#Hard to believe that he and Outlander are the same guy

[artblock-tm]

For the ask game! 21 for Avarice and 20 for Medea please ;) (or if you don't wanna talk about Medea, you can do Avarice for both!)

I would love to do Medea, but they are STILL refusing to develop lore on his own…. sighs…. Guess I have to talk about…. Avarice…. ugh….

Which, I should say it since people not in our group chat have no idea who he is. Avarice Gallagher is a humanized version of Outlander! He acts similarly, but not exactly like, his demon origin, and was originally designed for the fate series. There is a possibility that he could become his own thing, though…

Anyway! This was the OC ask game that I reblogged on my spam.

20) What hobbies does your OC have?

Avarice usually dedicates himself to his mage studies, which leaves him with little time for hobbies. He is a very hard worker and he’s proud of that. Why would he be concerned with trivial enjoyments?

…But I think he’d like baking for fun. He’d think of it as a less-magical alchemy experiment, but that wouldn’t make it any less fun.

21) Any embarrassing secrets your OC demands you take to the grave but you will share anyway?

Ooh, yeah, I have a couple! You gotta promise me that you won’t tell Avarice I said this, though <3

First of all: Avarice cries really easily, especially when he’s angry or frustrated. Unfortunately for him, it’s hard to hide that since he wears mascara.

And secondly, he practiced his laugh in front of a mirror for years in order to make it sound more intimidating. Avarice very proud of his evil cackle and would be verrrry embarrassed if everyone knew it was fake!

[nilboxes]

Kaleb Cross comes home to you in the middle of the night after completing a job and wakes you up for his needs.

Kaleb Cross/Gender Neutral Reader. Explicit. PWP, throatfucking and more.

Extensive notes and ramblings below.

Haha. Looking through all the Kaleb Cross art while really sleepy and I'm like yeah let's use my limited brain power to write something extremely horny. No regrets tbh👍

What with being a PWP and very trying to be gender neutral, I couldn't insert much in here, but I have thought long and hard, a lot of times, about how Revrev was like before he was uploaded into a bot.

Idk but there's two lines that give us a glimpse into how he was before "he used to need a reason to kill, but now he's not that man anymore" regarding Revenant and "Kaleb Cross has no morals" so they are kinda contradictory but I'm trying to wrap my head around it

IMO I think as a human "he needs a reason" is just... "Hammond said the guy should pay" is a reason enough (and as Rev he just kills indiscriminately if/when he can). I also feel like he's sadistic with adults but the kids of his targets he offs quick and painless, sparing them the anguish of having their life flipped upside down, also it just reduces revenge-plots on him down the line (Loba lmao) considering he was rather old for a hitman (44?!?!?! old man) I do really believe he excelled in his job in all manner of aspects. I imagine he'd do stuff like social engineering (ding dong hello it's ur cable guy) and thus would be a rather well-rounded individual capable of a range of human emotion.

That's a long-winded way to say I do imagine Kaleb Cross kept some manner of relationships with others, probably a lover, or a bunch of them even. I don't think he'd commit to one and if it were only just one it wouldn't be sunshine and roses. Sex would be amazeballs, but he'd be toxic in all the other ways. I hc in this he doesn't remove his clothes during sex, especially when he's in his handsome hitman gear (the suit) kinda like his equivalent of a leather dom gear lmao but it's mostly a demonstration and immersion of himself in his element of power. That's how I imagined him here in this fic, he just completed a kill and he's sooo on top of the world and he's full of horny. Suit's on, dick's out.

In the Revtane fic I imply he did have a relationship too, and when I was writing this I imagine the "reader" and the relationship he had bittersweet memories of are the same. I always imagine if he were to have a relationship that the person would definitely know he's a hitman, would also be a part of the syndicate in a way or another (therefore somehow Outlands upperclass with a significant backing/power) and be familiar with the kind of sociopathy it takes to be on top. So, def it's a toxic relationship on both sides, but it somehow works. There's love there I GUESS but it's not a normal, domestic bliss kinda love... also yes I do really think he's gay af (even if a femme person dressed him he wouldn't look like that I s2g) but for delulu purposes I made it gender neutral

Anyway yes all that for a 1.7k word fic haha. I have so many ideas for the revtane fic I'm writing but I'm letting that one stew even more.

[its-moopoint]

This is 2023. Nothing will change is shipperville.

Anonymous asked:

Do you think cait had any idea what her marriage would do to outlander?? Or with Sam reputation?

denise-alwaysuselove answered:

I must preface my response by saying that I don’t believe Cait is married to anyone other than Sam. The public “marriage” is nothing more than a publicity stunt to bring the focus to the narrative. It’s not so much about Cait’s “marriage” as it is about “proving” that Sam and Cait are not together. 

That said, I doubt Cait realized that the bigwigs would hijack it for Outlander promo. Their co-opting of the fake engagement and wedding for their own nefarious purposes should tell anyone with a brain that they are part of this nonsense. Executives at that level have no reason to get involved in a narrative unless it serves them.

I think Cait’s upset that her stunts didn’t stay in the background as she had planned contributed to her lashing out on twitter and to her blocking sprees. I believe she was blindsided by her bosses, leaving her feeling backed into a corner whenever she was questioned.

I don’t think the “marriage” has hurt Sam’s reputation. Those of us here on Tumblr study everything with a magnifying glass. Casual fans don’t see what we see, and for the most part they accept what they are shown without question. However, based on the number of new followers the past few months, it appears that some of the new OL viewers have noticed the same thing shippers noticed years ago. Some things are hard to hide if you have the eyes to see.

What the bigwigs at LG/Sony/Starz didn’t take into account is that shippers have very long memories and a mega-warehouse full of receipts. We’re also smart, and many of us are intuitive. 

I know what I’ve seen all these years, and I know what Sam and Cait openly showed us before Albrecht brought the hammer down on January 8, 2016. They can bring in all the ridiculously fake girlfriends they want for Sam, and all the fake ceremonies they want for Cait, but I know better.

My blog is about love. I honor the love I’ve seen between Sam and Cait both before and after the denial. Why am I so steadfast? It’s really about trust: I can choose to trust myself and my own inner knowing, or I can believe the illusion that others are desperate to sell. For me and my house, I trust love.

importantcowboyfestival

I'm brand new shipper just since covid19 and I'm no fool!!! I'm on board with you.

happilyscentedsoul

You guys are definitely not alone. I know what I've seen and observed on my own with a little digging, and what I've seen here with this "group" so far only confirms what my gut has been telling me. Glad to find I'm not the only one who believes in "standing back and observing" when one encounters a brick wall. Sam and Cait both (but especially Sam) have been sharing little nuggets all along. Of course, the nuggets com in spurts, but that is to be expected, due to what they must do to try and satisfy everyone, especially bosses. I strongly feel more will be coming and it is just a matter of patience. I think they are honestly doing the best they can at the mo.

lindah1919

July 9 is when Sam’s contract is supposedly up. Hopefully he’s hired high powered attorneys.

briarbushies

WOW everything you have said is 100% right some who don't know don't really want to know but we've known since OL began and no narrative will change our minds as we've seen them fall in love and have their family even though hidden but we can always read between the lines but seeing all the fake GF they've thrown at Sam they have never been a match like Sam & Caitriona who's love just oozes from their bodies and souls!!

pizbernina-79

It’s a good thing to let the newbies see all facts which the engaged shippers have sampled since the beginning of the love story of S/C. You all have done a great job and you always trust your feelings! Love you all for that! 😍

Denise dear, stop lying to your followers, newbies and pretend this is about beliefs and trust. It's not anymore, it's about facts. Public marriage ain't an article in People anymore, public Tait marriage is all her people going to Bruton, St Mary's church being booked for T McG and then a marriage certificate with both C and T named legally registered at GRO. Certificate of which several people got several different copies. So public marriage what? Married to S when and where?? Ibiza??

LOL you are so pathetic carrying tales VS actual data.

[iviarellereads]

The Eye of the World, Chapter 39 - Weaving of the Web

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Wheel of Time, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(White Lion of Andor icon) In which hey, that guy looks familiar...

Rand looked down on the crowds from the high window of his room in The Queen’s Blessing. They ran shouting along the street, all streaming in the same direction, waving pennants and banners, the white lion standing guard on a thousand fields of red. Caemlyners and outlanders, they ran together, and for a change no one appeared to want to bash anyone else’s head. Today, maybe, there was only one faction. He turned from the window grinning. Next to the day when Egwene and Perrin walked in, alive and laughing over what they had seen, this was the day he had been waiting for most.(1)

Rand tries to convince Mat to come with him, but Mat hasn't left the room since they arrived, and he keeps calling Loial a Trolloc, refusing to believe that Ogier look so much like them. Rand considers seeking out a healer nearby that Gill told him about, but healers are all laying low these days, with so many people confusing magic for Dark power.

As he's leaving, Gill says that a beggar has been asking after Rand and all his friends. Rand asks if it could be a Darkfriend, and Gill dismisses the thought. Not everyone is a Darkfriend. There's a rumour that there are strange shapes creeping in the shadows at night, too, how ridiculous. Anyway, Rand had better leave by the alley, two of those traitors are watching the door.

As he leaves, the guard on the alley, Lamgwin, tells him to watch himself. When trouble hits, it would be handy to have Rand in the fighting here at the inn. He's not the only one of Gill's men who thinks Rand will be good in a fight, though Rand can't think why.(2) As he goes, he spots the two men Gill referred to. White-wrapped swords, with armbands AND cockades on their hats, all in white.

Rand learned not long after arriving that the red wrappings indicate loyalty to the Queen and her decisions. White indicates that someone blames the Queen and her association with Aes Sedai for everything that's gone wrong, the weather, the failed crops, maybe even the false Dragon. Rand has no interest in local politics, but he'd chosen, by accident but he chose, and it's too late now.(3)

For today, though, all of that might be set aside. Might. There are ten in white for every one in red. There's some antagonism, as in the excitement some people do things they'd never think of any other day.

Rand gets swept along with the crowd until they round a last bend and see the Palace. The main streets all spiral in toward it, making it hard to miss. Unfortunately, he won't get any closer than this, but he tries to find a place where he can use his height to advantage, as almost everyone is shorter than him. Eventually he finds a place with a good view of the road, three people in front of him who he can see over.

On the other side of the road, there's a disturbance in the crowd. Eventually it parts and a ragged figure gets spat out of it. Rand knows at once that it's the beggar who's been asking after him,(4) and that he wants nothing to do with him, especially here, with so many people on the edge of violence. He makes his way back through the crowd, away from the road, and when he's free of the crowd, he runs, as much to get away as to be out of sight before a group of white-clad folk take the chance to chase someone with red on his sword.

He has no idea where he is when he stops, but he can tell he's still in the inner city. He spends an hour trying to find another place to watch the road. Eventually, he finds a slope, free of buildings. Nearby, he sees some of the palace spires. It's not meant to be climbed, but he scrambles up the slope with some effort, as he heard trumpet blasts so close he knows Logain must be in sight just beyond, and he finds that it's not a hill, but a wall, built to look like a natural slope.

As he gets to the top, he can see down to the road, and the expectant crowd. He made it, before Logain passed by. Trumpets peal victory, as the procession starts. First the soldiers pass, and then comes a huge wagon, pulled by sixteen horses. In the center is a huge cage of iron, with two Aes Sedai at each corner, watching the cage as if the crowd doesn't exist. Outside of them stand twelve Warders, watching the crowd as if they're the only ones guarding the wagon.

With all of that, it was the man in the cage who caught and held Rand’s eyes.(5) He was not close enough to see Logain’s face, as he had wanted to, but suddenly he thought he was as close as he cared for. The false Dragon was a tall man, with long, dark hair curling around his broad shoulders. He held himself upright against the sway of the wagon with one hand on the bars over his head. His clothes seemed ordinary, a cloak and coat and breeches that would not have caused comment in any farming village. But the way he wore them. The way he held himself. Logain was a king in every inch of him. The cage might as well not have been there. He held himself erect, head high, and looked over the crowd as if they had come to do him honor. And wherever his gaze swept, there the people fell silent, staring back in awe. When Logain’s eyes left them, they screamed with redoubled fury as if to make up for their silence, but it made no difference in the way the man stood, or in the silence that passed along with him. As the wagon rolled through the Palace gates, he turned to look back at the assembled masses. They howled at him, beyond words, a wave of sheer animal hate and fear, and Logain threw back his head and laughed as the Palace swallowed him.

