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weirdowithaquill · 1 year

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What is the 'Engine Rulebook' and where did it come from?:

So, this really early era of railways was a bit insane, and I am not quite well-versed enough to make a case-study out of everything - but like with my Big 4 scrap post, this is more about trends than singular examples - though some do appear.

The 'Engine Rulebook' is basically the set of rules that every engine ever is taught when built. It's a series of important rules, customs and doctrine used by managers to keep engines in line. Yes, I will use a little business-management theory in here, because early management styles have a major effect. And every railway has its own rulebook that may have differences. But there are a few key things in the 'Engine Rulebook' that I see being universal:

1: The company comes first. This is basically the company ensuring loyalty by indoctrinating the engine to see its railway company as the most important aspect of their life. In the Railway Series, Donald and Douglas have very strong ties back to Scotland and the Caledonian railway - which is why they enjoy blue so much. It's the Caledonian Railway colour! And then there's Duck - who literally continues to wear his GWR colours even after joining the NWR. He's deeply connected to the GWR because of this loyalty taught to him.

2: Railway rules. This includes signalling, signage, speed limits, whistles and their uses, headcodes, flags and every other piece of railway rules. They are read the rulebook, and learn everything in it. It's vital! Percy is an industrial engine who is never taught this rulebook - because industries don't have many engines and often pilfer bits from a bigger company's - and thus Percy doesn't know much about the rules of being on a railway when he arrives on Sodor.

3: Etiquette (based on duty). Now, I don't mean bowing or curtseying or the proper fork for fish - I mean the ins and outs of the duty the engine will be expected to complete. Passenger engines learn how to handle coaches and speak politely to passengers, freight engines learn how to handle trucks and look after different cargos, shunting engines learn a new set of rules for the yards - this sort of thing. Gordon struggles with trucks because he was never taught how to handle them.

4: The managers are always right. Touched on this in a reblog of this @mean-scarlet-deceiver ramble, but its basically that the engines are taught that their managers are right in all contexts (unless breaking one of the above rules) and need to be respected and have all directions followed. The manager says to shunt - you go and shunt. They say to go get scrapped - and a good engine listens without hesitation. Doesn't work out in real life all the time - see Oliver, or the Big Engines' strike - but it definitely keeps most engines in line.

So we have these four core rules - but where did they come from? Well...

Regency Era Railways:

Straight off the bat - this is the era where every railway is figuring itself out. The L&MR was where everything was forged in fire - before it, the only railways that existed were isolated plateways in mines and the Stockton & Darlington Railway. None of these were anywhere near as complex as the L&MR, which is really the first railway 'system' in the way we might understand today. It's also where the first sentient engines begin to make a proper appearance and have an effect on people. Before, they were hidden in mines, if they existed at all - but now the public can see them!

Like, imagine this rocks up to collect you in an era when the most advanced method of transport is literally a horse. And it has a face. Remember, in this period people though that if they went over a certain speed or through a tunnel they would explode - so now the thing that might just kill them has a face?!

Managers would very quickly begin implementing ways to soothe their passengers. One way of doing that would be to dehumanise the engines - I can see many early engines being given basically no education because they are both seen as being 'working class' and because they are machines. When Rocket first ran, there were no public schools.

In this era, engines didn't know much, and they were isolated on their little systems. Yard managers are one of the few people with authority that these engines meet on a regular basis, and they use this to their advantage and cultivate this idea that the engines are entirely subservient to them. This is where that manager loyalty begins to become apparent - just not quite in its modern form.

The only education an engine would get is how to be loyal. Why should they learn signals, or passenger etiquette, or how to read? That is a driver or a guard's job. And so this really early era is characterised by dehumanisation and a lot of public-relations officers doing their best to downgrade the sentience of the engines. It's a lot of "yes they have a face, no they don't have intelligence, don't worry". This does extend into the Victorian era, as seen in Very Old Engines, as Skarloey arrives on Sodor with some principles taught at the workshop, only to be met with "you don't have rights, do your job." Which he naturally rebels at and then gets covered in a tarp for his troubles.

Of course, the Regency Era ends very soon into railway history, and just in time for a major game-changer.

The Victorian Era:

1838 is the year the first GWR train runs, and this railway in the South-west of England will have a huge impact on all railways that come after. First, the entire board of directors are very elitist and influential in parliament. This is a railway that needs to live up to its owners.

It is the GWR, not the L&MR, that writes the first book on engine learning. It's also the GWR, and not any other railway in the UK, that first develops a proper corporate culture for its engines that they actually like. The GWR does this by actually treating the engines like they have sentience.

Engines like Iron Duke are introduced to the 'Great Western Way' - this being the rulebook that Brunel and Gooch develop to best serve their wealthy owners. These engines are taught to read, understand the rules of the railway, passenger etiquette - which by now can be taught because there's less fumbling around blindly - and perhaps most importantly: they are taught a very proud mindset. The railway is the most important aspect of their lives, and they are to serve it to the best of their ability. All four of the rules appear in their first form here, except that the etiquette is not entirely based on duty, and instead all engines are taught all jobs - which horrified much of the rest of the railway companies.

But while this is going on on the GWR, the rest of the country's railways were trying to survive a crisis. Railway Mania swept Britain, and hundreds of engines and built (and destroyed) by the week. One thousand bills for new railways were submitted to parliament during this period, and while not all were built - it certainly had an impact. The LNWR was formed during this period, chunks of the Midland Railway, NER, GNR, GCR, Caledonian and basically every other major railway were all constructed in this time frame - but that didn't mean a drastic improvement in how the engines were treated in this area. Many North-western railways were influenced by the thinking from the L&MR, leading to entire fleets of early engines having zero clue how to act or even speak in some cases. When the bubble collapsed, many engines were scrapped - and this is where the other extremely important pillar stone of railway doctrine was introduced: engines are expendable, and should not want to hinder a company. The fourth rule is set into stone here, and goes unchanged and practically unchallenged all the way into the modern era.

This here, the end of steam in Britain, is able to happen because of principles introduced during Railway Mania. British Railways uses this rulebook and the laws that most likely surround it by this point to justify their actions, and also because thanks to this rulebook very few engines have the vague notion or idea to protest. Why would they, it goes against the rules!

The eradication of steam is almost directly caused by the era of Railway Mania and the principles managers introduced in the era to protect their profit margins. Without that doctrine, engines would have had a lot more rights and a lot more ability to protest being scrapped.

In other words, the 1840's was when scrapping began to appear properly, as well as the explosions, derailments and every other crash from the previous generation. Engines became unfeeling in this era - in the north at least. The GWR escaped this by being... well, not an economic bubble.

However, as the British Isles emerges from Railway Mania, two very strong railways vie for influence: the LNWR and the GWR. The LNWR has that traditional L&MR mindset - and it leads to a huge problem. The engines begin to learn how to speak from their crews, and moreover they question why their GWR counterparts are treated so much better. The LNWR also suffers from a number of easily preventable accidents caused by the engine having zero clue what to do.

Some railways land between the two, and it was the GNR that ended up formulating the four rules in their next evolution: engines were only taught their jobs. This was the GNR compromise with their board members. The board wanted a GWR approach, however the actual managers on the ground rebelled, worrying this would lead to the engines working together to demand fairer treatment. The Communist Manifesto was in major circulation at the time, and none of these companies wanted their engines getting any ideas. Instead, they implemented something of a class system, with express engines at the top and shunters at the bottom.

In the TVS, Emily is extremely abrasive towards Thomas (Seasons 8-12), and it may just have to do with the way she was raised, seeing shunters as the lowest form of engine. Gordon certainly did!

These three very distinct practices all melded and fused together on the Midland Railway - which of course ran right in between them all. The Midland Railway wrote the third proper rulebook in 1859, roughly twenty years after the GWR wrote its.

The Midland Railway's rulebook took the LNWR idea that engines needed to be taught to accept death, the GNR idea of a class system and the GWR importance of company loyalty and railway-rule-knowledge and fused them together, being able to create the rulebook that most British railways would use by 1890. The major exception to this was of course the Great Western, which slowly evolved its rulebook to use the LNWR ideas of engines being subservient to their managers while retaining the classless form of etiquette the engines were taught. The GNR would also hold out on some ideas from the GWR until it was amalgamated into the LNER, due to rising fears of Communism by the board.

Many smaller railways, such as the Furness Railway or the Highland Railway in Scotland, would use the GWR style, due to the smaller size of the workforce, and thus the potential necessity for engines to complete duties they were trained for.

Duck fits into his role at Tidmouth with such ease because he knows the theory behind every express train, every freight train, every style of shunting and branchline service. He doesn't need them, but the GWR engines were taught this just in case. Duck is excellent at his job, but he won't take any flak from the other engines because his GWR ideology makes him see them all as equal. This is of course part of the Great Western Way as explained in this post.

In direct contrast, Gordon has zero clue how to pull a freight train, and stalls on the hill because he physically doesn't know what to do.

And this brings me quite neatly to Sir Topham Hatt I. See, this is a GWR man who runs a railway that is very heavily influenced by the Midland Railway rulebook ideology. Edward knows how to do multiple tasks because the Furness Railway used GWR practice (maybe that's why he likes Edward?) while none of the other engines do. Sir Topham Hatt's management style using GWR practice is so confusing to them. Why is James - who is mixed-traffic at best - pulling the express? Why is Gordon pulling freight? Why are the big engines shunting?!

And then we have Henry. Sir Topham and Henry have such a rocky relationship, and it in many ways comes from the fact that Henry had none of the formal education that I just discussed. He's a privately-built engine from stolen plans sold cheap. He doesn't actually know the etiquette of a passenger train - no wonder he stops when he doesn't like the weather! He doesn't physically know better, and so he's acting on his first instincts. This clashes so badly with the GWR style which places etiquette almost above everything else. Hatt reacts so badly and outright insanely to this because to him, Henry is actively and deliberately breaking every rule in the book because of his paint? And Henry doesn't have a clue. Look at how horrified he is!

