"So, who do you think's gonna win?" Reizo asked.

Raizo got a sour look on his face. "If this election were perfect, I'd say Robyn Hill would win, no contest."

"But Jacques Schnee's embargo." Reizo countered.

"It really pi-," Raizo cleared his throat as Evangeline shot an icy glare towards him, "I mean, it really, really, really, really makes me angry that the snake would do something like this just to get a few more votes."

"Not surprising," Echidna said, "considering Jacques Schnee's responsible for more suffering than any man, woman, or child in Atlas."

"Try all of Remnant." Acacia corrected. "Seriously, the White Fang wouldn't be a thing if this guy just stopped being so greedy."

"Well, even if he does embargo all of Mantle's, I'm still voting for Hill. She seems like she's got a good head on her shoulders!" Raizo announced proudly.

"Even though her organization isn't exactly clean?" Evangeline asked.

"Better than Schnee." Evangeline hummed in agreement. Reizo watched the polls climb. He couldn't believe someone so horrible was related to a close friend of his. The polls neared their apex, both parties in full swing.

Then the lights died.

"Argh! A blackout, too?!" Raizo shouted. "Damn you, Schnee!"

"Raizo!" Evangeline chided. "Language!" She let out a sigh as she lit a candle in the living room. "Everyone, come to the living room! We'll stay close until the lights come on!"

Acacia sat closer to Echidna, making room for the other four to come to them. Sandy seated herself next to Acacia, and Prism next to her. Reizo laid back next to Echidna. Maybe he catch a few Zs during the blackout.

The lights came on shortly after, and he heard a mixture of emotions. He heard his mother and Sandy gasped, his father and Acacia curse, and Echidna whisper "Oh no."

Reizo opened his eyes, and saw the carnage on TV, with Penny in the center of it all.

"Ruby!" Sandy called out to her eye color duplicate as she spotted her with her team in the hall. The events of last night's disaster left everyone shaken up. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ruby said with a yawn and a weary smile. Sandy doubted Ruby's claim. The red-hooded girl had bags under her eyes, no doubt from a long night of answering questions from the police and tending to the wounded. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"Are you sure? We watched the incident last night." Ruby seemed to tense at the mention of the event. "Do you know what happened?"

Ruby shook her head. "No, I didn't. The only one who saw everything was Penny."

"Where is Penny, anyways?"

"She's staying close to my sister." Weiss answered. "Everyone is pointing fingers at her, since she was the only one who drastically moved around the most during the election party blackout."

"I see. But it doesn't make sense." Sandy crossed her arms. "IF Penny killed those people, why would she do it?"

"Because she didn't." Prism answered, walking up to her friends with the rest of her team. "I still have the night vision recordings from the blackout. Someone was moving around, dodging her and killing people." She then looked to Ruby. "And you know about it."

"W-What?!" Ruby stammered. She waved her hands in front of her to ward off the accusation. "N-No, I don't know anything about the attack!"

"Funny you mention that." Prism said, as she tapped on her screen and held it up. "This is the footage from Penny's Point of View camera. She looks to you, and you have a worried look on your face, and you mouth something. Something like, 'Here we in,' but that doesn't make sense. Here, the lights go out, and Penny shifts to night vision, but she's getting static during this time, too. Luckily, I can still see everything through the static. In the first second, nothing, then there's a man crouched low to the ground, and then he's gone again until Penny finds him again, but misses after every attempt to catch him." She pauses after the third attempt on Penny's part, then glares at Ruby. "What aren't you telling us?"

Yang stepped in front of Ruby. "She told you everything she knows, so back off."

"Don't get testy with me, Xiao Long." Prism growled at the taller blonde. "I'm not in the mood to play these games that you seem to be involved in a lot, recently."

"Excuse me?" Yang's eyes flashed red for a moment, but reverted back to violet, but kept the same glare on Prism. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You tell me, Ms. Break His Legs. Why is your team always at the center of attention of every scandal?"

"Prism-" Reizo started, but was cut off by Blake, who stepped up next to Yang. Her glare on Prism felt dangerous, like a wild animal protecting it's territory.

"Oh, don't you start, Miss White Fang." Blake narrowed her eyes at her. "Yeah, I know all about your little reunion back at Beacon."

"Prism!" Reizo said louder, but it fell on deaf ears as she turned to Weiss next. But Reizo had enough by that point and stepped in front of her. She looked up to argue, but held a glare on her that told her to step back. She did, and Reizo looked to Team RWBY. "I apologize on her behalf." He bowed with his arms straight at his sides, like he was taught to do when he was younger. It's been a long time since he last apologized like this, but he felt this one was needed. "On all of our behalf, I apologize if my team has offended yours." He stood up and looked to Ruby. "But I do agree with Prism that you know more than you're telling us." He extended his hand. "Ruby, please, tell us what's going on."

Ruby looked to her team, who all had a nervous look on their faces, but they all nodded to her. She took a deep breath, then looked Reizo dead in the eye. "Okay. I'll tell you everything." She then looked around. "But not here."

Arthur Watts sat comfortably in his seat at the coffee house he frequented in his youth. He smirked as he drank his coffee and browsed on his scroll, moving from one news article to the next, and delighting at the chaos he orchestrated.

The current article he was reading, "The Mantle Mouthpiece," had an interview from an eyewitness, who claimed she, "saw the soullessness in the doll's eyes." He chuckled to himself a little at that.

"We need to talk." Watts set down his scroll and coffee, seeing Arishna Dawn glowering at him from across the table. He sighed as he released his coffee.

"Do we? I don't believe we do."

"I want to talk."

"I don't. Thus, we have reached an impasse. Compromises must be made, of course."

