#& ness’ story has changed a bit!!!

[aria0fgold]

I don't know what I'm doing with this fic's story anymore at this point, I'm just doing feck all but somehow it's also so fun to just... make it a lil wacky.

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: black science fiction

As february and black history month nears its end, if you're a reader let's not forget to read and appreciate books by black authors the rest of the year as well! If you're a sci-fi fan like me, perhaps this list can help find some good books to sink your teeth into.

Bleak dystopias, high tech space adventures, alien monsters, alternate dimensions, mash-ups of sci-fi and fantasy - this list features a little bit of everything for genre fiction fans!

For more details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites. And as always, feel free to share your own recs in the notes!

If you want more book recs, check out my masterpost of rec lists!

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

Something massive and alien crashes into the ocean off the coast of Nigeria. Three people, a marine biologist, a rapper, and a soldier, find themselves at the center of this presence, attempting to shepherd an alien ambassador as chaos spreads in the city. A strange novel that mixes the supernatural with the alien, shifts between many different POVs, and gives a one of a kind look at a possible first contact.

Nubia: The Awakening (Nubia series) by Omar Epps & Clarence A. Hayes

Young adult. Three teens living in the slums of an enviromentally ravaged New York find that something powerful is awakening within them. They’re all children of refugees of Nubia, a utopian African island nation that sank as the climate worsened, and realize now that their parents have been hiding aspects of their heritage from them. But as they come into their own, someone seeks to use their abilities to his own ends, against their own people.

The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown

Novella. After having failed at establishing a new colony, starship Calypso fights to make it back to Earth. Acting captain Jacklyn Albright is already struggling against the threats of interstellar space and impending starvation when the ship throws her a new danger: something is hiding on the ship, picking off her crew one by one in bloody, gruesome ways. A quick, excellent read if you want some good Alien vibes.

Dawn (Xenogenesis trilogy) by Octavia E. Butler*

After a devestating war leaves humanity on the brink of extinction, survivor Lilith finds herself waking up naked and alone in a strange room. She’s been rescued by the Oankali, who have arrived just in time to save the human race. But there’s a price to survival, and it might be humanity itself. Absolutely fucked up I love it I once had to drop the book mid read to stare at the ceiling and exclaim in horror at what was going on. Includes darker examinations of agency and consent, so enter with caution.

Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson*

Utterly unique in world-building, story, and prose, Midnight Robber follows young Tan-Tan and her father, inhabitants of the Carribean-colonized planet of Toussaint. When her father commits a terrible crime, he’s exiled to a parallel version of the same planet, home to strange aliens and other human exiles. Tan-Tan, not wanting to lose her father, follows with him. Trapped on this new planet, he becomes her worst nightmare. Enter this book with caution, as it contains graphic child sexual abuse.

Rosewater (The Wormwood trilogy) by Tade Thompson

In Nigeria lies Rosewater, a city bordering on a strange, alien biodome. Its motives are unknown, but it’s having an undeniable effect on the surrounding life. Kaaro, former criminal and current psychic agent for the government, is one of the people changed by it. When other psychics like him begin getting killed, Kaaro must take it upon himself to find out the truth about the biodome and its intentions.

Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh

Young adult. A century ago, an astronomer discovered a possibly Earth-like planet. Now, a team of veteran astronauts and carefully chosen teenagers are preparing to embark on a twenty-three year trip to get there. But space is dangerous, and the team has no one to rely on but each other if - or when - something goes wrong. An introspective slowburn of a story, this focuses more on character work than action.

The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord

After the planet Sadira is left uninhabitable, its few survivors are forced to move to a new world. On Cygnus Beta, they work to rebuild their society alongside their distant relatives of the planet, while trying to preserve what remains of their culture. Focused less on hard science or action, The Best of All Possible Worlds is more about culture, romance and the ethics and practicalities of telepathy.

Mirage (Mirage duology) by Somaiya Daud

Young adult. Eighteen-year-old Amani lives on an isolated moon under the oppressive occupation of the Valthek empire. When Amani is abducted, she finds herself someplace wholly unexpected: the royal palace. As it turns out, she's nearly identical to the half-Valthek, and widely hated, princess Maram, who is in need of a body double. If Amani ever wants to make it back home or see her people freed from oppression, she will have to play her role as princess perfectly. While sci-fi, this one more has the vibe of a fantasy.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

Life on the lower decks of the generation ship HSS Matilda is hard for Aster, an outcast even among outcasts, trying to survive in a system not dissimilar to the old antebellum South. The ship’s leaders have imposed harsh restrictions on their darker skinned people, using them as an oppressed work force as they travel toward their supposed Promised Land. But as Aster finds a link between the death of the ship’s sovereign and the suicide of her own mother, she realizes there may be a way off the ship.

Where It Rains in Color by Denise Crittendon

The planet Swazembi is a utopia of color and beauty, the most beautiful of all its citizens being the Rare Indigo. Lileala was just named Rare Indigo, but her strict yet pampered life gets upended when her beautiful skin is struck by a mysterious sickness, leaving it covered in scars and scabs. Meanwhile, voices start to whisper in Lileala's mind, bringing to the surface a past long forgotten involving her entire society.

Eacaping Exodus (Escaping Exodus duology) by Nicky Drayden

Seske is the heir to the leader of a clan living inside a gigantic, spacefaring beast, of which they frequently need to catch a new one to reside in as their presence slowly kills the beast from the inside. While I found the ending rushed with regards to plot and character, the worldbuilding is very fresh and the overall plot of survival and class struggle an interesting one. It’s also sapphic!

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah*

In a near future America, inmates on death row or with life sentences in private prisons can choose to participate in death matches for entertainment. If they survive long enough - a rare case indeed - they regain their freedom. Among these prisoners are Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker, partners behind the scenes and close to the deadline of a possible release - if only they can survive for long enough. As the game continues to be stacked against them and protests mount outside, two women fight for love, freedom, and their own humanity. Chain-Gang All-Stars is bleak and unflinching as well as genuinely hopeful in its portrayal of a dark but all to real possible future.

Parable of the Sower (Earthseed duology) by Octavia E. Butler*

In a bleak future, Lauren Olamina lives with her family in a gated community, one of few still safe places in a time of chaos. When her community falls, Lauren is forced on the run. As she makes her way toward possible safety, she picks up a following of other refugees, and sows the seeds of a new ideology which may one day be the saviour of mankind. Very bleak and scarily realistic, Parable of the Sower will make you both fear for mankind and regain your hope for humanity.

Binti (Binti trilogy) by Nnedi Okorafor

Young adult novella. Binti is the first of the Himba people to be accepted into the prestigious Oomza University, the finest place of higher learning in all the galaxy. But as she embarks on her interstellar journey, the unthinkable happens: her ship is attacked by the terrifying Meduse, an alien race at war with Oomza University.

War Girls (War Girls duology) by Tochi Onyebuchi

In an enviromentally fraught future, the Nigerian civil war has flared back up, utilizing cybernetics and mechs to enhance its soldiers. Two sisters, by bond if not by blood, are separated and end up on differing sides of the struggle. Brutal and dark, with themes of dehumanization of soldiers through cybernetics that turn them into weapons, and the effect and trauma this has on them.

The Space Between Worlds (The Space Between Worlds duology) by Micaiah Johnson

Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s a catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying. As such she has a very special job in traveling to these worlds, hoping to keep her position long enough to gain citizenship in the walled-off Wiley City, away from the wastes where she grew up. But her job is dangerous, especially when she gets on the tracks of a secret that threatens the entire multiverse. Really cool worldbuilding and characters, also featuring a sapphic lead!

The Fifth Season (The Broken Eart trilogy) by N.K. Jemisin*

In a world regularly torn apart by natural disasters, a big one finally strikes and society as we know it falls, leaving people floundering to survive in a post apocalyptic world, its secrets and past to be slowly revealed. We get to follow a mother as she races through this world to find and save her missing daughter. While mostly fantasy in genre, this series does have some sci-fi flavor, and is genuinely some of the best books I've ever read, please read them.

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings*

In an alternate version of our present, the witch hunt never ended. Women are constantly watched and expected to marry young so their husbands can keep an eye on them. When she was fourteen, Josephine's mother disappeared, leveling suspicions at both mother and daughter of possible witchcraft. Now, nearly a decade and a half later, Jo, in trying to finally accept her missing mother as dead, decides to follow up on a set of seemingly nonsensical instructions left in her will. Features a bisexual lead!

The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden

South African-set scifi featuring gods ancient and new, robots finding sentience, dik-diks, and a gay teen with mind control abilities. An ancient goddess seeks to return to her true power no matter how many humans she has to sacrifice to get there. A little bit all over the place but very creative and fresh.

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson*

Young adult. Young artist June Costa lives in Palmares Tres, a beautiful, matriarchal city relying heavily on tradition, one of which is the Summer King. The most recent Summer King is Enki, a bold boy and fellow artist. With him at her side, June seeks to finally find fame and recognition through her art, breaking through the generational divide of her home. But growing close to Enki is dangerous, because he, like all Summer Kings, is destined to die.