And don't get me wrong, this is extremely unethical and very stupid, but it has a precedence in miscommunication, differing ideologies and Henry's foolishness.

This was another massive ramble with a lot of insanity, but I do enjoy writing these. Helps organise my mind! As usual, none of the above pictures belong to me, and feel free to chuck in a comment with your opinion!

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emberfrostlovesloki · 6 months

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Books Aaron Has Read and Enjoyed [a ramble]

Photo credits: Left (mine) Center (@hotch-girl) Right (@lone-nyctophile)

So deep down I think Aaron loves to read. Not all the time, because there isn’t time for it often. But every now and then he’ll pick up a book for one reason or another. Because of this, I’ve compiled a list of six books that I think Aaron has read, why he read it, and what his favorite line of the book was and why. I think this list might prove Aaron is a romantic, even if he doesn’t think so. Enjoy all of that below the cut. Sending my love to you all this Saturday evening - Levi

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbra Kingsolver

When and why he read it - Aaron had to take an America Novel class his sophomore year.

Why he likes it - Aaron really wasn’t a fan of the book at the beginning. It was the longest book on the reading list, and even though he is a fast reader, he found it tedious at the beginning. However as the story progresses and he saw Mr. Price spiral out of control and eventually succumbs to his mania, Hotch feels a connection to the man and his own father. He felt a sick sort of satisfaction as Mr. Price was burned alive due to his madness. This is a book Aaron wouldn’t reread, but he remembers it well.

His favorite quote from the text - “Don’t try and make life a mathematics problem with yourself in the center and everything coming out equal. When you’re good, bad things can still happen. And if you’re bad, you can still get lucky” (Kingsolver).

King Lear by William Sheakspeare

When and why he read it - Aaron read this in high school when he was starting to fall in love with Hailey. He joined the theater club and went as far as reading King Lear because Hailey loved it and was writing a paper about it.

Why he likes it - He likes it because it brings him fond memories of Hailey and their very early relationship. He has reread the play a few times though he has no idea where his original copy is. He went looking through a few boxes in the attic once with no success.

His favorite quote from the text - “In jest, there is truth” (Shakespeare).

The Sound and the Fury by Willaim Faulkner

When and why he read it - This is one that Aaron picked up for himself. He’d been told it was a classic so many times, and he figured he would see what all the fuss was about. He read this over a quiet weekend when the team was having a break.

Why he likes it - Aaron enjoys the second and fourth sections the most. The stream-of-consciousness style in Quetinen Compson’s section was a nice change from the first. Aaron wouldn’t say it aloud, but it had been a challenging read for him. He shudders at the thought of reading something like Infinite Jest, another book that he had been told that he just must read in his lifetime.

His favorite quote from the text - “I give you mausoleums of all hope and desire… I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you might forget it now and then for a moment and not spend all your breath trying to conquer it. Because no battle is ever won he said. They are not even fought. The field only reveals to man his own folly and despair, and victory is an illusion of philosophers and fools” (Faulkner).

The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

When and why he read it - During a few cases in the winter when Aaron felt that he wasn’t his sharpest, he had complained to Rossi about questioning his abilities to profile and lead the team. That Christmas Dave had given him this collection and a note on the inside read: “If you’re doubting yourself, why don’t you read about a real profiler?” The note had been a joke, but one day he decided, ‘What the hell? Let’s see how wrong Doyle got the science.’

Why he likes it - Aaron didn’t expect to like the character of Sherlock as much as he had. The Britishisms and Holmes's dry humor made him chuckle. The science was very wrong.

His favorite quote from the text - “As a rule, the more bizarre a thing is, the less mysterious it proves to be” (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle).

The Brothers Karimozov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

When and why he read it - This was a gift for his forty-seventh birthday from you (the reader). It’s their favorite book, and they thought he might like the themes of family, atheism, and loss of faith.

Why he likes it - He found reading this both easier and more challenging than The Poisonwood Bible. He was much older, but the depth of the story and the ideas brought up challenged him to introspect in a way that he hadn’t in a long time. After he finished he felt a bit cathartic and he had to call you to give some thoughts.

His favorite quote from the text - “I believe like a child that suffering will be healed and made up for, that all the humiliating absurdity of human contradictions will vanish like a pitiful mirage, like the despicable fabrications of the impotent and infinitely small Euclidean mind of man, that in the world's finale, at the moment of eternal harmony, something so precious will come to pass that it will suffice for all hearts, for the comforting of all resentments, for the atonement of all the crimes of humanity, for all the blood that they’ve shed; that it will make it not only possible to forgive but to justified all that has happened” (Dostoyevsky). - Aaron isn’t sure if this is his favorite because he likes it, or because it’s your favorite line. When you tried to explain why, you cried, and he held you close. Aaron’s not sure he believes everything said here. He’s not sure he’s earned a spot for that type of bliss when he goes. But he wants it for you and for Jack and Hailey too. And for him, that’s good enough.

On Beautry by Zadie Smith

When and why he read it - This was a gift from Emily after her first month on the team. She was just so grateful that she was with the BAU. It felt like home to her.

Why he likes it - Aaron likes satire. The biting and witty phrases of Smith make him smile. He may not understand that it's a spoof of Howard’s End, but it doesn’t really matter for his understanding of the text. The last line, his favorite, also reminds him of Hailey and it makes him a bit sad, but not in a heartbreaking kind of way. More that there was hope. Hope for broken people, and he wanted to believe in that.

His favorite quote from the text - “Though her hands were imprecise blurs, paint heaped on paint and rolled with the brush, the rest of her skin had been expertly rendered in all its variety -- chalky whites, and lively pinks, the underlying blue of her veins and the ever-present human hint of yellow, imitations of what is to come” (Smith)

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angstsfordays · 2 years

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Save me, Save you [5/?]

Pairing: Stephen Strange x Enhanced! Avenger Reader

Summary: Your fights mostly belonged on the grounds while he worked mostly in the mystic and cosmic realms. Even though you both fought together in the infinity war to stop Thanos, you and Stephen Strange hardly ever interacted with one another. It only took one incidental misunderstanding between the two of you to bring both of you closer than ever. For two people who do not believe that they could find love, all we can say is that love finds you unexpectedly.

Chapter synopsis: Reader and Stephen try to navigate the beginning of their unexpected partnership. Stephen plays his part more seriously than reader thought.

Warnings: An almost bad word coming out! Slow burn🔥 Classic fake dating shenanigans!

Word count: 4.7k

Notes: Chapter 5 is finally here! 😊 I'm sorry for the wait as real-life duties call and I had multiple deadlines to meet at work. 🥲 Hence, I could only post this chapter out over a week later! Hope y'all liked it and let me know what you think! We get to have a bit of action here! 🤪

Love,

Angstsfordays 💜

Chapters: Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four

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The aftermath of everything that happened was a sheer nightmare. When you promised Sam that you will come back to the matter after he came back from Louisiana, that only settled half the problem.

The other half was trying to deal with Bucky but that surprisingly resolved on its own when Bucky grimly stated that he had things to attend to, which he then made his quick exit out of the Sanctum doors.

Wong left you and Stephen alone, but not before giving you a thumbs and a wish of luck.

Once everyone let the room, you immediately sunk down to the floor and heaved a sigh of relief. You webbed your fingers through you hair to slowly process what the hell just happened. For a moment, you forgot the other presence in the library- one which you were still interlocking fingers with.

Stephen blinked a couple of times as he recalled a flash of what transpired earlier.

“I really like him.”

“He makes me happy.”

The sound of love in your voice as you spoke those words did so much to him that you probably realised. Even though he knew you said what you had to convince Bucky Barnes, he couldn’t help but to feel a sense of happiness at hearing them.

Stephen then looked to you now muttering a string of curses under your breath as your eyes were burning a hole onto the ground beneath.

He cleared his throat to get your attention and your head immediately snapped towards him before looking down to your connected hands. Faster than lightning, you withdrew your hands and whispered an apology.

Stephen was disheartened at the loss of contact but then remembered he wanted an explanation from you. “Care to explain what happened back there?”

You winced at his very valid question.

“Well, you see Stephen, I may have decided to lie about our supposed relationship.” Eyes wandering everywhere except for the sorcerer in front of you, you were cracking your brain to try to explain yourself without making you sound like a pyscho.

“Hmm.” Stephen let out as he gestured for you to continue. You took a breath in and out to collect yourself before speaking.

“The person I talked to you about, the one I confessed my feelings too. It is Bucky.”

“Uh huh.” Stephen pretended to go along even though he had already figured it out for himself.

“During dinner last night, I may have told him and Sam I had a date. Mainly to convince Bucky I have moved on because he was seeing someone.” So that was the real reason why you started the lie, Stephen thought.

“Right.” He responded before you started rambling to explain yourself further. “I didn’t say who it was. I totally made it up.”

Hearing that you made up an imaginary date to get two guys that acted like your brothers was fair and also humorous. Stephen held back a smirk before speaking, “I see.”

“I didn’t expect Sam’s imagination to go off the charts and think you were my date!” Your tone was frantic and your pitch got higher as realization dawned upon you on how messy the situation was. What you had done was possibly the worst improvisation in the history of improvisation!

“Okay.” Stephen was getting a little concerned at how agitated you were starting to get but before he could budge in, you continued on dramatically.

“But I didn’t deny it because Bucky was right there and if I didn’t do what I did just now, he would know I am a lying ass.” You ended off your tirade with a flurry of dramatic hand gestures and looked to Stephen, hoping that he would understand and pitied your situation.