Other contingents pass after Logain, but they're all anticlimactic. Rand leans out over the wall a little further, trying to catch another glimpse of the false Dragon.

Overbalanced, he slipped and grabbed at the top of the wall, pulled himself back to a somewhat safer seat. With Logain gone, he became aware of the burning in his hands, where the stone had scraped his palms and fingers. Yet he could not shake free of the images. The cage and the Aes Sedai. Logain, undefeated. No matter the cage, that had not been a defeated man. He shivered and rubbed his stinging hands on his thighs. “Why were the Aes Sedai watching him?” he wondered aloud. “They’re keeping him from touching the True Source, silly.” He jerked to look up, toward the girl’s voice,(6) and suddenly his precarious seat was gone. He had only time to realize that he was toppling backward, falling, when something struck his head and a laughing Logain chased him into spinning darkness.

=====

(1) Awkwardly phrased, but this isn't more timeline shenanigans. Rand's thoughts are still perhaps a little jumbled, but Perrin and Egwene's arrival obviously hasn't happened yet, he's just looking forward to it even more than he's been looking forward to potentially seeing this false Dragon Logain. (2) Even if they haven't seen the herons on his sword, because it's been wrapped up since he got to the city, Rand is our ta'veren hero. Chances are, he's carrying himself with a warrior's confidence because it'll keep him safer. (3) So, ta'veren at work again, leading Rand to choose red instead of white wrappings for his sword, and by trading the heron-marks for red, he's just drawn a different kind of attention to himself. (4) The beggar… wonder who that could be. Rand didn't recognize him but he was across a crowded city street. But it must be someone who knows them all, and the only beggar we've seen was Fain, who disappeared from Baerlon… If Fain has fallen so far as to this, would Rand recognize him at all? Or is this someone else, some Darkfriend like those who met him and Mat on the road? (5) And of course, Logain himself. I couldn't try to summarize that paragraph, the only things I would've cut are his clothes, but even that goes to emphasize how Rand sees that he's made to be a King, somehow. (6) And then of course, ta'veren at work again, bringing him up to that slope-wall. He saw palace spires nearby. I wonder where on earth he could be, and who that is startling him into that fall.

[hiswhiteknight]

Unbelievably Outlandish– Part 9

Summary:  Before starting down a new crossroads, the Reader goes onto an adventure of literary traveling. Suddenly tossed into an unbelievable story that has swept the world, The Outlander Series itself. How will a twenty first century woman survive?

Note: I own no characters, except reader, clearly this is based off the lovely book series Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and tv show. This follows more the tv show, but it’s far from accurate. I’m going to try to get better with using less proper English, but who knows maybe I’ll get into Scottish slang.

Pairing: Jamie Fraser x Female Reader

Words: 1900

 Warning: Angst, playfulness, cursing, slow start, obviously fighting and such

You heard Jamie’s word after he left, ‘You should go up and spend some time with the clan, it might be worth learning a bit more.’ He wasn’t wrong, though it was hard for you to admit it. You took a deep sigh, fixed your hair, and went back up the stairs. You found Mrs. Fitz, who passed you a drink. “Lovely you joined us again Y/N. Everything prepped for the hunt?”

 “Sure is, Mrs. Fitz, sure is, which means I can drink and be merry,” you watched as the line started to dwindle down as the men took their oaths to Colum. “Anything happen after the oath taking, like that musician, will he be playing today. Love that guy,” you smile down at her.

 She looked at you bemused and shook her head, “No, he won’t be playing this evening. There will be dancing later, I’m sure quite a few men would be interested in dancing with you.”

 You shook your head at her, “You are not a match maker Mrs. Fitz. I would not dare to go out on that floor. I would insult the good Mackenzie clan with my lack of grace.” A man tripped over his feet in front of you and stumbled on to find his friends.

“Grace is nothing you need to worry about here dear,” she grinned at you. “Not too difficult to figure out, I’ll have Laoghaire show you later,” she tapped you. Laoghaire stood next to her, giving you a strange look, you were sure you didn’t warrant. Suddenly the room grew quiet and you looked up towards the entrance of the hall. Jamie was weaving through the crowd slowly. He had changed and making his way towards the oath taking line. And every eye was on him, except when you turned to observe everyone’s reaction Murtagh was looking at you. You gripped Mrs. Fitz’s arm and pushed towards Murtagh, there was no way you were taking credit for this.

 When you made yourself up to him, he was towards the back of the room with his hand gripping the top of his sword, “Why do I have a feeling this involves you?”

 “I didn’t do it,” you whispered harshly to him, sounding like a child defending their lack of innocence. He tipped his head over not believing you for a second, “I didn’t do it on purpose, and he told me he could get back just fine.”

 “You don’t understand what you just did to him. You signed his death sentence,” he pulled you back further. Murtagh caught you up in the severity of Jamie’s predicament. With every word, you grew more worrisome and filled with guilt. The thought of not having Jamie to rely on as a friend tousled around in your head. You tried to find a way to free Jamie from this situation and the only thought you could manage was start a fire or faint and you didn’t believe either of those situations would help him out of this.

 It was Jamie’s turn next and you didn’t acknowledge that you started to hold your breath. Suddenly without reason or thought, you grabbed Murtagh’s forearm. And without much thought, Jamie diplomatically got himself out of the situation looking like a leader. You cursed under your breath, before dusting off the front of your dress, “And you were worried Murtagh. See Jamie came out looking like a,” you paused not being able to come up with a metaphor that would make sense in the 18th century, “I don’t know. He is just fine. Now you can’t be mad at me.”

 Murtagh rolled his eyes as Jamie walked up to him, “Couldn’t stay away from trouble, aye?”

 Jamie looked towards you, his face grew a knowing smile I didn’t quite understand, “Sometimes trouble finds me than I’m like a moth to flame. Y/N, I see you decided to join the gathering again.”

 “You made it sound so exciting and here you were not wrong. Though it doesn’t bode well that you got caught. And now Murtagh here is blaming me for your lack of discretion,” you use your thumb to point back at Murtagh, “And I was starting to win him over.”

 Scratching the back of his neck, leaning in to whisper, “Not everyone can be sneaky as you and not get caught.”

 “Tis right there sir,” you shoot back at him.

 Hearing a big sigh come from his partner in crime, Murtagh gave Jamie an eye roll and pulled him out of the hall, “You’ve had enough of trouble this evening, let’s go.”

 “Enjoy your evening, Y/N.”

 You shook your head, biting back a snarky comment. You could throttle the man for making everything seem so suave and charming. As Jamie and Murtagh rounded the hall entrance, the phrase you repeated to yourself, ‘your charm doesn’t work on me Jamie.’ It was slowly hitting you that, that mantra might not be as strong as you needed it to be. You looked around, feeling someone starring at you and caught eye contact with Laoghaire. And suddenly she was storming out of your eyesight. The dancing had started and you watched the mesmerizing dance of the culture. Everyone’s laughter put you at ease for a moment. Then suddenly, you were in your head missing your home and brother. You weren’t meant to be here, everything you are is fake or reserved. You couldn’t live like this and the bought of hopelessness took over your soul. In this moment, something inside you became a little toxic.

  The next morning, you were up early for the hunt. The way the night ended with the uneasiness sat on your chests as you dressed for the day. This wasn’t your place, this wasn’t your job, and it started to bother you how different the times are. You would never be respected as a woman, an unmarried woman. You tossed your hair in two French braids, per usual fashion when having a busy day. You dropped your hair piece under the bed and you ducked down to grab it to suddenly find a strange bundle. You finished with your hair and brought the bundle down to the kitchen.

 You grabbed some bread and sat the bundle on the table, “Dear what are you bringing that into this kitchen,” Mrs. Fitz yelled catching you off guard and causing you to stumble backwards.

 “I,” you paused to comprehend the situation, “I, I found it in my room, under my bed and I was going to ask it was some weird potpourri thing. What is it?”

 “It’s an ill-wish, a witch’s making,” she tossed it into the fire.

 “An ill-wish, what?”

 “Someone be wishing to bring you harm dear, what have you gotten into,” she put both her hands on your face, “Try staying out of trouble, someone has an eye to hurt you.”

 “I didn’t do anything, literally I have been making myself small at possible Mrs. Fitz,” your voice started to raise. You have done everything in your power to win people over, treat people with kindness, not start a stir when you found injustice to your gender and status. You didn’t believe in witchcraft, though it should cause you to question since you are living the 18th century, which is something you would never believe in.

 “All due respect, Mrs. Fitz, but someone is going to get their ass beat hard,” you shot catching everyone’s attention.

 “Lass, mind your tongue. That is not the language a lady speaks,” Mrs. Fitz tried to sooth you.

 You pull away from her, “No,” you start to gather your things feeling the heat of this betrayal crumble the wall you built around your true self to keep you protected from these people. Every comment, action, and lie you’ve told to keep yourself from being killed, shunned, raped, or imprisoned is bubbling out of your pours. You have reached you limit, “I am not a lady Mrs. Fitz. I do not belong here. I wear pants damn it, I swear, and I could probably kick the ass of half the men here,” you paused, “At the same time,” you paused again, “Maybe not, but I sure would die trying. I do not belong here. Look at how everyone looks at me, treats me, I’m the enemy because I’m different. I’m not part of the clans, I’m an imposter. And rather than whisper about their hatred, someone wants to cause me actual pain with this bullshit. Fuck that. I’m sorry Mrs. Fitz and pardon me, but fuck that.” Your packs were hanging from my shoulder, “Let this spread around the village, anyone that can guarantee me the name of the person who put this under my bed gets all the money I have earned over the time I’ve been here.”

 “Y/N,” Mrs. Fitz called after you. She clearly was not offended by your lewdness, but more she was concerned about what you were about to cause with your burst of feelings of revenge and anger.

 You stomped up to Angus, “Where the necklace man, I didn’t escape or leave, now give the piece back?”

 “Don’t speak to me like that lassie,” he started to feel around his body for the necklace you gave him the night before. With every pat, your already boiling anger grew. That was the only piece from your family you owned. “Might of lost-,” he started to say.

 With the beginning of his sentence, you went for your dagger lying on your waistband. Before you could pull it out, Rupert pushed your hand down holding the handle down, “Settle down Y/N, Angus gave me the necklace to watch over. He noted he would lose it.” He pushed the charm in your hand, “If that would have came out, Angus would have gutted you. Does the hunt have you on edge lass?”

 “Stupidity has me on edge Rupert and it’s not much of your business,” you stormed away to find your horse. Something had changed in you and you weren’t sure what to do about it.

 You struggled to get on your horse, when someone came up and offered you an extra push. Jamie stood in front of you and your horse, “Mrs. Fitz asked me to check on you. She shared you were upset and threatening people. I heard you tried to pull a knife on Angus, what has gotten into you woman.”

 This time you didn’t make eye contact with Jamie, “Mind your business Mister MacTavish. If I want to fight or punish someone for their actions against me, then I’ll see fit to do it. Now get out of my way, there is a boar to chase down and murdered.”

 Jamie didn’t move, keeping your horse in place, “You going to get yourself killed and as your friend, that does in fact concern me. You shouldn’t be going on the hunt like this.”

 You pushed forward with the horse causing Jamie to back up quickly, “I’ve seen Old Yeller, I get the dangers that come from a boar. Right now, you should be worried about the clansmen Mackenzie. Now if you’ll excuse me,” you started to move towards the field.

 You were fully aware he would not get the reference from the 21st century, but you did not care. The thought of taking the horse and charging out of the village to the stones drifted to your mind. But you still cared to get back to your brother at the moment and that meant you had to have a chance to survive, “Y/N,” Jamie yelled after you.

 “Leave me alone, Mister MacTavish, I have business to attend to,” you shouted back.

 Part 10

Taglist:  @doctorwhatwhenandwhere @damnedandbroken @blushingpogue @blancastans @slytherinambitious @kinky-asher @lovesanimals @bilesxbilinskixlahey

[mermaidsirennikita]

bridgerton--the good, the bad, the ugly

The short of it: Bridgerton excellently captures the tone of Regency romance novels and offers a lot of escapism and great sex scenes, but could definitely use some serious work in terms of how it depicts race and it should have made some further alterations to the dated and flawed source material.  Definitely loved a lot of it and am hotly anticipating the second season, but I want to see more work done and I HOPE that this encourages the adaptation of better (and less inherently flawed) romance novels.