The Blood Trials (The Blood Gifted duology) by N.E. Davenport

After Ikenna's grandfather is assasinated, she is convinced that only a member of the Praetorian guard, elite soldiers, could’ve killed him. Seeking to uncover his killer, Ikenna enrolls in a dangerous trial to join the Praetorians which only a quarter of applicants survive. For Ikenna, the stakes are even higher, as she's hiding forbidden blood magic which could cost her her life. Mix of fantasy and sci-fi. While I didn’t super vibe with this one, I suspect fans of action packed romantasy will enjoy it.

Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany

1960s classic. Rydra Wong is a space captain, linguist and poet who is set on learning to understand Babel-17, a language which is humanity's only clue at the enemy in an interstaller war. But Babel-17 is more than just a language, and studying it may change Rydra forever.

Pet (Pet duology) by Akwaeke Emezi

Young adult novella. Jam lives in a utopian future that has been freed of monsters and the systems which created and upheld them. But then she meets Pet, a dangerous creature claiming to be hunting a monster still among them, prepared to stop at nothing to find them. While I personally found the word-building in Pet lacking, it deftly handles dark subjects of what makes a human a monster.

Bonus AKA I haven’t read these yet but they seem really cool

Lion's Blood by Steven Barnes

Alternate history in which Africans colonized South America while vikings colonized the North. The vikings sell abducted Celts and Franks as slaves to the South, one of which is eleven-years-old Irish boy Aidan O'Dere, who was just bought by a Southern plantation owner.

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

Young adult dystopia. Ellie lives in a future where humanity is under the control of the alien Ilori. All art is forbidden, but Ellie keeps a secret library; when one of her books disappears, she fears discovery and execution. M0Rr1S, born in a lab and raised to be emotionless, finds her library, and though he should deliver her for execution, he finds himself obsessed with human music. Together the two embark on a roadtrip which may save humanity.

Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase

Lelah lives in future Botswana, but despite money and fame she finds herself in an unhappy marriage, her body controlled via microchip by her husband. After burying the body of an accidental hit and run, Lelah's life gets worse when the ghost of her victim returns to enact bloody vengeance.

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith

Young adult. Fen de la Guerre, living in a quarantined Gulf Coast left devestated by storms and sickness, is forced on the run with a newborn after her tribe is attacked. Hoping to get the child to safety, Fen seeks to get to the other side of the wall, she teams up with a scientist from the outside the quarantine zone.

Everfair by Nisi Shawl

A neo-victorian alternate history, in which a part of Congo was kept safe from colonisation, becoming Everfair, a safe haven for both the people of Congo and former slaves returning from America. Here they must struggle to keep this home safe for them all.

The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

Space opera. Enitan just wants to live a quiet life in the aftermath of a failed war of conquest, but when her lover is killed and her sister kidnapped, she's forced to leave her plans behind to save her sister.

Honorary mentions AKA these didn't really work for me but maybe you guys will like them: The City We Became (Great Cities duology) by N.K. Jemisin, The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull, The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole

[d0youc0py]

So, i've read through a lot of your stuff, and its giving me instant serotonin, and i already love your writing, I also have a rather interesting ask, and you can completely ignore it if you wish to, but!- TF141 + Alejandro and Rudy learning that the new addition to their team is a bit younger than them(around 17-19), and a bouncy ball of ditzy airheaded-ness, and actually sees a them as Brother/Father figures? A little bit of a comfort for those, and myself included, who have platonic attachments to these badass men!

Your relationship with Price comes the most natural. He has always had an overwhelming desire to nurture and mentor those who are close to him- or those that he believes could become close to him. Considering he recruited you, he definitely saw you as one of those lucky few. You are a bit of a mess, needing some serious fine tuning, but you have an obvious want to learn and you soak up every bit of information he shares with you. He sees a lot of himself in you. He was only 16 when he joined the military and he wished he had a mentor to guide him and teach him so he didn’t have to learn from his mistakes, (not that he would’ve listened).

He was also the gateway to getting the other TF members to trust you- especially Ghost.

There is a lot of uncertainty in your job, but one thing you can always count on is that Caps got your back. You need a place to crash on deployment? He has a guest room. You need life advice? He feels like he hasn’t done anything right- but he’s been through enough things to know a thing or two. You had a nightmare? He office door is always open.

He’s a bit over meeting new people. And he lets you know that. For a long time he saw you as a reckless pain in the butt- a risk. You were a powerhouse on the field, yet you lacked that certain refinement. It wasn’t till he saw you and Price during a training. The Captain had your full attention and he saw an eagerness to learn that he hadn’t seen for a long time. He decided to give you a shot, throwing out tidbits of wisdom to see how you would respond. It would always surprise him when you not only listened but implemented what he had told you.

It was like a switch had flipped in his brain and he became the older brother that he had always so desperately tried to push down. He knows all your little quirks. What gets you fired up. What calms you down. He’s incredibly observant and it feels like he knows what you need before you do.

“Keep sleeping, I’ll cover your watch.”

“If you forget your MRE one more time.” He huffed taking out the said MRE you forgot out of his bag.

He’s the definition of tough love. His toughness keeps you grounded and on track. His loving side makes sure you are always taken care of (even though he wants to strangle you daily) and the first time you introduce him as “your brother” he nearly had to excuse himself to dry his eyes.

You’d think that the two of you would be partners in crime. Running around, causing trouble, giving everyone a headache. While the two of you do have your moments, Soap understands his responsibility as not only the elder, but the ranking officer in your relationship. Outside of the work the two of you are as thick as thieves, but out on the field it a whole different story. He’s serious, taking his self appointed job as your mentor to heart. This is the first time he’s taken someone under his wing and he is not going to screw it up. He teaches you as much as he can, as much as you need to not only be safe but successful.

The change is a shock to the TF at first, but they admire the way Soap “ages up” and it inspires them to do the same.

He doesn’t treat himself of your “mentor” or “elder” he treat you as though you two are equals. He treats you with respect and never talks down to you and he makes sure everyone else does the same.

The two of you hit it off instantly. Snarky comments are constantly flying back and forth between the comms and despite their better judgment the rest of the TF can just fight back a chuckle. He teases you relentlessly (out of love). All you have to do is make one slip up and this man will never let you forget it. But he also makes sure that if he can dish it out, he can take it too. This results in the two of you laughing hysterically, doing your best impersonations of each other. After long missions the two of you can often be found on the couch fighting over a blanket, watching your favorite comfort movies. You really are the sibling he never knew he needed.

Like Price he sees a lot of himself in you. You have drive. You do have a tendency to be a little too aloof for your own good, but it’s nothing he can’t handle. He embraced you with open arms and makes you feel like you’ve been family for decades. He’s hard on you and demanding, but it’s just because he knows what you are capable of. He understands the trust you place in him and will do everything in his power to live up to the image you have of him in your head.

You have a permanent room in his house. He always makes sure to have the ingredients to your favorite dish on hand just in case you had a hard day. He makes sure all of your trainings are up to date so you have every opportunity to make it out alive. You are so important to him and he never lets you forget it.

He’s wary of you at first. Even after Alejandro welcomed you with open arms. He saw you as a flight risk and he didn’t want to end up dead because of it. It wasn’t until one night you confessed how much you looked up to him- how you wanted to be like him.

He had misjudged you, and he apologized for it. He made up for lost time by going out of his way to be extra kind to you until it just turned into a habit. You and Alejandro both wear him out, he wouldn’t trade either of you for the world. He’s the voice of reason when you get ahead of yourself and he’s always the one who slows down and explains things to you when you find yourself lost. His patience seems almost endless and you thank his everyday for it.

Thank you for your kind words! Hope you liked this.

[inbarfink]

Interesting to note that Fionnaworld losing it's magic is not the only thing that changed about it when Ice King was turned back into Simon Petrikov. The 'side-effects' of it being in Simon's head seem to have... inverted.

Because the whole thing about Fionnaworld being in Ice King's head is that this is how he 'got the idea' for his 'Fionna and Cake' stories. Even though Ice King was supposed to just be 'a big nutty hard-drive', it seems like IK's subconsciousness had some sort of a connection to Fionnaworld and absorbed information from it - that Ice King's conscious self then put into his stories.

This... doesn't seem to be the case with Simon. You know, it's not like he goes 'oh, I get ideas for Fionna and Cake stories sometimes I just don't want to write them because I associate them too much with the Trauma of being Ice King' or even "I can't relate to Fionna and Cake anymore! But I do have some ideas for a pre-war era story about the quarter-life crisis of a blonde girl also coincidentally named Fionna!".

There's no indication that he gets any sort of 'ideas' from the Fionnaworld in his head anymore, a fact that he attribute to, just, a lack of interest in the characters.