“Which you technically are.” The sarcastic yet accurate reply you had gotten from him made you blanched, because he was absolutely right and you were downright embarrassed.

“Yes, but I rather be a lying ass than a humiliated ass.” Trying to redeem yourself, you squirmed under the doubtful look that Stephen had thrown your way. You felt like a complete scam and looked towards him defeatedly.

“I’m sorry, Stephen. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this mess. I panicked.”

“So what now?” Stephen looked at you expectedly, he wasn’t sure how you wanted to go about this but all he knew was that he would go along with whatever you wanted. Because he genuinely wanted to. Looking at him with hopeful doe eyes, Stephen was also pretty sure he would find it hard to say no to you.

“Please keep this up charade with me. At least for a month or something. Then we can tell them we ended this because we’re too busy with own schedules or it just didn’t work out and we decided that we’re best off as friends.”

The idea of fake dating would go terribly wrong, Stephen thought. His feelings for you which he was supposed to put a stop would also heighten while pretending to be your boyfriend in front of other people.

Yet, he did want to help you- even this whole situation is ridiculous. Seeing how you were trying to put up a brave front in front of Bucky left a gnawing feeling in his heart because he has been where you were.

When he attended Christine’s wedding and responded to her question on whether he was happy. He was totally not even though he said he is. Stephen was brought back to the present when you spoke up fervently.

“I could let you dump me. I don’t mind!” Oh Y/N…he thought. He didn’t like how you thought so little of yourself.

Stephen shook his head and tried to focus on the practicality of the matter as he spoke, “It’s not about that. How are we going to keep this up?”

Brows furrowing in dep thought, you came up with a plan. “I would probably meet Bucky and Sam a couple of times in the next month. It would be easy to put them off by saying what is between us is private.”

Stephen nodded in understanding but then meticulously thought about other considerations too. “But you’re forgetting Wong knows. Which means, America might know sooner or later. She would probably be invested in it seeing how she was so excited for you to date. We’re gonna be around each other quite a bit in their presence too.”

His tone became more serious, “I don’t really want to let her hopes get too high when she realises it is going to end in a month.”

You grimaced at the thought of having to lie and put up an act in front of America. “Crap, I have not even considered Am in the picture.”

You then countered justly, “But I’m sure she will understand. She shares with me how her friends get together and break up with guys easily.”

Stephen shook his head in disagreement as he reasoned, “But it’s different. It’s between us two, people that she looks up to and admires. If we break up so easily, it will have a far greater impact on her than you think.”

“Not if we’re not awkward after the ‘break up’. We can show how people can still be good friends even after one. Besides this is fake, it’s not like we’re dating for real.” The cold hard truth from your words stung Stephen. He was taking this more seriously than you, considering he was the one with more feelings for you than him. You probably had close to zero.

Stephen wanted to take his words back. As much as he wanted to help you, he wondered if this whole fake-dating would end up hurting him more. Stephen looked towards your guilt-ridden face after processing your entire discussion, you then looked back up at him with a firm stare.

“You know what. I’ve been very selfish asking you to do this for me. I would bear the consequences of my actions, I can tell the truth to Bucky, Sam and Wong. You shouldn’t have to play along to my bad decisions.”

“Y/N….” Worry came out from Stephen as he stares at your crestfallen expression. You put on your most optimistic face to reassure him as you saw Stephen looking upon you with concern.

“I’m pathetic, aren’t I?” You tried to make a joke about yourself to lighten the atmosphere. It was this moment where Stephen decided to not hold back.

“No, you are not.” He replied adamantly. Stephen hated seeing you so upset and hurt.

“Y/N…I am going to help you get through this.”

You couldn’t believe your ears and took a moment to process Stephen’s words. He actually agreed to help you! Breaking into a wide toothy grin, you started shaking excitedly.

“You mean it?” Your heart was hammering to hear Stephen’s confirmation and once he nodded in response, you stretched out your arms to gesture for a hug.

Stephen took a step forward to return your hug. He was relieved to see your cheery self once more and savoured in the close contact you two were having.

You held Stephen closely to show your appreciation and pulled back to show him your biggest smile.

“Thanks Stephen, you’re my literal hero!”

Taken back by your statement, Stephen was at a loss for words. His hands were getting clammy with nerves and his heart started pounding. To be the hero of an Avenger like you or even just to be your hero brought new meaning to him.

He always claimed himself to be an all-knowing and all-important person- protecting the fabric of reality and time. Yet, to be your hero just by getting you out of a messy situation brought a greater sense of accomplishment.

To be the reason for your smile and your happiness brought him far more pride than he ever had in his whole career as a surgeon or sorcerer.

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Stephen and you had decided to work out some rules regarding your entire dating fake situation that day. The two of you agreed that you would do no more than hand holding, hugs and friendly kisses in front of people.

The two of you had a cover story of bumping each other on the streets well over a month ago and started to hang out outside of the Sanctum. You both decided to wait and keep your relationship under wraps until it was more established- which did not happen due to the incidental expose with Sam and Bucky.

Stephen and you decided to find the right timing to ‘confess’ to America and wanted to make sure it came from the two of you first. You both believed Wong wouldn’t be the sort to tell everyone so you wanted to try keeping this relationship as close to your inner circle.

The wider it gets only meant more things to cover up. You shuddered at the thought.

Making your way to the Sanctum Sanctorum, you nervously got off your bike and parked it.

You hadn’t been this nervous even on your first visit, but just thinking about how things might or did change.

Entering the familiar lobby area of the Sanctum, you made your way to find America. You took the familiar steps to the residential wing of the Sanctum- each step you took was heavy as did your heart.

“Y/N?” A familiar comforting voice was heard behind you. The door of Stephen’s study opened and you saw him stepping out of the room. Cloakie followed closely behind and was about to latch him onto Stephen’s shoulders before it was made aware of your presence.

The ancient relic left Stephen hanging and swoosh to your side, wrapping you in a warm embrace. You giggled at its affectionate gesture and ran a hand up and down its softness.

Stephen looked towards the both of you with a mixture of annoyance and adoration.

“I’m jealous.” Your attention was brought back to Stephen standing hands folded with a teasing look.

Both you and Cloakie turned your attention to the Sorcerer. “Hmm? Of what?”

Taking steps towards you, Stephen smirked as he spoke, “I called you first, but your attention is on Cloak.”

“Oh, but he’s so cute!” You returned with a teasing expression. Cloakie then proceed to wrap itself even tighter in response to show its fondness for you.

“And I’m not?” Stephen took a cheeky jab at you and you can’t help to have a feeling that he was acting differently but not in a bad way. You know beneath his hard exterior, Stephen can be light-hearted and even sassy too.

“You’re acting odd?” Your statement came off more like a question. Stephen grinned at your confused expression before saying, “Just playing the part of the jealous boyfriend.”

“Of Cloak?” You added on doubtfully with a raised brow.

“Why not? Anyone who steals the attention of my girlfriend would incur my jealousy.” Stephen answered in a matter-of-fact tone. You rolled your eyes at this pretend play of his and decided to play along.

“Oh right. Got it.” Taking one more step brought you and Stephen chest to chest, you looked up to Stephen with apologetic eyes and a pout. “I’m sorry babe.”

Stephen’s heart jumped a little at the little nickname you added to your apology. He had to control himself from grinning out like a fool. “Is that what you’re going for?”

Giving him a quizzical look, you asked, “Then what should I call you?”

“Yours.” Stephen’s low baritone voice enunciating that one single word caused your insides to flip upside down. Why were you feeling this way?

Your lashes fluttered to look up at Stephen who was watching you with a cheeky grin. Your brows furrowed in light annoyance.

Thinking of the best comeback you can make, you retorted, “Unbelievable the all-stoic and nonchalant Stephen Strange is such a cringe.” Your words only served to make Stephen’s grin wider.

“I can be if I want to. Is it too much?” He laughed as he took a step back, creating a slight distance that only disappointed you. Why were you feeling sad that he moved back?

Shaking your head to rid of any deviating thoughts, you murmured with a passive voice. “It’s weird but not too much.”

Stephen was puzzled to see a change in your demeanour but he continued to speak, “Well, we should get some practice in if we wanted to convince Wong. He is shockingly intuitive and we must be on our toes.”

Nodding in agreement, you fiddled with the sides of your leather jacket nervously at the idea of pretending to keep up the dating act.

After everything has finally processed, you realized that you’re actually fake dating Stephen and while you thought this would be a breeze, you started to have some doubts of your own.

“Well, I shall not keep you any further. I got a class to teach soon so I will see you on the grounds later?” Gesturing for Cloak to return to him, the relic huffed before waving goodbye to you and then settling on Stephen’s shoulders.

You nodded as Stephen threw a disarming smile your way before he opened up the portal to Kamar-Taj. What was this unnerving feeling that you were experiencing?

------------------------//---------------------------

After training America for an hour or so, Wong came over to ask you for a favour. One of the Masters that was in charge of fight trainings called in sick- something about having too much Korean BBQ the previous night.

You agreed to help and brought America along to the class. As it was an advanced class involving the teachings of using a weapon, America had to sit this class out. Nevertheless, she joined in as an audience at the side and was excited to see you- her beloved mentor in full action.

As your eyes hovered over the small group of Masters-in-training, one guy caught your attention as you felt his stare almost burning into the side of your head.

You recognised him as one of the handsome recruits from the Hong Kong Sanctum and when both of your eyes met, the corner of his lips went up into a charming smile.

You weren’t sure entirely how to react so you returned a polite smile before conducting the class. Each Master had to use their magic energy to conjure a weapon that was of their own choice, you tried to guide them on how they could best utilise these weapons best for both attacks and defence.