Now for the longer take.

The Good

Bridgerton depicted sex and romance in a way that is totally different from anything I’ve seen in period dramas, for sure, but possibly different from anything I’ve seen on TV.  The romance of it all was woven into almost every aspect of the show. There is the handsome and seemingly severe but extravagantly wealthy and sexually adept duke sweeping into town.  The (multiple) rakes who just want to have fun while also being hot messes.  The awakening of female sexuality and the copious use of the female gaze.  (Note the pretty modest and minimal focus on female nudity, while we get plenty of lingering shots on Simon.).  People want love!  There is pretty minimal violence and perhaps the most physically violent scene involves Simon beating a man up because HE IMPEACHED DAPHNE’S HONOR~.

The sex scenes themselves focused on Daphne’s pleasure for the most part, and were probably among the best I’ve seen since Outlander in terms of chemistry, in terms of the visuals, in terms of focus on sex as an act of emotional connection and FUN. Yes, there was some Unlikely Vaginal Orgasming, but we also saw Simon tell Daphne about masturbation.  On the wedding night, he was pretty clearly touching her to help her enjoy it.  He ate her out... a good bit.  

And aside from that, we got all of the grand speeches, the stolen glances and touches, an excellent buildup of sexual tension that led to some pretty hilarious moments.  

I also really enjoyed many of the performances on this show.  Rege-Jean and Phoebe had great chemistry and excellent back and forth.  Jonathan was a GREAT Anthony.  I would argue that as lackluster as I found his relationship with Siena (more on that in a minute) it largely existed as a way to set him up for his romance with Kate.  He now has even more of a reason to be down with love, as opposed to solely relying on a kind of flimsy tragic backstory.  Additionally, his overprotectiveness of Daphne added tension to the story and made him a source of comedic relief for me?  I loved it.  Give me disaster Anthony all day; can’t wait until he falls to the enemies to lovers trope just like Simon fell to his FLAW-FREE fake dating plan.

A lot of the changes I found were really good.  Obviously, it was important that the show incorporated greater diversity (though they need way more).  Benedict was INFINITELY more fun and interesting than he was in the novels, and acted as another standout for me.  As much as I hate Portia Featherington, I think that the elevation of her to a proper villainess is probably necessary and Polly Walker excels at those types of roles, though they need to maybe have her be less like, actively racist.  I adored the addition of Queen Charlotte; she was excellent comic relief.  Lady Danbury’s expanded role and relationship to Simon was one of the best moves they made.  It touched my entire soul.

Buuuut....

The Bad

The show needs to work on casting more men that are frankly on Rege-Jean’s level.  It feels a bit awkward to see a guy that is by most people’s standards kind of stunning and then.... Colin looks twelve.  Lord Philip is like... a farm guy.  Get rid of the sideburns, we’re in romance novel territory.

In the same note, the girl who played Siena wasn’t a great actress and wasn’t super stunning, so even though I’m fine with her being a placeholder....  Eh.  Go for better casting.  The woman playing Madame Delacroix would’ve played that role so much better and I really enjoyed her dynamic with Benedict because she was just fun.

Frankly, I don’t know what the fuck they’re going to do to make me want to watch Penelope and Colin fall in love.  Their book was already a bit basic--fun, but far from revolutionary.  I don’t really get why they would receive attention similar to that of Kate and Anthony, basically.  The issue is that Colin, again, looks and sound rather young and twerpy.  It obviously wasn’t great for him to be tricked into raising another man’s child, but.... For fuck’s sake, how much would that have affected his life on a practical level.  He’d never know unless he was told, thanks to the lack of DNA tests.  He was marrying far out of his league in terms of attractiveness.  He’s a rich white guy in England with a supportive family.  

I really disliked the fact that Colin told Marina in his huffy little tantrum that he would have married her anyway--because would you have, buddy?  Really?  The thing is that Marina had no way of knowing that and her entire life (and the reputations of her cousins) was on the line.  She didn’t know if she could trust Colin to keep her secret.  They barely knew each other.  He basically came off as a whiny child and I’m fine with him staying in Greece if that’s the plan.

Penelope was just... psychotic.  And that was really disappointing, because I love Nicola and would love to have loved to see the fat girl get her sexy love story.  But first off, lol, it wouldn’t have been sexy because Colin was miscast.  Second, she basically tried to destroy Marina’s life and that of her sisters?  And herself?  Because Colin?  Because Colin, a guy who hasn’t even shown any amount of attraction to her at this point?  Her tears, her whining, it was all too much.  Penelope was dealing with a crush and Marina was dealing with the real Grown Woman issues of a child out of wedlock and as it turned out a dead lover and they were not on equal footing.

I mean, Penelope could very well make a great villainess at this point, and if done well I’d embrace it.  But I do not know how the fuck they can make me interested in her love story.  And the idea of her basically being launched into villainy because she was this chubby white girl obsessively jealous of a beautiful black woman...... not a great look.

The show definitely needs to explore diversity in terms of sexuality too--I don’t think it’s correct to read Benedict as straight because he still seems to be open to exploring.  Once he has more screentime, I think he could totally end up being bisexual, and it’s possible that the writers were trying to feel the audience out in terms of their receptiveness to taking a straight character who has a big straight love story in the books and making him LGBT+.  Eloise could also easily be a lesbian, and I’d be thrilled to see that happen.  They need to do something to expand the world, and if there are 8 Bridgerton kids, all of them being straight as an arrow seems SO unlikely.

The Ugly

Obviously, the rape scene was bad and should have been written out.  Simon could have gotten caught up in the moment and blown up at Daphne after he accidentally didn’t pull out in time.  Men.... accidentally don’t pull out in time... a lot.  That’s how babies happen.  It would’ve been believable, and due to our sympathies being with Simon largely, I don’t think he would have become irredeemable if he was more at fault than Daphne.  

As it was, I will say that the scene was somewhat better than it played in the books because Simon was conscious and totally sober, and it was a bit?  Confusing?  That he didn’t just roll Daphne over and pull out?  Because she wasn’t really clearly trying as hard as she was in the book to wrap her legs around him and hold him tight.  But it remained a rape scene.  The show also did a better job, I think, of establishing how fucked up it was that Simon took advantage of Daphne’s lack of knowledge.  Whatever he said about thinking she knew what was up--he knew she didn’t even know about masturbation.  He had to know she wouldn’t understand what pulling out meant.  He did very clearly mislead her to think that he was sterile and therefore denied Daphne her ability to give informed consent.  Did that justify what Daphne did?  Nope.  Two wrongs don’t make a right.  But both of them did a fucked up thing and I think that we honestly could’ve stopped at Simon’s misleading.

The issue too is that this leads into a bigger problem the show had.  It wanted to include diversity (yay!) but did not consider the total implications of what was happening (not yay).  Daphne and Simon’s dynamic is inevitably influenced by the fact that she’s a white woman and he’s a black man, regardless of whatever handwaves happened.  This influences the sexual assault and makes it even more messy.

Speaking of mess, I’m not sure what exactly would have fixed the “we don’t want this to be a colorblind casting” issue... but the explanation they came up with wasn’t good.  Never mind that this makes everything SUPER confusing (racism is over like..... maybe 50 years MAX after Queen Charlotte’s marriage if we assume she was a teen when she married and is in her 60s now?) but Lady Danbury’s dialogue explaining this was HORRENDOUS.  “One of them fell in love with one of us”.  The implications are awful.  I don’t know if perhaps setting back the integration of society centuries earlier would have helped?  But this wasn’t it.

Additionally, the writers and casting directors didn’t seem to get that diversity is all well and good, but what about the fact that almost every black character has a light skin tone?  Why are there so few black female characters?  Why is Marina, the most prominent woc on the show, given the “pregnant and desperately trying to trick a man into marrying her until her jealous white cousin fucks her life up and she is humiliated into settling for a loveless match” plot?  I desperately hope we see her next season, falling in love with Sir Phillip or perhaps having experienced a plot twist that gives her someone else...  And she better not die. Eloise can find someone else if Marina really ends up with Sir Philip.

Ultimately, again, I really loved the show.  But it needs to work on some things.  I think that a lot of its issues can be addressed and fixed in a future season, and I HOPE they do that.

[renee-writer]

After All

2. ‘Just a t-shirt in the kitchen / With no make-up and a million / Other things that I could look at my whole life’ -- Forever After All (Luke Combs)

For the Outlander Prompt Exchange. Thanks guys for the fun prompt.

He didn’t think he could love her more than the first time he saw her, but no, that isn’t right. For love was secondary to the overwhelming lust he felt for the Sassanach lass, passionately arguing her position on his University campus. A shot of lust so strong, that it knocked him to his knees. All he could think of was getting her name and getting in her pants. In that order.

 

He smiles as he leans against the counter and watches her, recalling the stumbling lad he had been, walking over to her, flushed and tongue tied. Thank Christ she hadn’t been.

 

“What is your name Red?”

 

“James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser, your servant.” Long neglected manners return as he bows before her, wishing for a kilt. She had been charmed and offered her hand.

 

“Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp. May I call you Jamie?”

 

“You may call me anything.”

 

“Except late for dinner?” her whisky eyes had arched under those awesome curls.

 

“Even that if it be you calling.” He had confessed, totally hers and happy to be there.

 

“Come Jamie, let’s get a drink and talk.”

 

The university pub was just a five minute walk away. By the time they had made it there, he knew she was an orphan raised by her uncle and she knew he was the oldest son and future Laird of his family’s Lallybroch estate. They are well on there way to being friends. By the time they had a few drinks, they are more.

 

He blushes recalling the first night. That night. Stumbling back to his flat, shedding clothes in the hall. The taste of her skin, the feel of her clasped around him as she came on his hand as they still stood, half dressed in his living room. Her nails down his back as she screamed out his name as he took her hard against his bedroom door.

 

As they lay sainted and breathless after, he first whispered that he loved her in the old language. That is when he found out something else about her, that she spoke Gaelic.

 

“I love you too Jamie.” She had confessed in the solemn dark.  From that moment on, they are inseparable.  If they aren’t in class, they are together. He had asked her to marry him on their first anniversary, after seeking her uncle and his da’s permission. Her Uncle Lamb had been quite direct.

 

“She loves you, adores you. I can see you feel the same. But recall laddie that I am an archeologist. You wouldn’t believe the places I can hide a body.”

 

He chuckles recalling his nervous laugh at this. Turns out he was serious. Not that he had anything to worry about. Jamie would kill anyone who harmed his Claire. There is no way he would hurt her, himself.

 

They were married on a beautiful spring day, at Lallybroch. Lamb had placed her hand in his with the care due the treasure he knows he was handing over.  No, he really didn’t believe he could love her more, find her more beautiful then he did on their wedding day. He was wrong.

 

The honeymoon brought out more layers of love and passion. More incredible beauty, physically and emotionally.  Then real life as he worked at growing Lallybroch and she finished medical school.

 

She was stunning on her graduation day. Her curls in a tight bun under her cap. The black gown framed her body perfectly. Those whisky eyes aglow as she is introduced as Dr. Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp-Fraser.  He thought then she had reached the pinnacle of her beauty. Once again he was wrong.

 

For now she stands in just his shirt, her curls all askew, without a drop of make-up, nibbling on the crackers that is the only thing she can keep down in the first trimester of pregnancy. Now, she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen and he loves her so much that it brings tears of joy to look at her.

 

“What?” she notices his stare.

 

“I just can’t get over how beautiful you are.”

 

“Now? Please Jamie.”

 

“Now. This moment. Whenever I think I can’t love you more, you prove me wrong after all. “ She smiles and leans against him.

 

 

“I love you too Jamie.” He kisses those curls.

 

End Scene

[angelatmidnight1]

A Hunter’s Sense of Humor

This is the first story I’ve written so far, hope you guys like it ^^;.

Summary: Octane tickles Bloodhound for ‘teasing’ him during their training.