Maybe one could speculate that Ice King's magic-infused mind gave it more of an ability to connect to the AU God Shoved in His Head. But.... Simon Petrikov's subconscious is still connected to it on some level. As we can see by the fact Simon's thoughts and immediate surrounding keep effecting the events going on in Fionnaworld.

Did this ever happen with Ice King? It's really hard to say, since we've seen so little of the 'real' Magical Fionnaworld. It was almost always filtered via the lens of Ice King's 'fanfiction'. Like, most obvious examples of 'Fionna and Cake' stuff being influenced by IK's psyche are probably just supposed to be him rewriting the stories in an inaccurate way.

But still, since Prismo was also actively 'writing stories' for Fionnaworld, and he considered it his own personal creative outlet, and since he found Ice King to be a satisfactory 'hard drive' for it all... Like, I'm going to assume that if IK's subconscious had a noticeble effect of the events of the Magical Fionnawrold - Prism wouldn't have been happy with it.

What I think is going on is related less to the matter of the magical-ness of Simon's brain and more to the other factor that Prismo mentioned in regards for picking Ice King's brain

It's emptiness.

Under the effect of the Magic Crown's Curse, Simon has lost most of his long-term (and sometimes even short-term) memories and, like, a lot of knowledge and intellectual skills he used to have. And that meant... a lot of space to store a whole-ass universe in his head, with probably also room to spare.

And maybe even the emptiness of IK's 'cursed dome' acted a bit like a vacuum - causing some information from Fionnaworld to leak into his mind.

But once Simon became himself again, all of this information and knowledge was restored inside his head. And maybe most of the experience of being Ice King is just 'dream-like impressions' like he said back in 'Betty' - but he still seems to retain some memories of these 1000 years as well. Back in 'Betty' he seems to have immediately remembered Finn and Jake, and after being permanently cured, well... he does seem to at least remember the events of "I Remember You' vividly enough to try and recreate them.

So now Fionnaworld is in a head full to the brim with stuff and... well, now it's, like, smooshed up with all of these elements of Simon's mind and psyche. Metaphorically, I'm visualizing it as, like, a bunch of items shoved inside an overstuffed cupboard and Fionnaworld is getting squashed and bent according to the shape of Simon's thoughts and memories that are shoved up close beside it. Less 'breathing room' for the world, and so Simon's thoughts can subconsciously affect the world more. But Fionnaworld information isn't leaking out anymore cause, like, there's enough out-there already.

That might also explain why Fionnaworld seems to be so damn small. Not even a full city as much as a few blocks.

It should be about as large as the actual Land of Ooo, but it might've shrank to be 'compact' enough to still fit into Simon's no-longer-empty mind.

(But now that they're free from his head and also canonized that's no longer a concern. It's alright now.)

[torchflies]

I can’t remember what fic it was but essentially mav couldn’t read very well (or he was dyslexic like I said I can’t remember) but he still read Bradley bed time stories but the stories were based off the pictures in the book. Would Jake do that with his swamp chickens growing up so they would have bed times stories?

Also how does slider ice and mav react to finding out Jake is dyslexic????

P.S. I love you’re writing ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you so much for the compliment, Nonny! 😭❤️

Oh he absolutely did that! Also all the Cajun stories he heard about while working with adults to get money, fishing and lifting heavy stuff, he commits to memory — he tells them the scary stories of the rougarou and feu-follet.

He wants them to be like ordinary kids, scared of things that go bump in the night, not people.

Jake copes with his dyslexia very well as an adult, most people don’t even notice his occasional stumbling over words that he spells or him taking a little bit longer to read something. His kids have never known anything different, so it’s normal for them for one kid (usually Mack) to do all the ordering if they go out, or to read street signs aloud. They just do it like second nature and eventually someone asks why… Oh, Ness has math brain and he’s tired so I figured I would read the sign so he didn’t have to double check.

Jake, turning bright red as he drives the crew around: She means I’m dyslexic.

It changes nothing and everything. 😉❤️ Suddenly every piece of paper Jake gets handed by Mav is at a lower contrast level so it’s easier for him to read. Slider will offer to read aloud a chunk of the big NATOPS Jake is studying. Ice won't give him directions like left and right, he’ll use specific coordinates or clock hands, or “follow the yellow car”. Bradley will proofread his writing without a single comment and Jake… is very confused.

[very-lonely-ghost]

So I had an idea for a mizu x reader where the readers similar to mizu. She has something called polychromia where one of her eyes ends up having 2 pupils and irises in one eye. So she wears the same type of glasses mizu does they're just black out so you can't actually see through them. I just thought it was a cool idea! 😄

Different

Parring: Mizu x reader

Warning: Swearing, gore, insults, slight thoughts of self-harm, Not proof read

About: You were different you were a monster. You had Polycoria which is where you have 2 pupils in one iris. so, you dedicated your life to protect those who were made fun of and different from 'normal' people.

(Let me know if you want a part 2)

word count: 1.9K

A/N: Hi sorry it has been a bit I was busy, and things were. going on. Though here is a story also sorry I do not know much about this but i tried my best but do tell me if I can fix anything. Thank you! <3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

‘Different’ That is what you were. You were an unknown creature that was a ‘disgrace’ to everyone around you. 

To clear things up you have Polycoria. That means you have pupils in one iris. You mainly had it in one eye, your left eye. You wore a special type of glasses. They were mostly normal but on the left side it was blacked out to hide your ‘hidies’ eye. 

You were ashamed of you and yourself. Many nights you stayed up late crying looking at your reflection in the water of a hot spring or river. You also had many thoughts of cutting or goulding your eye out but you could never bring yourself to do it. 

You had to learn to live with it. It was who you were and you had to deal with it. You learned to forget thoughts who made fun of you and trust no one with your trust. You grew to learn how cruel the word was and how people that were just a little different would be treated like they weren’t even human. 

This rage and anger lead you to pick up the blade to slay those who brought har to the different.

—--------------- (time skip) 

You became a great samurai. Though you were female you hid yourself. For some reason this felt normal like how you were meant to be so it wasn’t truly difficult. You never coerced people with any pronouns they used, you honestly didn’t care. Though as long as they didn;t see your left eye. 

No one who truly lived to tell the tale if they saw your left eye. 

Though one day that all changed. 

—------------------(time skip)

You wandered through the town moving with ease through the busy streets.  You wore your glasses close to your face and  hat drawn low, to make sure no one saw how ‘hidese’ you truly were. 

You were hungry and had a good amount of money so you decided to get some noodles at a small shop that was in the town. I didn’t seem like much but not many people so its good. 

You walked through the door a small chime of a small sleigh bell. You smirked at the sound of the ring.

You tilted your head up to look around to find a place to sit. You ended up sitting at a small table near the corner of the small shop. 

Eventually a person walked up to you and handed you a bowl of noodles. You looked at the person to notice they do not have hands. 

They were different like you. In that moment you made a promise to protect this person you knew nothing about. 

Remembering your hunger you picked up the bowl teasing the noodles. They were quite good, you have to admit. After that you downed the bowl and looked at the man and nodded as you squeaked out a soft thanks. 

You sat in this small shop taking a breath from all that had happened in your day. That was till the bell of the door rang with hash-ness. 

You kept your cool not wanting to cause more harm than was needed.

“Give us everything you have, you no handed freck!!” One of the men that ran in spoke.

Within a blink of an eye you stood between the men and some of his gons and the kind person working the shop. Your blade was drawn pointing it at the men making fun of the kind person. You tiled your face up to look at the men, with a pissed off expression. 

“What did you just say..” You said in a calm voice. You could hear the nose of some of the few people that were in the shop leaving from the back. ‘Good’ you though not wanting them to see what goes on. 

“What the fuck are you gonna do One Eye” They said teasingly. You frowned and looked at the men. 

“How about you get out of the way, and we won't take that other eye of yours.” One of the other men laughed as if he was so funny. 

“So you know i do have to eyes, you pieces of shit” You spat the last part.

“Go on now, don't be afraid.” The main man sped forward, tempting you. 

You looked at the side revving your glasses and then gazed at the men. Their faces turned pale as if they had seen a ghost. 

The main man of them tried to run from you but you swiftly cut his neck trying your best to not get blood all over the nice shop. The rest of them tried to do the same but were met with the same fate. 

It was then when you hear the door in the back close again. You swiftly put your glasses back on and looked at the dead men in front of you.

___________Pov shift 

Ringo came running to Mizu. At first she was confused but then he explained about the men and the other person that was there and everything. It all kinda jumped but she understood that something not the best was happening. 

She took off running to the shop. She ran through the back door and into the main area to see a person standing back facing them putting glasses on their face. There were also 3 dead men on the floor in front of them.

“I’m sorry for the mess” The person spoke with genuine sorrow in their voice.  They seemed to take a breath and then turned to look at her.

They seem to be the person Ringo was talking about. They were also samurai based on the blade held on their side. They looked into her eyes but she was confused when only met with one. 

They had glasses sort of like her but the left side was blacked out not to be seen. 

“I can clean it just give me a second” They breathed out as if very tired. 