You had everyone practiced in pairings to figure out the workings of their weapon choices before calling for a break. Everyone dispersed to use the toilet, grab some water or went for a change in scenery.

A voice called out to you and your head turned to the handsome recruit who smiled at you previously. Looking at him closer, you could observe his striking features more intimately.

He had a head full of black and neat cropped hair, his handsomeness wore a devilishly and boyish look. He was definitely younger than you with the puppy like smile he was throwing your way.

You had to admit he was stunning but you did not forget to be professional. Walking closer to him, you acknowledged his call out to you and asked him how you could help him.

“Master Y/N?” He called you with an endearing tone which taken you aback.

“Oh, I’m not a Master.” Shaking your head and hand, you tried to hold in your laughter at the misunderstanding before explaining yourself. “I’m just subbing for Master Fukuhara. I’m not a Master here actually.”

The young recruit who introduced himself as Daniel Cheung widened his eyes at your statement and chuckled nervously before speaking, “I’ve been here for a month and I always see you training that girl over there. How come she is so special?”

“Oh, Wong asked me to train America specifically for combat and not in the Mystic Arts. I can’t actually do any magic.”

Daniel’s face was painted with surprise at your explanation while you continued to speak.

“I used to be an agent. So I have experiences with different types of weapons, that’s why I’m here.”

Daniel blinked innocently at your revelation, “Like a spy?”

You nodded while giggling at his question, “Something like that?”.

Daniel looked at you with awe before a confusion dawned upon him. “I saw you with powers though. I didn’t know a spy has powers. If they’re not magic, what are they?”

“I don’t know how to explain, I’m just born with them. They’re energy based and have more physical rather than magical impact.” You extended a hand to light up some energy sparks in your hand, manipulating it like a mini fireworks show.

Excitement lit up Daniel’s face. “That’s cool! You’re like me! Sort of! My ancestry stems from a long line of Masters so magic has been kind of within me too.”

You smiled like a mum at his cuteness and did wonder why he would choose to study Mystic Arts at a young age.

Most of the Masters here were definitely much older and the youngest would at least be around your age.

“I just want to say, I think you are so cool when I see you training on the grounds. I actually look forward to seeing you every time too.” Hearing what Daniel said got you flustered and you did not know how to receive the compliment except with an awkward smile.

He’s cute but could you really see yourself with someone like him? Not quite. Little do you know- cold and brooding types with a hidden warm side have always attracted you.

America was approaching you with your water bottle but stopped short in her tracks as your conversation with Daniel fell within her range.

She could not believe her ears and eyes as to what was happening. Y/N was finally getting some action and of all places, it’s at Kamar-Taj! She was trying so hard to squeal aloud and had to resort to doing it on the inside.

“Oh, uh, that’s really unexpected. Thank you for the compliment, that’s sweet of you.” Smiling politely, you found yourself feeling nervous.

“You know what’s sweeter?” You blinked wide-eyed at Daniel’s question, causing him to chuckle at your confusion.

“Yu, me and a cup of boba? I know this new place that just opened up.” Your eyes started blinking faster and your mind was whirling to process what could follow Daniel’s statement.

You had a gut feeling and the words came out of you sooner than you thought. “Oh, I don’t think-”

Daniel ignored your stuttering and went on with a hopeful look in his eyes, “I saw you bringing over some sweet drinks for the other Masters the other day and figured that boba might be to your liking?”

America could see you acting all fidgety and wanted to chid you for being awkward. Where was all the confidence and swag that you had from the time that she had known you?

You always carried yourself with positive and calming energy that infected the people around you. Yet, here you were completely the opposite as you looked flustered.

America wanted to step into help give you a boost of confidence and be your wing woman. However, What she didn’t realised was another person witnessing this exchange too- one in blue robes and donning a red cloak relic.

Stephen ended his class early and later learnt from Wong that you had agreed to help sub a class. He was curious to see how it went and had managed to catch five minutes of it from the side before you called for a break.

He was going to call out to you before another person got ahead of him. His eyes narrowed to the young-looking recruit whom he recognised as one from the Hong Kong division.

“Would you like to hang out sometime? Maybe tonight after class if you’re not too busy?”

A rush of emotions and thoughts flooded Stephen as his eyes fleeted between you standing awkwardly and bashful while the young recruit was trying to take his shot at you.

What did that young man just say? Why were you not saying anything back? Stephen immediately thought back to days ago where you were caught ogling at the handsome recruits.

Dread started to set into Stephen’s mind. Did you actually liked the guy enough and wanted to have your chance?

You couldn’t actually agree right? The two of you have yet to talk about the possibility of what ifs- if one of you wanted to start dating other people. Well more you than Stephen, he most definitely was not interested in others.

You didn’t even have any actual feelings for him so you would want to have night out with some young handsome lad? While Stephen’s mind was thinking of all possibilities, his gaze went back to you.

He caught your eye as you immediately turned towards him with a wide-eyed look. You bit your lips nervously and looked back to Daniel who was waiting for your eager response. Stephen and you may not have known each other for a long time, but he dared to say he knew you well enough to sense how you were feeling.

Taking long strides, Stephen placed himself right beside you and you were taken aback by the sudden proximity. Stephen puffed out his chest in a show of confidence before looking at Daniel then you.

“Y/N, I hate to interrupt but I need your help.”

“Help with what?” You asked with a baffled look before catching the twinkling in Stephen’s cerulean eyes. Without speaking, you knew what he was doing and you were so eternally grateful for him getting you out of a sticky situation (again).

“Something that requires your help.” He enunciated each word clearly.

You looked towards Daniel who was unaware of what the two of you were up to before playing along. “Ah, right of course. I would be glad to help you.”

Turning to Daniel with an apologetic look, you put on your most sorry face. “Sorry, I gotta help Stephen with something important.”

In contrary, Daniel’s face was full of optimism. “Oh yeah of course. But we’re still on tonight?”

“What?” You let out a croak. Jealousy was brimming inside Stephen as he witnessed this foolish young man’s persistence. Couldn’t he see that you were clearly uncomfortable? This man was taking advantage of your niceness.

Unfortunately for him, Stephen was anything but nice.

“For Boba?” Silence followed after as the three of you looked between each other. Meanwhile, America felt like she was watching in the scene of a Netflix series. The tension in the situation was so sharp it could pop just like a balloon.

She really wished she could have some popcorn at this moment.

“Recruit…?” Stephen inquired with a hint of contempt.

“Cheung. Master Strange. Daniel Cheung.”

“Ah, yes. Y/N cannot make it for tonight. She will be busy with me.” Responding with a matter of fact tone, you feel one of Stephen’s arm suddenly placed around your shoulders.

Your eyes bulged at the physical contact. It wasn’t anything you’re uncomfortable with but he definitely wasn’t the touchy feely sort in front of others.

“Okay…” Daniel pondered seriously for a moment before glancing at you with a grin. “Tomorrow then?”

If it was physically possible, Stephen’s eyes would roll to the back of his head at how dense this boy was.

“Recruit Cheung. She would not be free tomorrow, the day after, not on the weekends, not next week and not anytime soon.” Stephen’s change in tone had you in shock. You were not surprised by his unfriendliness but at where you thought he might be heading with his words.

“What? Why?”

Stephen spoke to Daniel haughtily. “Because every moment she has besides work and training will be with me.”

With a smug look on his face, Stephen stated with finality. “We’re together.”

You started sputtering once you heard the words that came out of his mouth. No, Stephen! You’re supposed to keep the fake dating within the small circle- that means Bucky, Sam, Wong and eventually America!

Daniel was clearly flustered as he looked between the two of you and under the watchful eye of Stephen, he gathered the courage to speak up, “But when I see the two of you on the grounds, it didn’t seem like you were together.”

“It’s called professionalism.” Stephen rebuffed the recruit’s claim with ease. Daniel looked flabbergasted but then an invisible light bulb seemed to go off in his head.

“Ah, are you trying to help her out? Because if I were to be honest, you two don’t seem to look like a couple.”

Daniel then turned to you with a supposed understanding look. “Y/N, I know that me asking you out of the blue might have taken you by surprise but I swear that I only have good intentions.”

Stephen was clutching his fist tightly (with the hand that wasn’t wrapped around your shoulder) as he was astonished at how overly confident this young lad was. “Are you serious? I just said we are together.”

“And somehow, I don’t believe it. You’re all brooding and cold while she is all sunshine.”

Stephen was seething at how Recruit Cheung was testing his patience. The hand around your shoulder slid down before reaching to interlock with one of yours.

“What are you doing?!” You mouthed to him in panic. Stephen didn’t respond but instead started at you endearingly for a moment.

Stephen’s emotions were taking over him. This was definitely not part of your fake dating plan but he was sure as hell to prove something to Daniel Cheung.

What did he even mean by you two not looking like you belonged together?!

He saw the panic in your eyes but he knew it was too late to reverse what he said (although he was more than capable to do a simple memory erasure spell).

He just had to wing it.

Leaning down to you, Stephen planted his lips on yours and his other hand immediately went to cradle the side of your face. You were in shock at what he was doing and wanted to pull yourself away but when you felt his hot breath on your lips, your body involuntarily responded back.

What in the world were you doing?!

You let go of your hand in Stephen’s hold and placed them on his firm chest. As you felt his lips putting more pressure onto yours, you snaked both hands from his chest to around his neck. Stephen’s free hand pulled you closer by the waist and the two of you were deep in your lip lock for a few more seconds.

Stephen couldn’t believe that you were responding in kind and when your thumb brushed against his beard, it elicited an involuntary soft moan from his lips that also caused your stomach to somersault.

