#she's going to be discovering that her identity was used to hold the North and of Jon's death which will most likely be her main motivation

[fromtheseventhhell]

I don't want to imply only Arya antis think she'll go to the Riverlands first lol I'm pretty sure us Arya stans came up with the theory she'll reunite with Lady Stoneheart and give her the gift of mercy in the first place. Unfortunately though there are a lot of people whose speculation for Arya starts and ends at her killing people and disappearing off the face of the earth or realizing "revenge is bad" and then doing absolutely nothing afterwards. Though one thing I've seen very common with Arya antis is the idea that she'll effectually never reunite with any of her family members or identify as Arya going forward, either staying in the shadows or dying nameless or faceless without anyone recognizing her. That's a bit that worries me somewhat with her returning to the Riverlands first thing. Most Arya fans do expect her to be crowned by Lady Stoneheart and lead the BWB and Nymeria's pack up north but a lot of speculation from non-Arya fans ends up similar to Arya's reunion with Sansa and Bran in season 7; out of the loop, out of place, her journey treated as boring compared to the others, underwhelming reunions, conveniently out of the picture long enough so she can't ruin relationships that otherwise wouldn't happen with her present, secondary to Sansa.

One thing I think gets overlooked is how close Braavos is to Westeros. I've seen a lot of people act like Sansa in the Vale is a hop, skip, and a jump away from the Wall while treating Braavos like it's as far away as Meereen but they're actually about the same distance away. Braavos does appear to be perfectly placed if his original intent was for Arya to end up somewhere in the North, whether at the Wall, White Harbor, or even Hardhome.

But mostly I reject the idea that Arya will end up secondary to her brothers if she goes North. I have faith in GRRM loving Arya too much to ever treat her the way the show did in seasons 7 and 8. I think she has a role to play in the North considering how much of the Northern plots in ADWD are tied together with the "Arya"-Ramsay marriage and Jeyne. Stansas ASOIAF fans really believe that Jeyne will have absolutely no intersection with the person she's impersonating despite GRRM spelling it out that she's almost guaranteed to sail to Braavos for safety. It makes absolutely no sense to believe Jeyne would go to Braavos and never even encounter Arya. We also know GRRM intended for the Stark direwolves to go against Ramsay's hounds at some point in the future of which there's about nine named ones so far. Sounds like Ramsay will find out what wolves to do dogs ;) That may be enough to overwhelm Ghost or Shaggydog even if together but even a fraction of Nymeria's pack going north with her could handle them. I also refuse to believe Lady Stoneheart will die again before encountering a resurrected Jon. There's been rumors she and her men have been seen disappearing into the Neck which did lead to in book speculation the BWB has some contact with the Crannogmen. Arya can also be a bridge between Bran and Jon if GRRM keeps the estrangement between them.

And I really want Roose to find out he was in fact careless with a prize of great worth by not realizing he had the real Arya Stark under his nose in Harrenhal as his cupbearer lol. It'd be a shame if he died before finding out. But I do agree that she could go to either location and GRRM could make it work. I seem to remember jokes about GRRM being stuck because there are too many locations he wants her to be in lol.

I didn't think you were implying that, I just wanted to clarify that there were valid reasons for her heading to the riverlands and that I agree that some people only theorize that because they view the North as the most important location so they ignore her connections to it. I agree with a lot of your points and it's very frustrating that Arya's arc gets reduced so much because people refuse to see her as an important character. A majority of the theories surrounding her are the barest bones and people only expect her to leave the faceless men, kill [x] character, and then fuck off in a boat while her siblings (i.e. Sansa) carry the bulk of the Northern plot. The reality is that Arya's arc is difficult to predict because she has so many plot setups. There is an entire arc in Braavos waiting to play out, she has connections to the Northern plot, and she has plenty to do in the Riverlands. Arya is one of George's favorite characters and he's spent a lot of time developing her for a reason, so safe to say that whatever route he ends up taking it's going to be well-written and respectful to her character.

#ask #anon #arya stark #asoiaf #now me personally I do think there's a decent chance she goes North especially if she ends up meeting Jeyne in Braavos #she's going to be discovering that her identity was used to hold the North and of Jon's death which will most likely be her main motivation #for leaving Braavos which logically means she'll be trying to make it back North to Winterfell/the Wall #she could get knocked off course and that could lead her to go to the Riverlands that way #but either way she has plot connections to the North of her own and she would've have to take a backseat to her brothers #especially considering they're both currently dealing with their own arcs (well....Bran is anyways lol) #Rickon isn't a POV character so while I do think he's going to be important I don't see him as an obstacle to Arya being there #the beauty of George's writing is that characters aren't pushed to the side to make plots work the story plays out as it's intended to #so if George intends Arya to go North it's because there's room for her and she has her own role to play there #As always I think it's more likely she goes to the riverlands assuming we only have 2 books left because I believe the Long Night will #filter from the North to the South and the bulk of the battle is going to talk place there #and we don't really have time for Arya to got North -> South -> North but I'm always going to highlight her connections to the Northern plo

[highwaytothedangerzone502]

India Lima Yankee - Chapter 36

Pairing: Rooster x Female OC

Word Count: 2640

Warnings: Implied sex

Summary: Juliette Kazansky discovers Maverick is back in town for a special training detachment, but she's more than a little blindsided when Rooster arrives too. Having not spoken to him for almost ten years after their less than amicable break-up, Juliette can only imagine how the next few weeks are going to play out when she remains head over heels in love with him while he wants nothing to do with Juliette other than to forget her.

Or so she thinks.

Notes: Chapters in italics are flashbacks. Also I know I used See You Again in another chapter but I couldn't resist using it for this one too.

Chapter Songs: All To Myself This Love

Chapters: Chp 1 Chp 2 Chp 3 Chp 4 Chp 5 Chp 6 Chp 7 Chp 8 Chp 9 Chp 10 Chp 11 Chp 12 Chp 13 Chp 14 Chp 15 Chp 16 Chp 17 Chp 18 Chp 19 Chp 20 Chp 21 Chp 22 Chp 23 Chp 24 Chp 25 Chp 26 Chp 27 Chp 28 Chp 29 Chp 30 Chp 31 Chp 32 Chp 33 Chp 34 Chp 35 Chp 36

Rooster

Being sent up allowed Rooster a few hours of reprieve from the memory of leaving Juliette behind, to forget the tears falling like waterfalls down her cheeks, the pain in her voice as she spoke, the trembling of her hands when she placed the locket in his palm... At least, it worked until the monotony of being up in the air for five hours straight started to get to him. With Phoenix leading the group, the chatter having died down, and with nothing but open ocean and no enemy territory nearby, Rooster found himself with nothing but time to think about Juliette.

It'd killed him to leave her, worse than he thought it would. It's not like he hadn't expected it to be rough. They both knew it would be. But he hadn't predicted the sensation of having his heart ripped to shreds or having a hole in his chest where his heart should've resided. But he'd left it back on North Island with Juliette, and if his heart wasn't with him, at least it was with her. 

Jules should've been with them. She should've been allowed aboard the carrier to see the mission through after having helped everyone so much. She'd given pointers to everyone on ways they could improve in a kinder way than Maverick. He'd made the pilots figure out what they did wrong themselves with some harsh words and scenarios involved, and while it certainly helped, so did having an outside perspective give specifics on how they could improve, which is what Juliette provided. She'd also offered a calming presence to the large egos in the room. Everyone had one, all dwarfed by Hangman's, of course, but even he'd been knocked into place by Juliette. What she'd said to him after his near fight with Rooster remained a mystery to everyone but Juliette and Hangman, but it'd been effective whatever it was. 

Rooster loved flying. Being an aviator wasn't simply what he was; it was who he was, but he'd be damned if Juliette didn't make him question his identity. Rooster knew one thing for certain, however. This deployment would be the longest of his God damn life. The day until he returned to North Island couldn't come soon enough. He couldn't wait to hold Juliette in his arms, to see her bright smile, to hear her laugh at one of his stupid jokes or references, to listen to her explain the proposal she was working on for Lockheed even though he had no idea what she was saying. Rooster couldn't wait to get down on one knee and propose to Juliette in front of every living person on this planet, to do what he should've done almost nine years ago. Rooster couldn't wait to see Juliette walk down the aisle in a stunning wedding dress, to carry her across the threshold of their house, to run his hands up and down her curves, to hear her screaming his-

"Daggers, return to carrier." The order cut through Rooster's thoughts, which he was grateful for. The last thing he needed to think about was his last night with Juliette while all alone in a jet.

Phoenix landed first, followed by Payback, Hangman, Coyote, and then him. Rooster crawled out of his plane and shuffled to the berthing quarters, deep in thought. He had no way to reach Juliette, and that, Bradley realized, was the most difficult thing about this deployment. He couldn't call or text her at any time during the day. All Rooster could do was scroll through the few photos he managed to take of them and maybe try calling her once they docked at another port. Hopefully, Juliette would pick up.

Bradley realized how bad off he was when he'd been walking through the ship earlier, before they'd even left port, and thought he'd seen her walking alongside Hondo. He'd blinked, and like ghosts, they were gone. 

Great. Rooster thought grimly. I haven't even left port, and I'm already hallucinating.

"Rooster!" Phoenix called out, garnering his attention. He halted, waiting for her to catch up. "You good?"

"Yeah, fine," he lied, figuring she'd see right through it. 

She did. "You missing Juliette?"

All Rooster could do was nod, the image of Juliette's tearful goodbye burned into his memory.

"It's safe for me to assume that you two worked things out, then?"

"Yeah, we did." Rooster smiled at that fact, at least. They'd more than worked things out, and it was why being away from her hurt so badly. "She held it together in front of all of you, but when it came to me and Maverick-"

Phoenix nodded understandingly. "She's closer to you two than the rest of us. Makes sense. Listen, you want to grab an early dinner with the team? Maybe it'll be a good distraction, take your mind off of her for a bit."

"Sounds good. Thanks, Phoenix," Rooster said appreciatively, grateful to have a friend like her. She understood when he needed a push and when he needed an ear, when he needed scolding and when he needed help. People like her were hard to come by. And although Bradley would much rather have been left alone to his thoughts, he recognized it was the last thing he should do. Both Juliette and Maverick had told him not to think, to do, and he thought the advice sounded decent right now.

Rooster swiftly changed out of his flight gear and met Phoenix and the others at the Mess Deck. Grabbing his tray of food, he took a seat at the end of the table, which gave him a small excuse not to have to engage in conversation. Instead, he listened half-heartedly until Hangman asked, "Bradshaw, you know who Mav is sending up?"

"Why would I know?" Rooster countered, annoyed. It's not like he and Maverick were talking outside of training. Still, now that Bradley and Juliette were engaged, he debated offering an olive branch to the captain. Maverick would always be part of her life, and Rooster considered fixing his broken relationship with Mav for her sake, and maybe, just maybe, his own sake too. He could still see the longing, the pain, the regret, in Maverick's eyes every time the captain looked at him. With the dawning realization Bradley could now lose Maverick, the only family he had left, he started panicking, and that's when it struck him that as much as Rooster hated the man for setting him back in his career, he still loved him. But did he love him more than he hated him? Could he put the past behind them once and for all?

Rooster couldn't decide.

"Because you're close with Juliette, and she was Maverick's wingwoman on this mission," Hangman pointed out, waving his fork at him. "Surely she told you something?"

"You could always ask me, you know," Juliette said, sitting next to Rooster while Maverick and Hondo sat across from her.

"Yeah, but you're not-" Bradley watched Hangman's eyes grow wide. For a split second, he couldn't figure out why the aviator, along with everyone else at the table, were all looking at his end of the table with shell-shocked expressions. It was just Jules. It's not like-

Rooster snapped his head around. Juliette, the love of his life and someone he had left behind on North Island, now sat next to him on the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt. She had her hair in a ponytail, and besides her makeup, she looked like one of the regular soldiers. It took every ounce of willpower not to crash his lips onto hers, so he settled for gripping her thigh to confirm the reality she truly sat beside him. 

Hangman beamed. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"What kind of favor did you use this time?!" Payback demanded, awestruck.

"I didn't. I snuck onboard," Juliette replied casually, shoveling a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. Rooster's heart dropped into his stomach. He knew she was desperate to see the mission through to the end, but this- even Maverick wouldn't have done something like this, and that was saying something.

While Rooster tried to form a coherent sentence, Maverick added, "Yeah, Cyclone and Warlock don't know she's here, so let's try and keep it that way. That's an order."

"Yes, sir," the pilots, except for Bradley, replied slightly hesitantly. Rooster figured it had more to do with their surprise at her presence and the fact she'd illegally boarded the ship rather than their reluctance to actually do so.

A moment of silence passed before Hondo, Mav, and Juliette broke into shit-eating grins. The latter said, "We're messing with you. I received official orders from the Navy this morning, right after I watched all of you board, that I was to join you on the carrier until the mission was completed. So you're stuck with me for a little longer."

"You had us going in the first half, not gonna lie," Coyote remarked, laughing. 

"Honestly, I'm just honored you thought I was worth keeping that big of a secret," Juliette replied. 

"Hey, you've gone to bat for all of us," Omaha pointed out. "We wanted to return the favor."

She smiled and shifted her attention to Rooster, who continued to remain in a stunned silence. Smirking, Jules said, "Bradshaw, not for nothing, but last time someone looked at me like that, I got laid."

Fanboy and Bob choked on their drinks while her words finally broke through his stupor. Rooster, along with the other pilots, let out barks of laughter. Still, knowing that 'someone' had been him, Bradley told her, "He's a lucky guy, whoever he was."

"Damn straight he was," Hangman agreed, eyeing the couple with a gleam in his eyes. There was no way he knew... did he?

"Okay, but now the question is, what are his intentions? Are you serious about him? Is he serious about you?" Harvard queried, narrowing his eyes at her. 

"Yeah," Yale jumped in. "What guy do we have to interrogate to make sure he's good enough for our Jules?"

Juliette "God, you sound like my brothers when I got my second boyfriend."

"What happened to the first boyfriend?" Halo queried.

"Nothing anyone can prove," Rooster answered, glancing at Juliette with a sly smile. 

She bumped her shoulder playfully into his. "On a different note, because I'd rather not remember my exes, could one of you escort me back to my room later? I can't find a Godforsaken thing on this carrier."

"I've got you," Rooster said before any of the other pilots could speak up. He needed to be alone with Jules, at least for a few minutes, because he knew he wouldn't have much time with her at all, not between his duties and hers, whatever they may be. At most, they could spend nights with each other, and that's only if she wanted him to. It'd be suspicious for the others not to have Rooster in his bunk, and they'd surely start suspecting a relationship between him and Juliette.

The dinner dragged on for over an hour, and Rooster found himself becoming increasingly more anxious. It became harder and harder to keep his hands to himself and not on Juliette. It didn't help that he kept getting whiffs of her perfume, faint but there, or that she kept finding ways to touch him while making it seem like the most natural thing in the world- patting his back sympathetically when he got tongue-tied, bumping her shoulder into his when she teased him, or tapping out "India Lima Yankee" on his thigh unbeknownst to everyone else.

Finally, mercifully, the group slowly began to disperse. Maverick and Hondo were the first to leave, followed by Omaha, Fritz, and Halo. Yale and Harvard soon followed. Juliette spoke up and said, "I should head back to my cabin. Rooster, you still okay to walk me back?"

As if that's even a question. He wanted to say, but it might give the others more to question than they already had. At least half of the people at the table, excluding Rooster and Juliette themselves, officially knew or suspected their relationship, and Bradley wanted to respect his fiancée's wishes. 

Standing up, he offered his hand to assist her despite the gesture being unnecessary. It was instinct to be a gentleman and to find any way to touch her, and Rooster prayed his comrades saw it as at the first reason rather than the second.

"I'll see you all at breakfast, I guess?" Juliette inquired, scanning their group of friends. 

"Yeah, if you can sleep tonight," Hangman replied. Although his tone was nonchalant, it was impossible for Rooster to miss how the corners of the aviator's lips tugged upward in a barely hidden smile.

Oh, yeah. Hangman knew about them.

"Boats have always put me to sleep, so I have a feeling I'm going to sleep like a rock," Juliette responded innocently. "Plus, the admiral's stateroom has a really comfy bed."

Coyote's mouth fell open. "You're in the admiral's stateroom?"

Jules shrugged. "Perks of being an admiral's daughter when he had you go in place of him."

Hangman leaned back in his seat with a smirk. "Damn."

"On that note, Lieutenant Bradshaw-" Jules turned to him and motioned at the door in the distance- "lead the way."

Rooster obeyed, nodding goodbye at the others. He left with Juliette, and by the time they entered her stateroom, the weight of Jules's presence and his mounting desire to pull her into his arms finally broke his already fractured willpower. She'd barely shut the door behind her before Rooster had her pinned against it, grasping her face in his hands and crashing his lips onto hers. Juliette responded eagerly, gripping his hips to pull him as tightly against her as possible. His mind melted into blissful oblivion and thanked God, his parents, and Iceman for letting Juliette aboard this ship.

"Hi," she breathed when they broke apart to catch their breath. 