Mizu took a second to truly take in the person's attire. They kinda dressed like her self but instead it was y/c (your color). She couldn’t help the random thought that you looked good pass though her mind. 

____________Pov shift

You were face to face with a stranger. They were samurai like yourself. It was strange you kinda wore the same thing though hers was navy blue and her cap wasn’t as tattered as yours was. He was a lot more cleaned up then you were. Also they had glasses but they were normally other than the orange tint. 

You took another breath looking back to the bodies. 

You then reached down and picked up on the limp bodies. 

“You don’t need to do that” Spoked a low but slightly feminine voice. You looked over your shoulders to see that it was the other samurai who had spoken. 

You still ended up picking the body up and walking past them and out the shop and down and down daily a bit and dropping it to not be near the nice show. You the way back. The samurai was still standing in the same spot that he was in. You walked past him again to grab another one. 

“It’s the least I can do. Also the shop is nice. I don't want to mess it up.” You said grabbing another one of the dead men, but this time the samurai came and grabbed the other one helping you to get rid of them. 

“Why did you do that?” They spoke.

“I wanted to help them. '' You responded to the question by placing down the body where you had placed the other one. 

“But why?” The samurai used it again, though this time you looked at them.

“I just did ok.” You spoke a bit irritated not wanting to have to explain everything to this random person you don't even know. 

You both had walked back to the shop. When you entered you saw the kind shopkeeper standing there.

“Thank you” They said bowing to you. You nodded in acknowledgement. 

“How could I repay you for your kindness?” They asked wanting to repay you

You thought for a second then remembering your hunger.

“Could I get some more of those noodles please?” You asked, looking at the man with kind eyes. He nodded his head and got straight to work.

You took that time to grab a rag to clean some of the blood that had gotten on the walls and floors. 

 _______Pov Shift

Mizu looked at them. ‘They seem kind’ she thought.

“Master, do you wish for some too?” Ringo asked her. She took a breath and nodded her head then went to you. 

She looked around seeing that the blood was cleaned up. She eventually found them in the corner sitting. She sat across from the person.

“Impressive skills you have.” She crooked out to you. 

“Thank you,” They looked at her and a soft and tiny smile grasped their face. Ringo then came carrying 3 bowls of noodles on a tray. He set them down and sat Mizu.

The stranger grabbed one of the bowls and golfed down the noodles in a heartbeat. They smiled softly again and looked to ringo.

“You're a really good cook and make really good noodles.” They said, closing their eye, smiling. 

_________Pov Shift

You smiled at the kind person and thanked them. You then sat in silence as the other two ate their food. You spaced out till you saw the other samurai taking off their glasses. You looked and saw the most vibrant blue eyes. You couldn't help your gaze linger a little too long on their eyes. 

“Yeah I know I’m a demon” They spat at you with gritted teeth.

You were taken aback at their out radge shaking your head.

“No, no, no, I don't think you are a demon. It’s just-” You passed for a second trying to find the right words. “Your eyes are just very fascinating and beautiful” The tips of your ears turned a light shade of red and you saw a light pink spread across the samurai’s face. They then moved something you didn’t catch and they went back to their food. 

___________Pov Shift

Mizu wasn’t expecting your complaint. To be honest with herself it felt nice and made her blush a little. 

She ate her food while the stranger and Ringo talked since ringo had finished his food too.

“So what's your name?” Ringo asked the person.

“y/n, how about yours?” They asked.

“My name is Ringo, and this is my master, Mizu” He said so cheerfully  

Y/n then nodded their head learning tier names. 

—-------(small time skip)

It was later in the night and it was time to depart. You all had to get up and gather your own things. Though Mizu noticed the slight frown on your face. As you were saying your goodbyes and about to walk out the door she called out.

“Wait-” they looked at her “Do you have anywhere to do, or people to be with” they seemed to have paused for a moment. Mizu got nervous when she said something wrong. 

Though they looked at her and shook their heads ‘no’. They turned their body to her and looked down to the ground. 

“You could stay with us if you want,” Mizu offered, though it was never something she really did. 

They smiled at them then nodding their head ‘yes’.  From there the three of you travel together creating bonds though what would happen if they ever found out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you all so much and please if you want a part 2 tell me or if you have any ideas. So yeeeeeeee Thank you so much. ^-^

[milaisreading]

Hiii good morning i was reading ur manager series and am totally in love with it specially the scenes where rin and reo decide to use their captain and rich-boy powers (the plushie one is my absolute fav) and i was wondering if i could request shidou and sae/kaiser/ness reaction to yns plushie or keychain? More than anyone else i wanna know shidous reaction🤭

Author : I didn't expect that story to be so popular since I came up with it at like 3 am☠️ but I hope you like this and thank you for the request🩷

Warnings ⚠️: Reader uses she/her. Requests are open

⚽️Blue lock belongs to:Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️

Shidou:

"Blue Lock is really that big now?" Loki commented as him and a few of his teammates were in the changing room of PXG, looking at a phone.

"Yeah! My sister wanted to buy one of the plushies and the site crashed like 3 times."

"Geez. Blue Lock 11 have boy group level fame." One chuckled as Shidou walked in, confused with the commotion.

"What are you guys looking at?" The blonde asked as he walked up closer, with the teammate showing him his screen.

"The guys who beat you, Blue Lock have now merch. Every girl or guy I know won't stop talking about them. My sister ordered like a collection of these plush toys."

"Haha my brother ordered all the keychains." Shidou was amused at the revelation, taking a mental note to tease Rin about it later.

"My sister has been complaining how hard it was to get the (Y/n) plush toy version. Every time there was a restock it got like sold out in a matter of minutes."

Now that was something Shidou had great interest in. The manager of Blue Lock has plushies? Shidou wanted to laugh.

'Hah! This is gold! But why would anyone buy that? A smaller version of (Y/n)? The whole replica? Small and soft...' Shidou's thoughts wandered off and he felt giddiness the more he imagined the item.

"Shidou, where are you going? We still need to train?" Loki called out as the taller walked out.

"I need to make fun of Rin for that plush toy of his!"

"Not again." Loki sighed and facepalmed.

The same night Shidou went on the Blue Lock website, where he found the said plush toy of the girl, and with absolutely no 2nd thought bought it.

'So adorable~' The boy grinned.

'I think 10 of these are a reasonable number.'

Sae:

Once in a while Sae would travel back to Japan to visit Blue Lock and his brother. Although he spent most of the time around (Y/n), trying to get her to join Madrid as their manager. The idea itself would be shut down by not only (Y/n), but also by Rin, who by now wouldn't leave the girl's side if he was around. This visit was a little bit different though. Since it was holiday season, Ego and Anri has sent everyone home and Sae was bummed a little. His brother wouldn't tell him anything relating to (Y/n).

'Brat.' Sae would roll his eyes at Rin's glares and him telling the older how his manager was none of Sae's business. The two weeks in Japan went by pretty quickly and it was Sae's time to go back. His mom, dad and Rin would drive him to the airport.

"It's in Rin's room?" Sae asked as his mom nodded her head.

"Yeah, I left your scarf there on accident, can you please get it? We need to hurry up to the airport and Rin is already outside."

Sae sighed and nodded his head, walking to the familiar door.

Opening it, Sae immediately spotted his red scarf and went to take it, only to freeze up when he noticed something on Rin's bed. On it was a smaller and softer version of (Y/n) staring up at him. Sae stood there for a moment and then quickly walked to the bed, picking the item up.

Sae stared at the soft toy in awe, astonished with how detailed it was.

'She looks adorable... nearly as adorable as the real (Y/n)? Where did Rin even find this? And why us he so reckless with it...' Sae sighed, patting (Y/n)'s head over and over.

"Sae! Hurry up!"

He turned to the door as his mother called for him. Sae shook his head and put the plush toy in his backpack and then took his scarf.

"Since you refused to tell me anything, I am taking (Y/n) with me. She is too adorable for Rin, anyways."

The next day, Sae was in his room and hugging the plush toy, enjoying the softness.

'So cute... so soft... I wonder if the real (Y/n) is even better to hug.' Sae's moment of peace was interrupted by his phone ringing.

"Hello." He said, already knowing who it is. He has been ignoring Rin's calls ever since he landed in Madrid.

"You thief! Did you take her?!" Rin yelled, obviously upset that his plushie was missing.

"Yes. She is really soft." Sae taunted.

"You bastard! I will come to Madrid and beat your ass!" Rin threatened.

"Do it and I will tell (Y/n) you had this thing to begin with. Imagine how much easier it will be to get her on my club then." Sae smirked as he got no answer in return and ended the call.

'Mine.' He thought as he hugged the plushie closer to himself.

Kaiser:

"What are you even looking at, Ness?" Kaiser raised his eyebrow as he saw his teammate and close friend smiling down at his phone.

'He looks like a child in a candy store.' Kaiser thought as Ness looked up at him in surprise, before showing him his phone.