“What the fuc-” America let out before Wong’s voice cut into the scene. It woke both you and Stephen out of your trance. You pulled away and a soft pop could be heard from both Stephen and your lips while doing so.

You jumped at the sight of the sudden crowd of people gathering around and looked towards bashful looking Stephen whose eyes were anywhere were towards you.

Why would he even try to kiss you like that? You were still reeling from the shock of what happened before a voice shrieked.

“YOU TWO ARE DATING?!” You and Stephen looked towards the teenage girl who had a mixture of shock and giddy excitement on her face.

As all eyes were on you and Stephen, you realised that your sticky situation had gotten stickier and that now probably most of Kamar-Taj would believe that you two were dating.

------------------------//---------------------------

Tag list: @severuined @thewinterpoet2 @moraonmarz @sherlocksgirl91 @strangesweetheart @zeeader @geeky-politics-46 @evelynrosestuff @mischiefmanaged71 @singhfae @capricorn-nightmare @stilllivindue2spite @endless-starzz @strangeobsessed @tis-vereon @eve-dusk @sleepdeprivedasever @mochuchi @lovecleastrange @glitterylokislut

#angstsfordays #save me save you #stephen strange x reader #stephen strange x you #doctor strange x reader #dr strange fanfiction #dr strange x reader #stephen strange fanfiction #marvel fanfiction

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hallucinateonpaperspines · 1 month

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Hi!! I just found out you had a tumblr and I saw your rdr2/tfp (of timelines and trolleys) crossover idea and I was just wondering if you’d be willing to expand on that? 👀 (unless you don’t want to give away any spoilers lol)

My rdr2 and tfp hyperfixations have made resurgence lately and the idea of that crossover sounds so cool!!! (I’m rereading your fic atm, it’s so fucking good I need it injected directly into my bloodstream)

WELCOME!!!! and thank you so much for the compliment （＾ω＾）

I've actually been working on the rdr crossover here and there, but I'll definitely start giving it more attention. (I feel I've moved to the acceptance stage of grief, but writing fanfic about it might implicate bargaining... eh I'll get some laughs out of it regardless)

I do want to make a mini-fic that's more put together than my PJO au, but has more content than some of my drops in Worlds of A Disgruntled OC so instead of rambling, how about I give you a sneak peak of what I'm working on?

°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

Ashlyn Moore was an incredibly unlucky person. It wasn’t a matter of opinion, it was an objective fact of the universe. As cut and dry as gravity’s rules or the laws of energy conservation. A dependable and evidentially supported fact of life, and much like Murphy’s Law, it could be invoked at any moment.

Such as right now.

Here, lying here, with a rock pressed against her spine and dirt rubbing against her skin, Ashlyn Moore was faced with such evidence that would seal her title as the unluckiest person in the world. Because how many people crossed dimensions not once, but twice within a year?

Wrinkling her nose, the girl didn’t bother to open her eyes. She was content to simply lay there, in the dirt, ignorant to the specifics of whatever world she’d wandered into for now. Not much different from what Ashlyn had been doing with the voices, and that had been working out great so far.

As much as she would love to reveal in unknowing bliss, dimensional travel had a very distinct feeling. An odd dreamlike haze, as if reconnecting a mind to a body that had been nothing but split atoms and a handful of migrating molecules moments before was an arduous task. A process not quite complete, even after eyes opened and sight returned. Ashlyn only had a rough guess of the moment her world had first blended with fiction, the transition too vague to truly define, but the sensation of other was too distinct not to connect to. And now, she had relived it once more. That was one aspect of reality, of whatever had happened when energon met that stupid rock, that she could not ignore.

The world had shifted, yet again, and she had no clue how to fix any of it.

Honestly, it was rather predictable, wasn’t it? Didn’t take a lot of brain power to figure out once those few details became clear and the story came into focus like the tapes of an old film.

Miko had tried to sneak out and watch a bot fight. Jack following to make sure the girl didn’t get herself killed was typical. Ashlyn, herself, had been bored out of her mind and resorting to watching mind-numbing videos of a survival expert cooking some Michelin-level salmon with tin foil and alternating to a shirtless man digging out an underground house with a piece of bamboo. Feeling faintly inspired, she’d been prepared to give the latter a try in the base’s walls. The fact that mud and roots were replaced by stone and steel would only add to the challenge. When Jack had catapulted after Miko, narrowly missing in his half-hearted tackle attempt, it was like a dinner bell rang.

Entertainment! Come get your free, entertainment! No broken nails or mining is required!

A pity, she’d been fascinated by the chance to create a hiding place in the walls for the whole 5 minutes the idea had spawned in her mind.

But this would work too.

Sharing a look with Raf, the pair had slyly put the computer down, still playing a collection of YouTube’s greatest survival tips, and followed their fellow homo sapiens. She may have been the oldest of the quartet, but Ashlyn was not their keeper. She was going to enjoy this little impromptu field trip while she could.

Hidden on a cliff-side, the group held front-row seats to the mini-battle that unfolded beneath them. Ashlyn hadn’t recognized the scene or location, so she’d been too engrossed in the drama to take note when Miko had once again started to move. She’d only realized that anything had changed when Raf had asked what the younger girl was doing near a cave.

Ashlyn hadn’t stopped Miko from interacting with the carvings. Not from the photos or touching the chipped pieces. The design was familiar, even as it seemed jarringly wrong, but Ashlyn couldn’t quite identify what episode those odd drawings were part of. But if they were here, they must be important.

Who was she to stand in the way of the plot?

Her hesitation was a mistake.

Bad luck had decided to strike again, and the last thing Ashlyn remembered seeing was a sudden blast and hearing the sudden screams of her companions.

In the glare of the light, Ashlyn could have sworn that the carvings had started to dance.

Thus, the latest evidence proving the Laws of Ashlyn had been added to the cosmic tally. She was unamused, but at least she was no longer bored. Ashlyn almost wished she was bored.

Yet, one must count their blessings. The air was warm and pleasant, breathable which was good. The rock that was pressing between the vertebra of her spine had not cut into it, and the tickling sensation of grass and dirt proved that she still had sensation in her limbs.

Somehow she was the unluckiest person in the world, but she still had enough luck in her to walk away with that evidence. Perhaps, in another life, she might’ve been a cat. A black cat with nine lives and the audacity that can only come from not having a single one stolen.

She smiled at the thought of sauntering down fence tops and lounging on tree branches. It must feel something like this, shadows dancing over her face as leaves danced in a merry breeze. Warm sunbeams caressed her form as she would laze away the day, blissful and unconcerned about the troubles of reality.

If only she was actually a cat.

Maybe if she opened her eyes she’d find that such a dream had been fulfilled.

Considering her luck, probably not. But now, with everything but her soul in question, she couldn’t prove that she wasn’t one. Schrodinger’s Cat was her preferred state of being usually, just for the simplicity of it. Why tack on a feline version for her sanity’s sake?

She is a cat. She is not a cat. She is Ashlyn, and that’s more than enough.

With that line of thought, the girl’s mind drifted off into a strange breed of nonsense that could not help but taper off into a dream. Ashlyn Moore took a nap, not knowing where she was but quite sure that she was alone and that such problems could wait for whenever she deemed it prudent to leave this uncomfortable spot.

Had she not been so nonchalant, some things would have carried on very differently. For instance, a man, full-bearded and with a sour attitude came across the sleeping girl. Spotting a young woman, dressed oddly and splayed out beneath a tree, Bill Williamson shouldered his gun and stared.

What exactly was he supposed to do here?

Bill had seen many strange things in his life, from his stint in the army to his career as an outlaw, life had a way of tossing weird shit all over the place.

Stepping closer to the stranger, dry earth crunching beneath his boot and fingers itching to grab the carbine repeater once more, the man gave a start as some wild beast bellowed in the distance.

It took a moment to realize it was just the lady snoring… so she was alive then. Sleeping like a baby grizzly, complete with a little snot bubble that rose and fell with every “mehu.”

Stepping back, Bill sighed and rubbed his head. Just their luck that first thing after getting off that goddamn mountain a stranger appears right outside of camp. The women hadn’t even unpacked yet, Mr fucking Morgan’s wagon with Hosea and Charles hadn’t even arrived yet! Dutch hadn’t even done one of his speeches yet and already something unexpected had happened. Lone woman or not, the situation was suspicious.

The gang couldn’t risk gaining any attention or trouble, not until they had the money to split properly. Or until Dutch come up with another plan.

Looking back at the woman, Williamson took in her odd clothes. Jeans a few sizes too small, boots that didn’t look like anything he’d ever seen and a jacket that might’ve dyed leather. Oddly dressed, yes, but, other than a branch sticking out of wild hair, she was well-groomed and appeared healthy from a quick glance. Not some poor waif, likely had a family that would notice if she went missing.

Drat.

Dutch also wouldn’t appreciate killing a random woman just because she decided to nap near the camp. Besides, there was no confirmation that she’d seen anything. No confirmation that anyone knew where she was or would suspect them if she went missing. Valentine was a small town. People talked in small towns. People were suspicious.

The Van Der Linde Gang did not need help to be seen as suspicious.

Poking her with his boot, Bill watched as that lady scowled and swatted it. He thought he could hear her muttering about something.

Leaning closer, Bill hovered over the girl in hopes of overhearing. Maybe pick up some clues on this latest shit that had been tossed his way.

He failed to account for the girl waking up.

Ashlyn Moore, opening her eyes to a strange, kinda familiar, ruffian hovering over her acted on pure, engrande reflex.

Always aim for the eyes, her mother had told her.

Her hand moved quickly, fingers winding in the coarse foul-smelling beard, and pulled. Her other hand met the surprised and teetering man’s face.