You’ve got to be kidding me.” Octavio groaned as the arc star he threw barely missed the target, skimming over the top and sinking into the wall behind it. Bloodhound, who was standing to the side of him, remained quiet as they picked up a different arc star and threw it at the same target. Their movements were swift yet precise, and when the arc hit the target in the dead center, they flinched slightly  as Octane dropped a slew of Spanish expletives. “The gods favor my aim today.” Bloodhound said quietly as they looked over to the incredulous daredevil and bowed their head. “It was an honor to train with you this morning, Octavio. I look forward to accompanying you in b-” 

“No! I want a rematch. I swear you're cheating!”Octane insisted as he crossed his arms, making him look more and more like a sulky child. Bloodhound nodded towards the empty spot at the daredevil’s feet and smirked slightly underneath their mask. The pair had been training for the past two hours and Octane must have used every grenade that he had. Not that he hit any targets. 

“I am disappointed that you would question my honor; however, it looks like you have used the last arc star in your possession. I think it would be best if we proceed to weapons training.” Bloodhound replied though Octane pulled out the last arc star from his belt and waved it over his head like a madman. “I have one more! This is the lucky one, I can feel it!” He declared, slightly bouncing in place as he got in position to throw it. Bloodhound offered another nod and leaned against the wall behind them and watched the arc star leave Octane’s hand...and blow up against the wall behind the target. Bloodhound chuckled at the frustrated yell that ripped out of the daredevil, chuckling a bit more as Octane kicked his leg in the air for whatever reason.

“Shall we proceed to weapons training?” Bloodhound asked with the faintest hint of a smile lingering in their voice. The hunter was not making light of Octane’s ability; they had seen his prowess firsthand on the battlefield. However, the daredevil’s wild  expressions and verbal disappointment amused them. Octane, hearing the very slight change of pitch in Bloodhound’s voice, whipped around and raised a brow at them. 

“Are you laughing at me?” Octane asked only to have Bloodhound shake their head and cross their arms against their chest. 

“Not at all. I just find your reactions rather amusing.” Bloodhound offered before clearing their throat to hide what Octane believed to be another chuckle. 

This spurred Octane into action and now, forgetting his rather poor throwing performance, he marched towards the hunter with a look that Bloodhound couldn’t place. “You laughed just now! Do you think me whiffing my shots was funny, amigo? Cause if you wanna laugh...oh, I’ll give you something to laugh about.” It was Octane’s turn to smirk as he closed the distance between himself and the hunter at a rapid pace. Bloodhound put up their hands defensively and backpedaled away from the daredevil, growing unnerved by the look of mischief in his eyes. “I apologize, I did not mean to offend you. Though whatever it is that you are planning, I’d advise against it.” They responded in the firmest voice they could muster; though, if anything, Octane marched over to the hunter at an even faster pace. “Oh no, there are no brakes on this Octrain!” He grinned before leaping towards the hunter and tackling them to the ground. The pair wrestled up until Octane finally managed to pin Bloodhound’s arms down underneath his legs and sat on their waist. Bloodhound continued to struggle to free themselves although the daredevil’s metal legs were rather heavy on their arms and when Octane raised his twitchy fingers in the air, they froze. “What are you--” 

“Relax compadre, I’m just gonna give you a real reason to laugh. So! Tell me, are you ticklish?” Octane grinned widely as Bloodhound shook their head and visibly tensed up. 

“No, I am not. Now please..get off of me.” Bloodhound said quietly as they arched upwards to try and knock Octane off, frowning when they were easily pushed back down with Octane’s body weight. 

“¿Por qué? (Why?) If you’re not ticklish, then this won’t bother you!” Octane laughed before bringing his twitching fingers down onto the hunter’s torso. The daredevil had no idea if Bloodhound was ticklish or not and, if they proved not to be, he wasn’t sure whose wrath he was more afraid of. The wrath of the greatest hunter in the Outlands? Or the wrath of Ajay Che, who’d surely give him a throttling of her own after she patched him up for doing something  stupid. Octane didn’t have to worry for long; once his fingers started tapping against Bloodhound’s sides, he felt the hunter flinch and heard them exhale sharply through their nose. 

“¿Qué pasa? (What’s wrong?) Did I do something funny again or...does this tickle?”  Octane smiled as Bloodhound didn’t offer an immediate response; they shivered at the quick yet gentle pokes to their sides and reeled upwards when Octane scratched at their ribs one at a time. The daredevil’s blunt nails scritched along the length of each of their ribs, playing them like a piano. Octavio’s nails went up, down, and even managed to wriggle in between their ribs, and the hunter found the sensation  maddening. Bloodhound was very careful about their interactions with their fellow Legends and never thought they’d have to worry about being tickled. They always made sure to keep their distance, to be cordial yet discreet. But now, pinned down on their back, Bloodhound felt the laughter dribbling from their lips and wheezed when Octavio kneaded their upper ribs. 

“O-Ohohohctahahavio sthohohohop…” Bloodhound tittered, unable to reel in the giggles that started to come about more freely. Octavio perked up, they were ticklish after all, and he was going to have a field day drawing out the hunter’s laughter. 

“Stop what? It’s not like you’re ticklish or anything. Riiiight~?”  Octane mused, cocking his head to the side and following Bloodhound’s movements with ease even after they started to squirm with a renewed vigor. Underneath their mask, Bloodhound’s face reddened as they giggled harder and shook their head again. 

“Plehehehehease y-yohohuhuhu’ve mahahahahde yohohohur POHOHOHOHINT!” Bloodhound yelped when Octavio reached under their arms and lightly pinched at the hollows, finally prying open the floodgates of their laughter. “AHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAH!” 

“What point was that again? I don’t remember,” Octavio smiled while walking his fingers up their arms before returning to tickle away at their hollows. Bloodhound’s laughter grew louder and they pulled at their trapped arms though they didn’t move an inch. 

“I’HIHIHM TIHIHIHIHIHCKLISH!”

“Sí, so you are. But...that also means that you lied to me. Friends don’t lie to friends compadre!” 

Octane quipped, giving their armpits a few more pinches before he walked his fingers back down to their sides and clawed at them eagerly. “Now you’re gonna  get it…”

Bloodhound cried out before the laughter overtook them, arching their back as Octane mercilessly squeezed and prodded up and down the hunter’s flanks. Octane noticed that they desperately bucked the closer he got to their waist and he started stroking his fingers at the spot, giving it a few playful pokes. “NOHOHOHOHOHOHOH! OCTAHAHAHAVIO  IHIH YIHIHIHIHELD!” They yelled with their frame shaking from the intensity of their laughter. Octane couldn’t stop smiling if he wanted to; he’d never heard the hunter shout like this and never witnessed them become so unhinged. Especially not from a couple of tickles. 

“I’m still gonna tickle you! This is what you get for lying!” Octane said before plunging his thumbs into their hipbones and kneading them in circular motions. The hunter bucked furiously, this time nearly knocking Octane off of them, before convulsing with wild, heavy laughter. 

“NOHOAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAH!” They cackled and kicked their foot at the ground repeatedly. Their eyes were shut tight underneath their mask and the daredevil laughed along with them as they started scratching at their hips instead. 

“¡Dios mío! (My god) I think I hit the jackpot!” Octane cheered as he scratched away at the poor tracker’s hips and kneaded his thumbs back into the bones when he grew bored of the former. Bloodhound was in stitches; they flopped against the floor helplessly as the laughter came out in heaves. When Octane went back to kneading the hip bones, which tickled them terribly, they used what was left of their strength and bucked hard enough to throw him off of their waist. This gave them the opportunity to roll onto their stomach and gulp in air but Octane, who had toppled over on his side, didn’t take long to recover and sprung back up to re-pin the hunter down. 

“Going somewhere?” Octane snickered, wiggling all ten of his fingers along Bloodhound’s lower sides and waiting for them to buck so he could slip his hand under and squeeze at their hip. Bloodhound screamed, actually screamed, before howling with laughter and landing back on their stomach, effectively trapping the daredevil’s hand. 

“PLEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAAHAHAH! EHOHAHAHAHAHAHAH TAHAHAHAAHAHA!” Bloodhound could barely speak as they fell back into a laughing fit and desperately clawed at the ground. Octane laughed and pinched their hip as best he could, which the hunter responded to by kicking at the ground. 

“I’m stuck now, compadre! Roll back over and maybe I’ll stop,” Octane answered while repeatedly pinching their hip bone. Bloodhound hiccuped and tossed their head back with harder laughter and the daredevil raised a brow at them before shrugging and continuing the tickling. “No? Fine then, kitchykitchykitchy~!” 

Bloodhound’s laughter had all but fallen silent now and tears streamed down their cheeks as Octane subjected them to his tickle attack. Octane didn’t even let up when the hunter did manage to roll back onto their back; he just squeezed and scratched at the other hip he got access to. Octane stopped tickling them when the only sounds they made were faint squeaks and hiccups and climbed off of them, allowing them to curl into themselves. Bloodhound panted heavily and rubbed the ticklish sensations out of their torso with shaky hands and Octane chuckled. 

“Aw, you don’t even look like you had any fun! Lighten up amigo.” Octane said as he poked the hunter’s back which, to his surprise, earned him a faint chuckle.

“Enough tickling, please.” They gasped, recoiling further away from the daredevil. 

“I never thought in a million years that you’d be ticklish. This is awesome! We are totally going to add this to our training.” Octane grinned and excitedly hopped to his feet, running off to go and retrieve the weapons needed for their training. Bloodhound groaned and pushed themselves up into a seated position by the time Octavio got back and exhaled deeply. 

“Please don’t tickle me again.” They murmured, not having enough energy yet to go join him. Octane looked over his shoulder and grinned at them, excitedly twirling his wingman in his hand.

“Haha, no promises. Now come on, we have some training to do!”

[eamesandbellamyaremyheaven]

Somewhere, Now and Then Ch2 || Arthur x Sansa (Kalots/GoT Outlander AU)

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword x Game of Thrones  Outlander AU (there’s no such thing as canon)

Warnings: Violence, blood, mention of non-con 

Summary: England, 1945. After serving in the war as a nurse, Sansa Bolton (former Stark) seizes the opportunity of going on vacation with her husband Ramsay to rekindle their relationship. But what happens when Sansa finds herself travelling back in time, to the 6th century, where she meets the King Arthur and his Knights?

A.N.//- Needless to say, this is loosely based on the Outlander premise. The story is told through Guy Ritchie’s interpretation of the Arthurian legend, and for that locations and traditions - and the time itself - had to be adapted to work accordingly. Any questions you have, feel free to ask!

Prologue || Chapter One

Chapter Two - Mistakes

Sansa opened her eyes slowly, regaining consciousness, and only then she noticed she was lying on the floor, next to the stone. She got up quickly, walking away from the circle of stones towards the road. 

She must’ve fainted, she thought to herself, lost likely due to the excitement created by her transgression.

Sansa stopped abruptly, looking around her. She should be by the car then, but the vehicle was no where to be seen, and there was no asphalt lane on sight either. Had she passed the road already? Doubtful. The stones were settled on flat lands, there’s no possible way she could have walked right by the road without seeing it.

Maybe she had walked in the opposite direction. Sansa strode hastily towards the stones, and right through them on a straight line, taking a few more steps into the woods before stumbling on her own foot.

The road had disappeared. How was that possible? Roads don’t simply seize to exist. Maybe she was hallucinating. Maybe she had come across some poison flower or herb that had caused her disorientation. That sounded reasonable. She should just stay put, and wait for someone to come and look for her. But how long could it take? No one knew she was missing, and no one could’ve guessed she would be by the stones.

Sansa decided not to wait, then - mistake number one.

She would later come to the realization that she had made a lot of mistakes that day.

She looked around for a while, pondering on her options. If she simply walked through the woods in a straight line, she might ended up finding the lodge they were in, or in the least she would end up finding someone she could ask for help.

So, she walked.

She must’ve walked for a couple hours - the sun was setting higher - when she heard voices not far from her. She then fasten her pace, wondering in said voices might belong to her family, that after noticing her absence had come looking for her.

Sansa was running now, her mantle hanging loose on her arms, as she became closer the voices grew louder and restless.

She found herself on higher ground, looking down to a small stream, and the man that stood by it.

Uncle Petyr.

Sansa stepped down from the small hill carefully, trying not to slip on the mud. She’d been so happy to see a familiar face, or any face at all, for that matter, that she ignore all of her self-preservation instincts, specially that loud voice inside of her that yelled something’s wrong.