Rooster's eyes grazed over her face, silently confirming he was, in fact, not hallucinating Juliette. "You're here."

"I am. Dad's final orders. I feel like an idiot now for being such a blubbering mess when you left and-"

"You didn't know."

"Yeah, but I didn't make it any easier for you to leave." 

Rooster shook his head, not caring in the slightest. He wrapped Juliette in his arms and lifted her up, thrilled to have her around for a little longer. "It was going to be difficult regardless, but you're here now."

"I am," she said when he set her down. Pecking him on the lips, Juliette proceeded to slide past him. With her back to him, she shrugged off her dad's bomber jacket and took out her ponytail. Rooster watched her blonde hair cascade down her back and shoulders. His feet moved on their own accord, and in the blink of an eye, he found his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly against him and peppering kisses down her neck. Juliette's fingers wove themselves into his hair and tugged his head upwards so she could move his mouth to hers. 

Nipping his bottom lip, she turned around and whispered teasingly, "I knew dragging that conversation out at dinner would drive you crazy."

Rooster raised an eyebrow. "Did you, now? That's not nice of you."

Juliette shook her head. "It's really not. I'm so sorry," she replied, feigning innocence and sincerity. She grabbed his dog tags in her fist and tugged him toward the bed with a mischievous sparkle in her sapphire eyes. Rooster fell hook, line, and sinker for them. "Tell me, Lieutenant, what exactly are you going to do about it?"

Rooster's eyes raked over her body, his mind hazy with desire. "Lay on that bed and find out."

***

Tags: @lgg5989 @shanimallina87 @polikszena @summ3rlotus @souslesyeuxde @gleasonmalfoy @icemansgirl1999 @supernaturaldawning @thedarkinmansfield @lyannaforpresident @lapilark @getmyprettynameoutofyourmouth @simpofthecentury @shadeops21 @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @double-j @picklejuicesposts @bradshawsandbridgetons @majdoline @jakexfmc @catsandgeekyandnerd

#top gun #maverick #rooster #hangman #phoenix #bradley bradshaw #iceman #jake seresin #bob #top gun maverick #top gun 2 #pete mitchell #india #lima #yankee #romance #angst #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfics #fighter jets #coyote #payback #fanboy #sad #tom kazansky #sympathy #grief #love #family

[p-artsypants]

Between a Rock and a Hard Place (2)

During a class field trip to a natural cavern, Marinette and Adrien get trapped in an elevator…trapped in a cave. Such close proximity means that secrets don’t stay secrets for long… Can the two escape their iron prison, much less their glass cage of emotions? Or will teenage hormones be their undoing?

Every labor day, my family takes a vacation up north to fish, play cards, and just get away. It’s also the time I get massive inspiration and write large chunks of fanfiction. However, my husband stole my laptop while I was distracted and wrote a fake crack fic, leaving it in my drafts for me to discover.

He didn’t expect it to be a smash hit, but I know when I’m holding gold. So behold, the childish humor of my nearly 30-year old husband.

Ao3

Marinette finally met Adrien’s gaze.

They exchanged glances, each facial expression conveying different fractals of a conversation that seemingly never ended. Sure, the elevator was bad. But so was the elephant in the room.

Marinette’s voice came back as a whisper, “You’re….”

Adrien closed his eyes in defeat and a little bit of something else. Hidden fear? “….Chat Noir. Right, that’s what you said.”

Marinette drew a hand to her mouth. “Oh my God.”

“Because I have green socks,” Adrien tried an incredulous look, “with paw prints on them. That’s not exactly undeniable proof Marinette…” But there was a shakiness to his voice. She might call his bluff. Then what would he do?

“No, no no. It’s you. I know it’s you…” Marinette’s expression hadn’t changed since the elevator stopped moving. Her face was sheet white, though the elevator bulb doused it in a substation yellow.

“You can’t possibly know that. It’s not true.” 

“I know it’s you! You did the same thing with your feet. The way you showed it off, like you were proud of wearing them. You said they were your new favorite socks and you’d wear them everyday—“

Adrien faltered, “That’s not tru…..Wait, how did—“ 

Marinette was rambling, “I said you shouldn’t do that because if I ever found you in the real world I’d know you by your socks, but you said—“

“—I said ‘No-one would notice a silly boy and his favorite socks.’” Adrien completed her sentence and the two were silent for a long while.

They stared at one another; one boy and a girl who suddenly felt like complete strangers that knew everything about each other.

“Chat?” Marinette whimpered.

“Milady?” Adrien winced as he said it. There was no going back now.

Marinette inhaled sharply. Adrien guessed the sudden realization was taking an extra toll now that he had assumed her secret identity as well.

Marinette pressed her back against the elevator wall and slowly slid down to the floor, her eyes stuck in a thousand-yard stare.

Adrien, needing the comfort of his friend but not entirely sure he was welcome, opted for the wall adjacent to hers. He sat down so their feet were at a perpendicular angle. That way he wouldn’t have to look directly into her eyes; her ghostly stare went past him now.

“We’re stuck in an elevator…” whispered Marinette, like she was afraid the words would rattle the cabin.

“No,” Adrien corrected, “We’re stuck in an elevator in a cave. It’s… much worse.” He forced a laugh that sounded hollow and devastated.

They let that hang in the air for a moment.

“I had a dream about this once.” Marinette confessed without blinking. The situation couldn’t get much worse, best air out the laundry now.

“Uh, me too,” Adrien laughed bashfully, “Although, you were wearing red tights…. and I didn’t know it was you. Does that count?”

Marinette made a humming noise, but it was hollow, like whatever joy that would have brought her had long passed.

Adrien kept readjusting his seat. Marinette didn’t seem to be taking this well. He had to ease the tension.

“Hey,” he tried, “Could be worse. At least nobody else knows. The two of us can sort this out.”

Marinette finally closed her eyes, her head slowly shaking.

“We’re still stuck in an elevator,” she said.

“Oh, someone will notice it’s broken and come to rescue us.”

“That could be hours from now, Adrien.” Marinette curled in on herself, trying to bury her head between her legs. Perhaps she could become so small, that all her problems would go away.

“No way, the group will have to check on us eventually. Besides… we could always break ourselves out…” Adrien coyly fiddled with his ring, hinting at the power of the miraculous.

Marinette finally looked up at Adrien. Perhaps if he could see she was on the verge of tears he might finally understand.

“Adrien… if we save ourselves we’d be discovered. Don't you get it? If Ladybug and Chat Noir come out of the elevator you and I went into… everyone’s going to figure it out… then we really did screw everything up.”

Adrien thought about that for a long time. He tried playing out the scenario in his head but ended up just gazing at the top of his sneakers. They were really close to the tip of Marinette’s flats. If he just moved his foot, their feet would be touching.

Just then, the elevator lurched once more. The cabin only sunk inches, but it made each of the teen’s stomachs do a backflip. The cabin light flickered, casting the two in momentary darkness. Just for a second. Then the frail bulb coughed back to life. 

It was a tense moment, but it drew Adrien's eye to a small latch at the top of the elevator. A sturdy iron handle could be cranked to allow maintenance access for repairs to the top of the elevator. Adrien doubted he was strong enough to make it budge. Chat Noir on the other hand…

An idea.

“I got it.” Adrien beamed directly at the moping Marionette. Her eyes were red, but he couldn’t tell if she was crying, or if the cabin light was playing tricks on his eyes. 

“What?” Marionette sniffed.

“I could use the miraculous and rescue you. That way we both get out of here, but only one of us has to be discovered!”

The first tear finally broke down Marinette’s cheek, “Adrien… you don’t have to–”

“No, no, really! You're Ladybug, and you’re responsible for all the other superheroes and Miraculouses. Your secret is safe with me, milady.” Adrien could feel his heat racing. Was he really willing to throw away his greatest secret; his one escape from a stress-filled life? Chat never had homework, or fencing practice, or had to be locked away in his room. Yet here he was; willing to throw it all away to save his Ladybug.

Marinette wiped her tears and let a small laugh escape her. She rose to her knees and moved close to Adrien, wrapping her arms around him in a warm hug. She heard Adrien inhale sharply right next to her ear, but eventually his shoulders relaxed and he returned the embrace.

“I’d do it for you, Marinette.” he whispered.

She drew back and looked into his earnest eyes. A knowing grin slid across her face.

“Don’t,” she cooed.

“Wait… what?”

Marinette giggled and rolled back onto her haunches, “You don’t have to do any of that, stupid.”

“I don’t?”

“No! Just text Nino. You still have your phone, right? Just call for help.”

“Oh,” Adrien deflated. His hand slid into his jeans and retrieved his smart phone. He fumbled with the password a few times. He had honestly forgotten about his phone after being lost in thought of his heroic sacrifice. Relieved, if not a bit bashful, Adrien opened his messaging app and recounted his conversation with Nino.

“I mean, that was super sweet of you Adrien. Really. But yeah, you don’t have to do that for me…” Marinette was rising to her feet. She finally mopped up the last of her tears, half-shocked to see her body had any water left in it.

Adrien’s fingers were typing, his brow furrowed at the screen.

“Honestly,” Marinette huffed, “it’s actually better if they do rescue us. Nobody will think we’re superheroes if we’re the ones needing rescuing...”

Adrien was silent. He was sending messages in rapid succession. Finally, he gave up and hit the call button. The phone to his ear, he gave a dark glance at Marinette.

“That’s not going to happen,” he said grimly

“Why not?” Marinette croaked.

Adrien didn’t break eye contact with her. Something was wrong.

“Ms. Bustier has been akumatized.”

#miraculous ladybug #ml #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #adrinette #fanfiction

[donovan03valenzuela]

Chanel Belts For Ladies

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[sexplate00]

Visa Coverage Of Mainland China

Consular charges and processing times for international nationals and stateless persons are decided by the Consulates of the Russian Federation. The rule removes the $85 biometrics payment for most purposes, together with the Form I-485. It additionally creates a $30 payment for short-term protected standing initial candidates and re-registrants, asylum candidates and long-term Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands residents submitting a Form I-765. All overseas travellers should get hold of a tourist card earlier than arriving in Singapore. This contains Chinese citizens, whatever the cause for his or her visit and the kind of visa they maintain. Just a share of encounters led to detention or launch into the United States ; among these, figures for household and unaccompanied minors apprehended in FY 2021 remained under FY 2020 ranges until February 2021 and below FY 2019 ranges until July 2021. The mixed 495,000 Title eight apprehensions of family and unaccompanied minors in FY 2021 had been much larger than the 83,000 in FY 2020, however have been 19 percent less than the 608,000 that occurred in FY 2019. Certain Liberians and residents of Hong Kong have also been designated for Deferred Enforced Departure, an identical status offering short-term protection from deportation and work authorization. Your Visa Class, or category, seems within the higher right-hand portion of your visa. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is not going to acquire a payment for an EVUS enrollment when the website opens for early enrollments. ROC nationals with household registration in Taiwan are applied a separate ordinance often recognized as Measures for the Control of Chinese Citizens Traveling to or from the Region of Taiwan. The term of "illegal resident" can be used, nonetheless a ROC national is just thought-about as an illegal resident when his or her Taiwan Compatriot Permit expires and she or he have not utilized for renewal earlier than the doc's expiration date. The penalty for unlawful residence is a warning and CNY a hundred per day of unlawful stay. A return ticket is required along with all of the aforementioned paperwork if the passenger is arriving at one of the ports of entry listed above. A ten-year naturalization fee was the highest for those born in Africa and South America and the lowest for LPRs from North America, including Mexico and Canada . The ten-year naturalization price was almost 70 % for Indian-born green-card holders, 60 p.c for these from the Philippines, fifty two p.c for Cubans, 44 p.c for LPRs from China, and 27 percent for Mexicans. The share of green-card holders who naturalize inside a sure time period, similar to within ten years of receiving a green card, varies by LPRs’ nation and area of delivery and sophistication of admission. USCIS is taking longer to course of naturalization purposes, with average processing instances increasing from 5.6 months in FY 2016 to 9.1 months in FY 2020 to eleven.7 months as of the top of January 2022. In FY 2021, refugees’ major nations of nationality had been the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Myanmar . Combined, these countries accounted for 75 p.c of all refugees resettled that yr. Visa Software Form Of The Individuals's Republic Of China You should provide a letter of authorization discovered on this equipment, authorizing China Visa Service Center to submit and collect your visa application and paperwork in your behalf. Turkish visa charges for Chinese residents are generally lower when making use of online rather than via the embassy. By making use of online, travelers can also save money and time as they don't need to attend diplomatic workplaces. However, according to the present visa coverage of China, vacationers from over 220 international locations are at present required to obtain a tourist visa on the nearest Chinese embassy or consulate of their nation of residence earlier than they can journey to China for tourism. Visit Chinese Visa utility Service Facility in Luanda as per appointment scheduled or as walk-in and submit your completed Visa Application Forms together with required supporting documents. Agent / Representatives can submit visa utility in your behalf. Those holding emergency, temporary, or other casual passports or travel documents aren't eligible, excluding those holding a Brunei Certificate of Identity. Philippine vacationers may also be required to fill out an arrival card, and provide immigration officials on the port of entry with proof of resort reservations or an tackle and contact details for where they are going to be staying in Taiwan. Philippine travelers will not be eligible for different visa-relaxation measures formally accorded once the visa-free trial is launched on November 1. From 1 October 2019, Certain visitors and transit passengers to New Zealand must have an NZeTA and pay an International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy before travelling to New Zealand. Address of Stay (applicable solely to travelers to the U.S.) The handle should embody a house number/hotel name, avenue name, city/town name, abbreviated state name, and zip code. You can obtain the Entry Permit Application to Taiwan for China Passport Holders from the National Immigration Agency's web site if you have to apply for entry/exit to/from Taiwan. Furthermore, the knowledge entered in the type should match the small print of the passport. A child with Chinese descent born in US applying for a visa who has had a Chinese visa earlier than might provide a photocopy of the former visa instead of both parent’s foreign passport or green card or Certificate of Birth. A baby with Chinese descent born in US making use of visa for the primary time ought to provide the original and a photocopy of either parent’s international passport or green card and Certificate of Birth in addition to other common supplies. F visa had been used as enterprise visa before M visa was launched. F visa is issued to those that intend to go to China for research, lecture, scientific, cultural change and examine tour. F visa (for non-trade or non-commerce) is normally issued for single or double entry only. Chinese Language Embassies In At Least 20 Nations Announce Eased Visa Policy For Receivers Of Chinese Vaccines While some people have been successful with this technique, there have also been anecdotal reports of those who have been inoculated with Chinese vaccines having their visa functions denied or being requested to current a PU letter similar to unvaccinated candidates. On March 15, 2021, the Chinese embassy within the US issued a notice which states that international nationals and their relations who have been inoculated with Chinese COVID-19 vaccines will be able to apply for visas according to pre-pandemic requirements. Officials will provide “visa facilitation” to overseas nationals who've taken a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine, in accordance with statements posted to numerous Chinese embassy websites. The change will enable eligible applicants to use for visas beneath pre-pandemic rules. Nonetheless, as of the date of this briefing note, four domestically produced vaccines are permitted in China, together with these produced by Sinovac, Sinopharm, CanSinoBio, and Wuhan Institute of Biological Products. It would seem, nevertheless, that the BioNTech vaccine, despite being developed in collaboration with Fosun Pharma for photographs supplied to Hong Kong, wouldn't fall underneath this category. Fakhoury Global Immigration, a woman-owned enterprise, offers business-based immigration options for over one hundred countries worldwide. All students might be required to have a wise telephone with an area SIM card. These students would need to go to a separate dorm for self-quarantine with a required Covid-19 check. They may return to their own room if their physique temperature was back to regular and the Covid-19 take a look at came back negative. As of February 26, people entering China are required to have a 21-day quarantine before they enter Beijing. China Visa Necessities & Utility Course Of Yes, it is positively attainable to apply in particular person at a Chinese consulate, though it might possibly potentially be troublesome. Not only do some consulates limit the variety of appointments every day however they aren’t very sympathetic if you don’t haveexactly what they need. The larger drawback is when schools ask you to show on tourist or student visa, which most actually is in opposition to the law. If a school or university is not keen to give you a piece visa, that’s a good sign that you should find one other faculty. Also, functions cannot be accomplished on behalf of others. Since May 2018, the Chinese resort island of Hainan has provided 30-day visa-free entry to citizens of 59 countries together with the US, Canada, the EU, the UK, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore. You can’t depart Hainan island and journey to mainland China on this visa – if you wish to roam deeper into China, you will need a regular vacationer visa. Holders of passports from a handful of nations can travel visa-free to mainland China for tourism or business purposes. The majority of foreign nationals require a tourist visa (also known as an "L visa") to enter and visit mainland China, though a number of nationalities are granted visa-free entry. To keep away from the tedious forms when applying in individual, many individuals obtain a visa by way of a tour operator or visa agent. The length of keep is 60 days per entry for the L Tourist and M Business visas, 90 days for the S2 Short-term Private Visit visas, and a hundred and twenty days for the Q2 Family Visit visas. Visa applicants can get pleasure from a 180-day length of keep when making use of for Q2 visas if they have "particular needs". The application payment for a Chinese visa is US$140 for normal processing and US$160 for expedited processing (2-3 enterprise days), whereas 1-business-day rush processing is US$170 and solely at the discretion of the consulate or embassy. Forty Causes For Scholar Visa Denials For instance proof of health insurance and proof of monetary sources. Keep in mind that you'll have to renew your residence allow after your first yr in Germany. At that time limit, you'll have to show your monetary sources for the next 12 months of your research. Whether you apply for a Student Visa or Student Applicant visa, it is important you current the proper documents to the German embassy or consulate. For some college students, their closest consulate workplace may be multiple states away. Save yourself the time and the value of attending to the consulate for your appointment. Once you gather and ship us your visa utility materials, we take it from there! Yes, offered that you've a valid visa to return and are otherwise admissible. Please observe that Cuba may require you to apply for a visa in order to enter that nation. This course of is called automated visa revalidation. A consulate basic or embassy is a government office operated by the country you may be studying in, however located in your home country. Note that visa requirements, processes, and timelines might range between consulates of the same country. While this can be the primary time you apply for a pupil visa, this isn't our first rodeo. Every year our staff of visa specialists support hundreds of IES Abroad college students to have the right documents to enter their host country. Turkey On-line E How to use for an Australian visa and the necessary paperwork to course of it depend on the type of visa required. Through this system, the longer term worker and employer can submit the supporting documents electronically. The new online administration service system has eradicated almost half of the beforehand required paperwork, chopping out submissions like utility letters and private CVs. One of the biggest issues for foreigners and companies hiring foreigners in China is how to apply & acquire Chinese work visas for his or her foreign workers. Work visa requirements in China are infamous, not so much for its difficulty when it comes to stipulations, however somewhat as a outcome of frequent changes in necessities.