A solid crack sounded off as blood spurted. The man screamed, shrill and high as he fell back on his heels, hands too occupied with his broken nose to reach for his gun.

What luck. What wondrous, good-for-nothing, terrible luck.

“Y-you! YOU BITCH!”

Amid the whining, Ashlyn could hear trees rustling and other voices sounding off in the distance. Had she not just woken from a nap, the girl might’ve taken her wake-er hostage with that pretty rifle. Or maybe she would have demanded to speak to his boss, manager, or mother about his horrid manners. Alas, still sleep-addled, Ashlyn felt the incoming forces of retribution and bolted out of the forest, into an open clearing, and ran out into the plains without bothering to think about where she was going.

Bill for his part, was left with explaining to Javier what the hell happened when the Mexican bounded over pistol drawn and just quick enough to see a shadow darting away. As Mrs. Grimshaw set his nose and smacked his head, Javier wouldn’t stop laughing about Bill losing a fistfight to a deer.

Uncle said it must have been a branch.

Bill remained quiet, sulking as Mr. Morgan drove his wagon in and listened to the tale.

“Nah. Must’ve been a twig.”

Bill really wished he had shot that girl.

#ao3 author #ao3 #of timelines and trolleys #ashlyn moore (oc)#rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #crossover #sneek peak #I have nothing but scenarios and I'm stitching it together #a quilt of nonsense #watch ashlyn set it on fire #sorry Bill #but you came at Kerian so this is my retribution #we'll come back for ya later #Arthur Morgan will be oblivious #the himbo shall be at peace #can't say the same for the rest of the gang #IVE GOT PLANNNNS DUTCH

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madokamagicasecrets · 2 months

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Thank you for Angel's Egg posting, saw it recently with some friends and so your posts on it felt fortuitous.

How did you interpret the soldier and egg girl? We spent ages after the movie trying to work out how we felt about them so I'd be interested to see what you thought.

Oh that's so cool! I'm glad you enjoyed it, I remember watching it on a whim with my sister years ago and just being awestruck and hypnotized by the movie. I've become a bit of a fanatic since then and singlehandedly drove up the value of merchandise of the movie by collecting all of it lol. It's dear to my heart for sure.

I think if you know anything about Christianity then the parallels between the soldier and Jesus should be fairly apparent. A lot of people think (I presume rightly) that the giant eye is supposed to be God, and the soldier seems connected to it in some way. He has a cross-shaped weapon and bandages on his hands. I think given the history Mamoru Oshii had with religion and the crisis of faith that inspired the movie make his role fairly certain in my eyes.

The girl, however, I don't really have a clear role for. A few interpretations of the film say she's going through a biblical test, which I think is probably accurate, but I'm not sure she represents a specific biblical figure. I'm not the most well-versed in religion despite knowing more than the layman though, so I might be wrong. I think that a big part of what makes her interesting to me though, and also the soldier, is this idea about their level of awareness or the intention behind the universe and what they're doing.

If the girl is undergoing a biblical test, does she even know why? Maybe, much like the story the soldier tells, she's forgotten why she's filling the jugs with water and protecting the egg. It may also be a bit unfair to say this given the soldier breaks the egg, but I also feel relatively certain he's in the dark too. Part of why I actually Angel's Egg-posted when I did is because I watched a video essay of someone's personal take on it because I was thinking about it, and it made me realize that the scene in the beginning with the bird in the egg was probably the dream the soldier alludes to. He also expresses memory loss and I feel inclined to believe him. The question of if the characters are genuinely being tested or if they're victims of a God who abandoned the world is probably the most important part of what makes the story interesting.

I'm presuming you know this much but for the uninitiated Mamoru Oshii made this movie right after having a crisis of faith after being deeply religious for many years, to the point of considering being a priest. I think a big part of Angel's Egg is that it is a way of expressing his uncertainty. There's a bit of spite there, but also grieving. There's no solid answers and things are open to interpretation because he also doesn't really have them. He was just trying to understand himself amidst this massive loss in his life, and channeled it into this bizarre biblical test that makes you wonder about its level of intent and if the characters' faith was rewarded at all.

I may have rambled on a bit about adjacent topics, sorry lol. This movie is just so fascinating I kinda can't help but infodump and discuss it. I just hope that what I said was in focus enough that it answered your question haha

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ahungeringknife · 7 months

Text

365: May 8

Venus' sky was a slick yellow-green. A soft rain slipped from the perpetual clouds that always seemed to cover the campus around the Ishtar Collective. It muddled Kaley's vision as she was laid on her back in the mud and grass. The rest of Glitterbomb was doing the same. All silent and still as corpses. A bird flew over them. A Venus Poppycock, that's what they were called. Technically a lizard with wings, since avians hadn't spawned from the Traveler's Light here on Venus, but everyone called it a bird. They weren't like the little flying dragonets. It was small. Only the size of a wren, or a chickadee.

"We should go, right?" Nef asked from a few feet away.

"I think I need to lay here a bit longer," Grey said.

Comms fell quiet again for a few more minutes. Behind them the massive unwinding gate was closed but hummed softly with Vex energy. The spire hung as a mocking lattice in the air off towards the cliffs, curling with potential energy.

"Anyone want to talk about it?" Archie asked.

"No," Kaley's voice said, joining everyone's chorus over comms.

There was quiet again.

"We should though," Archie said. She turned her head when he sat up. Like the rest of them he'd long since lost his regular armor amid the unbuilding of Vex construction and Reggie had had to remake it all a new out of Vex pieces. Kaley could feel every piece of her new coat and armor. She could feel the way the dead Vex reached out to connect to her Light. It didn't speak but the helmet shivered and shimmered around her head like a living thing. The Vex that Amelia had made all this from were long dead but if she listened too closely she could hear it still.

"I don't even know what to talk about," Grey said, still on the ground. "I don't even know what happened."

"Rigel, Kaley, you know anything about this?" Archie asked.

"The Vex are not my area of expertise," Rigel said, voice strangely droning, glitchy almost.

"Kaley?" Archie prodded when she wasn't forthcoming.

She looked over at Rigel laying next to her. His helmet was almost a mirror of her own, a Vex head cracked open around a glass void. His was the shape of a harpy, while her's was a goblin. He looked back at her in that unflinching facade. But she knew. He'd seen it too. They'd both seen it. Down amid the Gorgons. She'd almost gotten lost but a voice in the network had brought her back to the others. She'd just seen a Warlock against the darkness of the labyrinth, a Vex lattice around his head like a noose. She thought it had been Rigel. When she'd found the others Rigel had said she'd been followed by something the others couldn't quite see. A figure in the dark.

When little Kassy had first asked her to help her on Venus weeks ago now she'd read up on some papers about the place. Nothing by Osiris. Mostly because everyone just wrote around him and included him. There was nothing about the Vex or Venus that didn't have his thoughts trailing through and personally Kaley found Osiris' research dry, difficult, to read, and completely self important to the point it was boring. And she'd come across Pahanin and his rambling madness a Warlock had written down one time. Probably just to shut him up. But she remembered the names he'd said. Over and over like if he stopped he wouldn't remember them. That no one would remember them. Kabr, a Titan, and Praedyth the Warlock, who'd been lost in a Vault of Glass where time stretched to the ends of the cosmos in all directions, melting together into the Black Garden and the fabric of reality.

They had both seen a Warlock down in the labyrinth. And all she could think of were the ramblings of a mad man. She knew Rigel had read the same report. She knew because she'd sent it to him. They'd had a little giggle about it at the time. What foolish things Hunters could think.

He was not telling Archie.

"I study birds, Archibald. Not the Vex," she said as the silence started to stretch almost too long and turned back up to face the sky.

She was also not telling Archie.

#365 #writeblr #writblr #fanfiction #destiny #destiny 2 #destiny the game #VoG was real fucked up when you think abt it

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siennahrobek · 2 years

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Sorry for throwing this idle musing as you as I'm unsure if its in your wheel house exactly, but my mind has been somewhat consumed by an idea recently.

Namely, the idea of 'what if' there was a survivor from the Tusken massacre. Maybe an adolescence out and far from the village or the like who comes back in time to put the gist together but not be seen by Anakin.

So, pawning everything their settlement had left, they collect the funds to basically try and chase down the perpetrator and thus causes the truth to come out.

I think it was inspired by some post talking about how "Padme can't tell the Jedi what he did, then he might be kicked out of the Order" and going "So!? Actions have consequences!"

t occurs to me this wouldn't even necessarily be a 'good' AU, in the sense that this magically fixes Anakin. It may well take him to Palpatine's side sooner, but also shift up how the Jedi are viewing things so they can't be taken by surprise or who knows.

Sorry for rambling.

No worries, I really don’t mind at all. I don't really get asks so it was kinda fun. I do apologize for the late answer, however.

Although from what we see about the Tuskens, I find it difficult to imagine an individual doing something like this, mostly because the people seem really attached to the land and the planet, not exactly one to go or even have the means to leave the planet. I’m not entirely sure that a Tusken would even entertain something like that. That being said, I’m generally would be interested in any such way to reveal Anakin’s crime.

What’s really interesting, would be how this individual would actually find Anakin. I could see a connection between finding/figuring out that Jedi use lightsabers and then working from there. And since the war probably would have started by then, Anakin would probably be gaining ground, traction and attention in the media, due to Palpatine’s influence, of course. Which would both make it simultaneously harder and easier to track him down. Easier, because he has a lot of media attention. Harder, because he is always on the move.