That was until Petyr reeled swiftly on his feet as he pulled up a large bow, shooting a fast arrow that hit a man on his chest with a thud, and the man fell on the floor, chocking on the blood that gushed from his mouth.

Sansa gasped, frozen in place. Her heart was beating out of control, and only at that moment, as the adrenaline kicked in, she could see all the deviations she’d ignore before. The man looked identical to her uncle, yes, but his hair was longer and untamed. His clothes were archaic, medieval maybe? Was her family having a laugh at her expense, pranking her with some humorless practical joke? Had she stumbled upon a festival ceremony, a war reenact, that somehow her uncle was taking part of? She wanted to believe so, as any fool would, but Sansa was no fool. She knew well the smell of blood, she had it with her everyday for three years, and she would never be able to erase it from her mind.

The man, whom she was most certainly sure was not Petyr, had heard her approaching - if not, he definitely heard her gasp - and spun around, facing her, bow armed and aiming. 

Everything became a blur, as she went into shock. Her breath became erratic, as everything around her seemed to be spinning in slow motion. 

The faux Petyr looked at her, confused, as he lowered the bow, asking her something she couldn’t hear due to the drumming of her pulse. He tried to walk to her, but she backed away, stumbling on rocks and loose branches.

Suddenly something else caught his attention, as two men came out of the shadows, axes and swords aimed high. The archer easily evaded their attack, and as he struggled with them Sansa took the chance to ran as far away from that horrible scenery as her feet allowed her.

Sansa kept glancing over her shoulder, to make sure no one was coming after her, that she forgot to see what’s ahead of her, colliding harshly against someone. She stumbled back, as she’d lost her balance form the impact, and she would had fallen if that someone hadn’t steadied her in place, his hands pulling her waist roughly against him.

“What do we have here?” he asked, pulling her close as she tried to free herself “A pretty girl, with a pretty red-hair...” He spoke with an heavy accent, as he moved his fingers along a few hair strands. The man looked exactly like what she expected from a Saxon warrior - strongly built, with a long and unkempt mane and beard as light as sand, rugged leather and heavy fur covering his body, and a strong scent of beer, sweat and horse shit that had Sansa holding a gag, as his hand went from her hair to the outlines of her face.

“Let me go!” Sansa’s voice is low and menacing, as she kneed him in the crotch, making him let go of her as he struggled to stay upright

Sansa tried to ran away, but she hadn’t made very far when she felt his arm pulling her back, and towards the ground. She struggled to set herself free, but he had her pinned down with his body, his hands pressing her wrists. His eyes are feral as he leans down over her, and as she turned her face away, dodging his kiss, he settled his chapped lips on her neck, and at the same time he brought one hand down, lifting her skirt and squeezing her thigh.

That small distraction was all Sansa needed to use her free hand to reach for a rock nearby and bash it against the man’s temple, whom quickly rolled off of her, screaming in pain.

Sansa struggled to rise herself from the ground, her body was sore and tired, but as she did her attacker was already in front of her, with blood streaming down from the cut under his eyebrow, and a fire in his eyes that meant he wanted to see her bleed.

“English bitch!” he slapped her across the face, hard. Sansa fell on the floor, powerless from the blow, instinctively setting her cold hand against her burning cheek. The man throttled towards her with malice intent, but she would not give up without a fight. When he was right in front of her, ready to do what he wanted, she kicked him on his knee, making him loose his balance.

Sansa got up quickly this time, just in time to see a third person approaching, fast. He held a long sword in his hands, engraved with runes that seemed to glow as he took a stronger grip on the leather handle. Was the blow on her cheek so strong that she was seeing things?

The swordsman made a swift motion with his sword, sweeping from side to side, pulling it closer to his shoulders right after. Her attacker gasped, his eyes opened wide. His head, now detached from the rest of his body, slid down from his neck and rolled onto the ground, only coming to a stop by Sansa’s feet, whom grunted, with repulse, as she quickly kicked it to the side.

The stranger in front of her chuckled at that as he advanced in her direction, but Sansa stepped back, with her eyes set on the weapon on his hand, creating a comforting distance between her and the armed man.

“It’s okay, I mean no harm” The man said, as he put the sword back to its leather sheath, and held his hands up, a simple gesture of surrender “What are you doing alone in the woods, dressed only with a...” he pointed to her bloodied and dirty dress “...nightgown?”

“It’s none of your business!” she tried to sound fearless, but her frail voice betrayed her 

“Alright, then, have it your way” he added with a smile, as he sat down on a rock with slow movements, placing his right hand inside his jacket against his left side ribs, frowning as he pulled it out and saw it painted red.

“You’re bleeding” Sansa noted, her medical training kicking in immediately, but still she hesitated, and did not move. He had helped her, by beheading a man. He seemed harmless, but the dead man would beg to differ. 

“Vikings are hard to kill” he replied, with a sly grin, which made her instinctively arch her brow. Was he seriously cracking jokes as he bled to death?

“I can help you, I’m a nurse” Sansa said, as she walked towards him. He looked confused “An healer. May I?”she pointed, and as he nodded she sat down on her knees in front of him.

He took his jacket off, allowing her better access to the wound. She rose his shirt carefully, just high enough for her to see the source of the blood.

Her eyes were focused on the cut. His eyes were focused on her.

Footsteps echoed from the tree lines, waking them both from their trance. A man came rushing in, the same man that looked like Petyr but wasn’t.

“Ah, I see that you’ve found my ghost” he joked at first, but his face changed instantly as he saw the man’s condition “Are you hurt?”

“It’s not deep, it’ll only require a couple stitches. But I have to clean it first.” Sansa spoke, as she tore the hem of her skirt and used it as gauze.

The archer looked at her, astonished, and then back at the swordsman, who grinned at him in response

“She’s an healer” the swordsman vexed

At that Sansa pressed the cloth a little harshly, and the man winced, just like she knew he would.

A thin smile appeared on the archer’s lips as he spoke “I’m gonna get the boys, we’ll set camp here” he turned to leave, but then turned back “You should’ve stayed at the castle like I told you to”

“Bill, just go already!”

“I’m going, I’m going...” the archer, Bill, replied, but before he moved he looked down at Sansa “Take good care of our Majesty, if you please”

“Bill!” he swordsman yelled exasperated, and Bill walked away, boastful.

Sansa couldn’t help but laugh at that interaction, forgetting momentarily the strangeness of her surroundings. She pulled the fabric away from the cut and folded it in reverse, inspecting the wound. The flow had almost stopped, she could tend the cut now, but she decided to wait for Bill to come back with the group, they had medical supplies, certainly. So she sat the dry side of the cloth back on the man’s ribs, only then noticing how his eyes followed her every movement.

Sansa cleared her coarse throat “Are all people this formal around you, or is it like a petname?”

Now it was his time to laugh, and he did so loud and cheeky, clearly amused by her boldness.

“You can call me Arthur”

Taglist is OPEN! @anonymousme86​

[bellctor]

i tenaya ‘ten’ conrad am an outlander, i left tera because i do not trust them, i am a thirty year old cis male. i know i’m observant & independent, but i can also be merciless & impulsive. i am a rogue & hacker. my stance on the council is against. 

There once was a time when ten’s life was simpler and more concrete. he grew up in poverty but his parents always made sure that they had food, water, and shelter. he appreciated everything they did for him and from a young age, he wanted to prove his worth in the family. this led him to the streets, learning how to pick pocket and steal from wealthier people than himself and his family; and that was pretty much everyone. Not only that, but the boy learned how to hack from a young age and as he grew older, his skills and talent only grew with him.

He brought home every cent he took and while his mother scolded him every time, she took what he brought and used it to better the family. there were numerous times where he had been arrested for his crimes but no stent in jail would change the way he viewed the world. the rich only got richer while the poor fought to survive. 

Ten grew up in a household that almost idolized the Orion Syndicate. his parents always talked highly of them and taught him to view them as the same. however, when some of the members began turning up dead, his parents grew scared and worried but more than that -- they grew angry. they, along with others, began protesting and choosing to speak against those that were rising to try to take over. Ten even using his hacking skills to try to prove that something was going on; that it was more than just random deaths. 

While his skills led him to discover information that he never thought could be possible, but that information also led to his parents’ death. Ten managed to escape death, only to be one of the winning members that were to join the arc. he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about it at the time, besides the fact that he was still raging from his parents’ deaths. 

All of this no longer matters, though, considering the fact that he cannot remember any of it. his parents were wiped from his memory, along with the information he found when he hacked servers just before their deaths. 

Ten never felt comfortable in Tera, and the Council and their views never settled well with him either, which is why he chose to leave. It was more of a gut feeling than anything; he didn’t trust anything they said. he is currently a rogue who also offers his hacker abilities on the side, for a price. 

personality && more;

ten is a loner. he can’t remember the last time he genuinely felt like he could count on someone. his skills as a hacker, so far, have been unmatched. he knows he’s good at what he does, which is why he asks for such hefty prices at times. he believes he’s an orphan and chooses to not think too hard about it. His impulsivity tends to get him in trouble and if someone gets on his bad side, he never shows mercy. 

he never gives out his full name. he’s a vegetarian. he’s blunt and at times, cold hearted. he has a dark sense of humor. he is apathetic and rarely thinks of others when he speaks or does things.

wanted connections

repeated customer - you always need his hacking skills; whether it’s because you need information on your enemy or you’d like to know what someone is doing at all times. you call ten for the job because you know he can get the job done. 

he’s just not that friendly to you - someone that wants to be his friend, that’s tried so hard to get close to him, but has yet to break down any of his walls, let alone make a dent in it. they aren’t giving up, even if he makes being around him extremely difficult.

past “fling” - ten does not do relationships. in fact, he rarely sleeps with the same person twice. however, this person he did, but with extreme lack of emotions on his end. 

apprentice - you want to learn how to hack and so you go to the one guy you know who can hack just about anything. ten, at first, says no, but you manage to convince him after so many days/weeks/months. you’d like to think that he enjoys teaching you, but you just can’t seem to figure out what he’s truly thinking. 

go away, terran - recently, ten has grown to hate those that chose to stay in Tera. with this person, it’s no different. he can’t stand being around them and tends to argue with them every single time he lays eyes on them. that, or he purposefully gets under their skin. 

can i count on you? - ten wants desperately to be able to be open with this person. he sees something in them that he thinks he could manage to like and potentially care for; whether that’s as a friend or something else entirely. but as hard as he tries to change the way he acts, it’s much harder than anticipated. his reinforced walls are too hard for even him to break down at times. sometimes, though, he finds solace when just sitting with this person, without talking. whether they feel the same with him though, is something else entirely.

honestly up for anything!! 

[sasrednoticewatchonline]

Watch SAS Red Notice online English 2021

SAS Red Notice 2021 full - https://sas-red-notice-eng.blogspot.com/

Rating: R (language throughout | strong / bloody violence) Genre: Action Original language: English (United Kingdom) Directed by Magnus Martens Producer: Laurence Malkin, Allan Niblo, Joe Simpson Author: Laurence Malkin Release date (streaming): March 16, 2021 Duration: 2h 3m Production Co: Altitude Films A SAS agent finds his romantic short vacation in Paris cut short when a high-quality mercenary target kidnaps a train in the Channel Tunnel.

The market for hard-hitting British action thrillers was rather cornered by James Bond. It's rare for the UK to have really solid action spectacle without Ian Flemings 007 joking his way through the middle and making it feminine. With that in mind, director Magnus Martens' SAS: Red Notice feels like a rare and rather welcome animal. It's the kind of film Hollywood can easily produce - with everyone from Jason Statham and Vin Diesel to Nicolas Cage and Liam Neeson - but this film has a decidedly British feel to it.

Outlander star Sam Heughan - often suggested as the main competitor for 007 in the future - leads the film as Special Forces agent Tom Buckingham. Interestingly, he's a spoiled, classy boy who grew up in a mansion, which makes him far from being a Bruce Willis-style everyone in a bloody vest. After participating in a raid on a group of mercenaries, he takes a much-needed break by kidnapping his doctor partner Sophie (Hannah John-Kamen) to Paris for a romantic marriage proposal. Unfortunately, he got really bad luck when his cross-channel train was kidnapped in the tunnel by the psychopathic mercenary leader Grace (Ruby Rose).