It is planned to have the ETIAS value solely €7 for each software. This is just valid for adults over 18 years old, as those under 18 won't have to pay any charges. Immediately after you full the payment, the ETIAS authorization will begin processing. From April 2020, Chinese vacationers will have the flexibility to apply for a brand new Japan eVisa for short journeys to Japan. The online utility will solely take a couple of minutes to fill out and it'll save travelers the hassle of getting into individual to an embassy or consulate. The Myanmar eVisa utility can take up to three business days to course of. Japan Visa For Chinese Citizens Israel begins offering 10-year multiple-entry visas to Chinese... China begins providing 10-year multiple-entry visas to Israeli... If you want to go to China, you have a quantity of different visa options to hold in mind. You can even apply for a second four-year passport before leaving the US. Foreign nationals who wish to enter China must current a valid visa. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION However, people who qualify for the visa-free coverage are exempted from this rule. A China Visa software could be submitted earlier than coming into the nation. Alternatively, there is an option to use for a visa upon arrival. For example, getting back from a visit to Macao or Hong Kong is counted as a new entry, requiring a double-entry or multiple-entry visa. If your staff don’t plan to go overseas while in China, a single-entry visa will work for them and cost less. The Tourist Visa , together with the Transit Visa , are the one ones that a foreigner can apply for with out help from a authorities, enterprise or academic establishment. With the L-type visa, vacationers can journey freely through most of China (for Tibet you’ll want an additional permit to enter). There are Single Entry Visas, Double Entry Visas legitimate for six months, and Multiple Entry Visas for six months, 12 months or 24 months. Turkey Visa For Chinese Language Residents Applicant must submit one totally completed job description type. Similar to the above, the doc is a fill-able PDF and have to be completed on a computer, printed and included together with your software documents supplied to ItsEasy. Failure to incorporate this document will doubtless end in processing delays. ItsEasy maintains the visa necessities to all nations, together with china. The judiciary does not enjoy independence from political affect. U.S. residents touring or residing in China should pay consideration to various ranges of scrutiny to which they will be topic from Chinese local law enforcement and state safety. Obtain a visa previous to arrival and have a passport with a minimal of six months' validity remaining. If you overstay your visa’s duration of stay, you may be denied service by hotels, airports and train stations, be charged an RMB 500 fine per day up to a most of RMB 10,000 and face potential detention. • You will need to have a legitimate visa to exit China and you have to go away China before the expiration of the listed length of keep. The risk degree for all China posts is taken into account low for crime and medium for terrorism. • Obtain a visa previous to arrival and have a passport with a minimal of six months' validity remaining. The lack of both will end in a fantastic and quick deportation. Violent crime affecting the expatriate group most frequently happens within the bars and clubs of China’s numerous nightlife districts. To reach the police in China, dial “110,” the native equal of 911. Pickpockets are significantly lively in crowded markets and foreigners are often sought out as major targets. Foreigners have typically had baggage or backpacks stolen after they set them down momentarily in a store or put them on a chair in a restaurant; keep away from keeping your passport in a bag.

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[esther-dot]

Ok but what do you think that dany's motive for burning KL will be in the books? I tend to think it's the treason for love when she discovers Jon is in love with another. That and him being praised as a hero, his id known, will bring home the original "let him be king of the ashes". I think she will want to destroy Jon's potential of becoming a "happy" king. And then Bran steps in to release him. What a shame the show didn't have the guts to pull this angle through!

(in reference to this ask)

That’s a cool take on it!

I truly don’t know. The longer I think about all of this, the messier it is.

If we have a prolonged interaction between Jon and Dany (with Dany going North first and both going South later), I can definitely see what you’re saying. I mean, s8 presented the idea that she wouldn’t be accepted in Westeros, that she realized she didn’t have love and that she would either rule by fear or nothing, and it felt like she was threatening Sansa’s life to keep Jon in line in 8x05, that she knew he didn’t love her (hence, “let it be fear”), so something akin to what you’re saying may certainly be what Martin told D&D.

My issue is, I don’t think Jon can be implicated in the burning of KL, or Bran wouldn’t be a preferred candidate for king, so I’m hesitant to place Jon in KL as an ally to Dany when she burns it. And if he is there, I don’t see how it could be with a Northern army. I mean, how does Martin write the Lords of Westeros selecting Bran if Northmen were involved in the greatest atrocity they’ve ever seen? Maybe Martin will do it, it just seems weird to me. If this is to have more of Robert's Rebellion's parallels (rather than strictly DoD 2.0), and Jon is the one to kill her a la Jaime and Aerys, maybe she burns KL when taking it from Aegon, Jon stabbity stabs, and then Bran shows up. There’s a line about Ned racing to KL that made me wonder. So, I’m not sure how much Jon’s parentage would weigh on Dany that way unless she feels how tentative her hold on Westeros is.

But practically speaking, I’m not sure how Jon could be a threat that way to Dany. I mean, after Dany v Euron and Dany v Aegon, and the North v Others, who will have the means to support Jon v Dany? I don’t know how it would be possible. Also, even if they did, I’m not sure what proof we will have of Jon’s birth. It seems like something people will recognize as true if it serves their purposes, deny if it doesn’t. We’ll know the truth, not sure that there will be a universal understanding in-world. I lean towards the idea of some people wanting Jon to be king after the wars and him refusing for Aemon parallels (link), and that being part of the events that lead to Bran being king as driftingsnowflakes outlined (link), but now I wonder if they wont go to war with Dany. I used to think that we needed a showdown, but considering how anti war Martin is, I’m no longer sure if we will get a clean victory. It might feel too much like glorifying war because then the path to kingship for Bran was via war. And, that’s the thing, if Bran is to represent this new era, I wondered if he would prevent there being any “right of conquest” to his kingship. That made me think back to the Arya killing Dany idea, and the possibility that Starks v Dany plays out in the shadows/subterfuge rather than out and out war, especially with the talk about Dany fighting shadows and there are some quotes about wolves and shadows that I’ll have to revisit.

I guess I would say, it makes sense for Jon’s identity to play into Dany’s paranoia, and I still think Jon is Dany’s treason for love, so your idea totally works, but I don’t want Dany’s decision to burn KL to be about other people. To me, Dany has that struggle between peace and war, and her choice to take the Iron Throne has always involved sacrificing the life of others for that goal. So, I think taking the throne should be the escalation of that. I think she should face a moment in which she must choose to kill innocents to get her throne, or not have it at all. I would like her to give up her patina of wanting good things for people to acknowledge what has been true all along: she wants what she wants and she is willing for people to die to get it. I guess my thought is, maybe she will suffer so many losses, she will have to use dragons on KL or fail to take the throne.

I mean, we have two more books, I don’t know how she will evolve from here to there, but her motivation has always been the throne, I would like it to stay that way so that fans can tie it back to the first book, to her burning Mirri alive to get her dragons and realize, oh, this was always the way Dany’s journey to the throne was going to be, how it was going to end. All this evil has been done to win the throne, her final atrocity being done for the same purpose makes sense to me. But it’s hard for me to see how all these pieces we know need to be included work together.

Sorry, I’m back to my “I only have questions and no answers!” routine.

#ask dot

[richincolor]

Today is Rich in Color’s eighth anniversary! Can you believe it?

We’ve read so many fantastic books over the years, so our bloggers compiled a list of eight books that we wanted to recommend to our followers. These books are ones that we love and that have stuck with us through the years. How many of them have you read?

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

In an unforgettable new novel from award-winning authors Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, two teens—one black, one white—grapple with the repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and, ultimately, the country bitterly divided by racial tension.

A bag of chips. That’s all sixteen-year-old Rashad is looking for at the corner bodega. What he finds instead is a fist-happy cop, Paul Galuzzi, who mistakes Rashad for a shoplifter, mistakes Rashad’s pleadings that he’s stolen nothing for belligerence, mistakes Rashad’s resistance to leave the bodega as resisting arrest, mistakes Rashad’s every flinch at every punch the cop throws as further resistance and refusal to STAY STILL as ordered. But how can you stay still when someone is pounding your face into the concrete pavement?

But there were witnesses: Quinn Collins—a varsity basketball player and Rashad’s classmate who has been raised by Paul since his own father died in Afghanistan—and a video camera. Soon the beating is all over the news and Paul is getting threatened with accusations of prejudice and racial brutality. Quinn refuses to believe that the man who has basically been his savior could possibly be guilty. But then Rashad is absent. And absent again. And again. And the basketball team—half of whom are Rashad’s best friends—start to take sides. As does the school. And the town. Simmering tensions threaten to explode as Rashad and Quinn are forced to face decisions and consequences they had never considered before.

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline Dancing Cat Books

In a futuristic world ravaged by global warming, people have lost the ability to dream, and the dreamlessness has led to widespread madness. The only people still able to dream are North America’s Indigenous people, and it is their marrow that holds the cure for the rest of the world. But getting the marrow, and dreams, means death for the unwilling donors. Driven to flight, a fifteen-year-old and his companions struggle for survival, attempt to reunite with loved ones and take refuge from the “recruiters” who seek them out to bring them to the marrow-stealing “factories.”

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore Feiwel & Friends

Love grows such strange things.

For nearly a century, the Nomeolvides women have tended the grounds of La Pradera, the lush estate gardens that enchant guests from around the world. They’ve also hidden a tragic legacy: if they fall in love too deeply, their lovers vanish. But then, after generations of vanishings, a strange boy appears in the gardens.

The boy is a mystery to Estrella, the Nomeolvides girl who finds him, and to her family, but he’s even more a mystery to himself; he knows nothing more about who he is or where he came from than his first name. As Estrella tries to help Fel piece together his unknown past, La Pradera leads them to secrets as dangerous as they are magical in this stunning exploration of love, loss, and family.

Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert Disney-Hyperion

Danny Cheng has always known his parents have secrets. But when he discovers a taped-up box in his father’s closet filled with old letters and a file on a powerful Silicon Valley family, he realizes there’s much more to his family’s past than he ever imagined.

Danny has been an artist for as long as he can remember and it seems his path is set, with a scholarship to RISD and his family’s blessing to pursue the career he’s always dreamed of. Still, contemplating a future without his best friend, Harry Wong, by his side makes Danny feel a panic he can barely put into words. Harry and Danny’s lives are deeply intertwined and as they approach the one-year anniversary of a tragedy that shook their friend group to its core, Danny can’t stop asking himself if Harry is truly in love with his girlfriend, Regina Chan.

When Danny digs deeper into his parents’ past, he uncovers a secret that disturbs the foundations of his family history and the carefully constructed facade his parents have maintained begins to crumble. With everything he loves in danger of being stripped away, Danny must face the ghosts of the past in order to build a future that belongs to him.

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan Little, Brown Brooks for Young Readers

Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird.

Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. And as she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life.

Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love.

Pride by Ibi Zoboi Balzer + Bray

Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.

When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.

But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all.

The Gilded Wolves (The Gilded Wolves #1) by Roshani Chokshi Wednesday Books

Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin will need help from a band of experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who can’t yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much.

Together, they’ll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artifact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive.

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender HarperCollins

From Stonewall and Lambda Award–winning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.

Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.

When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle….

But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

#all american boys #the marrow thieves #wild beauty #picture us in the light #the astonishing color of after #pride #the gilded wolves #felix ever after

[traeumenvonbuechern]

June Wrap-Up

1. Can't Take That Away (Steven Salvatore)

Carey Parker dreams of being a diva, and bringing the house down with song. But despite their talent, emotional scars from an incident with a homophobic classmate and their grandmother's spiraling dementia make it harder and harder for Carey to find their voice. Then Carey meets Cris, a singer/guitarist who makes Carey feel seen for the first time in their life. With the rush of a promising new romantic relationship, Carey finds the confidence to audition for the role of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the school musical, setting off a chain reaction of prejudice by Carey's tormentor and others in the school. It's up to Carey, Cris, and their friends to defend their rights--and they refuse to be silenced.

2. Sanditon (Jane Austen)

Written in the last months of Austen's life, Sanditon features a glorious cast of hypochondriacs and speculators in a newly established seaside resort, and shows the author contemplating a changing society with scepticism and amusement. It tells the story of Charlotte Heywood, who is transported by a chance accident from her rural hometown to Sanditon, where she is exposed to the intrigues and dalliances of a small town determined to reinvent itself - and encounters the intriguingly handsome Sidney Parker.

3. The Witch King (H.E. Edgmon)

Wyatt would give anything to forget where he came from—but a kingdom demands its king. In Asalin, fae rule and witches like Wyatt Croft…don’t. Wyatt’s betrothal to his best friend, fae prince Emyr North, was supposed to change that. But when Wyatt lost control of his magic one devastating night, he fled to the human world. Now a coldly distant Emyr has hunted him down. Despite transgender Wyatt’s newfound identity and troubling past, Emyr has no intention of dissolving their engagement. In fact, he claims they must marry now or risk losing the throne. Jaded, Wyatt strikes a deal with the enemy, hoping to escape Asalin forever. But as he gets to know Emyr, Wyatt realizes the boy he once loved may still exist. And as the witches face worsening conditions, he must decide once and for all what’s more important—his people or his freedom.

4. One Last Stop (Casey McQuiston)

For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures. But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train. Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.

5. Between Perfect and Real (Ray Stoeve)

Dean Foster knows he’s a trans guy. He’s watched enough YouTube videos and done enough questioning to be sure. But everyone at his high school thinks he’s a lesbian—including his girlfriend Zoe, and his theater director, who just cast him as a “nontraditional” Romeo. He wonders if maybe it would be easier to wait until college to come out. But as he plays Romeo every day in rehearsals, Dean realizes he wants everyone to see him as he really is now––not just on the stage, but everywhere in his life. Dean knows what he needs to do. Can playing a role help Dean be his true self?

6. The Cruel Prince (Holly Black)

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences. As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

7. Boy Queen (George Lester)

Robin Cooper’s life is falling apart. While his friends prepare to head off to university, Robin is looking at a pile of rejection letters from drama schools up and down the country, and facing a future without the people he loves the most. Everything seems like it’s ending, and Robin is scrabbling to find his feet. Unsure about what to do next and whether he has the talent to follow his dreams, he and his best friends go and drown their sorrows at a local drag show, where Robin realises there might be a different, more sequinned path for him . . . With a mother who won't stop talking, a boyfriend who won't acknowledge him and a best friend who is dying to cover him in glitter make up, there's only one thing for Robin to do: bring it to the runway.

8. Felix Ever After (Kacen Callender)

Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after. When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle.... But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

9. Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë)

Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before: of the intense passion between the foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and her betrayal of him. As Heathcliff's bitterness and vengeance is visited upon the next generation, their innocent heirs must struggle to escape the legacy of the past.

10. Ace of Spades (Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé)

Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students' dark secrets to light. Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power. Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high-school game...

11. The Queer Principles of Kit Webb (Cat Sebastian)

Kit Webb has left his stand-and-deliver days behind him. But dreary days at his coffee shop have begun to make him pine for the heady rush of thievery. When a handsome yet arrogant aristocrat storms into his shop, Kit quickly realizes he may be unable to deny whatever this highborn man desires. In order to save himself and a beloved friend, Percy, Lord Holland must go against every gentlemanly behavior he holds dear to gain what he needs most: a book that once belonged to his mother, a book his father never lets out of his sight and could be Percy’s savior. More comfortable in silk-filled ballrooms than coffee shops frequented by criminals, his attempts to hire the roughly hewn highwayman, formerly known as Gladhand Jack, proves equal parts frustrating and electrifying. Kit refuses to participate in the robbery but agrees to teach Percy how to do the deed. Percy knows he has little choice but to submit and as the lessons in thievery begin, he discovers thievery isn’t the only crime he’s desperate to commit with Kit. But when their careful plan goes dangerously wrong and shocking revelations threaten to tear them apart, can these stolen hearts withstand the impediments in their path?