However, if this Tusken individual thinks about things and is smart about it, he’d make connections and go straight to the Jedi. And it depended on the state of the war at the time and if they can get enough attention (with everything that is going on) to pass on their knowledge. And if Palpatine knows about it, yikes, who even know what he would do with something like that. Frankly, I personally do not think that Anakin is a good General overall, even if he is good with troopers and on-the-fly plans (I think his work a bit more with smaller groups instead of tactics and strategies with entire legions but maybe that’s just me) and even though he has a ton of limelight on him, I honestly do think the Jedi would pull him out. Massacring an entire village – that is dangerous and horrifying. Like, if he could do that to people, who knows what he would do in the battlefield.

Another interesting thought is how it would affect the propaganda Palpatine has set up. Is Anakin the wounded hero that people sympathize with and have renewed vigor to end the war? Or are the jedi keeping him away from winning the war for [insert ridiculous reason here]? It could spin either way, although I think Palpatine would use a mixture of both himself.

Maybe it would push Anakin further to Palpatine, maybe, but then again, depending on how far in the war they are in, the Jedi may have enough autonomy to keep Anakin with them. The Jedi Culture, at least aspects of it, are a lot like therapy, but as we all know, Anakin isn’t entirely embracing it and like therapy, this healing does not work if you are not into it, if you are not trying and doing the work. If the Jedi could get Padme really on their side, that may help things, even though Padme is not innocent in this either, pretty much complicit after the fact. At least, considering she knew about the massacre and told no authorities.

Back to the Tusken individual. I imagine that the Jedi would probably at least attempt to do some sort of retribution (eventually, like I said, with the war, unsure how they would be able to juggle everything. There is just SO much) in the form of whatever the Tusken culture has. I personally do not know of it off the top of my head. If there is something written about this. It all comes down to culture and values. The values of the jedi and the values of the Tuskens are probably pretty different. Not necessarily wrong, just different from each other. And since the Tuskens are the ones that Anakin has wronged (specifically this survivor), I think the Jedi would try to balance their rituals and ideas to some extent with their own.

I know people use Ahsoka’s situation as the Jedi “kicking people out” but I think that is one; generally very rare and two; her situation was extremely, extremely specific. It wasn’t a “kick you out forever on the street”, it was an “expel from our organization/rules so you can be tried for a crime that killed civilians outside of our justice system”. On a logical level, it makes sense, and I am absolutely sure there are real world situations and applications we can compare it too. (Total honesty, Ahsoka’s Wrong Jedi arc is actually kinda confusing with (and I do not bring this up often) some poor writing and planning as well showing an extremely one sided and emotional view, without anything else). I don’t think Anakin would necessarily be kicked out but I do think the Jedi would try to get him to go through a process to atone for what he had done and heal from the darkness that was lurking inside him. And after that (or during, whatever) he would have to make a choice between being a Jedi and being married to Padme because doing both just does not work for several reasons.

And we all know that Anakin does not really want to make that choice.

#I probably had more thoughts but I wrote this over the course of a while lol #anakin skywalker #the jedi #tuskens #tusken massacre #jedi order #jedi #pro jedi #in defense of the jedi #palpatine sucks #star wars #ask

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heliphantie · 1 year

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Happy 1st anniversary of Encanto!

Sample of several Brunos drawn during October. Tag yourself, as they say.

Under ‘read more’ – small selection of art through the year + some ramblings:

Back in the middle of 2021, I’ve got interested by couple of things about it: implication that Disney – or animation in general - does something inspired by Gabriel García Márquez, and also being Latino-inspired Disney musical movie, which I wanted to see since listening to “Snuff Out The Light” from what became “Emperor’s New Groove”. Wasn’t expecting a lot, neither, to be honest, got in result, except some surprising consequences. I admire a lot of work, classic and more contemporary, by Disney animation and its creatives, even if nothing in last decade or so impressed me on the level Golden Age, Renaissance, or even early 00s production did.

To be fair, in the end I only stay intrigued by its concept and production art more than by actual movie, and it’s realistically more than I would expect. That, and fact Disney happened to create character catering specifically to me in a lot of aspects, which is unfathomable (but it’s a talk for other time).

I would like to collect all my thoughts about the movie to make thorough writing on it, but it calls for motivation and time dedicated to it. In one or another form, I still consider to do it sometime, not necessarily in consecutive form…

What is significant to me, it has triggered my long-tarred decision to resume drawing, which I had on hold for literal years. For now, beside of continued efforts in building skills, I feel almost obligated to put on paper (or digital canvas) all ideas thinking about the movie sparked (and I’m not even over a quarter of it currently).

I’d like to do one another big thing for its first anniversary before the end of year, but being on low energy and not wanting to rush through it, I hope I finish it to Christmas. Anyway, there is some of my work of that year which, out of all artistic attempts, I find satisfactory, considering my current level.

Sort of digest of the (not complete, given I started in April) year of art, dedicated mostly to one subject.

Julieta Gets All Kisses Returned (April 2022)

One of very first, early pictures. In fact, I drew it in pencil on very first day, April 1, along with couple of other small doodles. Idea for it was also quite old, from February, and it was supposed to be birthday-related, before official birthdays were revealed, and it turned I have to wait for half of year😊 Or draw it regardless, because it still worked out of that context and was small and simple enough for first steps. With all its simplicity, it *could* have been better, but I’m even fond of its roughness. There are some drawings I realize liking only for having low expectations for it, but as time goes, they look crappy to me, but not this one. (May be fun to re-make it too next year, to look at progress/improvement, assuming I’ll reach any.)

Teenage Bruno (April 2022)

This one I did in pencil on the *second* day. Piece of wisdom to myself: comics, even short ones, are trickier than regular drawing. It’s consisted of small frames, but you have to figure out composition and make character designs in each panel consistent. It takes twice time to make everything right and without a hurry.

Whole thing barely fits into any context of canon, I just imagined young Bruno interacting with children similar to Mirabel, and this conversation sprang to mind. I had to come with context to support it (Bruno had his gift kept in relative secret til late adolescence), but in general, main connection with my personal headcanon is just that he always was more resilient and lighthearted than given credit for.

On this note, I’ve had intention of exploring my headcanon about characters and Bruno in particular via mini-comics (lot of it had comic scenarios in its roots), and there’s bunch of scripts for it lying not processed into work yet, and as I said, I’m going to finish them because I don’t want for this spurt of inspiration to go to waste, even if it takes time.

On the comic itself, I also like how it turned, given all imperfections. Having to figure look of younger Bruno was fun, and it had some amusing by-products as well I’ll show other time😊 People online seem liking it, too, maybe because it has some narrative. And, frankly, I ought to make narrative things more often.

WDTAB Reenacted (April-May 2022)

Another fun early idea, WDTAB musical number with only Mirabel and Bruno. Two challenges: full-body figures in dynamic poses and drawing with references (without tracing, purely from eye), putting some spin on it. Curious realization: no matter how I try to keep body proportions accurate, all people I draw look like hobbits… except Bruno who does look like hobbit by design already.

My favorite is middle-bottom fragment, dynamic pose construed from scratch.

Bruno & Toni (July-August 2022, fragment of mini-comic)

It’s just this, a fragment of another (rare) mini-comic, but somehow in the end of it, I unexpectedly liked this one panel enough to single it out. I still struggle conveying emotions and mood of characters, but this one turned fortunately in that regard. It’s “sparking joy”, to use meme-speak.

Dolores (August 2022)

I wasn’t exactly determined to draw something to every official character birthday, only when I had idea in mind and it happened to align with date, but since May I was going (almost) steady providing something to each, small or bigger, like that one. It was first full-page picture with background and multiple elements, I wasn’t sure I’d finish it on time, but I managed to, and for most of it, I like the result. It’s not always that vision of thing is clear from beginning and gets exact realization, it’s interesting to see what I get in the end. Layers of background and decorative elements are all over place, it’s accidentally looking like sort of collage, but popping up quite vividly. It got some attention on Twitter, and frankly, I’m pleasantly surprised with it, the work paid off.

Also, how I pointed while presenting it for first time, I was inspired by production art and lines from script depicting Dolores as “weird cousin”, and to lesser extent by fan song “Turn It Down”. When someone mentioned she looks Tim Burton-esque, I was glad I nailed that association.

For further note, Dolores and Pepa are two characters with very attractive color design, I like every opportunity of drawing them.

Bunch of small things drawn during September-October – see samples in header image of post and under ‘encanto fanart’ tag in the blog by yourself, they’re all recent.

Despite smaller goals, I feel like it’s biggest improvement of the year: slowly getting expressions, shadow and lighting rendering, figuring out consistent personal style for characters, etc. I may get slowed down for now (and it affects my work), but I realize there’s long way ahead, and it’s encouraging to see I already have progressed a bit. Fanart is legit good starting point for working toward artistic aspirations, both fun and productive.

So, this post turned into one about personal achievements rather than one about the movie, but in the end, it’s all thanks to inspiration it gave me, so my felicitations to it!

#encanto #disney #encanto fanart #disney fanart #la familia madrigal #phantieart

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gen4grl · 9 months

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anne (she/her)

23 (occasionally 🔞)

melb, aus

AuDHD & acespec

feminist, 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ welcome <3

art & personal blog / multi-fandom & multi-ship friendly!!

more info below!

♡ twitter

♡ #my art <3 - all my work! // #ramblings - me talking to myself // #about - learn more about me // #hc - my personal headcanons! // #asks - pretty self explanatory lol // #collection - my figure and tcg collection <3

♡ mostly game-verse pokemon but also may include attack on titan, death note, stardew valley and animal crossing

♡ manga, figure and tcg collector!

♡ for adult or triggering content i just write the straight words for tag filtering! examples #drugs #blood #nsfw

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆

about my art! what i create!

♡ most of my pokemon art is based off my own headcanons. 99% of the time the playable characters + rivals i draw are depicted as adults - a timeskip of the games they were originally in! i mix ages around even with alot of already adult characters too so please keep that in mind, most will not match the canon material we all know!