It's a pretty standard action setup, but Martens makes the most of it. The script by Laurence Malkin and Chad Thumann - adapted from the novel by ex-soldier Andy McNab - is elegantly drawn and combines exciting set pieces and crunching action with solid emotional beats. After more than two hours, there is no doubt that the film is a little limp and overly long, but it is never anything other than outstanding to watch, which makes up for a multitude of sins. It helps that Heughan and Rose form a dynamite pair of leads. Heughan is just as charismatic as he has dedicated himself to the action sequences. He wears scenes of polite bravery and bruising with the kind of serenity that suggests he would actually make a terrific 007. It's not easy to sympathize with such an obvious classy boy, but Heughan manages to do it in his scenes with John-Kamen and a brief bond he shares with a young passenger on the train. He's also good at comedy, including a scene with perhaps the most surprising thing ever seen on the floor of a train toilet. Or maybe not. Anyone who's used the loo on a long distance Pendolino is likely to have some stories.

Rose is a perfect sparring partner for Heughan, both physically and verbally. An argument between the two in act three is perfectly choreographed and encompasses the grubby realism of facial claws and swinging limbs rather than the hyper-stylized punches and shots of other action films. Red Notice is a film ready to go its own way in terms of visual spectacle. A downright fallible hero meets his match in a shrewd, ruthless opponent who will never stay down and give up.

However, when it moves its focus away from Heughan and Rose, the film more than stuck a little. Most importantly, there is an overarching political conspiracy involving Ray Panthakis Prime Minister and Andy Serkis as a corrupt military guy too complex and labyrinthine for his own good. These extended sojourns in back room intrigues are much less exciting than the events on the train and only serve to furnish the film with furniture it doesn't need. Its bite is much stronger than its bark, but it ends up barking too long. Fortunately, it won't be long before the movie is back with Heughan, Rose, and the heavy-hitting action core at the heart of this film. Given the rather variable quality of Sky Cinema's original excursions, this is a pleasant surprise. Heughan, Barbara Broccoli, and the Bond team could certainly make it a lot worse.

SAS: Red Notice is the type of action film you'd want to dig into its narrative and characters. There are tons of gunshots, bangs, bangs - don't worry - but there is also a lot of emotional engagement between the players and a story that has a lot more gray areas than just "good versus bad". The film struggles in a few areas, but its intent gives it at least a few points. You can see what it's trying to do and you want it to pin it down. Will it get there or not? Well let's sum it up.

In the beginning, we believe our narrative will follow Grace Lewis (Ruby Rose) and her family - "lovingly" known as The Black Swans. We're not going to spoil any specific details, but some actions in about ten minutes make it clear that the Lewis family are not the heroes of this story. No harm, no foul there. We start with antagonists all the time. The problem is that the story frames them as protagonists before things go sideways. The water just gets muddy as the story progresses. Once we have witnessed some unfortunate deeds committed by the swans in Georgia (not our Georgia, the other) we meet Tom Buckingham III (Sam Heughan). Now it's pretty clear that Tom is our dashing hero. He has everything the stereotypical espionage protagonist has to offer, right down to devilish charm. He will become his lover, Dr. Sophie Hart (Hannah John-Kamen), despite the ocean of differences between them, make a suggestion. But first he has to defeat those annoying swans. It's a quick entry and exit, despite the profile of those they are supposed to capture. Without a few sacrifices (one of which is very important to Grace), things go smoothly and our ignorant hero returns to Sophie's hospital.

He really loves her - a refreshing aspect of the movie - but she struggles with the fact that he doesn't seem to find any human response to anything in the world but her. Blinded to her concern and convinced of his bragging rights, Tom takes Sophie to France by train.

Of course, their move happens to be the same one that Grace and the rest of the Swans attempt to kidnap for reasons we won't discuss in a spoiler-free review. What I will confirm is that they really had no intention of meeting Tom or ruining his proposal. Talk about a crazy coincidence.

SAS Red Notice free movies online SAS Red Notice free movie

SAS Red Notice  full

[timeforelfnonsense]

Apprentice April 2

(sprite by Jilljoycearts )

LONG POST

1. What does your character feel when they see their LI for the first time each day?

Fable has such a tender adoration for Julian. She’s been very guarded and private about her authentic feelings for most of her life so having someone she can be soft with means a lot to her.  She loves waking up and knowing he’ll still be there no matter what.

2. What things does your character love about their LI?

She loves how thoughtful and selfless he his. Fable is a little self centered at times and she admires how willing to care for others and put their needs before his own.

She loves how emotionally intelligent he is.

She loves his wit and sense of humor .

She loves his kindred sense of adventure and wanderlust

She loves his sharp features, lushes hair, his absurd tallness, his shoulders and hands.

3. What things about their LI annoy them?

When he crosses the line from selfless to babying. Fable is very independent and sometimes Julian can smother her a bit. Sometimes his devotion to her can make her feel a little claustrophobic due to her childhood trauma but she’s working on it.  

Julian has a habit of talking about his work with a bit too much enthusiasm and it grosses her out.

Julian: “You should have seen this guy’s leg today Fable! The bone was all the wa-”

Fable: “JULIIIIANNN”

4. Who does what chores?

They are both a little messy but share chores around the shop. They both grew up on ships so they have plenty of experience swabbing the deck lol

5. Do they prefer to stay at home, or do they like to go out?

The both love to go out! Drinking and dancing are always favorites. They go and see plays pretty often as well!  

6. What are some little things they do for each other throughout the day?

Fable is a pretty good cook actually so she often brings Julian lunch and coffee when he’s at the clinic.

Julian leaves her little lovey-dovey notes around the shop. 

7. What are some private jokes they share?

If you’ve read the first few chapter’s of For Lovers and Fools, you’ll know that they met when Fable asked Julian to walk her home while pretending to be her betrothed. They joked about being engaged all the time before the plunge/when they weren’t really dating and would sometimes put on the act for strangers.

Julian lost his v card to Fable like 7 years before the events of the route and their is some occasional teasing over how Julian was “cuntstruck” by her for almost a decade. 

8. What are some embarrassing couple stories?

oooo as previously mentioned Julian lost his virginity to Fable when h e was 21 and she was 19. She said something a little too dirty for him and he ended up being kind of a two pump chump. Fable is a sex positive icon though and made sure he knew she still had fun but oh boy he was embarrassed about it for a long time.

Fable likes to get Julian riled up and flustered around other people. Countless awkward erections...  

They both like to drink a little too much and have gotten in hot water with the guard for rowdy behavior. 

9. Is their relationship open or exclusive?

Ok. This is a really big and hard question. Fable has a lot of commitment issues and is really afraid of letting people close enough to hurt her because of some abandonment issues. She is also very independent and values freedom. She has a lot of fears about being “owned”. She is really up front about this with her partners. The majority of her relationships have been friends with benefits or one nightstands. She’s only ever been in love with one person other than Julian and they were very on again off again. 

 Moreover, her father is a wood elf and for the most part they are non-monogamous and her mother’s people don’t have a persuasion for it either (monogamy is common but just as much as non monogamy). So She has never been in an exclusive relationship. She just didn’t grow up worrying about finding someone to be with long term.

I’ve added a little passage from a WIP that encapsulates her feelings. 

“So,” Julian’s voice was pitched a bit higher than normal. His brows knit together, thinking of the right thing to say, “We should probably talk about what happened in the library… ” 

“It was a bit of debauchery, not a big deal, Julian. Fun is fun, no strings attached.” 

He put his hand on her slender shoulders, “ When I told you I wanted you that night on the docks, I meant it.” 

She turned away from him her arms tight across her chest, “Look Julian, I really like you. But, I don’t really do commitment.”

Julian looked at her blinking, “So, you don’t want to be with me?” 

She looked back at him over her shoulder rolling her eyes, “Never said that.” 

“You said-” 

“I said I didn’t do commitment, not that I didn’t want you. Not the same thing at all.” Fable shrugged, “I’m just not the kind of woman who wants to belong to someone else. And besides you hardly know me. How do you know that I’m the kind of person you want to be attached to.” 

“Fable I don’t want to own you. That, that isn’t what relationships are. Not that I’m proposing a relationship. That is, we did just meet and-” 

She cocked her head curls tumbling over her shoulder. Her cherry lips curled into a blithe smile that could stop a man’s heart. She let out an amused laugh, strengthening the lapel of his jacket. 

“Oh, you are a sweet one doctor. That’s exactly what relationships are.” She took his hands into her own drawing them to her lips, “ I will give you my affection, my body, my company, but my independence is something I will surrender to no one.” 

He followed a few paces behind her  the rest of the way. Remaining silent whilst mulling over their conversation. He’d only known her for a short time. He had no reason to feel so disappointed in her disdain towards commitment. Yet, her words had put a pit in his stomach, Still, he’d take as much of herself as she was willing to share without complaint. There was something strangely familiar about her words. A bittersweet deja vu that caused his temples to ache. 

That being said she and Julian are exclusive. He is the first person to want to be exclusive with her. Post game she and Julian are in a really good place and they have a really long and good talk about what they are. He would have been willing to keep things open but she could tell he was only offering for her sake. Julian gives her a sense of security and genuine love she has only had with one other person and she hasn’t wanted to be with anyone else sense they got together. 

10. How often do they need to be intimate?

They hump like rabbits. They both have pretty high sex drives and physical touch is a shared love language. 

11. Have they ever fought?

 They don’t fight too much. Julian is emotionally intelligent enough to tell when she’s upset and Fable is pretty diplomatic so things normally work out before an argument happens. They have a bit of a Fenris/Isabella vibe and normally settle things with a bit of hummor:  

Fable: (Sighs) This is silly. I don't want to argue.

Julian: Do you want to guess what color my underclothes are again?

Fable: Oh, yes, that's much more fun.

I think their biggest argument is a lot like the argument from eternal sunshine of a spotless mind, both pre and post respawn.

Pre respawn: "Too many guys think I'm a concept, or I complete them, or I'm gonna make them alive. But I'm just a fucked-up girl who's lookin' for my own peace of mind; don't assign me yours."

Post respawn:

https://youtu.be/_q0ZZKbzITI

It is much of the same argument but this time around Julian is able to understand and acknowledge her fears much better than the first time around. He was young and still had a lot of his own growth to do when he first met her her but they’ve both grown up a lot in the time between their first kinda relationship and now.

12. Describe their perfect date

A night at the Raven or a little trip on the harbor with the slope!

13. Do they have an evening routine?

They take a bath together.

Julian Brushes her hair 

She rubs his back.

14. Describe a “paid scene” with your character and their LI

It would be fable just teasing and flirting with Julian at the Raven!

“I can feel my cheeks blushing from just thinking about what I could say to you”

15. Would they go on a double date?

Totally! They are both extroverts and people-people! They would be that couple that is a little too all over each other during a double date though! 

16. Who pops the question?

Fable is a known  Gamophobia.

This is a major charter trait for her in both my arcana and dnd cannons. It has a lot to do with her parents and how she was treated by the elf side of her family. That being said I think Julian is about the only person who could get her to settle down. They are well suited for each other being similar in a lot of ways but really different in others. Julian is quick to fall and very open with his feeling and that offers her a security she isn’t used to.

Julian is the one to propose.

He does it on a trip to Nevivon.

He takes her out to the dock at sunset.

There is a big gushy speech

The ring is a ruby from a temple of Sune:  associated with love, especially faithful passionate commitment and closeness. As well as being on of Fable’s favorite colors and a call back to the “wedding” ring she gave him when they first met. 

She PANICS. But does say yes.

17. Describe the wedding

They get married at sea as its a shared passion

It’s a big mish mash of their cultures.

Fable is half wood elf and her mother is fantasy Celtic and Julian is fantasy Russian Jewish.

A hand fasting & blood oath

“ Blood of my Blood, and Bone of my Bone, I give ye my Body, that we Two might be One. I give ye my Spirit, 'til our Life shall be Done.” (I like outlander sue me)

A pebble toss

Couples in ancient times were often married near some sort of water source such as a lake, river or holy well, believed to be favored by the Celtic gods. Wedding guests were each given small stones to cast into the water while making a wish for the couple's future happiness.

A chuppah

A glass breaking

Lots of dancing and rowdy partying

Her family sails out for the wedding as well as all of their friends and family from Nevivon and Vesuvia.

Fables dress:

I’ve included a cute little mood board.