12. Weekend Girl (Alex Powell)

Ashley Kingston is a genderfluid university student with a major crush on attractive and charming Nolan. He seems just too perfect to be true. What happens when Ash meets Nolan while dressed as both a man, and a woman? And even more confusing, what happens when Nolan seems enamoured of both versions of Ash? A twisty-turny romance filled with fun and shenanigans.

#june wrap up #wrap up #can't take that away #steven salvatore #sanditon #jane austen #the witch king #h.e. edgmon #one last stop #casey mcquiston #between perfect and real #ray stoeve #the cruel prince #holly black #boy queen #george lester #felix ever after #kacen callender #wuthering heights #emily brontë #ace of spades #faridah àbíké íyímídé #the queer principles of kit webb #cat sebastian #weekend girl #alex powell #booklr #bookblr #queer books #queer lit

[livingmybestfictionallife]

What If?

Request from @chanandlersstuff​: Hii, it's me, again. I want to request another Mgk imagine. Something like he goes to a new bar in the city and discovers that the owner is his childhood sweetheart or his first crush, the reader, and they can kiss or something like that. I love how you write and that's why I will ask you for a lots of requests

A/N: Thank you so much for your support! :) I hope you enjoy this one! Also, idk where Cassie and her mother reside. I assume it’s Cleveland, so that’s what it’s going to be in this story. ALSO, a bit of Pantera/Damageplan trivia is included as part of the plot of the story simply because I was listening to it and realized this takes place in Ohio--you’ll see why it’s important if you don’t already know. Hope you enjoy!

A/N part 2: If you ever want to be tagged in something, send me an ask or a message! :)

December 8th, 2004 was always a day that stood out to Colson, simply because it was the biggest ‘What if?’ in his life. He’d experienced too much heartache in his youth and would continue to face pain and anguish throughout his adolescence and early adulthood, and he had so many things that he would reflect back on and wonder what could have happened to make things go differently? What could he have done better? What kind of divine intervention would have been needed? What if he’d just gone home? What if he decided to hang out with someone else?

It seemed that as he reached thirty, he became more enamored with laying these what if questions to rest. He could spend the rest of his life wondering about what would happen had he not fucked something up or had something just gone a different direction, or he could accept that each of those mishaps had led him to the man he was today. He was happy with his life, and for the first time in a long time, he could admit that he was truly happy; he had a beautiful, happy, and healthy daughter that was the light of his world, a successful fifth studio album that blew away the punk and rock charts, and he was in what had to be the healthiest relationship in his life with a gorgeous woman that he loved. Yet still, there was one what if that refused to escape his mind: what if December 8th, 2004 went differently?

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

Cassie had told her father over a thanksgiving dinner in Los Angeles about her school’s Winter Talent Show, and that she would be performing a song off her father’s album as a tribute to her late grandfather. Colson couldn’t refrain from tearing up as his daughter told him this and promised he wouldn’t miss it for the world. 

He’d shown up to Cassie’s talent show with a bouquet of flowers and a couple of friends he bothered to still talk to after all these years. His eyes glistened with proud, sorrow-ridden tears as he listened to the angel he had for a child sing his lyrics--with school appropriate revisions made--about the struggles he faced with his father since he was about her age. Of all the what ifs that passed through his mind, a lot had to do with his ability to be a good father for Cassie, and every second he spends with her reminds him that she is so much better of a person than he ever was at her age, and it was in that pride that he allowed a solitary tear to fall. He knew his father was proud of Cassie as well as she sang Lonely for her school, and when the show was over, he wrapped his daughter in the tightest hug he could, terrified of the fact that someday, he wouldn’t be around to hold her anymore.

It seemed death was always prevalent in his life; after all it was a death that caused the biggest what if in his mind to continue to pester him.

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

(Y/N) paced around the densely populated room and watched not only the patrons, but the employees as well. She’d never even thought of opening a bar, in fact, she never considered being an entrepreneur of any sort, but when the opportunity came, she realized she’d have to be a fool to turn it down. Music had always been a passion of hers; she’d performed in small garage bands with friends, played local shows throughout high school and college, and she even got a degree in music production in hopes of working with a recording studio or record label. (Y/N) had followed this dream and worked at a Bad Racket Recording Studio since 2012, about three years after the studio opened.

It wasn’t until about a year ago that a friend got her in contact with someone who was looking to co-own a bar and turn it into a music venue for local bands. She loved the idea of promoting local bands and musicians, especially since she’d spent the past seven years watching people bring their dreams to life through recording. Maybe it was time to help them realize another dream, the dream of performance.

The reverberations of heavy guitar and drums pulsed through her heart and bones as the performing artist tonight began a cover of Damageplan’s ‘Breathing New Life’. Her heart skipped a beat inadvertently as her mind became lost in the music that electrified the air around her. As an early teen, she’d found solace in music of all genres, but her favorite had been the rock/grunge/metal scene. Pantera had been one of her father’s favorite bands, and so she grew up with a fondness of the musical stylings of the two Abbott brothers from Texas. A lot of kids her age couldn’t understand what was so appealing about Pantera to her--they assumed that just because her parents listened to it she was forced to as well and therefore didn’t know what good music was--but there was always one kid who understood. 

One blonde boy would always make sure to ask (y/n) what new music she’d found, if she’d heard of the drama that was going down between bands, and if she’d wanted to listen to CDs together after school. She always responded with a smile before any words left her mouth to continue the conversation, and over the course of middle school, that blonde kid, who she’d known only in passing before, became her closest friend.

As (y/n)’s eyes continued to drift over the crowd, images of her childhood friend’s face flashed through her mind as her gaze came to rest on a tall man dressed in all black, with unruly blonde hair. Had he not been wearing his jacket around his waist and a short sleeved shirt that revealed his tattoos, (y/n) would have glossed over the man’s presence without a second look, but the I-71 North tattoo that was half-visible beneath the rolled up sleeve had given away the man’s identity. With a smile on her face and confidence in her stride, (y/n) approached the bar.

Colson had been in town for a few nights before he’d had enough of his old buddies bugging him about trying out a new bar called Panther’s Den. They continued to swear up and down about it having a nineties feel, and how maybe he should see about setting up a small performance for old-time sakes there. After about three days of this continuing pestering, he gave in and agreed to go to the bar. Together, the small group sat huddled together as they waited to order drinks when a woman approached them with an unforgettable smile pulled across her face. 

“Didn’t expect to see you here,” she called out over the band as she shifted her weight from one foot to another and waited for the man to bring his eyes to hers. She half expected to see the bloodshot, sleep-deprived, almost hallowed out expression he had worn from time to time in his youth, but when those bright blue eyes turned to face her, (y/n)’s smile grew as she looked into the healthy face of her long time friend.

“(Y/N),” Colson was quick to exclaim as he stretched out his arms and pulled the woman into his chest. “What are you doing here?”

“Just running my business.”

“You manage this place?” Colson asked as he looked down into the woman’s eyes. She’d always been mesmerizing to him, although he could never put his finger on it. Maybe it had been how little she cared about what other people thought about her in school, or how badass her taste in music was to him. Maybe it was how supportive she was in him when he said he wanted to rap, or the way her eyes seemed to light up whenever a good riff stood out to her. Maybe it was the way she couldn’t help but nod her head to the beat of every song, the way she bit her lip when she was concentrating on a specific lyric, or the fact that she was his earliest supporter. Whatever it was that captivated him at thirteen was doing the same thing to him at thirty.

“I own it; well, co-own, technically, but I picked the name.” With a smirk, (y/n) lowered herself into the barstool beside Colson and watched as the posse that had surrounded him began to disappear.

“I definitely see the connection now,” he laughed as his eyes traced over the woman’s features. There was a lot that was different--she had less of a baby face that she had in school, seemed a bit more kind and lighthearted than when she was so doom and gloom back in the day, and wore a smile that used to take him what felt like hours of coercing to bring to her face. “How have you been?” Colson hated the question. Often he thought people would think he asked it just to compare his success to their current phase in life, but with (y/n) it came with a different kind of awkwardness that he would have to face.

“I’ve been doing well. My business partner and I got this place up and running last year and it’s been going pretty smoothly,” she admitted. “I was working with a recording studio for a long time before this, but nothing too exciting.” (Y/N) loved what she did and often didn’t have much to talk about with other people besides her work. Her personal life consisted of watched re-runs of TV shows that haven’t been on the air in years, entertaining herself and her pets at home, and not really making an attempt of finding new relationships--friendly or romantic.

“No guy in your life?” Colson found himself asking with an insecurity swelling in his chest that didn’t die down until she shook her head and dismissed whatever fears he didn’t realize he had.

“What about you? Dating Megan Fox must being something,” (y/n) said as she nudged Colson’s ribs with her elbow.

“Yeah,” Colson muttered as he tried to hide his face from (y/n) as he spoke. “She’s great, and I’m really happy.” His words were truthful in every sense of the matter, but that what if still tugged at his heart.

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

At twelve and thirteen-years-old, there’s no way to know what love feels like, so Colson tried to ignore the knots that came into his stomach or the words that got caught in his throat whenever he would hang out with (y/n). He ignored the burning in his chest whenever their faces touched while sharing the cheap headphones they used to listen to (y/n)’s CD player with, and buried the jittery feeling he had whenever he knew he had plans with (y/n) and was counting down the hours until seeing her. The only thing that forced him to come to terms with how he felt towards (y/n) was another boy in her class that offered his headphones over to her one day before school to listen to the newly released, Volume 2 box set from Motley Crue, which had just announced they were reuniting. 

His blood boiled as he saw her hand brush against the other boy’s as she accepted the headphones and bobbed her head to the beat of whatever song was flooding her ears. It took Colson all of the courage his young self could muster to ask (y/n) to go on a date with him, and all of the money he had earned through small, odd-jobs to pay for the perfect date for this perfect girl.

He’d tried to ask two of his older friends who could drive to take him and (y/n) to Columbus, but wasn’t able to bribe them with enough money for them to agree. Eventually, he had to ask (y/n)’s father for help. His own dad was too busy working to be bothered with a middle school date, so he hoped the man who gave his daughter her love of music would be understanding. (Y/N)’s father found the young man’s idea heartwarming and fun, and agreed to take the pair to Columbus under the stipulation that he stayed to keep an eye on them. At that point, Colson was so relieved the date was panning out, that he didn’t care if her dad came along. 

Excitement had overwhelmed both (y/n) and Colson as they embarked on the two hour drive from Cleveland to Columbus, but the time passed quickly through their loud singing, enthusiastic conversation, and (y/n)’s wild anticipation as Colson revealed to her that they were going to Columbus to see Damageplan perform live. He remembered an early conversation he’d had with (y/n) about how she’d love to see Pantera live, as well as the disappointment she had a year ago when the band broke up. Although it wasn’t the exact same as seeing her all-time favorite band, he’d hoped Damageplan, which the founders of Pantera formed after their breakup, would be a close second.

Had they not been caught in traffic, they would have gotten to the show on time. To this day, Colson and (y/n) were both sure the traffic had been a blessing in disguise. They wanted to be front and center for the first song, but that came with the possibility of losing their lives.

They pulled up to the venue about fifteen minutes late. “The show is hours long! We won’t miss much in fifteen minutes,” (y/n)’s father had continued to reassure the teenagers that sat together in the back seat of his car throughout the drive. However, as they pulled up to see ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars flooding the scene, he realized that they may have missed everything. After her father got out and talked to a few people who had remained at the venue--either to give statements to officers or simply because they were in too much shock to drive--he returned to the car where Colson and (y/n) waited, put the vehicle into drive, and pulled away from the scene. It was about twenty long, agonizing minutes of silence before he pulled over through a fast food drive through to order the teens food. With his voice low as they waited for burgers and French fries, he delivered the news to the pair sitting in his backseat. Dimebag Darrell was dead, and their lives had been spared by some traffic on I-71.

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

“Do you ever wonder what would have happened with us if we actually made it to the concert?” Colson found himself asking (y/n) as his fingertips picked at the label on his beer bottle.

“The possibility of getting shot crosses my mind,” (y/n) responded dryly as she leaned against the bar on her elbow.

“I mean, what if we made it to the venue and that guy didn’t show up--he never got on stage and killed all those people. What would have happened--with us?” Colson’s eyes never left (y/n). The question had plagued him since that night, followed by a million subsequent questions, such as, Why did I never ask her out again? Why did I see that as missing my shot?

“Well,” (y/n) began with a smile playing on her lips. “That would have been the best date of my entire life. Hands down, nothing could have ever topped it,” she said as her genuine smile curled even higher into a beaming grin that made Colson weak. “I would have probably found a way to give you a kiss whenever my dad wasn’t looking, just to show you how much I appreciated not only your plan for the date, but also you as a person, my best friend, and my biggest crush back then.”

“If I would have asked you out again would you have said ‘yes,’ even after what actually happened?” He was hesitant to receive her answer; he didn’t want to know he had wasted so much time wondering if he missed out on the relationship he was meant to be in by being too cowardly to ask. As his eyes met the soft smile of the woman that stood beside him, his heart sank into his stomach and his stomach turned to lead.

“Yeah, I would have,” she admitted. “You were always there for me, Colson, and I kind of anticipated you asking me out again. You were my favorite person to be around, and I’m so proud of you for chasing your dreams.”

“But how much different would my life be if you were beside me the whole time?” He seemed defiant in his question, as if his tone could change the past and alter the present so he could see the difference in his life like comparing two ‘find-the-difference’ pages from a Highlight’s book.

“You wouldn’t have Cassie,” (y/n) stated with a matter-of-fact tone, “and I know how much you love that child.” Colson smiled at the mention of his daughter, and knew her statement to be true. If (y/n) was around, he would have never met Emma and Cassie would have never been born. “You would have still gone off on your own and done what you wanted to. Having me as your girlfriend wouldn’t have changed you wanting to be with models, I couldn’t ever keep you from something you set your mind to, so the drugs would have pulled us apart. In your own opinion, would I still be your friend if I saw everything you’ve done?” With a smirk and a chuckle, Colson reached out for (y/n)’s arm and gentled rested his hand on her shoulder.

“I don’t know if I would still be my friend. But I’m turning around from a lot of the stupid shit I used to do. You know, mellowing out with age,” he laughed and earned a small smirk from the girl that got away. “What about who I am now? How do you feel about him?” 

The words came from his mouth with a solemn look on his face as he scanned the woman’s appearance. He still loved her, and a big part of him knew he would never stop loving her. After all, how could he? He never got the opportunity to see where he and (y/n) would have gone. Would they have a child of their own? Would he have listened to her if she pestered him or threatened to leave when it came to the drugs? Would he have even felt he needed them? All they could do was speculate, and speculation wasn’t enough for him. He wanted an ending on their relationship, one way or another, he needed to know. This open-ended bullshit was eating at him every waking second of his life since December 8th, 2004, and he needed to have her tell him it would have never worked, then he could move on.

“You’ve always been incredible to me,” (y/n)’s softened voice admitted as she gazed up at the man she’d loved since her youth. “And you always will be, but you have Megan, and I know you--you’re happy. Don’t ruin what is a great thing over something that could have been, regardless of how either of us feel.” (Y/N) could feel her heart sinking and her eyes ache as they threatened to fill with tears. 

All she’d ever wanted was for him to walk in here, admit his feelings for her, and live some fan-fiction reality of a happily ever after, but the real world was much more cruel. People move on, and even if they don’t fully move on emotionally, they don’t sit around waiting forever. Colson hadn’t remained single in the sixteen years between their first almost date, and she never expected him to. The least she could do was wish happiness onto him and be happy for him when he found it. “I think you may have had a bit too much to drink, Col,” she sighed as she pushed the glass of liquor that sat in front of him aside. Throughout their reminiscing and conversation, he continued to order drink after drink to drown the anxiety of seeing her, and (y/n) could tell it was getting to his head. “You don’t want to do something you’ll regret when you sober up.”

“I need to know, (y/n),” he stated in a firm and exasperated gasp as they pair disappeared into her office so that he could sober up while she collected his friends to take him back to wherever he was staying.

“Colson--”

“Please,” his gentle blue eyes were staring down intently at (y/n)’s soul, a soul filled with hope and warmth clouded with traumas of her own, a soul that always felt tethered to his. With a deep breath and gentle sigh, she pulled herself onto her toes, gently rested her hands against his chest and shoulder, and closed her eyes as her lips found his.