"My package arrived today! I can't wait till I pick it up." The boy admitted as Kaiser went over the tracking history.

"From Japan? What did you even get there?"

"Huh? You didn't see it?" Ness wondered, making Kaiser even more confused.

"See what? Stop talking in circles."

"Blue Lock just released new merch and restocks-"

"Ness... please don't tell me you bought merch from THEM?"Kaiser asked in disbelief. As far as he knew, the only person in Blue Lock Ness liked was (Y/n).

'But there is no way they made merch of her. It's always about the players, not managers.' Kaiser thought.

"There was a cute plushie of (Y/n) and her figurine as well as a keychain... I had to get it!" Ness defended with an embarrassed look.

"Hold up... there is merch of her?" Kaiser wondered as Ness nodded his head.

"Yes! The plushie looks so adorable, I can't wait till I hold it." Ness cheered while Kaiser went to look at the item.

"Hmmm..."

A few weeks later...

It was late at night in Japan as (Y/n)'s phone rang. Panicked and still dizzy from her sleep, she took her phone and answered it.

"Helloo?" She slurred out, wondering who it could be.

"What a day to be alive, you never told me you had merch!" Kaiser laughed from the other side.

"Kaiser? Do you even know how late it is here? And what about the merch?" (Y/n) asked, a little annoyed but she was too tired to argue.

"It's kinda cute that my little Liebling is a star now. Don't forget about me when your merch sells out." Kaiser laughed.

"Shut up! I want to sleep!" She yelled but Kaiser kept on going and (Y/n) was forced to listen to his talk for another 10 minutes.

Kaiser on the other hand was sitting in his living room as the (Y/n) plushie sat on his lap, getting headpats from time to time.

Ness:

Ness was honestly not expecting to fin anything interesting the evening after a training. It was honestly normal, he showered, ate his dinner and went on his phone, to see what Blue Lock were up to. In all honesty he just wanted to see if there were any pictures or video clips with (Y/n) in them. But instead of that, he found an announcement on new merch.

"Huh? Plushies, keychains and figurines?" Ness mumbled and opened the link, boredly scrolling down the site as all of them were from players.

"Boring-" Ness stopped himself as he saw a familiar shade of (h/c) hair and stopped. Blinking at the items that were displayed, Ness took in the plushie, keychain and figurine that was displayed of (Y/n), all tiny and adorable.

"I need this. I don't even know what I entered this site for again." Ness mumbled as she put the items into the cart.

"You bought it?!" (Y/n) yelled from the other side of the phone. Ness giggled and hugged the plushie of the girl.

"Yeah! You have no idea how soft it is! I have been hugging it ever since it came hours ago." Ness said as the line went quiet for a moment.

"...and what do you think? How is the merch of me?" (Y/n) asked nervously as Ness looked down lovingly at her plushie replica.

"It's cute! Very soft and I love how well detailed it is. It's nearly as cute as you."

"A-ah?! You think so?! I... I need to go now and talk with Ego-san over something! See you, Ness!"

"See ya~" Ness said and ended the call, then looked down at the plushie again.

"So cute..." He smiled, giving a small kiss to the toy's forehead.

[riririnnnn]

Some sadly soft headcanons for Ness to distract the Fandom from whatever kind of abomination Chapter 261 is:

✦ Ness never stopped loving the books of magic genre and if you come from a different cultural background, then he'll love love love love to hear all the myth, legends and fairytales of your country. And whenever you do tell him about any story, he secretly records you and listens to them when he is far away from you for an international match—your voice helps him sleep better.

✦ After you came into his life, snowy days became his favourite. At last, he finally found someone who will make snowmen with him and maybe snowball fights with him too—it heals his inner child in a way. And, of course, he purposely lets you win everytime. Don't worry, he'll kiss your cold, red cheeks until they become warm again.

✦ His family never supported his soccer dreams, so no one ever came to watch him during his matches—he used to feel a bit lonely. However, everything changed and now he feels so giddy before matches knowing that you are in the crowd especially to cheer for him only. He just can't stop looking at your direction!

✦ Since his childhood, he was taught not to bother anyone for little things, so he gets a bit overwhelmed from time to time 'cause he wants to do everything for you—it's his love language. That's why, sometimes, you find him curled up on your shared bed silently waiting for you to hold him in your arms till he becomes okay again.

✦ As a neglected child, he knows how awful it feels to be unacknowledged, so he makes sure to praise or thank you for every little thing you do. No matter what it is, he'll always make sure to verbalise his gratefulness for every kind of effort you do for him.

✦ Because of the same reason mentioned above, he loves when you praise him or acknowledge him for anything. It doesn't need to be something grand. It can be as simple as a kiss or a small, "thank you" for making coffee and he'll float like a butterfly out of happiness.

✦ His phone's gallery is full of candid pictures of yours as he still believes that not everything in the world is describable—some moments are just pure magical, so he captures them and admires them whenever he misses you. It's like he has a crush on his own love partner. It's really adorable.

[sophsicle]

Sopphhhh, what is Masters of fate about?? Can you give us a tiny bit of plot?

Oof yeah okay I need to get better at pitching this story

But basically there are three pov characters

Ram

Edward

Genevieve (whose name I am potentially going to change again … but for now it’s Gee)

Ram is a god, his father is the creator of all, Thesiis, and he has five siblings who are also gods and a mom who was created for Thesiis by Thesiis SO you know, lots to unpack, many complicated family dynamics as all of them come to terms with how much power they have over everything else and how little power they have when it comes to their father, who is currently trying to figure out whether or not his newest creations, humans, are deserving of immortality or if they should be wiped out and replaced by a new species, so he sends ram down to observe,

Edward’s father, a beloved and respected king, has just died, and Edward is not really beloved or respected, seen as weak and soft and a bit of a party boy, he is not taken seriously, he also has to deal with a kingdom that is not doing well money wise, with l a North that is currently attempting to annex itself and a neighbour who is potentially interested in stepping in and making everything worse, what he does have on his side is a group of ridiculous friends who, despite being ridiculous, would kill and die for him (I’m sure that doesn’t sound familiar)

Genevieve is a newly arrived princess, brought over to marry Edward, she comes with her closest companion Rémy, escaping a very controlling brother and with a mind to carve out a space for herself as a strong ruler and warrior in her new home, and somehow finds herself adopting the aforementioned group of ridiculous friends (if I’m being honest she is also insane and it’s really Rémy who’s there like, guys pls. Pls I beg. Someone make a reasonable decision. Just one)

There are political plots and tragic romances and battles and conversations about right and wrong and who deserves what end and the painful ness of mortality and loving things that die and found family and everyone is gay obviously

Yeah okay that’s it 😊

[ibrithir-was-here]

About Stoker's eight fairy tales 1881 book, there's one called The Castle Of The King. The premise, atmosphere, and imagery make it the darkest of them. The other tales are on the site, too. I want to make a post about this one when it's relevant (for reasons you'll find obvious soon) but I wanted to share a bit of it for now since you like fairy tales.

The characters are nameless, the main one is "the Poet" (he changes titles during the story), his wife (Beloved One, Wife, or Her) and the King and his Castle (who both haunt the narrative). The Poet and his Beloved are in love and got married after trials for him to be seen as worthy of her hand (despite that she always loved him back) by her family. But she gets ill while she's away for duty, and dies. "But, alas! for hope; for who knoweth what a day may bring forth? Only a little while ago his Dear One had left him hale, departing in the cause of duty; and now she lay sick and he not nigh to help her."

He can sense that she has passed, despite their far distance, and they find him already weeping in his and his wife's garden when they bring him the news.

“She now abides in the Castle of the King.” He looked at them eagerly, as if to ask: “What castle? What king?” They bowed their heads; and as they turned away weeping they murmured to him softly- “The Castle of the King of Death.” He spake no word; so they turned their weeping faces to him again. They found that he had risen and stood with a set purpose on his face. Then he said sweetly: “I go to find her, that where she abideth, I too may there abide.” They said to him: “You cannot go. Beyond the Portal she is, and in the Land of Death.” Set purpose shone in the Poet’s earnest, loving eyes as he answered them for the last time: “Where she has gone, there go I too. Through the Valley of the Shadow shall I wend my way. In these ears also shall ring the Music of the Spheres. I shall seek, and I shall find my Beloved in the Halls of the Castle of the King. I shall clasp her close-even before the dread face of the King of Death.”

They weep for him, and then the story continues with his quest for the Portal, going beyond it, his running through what's basically hell to find her; not fire/demons, but it's like battling against despair itself. Pitying souls, increasing desolation, mountains, sounds and bleakness try to break him, beasts hunt him but cannot kill him due to his vow alone, his feet bleeding as he runs. It has an atmosphere akin to traveling in Mordor or Dead Marshes… "Yet they stood there-Mount Despair on the one hand, and the Hill of Fear upon the other."

His single-mindedness is unflinching despite how much he cries and falls and honestly, the Poet is more of a proto-Jonathan than the man in Dracula's Guest. I won't spoil how it all goes but yeah I find it, and the other stories too interesting

Oh wow! Yeah definitely can see the Jonathan Harker-ness in all of that. I'll definitely have to check it out!