♡ my headcanons are 95% based in a “real world setting” - as real as a world where people fight with monsters can be lol. i rarely add fantasy elements and enjoy writing human connections way more!!! i forget the pokemon are there honestly lollll

♡ i talk ALOT on here. mostly either my headcanons or my personal interpretations + analysis’s of characters but i will also just talk about my life offline and other interests. if constantly seeing someone yap is NOT for you, i do not suggest following lol. i love hearing peoples headcanons or people asking about mine, so send a ask if you wanna chat!!!

♡ as said above, i’m a multi shipper and i love yumeships too :) my fave pokemon ships are leon/sonia, piers/raihan, blue/leaf and silver/lyra !!! but the list of other ships i like is way too long to list here (ask me!!!) - please don’t comment anti-ship stuff under my art if you don’t like the ships i create work of … it’s very weird lol. as a adult, i don’t have the time to be involved in ship wars (and either should you lol)

♡ i combine pokespe and game canon!! in bold bc i know this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea! i do this mostly with the kanto group (red, blue, green/leaf + yellow). i take elements from the anime for my own hc’s as well but im super critical of it so anipoke fans beware lol

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pinkseas · 2 years

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okay. tinarose au rambling under the read more thsi goes out to bella and soap and also smara just bc i love smara and i saw her in my notes. ANYWAYS. open at your own risk

okay legal disclaimer this is a WRECK just IGNORE HOW MESSY IT IS !!!!!!!

im gonna. try to keep it brief.

soulmate&reincarnation au that was the Goal thats what im going for

magic is present in the world, especially in stories, but isnt widely known about or accepted in general. those who do possess it know to keep to themselves

soulmates are not chosen by fate. the souls either become that strongly connected as they find each other throughout different lives, or magic users choose to bind themselves to another for eternity.

tina and hannah are soulbound. when separated they’re functionally immortal, and when together they age together and reincarnate. beforehand, hannah was fully immortal and tina reincarnated, this is just how their souls settled together when they made the choice to bind to one another

karlnapity are a weird amalgamation of soulmates by chance and soulbound. i havent figured them out quite yet i just Know This. quacknap used to reincarnate together but now have EXTREMELY elongated lifespans, and karl is a time traveler who is functionally immortal

i may actually change this in the future to make all of them immortal in some way and change myself the trouble of figuring out how it works together but Who Knows

hannah and tina know each other for SO fucking long and actually decide to get married at somepoint! they put a bit of their magic in the rings, keeping them in perfect condition, and when they grow old together they have a special box they keep the rings in to come back to and collect again after they’ve reincarnated and found each other again.

this is where things get Real Spotty.

the egg exists. quackity, tina, and karl escape its grasp. just about any other magic user falls victim in some way or another. nobody knows where it came from, how it spread so fast, or how to defeat it- only that it plans on consuming their world. it picks out magic users specifically, brings them together to drain off of their power

tina, karl, and quackity fight. it does not go well. even when they manage to free people from the eggs grasp, those people are hurt and drained of power. they have no actual plan, no real defense, and theyre losing

hannah is kept at the heart. her magic is the strongest in the eggs eye, being corrupted instead of drained, because with such a strong connection to nature it can use her power specifically to corrupt and destroy the rest. she cant just fuel it, she can amplify anything it tries to do

tina is hannah’s strongest connection to the world outside of the egg. it wants her to kill tina. anyone who tries to intervene is trapped, dragged down by vines and thorns, forced to watch. hannah is able to use the eggs power, too, draining tinas magic from her bit by bit, taking power from the egg for the fight. everyone can feel themselves getting weaker as hannah stands stronger, and stronger, and stronger.

tina goes down. everyone else is trapped, half dead on the ground, witnessing their own demise, the loss of all hope.

hannah stands before them all without a single weapon. the vines tighten around tina, around everyone- the ground rumbles and the egg, looming high above them, begins to tremble.

its a struggle. they can all see that. the vines tighten and loosen again and again, never enough for anyone to tear themselves away. they bloom at hannahs feet, thorns crawling up her legs, veins red and eyes red as they force her to her knees. the egg begins to rot. the ground around them begins to rot.

tina has the front seat, eyes never leaving hannahs, hannahs never leaving her. the vines around everyone wither and rot. the egg screams, and withers, and rots. and hannah rots with it. the vines wrap around her neck, spores blooming across her skin. tina swears that hannah’s eyes glow green for just a moment before she’s gone, her body and the vines around them all and the egg itself crumbling to dust. everyone is in a daze- not all of them fully remember. all they know is that hannah takes the egg down, and the egg takes her with it.

where hannah falls, life blooms. the grass turns green, slowly, at first, then spreading rapidly, wildflowers blooming all around them, covering every inch of land corrupted and drained by the egg, until there’s not a single sign of it left. its quiet. its peaceful. their wounds dont go away, not entirely, but the bleeding stops, the aching fades. none of them can feel the egg anymore.

(hannahs ring falls. tina picks it carefully up off the grass, puts it in her pocket. its perfect. its pristine. for centuries, hannah will be gone, and the others will mourn and move on, and tina will keep the ring. a piece of hannahs magic, a piece of hannahs soul. and tina will never give up, will never stop waiting, will never stop knowing that hannah is alive somewhere. not with that ring around her neck.)

hannah rests. she had drawn power from the egg, had drawn power from tina and the others to make herself strong enough to defeat it, but she’d drained herself almost completely. she is not quite conscious. she is not quiet aware. but she exists, in every tree and petal and blade of grass, she feels peace with every rainfall, warmth from the light of the sun. and when she wakes, centuries later, a child with a family and no knowledge of who she once was, her first memories will be of that peace, that warmth.

there is a longing she feels all her life. she cannot ignore it. she asks friends, she asks family, she asks anyone who she trusts to listen. they feel lonely, sometimes- its part of being human. but hannah isnt sure that shes lonely. all she knows is that something is missing.

when she waves a hand, the flowers move with it. her injuries heal faster than anyone elses. she swears she can feel the earth around her, alive and breathing, in a way that no one else can. something deep inside of her knows to keep this a secret.

she cant be certain of anything, not really. but her parents grow, and her family grows, and she turns 30, 40, 50, and looks the same. she tells her parents everything, late in their lives, and they smile and they tell her how proud they are and that they hope she can find what shes looking for.

something is missing. shes yearning for something, longing for something, theres an ache in her chest and a restlessness in her fingertips and she travels for decades trying to quell it. nothing works. but one day she finds a small town, quiet and secluded, one she swears she’d never heard of in passing or seen on any maps.

theyre magic. it takes her a few weeks to realize, but everyone performs small feats on the daily, openly and freely in front of each other. the entire town is magic, and only those possessing it are able to find it. which explains why they’re so open, she supposes, and why it feels so safe. there’s still an itching in her fingertips, still an aching in her heart, but there are people here like her, people she can know, can learn from.

she and tina become fast friends. where karl is always somewhere or another, flitting in and out of their time, documenting the past and future alike, tina is still and steady as an anchor, rooted deeply in the present. they have a library together, where karl keeps his documents and tina keeps hers. journals and diaries of her life, of what she experiences, some personal and some made for others. hannah learns a lot about the history of magic, here, about what the others have done in their lifetimes protecting the rest of the world. she skims through books, listening intently as tina weaves the stories together. karl is the storyteller, everyone else tells her, but his words sometimes go right through her head where she swears she could listen to tina for hours.

she learns about newer versus older magic users, that many of them live for centuries or reincarnate, that shes one of the rare newer ones. she swears she knows the town by heart, even though shes never been there before. the flowers feel like theyre calling her home. the others give her strange looks, sometimes, like theyre seeing something else in her place.

eventually she learns about the egg. that the town was formed after its defeat, around the place their protector fell, that theyve all been close friends since. they all have good stories to tell about the one who saved them, inside jokes and silly anecdotes. none of them can remember her name. something about the magic, something about the way she was taken from them. her face blurs. her name is gone. her memory, though, will always remain.

hannah thinks she should care more. thinks she should wish, should wonder, should want to have met this girl. their magic was similar, from what the others can remember. hannah could have asked. hannah could have learned. but she feels oddly disconnected from it all, like it doesnt matter anymore, like theres nothing left to wish for, nothing left to mourn. she doesnt know what to make of that.

things build, and build, and build. hannah doesnt know for certain when it all adds up.

by the time tina finally kisses her, the ache is gone. hannah is home, tears spill down her cheeks and tina smiles at her, so softly, so gently, and welcomes her back. hannah mourns, doesnt understand how should could have forgotten everyone, how she could have forgotten tina. she missed them. she missed them so fucking much. even when she didnt know. tina tells her that its okay, that it wasnt her fault.

when hannah asks how she can be so calm, tina pulls out the ring. tells hannah that she knew she was out there, somewhere. that she searched and found nothing but knew that one day hannah would be back. shes been waiting ever since, too certain to mourn, too certain to wonder. and the moment hannah entered their town, she knew.

they put the rings back on each other.

i havent figured out how the rest of the town realizes its her again, but they absolutely do. especially want something with her and antfrost just bc i love antfrost. maybe once shes wearing the ring and she and tina are together people realize? karl definitely takes one look at their entwined hands and realizes instantly. theres probably a LITTLE bit more confusion and build with the others but overall i want it to be sweet

idk !! idk just. the fic itself would start with hannah entering the town, everything else would be revealed more slowly. the biggest focus would be the rising something between tina and hannah, like tina knows something hannah doesnt. focusing a lot on the longing and the finding home and the reunion aspects of it all

#dont reblog #alyalyoxenfree

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