Their kiss was simple, something a pair of middle school kids would have become so giddy over having done, but as adults, it was damn near impossible to ignore her heart jumping into her throat, the way his hands felt on her hips, how soft her lips were against his, how desperate he was to deepen the kiss, to sweep his tongue across her lips and lean her against a wall to feel her pressed against him. (Y/N) had pulled away from Colson before he could find the courage to do what he’d always wanted, and the pair stood toe to toe with electricity buzzing in their heads as they continued to reflect back on the past few seconds. Neither had felt that way with another person before, and neither were certain they would ever feel that way again, because Colson was happy, and Megan didn’t deserve to be thrown aside over the possibility of all the what ifs he had in regards to (y/n).

She gently bit down on her lip and stared at the floor in a desperate attempt to avoid looking Colson in the eyes, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to contain herself if he decided he wanted more. Thankfully, he took the hint and pulled (y/n) into a gentle hug before he turned rather clumsily on his heel to catch up with his friends.

“You’re always welcome here, Colson,” (y/n) called out before he left her sight, hoping he would understand her on the deeper level they always were able to converse with one another on.

“Thanks, (y/n),” he said in return as he held the door to her office gently in his hands. “I’ll try to come back again when I’m not so busy.” A coy smile played on both of their faces once the door was placed between them, and hope continued to spring from both of their chests.

Colson left the Panther’s Den feeling even more confused by the what ifs than he had initially been, and the sensation of the kiss had left him feeling even more light-headed and puzzled than any alcohol or overthinking could cause. In their silences and stolen glances, in the touch of their lips and how each other felt beneath the other’s hands, Colson knew whatever electricity between them, whatever spiritual connection, or tethering of souls would never go away. It was a matter of timing for the pair, thirteen wasn’t the right time for them to get together and it was deflected in a gruesome way, but whatever the temptress of time was planning for Colson and (y/n), he knew he was ready to fall, so he placed their fate in the hands of life, and continued down the street with the gentle graze of her lips pressing like a phantom against his own.

#colson baker #colson baker fanfiction #colson baker fanfic #colson baker x reader #colson x reader #machine gun kelly #machine gun kelly fanfiction #machine gun kelly fanfic #machine gun kelly fluff #mgk #mgk x reader #mgk fanfiction #mgk fanfic #mgk request #machine gun kelly request #colson baker request

[portmanteaurian]

So this year I, like a lot of people, was going through some stuff. And the way I coped, particularly over the summer, was by reading. I read between 275 and 300 books this year (final count pending), which is certainly the most I’ve done in at least a decade. And a lot of them were very good! I narrowed myself down to a list of forty recommendations, with short write-ups of ten, and made a point of not repeating authors. You can see everything else on my StoryGraph account though.

YA/MG:

The Beast Player - Nahoko Uehashi trans. Cathy Hirano

Death Sets Sail - Robin Stevens

Echo After Echo - A.R. Capetta

Half World - Hiromi Goto

A Phoenix First Must Burn: Sixteen Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope - ed. Patrice Caldwell

Shadow of the Batgirl - Sarah Kuhn & Nicole Goux

A Song Below Water - Bethany C. Morrow

The Scapegracers - Hannah Abigail Clarke

YA contemporary fantasy is obviously a well-trodden genre, but this felt like a really fresh take. Sharp prose, interesting magic system, and a really fantastic and original-feeling POV character. I can’t wait for the sequel.

We Are Not Free - Traci Chee

This is a historical novel about residents of Japanese-American internment compounds during WWII, so it is not a light read. But it was powerfully emotionally affecting, and really compelling from a craft perspective as well; each chapter is narrated by a different character, and seeing how all the perspectives intersect is really remarkable.

ADULT FICTION (mostly spec):

A Choir of Lies - Alexandra Rowland

The City We Became - N.K. Jemisin

The Empress of Salt and Fortune - Nghi Vo

The Four Profound Weaves - R.B. Lemberg

Homesick: Stories - Nino Cipri

Master of Poisons - Andrea Hairston

Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water - Zen Cho

Phoenix Extravagant - Yoon Ha Lee

Piranesi - Susanna Clarke

The Seep - Chana Porter

Skin Deep Magic - Craig Laurance Gidney

Stormsong - C.L. Polk

Freshwater - Akwaeke Emezi

One hell of a debut novel. Emezi has said it’s largely autobiographical, which makes it one of two really unique takes on autobiography and memoir that I’ve read this year. It’s about trauma, immigration, queerness, disability...I really just recommend you read it, though perhaps after checking a summary, as it deals very frankly with some potentially triggering subjects.

Not So Stories - ed. David Thomas Moore

This year I spent a lot of time with short stories and novellas, which is a little unusual for me. Several collections made a strong impression (there’s a few others on this list), but I adore the conceit of this one, which features a group of authors of colour responding to Kipling’s intensely colonial “Just So Stories” by writing new fables of their own. Some directly riff on Kipling’s tales, others go in entirely new directions, but all are really effective.

The Raven and the Reindeer - T Kingfisher

Kingfisher is one of those authors I discovered this year who I am shocked I had never read earlier. She’s prolific, works in genres I like, and is beloved by several of my friends. Consider this book a stand-in for her catalogue in general on this list, although of all the books by her I read it’s the only direct fairy-tale retelling. Really great take on Andersen’s Snow Queen

The Unspoken Name - A.K. Larkwood

This was just a ton of fun. Very queer, frequently hilarious, in a totally bizarre fantasy world (worlds, even!) and with a great protagonist. Another really confident debut novel, and another one where I can’t wait to check out where the series goes from here.

NONFIC:

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma - Bessel van der Kolk

Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories From the 21st Century - ed. Alice Wong

Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space - Amanda Leduc

Distorted Descent: White Claims to Indigenous Identity - Darryl Leroux

In the Dream House - Carmen Maria Machado

The other unique memoir I alluded to above, Machado non-linearly unpacks an abusive relationship she experienced with incredible clarity and artfulness. As someone who’s experienced abuse, parts were very familiar, and Machado’s writing is very effective at laying a situation bare (a skill she uses to great effect in her short fiction as well). This book also has some of the most memorable and narratively impactful citations I have ever seen. Read it to understand how that’s the case.

The North-West is our Mother - Jean Teillet

This is straight-up a history book but it’s a very clear and engaging one. For people who’ve ever wanted to know more about Métis people and our history, particularly in the 19th and early-20th century, this is going to be one of my go-to recs. It’s a little sparser with the more recent stuff, but there are other books to fill that gap.

ROMANCE:

Band Sinister - K.J. Charles

The Doctor’s Discretion - E.E. Ottoman

Invitation to the Dance - Tamara Allen

Two Rogues Make a Right - Cat Sebastian

Silver in the Wood - Emily Tesh

A Taste of Honey - Kai Ashante Wilson

Behind These Doors - Jude Lucens

This year is really the first I’ve read romance in any serious way, but I did read a lot of it and learned a fair amount about what I like. This ticks a lot of those boxes (historical [Edwardian, in this case]! Gay! Engages honestly with social issues of the period!) while also being a story about people negotiating polyamory, with much of the conflict being rooted in how one effectively communicates with the people they care about. Really different from anything else I read, and really well-done.

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows - Olivia Waite

This is probably my favourite romance novel of the year. It’s a slow-burn Regency story about the relationship between two middle-aged working women, a beekeeper and a bookseller. It’s also a story about prejudice, mob mentality, and the intense class divide in Regency England -- the Peterloo massacre is a significant element, and the way that opposition to it brought together a coalition of different social groups that ultimately could not hold due to other prejudices dividing them. It’s really nuanced, and really effective. Also, I am assured by a lesbian friend that the sex scenes are very hot.

SO ANYWAY. A lot of recommendations, and more detail about some of the ones I most encourage people to pick up. Really in my opinion you can’t go wrong with any of these, though, and I hope you take a look at some next time you’re searching for something to read!

What a year, huh?

#dorian reads 2k20

[sallymolay]

Queer, Limitless Africans

The Guardian writes:

Homosexuality is illegal in more than 30 African countries and punishable by death in four. There is also the widespread belief that homosexuality is ‘un-African’. In his new book Limitless Africans, Nigerian photographer Mikael Owunna documents stories of LGBTQ immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers.

The photos above depict (from the top):

Brian, Montreal, Canada I am Rwandan by my parents, but I grew up in Tanzania, Niger, Kenya, Benin and the Central African Republic. I answer to him and her and I identify as queer. When I decided to embrace my LGBTQ identity, I pushed away my African identity. But I had already tried to push away my LGBTQ identity. It was complete denial. And then one day I thought to myself why not try embracing both identities, just for the sake of trying. I never felt so complete and comfortable in my skin.

Wiilo, Arlington, VA, US Wiilo in Somali means ‘girl who dresses like boy’ … It’s something that comforted me when I was discovering my queerness and helped me to overcome the shame and the feeling of being pushed away from my Somali culture. Growing up, any deviation from the norm was stamped down. This has to do with living in a refugee community surrounded by whiteness, when holding on to your culture means defining it in very limiting ways.

Aru, Brussels, Belgium My name is Aurélie. I am Congolese, Bandundu. I prefer to go by the pronouns of they and them. I am comfortable with identifying as queer or lesbian. People fear what they do not understand. And when someone doesn’t understand what it is to truly be themselves and love who they are, then I’m really not surprised that there is such resistance to having an open mind and understanding their history. To put Africans in a box of heteronormative western structures is to really deny their true history.

Yahya, Philadelphia, PA, US I am half-Moroccan and half-American, born in Casablanca. I identify as a second generation radical queer, pansexual, and the gender identity that feels comfortable is ‘boi’. I aspire towards a queered masculinity, with tenderness and self-awareness. I like they and them pronouns. Race and ethnicity are complicated in Morocco. Many Moroccans feel both Arab and African, but Arab comes first, Moroccan comes before both of those, and Muslim comes before everything else. There is a rich and diverse history of non-binary gender expression in African cultures.

Lahya, Berlin, Germany I’m originally from Namibia and now located in Berlin. My pronoun is she and I’m a queer, cis-femme person with polyamorous relationships and I’m pan. For me, as a disabled black and body non-conforming person, style is empowerment. I’m very influenced by my African heritage: I like big earrings, but also colours and I like to show my body as it is and to bring it out in the best way I can show it. As a black intersectional person, I always have to give myself a bit more love than other people in the world give me.

Jihan, Brussels, Belgium I was born in France to Algerian parents. I’m a trans dude. My societal gender is masculine, but my psychic reality is two-spirit. I feel very strongly both female and male energies. I had a period of attraction to and aversion from the African community I’m originally from; all the way to a complete rejection. It’s a huge internal struggle, as we are educated in contradictions, tradition and modernity. In North African cultures there is honour and loyalty or guilt and shame. It’s a conditioning that is very difficult to escape.

Read the whole story!

#Mikael Owunna #african #trans #transgender #lgbt #lgbt african #queer african

[vulcan-highblood]

(Blue) Spirited Away

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender Pairing(s): Gen Chapter: 3/? Words: 4k Summary:  Prince Zuko wasn’t able to escape the Northern Water Tribe after the disastrous conclusion to the Siege of the North. However, Aang is more than happy to invite his old pal, the Blue Spirit, to join him and his friends on the first leg of their journey to the Earth Kingdom.

(An AU where Aang never learned the true identity of the Blue Spirit, Zuko is desperate, and Spirits enjoy interfering in the lives of mortals)

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2

Read it on AO3

Chapter 3: Lost and Looking

Aang couldn’t believe it. The warriors really hadn’t been joking when they’d said that the Blue Mask Guy could disappear like a polar bear dog! He’d been right there, and Aang had turned around for a second, and he was gone! Just like when Blue Mask Guy had rescued him from that Fire Nation fortress, he remembered. The guy had been wobbling really bad after getting hit in the head (mask?) by an arrow, but he’d managed to stagger to his feet and Aang had dragged both of them to safety. He’d set the guy down on the ground, put his back to the guy for a second just to look in his robes to see if he still had frozen frogs (he did), and when he’d turned back around the guy was gone.  

Part of Aang had started to wonder if he’d ever been there to begin with. And now he was at the North Pole! But why? “Hey!!” he shouted, “Mask guy?” He didn’t even know his name!  “Masky?” Aang shouted, using the wind to carry his voice a little farther. “Blue Mask Guy?” Why was the guy’s mask so familiar, though? He recognized the guy, now, of course, the two swords and the way he moved so fast and quiet was hard to mistake. But the mask itself was familiar too… if only he had paid better attention during the spirit tales at the temples…

But no, he realized with a frown, that wasn’t where he’d seen that mask before. Where… oh! He remembered then, where he’d seen it. He’d gone to see a play with Bumi, they thought they’d bought tickets for a theatre troupe performing Clash of the Earth Masters, but when they’d arrived, it had turned out that they’d been given the time for Love Amongst the Dragons instead. Despite the goofy sounding title, Bumi and Aang had been pleased to discover there was a lot of intrigue, excitement, amazing stunts, battles, and really cool dragon costumes! The antagonist of the play, The Dark Water Spirit, had worn a blue and white mask almost identical to the one worn by the blue mask guy. In the play, the blue-masked spirit had been an antagonist, a trickster who had fooled the Dragon Emperor into binding himself to a mortal form.  A spirit who fooled dragons rather than facing them head on… it made sense, then, that this guy had chosen a guise like that to break into a Fire Nation stronghold, since the Fire Nation was the home of the dragons. But why was he in the North Pole? There were no dragons here, were there? There certainly shouldn’t be, Aang couldn’t imagine that the cold dry weather would be very good for their scales. Kuzon’s dragon sure hadn’t liked the cold air up high, preferring to fly closer to the surface than Appa. 

Of course, he’d figured out quickly that most people couldn’t fly as high as he and Appa could when he’d first taken Bumi for a ride. He hadn’t understood at the time why Monk Gyatso had cautioned him about flying too high, but then Bumi got sick. That was when he’d learned that airbenders naturally drew the air to their lungs when they went too high, but other benders - especially earthbenders - didn’t have that ability, and going too high could make them really sick. Of course, he’d apologized to Bumi after the incident, and Bumi had felt better soon, but it was a lesson he remembered, and meant that he’d kept a close eye on Sokka and Katara whenever they had to fly too high, and he tried to keep that time limited. Now that he thought about it, maybe that was why Kuzon’s dragon hadn’t gone as high, since Dragons were the original firebenders, much in the way that Air Bison were the original airbenders. But the sun was high up in the air, and it seemed to do just fine. 

Waving the thought aside, Aang refocused. So the guy was wearing the mask of a water spirit antagonist to the Dragon Emperor. That probably meant something, right? Maybe he was fighting the Fire Lord, too! He had sure been helpful once before. It still didn’t answer why he had come to the North Pole, but then, they hadn’t been expecting the Ocean to fight back. Maybe he’d come to help fight the Fire Nation here, too? 

Filling his lungs with air, Aang yelled once more, “WHERE DID YOU GO?” making a face at his own volume as he did so. It didn’t seem to make a difference, the whole area was silent and still now. Shoulders slumping into a sigh, Aang started to trudge off in a random direction. He still wasn’t exactly sure which way was back to Sokka and Katara, and he should probably climb another building to try and figure that out, but he didn’t really feel like it when he’d just failed twice. He’d hoped to bring the blue mask guy back to Chief Arnook, but instead he’d just brought up more questions. Why had he broken into the place where they were holding all the firebenders, but not take anyone? He didn’t understand what was happening. Maybe he should go back and ask Katara and Sokka if they had any ideas!

He winced at that. He hadn’t exactly told them that he’d been kidnapped while they’d been sick. It hadn’t really seemed important, and then they kept having more adventures after that, and it had slipped his mind. Now he was beginning to regret that, since he had the feeling that Sokka, at least, wouldn’t be happy about being left in the dark on the subject. Still, he didn’t really have a choice. He hadn’t been able to keep Mask Guy around, but maybe Sokka could figure out a way to convince him to stay.

Nodding to himself, Aang scrambled back atop the most sturdy-looking building and swept his eyes across the landscape, this time looking for familiar territory. He thought he recognized an area ahead and to the right, so he decided to head that direction.

~~*~~

How long did it take to tell someone you were leaving? Sokka wondered absently, frowning as his stomach rumbled slightly. He wasn’t hungry. Well okay, yes, he was hungry, he was always hungry, but he didn’t want to be hungry. He was tired, and sad, and now also worried about Aang. Where was he? It was, like, a five minute walk to the reception hall where Chief Arnook was probably coordinating the rebuilding efforts. How in La's name had it taken Aang so long that the sun was starting to sink below the horizon again? Admittedly, they were only a few months on from the North’s Winter Solstice, so the days were pretty short, but Sokka was fairly certain that Aang was supposed to be back by now. 

“All right, that’s it,” he declared, standing and stretching his back out. “You coming, Katara?”

“Coming where?” Katara asked, glancing up from where she’d been going over their supplies and creating tight bundles to pack up their food and other sundries. 

“To find Aang,” Sokka replied. “He’s been gone for hours, and we both know it doesn’t take that long to talk to someone.”