[ask-obt]

woo, since your style has changed so much since the earlier chapters of obt, how would rune without her aura look now?

// WOAAGHHH alright coming briefly out of ask blog mini-hiatus to answer this one!

so for canon material, we actually have some modern renditions of chapter 1-2 rune! the most recent being the guildmaster talking about their meeting in chapter 8 via flashback,

... but I also snuck in some silent revisions to chapter 2 when you all weren't looking. only fine-tuned on the few pages where I was experimenting with rune's hairstyle and it looked particularly Bad

that said, if I could do it all over (utilizing the same worldbuilding and general setup)... she'd probably look something like this instead!

and some design notes on this being, - utilizes malachi's comment in chapter 1 about her "lacking coloration" - it makes her transition into her chapter 3 design less drastic (a lesser-known fact about the comic is that her "re-aura'd" design was a retcon) - her coloration and general curly-ness when she regains her aura come from her ice abilities. her fur has a bit of natural curl thanks to general alolan vulpix traits, but the active cold is what keeps the curls tightly in place. the coloration is from her more or less being a living snow cone, with her aura acting as the snow cone syrup - gave her the curl in her tail back. it's cute, I was cruel to take it away (the absence of the tail curl early in the current version of the comic was just a remnant of old design traits, which included fluffy fox tails rather than the trademark vulpix curl) - no blue in her eyes- she hasn't made her deal with requiem yet!

though as-is, this lil redesign idea probably won't see any use. I do occasionally toy around with "what-ifs" regarding chapters 1 and 2 since visually and writing-wise they're pretty different from the rest of the comic, but as they are they serve the comic well enough and aren't threatening to break the story. at this point, I'd only do a proper rewrite of chapters 1 and 2 if the following conditions were met: - over a year of buffer for both my comics (150+ pages for OBT and 50+ pages for NGCS) - i'm suddenly hit with inspiration for drawing/rewriting - readers showed an interest OR... - someone who really really really wants to see chapters 1 and 2 redone essentially pays for 2 monster house marathons on patreon and tells me that's the content they wanna experience ... and out of these different conditions, I think none of them are gonna align to make it happen anytime soon. or ever LMAO

[the-nameless-poet]

The four magic beans

Summery : Reader hates physical injuries and has very low pain tolerance.

Pairings : James Potter x Reader

One thing that James knew about you was that you absolutely hated getting injured because you have very low pain tolerance. You simply felt like you're being a burden with your whining and needy-ness while you're injured. So you avoided it all-together.

But your boyfriend had forced you to join the gryffindor quidditch team just because you were great at it. I mean as he put it in words,

"Sweetheart I've never seen anyone ride a broom as fast as you do! You fly like cheeta of birds. You're awesome!" And James being James, he had somehow convinced you to finally play as the seeker of gryffindor quidditch team.

But things don't usually go the way you want them to. You remember all the times that things go south-wards for you. Like the time when you tried to save the kitty from the tree and fell off of it or the time you went to pet your neighbour's tortoise and it bit you. Yeah, a tortoise bit you. Like how pathetic is that? A tortoise out of everything? You were even embarrassed to tell the story.

But like I said the life ain't fair. That's exactly what you thought while you were chasing down the snitch and the other team's beater sent a bludger towards you. Your arm stretched out to finally get a hold of the little flying golden ball and suddenly a big metal ball come at very fast pace hitting the middle of your forearm directly. You did get a hold of the golden snitch but with that you heard a sickening crack and your boyfriend shouting your name in high concern as you lost your balance on your broom and fell off it and landed straight on the ground.

James tried his best to catch you but he failed. And there you were laying still on the ground with your hand clutched to your chest, James could see you were trembling but he also knew that even if the whole world comes tumbling down you would never break the facade of bravery.

You slowly stood up, the silence in the stadium was deafening. Even after the foul play of the opposite team you held your non-injured arm up in the air and showed off the treasure that you caught. A loud cheer erupted in the quidditch field as gryffindor had won the match.

James was beyond proud of you but he also knew you were dying inside so he quickly got off his broom and came rushing towards you. Madame Huch came at a fast pace as well as she examined your arm and sent you immediately to Madam Pomfrey.

James was the one to accompany you.

"Come on darling, let's get you all patched up, yeah. And then we can cuddle in my dorm and eat the shittiest snacks that you love and I can read you your favourite book. Come on." James said as he noticed tears gathering in your beautiful eyes. James was absolutely amazing. He always knew what you needed before you did. It was one of his 'i am the mom of the group' traits.

You went inside the hospital wing, still in your quidditch apparell.

"Oh, dear! I was waiting for one to be truthful. Not a single quidditch match goes without an injury. Come here, dear. Mr. Potter assist Miss. L/N to take a proper seat on one of the beds." She ordered James and quickly left to get supplies.

James saw that your facade was still on. The mask never breaking even though your eyes were glistening.

Soon Madam Pomfrey came and patched your hand up. She said that it was easier to fix broken bones so she'd let you go for now but asked you to visit if the pain gets unbearable.

At that you looked back at James with a little pout. You were on verge of breaking down but made sure not to. You had to be brave! You're a gryffindor for godric's sake!

James took you back to his dorm like he promised.

"Jamie, I can't change on my own I need help!" You mumbled pathetically as you looked at the shirt he offered you with tears in your eyes. You had finally had enough of the pretence.

"I know sweetheart. I know. Now, come're. You can let go now. It's okay." He took you in his arms and you broke down. After a while he helped you change into his clothes. One of his shirts and his sweats that were too big on you but you felt safe and comfortable in them. You adored wearing his clothes. They smelled like him. Like cinnamon, smoke and a nice musky cologne. And James loves seeing you in his clothes. The way you looked adorable even in overly big clothes of his.

The pain in your arm was slowly increasing and you couldn't help the tears from spilling out of your eye lashes.

"oh, doe. What happened?" James cooed as he hugged you softly to his chest. Made sure not to hurt your arm.

"Hurts!" You whimpered.

"Awh, I know baby. I'm so sorry. What do you want me to do, hmm? I'd do anything to make you feel better. You just say the word." Once again you found yourself tucked in his arms, hiding your face in his warm chest as he ran his fingers through your soft hair.

"I jus' wanna cuddle." You sniffed lightly.

"If that's what you need then that's exactly what we'd do. Let me just change and set our bed up, yeah?" You nodded your head a little as you sat on the edge of Sirius' bed.

James was quick to change and quick with making sure that his bed was comfortable enough for you to rest properly. He set up fluffy pillows and your favourite fuzzy blanket that he owned. You got under the sheets and waited for James to join you. He was quick to. He hugged you around the waist so not to hurt your arm. You laid your head on his chest and put your injured arm on his chest and settled yourself in your boyfriend's warmth.

"You know you were great today. The way you flew after that Snitch! I was frozen at the spot just looking at you. Merlin, sweets you were amazing!" Your face redden at his compliments.

"You were amazing too, Jamie. That snatch from wood was amazing!" You looked up at him with a smirk.

"Yupp. You taught me that move. Ofcourse it was gonna be amazing." He winked down at you.

"Yes. Yes I did." You both let out a little giggle.

As you were both settled in. James was reading ' Great Gatsby ' out loud to you when the door to the dorm opened slowly to reveal the other three marauders.

"Hey, Bambi. You alright there?" Sirius asked as he came and sat on the edge of your bed to examine your arm from afar.

"Looks pretty banged up, doesn't it, Moony?" He said with a little pout on his lips.

" 'tis alright." You said, clearly lying.

"Mhm. Sure." Remus sassed.

"Here, it'll make you feel better." He tossed a bar of chocolate to you. James helped you open it up and you happily nibbled on it.

"Oh, I brought you some snacks, if you'd like?" Peter passed James some snacks seeing that he was the one feeding you with his hands.

"Thank you, Remus, Peter." You smiled gratefully at them.

"Where's my thank you?" Sirius raised his eyebrow at you.

"Thank you for what? What did you bring?"

"She's right, Pads." James smirked matching the one on your face.

"Oh, so now my presence isn't enough for you." He rolled his eyes at the two of you.

"Well I guess you don't want these then." He took out a Pack from his robe pocket.

It was a jumbo couldron cake. These taste even better than the normal sized ones.

"Can I please have it?" You looked at him with the best puppy eyes that you could make.

Say, 'Thank you, Sirius. I don't know what i'd do without you. Cause my tosser of a boyfriend doesn't even know to bring me snacks.' then you can have it." Sirius smirked.

"Thank you, Sirius. I don't know what i'd do without you. Cause my tosser of a boyfriend doesn't even know to bring me snacks."

"Hey! You're my girlfriend!" James whined.

"Yeah, but he has the jumbo couldron cake. And I really want one." You smiled feigning innocence.

"There you go, Prongs' girlfriend." Sirius handed you the couldron cake.