"I said-" Watts rolled his eyes and stood up. Grabbing his scroll, he stepped away from his seat and began walking down the street. "Hey! I'm not done with you!"

"But I am done with you." Watts continued walking without looking to her. He knew she would chase him. "Unless, of course, you had something I wanted."

"I know you rigged the election!"

"And why would I care about politics in Atlas?" He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to fumble a response. When none came, he continued. "Robyn Hill and her supposed, "crusade," serves me no purpose."

"Then you would side with Jacques Schnee." Arishna deduced. She only caught that because he led her to it. Half-points for that.

"And we come around to the question I asked earlier; why?"

Arishna tried to think, but the only thing on her mind was how dangerous this man she was arguing with was. If she wasn't careful, Glynda would- "You're blackmailing him."

"Not a bad guess, but still wrong." He turned a corner, and she followed. "I don't reward failures, sorry. Besides, why would I blackmail him? What could he have that I want?"

Arishna tensed her brow as she thought. Jacques Schnee's wealth was legendary, and the means he achieved that wealth even more so. But Watts didn't care about Lien, or Dust. Those were the only two things a CEO could give him. Wait, was Jacques Schnee still the CEO? Becoming councilman would have rendered his reach into those resources of the SDC null and void. "Wait. You needed Jacque Schnee to become councilman, so that he could get you information on Ironwood!"

Watts stopped and chuckled. "I suppose if you lay enough crumbs on the ground, you'll catch a rat eventually. However, there's one detail you missed."

"What's that?"

"Oh, you're a smart girl. I'm sure you'll figure it out." He stepped past her, walking towards the street from the alley. Wait, when did they reach an alley? "Oh, and try not scream. Trust me; it's better that way."

"Oh, you're no fun!" A voice shouted behind her. Before she could turn, she felt a sharp pain in her back. She wanted to scream, but the pain was so intense, she couldn't move. Everything faded to black as she heard a distant laughter.

Then, only silence.

Reizo sat in his room, staring out the window. He tensed more and more like a coiled spring with every breath. The clock on the wall ticked, growing louder in the deafening silence. He scratched at the chair's armrest with every tick.

The discussion he shared with Ruby still gnawed at him, and he knew he wasn't alone. Echidna left for a walk around Mantle with Sandy, the latter of the two taking it especially harsh, thus the former saw it best to clear their heads with open air. Acacia left for the training room, no doubt to punch her anxieties away, or at least try to. Prism used the teleporter and locked it from the other side. She liked to tinker during troubling times, and right now she needed it more than ever; alone.

Reizo watched as the clouds drifted past Atlas, and the Sun slowly rose higher and higher to it's noonday place. With a shaky breath, he looked to the right and saw a Bullhead pull closer and closer to Atlas.

Suddenly, it felt harder to breathe. What if this Salem was secretly hiding on that Bullhead? Or one of her agents, like that Tyrian guy? He shut his eyes and shook his head to clear his thoughts. What if his team ran into one of her agents before, but they didn't know it? Would they survive?

His heart leapt into his throat as he heard the door click. He shot up and took a combative stance before the door fully opened. "Who's there?" Reizo tried to bark with as much confidence as he could.

The door opened, revealing a sweaty Acacia standing there with an unimpressed look. "It's just me; your worst nightmare." She walked in, tossing her gym bag onto her bed, and moved towards the bathroom. "By the way, that squeak of yours? Totally intimidating."

Reizo blushed at the remark, but it faded when he saw Acacia's hands. Her knuckles were raw and bleeding. "Hey, you okay?"

Acacia gave him a sour look. "What do you think?" She then walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Reizo sighed as he looked out the window again.

Just this morning, he only cared about becoming a Huntsman. He'd fight Grimm, save lives, and make his family proud. Now, everything changed. Becoming a Huntsman seemed too small of a goal now. He saw a new monster to fight and ultimately slay, but hearing about her from Team RWBY made everything... unreal. She sounded too mythical, too make-believe to exist. But he also knew Team RWBY wouldn't lie about something like this.

Reizo sighed as he looked at the blue sky; the Bullhead from earlier had long since passed, leaving only clouds to roll by.

Acacia turned the water to cold, letting the icy droplets splash from the showerhead. She dabbed her knuckles with toilet paper, wincing as it stung at her open cuts. She swore, but continued to dab until the square was more blood than paper. She then balled up the sheet, and tossed it into the trash.

She stepped into the shower, exhaling sharply as the cold water hit her skin. She shivered, and made quick work lathering herself, scrubbing, and then rinsing the suds from herself. She hissed as her cuts were invaded by both her body wash and the freezing ice water. Once she was thoroughly rinsed, she shut off the water, but didn't leave the shower. She just stared at the drain as the water poured down.

What happened to her life? She attended Beacon, nearly died when some nutcase hijacked Atlas, and now she's at Atlas, and the same thing is happening all over again!

That was why her knuckles were bloddy. She was punching her anxieties, but every time she punched the bag, she got angrier and angrier, until either the bag broke or, after the second bag, she broke.

It just made her angry. She never felt so angry. She didn't think she'd ever been this angry, or be angrier than she was now.

There was a loud banging at the bathroom door. "Hang on, I just finished!" Acacia grabbed her towel and dried off. The banging continued. "Hold your horses, I'm getting dressed!" The banging didn't cease. She was going to murder someone if they didn't stop. She unlocked the door. "What?!"

"Professor Dawn was attacked earlier today." Reizo had a grim look on his face. "She's in the hospital right now."

#rwby #rwby oc #team reaps #reizo yamato #echidna bluewaters #acacia evergreen #prism asagiri #sandy mithril #arishna dawn #penny polendina #ruby rose #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #tyrian callows #arthur watts #pietro polendina #evangeline yamato #raizo yamato

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