Katara’s eyes widened suddenly as she leapt to her feet. “Zuko!” she spat. “We never saw what happened to him after he left-”

Sokka felt the blood drain from his face at her words. He hadn’t even considered that, he’d sort of assumed that any firebenders left in the city were either in pretty strict confinement or dead. But this was the jerkbender they were talking about. If anyone would find a way to skulk out of this and kidnap Aang while he was at it, it would be Zuko. “Oh man,” he said nervously. “Yeah, we definitely need to go find him.”

Katara nodded firmly, her packing forgotten in light of this new information. “Come on,” she commanded, somehow managing to forget that this whole manhunt had been Sokka’s idea, and who had put her in charge? 

Sighing, knowing by now when to pick his battles (and it certainly wasn’t when Aang was involved), Sokka followed her from the hut and down the street. He hadn’t really had a plan beyond ‘go find Aang,’ though, and it seemed that Katara hadn’t had a plan either, as she slowed to a stop in the middle of the road to glance at him. “Which way?” she asked, frowning as she spun to and fro, examining each side street like it might be hiding the airbender behind any corner.

Sokka considered the question. “Maybe we should just head for the ceremonial hall?” he suggested. “That’s where Aang said he was going, so if we’re going to find a clue, that’s a good place to start -”

“Hey guys! Where are you going? Did you finish packing?”

“WUH!” Sokka did not yelp, he simply… expressed his surprise. Loudly. 

“Aang!” Katara exclaimed, whirling around to face their absentee airbending Avatar. “Where were you? We were just going to look for you!”

“Oh, right,” Aang at least had the decency to look somewhat sheepish at the accusation. “Well, I went to tell the Chief we were leaving, but when I got there, they were talking about this guy in a mask who broke into the firebender prison with his swords, which sounded cool, and they were looking for him, so I offered to help-”

There seemed to be no end to this sentence in sight, so Sokka sighed inwardly and steeled himself for the rest of the run-on, since there seemed no point in trying to interrupt Aang until he’d finished his explanation.

“Because I’m pretty good at finding things, but I didn’t want to bother you guys or Appa, so I just walked around the city for the while, and got a little lost, I think, but that was okay because I found him! He was wearing a blue and white spirit mask and he had two swords and I recognized him!”

Hold on, that was weird. “You recognized the guy with swords and a mask?” Sokka demanded incredulously, not sure how one pulled off something like that. It was a mask, how could you recognize someone whose face was covered?

Aang paused then to take a breath, and suddenly his posture shifted, his shoulders hunching slightly. “Oh yeah, I uh, I never told you guys about what happened when I went to get those frozen frogs,” he said.

Frozen frogs? It took Sokka a moment to realize what Aang was talking about. “The frozen frogs that you put in our mouths?” he demanded incredulously. “Like the frog that gave me this wart?” he added, sticking his tongue out and pointing.

“I keep telling you, Sokka, there’s no wart!” Katara groused, giving him an exasperated look. “We even had Healer Yugoda look at it and she said the same thing!”

“My tongue feels different! I know it’s the frozen frog that did it!” Sokka insisted, though since his tongue was still sticking out, it didn’t look as though Katara or Aang were really able to parse his words. With a sigh, he released the sides of his mouth and pulled his tongue back in. He got no sympathy from these people, none. Why did he even bother?

“So what happened when you got the frozen frogs?” Katara asked Aang.

“Weeeell, I… kinda got captured by the Fire Nation?” Aang said weakly.

“You WHAT?!” Katara shrieked. Sokka was very glad he wasn’t the one facing down that particular yell, his sister had a pair of lungs and she was not shy about using them. “Was it Zuko?” she demanded.

“No, no!” Aang frowned a little, then. “Worse, actually,” he said after a minute. “Even when Zuko manages to capture me, he usually just ties me up with rope and says he’s taking me home. Zhao is worse. He put me in chains and said that they would keep me alive, but just barely,” he shuddered a little, obviously still feeling anxious about what had been said to him.

Sokka tried to imagine keeping Aang tied down and barely alive, and had to suppress a shudder himself. He hated the Fire Nation, especially Zhao. Sokka felt the anger he’d been fighting back surge through him again at the name. Zhao, who had killed the moon spirit -as good as killed Yue. While Sokka found himself suddenly caught up in his anger, though, Katara was focused on the details.

“Wait, so Zhao kidnapped you? And you didn’t tell us?” Her hands were on her hips and she was giving Aang one of her patented looks.

“I was getting frozen frogs!” Aang protested, “Besides, I escaped!”

“How?” Katara demanded. “You just said you were in chains!”

“Yeah, but the guy in the blue mask showed up and cut the chains with his swords! It was awesome,” Aang mused. “I really thought he was going to cut me in half, at first. He’s really scary looking in the mask.”

“Okay, hold on, you lost me,” Sokka cut in. “Who is this guy in the mask?”

“I don’t know,” Aang said, “But he saved me from Zhao, and he fought firebenders with nothing but two swords and a bunch of cool moves.”

Sokka spared a moment to mentally mourn the fact that apparently this guy’s non-bender status was enough to warrant the designation “cool moves,” while Sokka was still relegated to something of an afterthought. Unfair, that’s what this was. Sokka had cool moves, too!

“But then when we were escaping, his mask got hit with an arrow so I had to drag him away,” Aang continued, “And when I looked up, he was suddenly gone! Poof! Like a spirit!”

Like a spirit. Tui and La, Sokka was so tired of these stupid Spirit Tales coming to life around him. First magic water, then the Avatar, getting kidnapped by angry bear spirits in a forest, the girl he liked turning into the moon, and now some masked guy vanishing into thin air? He was so over it. “Okay, so he walked off while you were distracted,” Sokka interrupted. “Not like it’s that hard.” He pointedly ignored the disgruntled look Katara shot in his direction.  “What does this have to do with…” he frowned. “Wait. Are you telling me the same guy who busted you out of Zhao's Fire Nation Prison is here? Now?!”

“Yes!” Aang insisted. “I met him in the abandoned area where the catapult damage hasn’t been repaired yet -  I think he was sleeping, actually,” Aang mused, breaking off mid-sentence as he considered the idea before shaking his head and returning to the topic. “And he was still wearing the mask and had the swords, but he was wearing furs that were more pale, instead of all-black like he did when he broke me out.”

So the guy knew how to disguise himself for different terrain. Sokka found himself feeling impressed despite his instinct to dislike the guy. Maybe he was cool, after all. Not as cool as Sokka, of course, but he’d leave his options open, he guessed. “So what did he do?” Sokka demanded.

“What did he say?” Katara added. 

“Nothing!” Aang said. “I mean, he looked pretty tired, and once he saw it was me he put his swords away. But when I asked him what he was doing, he didn’t answer. Actually, I don’t think he can talk? But he like, waved his hands at me some, and when I looked around to figure out how to get back to you guys, he disappeared again! Like a spirit!” He leaned forward conspiratorially, “Actually, I think he’s wearing a water spirit’s mask,” he stage-whispered. “I recognized it from a play called Love Amongst the Dragons.”

Setting aside the fact that Aang apparently had terrible taste in theater, Sokka considered this statement. “What water spirit?” he finally asked.

“Uh, the Dark Water Spirit, I think?” Aang said. 

“Huh. I don’t know that one,” Sokka commented. Not that he knew much about any lesser spirits, he was doing good to know of Tui and La. Or Yue and La, now, he guessed. 

“Maybe we could ask Master Pakku!” Katara suggested.

“He’s probably busy…” Sokka began to protest, but Katara was having none of it.

“This is important!” She insisted. “If he’s wearing a water spirit mask, maybe he’s from the water tribes, and that’s why he’s here!”

Aang’s face seemed to say that he was about as convinced as Sokka, which was to say not at all, but he also wasn’t about to argue with Katara.

Sighing, Sokka decided he wasn’t in the mood to argue either. “Fine, fine,” he grumbled under his breath, “Let’s go talk to Master Pakku.”

~~*~~

The old man was getting ridiculous, Pakku reflected wearily. Honestly, it had been barely a day, and already The Grand Lotus was getting antsy, threatening to go out and find his nephew himself. His nephew! The Fire Lord’s Firstborn Son. The Avatar’s pursuer. And, if the stories of the Avatar’s group could be trusted, a singularly unpleasant individual. Why Iroh would be so set on bringing back that horrible child was quite beyond Pakku, it was good riddance as far as he was concerned.

But the old man was getting more anxious as the day dragged on, and Pakku hadn’t managed to find the boy among any of the Fire Nation prisoners… Nor, he’d noted with an equal measure of satisfaction and disappointment, had they found Admiral Zhao, the moon-killer. From what he’d heard, the boy was not an especially competent bender. He wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn the boy had failed to subdue Zhao, and had been lost in the night’s chaos. But the old man refused to believe it, insisting that his nephew was out there, somewhere, and outright refusing to leave until the nephew was found!

Didn’t he know what a risk Pakku was taking even housing one firebender? True, Iroh had clearly acted on their behalf last night, and even more importantly, in favor of the spirits and the balance of the world itself. Normally this would be enough to at least give him the benefit of the doubt, if he weren’t also the Dragon of the West, and that wasn’t exactly something he wanted to advertise. The longer they put off his departure, the more likely they were to be discovered. Pakku couldn’t risk that. 

“Grand Lotus, I urge you to look at this from my perspective,” Pakku said, practically tossing a plate of sea-prunes onto the table as he sat, accepting a steaming cup of kelp tea and sipping it while glaring over the rim of the teacup at Iroh.

“And I urge you to look at it from mine,” Iroh replied, voice calm but resolute. “I cannot in good conscience leave until I am certain of Prince Zuko’s safety.”

“I’ve already given you my word,” Pakku insisted, his sour expression having nothing to do with the sea prune he popped into his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully, washing the pickled snack down with another sip of perfectly balanced kelp tea, trying not to feel insulted by the fact that Iroh was somehow better at brewing his own culture’s tea than he was himself. “I will ensure that Zuko is seen safely to the Earth Kingdom, just as I am ensuring you passage.” Although I personally disagree that he has earned this special treatment, considering his reasons for coming here are significantly different from your own, he thought irritably. “I’ve already sent word to our contact in Omashu to be watching for him, precisely for a situation such as this,” he added. 

Iroh simply sipped his own kelp tea, his eyes watching Pakku without so much as a hit of malice, as he simply said, “I am afraid that is not acceptable to me. I must know.”

Pakku set his teacup down in order to pinch the bridge of his nose in what was likely a fruitless attempt to ward off an oncoming headache. “Grand Lotus-”

“Please, Master Pakku,” Iroh interrupted, his voice catching, “I must know. I can’t bear not knowing.”

Pakku had never married, never had children of his own, yet he’d felt his heart tug at the mere sight of Kanna’s necklace worn by Katara, had felt his heart and mind settle at hearing that she still lived. He could not in good conscience deny Iroh the same chance to find his answer, even if that answer turned out to be one different than the one he expected - no, needed - to hear.

Inclining his head slowly, Pakku sighed. “One more day, Iroh. Then we need to start considering… other possibilities.”

“I understand,” Iroh said, his shoulders set in a stubborn way that reminded Pakku unsettlingly of Katara when she had decided the world should be a certain way, and nothing could convince her otherwise. “I am sure  you will find him soon.”

For Iroh’s sake, Pakku hoped that was the case.

#blue spirited away #blue spirit #gaang #master pakku #sokka

[thebibliomancer]

Song of the Dark Crystal liveblog pt 23

Song of the Dark Crystal by J.M. Lee because Tavra’s a spider now. It be like that sometimes.

Last times in book: On the way to Ha’rar after failing to retrieve the firca of Gyr the Song Teller from the Tomb of Relics, Kylan discovered Tavra was an imposter. He, Naia, and Amri manage to outsmart and trap her and discover that an angry spider called Krychk had taken control of Tavra’s body at the behest of the Skeksis. Kylan does a dream-stitching which puts Tavra’s mind in Krychk’s body and leaves Krychk to die in the mess it made of Tavra! He’s not sure how he did this actually!

Chapter 23

Tavra-Spider explains it all, the group turns around to go back to caves

Tavra-Spider gets right into it, no pausing to adjust to her new existential nightmare, and tells the group they’ve got to head back to the caves.

She jumps on Kylan, who understandably jumps at a spider crawling on his arm and has to fight the urge to swat her off.

“... but you’re a spider.”

Fully extended, her legs were almost the length of his fingers, but needle-thin and shining black. She easily climbed his sleeve to sit on his shoudler, wehre he could see eight faceted eyes in her tiny head, like miniature crystals set in the stone of a pendant. Her small voice was much more audible from there.

“And alive, thanks to you,” she replied. “It’s not ideal but it doesn’t matter.”

Its not ideal but it doesn’t matter

Tavra, you are killing me again!

She is taking this exceptionally well!

She’s got her duty to follow and dangit she’s gonna do it. If they don’t act, the Grottan could well be wiped out and she will not stand for that.

Tavra also mentions that Krychk had been using a Crystal shard to communicate with the Skeksis at the Castle.

The Skeksis have invented crystal cell phones and the best the Gelfling have is courier! Dangit!

Kylan, still having more trouble coming to terms with this than Tavra herself, asks Tavra what they should do with her body.

Tavra says that they’ll have to leave it (no time to pause and bury or cremate it) but to grab the Crystal shard (not that one) and a pearl amulet from within her cloak. The pearl is so that spider-she can prove her identity when they eventually reach Ha’rar. She has a lot more faith in this group’s ability to ever reach Ha’rar.

No one was eager to search the Silverling’s cloak, so Kylan did it. He found the shard and the amulet, a pearl drop on a silver chain. The pearl itself was shining, white and blue, wrapped in a silver cage shaped like tiny Vapra wings. The shard was small enough to hold in his hand, black as obsidian, though he sensed a flicker of energy from deep inside it, like the sound of voices just muffled enough to be incoherent. At first he was drawn to it, wanting to peer further into it to see what waited on the other side, but Tavra pricked him with her spider feet.

asdfsdf

She pricks him with her spider feet!

Oh my god. She’s a spider and she’s poking Kylan to stop him from looking into the crystal shard like a palantir.

Tavra tells them to destroy it AND NOT LOOK INTO IT so the three Gelfling smash the shard into dust with a large rock.

Naia thanks the finger-vines because she’s polite, they pay respects to Tavra’s body really quickly, and then they hurry back toward camp to retrieve the supplies they left there.

“I’m sorry,” [Kylan] said as they hurried back along the trail along camp. “I didn’t mean to... do whatever I did. I just didn’t want you to die. I hope you aren’t angry with me.”

“I’m not angry. My body will return to Thra. When my work is done, I will join it. Until then, I have no time to worry or complain. We need to go to the tunnels north of Domrak.”

Tavra is handling being a spider now REALLY WELL. She’s very philosophical about it.

Kylan also realizes that Krychk’s plan HAD BEEN to go to Ha’rar so it could spy on the Gelfling’s plans for the Skeksis. Which got completely upended by Kylan and Naia chasing sidequests ha ha. He also realizes that since he barely interacted with Tavra in Shadows and since Krychk was Tavra for most of Song, he doesn’t really know Tavra at all.

“Are you all right?” he asked, not knowing what else to say. He tried to imagine being in her predicament, but it was impossible. There was no way to know how Tavra felt, after the terror at the castle and being a prisoner in her own mind while Krychk controlled her withered body.

Despite all that, Tavra’s response was stoic and loyal.

“I will be all right when the Skeksis are stopped and our people are no longer living in their shadow.”

TAVRA PLS you’re too powerful! Are you the Gelfling Captain America??

They reach camp and retrieve their stuff and Tavra sets to Planning. She asks Amri what would be the fastest way to get to the tunnels that connect Domrak to the Grottan Sanctuary.

Amri isn’t much help since he’s not really familiar with the aboveground but Naia suggests Kylan check the Raunip book’s maps.

While Kylan gets out the book, Tavra decides to exposit and fill in some plot gaps.

Tavra couldn’t wrest control away for long but left the DO NOT TRUST HER message. It was vague because Krychk stopped her from finishing it. I’d guess that Tavra sensed she’d lose control so chose HER vs TAVRA because fewer letters. She also confirms that Krychk couldn’t read.

I SUSPECTED.

Tavra feels like crap for being too weak to not be body-jacked by spider but Naia tells her “Let’s agree to all be sorry and all forgiven. And then... move past this so we can stop them.”

Presumably except for Amri who might as well think ‘excuse you I’ve never done anything wrong in my life. I just got here.’

“The crystal spiders are an ancient race. I don’t know how long they have been working with the Skeksis, or how long they have been using weak and dying hosts to spy on the Gelfling. They are not under power, like the creatures that look upon the darkened Crystal or its veins. They are loyal to the Skeksis by will.”

So, yeah, like I mentioned last time. Seems like the spiders are just unapologetically evil in this take.

Also, any Gelfling could be under control of spider. The correct response is to be paranoid forever.

Kylan remembers that horner that attacked them back in Stone-in-the-Wood and wonders if that too was controlled by a spider. It did just pas out after Neech found a crunch snack in its fur.

Wow, there’s no unwoven plot beats in this book! The blue mouth tree that tried to eat Kylan and Naia inspired his trap against Tavra and the darkened Horner might have been controlled by a spider!