"You know I hate you, right?" James scowled at him as he winked at you.

"What did I even do?" Sirius asked in a mellow tone.

Their argument continued. You just looked at them. The four magic beans you had that made you forget about the pain of the presence and the fear of the future and the hurt of the past. You listened to their argument for bit more but soon fell asleep with your boyfriend caressing your hair and your neck and the laughs of your favourite people in the world.

The marauders.

Another James Potter oneshot :

[brsb4hls]

Saw your post about Rolin and the possible disconnect between him and fandom. I think you might be right in some major ways - Rolin saying there will be “season and seasons”and that every interaction between them is DM might not mean what the fandom thinks.

I am interested in seeing an adaptation of the relationship, but I have to say that the latter half and ending of season two frustrated me. Basically because of how impersonal most of Daniel’s and Armand’s interactions were. I don’t mean that as opposed to romantic mind you (didn’t expect anything like that). I just wanted them to have any kind of personal dynamic and/or interaction at some point? The aftermath of s02e05 was really minimal in terms of of psychological fallout between them - sure Daniel’s angry and there’s the martini comment exchange, but otherwise it was all about Armand trying to save the situation with Louis (trying to spin everything relentlessly as AZ said). I just felt that it all was just in service to the bigger plot, at the cost of psychological realism (and character). Of course Daniel’s options were limited as he can’t really do anything to Armand - but expose the truth, but the relative “causal-ness” of s02e06 felt a bit… unrealistic (and convenient). If we’d seen Armand later turning Daniel in a rage as a consequence - him losing it as he lost Louis - him being angry at Daniel, that would have been something! A kind of showcase of an underlying tension - but Rolin skipping it kinda has made me think he just used the DM dynamic as a plot tool to reveal Armand’s lies. Him saying that the mere fact Armand turned him is something is really disappointing. I wouldn’t mind waiting to see it (since I agree IWTV is Louis’ story) but he’s said it’s not happening so… Plot and character moments can be married together in excellent ways, but I just really didn’t feel that was the case here.

I think to call something DM it has to be about Daniel and Armand, it has to be in some way personal. Armand panicking because his lies are being revealed isn’t it, and Daniel’s turning would have been it - but it was literally skipped so there has not really been any DM on screen. Maybe Armand “apologizing” without meaning a word could count, but I dunno. I would say the closest so far is Daniel’s annoyance (and vice versa) of Armand in s02e01 and s02e03. There’s been no real scene or dialogue actually showing these characters being curious or intrigued about on another - even in s02e05 Armand’s questioning of young Daniel is all anger and jealousy over Louis. He’s very quick to kill Daniel and very quick to being okay with letting him live, pretty nonchalant. Sure there is a few moments of them looking at each other which might indicate curiosity but those moments are so small and don’t have any context so I don’t think they even really count as crumbs (since they could mean anything or nothing). Like I was personally really into having them hate each other/be nemeses (plz give me point for proper plural form ;) ) but there was honestly so little. Like I’ve seen people reacting to this show being confused about why Daniel is relatively unfazed after s02e05 and/or asking if Louis and Daniel even told Armand that they remember. Yes, there’s scenes (sushi bar) which reveals more so people looking closely should be able to tell but it does say something about their minimal change of dynamic. If Rolin does dig into this dynamic next season and makes it personal - he has said they will at least have scenes - I’ll be happy, I just can’t help but worry a bit and I feel it’s too generous if fandom takes his words to mean we’ve already seen DM. Am I making any sense? I’m more than happy to be told I’m wrong or worry too much. Thanks for hearing me out! I enjoy reading your takes, as I feel you are quite sensible and avoid filling the gaps by projecting which I feel some other fans (and probably myself) at times do

Thank you for the long ask!

I was actually going back and forth for a while, since fandom can be pretty convincing, but looking back on my first impression when watching season 1 I was pissed they seemed to have cut the dm storyline by aging Daniel up (not that the age itself is a factor, more the 'lost time') and placing the show in recent times.

I think people might be a bit too positive for different reasons:

1) The ship is book canon, it already exists

2) The actors are ship positive

3) Assad does a lot of interesting micro expressions

4) Rolin does talk about it

Now for why that might not be enough:

1) Yes, it's canon, but a small part compared to a large book series

2) I think they are generally fan positive and think that dynamic is fun

3) Assad is clearly invested in that dynamic, he might have added something acting-wise from his own perspective

4) This is the main part, I think Rolin does have a 'red thread' for his show that's as close to the books as a 'modern' adaption allows. He will follow that thread but stray a bit to put in some extras for the fans.

The first two seasons were clearly about Louis, like the first book. Louis relationship to Lestat, to Armand, to Claudia.

With Daniel as a catalyst or plot device, like you said.

Third season will focus on Lestat.

Armand and Daniel will of course still be there, but not the main focus.

And I feel like Rolin treated dm more like an easter egg. Like Niki. Niki gets a tiny bit of screen time and the cut off hands are mentioned by Louis (unrelated to Niki) and part of the stage play graphics. Easter eggs for the fans.

If Rolin does the Lestat story with flashbacks (which he will, how else would you introduce Gabrielle f.e.) Niki might or might not get revisited.

Devil's minion got the easter egg treatment in the San Francisco bottle episode. There was past interaction, and an intense one, just not erotic or romantic.

Plus a blender mention. And from Rolin's perspective that might be enough.

Like, if he planned on filming as much of the books as possible, dm is not that prominent in the grant scheme of things.

It is prominent to fans of course, (like other characters that haven't even appeared yet are fan faves)

I personally was so taken in by that one chapter back in the day it easily became my favourite ship (and Armand my fave character).

But I think if we where to do statistics the majority of Vampire Chronicle fans are in it for Lestat (and Loustat as background otp, plus other Lestat relationships) or started out as Louis fans or simply fans of vampire horror drama.

And Rolin is trying to give those fans exactly what they want and now gets constantly asked about something that wasn't even exactly on his radar. That must be quite annoying.

And he does sound annoyed altho he's still answering playfully.

And I do agree with you about Daniel's and Armand's interactions. If we leave out Assad's possible extra acting choices there is mostly a competetive dynamic between them, where Armand is somewhat fond of Daniel from his own superior position, but also a bit condescending. And Daniel just wants to one up him.

Also yes, the missing fall out from 2x5. 'You tried to drain me, pal' especially the 'pal' that's such an understatement in regards to the whole situation. 6 days of physical and psychological torture and Armand just going 'well you also did drugs, same thing basically'.

So yes, while I do love to clown and enjoy all the dm posts and the cast being so positive about it, I don't think much was planned.

It might change due to popularity, depending on wether Rolin isn't too annoyed and how it fits the script.

They could also still do a reverse chase in the background without a 'romantic' plot simply with Armand going completely off the rails and Daniel still wanting to confront him about his turning.

I do hope for the classic enemies to whatever they have trope of course, but it doesn't have to happen. If every interaction between them is dm-coded already to Rolin he might simply go with a tense fledgling/maker thing.

Well, I cross my fingers, but if I'm staying realistic I don't get disappointed too much. ;)

And I gotta say, Rockstar Lestat looks fun af.

So that's at least something to look forward to.

And we'll always have Daniel being Armand's only fledgling! (Plus a ton of fan works, and that's always a comfort. But hey, maybe we do get a positive surprise.)

[doodlegirl1998]

The reason why I can't behind any of the characters or things they do is that they're made into hypocrites.

You got Mina and Eijirou who're against bullies yet are friends with Bakugou don't do anything when he gets onto All Might.

Hawks who had a past with an abusive father and when Endeavor is exposed as one, he doesn't react or say anything about it.

Izuku with his quirkless past yet doesn't offer any sympathy towards those like him, like how he tried to make Nighteye laugh or Aoyama.

And then there's Aizawa... the guy's a walking hypocrite so I don't feel like going into any of the things he did.

All this makes it difficult to really get behind and like these characters when they contradict their characteristics this much all to make the worse characters look good.

Hi @theloganator101 👋,

Exactly this. Hori's characters act how HE wants them to to service the plot rather than what would fit their characters. So we have situations like this where they become hypocrites and bad things are implied about them. We have talked about Aizawa before so I'll focus on Izuku, Kirishima, Mina and Hawks.

Izuku - was quirkless, was horrifically abused by Bakugou for this as well as daring to try to help him out a river once.

Also Izuku - is NOT allowed once to reflect on the similarities between Aoyama and himself. Is NOT allowed to think one bit on his quirkless past or the horrific bullying (abuse) he went through. Does not seek to change the status quo now that he is a part of it. Or think about how HE could change how quirkless are being treated. This in my most charitable interpretation could be Izuku's self hatred coming out full force, he doesn't want to think about when he was quirkless so he doesn't. But this could also be construed as arrogance, stupidity and narrow minded-ness.

Izuku - knows in graphic detail the Todofam situation, is best friends with Todoroki Shoto and confronted Endeav for being a POS when he first met him.