A big Celtic gown made mostly by her aunt and mother but also worked on by herself and Portia. It’s an important custom in her culture that all the women of the clan make the wedding dress.

She wears Julian’s mother’s pearls given to her at the masquerade

A  kokoshnik that belonged to Lilinka

18. Any babies?

I’m not sure I want to make this 100% cannon but, eventually they have at least daughter named Keava! She has Fable’s eyes and Julian’s hair. She was very much unplanned but it all worked out! I kind of like the idea of them being like fergus and marsali from outlander though and keeping the population up.

19. Do they stay in Vesuvia, or eventually move somewhere else?

They travel a lot! Right after they go back to piracy for a bit  but keep the shop and clinic as a home base.

20. Talk about that family life.  What’s it’ like?

Julian is the best dad ever.

They are both open door policy parents 

They both have strong family ties and have a  multi-culti home for their kid(s).

[l-e-i-n-t-h]

Is Tony Stark an abuser? Or to hate or not to hate Tony

I made this post in a sideblog asking precisely about this, cause I’m new to the marvel fandom. I watched some movies, certainly watched the Avengers movies, but it was a peripheral interest for me, until I prepared to watch Endgame, one month before it premiered. I always liked Captain America, but when I watched (or rewatched) TWS and CW, I fell in love with him, and here I am.

My doubt about abuse in the MCU more or less remains. Hear me out, please:

I was in the Supernatural fandom. There, once you pass the “Dean is so dreamy” phase, and the “perfect big brother for Sammy, the little moose” phase, you realize ALL THE BLATANT ABUSE: physical violence, emotional abuse, berating, mocking, control, humiliation, gaslighting, manipulation, and a big etc. You realize Dean treats Castiel like crap too.

When you become aware, it’s specially painful, cause Sam is so emotionally damaged: he doesn’t have healthy boundaries, and the times he has tried to set them, the narrative has punished him really hard. He takes all that abuse and believes it is love, while still managing to keep being kind and empathetic. IT’S SAD AS FUCK. As an abuse survivor myself, I related so fucking hard, and then I got tired of the show and the fandom BS, so I stopped watching.

Dean's abusive behavior is all "up close and personal", constantly manipulative, and claustrophobic. The victim simply cannot walk away: the narrative doesn't let them, the sick relationship doesn't let them, exactly the way abused children cannot escape their parents. So despite all his heroic deeds, I ended up hating Dean really really much: he was supposed to be a good person, and outwards he is, but he abuses the people who love him the most. I tend to ignore protagonists if they don’t appeal to me, but if they’re abusive, that’s a no-no, no matter what the fandom says. 

Being that my meassure for abuse and abuse unawareness in a fandom, I’m still drifting at sea in the MCU. Is Tony an abuser the way Dean is? Let's check his closest relationships:

Pepperony is this sad thing about an intelligent woman whose role consist of putting up with Tony: she has to wait for him, be available for him, tolerate him. In exchange for what? Being endangered, stressed out, unheard and neglected by a guy who makes her laugh. She can walk away, but she doesn’t. He doesn’t necessarily mistreat her, but he doesn’t excell at the whole boyfriending thing either. I think she has a case of the very low standards and of the “I only have you”, like she said in IM1. But I don’t see her particularly damaged by this relationship. She seems... content.

Irondad can be deemed abusive somewhat easily, in a way that’s similar to the Dean-Sam dynamic: poor Peter thinks well about Tony, while his "mentor" actually treats him like crap. Peter's young life has been particularly affected by Tony's choices: Peter doubts himself, is held against impossible standards. And some crimes were commited against him.

But, what Tony does to the rest of the characters can be called abuse? I mean, it's shitty behavior, I'm absolutely sure of that. Friends do not try to force friends to renounce their human rights. Friends do not tell you to "stand down" while they murder your brother in front of you. Friends do not leave friends to rot in an unconstitutional jail.

Friends do not shoot friends in the chest

Nor in the gut

...

Wow. I guess I can stop right now, cause I’m kind of answering my own question. By definition, abuse is any action that intentionally harms or injures another person. Dean’s is textbook domestic abuse: he’s close to his victim, and exerts control over him, which is the very intention of abuse, according to the same source.

I was confused about Tony, because he actually harms people around him, most of the times unintentionally. It wasn’t his intention to harm Peter by taking him to Germany. He just used him to harm others (LOL).  Probably it wasn’t his intention to robb his coworkers of their human rights while enforcing the accords. His intention was to relief his own conscience... at the cost of other people’s rights. It wasn’t his intention to hurt Pepper by telling terrorists his address. He just... did. Because he forgot other people exist.

(X)

He’s not close enough to his coworkers (friends, if you want) for his conduct towards them to be actually destructive, the way Dean and John Winchester destroyed Sam’s autonomy. Fortunately, people around Tony are all adults, with the exception of Peter. What Tony did to them did not destroy them, not because his actions weren’t shitty enough, but because unlike Sam Winchester, these people are not damaged at their cores, and they are not alone: they have each other, or have other people. But the fact that the victims are not destroyed, doesn’t make the conduct non abusive.

And, unlike Pepper, or Sam Winchester, Tony’s coworkers can set healthy boundaries. Tony can’t control them. He crossed them, they left him. And that makes them heroes I can get behind.

What Tony did to Sam Wilson, Steve and Bucky was plain abuse, but the root of all his evil is not his abusive behavior, but his intense narcissism. 

By the moment, I think I can ignore narcissism in a character. It’s the trait of a vast majority of villains, but I usually ignore villains: they’re just the mountain the hero must climb, like a force of nature. I don’t invest my feelings on them, unless they are “up close and intimate” abusers like Black Jack Randall in Outlander, or Negan in The Walking Dead. 

I think that’s the reason why I don’t hate Tony’s guts. I only dislike him. And meh him. And well, unlike Dean Winchester, he’s dead, he cannot harm anybody now. That impotence factor, the “ugh, I wish my baby was safe from this asshole” thing, isn’t present here. 

I’m tagging @disasterhusbands because she prompted this (rather pointless but really fun) analysis.

What do y’all think?

[arawen898]

This is it!

I am crying while typing this. I won’t be writing any more SamCait fics. Even if I don’t see any true love and never have between Cait and her bankrupt assistant new husband it wouldn’t feel right to write her with another man now that she is married and especially since I don’t find it impossible that same man might bat for the other team and has done so all along. The reason(s) for her marrying her bankrupt assistant new husband we don’t know but what I do know is that he most likely needs her money and she and her team WILL use this wedding for promo just like she did with the engagement.  

Do I regret that I started writing? No, not at all. It started with what I thought would only be a one time thing, I had to get out my frustration over Cait’s engagement somehow and that’s why I started at the beginning of 2018. Since then I have written fifteen (15) SamCait fics and I never thought they would be so many. It has been a great and funny experience and it was also a great distraction for me during hard times like when my dad was ill and then later passed away late last year. While I will never be at level with the likes of @trixenfic or @curlsgetdemgurls I am still grateful for those who have taken their time to read and comment. The response got bigger than I expected and I was surprised that it was so positive. I hope my fics can still bring some joy to a sinking fandom. 

I actually reread “My Bride” just yesterday and started crying because of the scenario. Back then I never really thought she would actually go so far as marrying the guy IRL but it seems like here we are.

Remember girls (and boys), we are smart and strong and not delusional. They most likely sold a lie to make us watch the show in the first place and then they abused, trolled and gaslighted us for believing in that lie. They are not the people we believed they were and even if things are different from now when Outlander actually ends, almost no one will be left to be happy for them because of what they have done to fans.

I am not leaving this place and I hope not too many others do either even if it is a sad place right now. I love many of the people I have gotten to know here and you should know that the snark is most often A+. Peace and thank you once again❤️

[anchanted-one]

Eternal War Chapter 33 Horrors of War

Read on AO3

Hours later…

Kaliyo took a long sip from the bottle in her hands, then passed it to Kanner, who didn’t bother looking to Jorgan for permission before taking a swig herself. She tossed it to the gruff Cathar veteran, who caught it without looking. You knew it was bad when Soldiers like these broke protocol.

“So… pretty bad day…” Kaliyo drawled.

“Yep,” Jorgan said heavily.

He looked at the city beyond the building they were currently taking shelter in. A lot of it was on fire. When the Security Forces had failed to pick up their trail in the maintenance tunnels after hours of searching, an infuriated Arcann had ordered them to open fire on the sector. Even the civilians. The carnage had put a damper on even Kaliyo’s spirits.

“Did I thank you guys for coming back for me?”

“Nope.”

“Well then… thanks, Maje. Thanks Havoc. Really. I didn’t think you’d come back for someone like me. I’m… feeling quite touched here. Thanks.”

“We don’t leave anyone behind.” Jorgan said tonelessly. “The moment we were both on the same team, you became a comrade-in-arms. And you’re not the worst one we’re working with out of necessity, believe me. But so long as we are, we got your back.”

“Copy that, sir!” the cybernetically enhanced trooper, Dengril, approved fervently. “We there for each other. Separates us from them .”

“That bottle, sir…?” Xabaan asked. Jorgan quietly passed it to the Twi’lek. Once Xabaan was finished, Dengril took a drink, but of course it would be poisonous for the Kel Dor Abeth. Korg, like the rest of his Kaleesh people, only drank to victory or to the celebrated dead. Once he was done, Kaliyo was satisfied that so little of the booze was remaining. She emptied it in one go.

“So what’s the plan now?” She asked. “I normally use this kind of chaos to make my getaway, but for you guys…”

“If we turn up to help them,” Jorgan sighed. “It becomes worse. For them, for us. If we have to do anything for these guys, it has to be covert.”

“But you don’t want to leave.” It wasn’t a question.

“I signed up to stop this kind of thing.” Jorgan said, a tortured expression on his feline face. “Turning away… it feels wrong.”

Kaliyo remained silent. She was an unabashed anarchist. She was a survivor through and through, only ever looking out for herself. But once someone had her loyalty she would die a thousand times for them. As she would have for Cipher Nine. Well, her Cipher Nine, not the half-trained faker who took that title after Corellia.

They watched in silence as a group of citizens cleared some rubble away to free trapped survivors. They worked well together. Perhaps they had been given some rudimentary training in search and rescue? Hard to believe on this pampered world.

“Oh no!” Kanner muttered. “Sir!”

“I see it! Havoc, if those Skytroopers attack those civvies, we break cover and protect them.”

A chorus of “Roger that, sir,” all around them. Kaliyo wanted to shake him hard and remind him of his own words minutes ago. What happened to being covert? But there was just no convincing some people. She tensed, waiting for the order.

The Skytroopers swooped in on the civilians, and Jorgan called “Take em!”

He fired twice, nailing two Skytroopers mid-dive. His squad broke out of their hiding place and attacked the Droid soldiers with a surgeon’s precision. All twenty droids were scrap before they even knew what hit them.

The people they had saved screamed in shock. Several tripped and fell as they staggered back. They began whispering among themselves: “The Outlander’s people…” “The Outlander’s soldiers!” “The Outlander’s …” “They saved us!” “They saved us!”

“Alright, everybody, time to move—”  “No, please, wait!”

Jorgan stopped as a trio of citizens stepped forward. These were among those who had been searching for survivors. “We are part of the local Resistance,” a middle-aged man explained. “We work for Caradha.”

“Caradha is that Zakuulan who called for an end to Arcann’s tyrannical reign, right?”

“The same, good Soldier.” The man confirmed. “She has been trying to stop this carnage, but her only plan was discarded because we have no professional soldiers among us.”

Oh? How perfect! Kaliyo grinned wide, a feral expression that was mirrored by Jorgan.

“Well sir, now you have Havoc Squad.”

*

Odessen, War Room

The Holoprojector chimed and the holo of an ageing dark-skinned human materialized.

“Alliance Base, this is Colonel Vakkes of the Onderon strike force.”

“This is Alliance Base,” Lana responded. “We read you Colonel.”

“We have finished scouring the Fortresses, and there was some horrifying stuff going on in there.”

Lana’s eyes narrowed. “Explain.”