At the least, it demonstrates the amount of paranoia learning about the crystal-spiders would engender. Who knows whats secretly controlled by spider!

“Krychk called on the Skeksis while we were in the Tomb of Relics. When it confirmed that it had destroyed the firca, its spider brethren took Domrak by surprise. We were already headed away and in the opposite direction. The Grottan didn’t stand a chance in Domrak... Many fled north, toward the Sanctuary. That is the last I heard, this night when Krychk spoke to Lord skekLi through the Crystal shard.”

“skekLi!” Naia exclaimed. “A Skeksis... Could he be urLii’s other half?”

“I do not know. Krychk was in contact with many of the lords, but skekLi was its master so far as its mission to find you, Gurjin, and Rian. It was promised the Grottan caves as payment for its loyalty.”

SPIDER BROKE THE FIRCA I KNEW IT OR AT LEAST SUSPECTED

Also, I gotta say I love the incredibly blunt attempt to draw a connection between urLii and skekLi because I guess we’re too far into the book to set up another conspicuous injury for them to share.

And I love Tavra just brushing past the question.

Tavra-Spider says that if they can reach the Sanctuary before the spiders, they might be able to fight back. To Naia’s doubt. They almost got their asses kicked by a small swarm just now and the odds will be worse against more spiders and in tunnels.

Tavra asks if Amri knows anything about the Grottan Sanctuary but all he knows is that its one of the most ancient places in Thra, that it was entrusted to the Grottan, and that urLii travels there often to “commune with the singing mountains.”

Kylan gets excited because the singing mountains were supposedly formed by the bell-birds.

“The same,” Tavra said. “The Sanctuary was a nesting place of the bell-birds. When the spider destroyed the firca, I wanted to tell you that your plan was still a good one. There’s still hope. It is possible that there may be bones left of the bell-birds, though they died out many trine ago. If the Sanctuary has been untouched, and protected by the Grottan, then we may yet have a chance.”

May yet! Firca Quest is back on!

... I really want a point-and-click Dark Crystal adventure game. It feels made for the genre.

Amri points out that even if there is a bell-bird bone, that’s not the same as having a firca and making it into a firca doesn’t mean it’ll have the same power as Gyr’s.

But Naia just decides that Kylan can make a firca like that. Such faith in him!

And her confidence makes Kylan confident enough to want to try.

Best friends!

Kylan finally finds something on the map, an underground tributary to the Black River called the Tide Pass that’ll bring them close to the Sanctuary.

Amri warns them that its a mostly submerged underground channel. But its the only path that will get them to the Sanctuary in time. Going back through Domrak would put them in the highest concentration of spiders. Its the Tide Path or nothing, and at least Naia can breath underwater and Amri can see in the dark.

“What do you think, Amri?” Naia asked. “Is it possible, or will we die for sure?”

“You and I wouldn’t die for sure,” he replied, but his assurance ended there.

I mean that’s not funny but its not not funny and I laughed.

Amri does say that if the other two are willing to try, he’ll do whatever it takes to see all four of them through. But Tavra’s spider body doesn’t require a lot to live so she’s not in a lot of danger really either.

The person most at risk is going to be Kylan AND the one they most need to succeed.

So it has to be Kylan’s decision.

But Kylan would be blind in the Pass, half or more submerged in deep, dark cave water. He was tired of tunnels and being underground. In fact, there was nothing he wanted to avoid more than another crawl through the dark, needing help from the others just to move or breathe.

Despite her new arachnid form, he couldn’t help but imagine Tavra as she once had been, touching his cheek in the same way and saying the same words. He had not been able to do anything to help his own clan, but maybe there was something that could be done for Amri’s. For once, there was something only he could do, and that was what he had wanted all along.

He committed the map to memory and packed the book.

“Then what are we waiting for? To the Tide Pass we go.”

Heck yeah, Kylan

#dark crystal #the dark crystal #Song of the Dark Crystal #liveblog #Kylan #Naia #Amri #Tavra #but she's a spider

[pridebooks]

It’s Trans Day of Visibility, so have some books!!

Full list of books (with synopses) under the cut.

First picture: Books by trans authors (most also have trans characters)

Memoirs of a Man’s Maiden Years by N. O. Body - "I was born a boy, raised as a girl. . . . One may raise a healthy boy in as womanish a manner as one wishes, and a female creature in as mannish; never will this cause their senses to remain forever reversed." So writes the pseudonymous N. O. Body, born in 1884 with ambiguous genitalia and assigned a female identity in early infancy. Brought up as a girl, "she" nevertheless asserted stereotypical male behavior from early on. In the end, it was a passionate love affair with a married woman that brought matters to a head. Desperately confused, suicidally depressed, and in consultation with Magnus Hirschfeld, one of the most eminent and controversial sexologists of the day, "she" decided to become "he." N. O. Body was identified as Karl M. Baer (he/him).

Spy Stuff by Matthew J. Metzger - Anton never thought anyone would ever want to date him. Everyone knows nobody wants a transgender boyfriend, right? So he's as shocked as anyone when seemingly-straight Jude Kalinowski asks him out, and doesn't appear to be joking.The only problem is ... well, Jude doesn't actually know.Anton can see how this will play out: Jude is a nice guy, and nice guys finish last. And Anton is transgender, and transgender people don't get happy endings. If he tells Jude, it might destroy everything.And if Jude tells anyone else ... it will. Matthew J. Metzger (he/him) is a queer trans man.

I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver - When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they're thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met. Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents' rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile in a new school.But Ben's attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. As Ben and Nathan's friendship grows, their feelings for each other begin to change, and what started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life.At turns heartbreaking and joyous, I Wish You All the Best is both a celebration of life, friendship, and love, and a shining example of hope in the face of adversity Mason Deaver (they/them) is nonbinary.

George by Alex Gino -When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl.George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part . . . because she's a boy.With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte -- but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all. Alex Gino (they/them) is genderqueer.

Starglass by Phoebe North -  Terra has never known anything but life aboard the Asherah, a city-within-a-spaceship that left Earth five hundred years ago in search of refuge. At sixteen, working a job that doesn't interest her, and living with a grieving father who only notices her when he's yelling, Terra is sure that there has to be more to life than what she's got. But when she inadvertently witnesses the captain's guard murdering an innocent man, Terra is suddenly thrust into the dark world beneath her ship's idyllic surface. As she's drawn into a secret rebellion determined to restore power to the people, Terra discovers that her choices may determine life or death for the people she cares most about. With mere months to go before landing on the long-promised planet, Terra has to make the decision of a lifetime--one that will determine the fate of her people. Phoebe North (they/them) is genderqueer.

Power Surge by Sara Codair - Erin has just realized that for the entirety of their life, their family has lied to them. Their Sight has been masked for years, so Erin thought the Pixies and Mermaids were hallucinations. Not only are the supernatural creatures they see daily real, but their grandmother is an Elf, meaning Erin isn’t fully human. On top of that, the dreams Erin thought were nightmares are actually prophecies.While dealing with the anger they have over all of the lies, they are getting used to their new boyfriend, their boyfriend's bullying ex, and the fact that they come from a family of Demon Hunters. As Erin struggles through everything weighing on them, they uncover a Demon plot to take over the world.Erin just wants some time to work through it all on their own terms, but that's going to have to wait until after they help save the world. Sara Codair (they/she) is nonbinary.

Out of Salem by Hal Schrieve - When genderqueer fourteen-year-old Z Chilworth wakes from death after a car crash that killed their parents and sisters, they have to adjust quickly to their new status as a zombie. Always a talented witch, Z can now barely perform magic and is rapidly decaying. Faced with rejection from their remaining family members and old friends, Z moves in with Mrs. Dunnigan, an elderly witch, and befriends Aysel, a loud would-be-goth classmate who is, like Z, a loner. As Z struggles to find a way to repair the broken magical seal holding their body together, Aysel fears that her classmates will discover her status as an unregistered werewolf. When a local psychiatrist is murdered in an apparent werewolf attack, the town of Salem, Oregon, becomes even more hostile to monsters, and Z and Aysel are driven together in an attempt to survive a place where most people wish that neither of them existed. Hal Schrieve (xie/hir) is a genderfluid trans man.

This is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender - Nathan Bird doesn’t believe in happy endings. Although he’s the ultimate film buff and an aspiring screenwriter, Nate’s seen the demise of too many relationships to believe that happy endings exist in real life.Playing it safe to avoid a broken heart has been his MO ever since his father died and left his mom to unravel—but this strategy is not without fault. His best-friend-turned-girlfriend-turned-best-friend-again, Florence, is set on making sure Nate finds someone else. And in a twist that is rom-com-worthy, someone does come along: Oliver James Hernández, his childhood best friend.After a painful mix-up when they were little, Nate finally has the chance to tell Ollie the truth about his feelings. But can Nate find the courage to pursue his own happily ever after?  Kacen Callender (they/them) is a demiboy.

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee - Captain Kel Cheris of the hexarchate is disgraced for using unconventional methods in a battle against heretics. Kel Command gives her the opportunity to redeem herself by retaking the Fortress of Scattered Needles, a star fortress that has recently been captured by heretics. Cheris’s career isn’t the only thing at stake. If the fortress falls, the hexarchate itself might be next.Cheris’s best hope is to ally with the undead tactician Shuos Jedao. The good news is that Jedao has never lost a battle, and he may be the only one who can figure out how to successfully besiege the fortress.The bad news is that Jedao went mad in his first life and massacred two armies, one of them his own. As the siege wears on, Cheris must decide how far she can trust Jedao–because she might be his next victim. Yoon Ha Lee (he/him) is a trans man.

Second pic: Books with trans characters

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky -  Alone at home, twelve-year-old Grayson Sender glows, immersed in beautiful thoughts and dreams. But at school, Grayson grasps at shadows, determined to fly under the radar. Because Grayson has been holding onto a secret for what seems like forever: “he” is a girl on the inside, stuck in the wrong gender’s body.The weight of this secret is crushing, but leaving it behind would mean facing ridicule, scorn, and rejection. Despite these dangers, Grayson’s true self itches to break free. Strengthened by an unexpected friendship and a caring teacher who gives her a chance to step into the spotlight, Grayson might finally have the tools to let her inner light shine.

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills - "This is Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, on community radio 90.3, KZUK. I'm Gabe. Welcome to my show."My birth name is Elizabeth, but I'm a guy. Gabe. My parents think I've gone crazy and the rest of the world is happy to agree with them, but I know I'm right. I've been a boy my whole life.When you think about it, I'm like a record. Elizabeth is my A side, the song everybody knows, and Gabe is my B side--not heard as often, but just as good.It's time to let my B side play.

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin - The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is…Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything.

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson - David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he's gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth: David wants to be a girl.On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal: to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in his class is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long…

Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller - Sallot Leon is a thief, and a good one at that. But gender fluid Sal wants nothing more than to escape the drudgery of life as a highway robber and get closer to the upper-class—and the nobles who destroyed their home.When Sal steals a flyer for an audition to become a member of The Left Hand—the Queen’s personal assassins, named after the rings she wears—Sal jumps at the chance to infiltrate the court and get revenge.But the audition is a fight to the death filled with clever circus acrobats, lethal apothecaries, and vicious ex-soldiers. A childhood as a common criminal hardly prepared Sal for the trials. And as Sal succeeds in the competition, and wins the heart of Elise, an intriguing scribe at court, they start to dream of a new life and a different future, but one that Sal can have only if they survive.

The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson - A good friend will bury your body, a best friend will dig you back up.Dino doesn’t mind spending time with the dead. His parents own a funeral home, and death is literally the family business. He’s just not used to them talking back. Until Dino’s ex-best friend July dies suddenly—and then comes back to life. Except not exactly. Somehow July is not quite alive, and not quite dead.As Dino and July attempt to figure out what’s happening, they must also confront why and how their friendship ended so badly, and what they have left to understand about themselves, each other, and all those grand mysteries of life.

I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman -  For Angel Rahimi, life is only about one thing: The Ark – a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are currently taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark’s fandom has given her everything – her friendships, her dreams, her place in the world. Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark too. He’s their frontman – and playing in a band is all he’s ever dreamed of doing. It’s just a shame that recently everything in his life seems to have turned into a bit of a nightmare. Because that’s the problem with dreaming – eventually, inevitably, real life arrives with a wake-up call. And when Angel and Jimmy are unexpectedly thrust together, they will discover just how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.

The Pants Project by Cat Clarke - Whoever wrote the uniform policy decided (whyyy?) that girls had to wear skirts, while boys were allowed to wear pants. Sexist. Dumb. Unfair. “Girls must wear a black, pleated, knee-length skirt.” I bet I read those words a hundred times during summer vacation. The problem wasn’t the last word in that sentence. Skirt wasn’t really the issue, not for me. The issue was the first word. Girls. Here’s the thing: I may seem like a girl, but on the inside, I’m a boy.

#trans #tdov #trans day of visibility #transgender day of visibility #tdov 2020 #books #trans books

[shipwreckedshadows]

Espionage AU

-The Children-

A terrible storm bombarded Mystacor and her surrounding territories. Lightning reigned supreme that night and Casta watched anxiously from the north east tower of the Academy. She downed the last of her night vision potion and leaned into the cold glass windows. Even with her ocular enhancement spell, her vision was not good enough to see through the sheets of rain. She nearly looked away to retrieve a book when she caught sight of some movement near the edge of the shield. After so long, she’d learned what to look for when seeking Shadow Weaver’s return. The shadows responded to the elder witch, they leaned sharper in her direction and sometimes, if it was quiet enough, they gossiped in hushed tones about her return.

Casta hastily activated a teleportation spell and appeared beside the dark spot at the edge of the shield. The shadows wrapped away to reveal Mystacor’s best and only agent. She hunched over a box and her breaths came in clouded pants. Her face was hidden under someone else’s stolen identity.

“Are you alright?” Casta asked, taking the box from her. It was no larger than the cavity of her chest and a small girl sat upright in it. A garbage back had been wrapped around her like a makeshift pancho. Her teeth chattered together and her eyes stared widely at Casta. The rain slid right off it and caused the cardboard to grow soggy. It was heavier than she expected and she used a small levitation spell to assist her.

“I’m fine.” The agent stretched out her back. Several vertabrae crackled from being hunched over for so long. “I’m not used to transporting more than just myself.“ She shivered, “We should go inside, before any of us catch cold.”

Casta was barely able to teleport all of them to the stairs of the academy. They walked the rest of the way to her chambers, leaving a trail of rain water as they went. Several academy tutors and students, up late finishing term projects, nodded at them and offered help for the old mother and her child. Casta dismissed them with a warm smile and gratitude for their offer. It was then that she noticed that Shadow Weaver had taken a visage similar to the girl in the box - blond hair and bright, blue eyes. It clashed with her robes, soaked through and clinging to her meager body.

They exchanged no words until they arrived in Casta’s quarters. Shadow Weaver let the illusion fall from her face.

“No, wait, don’t do that.” Shadow Weaver said, as Casta set up a drying spell.

“We’ll all die from cold if I don’t!”

A warm blast of heat surrounded the three of them and evaporated every last drop of water.

“See, its so much better now - oh!” She giggled, “Oh stars, your hair!”

Shadow Weaver struggled to smooth the mess of frizz on her scalp. Casta decided to give the agent a break but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. Leaving the agent to her own devices, Casta turned her attention to the small girl. She had since climbed out and was playing with the knobs on one of the dresser drawers.

Casta went to pick up the box, so she could dispose of it, when she discovered another, smaller bundle. A hairless cat baby snored quietly, swaddled in a patchy bath towel. She must have been hidden under the other child’s bag pancho.

“What in Etheria is dark, scary Shadow Weaver doing with you.” Casta cooed.

“Cat-ta, Cat-ta!” The small girl babbled, pointing at the baby.

“I was only going to leave with the girl.” Shadow Weaver sighed, “But she wouldn’t leave without the cat and the cat wouldn’t leave without the box.”

“That’s adorable. Do they have names?”

“The older child is named Adora. I don’t have a name for the cat.”

Casta gasped, “You found this adorable baby and you didn’t bother to name her? You know, I read once that children require a name in order to properly forge their identity. They can’t name themselves, so, as the responsible adult in the room, you are obligated to do it for them.”

The agent massaged the bridge of her nose, “I kidnapped two soldiers from Hordak’s barracks - I didn’t exactly have an open schedule. Especially not with that little beasty yowling for her friend.”

“Shh! She is not a beast! Don’t listen to her... she’s just tired.”

“You’re going to wake her.”

“She slept through your terrifying magic and the thunder outside. I’m not going to wake her up.”

Shadow Weaver shifted her eyes away.

Casta squinted at her, “What did you do...?”

“I charmed the towel. She can’t hear anything as long as its wrapped around her.”

Castaspella didn’t bother to hide her disappointment, “I can’t believe you were allowed to teach students at this academy.”

“Teaching and parenting are very different things.”

Casta gently unraveled the towel from the baby and set them together on the bed.

“Watch her while I go find her a proper blanket.”

From her closet, she sifted through the spare garments on the top shelf until she found something that would work. It was one of the first things she had knitted. It wasn’t a perfect square but the yarn was soft and transitioned gently between different pastel colours of rainbow. 