Also Izuku - Acts like a fanboy of Endeavor in the agency arc and defends Endeavor to Dabi's face (another of Endeavor's victims.) - This puts a sour taste in my mouth not going to lie, this reads as Izuku thinking, 'because he's nice to me and he says he's going to change all is good now!' Also (unlike defending Shoto) defending Endeav just isn't necessary here. No one is denying Endeavor's mentorship or heroism skills. Dabi is saying he is an abuser and a shit dad which - you know - he is. Izuku reads as a naive, narrow-minded teenager at best here. There are better ways Hori could have worded Izuku stepping in - this wasn't it.

Mina and Kirishima: 'We hate bullies!' 😠 Very vocally anti bully, their heroism stories each center on it.

Also Mina and Kirishima: look on as Bakugou acts like the BIGGEST bully for all of the academic year and decide to become his besties. - This can be read as them being too thick to work out Bakugou is a bully at best. At worst... They read as cowards and hypocrites. The 'It's ok as long as he's not picking on me or my friends,' type.

Hawks: has an abusive father that was taken into custody by Endeav before being taken by the HPSC and enduring more intense training (likely abuse.)

Also Hawks: Despite his past abuse as an adult licks the boots of another abusive father, Endeav (Endeav's boots must be super shiny.) - Are we still pretending Hawks is an actual character at this point? All he is now is an Endeav Simp with some 'I killed Twice' angst sprinkled in. But I will save the major pieces of salt regarding Hawks for the ask I have about him. Least charitable interpretation - Hawks has LOW empathy thanks to his abusive childhood and latches on hard to a select few (Endeav) who he will protect, screw everyone else. Hawks doesn't care about Endeav's past child abuse, spousal abuse and literal crimes just what he means to him. Most Charitable - Hawks is an abused messed up person who never grew up past his idealisation of Endeav and clung to anything that meant he could keep the 'hero Endeav' in his mind intact.

With all of these deductions in mind, characters we are meant to root for feel flat, hypocritical, OOC and just downright bizarre at times.

Why? Because Hori bends characters to his script rather than writing the script for what works for the characters.

[getosugurusbangs]

you got any isaness hcs? 🎤🎤

HI OKAY this is gonna be less actual headcanons and more just… all of the thoughts i’ve had about them over the past few days

one of the first and main things that i’ve thought about them, is how they’re soo blood guts and cannibalism but are also just the cutest and sweetest couple you’ve ever seen. they just have the softest most tender love, but also the horrors persist.

also i’m ngl… the album the first action by the cabs is isaness to me. in my irrefutable and unquestionable opinion: gloom division by idkhow is kainess, and the first action by the cabs is isaness. it just makes sense to me.

but more on the note of headcanons lol:

i just KNOW that the way ness says isagi’s name is crazy. the sheer amount of emotion he could fit into just saying “yoichi”? unmatched.

i think ness has a fixation on isagi’s hands. hand size comparison? holding hands? kissing his hands? you name it, he does it.

i also think that isagi has a bit of a fixation on ness’ hair. loves to run his fingers through it, do little braids in it, plant his face into it while they’re cuddling, etc. (i can’t blame him, i bet it’s lovely)

i think that they were forced to hang out together for “team bonding”, and really didn’t enjoy it much at first. but the longer it went on and as they actually started to get closer, the harder they found it to hate each other so much.

i still don’t think that their relationship is the most stable (as much as i’d like to imagine them being happy and healthy), but it’s not like there’s the most unadulterated hatred for each other on both sides, yknow?

i really like the themes of escape and overall change in a potential relationship (romantic or platonic) with them. to me there’s definitely potential with them for a story of leaving unfulfilling relationships, abandoning people’s expectations and trying to embrace freedom and your own identity, despite how difficult and scary it may be. BUT. ALSO. i really like the idea of them forming a stronger bond with each other but that not being enough for them. where the cycle of violence continues despite their efforts.

anyways though. i actually sort of started shipping isaness as a joke. kinda.

it really did just start from me loving isagi and ness but not caring that much for kaiser so just… shipping them with each other instead LMAO

it went from “girl get away from kaiser 😭 go ride off into the sunset with each other and get outta here” to considering them intently to then just genuinely fucking with them as a pairing.. it’s how they get you…

but uhhh yeah i think that’s it for now? if you have any questions, comments, concerns, headcanons yourself that you’d like to share feel free to do so 👍

[sarucane]

Why did Ed want to "take it slow"?

Gonna do a few posts analyzing Ed's character development in the second half of S2--it all makes sense but the rush is on starting in ep5, so it's fun to unpack!

Ed came back to the Revenge because he wanted to give his relationship with Stede another go, not because he wanted to go into "recovery." But by the end of the episode he's asking Stede to take things slow, and at the start of e6 he's brooding nonstop about his guilt.

So what gives?

In this episode, Ed gets back to a place not dissimilar to where he was on the beach in S1E9--but he goes deeper. He's not exactly sure who "Ed" is, or what "Ed" wants. Like at the end of S1, changes in clothes directly lead to Ed evaluating his identity.

But while in season 1 Ed turned outward with this, grabbing onto Stede with the China plan and grabbing onto the crew with the talent show business, in s2 he turns inward.

Which is good really, because Ed needed to do that work. Running away to another place or putting on another identity won't let him escape himself.

But here's the bit that stings, but makes total sense: last season, Ed saw Stede as the only solid ground in his shifting identity. This time, while it's good that he's focusing on himself instead of externalizing, he's also not willing to trust Stede. To be a partner who'll help him figure out himself and their relationship. And he's not willing to trust himself with Stede, either.

Like in S1 at the "Wayward Seamen" school, Ed ended up having this identity crisis because of Stede. He went to the school because of Stede, and he came back to the Revenge because of Stede.

When he got back on the ship, Ed didn't want to reform, and he didn't want to deal with the consequences of his actions, on himself or other people.

But he did commit to "abide by the guidelines," and he did surrender all his authority on the ship. Because one part of his speech is sincere: he really wants to be on a safe space ship.

First, Ed sets out to stay busy and try to fix things. He pushes Stede to be a better captain, fixes the door, and looks for a shortcut with Lucius. But then Fang comes along and invites him fishing, and Ed does just that. Jumping right into the water (symbolizing: the subconscious).

And when he's fishing, Ed has practically no choice but to reflect. Ed asks Fang if he thinks Ed's a dick because he wants reassurance--he's shocked and resistant when Fang says "of course" he's a dick. And he's not only genuinely stunned when he learns that he was terrorizing Fang: he immediately apologizes.

And then Ed starts to really think about how his actions have affected people. He starts talking, again trying to figure out what he can do to fix it--and Fang doesn't let him rocket off into some hypothetical or justification. He makes Ed sit and think.

And Ed accomplishes something. He catches a perfectly fine fish and tells a story about it--he's made a controlled incursion into the subconscious, represented by water, and come out with a prize.

And then Ed's torn. He does really want to be with Stede, he's the one who initiates romantic-ness. He wants to be someone who can have "fine things," now represented by Stede's red shirt.

Yet, he also breaks the kiss quite quickly. Same for the hand-holding. And he and Stede do walk off together, but they're not touching, and they're discussing a neutral topic.

Ed knows that "to love the sea as she must be loved requires change." And he knows that he's changing, that what he's figured out about himself today is both important and very open-ended.

Ed and Stede need to talk about this stuff in order to succeed as a couple. But they don't. Stede tries to head off deeper discussion of why Ed wants to go slow, saying "oh I know," etc. And when Ed explains why he wants to go slow, he can only discuss it indirectly. He says "sometimes it's nice to be patient," and "you can't catch catch a fish...," and even admits at the end of the metaphor that he's not sure what the fish represents.

The last time Ed got vulnerable with Stede about his uncertainty around his self-identity, two things happened: Ed followed a whim and unknowingly dragged Stede along, and Stede left him. So, Ed doesn't trust either Stede or himself with Stede.

To Stede, this relationship is solid ground. He's been building it up in his head for weeks, dreaming every night, writing letter after letter, ranting to anyone who will listen. He's created this story and he believes it will become real--and he's not wrong. After all, the Revenge and its safe space is a story he created too, and it's real all around him.

But to Ed, their relationship is a place of risk. It's also a place of hope, but he's painfully aware that despair is the other side of that coin. Stede can say "I love everything about you" all he wants, but Ed has good reasons not to trust that.

Ed's right: the fish doesn't want to be caught. The moon behind them in this scene isn't a perfect romantic dream, it's a work in progress.

That said, fish never want to be caught!

A decision has to be made to do the work needed for a relationship. Stede's made that decision, made it when he decided to write letters every day whether Ed wanted them or would read them or not, made it back on the Red Flag when he began to really understand Ed's damage.

Ed loves Stede, but he doesn't feel safe being vulnerable with him. He doesn't have the solid ground he needs, either in himself or in his bond to Stede, to be able to make a decision like Stede's, to do the work in a relationship.

Not yet.