“A Research Lab, by some definition of the term. From what we can tell, they’re dedicated to ‘cutting-edge’ epidemiology experimentation. Hundreds of Onderon and Dxun’s fauna specimens. Dozens of sentients from all walks of life. Some of these guys have been missing for years. We assumed they were dead, but…” the veteran Soldier shivered visibly. “They’ve been used as test subjects. What logs we recovered describe how they were subject to numerous toxins and exotic diseases and kept under observation as their symptoms progressed. Some had organs removed while still alive. Shot repeatedly while hooked up to kolto tanks. It was like they wanted to see how many ways they could discover, of death by torture. Or how long they could endure before it became too much.”

Lana unclenched her jaw, and ran a hand through her hair. She looked around at her comrades; their expressions ranged from disgust to anger to horror. The Zakuulans among them were the most affected, Doctor Oggurobb looked outraged, probably more about the fact that someone would call such terrible methods “Science”. He had his many good points, but empathy wasn’t among them. Theron, like Lana herself, had already seen such setups—both Imperial and Republic—and both of them had braced for such atrocities. But to see them confirmed was something else entirely.

Lana looked at Theron, then Oggurobb. “We will need to alert all teams across the galaxy, have them look for labs immediately. Secure as much data as possible.” She looked back at the Colonel as something occurred to her. “Any survivors?”

“None, not even wildlife. From the looks of it, the scientists killed them before surrendering. They set charges on the computers, but the Ion Prison cloud deactivated the detonators. So even though there were no witnesses, we’ll know exactly what these psychos were up to when we decrypt these files.”

“Good.” Lana said. “Send over everything you can find for us to analyze. You and your people must be feeling quite disturbed by all this. Please get some rest. If you need therapy, we can have you brought here to Odessen. We have set up a well-equipped Mental Health facility for our people, and it should be enough to cope with at least a third of the Strike teams.”

“Appreciate the offer, Alliance Control. We’ll have our people undergo a thorough checkup, then let you know if we need your facilities.”

“Very well then, thank you Colonel. See you soon.” The holo flickered out.

“This— this isn’t Zakuul!” Koth looked like someone had ripped his heart out, Senya was in tears. All the Zakuulans were trembling. “I swear, this isn’t what we are...”

“We know,” Aygo said soothingly. “This isn’t on you. Just your Emperor.”

“But… such a horrifying turn of events!” Senya was stammering, barely coherent. “I can’t believe that this is what my children have become. That they have sanctioned such experiments despite what Valkorion did to Vaylin…”

“It is good we stopped the Fortresses,” Jettarn rumbled. “But we need to stop this. This is a stain on our people. It is suddenly more urgent that we—”

Wodar spoke up. “I’ll see about broadcasting that info across Zakuul. Once our people see it…”

“No, wait,” Theron said. “We need to know exactly what has happened, and who’s involved. I’ve seen Black ops like this, sometimes leadership doesn’t know. They may have drastically overstepped mission boundaries and Arcann might not know about it. It’s possible that this was an isolated incident. Or at least, a limited one.”

Lana nodded. “Yes, I think that’s best. We don’t want to saddle your people with guilty consciences if this was an unsanctioned operation.”

The Zakuulans looked relieved. Senya reached for a glass of water, then changed her mind and picked up the brandy instead. But Lem still had some venting he needed. Roaring loudly, he picked up a tool shelf and tossed it hard over his shoulder.

When the expected loud crash never came, they all turned to look in that direction.

Arro stood there, looking mildly annoyed. The shelf and everything that had spilled out of it hung suspended in the air in front of him. “I only just woke up, so go easy on me please? You don’t want me right back in bed, do you?”

The whole room stood frozen for a moment. Lana was stumped; how had she not sensed him wake up? Had she been so engrossed in operations?

It was Doctor Oggurobb’s delighted greeting broke the spell. “Commander! So good to see you awake again!”

*

“So much has happened?” Arro looked embarrassed. “How long was I out this time?”

“It’s only been a week,” Theron said. “Hey, given what you’re suffering we’re kinda asking too much of you.”

“In fact,” Senya said gently. “We were discussing taking more of the load off your shoulders so that you could rest. We can handle operations well enough by ourselves, there’s no need to burden you with even more stressors.”

“It’s enough that you be seen enough for morale to remain up,” Koth put in. “It’s your name and your legend that’s keeping everyone inspired.”

Arro bit into the sandwich he was holding. Taking his time to chew, he swallowed and placed it back in his plate. Something seemed different about him, but what? His stance? His bearing? The bright gold glint in his right eye, maybe?

“Before we discuss how aged and infirm I’ve become, I have a story of my own to tell you guys. You’re not going to believe the weird nonsense that can happen when you’re asleep.”

*

[lydia-can-live]

Nopelander...revisting an old post

I still see sooo much Outlander stuff on my dash so I thought I’d share my thoughts on Season 4. I don’t have high hopes for S5 and even though I said I was done, I am still curious. Hanging around to see how it turns out is different than being a die hard fan, which I was. Its amazing to me that the built-in fan base and super hot chemistry between the 2 leads could fizzle out to a boring, flat, emotionless promotion. The Fiery Cross is very focused on Roger and Brianna (with Jamie and Claire always watching an guiding which is a gift for those who crave a stable family life...and is too subtle and nuanced for these OL writers to grasp) so the magic of the show that was Jamie and Claire is no more.  Here is what I had to say about the S4 finale.  tl:dr OL used to be great, and instead of writing it as the romance-fantasy that it is, they subscribed to the theory that drama and plot are more interesting than nuanced intimacy and in doing so drained it of its charm and energy while at the same time bashed fans for not being happy about it.

Production ruined the magic that was Outlander in such a stumbling, amateurish, way. First off, they do not understand Jamie and Claire, who are soul mates, as well as best friends. They love making each other laugh and share many inside jokes. They know life is hard but as long as they can connect with each other, they’ll get through anything. In the show their relationship is tenuous and they never realistically comfort one another. Touching each other’s jaw line in lieu of good dialogue is just irritating. 2nd, the wigs take you out of the story, immediately. Why did that not concern anyone? Sam Heughan is a gorgeous man but I snort every time we see that alpaca hair. The only time I can take him seriously is when he is wearing a tri-corn. Claire’s hair looks passable from far away but up close it’s like, holy hairline! It really bothers me that this was not important to production. Jamie had shaggy hair in S1 because he was growing out a buzz cut he got at the Abbey, not because he liked having fringe. If they are trying to recreate S1 hair they have failed spectacularly.

Season Finale: Rescuing Dog Face. I want to care, but I don’t. Roger and Bree do not have an established or believable relationship. He showed up with his Paul McCartney hair in Boston and the writers decided he loved her and that’s all it’s based on. There is no chemistry between them but there isn’t any conversation, either. She is apathetic. We’ll never know how Sophie would deliver well written dialogue but with her somnolent, emotionless, delivery my guess is it wouldn’t have helped. Maybe they limited her dialogue because she couldn’t manage more than a few words at a time. Imagine the stirring ‘He’s real…I know’ or the riveting ‘You’re here’ with a modicum of energy. I know, it’s just as bad. She was miscast, obviously. They couldn’t have found a tall, American actress with dual UK/USA citizenship with an Equity card? Hey Bree: In the show, Roger humiliated then abandoned you at the Clan gathering because you didn’t want to marry him. He then had a relationship with you --in his mind--, while you were living on your own and trying to keep your eyes from closing while you talked.  Why do you love him? Back to Roger. A group of people are going against their own tribe to rescue Dog Face and risk alienation from said tribe just to get a stone they could have just taken from Claire? Come on. The tribe had sentries posted when Jamie and Claire were approaching but everyone had the night off to gather around for the drumming circle? The one guy watching the idiot tent gets clubbed (is he dead? We don’t know) by Jamie and no one notices? Finally the jig is up and the resulting scramble to “reach the river” is so laughably amateurish that I imagined the camera guy laughing like you do when you’re filming your friends in the backyard trying to recreate the Aragorn/Nazgul fight scene from the LOTR. Thankfully, Claire was there to bring a sensible end to it all with a very effective “Its ovah”. Even the Mohawk warriors were impressed. So did they all sleep in the idiot tent that night, or what? And Roger isn’t totally amazed looking at Claire and Jamie, together? No? He just cowers in her clutches. At least he’s not wearing those absolutely ridiculous but completely historically accurate culottes anymore. The Birth: Everyone complaining about this is correct. Claire would never have allowed her daughter to go through child birth in the 18th century without her. I don’t understand why the writers made this decision. That whole birthing chair thing was cringe worthy. Jocasta and her hand-made silk dress isn’t going to be assisting at a freaking birth. (I just kept seeing a thought bubble above Sophie that said “I should have stuck to dance”. I don’t think she’s enjoying Outlander that much.) In the book, while Bree is asking Jamie to stay for the birth, he pleadingly looks to Claire like ‘what do I do’ because, while he’s heard a lot of birthing going on, he’s never been asked to assist. It shows their complete unison as a team, their trust in each other, and it’s cute to see Jamie out of his element a little. More importantly, Jamie got to experience his grandchild with his heart burst wide open and he reveled in it. The dialogue in the book is touching and funny and it resonates because its tied to emotions that have long been been building. Jemmy is the catalyst for healing many of Jamie’s wounds regarding his children. He is the balm for his soul. In the show, Jamie barely acknowledges the baby. But here, blind Auntie --who in the show uses a cane-- you take the baby. Don’t hurt him with the giant brooch thing you are wearing. And don’t walk anywhere. Just stand there. Don’t you go dyin’ on me! Here’s the other thing: Bree loves her baby from the start. She makes that decision early on. When Jemmy is born she is completely devoted to him and his care. She wouldn’t be sitting in a room by herself while her baby is hanging with a bunch of people who seem to be just standing around in a circle.

Back to the book for a second: When Roger finally shows up, Bree is not broken. She’s besotted with her son and enjoying the loving embrace of her family. She’s whole. I like that Bree. She’s got a good heart. As much as I miss the humor between Jamie and Claire, I didn’t want to hear Sam call Claire “Granny” unless it was with a twinkle in his eye after he comes to the realization that this is the first time she’ll be called that, and it’s the first time he gets to say it. I hate book dialogue spoken with no depth or understanding of the moment. Intimacy is what DG gets so right in the books and I don’t like hearing actual lines unless it carries some weight, I’m looking at you “Turtle Soup” (cringe). Murtagh: When he jumped off that wagon I was like…Duncan LaCroix is just loving the shit out of this. I don’t like the Regulator plot because they are shit stirrers who like to argue and ruin gatherings. Murtagh should be sticking to his vow, which was to protect Jamie. These are 18th century people, they took that shit seriously. The fight with Jocasta was hilarious but when she said ‘let’s get breakfast’ and they pan over to Murtagh and he’s all laid out on the bed like ‘here’s your freakin’ breakfast, with sausage’ I laughed so hard I had to pause it, drink some water and pull myself together. I was dying. It wasn’t as funny the second time because I knew it was coming but the first time it was like I could see Duncan turning up that sexy vibe to 11 and it was both funny and ridiculous, and he knew it. Rogers Choice: They should have made Roger a man of worth by having him immediately want to go to Bree. If you freaking love her so much it wouldn’t be an issue. What is she going to do, choose Bonnet over you? It should have been with no hesitation. It would have redeemed him, gave the search and rescue a satisfying conclusion, and saved us from yet another use of the two lovers running toward each other imagery.  The music was so cliché I have to wonder if Bear is just picking stuff off a spotify muzak playlist. It’s clear that the show has lapsed into soap opera territory. Sam’s face when he said he had to –takes off glasses-- kill Murtagh wasn’t full on Drake Ramoray, but it was teetering close to it. Poor Outlander. You had the rare combination of chemistry, beauty, and talent combined with an eager and knowledgeable fan base and you reduced it to a strange wooden version of itself. Dedicated fans are leaving. I’m done. These writers are not smart or creative enough to chisel down The Fiery Cross. So much times passes during the gathering that surely Jamie will have outgrown his bangs, but of course he won’t. He just keeps hacking at them and I don’t want to stick around to watch.

Post Scriptum: Drinking game idea: Anytime anyone says Fraser’s Ridge. I mean, who talks like that? You’d say, ‘lets go home’. No one spouts the address when they reference home. ‘Where are you going?’ ‘123 State Street, where I live’. 

Post, post Scriptum: You could also have a drinking game for every time Claire crosses her arms but you’d better have plenty of libations on hand. post post post scriptum: Sam and Cait are tired of Outlander and can’t wait for it to be over.