“It’s a little old but I think - oh.” Casta smiled softly when she saw Shadow Weaver at the windowsill, looking out over the Academy court yard. The cat baby was in one arm. Her other hand steadied Adora’s back as she stood against the glass and wondered at the humongousness of the outside.

“Let me.” Casta said, reaching for the baby.

Shadow Weaver took the blanket from her, “No, I can do it. I’ve been doing this far longer than you have.” She let Adora down gently before attending to the baby.

With a gentleness Casta didn’t expect the agent to posses, Shadow Weaver wrapped the child in the knitted blanket. Through the commotion, the baby opened her mismatching eyes and made several noises at the mages.

“Cat-ta!” Adora tugged at Shadow Weaver’s gown.

“Would you like to hold her?”

The child exclaimed, wordlessly.

“Alright, but be careful with her. She’s only a baby.”

“I know!”

Shadow Weaver knelt and made sure Adora’s small hands were secured around the bundle. The girl smiled down at the kitten, “Hi, Cat-ta.” She whispered.

“You’d make a great mother, under different circumstances.”

“Don’t you ever say that.”

“Why not?”

“Motherly I may be, a mother I am not.”

Casta thought for a moment. After some silence she murmured, “Cat-ta doesn’t have a very pleasant ring to it.”

“She’s trying to say Catra. She wrote it out in her crayon drawings a few weeks ago.”

“I must be imagining this, but is that pride in your voice?”

“Of course. She’s my ward. I put in a lot of hard work to teach her.”

Adora handed Catra to Shadow Weaver and climbed up onto the bed. She lay her head on Casta’s lap and the sorceress pet her hair until she dozed off to sleep. Shadow Weaver sat on the other side of Casta.

“Why’d you take them?” She asked.

“Because they refused to leave each other.” 

“Yes, you said that - so I understand why Catra is here. But why Adora?”

“Because Adora is special. You won’t be able to see it but the Obtainment powers showed me - she has something inside of her that will bring peace to Etheria. She’s not from this world. Lord Hordak found her laying just beyond a portal in space. The idiot put her in the nursery with the other children and she unfortunately developed attachments. When I explained to her that I would have to take her away, she cried for hours.”

“What made her stop?”

“I told her that if she didn’t stop crying, she would use up all the water on Etheria and the whole planet would become a desert.”

“That’s a little... harsh.”

“It worked.”

Casta frowned, “We’ll have to find good homes for them. Money is a little short for everyone so I’m not sure who’s going to take them. But we’ll try.”

“Promise me you’ll take them if nobody else does?”

Shadow Weaver hardly ever begged for anything but when she did, she did so without a care for her dignity. Casta had to look away so she wouldn’t have watch the agent’s face fall.

“I can’t do that. I have so much responsibility as the Supreme Sorceress. I can’t take care of two children, let alone one. And what happens when I have to go out there and I get injured in battle? What happens to them if I die?”

“Don’t say that. Never ever say that.” She put a hand on Casta’s cheek, “You will be here for at least one hundred years. Longer than that, maybe.”

“Dearest... that still doesn’t mean I can take care of them.”

Shadow Weaver took a breath.

“I’ll find them the best home, I promise.”

“You better.”

#something a little more angsty #to cleanse the pallet #espionage AU #shadow weaver #castaspella #shadowspell #spop #my work #adora #catra #babies

[calligraphist-artemisia]

14 | Ritual

Written for Kidgetober 2020. Week 2 Theme: Myths & Magic. Day 14: Ritual.

Summary: Alternate Universe - Magic.  All Pidge wanted to know was who her soulmate was. And if all of her attempts at using divination to find out were not going to work for her, then she'd just have to develop her own ritual for it. Nothing could go wrong with that, right?

Also posted on AO3 under the username Kishirokitsune. Titled as “Magic of the Season”.

- - - - -

14 | Ritual

The Castle of Lions was the premiere magical institute of Altea and notoriously difficult to be accepted into even for the best and brightest. They only accepted a maximum of five students per year and Pidge was blessed to count herself among the four chosen in the first year she applied. It meant there was plenty of individual training and enough room for everyone to have their own space to practice and study their chosen Craft.

Pidge loved her room. It was a circular space located at the top of the western tower and came equipped with a bathroom that she was rapidly coming to appreciate. Three windows allowed light to filter in whenever she pulled back her heavy curtains and there was a door that opened onto a tiny balcony that was perfect for stargazing.

Most important, it was her space and she could do whatever she wished without worrying about being interrupted.

She was especially grateful for that as she prepared for her newest ritual, one designed to allow her to divine the identity of her soulmate. It was a concept that fascinated her from the first time it was mentioned by High Priestess Melenor, but also one that felt completely out of reach for Pidge because of one very big reason.

She was awful at all forms of divination.

And from all of her studies, the tried and true method of ascertaining the identity of one's soulmate was through some form of that magical art. There was simply no other way.

Pidge threw herself into the process, taking the time to break down all of the steps and test out a few different ways. She'd gone through a full month of mediation and attempting Astral travel, but found it nearly impossible to quiet her mind long enough to achieve that goal.

When it became clear that meditating wasn't the right path for her, she moved onto the various forms of scrying, starting with the classic crystal ball. And although she tried it with several different types of crystal, she didn't find one that she “vibed” with enough for it to actually work and gave up on that path after two frustrating weeks. She spent another week with a shallow bowl of water and a quartz crystal cluster. And then a round mirror. And then a piece of hematite lit only by candlelight.

All of that brought her to the decision that the only way she would succeed in her goal would be if she crafted her own ritual. She'd had moderate success with Dream Magic in the past and hoped that it could be useful for what she intended.

Pidge took every step that she could think of the ensure the highest chance of success. Her room was already cleansed after her last ritual, so she began with a relaxing bath with purifying salts and herbs and remained there until her head felt clear and light, her magical energy brimming beneath the surface of her skin in anticipation.

She slipped on a simple cotton dress and clasped a band of hematite around her right ankle to help keep her grounded through the process. Next came a circlet crafted from silver, which had a sun-and-moon centerpiece made of sunstone and moonstone, locked by a small diamond on either side. It centered neatly over her brow.

She was ready.

Pidge gathered up the rest of her tools and began to arrange them in the center of the room, taking care with each item and focusing on her purpose. Using a piece of kunzite, she carved her chosen runes into the proper candles before setting them down around her. A stick of sandalwood incense was lit last and she stood with the kunzite in her hands and watched as the smoke curled up into the air.

She breathed in and then released that breath, feeling her magic rise in answer to her call, before turning to the north to begin the opening of her circle, calling in each elemental force to request their aid in her ritual as she lit each candle.

With energy swirling around her, Pidge slowly sat cross-legged in the center of the circle and closed her eyes. She held on tight to her intent, refusing to stray to any other thought.

She wanted to find her soulmate.

She wanted to know who they were and where she could find them.

The candlelight flared along with her magic as her spell took hold. Pidge could feel the heat of the flames. The thickness in the air. The scent of sandalwood, heavy around her.

It continued to build, higher and higher, until the next thing Pidge knew the soft early morning sun was shining in through the windows and all of her limbs were stiff and sore from apparently passing out on the floor.

Pidge groaned as she sat up, blearily looking around and taking note of the fully-melted candles and the stick of incense that was completely burned out. The kunzite was still in her hands, held onto so tightly that it left behind marks when she finally let it go.

As she examined the indents it left, she noticed something else unusual.

Encircling her right wrist was some kind of band of silver ink that was no more than a centimeter wide, comprised of intricate spirals that formed some sort of pattern, but not one that held any meaning as far as Pidge knew. She studied it for a moment, her tired brain working to try and make sense of it all, but a knock at the door interrupted her and she quickly jumped up.

“Just a minute!” she called out.

Pidge hesitated at the edge of the circle and then stepped back into the center. She took a moment to steady her breathing and then went through the steps to close the circle, taking the time to thank each of the elemental forces for their aid. Only then did she hurry around and prepare for the day.

Cleaning up would have to wait.

Another knock and the sound of her friend, Lance, calling for her had Pidge rolling her eyes at his impatience. She checked her reflection and took an extra minute to remove the circlet and place it back into its box before answering the door.

“You have got to learn some patience,” she said before Lance could open his mouth.

“Hey, I'm not the one running abnormally late,” he responded. “You didn't stay up all night reading again, did you? I don't know how you lose track of time doing that.”

“Some of us came here to actually learn and study.”

“Ouch. I'm wounded. My heart!” Lance placed one hand over his chest and dramatically swooned. “Your cruelty breaks my spirit! And after I brought you breakfast!”

Pidge's stomach growled when she caught side of the cloth-wrapped bundle in Lance's hands. “So should I profess my undying devotion to you now or do you want to wait until there are other people around?”

Lance laughed and handed over the food as they left the tower and headed towards their first lesson of the day with Alchemist Alfor. He chatted about whatever came to his mind while Pidge devoured the sandwich and made reaffirming noises so he knew she was still paying attention. She finished it as they passed under the arch marking the potions and alchemy wing of the castle and, coincidentally, came across the other two students of their year – all-around sweetheart Hunk Garrett and his more hot-tempered friend, Keith Hawkins, who also happened to be embroiled in an intense rivalry with Pidge.

The two pairs came to a dead stop beneath the archway.

Pidge was in no mood to deal with him so early in the morning and especially not after yet another failed attempt at divination spellcrafting, so she pretended as though he didn't exist as Hunk and Lance jumped into a lively conversation to try and lift the atmosphere around them.

“Anyway, there's a note on Alfor's door asking us to meet in the Four Seasons Courtyard for our lesson today. That's why we're on our way back through,” Hunk explained.

“Lucky for us that we ran into you!” Lance laughed as he slung an arm across Hunk's shoulders. “Do you think we're gathering ingredients for something? Or does he have another lecture on how our environment affects alchemic equations?”

Hunk shrugged. “Guess we'll find out once we get there.”

The two walked ahead, leaving Pidge and Keith to silently follow behind them. Pidge used every ounce of her willpower to keep her mouth shut and not look over at her rival, telling herself that it wouldn't be worth getting into an argument right before class.

It was when they arrived in the courtyard that everything went wrong.

Pidge tried to walk towards Lance to sit with him like she always did but was stopped by Keith grabbing her wrist and tugging her back towards him. She whirled on him, a snarl on her lips, only to be interrupted by his own furious remark -

“What the fuck? Let go of me, Holt!”

“I am not holding onto you! Why would I, Hawkins?” she snapped back.

In unison, they glared at their wrists, each seeking to prove that they were right, only to discover that they were both wrong. There was nothing there, though Pidge continued to feel pressure around her wrist as though there was something holding onto her.

“Is there a problem over here?” asked Alchemist Alfor as he approached.

Keith tried to yank his hand away from the invisible force but it only served to make Pidge stumble forward and throw a another glare in his direction.

“Alright, alright. Calm down,” Alfor said before either of them could start speaking again. He, like everyone else in the castle, was well aware of the animosity between the two of them. “I'm sure this is someone's idea of a prank and we can get it sorted out quickly. Lets take a look at what's going on, shall we?” He held his hand out over theirs and murmured a few words. Within seconds, a twisted braid of gold and silver appeared around their wrists, with a short chain connecting them.

Keith frowned. “What is that?”

“Fascinating... I've never seen anything like it,” Alfor admitted. “I would wager that the silver is related to some form of soul magic, but I'm unsure of what the gold represents. Melenor would be the best to ask about this sort of thing, unless either of you has an idea?”

Pidge's blood turned to ice in her veins.

Soul magic.

It couldn't be.

Not him!

“He is not my soulmate,” Pidge refused, unaware that she was speaking aloud.

Keith's eyes flashed with something Pidge couldn't define and he tensed his jaw before responding. “Who would ever want you to be their soulmate, Holt?”

Alfor must have called for backup while Pidge wasn't paying attention, because suddenly Battle Mage Shiro was there and was hurrying them to Melenor's office while Alfor stayed behind to teach Hunk and Lance the lesson he had planned for the day. It was there that Melenor confirmed her husbands thoughts that soul magic was involved, with the silver strand representing femininity while the gold represented masculinity – a perfect balance symbolizing the bond between them.

Pidge had no choice but the tell them about the ritual she performed and how it was designed to reveal her soulmate, and from there Melenor came up with a plan to help them.

“You will live together for one week. If you cannot learn to get along in that time, I will undue the spell tying you together. I want to make it clear that you will give this your best effort. Magic has bonded the two of you together for a reason and I should think that both of you would endeavor to learn why.”

So there they were, in the brand new set of rooms they were being allowed to borrow for one week while they lived together, unable to move more than a few feet apart. Neither of them spoke for the first hour, until Keith finally sat down and refused to budge, his violet eyes hard as he stared up at her.

“I don't understand what your problem with me is,” he said.

Pidge rolled her eyes. “Right.”

“I'm serious. From the very first day we met you've treated me like I'm the scum of the earth. What did I ever do to you?” Keith demanded.

Pidge opened her mouth to respond, but Keith wasn't finished.

“Imagine it's your first day in the most prestigious magical institute in the world and as you're leaving your first class you finally see your soulmate. And at first you think it's just another dream, like all of the others you've had since you were old enough to understand what a soulmate is, but when you try to talk to her it all turns into a nightmare.

“At first I thought you were just stressed, but that wasn't right, was it? Because you get along with everyone else in this school. Just not me. So what is it, Holt? What did I do to you that was so horrible that you need to turn every chance meeting into a confrontation?”

The hot flash of fury that Pidge felt when he first started talking dissipated the moment he spoke of his dreams. A heavy, cold weight settled in the pit of her stomach as her mind worked to comprehend what she was hearing. “You... you knew this whole time? Why didn't you ever say something?”

“What was the point? I knew it would only end in rejection. You proved me right about that earlier,” Keith responded. The heat was gone from his voice, replaced by a deep sorrow.

Pidge sat on the floor next to him and pulled her knees up against her chest, thinking back to her first week at the Castle of Lions. It had been a massive change from the rigorous structure and rules of the Galaxy Garrison where she previously studied and she remembered struggling to adapt to a new environment. It took her a moment to place when her first interaction with Keith, an event she blocked from her mind because it didn't seem worth remembering aside from it being the starting place of their rivalry. A rivalry she was starting to think was almost entirely one-sided.

She had volunteered to try and solve an alchemic equation Alfor presented to them and when she was finished, Keith was the first to speak up and offer a critique on her work. She remembered the flush of anger at being called out for making what, in hindsight, was a stupid mistake that spoiled the rest of her work, and then the embarrassment as two students of another year started sniggering to themselves over it. The fact that Keith completely snubbed her as they all left the classroom served to cement in her mind that he was challenging her intellect and from that day on she refused to show weakness.

She breathed out softly and pressed her forehead to the tops of her knees.

Had she really based their rivalry on a simple misunderstanding?

Had her time at the Galaxy Garrison really impaired her social skills that much? Lance was always joking about it, but maybe there was some truth to that.

The competitive atmosphere. The constant drive to do better and be the best. Maybe she carried that with her to the Castle of Lions and let it influence the way she interacted with her peers. She thought she was getting better at it with help from Lance and speaking with their instructors, but those first few weeks...

That first interaction with Keith, when he corrected her and then didn't say a word to her after that – so different from the Garrison, where rivalries were encouraged as a way to push one another to do better. That lack of acknowledgment for it made her feel as though he was looking down on her. Like she was unworthy of being considered an equal.

“Keith, I... I'm so sorry,” she murmured, unsure how to put all of her thoughts into the right words. “I don't know what else to say. All of this is my fault. Our fighting. This chain tying us together. I've never been great at divination and I've been trying for months to use it to find my soulmate – to find you – and after all of that I ended up making a spell and well... I guess Magic got tired of being ignored, so it found a way to make things more obvious for me. And here you've known all along! I can't imagine how that must have felt.”

She snapped her mouth shut and uttered another quick apology as she realized she had started rambling.

“I didn't mean what I said before,” Keith said after a moment of silence. “About how no one would want to be your soulmate? I didn't mean that.”

Pidge lifted her head from her knees. “I kind of deserved it. I've been awful to you.”

“And I was awful right back,” Keith responded, a sudden spark of passion to his voice as he twisted to look at her. “We've both said and done things that we regret. I'm not going to sit here and go over all of it when it'll only make us feel worse. Look, we're stuck together for at least a week, right?”

Pidge nodded.

“Then let's make the best of that time. By, uh, talking things through, I guess. I don't know how people normally do this sort of thing,” he admitted.

“Neither do I,” Pidge said with a grimace. “But we're smart. We can figure it out.”

Keith made a curious sound, but didn't voice whatever he was thinking. Instead, he stuck out his left hand to her – the one with the gold-and-silver chain clasped around his wrist. “Deal.”

“Deal,” Pidge agreed, grasping his left hand with her right.

The chain loosened ever-so-slightly between them.

#voltron #kidgetober #kidgetober 2020 #fanfiction #day 14: ritual #week 2: myths & magic #this one got a little long on me #testing out some ideas for an original work here